Extinction of Fly Fishing

[Mike G]

1950 would be a watershed year for fly fishing. Before then a bass fisherman had two choices for presenting a lure. baitcasting or fly fishing. Since this was before freespool baitcasters were available, it took a lot of practice to master backlash free casting with the windmill reels that they had to use. Comparatively fly fishing was not much more difficult to master if you were interested in serious casting. Those were the main choices my father and uncle had-baitcasting for big lures and fly casting for flies and smaller lures-like spinners, spoons, and plugs.

 

Around 1950 spinning and spincasting happened. I was there to watch it. They made the whole casting proposition exponentially much easier and the "spin" tackle soon dominated bass fishing. The small flyrod lures and spoons that were popular back in the 40s quickly became spinning lures. Both baitcasting and fly fishing were shuffled to the back of the line becoming known as "hard to learn."

 

As free spool technology got better baitcasting became "easier" to learn than fly casting. Though it was once very popular, and it remains relatively easy to learn, fly fishing for bass was pidgeon holed as a difficult technique like hunting with a long bow. Whereas you could find flyfishing equipment side by side with other tackle in shops back in the 40s and 50s, by the 90s you would have to look to specialty fly shops to find a reasonable selection of equipment. Joe Cornwall is right in stating that fly fishing has been surviving largely as an expensive elitist activity until recently when the economy went sour.

 

The trick for fly tackle manufacturers is to regain that position that flyfishing for bass and other warmwater species held prior to 1950. That is where marketing comes in. Champions like Clouser, Kreh, and Whitlock are rare; and they are not widely recognized outside of Fly Fishing circles. As I have said, I don't think much will happen till we start seeing nationally recognized figures swinging fly rods. I would go with the guys who have established fishing and outdoor shows, the Lindners, Winkelman, Mike Iaconelli, Jimmy Houston, Bill Dance, Hank Parker, Roland Martin etc. It is risky. I am not sure if fly tackle manufacturers are ready to ante up. I am not sure that the Babe wants to be photographed holding one of those wimpy long rods. Just a thought.

[ronk]

1950 would be a watershed year for fly fishing. Before then a bass fisherman had two choices for presenting a lure. baitcasting or fly fishing. Since this was before freespool baitcasters were available, it took a lot of practice to master backlash free casting with the windmill reels that they had to use. Comparatively fly fishing was not much more difficult to master if you were interested in serious casting. Those were the main choices my father and uncle had-baitcasting for big lures and fly casting for flies and smaller lures-like spinners, spoons, and plugs.

 

Around 1950 spinning and spincasting happened. I was there to watch it. They made the whole casting proposition exponentially much easier and the "spin" tackle soon dominated bass fishing. The small flyrod lures and spoons that were popular back in the 40s quickly became spinning lures. Both baitcasting and fly fishing were shuffled to the back of the line becoming known as "hard to learn."

 

As free spool technology got better baitcasting became "easier" to learn than fly casting. Though it was once very popular, and it remains relatively easy to learn, fly fishing for bass was pidgeon holed as a difficult technique like hunting with a long bow. Whereas you could find flyfishing equipment side by side with other tackle in shops back in the 40s and 50s, by the 90s you would have to look to specialty fly shops to find a reasonable selection of equipment. Joe Cornwall is right in stating that fly fishing has been surviving largely as an expensive elitist activity until recently when the economy went sour.

 

The trick for fly tackle manufacturers is to regain that position that flyfishing for bass and other warmwater species held prior to 1950. That is where marketing comes in. Champions like Clouser, Kreh, and Whitlock are rare; and they are not widely recognized outside of Fly Fishing circles. As I have said, I don't think much will happen till we start seeing nationally recognized figures swinging fly rods. I would go with the guys who have established fishing and outdoor shows, the Lindners, Winkelman, Mike Iaconelli, Jimmy Houston, Bill Dance, Hank Parker, Roland Martin etc. It is risky. I am not sure if fly tackle manufacturers are ready to ante up. I am not sure that the Babe wants to be photographed holding one of those wimpy long rods. Just a thought.

Mike

The introduction of less expensive ffing tackle ie rode/reels started by cos like TFO,Redington,& Albright predates the economy's souring.The fact that cos like Sage & Orvis than introd their own lines of less costly gear had less to do with the economy & more in response to this new source of competition.

