Why fly fishing only?
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for the same reasons course fisherman wouldnt like fly fisherman coming along and bagging up specimen carp and knocking them on the head. moving peg to peg all day. we just have different rules etc. for example. put a maggot on your fly rod at a fly lake and your cheating and will probably be banned. also i fly fish for all species. pike, carp, tench and perch etc etc! ther is not many course fisheries that will let you cast a fly rod. also trout are opportunistic. if there is a bed of maggots on the lake bed. they arnt so stupid wasting calories hunting. there is a couple of reservoirs down south that allow spinner/plug fishing. why not learn to fly fish? its alot easier than folk would have you believe!
perhaps with bait. but a fly will out fish a spinner/plug 9 months of the year. ive regularly outfished a mate for pike on a fly while hes used a spinner/plus while ive fished fly. let alone trout. you go try and catch a trout with a spinner in may or june and you'll see!
sorry i missed out the main reason. tradition. some of the fly fishing fraternity frown at fluffy lures never mind maggots and spinner. its a bit like asking the local imaan at the mosque if you can quickly fry a bit of bacon in his kitchen lol.
years ago I use to fish on a section of the river wensum the owner was once asked what fly type was the best on the river ? the reply was "Hovis fly" The old saying about trout fishing. trout easiest fish to catch but the hardest way to catch them. i.e. more sporting.
Happens often these days given the amount of lures going through the water, I do it all the time and if you watch a fly fished slowly it just holds and shimmers and just looks much more natural......... to me anyway! last time I did it with my mate, beat him 4:1, its much more than just gimmick!
The reasons are usually down to tradition but also that if the bait lads were filling it in with maggots, pellets, worms and the like then you wouldn't get a look in. An artificial never out fishes live bait.
All that said, I am very much a lure angler as much as I fish the fly and one of my local waters opens up to spinning after october, results have not been good on the lures on the few times I've had a go but the lads on the flies are still doing OK. Go figure....... I would have been certain to fill my boots but no, blanked a couple of times too!
Traditional fly fishing was considered an "art" in itself . The gentleman/woman angler would fabricate -often at the waterside - a replica of the insect that trout were feeding upon at the time and only cast to fish that were already rising or moving to natural prey .
This meant that a selective and artisan approach was taken as opposed to flogging the water in blind hope which required less percieved skill and which also risked disturbing and educating non-feeding fish.
Of course fish could be taken by easier methods but traditional fly fishing was not just about catching fish .Specialist casting ,the artistic nature of fly-tying ,sportsmanship and field-craft were bound up in a rather genteel activity that presented a variety of challenges .
Modern fly fishing is a lot less artisic and more about bag limits.Owners of commercially stocked waters have to find a balence that pleases anglers who lean towards traditional methods and those who simply want to catch fish. Hence they allow the use of gaudy ,shop bought lures that would make a purist cringe as long as they can be cast on a proper fly-line rather than straight off the reel in the manner of a coarse angler . Some "anything goes" fisheries allow the use of maggots and spinners as long as you pay for your catch by the pound but a purist might argue that a visit to the fish-monger might be more appropriate and would probably be cheaper .
I ,er ,I mean a "friend" once made merry in a trout lake with a Mepps spinner under the cover of darkness . It was(apparently) a good way of filling the freezer but sporting it was not !.
This meant that a selective and artisan approach was taken as opposed to flogging the water in blind hope which required less percieved skill and which also risked disturbing and educating non-feeding fish.
Of course fish could be taken by easier methods but traditional fly fishing was not just about catching fish .Specialist casting ,the artistic nature of fly-tying ,sportsmanship and field-craft were bound up in a rather genteel activity that presented a variety of challenges .
Modern fly fishing is a lot less artisic and more about bag limits.Owners of commercially stocked waters have to find a balence that pleases anglers who lean towards traditional methods and those who simply want to catch fish. Hence they allow the use of gaudy ,shop bought lures that would make a purist cringe as long as they can be cast on a proper fly-line rather than straight off the reel in the manner of a coarse angler . Some "anything goes" fisheries allow the use of maggots and spinners as long as you pay for your catch by the pound but a purist might argue that a visit to the fish-monger might be more appropriate and would probably be cheaper .
I ,er ,I mean a "friend" once made merry in a trout lake with a Mepps spinner under the cover of darkness . It was(apparently) a good way of filling the freezer but sporting it was not !.
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The season always goes too quickly and ends too soon. It is an artistic pastime. Almost spiritual.
The thrill of the deception. Quietude, Stalking, understanding the River, the classifications and lifecycles of the entomological groups, the endless patience sometimes required, the enjoyment, the beautiful enviroment, the solitude without loneliness, the peace, the quiet, the nature, frustration, search for perfection, in your tying and presentation and wading technique. Its got the lot. Its a magical feeling to carefully stalk a wily brown trout, then watch it rise and gently sip your perfectly presented ephemera danica [which you tied yourself] on a hot summers day, on a stunning river, .....Then comes the thrill of the fight, and the respectful, careful release. Highly Addictive.
The thrill of the deception. Quietude, Stalking, understanding the River, the classifications and lifecycles of the entomological groups, the endless patience sometimes required, the enjoyment, the beautiful enviroment, the solitude without loneliness, the peace, the quiet, the nature, frustration, search for perfection, in your tying and presentation and wading technique. Its got the lot. Its a magical feeling to carefully stalk a wily brown trout, then watch it rise and gently sip your perfectly presented ephemera danica [which you tied yourself] on a hot summers day, on a stunning river, .....Then comes the thrill of the fight, and the respectful, careful release. Highly Addictive.
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Course its not always that much fun, like when your being chased by a horny bull through a field, trying to vault over a wall, and your rod snaps.
I bet Northern Ireland has some great rivers. The Club Im in has rights to stretches on the Dales Rivers, Wharfe, Ure, Swale, Aire, Ribble, and some smaller tibutaries, which can be great fun.
I bet Northern Ireland has some great rivers. The Club Im in has rights to stretches on the Dales Rivers, Wharfe, Ure, Swale, Aire, Ribble, and some smaller tibutaries, which can be great fun.
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Many moons ago I used to fish a local lake on an estate with a short telescopic rod, a plastic bobber & big worms on a hook. I did very well a few times & this method provided me with quite a few meals when I was a student. One night down the pub I learned it belonged to the county Police Fly Fishing club...! have never been back.
That said the reasons why flyfishing is required for most trout fisheries is a mixture of tradition, effectiveness & it is probably what the owners think the paying public wants.
That said the reasons why flyfishing is required for most trout fisheries is a mixture of tradition, effectiveness & it is probably what the owners think the paying public wants.
Course its not always that much fun, like when your being chased by a horny bull through a field, trying to vault over a wall, and your rod snaps.
Likely I am or have been in the same......... unless its the Waltonians!
Great. May see you on the river. I can think of a few that have access to those rivers, but Im betting you're in 'No1' then?
Im gonna have to pull my finger out and get some tying done.
Have been but likely to be bailing out of the UK this year so not renewing, if I can make the time to fish this year it will be day ticket or guesting.
Will be trying to get out chasing a grayling before the seasons out mind you!
Will be trying to get out chasing a grayling before the seasons out mind you!
I think If I had the option I'd be off too. There are some good day tickets to be had. I normally get a few of those as well, just for a bit of variety.
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