Fly Fishing...Why did you start?

[JBinUTAH]

I was just wondering why some of you fly fish? Was it some thing your father did and taught you to do? Did you start as an adult, as I did, because of the area you live? We have such a diversity of anglers here on this forum and thought this would be a way to share how or why you started.

I fished all my life. I remember as a kid living in San Diego going to the piers in the harbor with my dad. Later, my family owned a boat and kept it in a slip in Sea World and I used take it out at least once a week for some deep sea fishing. (Loved to catch Yellowtail.) I moved to Utah in 1991 and I live near the Provo and buying a vacation home in Idaho added flyfishing to my interests. I still own a 21' open bow and a 12' aluminum to fish on the dark side. But I must admit, fly fishing is the most beautiful and rewarding.

[fshfanatic]

I grew up fishing. Mostly Ultra-light spinning gear for trout or throwing plugs for bass. I have loved the sport for as long as I can remember. I started flyfishing with my Grandfather when I was around 15 throwing pencil poppers for stripers in the California surf. When my Grandfather died when I was 19, I just sort of fell out of it, it wasnt the same.

I got a Fenwick Flyrod kit as a present from my wife for christmas early in our marriage and slowly got back into the sport. When I moved to Utah I met alot of great guys that flyfishing was all they did so that is when I really got into it full time.

It seems with flyfishing I tend to catch more and larger fish as well... I am hooked for life.

[Curtis]

I remember going to the Weber river throwing hardware and dunking bait balls for trout and watching the flyfishers come around the bend. I was fascinated by the line as it came through the air and the fish they would catch always seemed to be of a finer caliber. I really liked the way they would play their catch instead of my method of just reeling it right in on twelve pound test. Then when they slipped the fish back into the water, I was amazed.

I had to try. My wife and mother got me a South Bend set up that year for Christmas and I couldn't get enough.

[idabelangler]

I've fish my whole life. I come from a family of fisherman. I remember see pictures of flies in my dad's old fishing books and when I was very young I began bending needles in the shape of hooks and stealing thread from my mom's sewing box to try to imitate those flies. I didn't have a fly rod then and so never fished with those creations. My dad was and still is a tourney bass fisherman so buy the age of 10 I had probablly fished with him on every major lake in Oklahoma at least once. We fished every weekend when I was young and many times hit ponds after school. I would say 95% of the time back then we were catch and release unless it was crappie. We also hardly ever fished with bait since most of the time we were pre-fishing for a tourney. I moved to McCurtain county in 1995 a few years after I married my wife (she's from here) and started fishing the mountain fork with ultra light spinning gear, within a year I had bought a fly rod and was tying my own flies. I like to fish no matter what gear I am using but being a fly fisherman has also taught me to be a better fisherman in general.

[BigCliff]

I have fished most all my life and really got into it in high school when I learned that a local gated community (where they play a BN golf tourney) had enourmous bass in their water hazards. Got pretty good with baitcasting techniques and loved pulling those big "buckitmoufs" out. Then I went off to college in San Antonio and was peturbed that there wasn't as much good fishing around like I was used to. Then I hear about this "fly fishing for redfish" stuff and decided I had to try it. Liked the idea of stalking a fish and making a cast to it, and the idea of a 4lb fish in 8" of water taking off like a scalded dog. Within 2 hrs of my first attempt to catch one, I was successful and have been hooked ever since. I figured out that there was oodles of limestone stream fishing for small bass and panfish near SA, and even a trout fishery nearby. Now back in the D/FW Metromess and still at it, only now I cuss the lack of limestone streams around here. Favorite place I have ever fished would have to be the dream stream section of the South Platte in CO.

[tightlines57]

Like most of us I fished all my life. Growing up in the Midwest it was a lot of sunfish, cats and some bass. I started fly fishing when I moved to Phoenix about 7 years ago. Just fell in love with it. It is more of a challenge, more fun than "sittin fishin". I still have all my bass gear and get it out several times a year for the local lakes. I pretty much like anything that will get me outdoors, especially camping and fishing.

[ghostrider]

Back in 1960 when I was in junior high a guy at the local hardware store told me to give a flyrod a try. Got an 8' fiberglass in 7 wt. Had a blast learning to cast that thing without any instruction. Fished lots of ponds and a few lakes in East Texas with a grasshopper or cricket on the end of a hook with that flyrod. Then got some poppers to use for panfish and bass and hardly ever used anything else but a flyrod after that.

Finally got to go trout fishing last Spring at Montauk State Park in Missouri and most recently at Beavers Bend. Hope to get to spend much more time in the future learning and enjoying the sport of trout fishing.