I don't think your last statement goes far enuf.I strongly doubt that any of those old school bassin' guys would be interested in associating themselves with ffing in the unlikely event that any ff mfrs would even want them.A dichotomy does exist there.

Spinfishing/spincastimg tackle was a boon to our sport by allowing those either w/o the ability or the interest in learning to master the more difficult types of tackle to participate.By extension it may in the long run have also been a benefit to ffing as well.There has always been & there will always be a place for ffing in the sport of fishing.The real question is whether there will always be a place for fishing itself in a world less & less connected to nature.

[Stuart_Van_Dorn]

I doubt that after reading all these posts that fly fishing is far from dying. It, like all outdoor activities is suffering from a decline, not just financial but as has been noted, cultural. You could always buy low cost fly fishing gear, even now there are fine rods and reels available for less than "premium" gear. However as someone who fishes almost exclusively with a fly rod I find it fascinating that I meet bass guys who complain about the cost of fly rods while they seem to have no trouble paying a small chunk of change for a Lucky Craft lure, or a titanium double spinner bait. Oh and when was the last time you saw a Shimano Calcutta for $35? And I have fished with guys who own, oh I don't four or five. And of course the Diawa SS tournament reel...and has anyone bought a St. Croix or Loomis rod recently?

You can't buy premium rods for $50, $100 and I will debate anyone on this forum about the difference between by Winston Tom Morgan Favorite 4wt and any $200 4wt fly rod you find. I have been fly fishing since I was 7, I am 61. i have worked in fly shops, bait and tackle stores and there is always a difference between the high price gear and the entry level stuff. Any musky fisherman out there? You get that new Diawa reel, that new one pice 9" rod, and some of those crank baits and buck tails? Show me your receipts!

 

Fly fishing was here a long time ago. It's a little like bluegrass music, for a long time everyone predicted that it had died, but it wasn't. It was kept alive by a group of dedicated guys who loved the music. And every once in awhile it gets a shot in the arm and cruises out front, then it fades to jams in church halls and local taverns. It too has premium instruments, a pro end banjo costs about $3500 and up. Guitars and mandolins are the same.

 

So it will be with fly fishing. We waste our time asking will it go the way of the dinosaurs. Instead we should be visiting the local fly shop, organizing tying groups, encouraging the young kids to sit and tie a fly, to cast fly rod, to be on the water having fun. Make a few more diehard fans of this most difficult way but fun to fish. I'm not saying it's better or worse, I'm simply saying it's a another way to present a lure, one that you can make yourself, and when you make that perfect loop, when the line rolls out through the air in a graceful arc, carrying with it a fly that you tied the night before, and then it lands and you animate it back and then some fish just slams it and you set the hook and that rod thumps and your heart jumps, that's what it's about.

 

I prefer fly rods. I have seen this cycle before and I don't worry. I don't debate the issue of premium versus economical gear, just as I wouldn't debate the merits between a Ferrari and a Toyota MR2. Both sports cars, both do the same thing, but have leather seats but when you sit behind the wheel of a 308 Dino...the world is a whole new place. Now, it isn't that you won't have fun with your Toyota, it's just on a different level. So let's stop the idea that what we want is $100 premium rod at a Walmart price.

 

And yes you can buy good gear in lower range priced group. Cortland gets slammed in the midwest but they make a decent rod and I have cast a number of them. St. Croix builds a nice rod. Reddington, Temple Fork, need I go on? Cabela makes a nice series of fly rods and you can find rods on sale at Bass Pro. Fly shops might not be your cup of tea but they are important to the sport and so I continue to visit them, throw a rod, check out lines and new gear, and yep, buy stuff there, drink coffee and shoot the breeze there, tie flies there and in general, have a good time at the fly shop. If you don't want to buy premium rods, don't, go buy what you can afford or save to buy that high end rod. But don't say that they're charging too much, or saying that they're going extinct, it might make for a good discussion but wouldn't it be better if we spent our time wondering if our waters are going to be polluted and the fish die? If we worked on clearing streams, reporting polluters and caring for our natural resources? These are worthwhile discussion topics, and while it's fun to engage in this fun discussion but the fly fishing industry is fine, I've been to Montana and no one is freaking out, Italy is having a renaissance in fly tying and fishing, Scotland isn't worried, and the French are having a wonderful time re discovering their streams and rivers.

