might give it up

[Rifleman1776]

For about two months I have been trying to learn the 'what' 'why' and 'how' of fly fishing with plans to start the hobby.
I may just give up on the whole thing and go another direction.
In a nutshell, I don't need a new religion, I already have one that serves me well. I just don't know how anything so complicated can be called fun. There are other ways to catch fish. Catching fish and relaxing time outdoors is what I am interested in.
Fly fishing seems to be the antithesis of the "relaxing" part.
I'll check in here now and then while I continue trying to learn and make my decision.

 

[Rip Tide]

... It's not as difficult or complicated as some people would like you to think.
I think the hardest part is deciphering the difference between what you really need to get it done and what is just marketing hype.

 

[ghostdncr]

Fly fishing does have quite the learning curve to it.

With perseverance, one day you'll find yourself looking at an almost imperceptible seam in the river's current. You'll know there's a fish holding just inside it. You'll start setting up a cast and may even stop to change flies without consciously asking why you're doing it. You'll cast upstream from where you think the fish is idling, alighting your fly on an imaginary target about the size of an average coffee cup...

Later, when your looking down at the glistening, exhausted fish resting in your hand, you won't think of the learning curve. Or the money. Or the frustration. Or the time "wasted". You won't be thinking much of anything, probably. You'll be so utterly focused on the moment at hand that there's nothing but stillness beyond you, the fish, and your shared river.

When was the last time you felt that?

 

[okuma]

Fly fishing is similar to hunting. Your prey is stalked. You learn to read the water for movement of fish, rises, and different seams of current. ( same as structure fishing conventionally). It's about stealth. It's about being absorbed in the surrounding circling you. If you tie, it''s about the sense of knowing the creature you created fooled a fish. For me, it's about a sense of solitude that no other fishing can give me. My advice, keep it simple. Choose only a small variance of flies and learn from that. And as I told Ant once, it's all in how you hold your lower lip. (joking)

 

[mcnerney]

Rifleman: Trying to learn to fly fish on your own is difficult at best. It would be a whole lot easier to learn if you had a mentor to help. One way to find a mentor is to join a fly fishing club in your area. Take a look around, ask the local fly shop or get on-line and look for a Trout Unlimited Chapter in your area. Another approach would be to sign up for a fly fishing school, there are a number out there, the one that comes to mind is Orvis, but do an on-line search to see if there are any locally. You might also ask you local fly shop, having someone show you the basics will go a long ways in learning to fly fish. Maybe just starting a thread on this forum and ask if anyone lives near you and would be interested in fishing together. Good luck!

Larry

 

[tyler185]

It took me two years of trying it off and on. I would try it for a couple of times with no luck or i couldnt get my cast right so I would switch back to my spinning gear. This spring it all came together and I have had a ton of success. I cant tell you how much I have learn just this year. Every time I go out I learn something new.

So just stick with it. It will come to you...it sure did for me.

 

[gordon in nc]

For about two months I have been trying to learn the 'what' 'why' and 'how' of fly fishing with plans to start the hobby.
I may just give up on the whole thing and go another direction.
In a nutshell, I don't need a new religion, I already have one that serves me well. I just don't know how anything so complicated can be called fun. There are other ways to catch fish. Catching fish and relaxing time outdoors is what I am interested in.
Fly fishing seems to be the antithesis of the "relaxing" part.
I'll check in here now and then while I continue trying to learn and make my decision.

How Do Rifleman1776 ...

Boy, can I relate to your feelings, at least to a degree ....

I have fished with "other methods" if you will, for over 55 years and then I got the bright idea to try FLY FISHING.
Man, what have I got myself into? Tippets, line management, Royal this, Adams that and the list goes on and on and on and don't forget to learn to strip the line. And you want me to tie that to the fly .. I can hardly SEE the line much less fit it through that LITTLE hook eye and then TIE it off !

But, I had the good fortune to know someone that has 40 plus years under their belt to tell me, show me, and laugh at me (in a good friend way)
Then to make sure I really had the BEST way to get started ... he suggested NOT listening to everything he said and told me to sign up for a class, with an instructor that does not know what an ol' grouch I am ....

Like you, I don't need a new religion .. mine works just fine too ...

But, before you "accepted" your religion .. I betcha ya went to Sunday School first ... to get started.

That's where I am right now, going to Sunday School ( Fly Fishing Classes )
to learn and see what I can do with this.

Don't give up yet .. I had my FIRST class yesterday and found out that I REALLY can cast a fly line and get it to go where I wanted it to go !!

Hope you stick with it ... might be more fun than you thought.

Gordon in NC

 

[kglissmeyer1]

Hey, if you're looking for somebody to change your mind, I think you've come to the wrong place. We're all hooked on this because of what it brings to our lives. Was there a learning curve, sure, but we stuck with it and now I can truly say this sport is one of life's greatest pleasures. As far as religion goes, I don't mix the two. Flyfishing is NOT religion for me, that is something else much different and personal to me. Now, I must say that much of my time is consumed by this sport from tying flies, to building rods, to getting on the water as often as I'm able.

