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3. Should have known

Well, I did it. My first day on this forum and I have offended a member.I will not mention his name out of respect.

On my profile page under thoughts & bio., I said fishing with nymphs was unethical to me and it was like cheating. So I changed it.

How one chooses to fish should be his/her own choice, because a person fishes for themselves & no one else. I can't fish for your happiness, only mine. I want to make this clear to everyone, I am not against nymphing, or any other style as long as it is done legally in your state.

If anyone else has read my bio., and felt offended, I promise you that was not my intention to offend anyone. And with that, I apologize for any misunderstanding.

I will how ever admit, when it comes to using nymphs, I do enjoy doing it Czech style with a short line because it's up close and the action can be fast.

So to the member who pm'd me, please except my misuse of words & show grace upon me by giving me another chance and getting to know me. You will find I am not so much of a snob as you may think.

The internet can a darn poor substitute for eye-to-eye communication. And that's easy to forget. Statements and comments can be read multiple ways, and can easily be colored, or read in to, by the reader. Just which side is being "thin-skinned" can be tough to decipher. Appreciate your willingness to engage; That step is in the right direction.

When I step away from it all -take the longer look- it often shocks and saddens me how much in-fighting can occur amongst people who probably share more values than not.

As to fishing styles, in 40+yrs of serious angling I have gone through the paces, narrowed my challenges, until I started down the slippery slope into a sort of snobbery, with my identity invested in it. That too has changed over time, with further experience, from many walks of my life. I can find challenge in any fishing method. And I have tremendous respect for what people are capable of.

I happen to prefer subsurface methods for trout, over any other. There's something about that mystery, and being able to be in touch with it, that gets me.

Welcome!

Well said Paul. When reading posts we only see the words and are not able to witness the emotions behind them. We shouldn't have to go into great detail to explain ourselves, but if someone questions what is said, just ask for clarification so we can all be on the same page. This is why I will never do facebook. Too many bad things happen inside family & friends all because of a simple misunderstanding. And I have seen it happen on other forums as well and choose not to be a part of it. I would not like to see it happen here.

I fish for fun and like to enjoy the outdoors as like many of you I am sure. And we all do it in different manners, but we are still just fishing.

Thanks for your supportive words Paul.

When I read this it strikes close to home. I started fly fishing in the mid 60's when I was a young lad. There wasn't a lot of info on fly fishing so I had to learn on my own. It's the same as when I started tying flies, I got two basic lessons on fly tying and learned the rest on my own. My point being is that most on here would tell me I'm casting all wrong, tying flies wrong with no names and using too short of pole to nymph fish. You fellas worry to much. I catch fish and a lot of them, it's all about catching fish and enjoying yourself.

Hi Will,

Your casting all wrong, your flies are too big, too small, too much hackle, out of proportion, and your rod is too short. Other than that you are a fine fellow!

Will,

I'm just kidding. I taught myself to fly cast around 1959 but then didn't have the confidence to fish with flies so I became a very competent bait fisher. My preferred baits were those 2"-3" garden worms and the larvae of the stick caddis. I'd be using 4# mono tippets with a #16 fine wire dry fly hook and one little BB. I'd hook those caddis worms right in the head area and usually I would get a bite in jut a minute or two. Caught my limit every time I went out and every trout went into my Artic creel.

My folks bought me a fly tying kit when I was about 13. The vise, if you could call it that, was a little zinc plated metal affair with a clamp than you pushed down to lock the hook in place. I never had a lesson but read many instructional fly tying books. My fly fishing hero's were Joe Brooks and A.J. McClane.

Here is a picture of Mr. Joe Brooks, a close friend and me. I'm the one in the middle. We are on Armstrong Spring Creek near Livingston, MT back when access was free. BTW we are all using cane rods. My friend and I are both using Leonard 7' #4 Baby Catskills and Mr. Brooks was using an Orvis stick.

You're absolutly correct Will, we shouldn't worry about what others think or say. I am on a journey back to my beginnings, back to the way my grandfather taught me. Though, in reality I never left it. But these last couple of years I have read posts on other forums, taken advice on new techniques, followed what other footsteps I could to learn and try new things. I soon was tired of hearing others say things like, " if you want to catch bigger fish consistantly, or, for tricky casts, use muscle memory in your casting." Yes, that was an actual article in Gink & Gasoline. It's things like that, that has driven me back to my beginnings.

I haven't been happy for a few years, at least not as happy as I used to be fishing. My favorite dry fly is the Delaware Adams, and it is a deadly fly where I live. It produces every time I use it. So I have gotten to the point where I don't need to take a box full of 50 different flies, but just maybe 3 or 4 flies at different sizes from 14 to 18. I don't want to waste time trying to pick which fly to use, so using a minimum amount helps, especially when they are flies of high confidence. I have a friend who only used the Adams for an entire year and caught the same amount of fish as he always did with different flies.

So I have gone back to what makes me the happiest when fishing, in a style I have perfected for myself. I am comfortable with it, and it's a level that I really enjoy. Kind of a level where it aint no thinking thing. It has produced over and over, and I have shared it with folks who are learning to fish, and they have a great time doing it.

I may go back to more advanced ways later, maybe with nymphs later, but only Czech nymphing. Throwing a nymph with a strike indicator to me is just like putting on a worm and bobber.

We all have our preferences, and we should embrace each other in them, and not judge. Just have fun.

Subtlety surely isn't one of your strong suits is it? Especially considering that a good percentage of the forum members, myself included, have been known to use a strike indicator.

Subtlety surely isn't one of your strong suits is it? Especially considering that a good percentage of the forum members, myself included, have been known to use a strike indicator. I'm not at all offended by your comment. I actually got more than a little chuckle from it.

Especially since one post up you shared this with us;

I never got to fish Armstrong or Nelson but got to spend a day on the Depuy fishing hoppers. Landed two and had four break off, better yet I got to spend the day with my son.

No, being subtle is not my strong suit. But that's just me. It's not to put anyone down, or to ridicule anyone. I know what I like and dislike for me.

If many of you use indicators, I say go ahead and do it, the important thing is to enjoy what you're doing. That's what's so fantastic about this sport that we are individuals and do things individually in this game of fishing. There really is no right or wrong when fishing as long as it's legal. Dynamite is not legal, highly frowned upon. Not to mention stupid.

Take spider fishing. People do it differently, some swing them & some cast upstream. I use a 10ft. rod when fishing spiders, & some don't.

Here is something I am not subtle about at all, I will not judge others on how they fish, again, as long as it's legal, but I do judge myself. So when I say using an indicator is boring, it's referred only to myself. I am not against indicators because they serve a valuable purpose. It's just not for me. But...yes there is a but. I will use an attractor fly as an indicator.

We talked about over lining fish, and in certain waters I believe over lining does not spook fish, and in slower waters it does. Same as indicators. I would rather use a big fly for an indicator because it's less likely to spook fish. Just my opinion.

Will, glad you got to have time with your son. That's always a precious thing.

As long as you youre not using live bait (or dead), its not considered cheating lol :)

Amen to that! I stand corrected.

:)

Very Nice. The Delaware Adams is one of my go to flies when fishing for brook tout or as a searching pattern on fast tumbling waters where wild fish live. I like fishing those other paltered hackle Catskill patterns when the conditions enable me to do so. Here are a few that i like to fish and tie. L to R Queen of Waters, Beaverkill, and the Delaware Adams.

Pretty flies.

Thanks Matt.

Mercy! Those are beautiful flies. What sizes do you generally use?

Thank you, that's very kind. I usually fish a #16. But I tie them #12 through #18.

You're pretty well covered with those sizes.