 

So is dying? An emphatic no is the answer. It's very alive and while it' suffering as every one is in these tough times, it's doing okay, and we'd do okay to support our local fly shops. Teach a kid to cast.

And an answer to pro bass fishing with fly rods. I've been DQ'd twice for using fly rods in a B.A.S.S. competition, still haven't seen a rule change. As soon as that happens, things might change. But I'm not expecting to see a hot shot bass boat pull up in the waters I fish and see a guy whip out an 8 foot fly rod and start throwing a big bushy fly. Those days are a long ways away.

[Mike G]

Ron,

 

Sorry I buried a trap in there. Roland Martin used to feature fly fishing in his series regularly as I mentioned in an earlier post in this thread. a friend of mine has a video Roland made on fly fishing for bass in Florida. So, since it has been done, we can deduce that it can be done. like Cornwall, I want fly fishing to be visible in the mainstream of fishing in the lower 48-not something that you do in New Zealand, Chile, Montana or Alaska.

[Guest airbornemike]

Ike with the buggy whip

[mattyvac]

Gentlemen,

 

I want to thank everyone for sharing their opinions, experiences, and fishing history on this topic. In writing my opening post, I was hoping to find someone I could agree with. I am happy to have found some common ground with all of you. As I have said before, I use conventional tackle, but I love fly fishing. I want it to thrive so future generations can feel what I feel when I fly fish. And if we in this forum are any scale of fly fishing enthusiasm, that scale tips convincingly in favor of a bright future for fly flingers everywhere.

 

Speaking to the issue of high cost of fly gear, I want to offer a small piece of advice. When I wanted a high performance 3wt, I did a bit of research, and built one myself. I'd be just as happy with my old cheapo $30 vise, but my wife got me a Renzetti. They both work. Pick a few simple fly patterns that work and buy bulk materials and hooks.

 

What's my point? There are ways to save money, if you are serious. And I seriously don't spend any more on my above average performing fly gear than anybody else spends on similar performing spin gear.

 

Then there are guys who just rather complain. There is no conspiracy to deprive the world of affordably priced fishing products. There are just companies who enjoy great success selling their gear at high prices to very willing customers. Look at it this way....If I could build a product that people would pay $800 to own, why would I waste my time building a competing product for $39.95? The potential for profit is way better for higher priced products. Makes perfect economic sense. I think its a bit irresponsible to act as if an entire industry is actively suppressing participation with lower income consumers for some reason.

 

Fly fishers, go forth and enjoy! Have a great season!

[Paul F]

I was thinking about this topic today while I was putting some new backing and fly line onto my new 6wt setup.... I feel that a decent ammount other fly fisherman and people who work in fly shops are completely unfriendly, I went to bass pro when I was looking to get started fly fishing... I told them I did not know much about it, but I had done some reading and I wasnt completely clueless. They talked to me like I was an idiot and seemed like they did not want to help me at all. I eventually went to two other stores and got the same sort of attitudes there. I spent a bunch of time reading online and eventually purchased a mid priced St.Croix rod and ordered an Orvis reel online, I went back to bass pro for fly line simply due to the fact that it was so close to home. The guys remembered me and could not believe that I purchased a rod from a different store, Which considering the fact that they laughed in my face when I asked them for a less expensive rod is mind boggling. If someone told you that they wanted to get started spin fishing would you tell them to go out and buy a loomis rod and an expensive reel to hang on that rod? NO, So why would the guys over at BPS hand me 3 to 5 hundred dollar rods?

 

A good friend of mine fished with me a bunch of times this past summer and he seemed very intrigued by the idea of fly fishing, I caught him a few times just standing there watching me cast... He asked me this winter if I could provide him with some good advice in picking out a fly fishing setup. I gave him all the best advice I could and he eventually picked up a setup but when he called me on the ride home from Cabelas he asked me "Are all fly fisherman jerks?" I really didnt know how to respond but I asked him why he would ask that, And he told me that everyone he talked to in the fly shop made him want to just forget about ever trying fly fishing and spend his money on a new baitcaster setup instead. And sadly, I have to agree with him... I would think that these guys at these stores would absolutely love to see young guys like myself and my friend interested in fly fishing, but it certainly does not appear to be that way. More than half the people I have ran into on the river that were toting fly gear were the same way... We are all fisherman, Cant we all just get along?