I remember when I first started fly fishing I switched back to my spinning gear often because I caught fish with it, but I stuck it out with the flyfishing and soon I was able to consistently catch fish. Now, I'm confident I'll catch fish just about anywhere and anytime I get out on the water.

Its not just the complexities of choosing the right rod, line, leader, tippet and fly, but there are the subtle tweeks needed to lay out the right cast to the correct target consistently. But, when it all comes together, it is a thing of beauty that can't really be described. Like any pursuit, there is a price to be paid and time and money to be invested in order to become proficient. Those of us who endure in this sport have paid that price, and I think most are quite happy to have done so.

I won't even try to convince you either way, that, you'll have to do on your own, but let's just say it really is worth the price paid for admission. :thumbsup:

You must make up your own mind, but don't judge it too harshly, too early in your experience or you will miss something very special.

Many have asked why I pursue it so passionately, and I respond with:

Nuff said, now it's your call. Good luck.

Kelly.

 

[yeamon]

I took the Orvis School course at Dogwood Canyon, and I would endorse it as a great way to put the correct foot forward.

I just started this year, after a few years of enviously observing from the outside. I view fly fishing the same way I view bowhunting for whitetail deer (another activity I took up a few years ago). The reward is not the trophy, the freezer/cooler full of meat, the kill, or the catch (and release). The reward is the step one takes through a dimension, a barrier that upon breaking, allows one to transform from an "observer" of the natural world, into a "participant" in the natural world. The activity is all about immersion.

Yes, there are other ways to catch fish. There are other ways to hunt deer, as well. But those other ways don't provide sportsmen with such interaction with their surroundings and their prey. That reward requires challenge.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Great photos and they present your case beautifully.
I'm not out of the game yet. I will attend our local FF club meetings.
The downside is this learning curve is a discouragement and not easy. I'll stick with it for a while before making a decision.
BTW, my passion for the past 40+ years has been shooting old style traditional muzzle loading rifles and reenacting the early American history that goes with them. For a newcomer, the learning curve is not unlike what I am now experiencing. I have helped many a beginner to enjoy the avocation.
And, while I may gripe about the cost of starting with FF, have you priced a nice custom built muzzle loading rifle? :yikes:

 

[HuronRiverDan]

Rifleman, flyfishing can be as complicated or as simple as you want it to be; just like re-enacting can be, that's for you alone to decide. For me flyfishing, and the other activities that go along with it are a way for me to relax. Whether I'm chasing Steelies or fishing for gills, to me it's FUN; and that is relaxing...I don't believe anyone here picked up a fly rod and became a Master the first time, it took time to get the hang of this wonderful pasttime...

Dan

 

[mcnerney]

Great photos and they present your case beautifully.
I'm not out of the game yet. I will attend our local FF club meetings.
The downside is this learning curve is a discouragement and not easy. I'll stick with it for a while before making a decision.
BTW, my passion for the past 40+ years has been shooting old style traditional muzzle loading rifles and reenacting the early American history that goes with them. For a newcomer, the learning curve is not unlike what I am now experiencing. I have helped many a beginner to enjoy the avocation.
And, while I may gripe about the cost of starting with FF, have you priced a nice custom built muzzle loading rifle? :yikes:

Rifleman: When you go to the next local FF club meeting, be sure to explain your situation, let them know you are frustrated and need some help. Getting some personal help will go a long ways in learning the sport of fly fishing.

Larry

 

[tollster]

I am new to fly fishing pretty much just like you, as a matter of fact, once I read your post I decided to join just so I could reply to you.
This new hobby of your is only as complicated as you want it to be. You do not have to be a pro to have fun and just catch fish. Sometimes I believe the more time you spend reading posts in a forum the more complicated it can become. Check your local fly shop, preferably somewhere you have spent some money, get some flies the owner recommends, then go try them out. You do not have to be a master caster, try some fast water, drift some nymphs under the bank and so on. stay low and concealed and you will catch fish.
I have always be a trout fisherman, and what you have learned using your other gear such as spinning rods can be just as beneficial. You know your prey and everything about it. Now just adapt your style to suit you and your new fly fishing hobby.
I have not caught one trout casting my fly rod, none on dry flies either. but I have caught 3 trout using spinning rod tactics and drifting bead heads. sure it may not be as pretty as a river runs through, but a fish is a fish, and learning as I go with my new hobby will only benefit me down the line. I must admit, that I tie on a lot of flies, loose some too, but once you find that fly they like, you will stick with it. Just be sure to spend more time on the water than you do in the forums.

 

[crittergetter]

I can't add much more than others here have already added.

Fly Fishing is a Journey.

