Why we do it

[shimloom]

I was sitting looking at all this fishing gear wondering what drew me to the sport and why I invest so much time and resources to this addiction. Would like to hear what drew you to this and keeps you going back every year.

Craig

 

[waterfordcreek]

For me at first, It was just the challenge of catching a trout on a fly. Then it was how many can i catch in a trip.......

To me, now..its all about the experience. A great day is now fishing a secluded blueline in the Smokies...My most memorable trips are those with a few fish...but, i took the time to sit back and enjoy the beauty of these secluded mountain streams and mountains. Really take in my surroundings.....thats when i realized......I understand.



Jim

 

[streamwalker]

I must say just like Jim it's about the experience for me..first I just loved casting a fly rod then after a number of fish I started slowing down. By slowing down I mean instead of just walking right through the stream and casting at where I think fish are, I now climb the bank and take my time looking in the stream for fish. Once I spot one I see if its feeding on top or on bottom I then pick a fly climb down to the stream and attempt to catch it. Just being out their is the beautiful back country is part of why I do it..the rest well..I just explained it.

 

[fly_guy12955]

I got into fly fishing cause...........women find tired, hungry, wet, cold, smelly, pissed off fishermen totally irresistible....

 

[raindogt]

I got into fly fishing cause...........women find tired, hungry, wet, cold, smelly, pissed off fishermen totally irresistible....

So, that's what draws them all to me? Makes perfect sense, now. thanks

 

[trout champ]

The challenge of catching a fish on the fly got me started, then how many fish, then a big fish, then a specific fish that I would fish to.

Now it is my quite peaceful time away from it all.

Randy

 

[Rip Tide]

I like to be outdoors and fishing is as good an excuse as any to do that.
Fly fishing was never any kind greater challenge for me.
I'm not a convert, I've always fished with a fly rod.
For me it's just the way that it's done.

 

[bigjim5589]

I became interested in fly fishing as a kid, largely due to magazine articles written by the likes of Joe Brooks & AJ McClane. Flies & tying them was what peaked my interest. Being a kid it was something I thought I could do. That of course was long before the internet & all the hi-tech gadgets we now have. I've always liked fishing, something my father instilled in me, so progressing to fly fishing was another step. I continue to fly fish simply because I enjoy it.

Besides, it's still less expensive than fast cars, chasing women, gambling & booze, and my wife tolerates it.

 

[mikel]

Hmmm...I've loved to fish since before I caught my 1st trout, which I remember well, in 1953...pautzkes egg and a solid glass rod, about 4 feet long. A few Ca guys know where Tunnel Creek comes into Shaver Lake and that was the spot. My little forked stick (rod rest) may still be there. Fishing/camping was the only time my dysfunctional family was at peace and I took that to heart.

Athletes talk about being "in the zone" and fly fishing let's me get into a personal space like that. There's only me, the water, the fish, the quest for the perfect drift...there's a rhythm and cadence to it that I find soothing. Hours pass without notice. Pain and fatigue, stress and concern all melt away in the total relaxed concentration that on rare occasions allows you to sense a hit just before it happens...because everything is perfect and the fish is there.

sorry....don't get me started. -Mike

 

[lightline]

The places it takes me. An activity to enjoy while in such places. The other activities associated with going to such places. And yes, I do like to see a fish in some clear water and then see if I can make it eat something it shouldn't, preferable rise to it. But really, I wouldn't do it in a dirty place, ugly, with too much noise or pollution, or literally in my back yard.

 

[itchmesir]

peace and quite... it's the only place on earth where there is no bs... just fishing

 

[comeonavs]

peace and quite... it's the only place on earth where there is no bs... just fishing

This exactly, no iPhone, ipad, laptop,customer service,Costco,traffic jams etc etc

Just pure 100% relaxation for me. The challenge of catching is great too but to go stand in the middle of a stream at 9,000 feet surrounded by wildlife and silence.....I feel it is adding years back on to my life

 

[bigjim5589]

peace and quiet

I can get that just being on the water. Some of the places I like to fish, are out of the way, and not even the bigger jon boats can get to them. Really doesn't matter if I'm using a fly rod or other tackle. In those places, I rarely see another angler, except for the Herons, Egrets & Ospreys.