 

Thats the end of my rant....

[Mike G]

Ike with the buggy whip

 

That is a good start.

[Mike G]

Paul F,

 

That is a sad tale that repeats itself more than once in a while. But fly fishers are not jerks because they like fly fishing. They come by the jerk gene some other way. Jerkiness is pretty well spread around in the general population.

 

That being said, we have to deal with it when we shop for tackle. I suspect that the big box outfits, try to buck up there clerks' self image by calling them sales associates though this may not overcome the jerk genes they carry. Even those without the gene, would probably get frustrated with my shopping habits. I shop a lot and do not buy much. An associate spends some time explaining a product to me; I pick up a pack of hooks or sometimes nothing and head for the checkout. I have not yet walked into a store with a combo I bought somewhere else, but I cam see that would make the associate's blood boil.

 

It is nice that we still have a few places to shop. My recollection of conditions 50-60 years ago may help. I had one experienced flyfisherman to talk to-my very opiniionated uncle. The only shop with a decent selection of fly tackle was VLA-Abercrombie and Fitch on Wabash in the loop where salesmen wore suits and ties. That was an hour's treck from where we lived. Fortunately my uncle put me on to Herter's as a source for fly gear and tying materials though this did not make the local shop owners happy. Herter's undercut everyone as many webstores do today. It was also fortunate that I could pick up things from books and magazine articles. Those were the not so good old days.

[ronk]

Ron,

 

Sorry I buried a trap in there. Roland Martin used to feature fly fishing in his series regularly as I mentioned in an earlier post in this thread. a friend of mine has a video Roland made on fly fishing for bass in Florida. So, since it has been done, we can deduce that it can be done. like Cornwall, I want fly fishing to be visible in the mainstream of fishing in the lower 48-not something that you do in New Zealand, Chile, Montana or Alaska.

The 1 or 2 ffing shows I saw that RM did on his show many years ago in the 70's were pretty lame & he seemed like a fish out of water doing them.Ditto with the one I saw from Winkleman back than.Since ffing was no more than an afterthought to them particularly to BW I wondered at the time why they even did them.The shows lacked any conviction for the sport & this lack of enthusiasm as well as lack of expertise would not inspire anyone towards ffing.This being many years ago maybe things did improve with these guys since but I think it's better that ffing be espoused by guys, whether well known or not, for whom it's their 1st if not their only choice than by guys for whom it's an inferior, distant 2nd. Larry Dahlberg who's equally adept at all kinds of fishing has always been a good spokesman.

[asherman]

Just because fly shops are becoming extinct that does not mean that fly fishing is in danger of going extinct. Fly shops have gone out of business due the the economy, the internet, big box stores, poor management, and a variety of other reasons. The same thing has happened in other industries where mom and pop stores have gone out of business. There are fewer bait shops than there used to be just as there are fewer gas stations that do auto repairs. Things change and everyone has to adjust.

 

The market for fly fishing gear will always be a smaller than the general fishing market. I think that Joe Cornwall is correct in stating that the fly fishing industry is not doing a good job of promoting local warm water fishing and cost effective fly fishing gear. Despite that, there are a lot of us that fly fish. Just look at number of fly fisherman that are active and participating in the ISA now compared to four or five years ago.

[BenG]

I have had fly fishing setups for years but they were cheap combo types and were not fun to use, so I did not use them much. Last year spin fishing was terrible for me, I think mostly weather related so I researched fly fishing, went to the one more cast, and got some casting insturction and a better quality rod (and then a few more when I found out how fun fishing with good gear was).

 

While I rarely see anyone fly fish around here I almost always use the fly rod. As for Bass Pro the people in the fly shop seem nice and helpful when someone is there but the selection is lacking there is always something missing when I have a tying project.

 

As for cheap rods TFO is a happy medium good rod for $150 with lifetime guarantee that fish like high dollar rods.

 

I will never but a rod in a big box store or pretty much any store. Order on the internet free shipping and lower taxes. The internet places are never out of anything if they are they get it in and ship it to you. Not like making multiple trips to a shop.

 

 

As for bass pro the people who work there are not that bright. A guy at the rod counter was showing me a G Loomis and wacking it on the concrete floor to show how tough it is. Why would I want to pay $400 for the rod you just beat several times off the floor? A few months ago another clerk did the same thing with a Boyd Duckett rod.