I experience that journey with my wife and close friends and nature. Sometimes you laugh, some times your are frustrated as all getout, sometimes you gigle as much as you did when you had no cares in the world. But all the times you escape the stresses of the world around you. It is your choice to decide. I do know I have helped a bass fisher catch his first trout on a fly rod after two day's of no fish and that brought as much joy as catching the fish myself.

Good luck with your decisions...

 

[madjoni]

I might add from my experiance,for fisherman (and poet) one must be born....you have it in you, or you dont...simple as that
p.s.and i cant write poems

 

[sevenmxf]

Rifleman,

My son and I dove into this madness just a few short weeks ago. I hadn't really fished since I was a kid, so I don't have much baggage when it comes to fly fishing vs. bait fishing. At first, we failed miserably but I continued my search for understanding, and my quest for my son's first trout and mine. Questioning whether or not it was truly possible to catch fish in this strange and complex manner, I asked questions - many of them were posed to the extremely fine group of people here on this forum. Others were from anglers we met on the stream. To a person, everyone we met was more than willing to help. The answers I got were constructive. The support I got was essential.

My situation is not yours, I understand. But it took me only a few weeks to go from frustration and failure to confidence in my knowledge of the flies, the gear, the mechanics of casting, the beautiful trout we're targeting and how to read the water. At some point, it all came together. We've only caught a handful of trout but each has been a step forward. We still have so much to learn, but if it were any other way, it wouldn't be worth it.

My .02

Cheers and best of luck!
Michael

 

[ant]

You just have to remember, baby steps. When I first started it took me literally 6 months of going out once a week for an hour or two until I could cast consistently. I just kept remembering what my Karate teacher would say, only you can beat you. And I wasn't going to let the part of me that wanted to quit beat me.

I learned the way you seem to be. I would read the postings on here and watch youtube videos. I never took a lesson or fished with anyone(to expensive for my budget and didn't know anyone that fly fished.) It's a long, difficult and frustrating road to learn like that.

But once everything starts to click, it's more than rewarding.

But with all that being said, if you find that months into it it's not an enjoyable and rewarding experience, drop it. If you just want to be frustrated in your "relaxing" time, you might as well just take up golf.

Best of luck to you,
Ant

 

[cnanoski]

There is much wisdom and much experience in the replies I have read. Like others have said, its a different experience and means a different thing to each person. It is a journey... there is no final destination... just different legs of the same journey...

 

[jager]

Some great answers here, Rifleman. I'll only add that fly fishing is harder and less productive at the beginning, than more conventional ways of fishing. But those who persevere almost always end up being far better fisherman than other anglers.

When I was a young deer hunter I decided I wanted to get up off my stand and do it the hard way. I wanted to become a still hunter. With a single shot rifle, no less. What I didn't know was that that decision foreshadowed a long, unproductive time in the desert. It would be years before I killed my first deer, stalking them on their own terms. But once there, having walked through that desert, I found that my understanding had reached a different plane. I quickly became productive again - more so even than most my pals who stayed on their stands - despite my insistence on doing it the hard way.

Fly fishing isn't as hard as all that - as Michael relates above, you can surmount the initial learning curve with just a few weeks of serious time and effort. But it is a far more nuanced kind of fishing than fishing with spin or bait-casting gear (and I don't mean that in a critical or high-brow way - I've got a closet-full of conventional fishing tackle). It rewards subtlety and patience. And like most of the best things in life, it is rich enough that you never really mine it all. There's ever more to discover.

I'm a reentry fly fisherman myself. After passionately loving it as a young man - after going through all those frustrations you describe, as I was likewise self-taught - I put it aside, for reasons I'll never fully understand. Coming back to it this summer has been a delight beyond words. Like finding that long lost love, just as beautiful and smoking hot as she ever was.

But at the end of the day, fly fishing doesn't call to everyone. If it doesn't, it doesn't. Just know that it usually takes awhile. Fly fishing is never a one-night stand. The very least it can ever be is a summer romance.

 

[oregonsteel]

Great photos and they present your case beautifully.
I'm not out of the game yet. I will attend our local FF club meetings.
The downside is this learning curve is a discouragement and not easy. I'll stick with it for a while before making a decision.
BTW, my passion for the past 40+ years has been shooting old style traditional muzzle loading rifles and reenacting the early American history that goes with them. For a newcomer, the learning curve is not unlike what I am now experiencing. I have helped many a beginner to enjoy the avocation.
And, while I may gripe about the cost of starting with FF, have you priced a nice custom built muzzle loading rifle? :yikes:

Can you elaborate on what streams you fish and what your success is? What is a disapointment?

When I started fly fishing as a kid my dad took me to places that were really fishing well. I had crappy technique, didn't know poop, but still had days where the fish were boiling over and I was catching 10 -20 trout on my horribly self tied caddis which were basically just elk hair at 45 degrees and hackle at 90 degrees.

I am 100 times better of a flyfisherman now than then, yet I fish streams which are much more technical, and if I was a beginner would of probably quit fly fishing. So what city do you live in and what waters do you fish?