I actually like the down & dirty fishing with flies. Some of you trout folks express thoughts of Utopia, which is fine if that's what you like. I developed an attitude a long time ago, that most anything I can do with other tackle, I can do with fly tackle, as long as it's of appropriate size. In my younger days I struggled with fly fishing for bass, because I didn't have the right equipment. I changed that!

I really like taking my 10 wt, and some big weedless flies & tossing them into some of the nastiest, snag infested waters I can get to in search of bass that may be there. I can do the same thing with a baitcaster, and still do, but where's the fun in not attempting something a bit more extreme. Most of the bass I've caught are average size, but there's a lot of satisfaction knowing I caught them with a fly rod, in places that might make an angler with a baitcaster cringe. That is my kind of fun! Solitude, quiet & peace are good too, but being alive means taking some chances!

I'm not going to be jumping out of airplanes or anything like that, so this is as extreme as I get! :frogdance

 

[socorrofly]

I watched a couple of folks catching grayling, rainbow trout and silver salmon when I was a wee nipper in Alaska.

The idea of wire, feathers and fur to fish with proved to be irresistible still to this day. Takes us to beautiful locations and leaves lifetime memories. A real win, no worries!

 

[Rip Tide]

Kickin' back in the canoe, fishin' for bluegill may be peace and quite.
But fishin' the surf is "extreme" fly fishing. Hold on to your potatoes !

 

[JoJer]

Almost thirty years ago, I was fishing a really crappy, clunky spin rod, chucking worms in a small reservoir outside Boise. One of the few times my new wife went with me. There was a blizzard hatch and the fish-trout, 'gills, crappie- were thrashing all over the surface as the bugs came off the water, landed on us and shed leaving us covered in white sheds and me completely fish-less. That was the first time I realized I was going to have to learn to fly fish and be able to fish on top.
Later, I really came to appreciate the freedom of wading with rod and vest and not having to carry a tackle box and bait.
By then I had a lot of my local water pretty well dialed with spin gear and bait. My family was pretty tired of eating trout and smoked whitefish. It's tough to C&R with bait and I liked being able to release fish alive and swimming.

 

[pszy22]

I started fly fishing 50 years ago, literally with a willow branch for a rod, with a fly tied up using a piece of kitchen sponge and some rubber bands. We had a summer cottage so I had easy access to the water. After a couple of years my folks bought me a real fly rod and reel, not very good quality compared to what's available today, but it's what I used for the next 10 years or so. Caught tons of bluegills and bass, but had a burning desire to fish running water for trout.

Once out on my own, focused on primarily on trout, still enjoy every one I catch. Over the past 30 years have bought and used a ton of great equipment and tackle. About three years ago I started fishing with a fixed-length line reel-less rod. I guess maybe it takes me back to where I started, I do know more often than not, I have a smile on my face whenever I'm out fishing. Have always enjoyed it, maybe enjoy it now just a little more.

The nice thing about fishing, it requires just enough concentration to take you mind off the cares of the world.

 

[jpbfly]

What I wonder is....why do I still do it after so many years?
Haven't found the answer yetAs I've already told here I'm like a kid catching his first fish...and that's devilishly...good!

 

[troutcomegetit]

That simple tug on the line...every time. Then to see the fish, no matter how big or small, swim home.

 

[yonder]

Solitude.......nature......peace of mind.....the hatch......rising trout.....Soda Butte Creek....and the Gibbon Meadows.....spending quality time with my son and daughter....watching "rookies" catch that first trout on a fly.....BSing around the campfire at night after a good day's fishing.....recalling the past 40 years of trout, rods, and rivers.