 

 

 

Some of the fishing shows are a bit much I do agree. Helicopter trips to the chilean mountains with base camp on a ship $11,000 for a that trip. The flyrod chronicles does a good job using TFO rods and has a tying demo. It would be nice to see some warm water shows.

[Gary L]

It seems that most of you are focusing on Flyfishing for Bass or Smallmouths in particular. I look at Flyfishing to be in most cases a regional thing. In Missouri we have a ton of rivers that contain trout and flyfishing is the way they go after this fish. We also have a lot of Smallmouth Streams and both the Flyrod and Spinning rod come into play. If you look down onto the headwaters of Taneycomo Lake from the Table Rock Lake dam you will see dozens of flyfisherman chasing after Rainbows.

 

I have seen Flyfishing grow within the ISA from when I first started with Craig Riedeau as almost the only guy flyfishing to where we have the bassBuiggers and a good number of guys picking up the Flyrod and chasing the Illinois Smallmouth. Who would have thought that John Graham would be such an avid flyfisherman after his years with a Spinning rod wading the streams of Illinois. They talk a lot about flyfishing on the rivers of the East Coast and also the Western states like Colorado and Montana. I don't see it dying off at all however it may take a break do to the economy but will comeback just as strong as other types of fishing.

[Norm M]

What bothers me most about the fly fishing stuff is the negativity about using the gear. It's too windy, the water is too muddy, it's too cold. I fish in all types of conditions year round and use gear that allows me to adapt to different conditions, not gear that limits what I can do. That and some of stuff about matching the hatch, what a load of crap.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if there were more like me that are turned off bt that sort of stuff.

 

I have nothing against how anyone wishes to fish, it's your movie, dig it . I don't hate flyfishing or those that do it, I just not into that scene in part due to the reasons stated.

[Steve S.]

I can't speak for all of the whiny fly fishermen , but personally I keep my options open and choose the fishing method that I think best fits in any given situation. Sometimes that means choosing not to fly fish on extremely windy days, especially when I'm bank hopping and overhanging trees and brush are difficult enough an obstacle for a fly fishermen to deal with much less combined with high winds. There are other times when I'm fishing with another (which is almost always) some days we may be running and gunning a lot, which I feel can be more effectively accomplished via spin or cast (which I also still enjoy) and might also be considered a courtesy to your fishing partner if you're not slowing them down fly fishing (which is what I generally have to do).

 

Is that considered negativity?

 

Eric, as for your sentiments towards ole smiley face Ron K., I concur. He does inspire me to become a more accomplished fly angler and I also admire that he can generally shake off enough crust to embrace both new technologies and old school know-how to get the job done, and when he doesn't, well it makes for some great reading.

[Norm M]

Steve,

 

I would condider that to be both exhibiting common sense and common courtesy, both not as common as they should be.

 

It's those that decide to let the limitations of thier gear limit thier opportunities.

 

As far as Ron goes, he's an opioniated old fart, hmmm, sounds like someone I see in the mirror everyday. I'll also second eric in giving him kudos for getting after then often and early, wonder if he was ever a good Chicago Democratic Party voter?

[Joseph at Orvis]

 

Sounds like fly fishing has been excluding itself from wider acceptance -

 

Not at Orvis. As a corporation, Orvis is committed to bringing 10,00 NEW fly anglers into the sport this year. Each of our 50 company owned stores (and some independent dealers) are hosting a series of clinics called Fly Fishing 101. These are 2 hour clinics designed to de-mystify this sport in a fun setting.

 

My link

 

Fly Fishing is expensive to get into? Really? We will offer our $200 Streamline outfit (4 piece rod, reel, backing, flyline, leader, a carrying case and a DVD) for $149 plus a 1 year membership to TU (a $35 value) to any student who takes FF101. Oh..take the 2 hour class and get a $25 coupon that you can apply to any $50 purchase. Don't even have to have a rod to take the class...I will supply all of them; can I make it any easier?

 

If you take the FF101 class and decide that you want to get into this a bit deeper, there is FF210...we take the students fishing!

 

 

The solution might lie in marketing.

 

How's this for marketing: It's FREE. Yep...all 50 stores, all 18 dates....FREE

 

Orvis has committed $1.1 million dollars to bring new fly anglers to the sport. Kids, adults, women...doesn't matter to us, we've been teaching this sport for over 150 years. Wanna help? I could use a few bodies to help teach casting and a few knots in a fun setting, heck bring some ISA flyers and i'll pass those out, too.

 

Proud to say that I am back at Orvis-Chicago after a 12 year absence. This is the location where I started my fly fishing retail career and happy to be back home.

 

Hope to see some of you around...I am still excited about this sport and it's bright future.

 

Joseph Meyer

Orvis-Chicago

312.440.0662

[Mike G]

My thoughts are aligned with Norm's on this topic. I have to say though, our very own Ron K. impresses the hell out of me. For his age, he's out there early season making it happen. I love that. Just get out there, and bust it out. It's obvious he's pitting his skills against the elements and the fish. His results are on par with our best spin-fishing and baitcasting anglers. The fact that he's savvy enough to capture the result in pixels, sign on, and share it here is the icing the the cake. That's well-rounded.

 

R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

 

Well if we are picking a poster child for the fly rod revival, here's my choice though it may not be a fly rod in his hand in this pic.

 

 

Jonn's long journey coming to fly fishing later in life after exploring other options has some depth. It comes across as a conscious choice that serves as an inspiration to others.

[Guest Don R]

Interesting perspective.

 

And here's my 2 cents worth...

I think Jonn Graham is a great guy. I also think he's an excellent angler. His choice to fly fish doesn't inspire me to do so whatsoever. I've never been a fan of the term 'poster child'.

[Steve S.]

His choice to fly fish doesn't inspire me to do so whatsoever.

 

How about me?

 

I guess if anyone has witnessed firsthand my journey into the fly fishing world, it has been Don. Come to think of it, Norm, you're right, I am a negative, whiny rat bastard sometimes!

 

Its been well worth the struggles that come with being on the learning curve. I truly enjoy the challenges.

[Terry Dodge]

I think there has been movement in the industry to cater to the warm-water fly fisherman. Doesn't anyone else see this?

 

Nope. I'd like to see it. We here in Rockford had a little run-in with Gander Mnt. a couple years ago.

They had gotten rid of what little bit of fly fishing stuff they had and myself and a few other's approached them

and asked to bring it back but this time for warm water species. All the stuff the previously had was for trout.

We don't fly fish for trout in this area, we fly fish for smallmouth bass. They didn't care, they said the stuff just

don't sell. Duh! It's like going to McDonald's to get a bucket of KFC chicken.

 

 

 

[asherman]

Fly fishing is not nearing extinction. It might seem like that to some people because there are way fewer fly shops out there than there used to be. The reality is that the fly fishing market has always been a small market compared to the general fishing market and the smaller fly fishing market has changed a lot in the past few years.

 

There are fewer brick and mortar fly shops, but then again there are fewer brick and mortar bait shops and other places to buy standard fishing gear than there used to be. The internet and the down economy has affected a lot of small businesses. For anyone that wants to buy fly fishing gear or fly tying materials, the reality is that you have have to buy at least some of your stuff via the internet.

 

The good news is that there are lots of places on the internet to buy an increasing amount of quality gear offered at reasonable prices if local stores are not carrying that type of gear. Temple Fork, Echo, and other companies offer excellent fly rods for less than $250. You can easily spend that much money and more on GLoomis, St. Croix, and Kistler spinning and casting rods. It might cost a bit more to get set up with a moderately priced fly fishing setup than a moderately priced spinning setup for smallmouth bass, but that difference gets much smaller if the spin fisherman starts to buy Lucky Craft Jerk baits that cost twelve to fifteen dollars. I use both spinning tackle and fly rods, but I wouldn't spend fifteen dollars for jerk bait that I could lose in a flash any more than I would spend $700 for a fly rod.

[ronk]

In areas where trout/salmon dominate ffing has always been & will continue to be the majority method just as it has always been, even before spinfishing, and will continue to be a minority method for freshwater warmwater species(ffing also prevails on the saltwater flats).There's no doubt that spin/baitcasting more easily & more readily applies to pursuing most warmwater species most of the time just as the reverse is true of coldwater species.Faced with catching warmwater fish or starving even the most diehard ffer would be smart to go with slinging hardware most of the time.But for us sport fishermen it should be about more than just catching the most.It should be about what's the most enjoyable,the most satisfying.For a dedicated ffer it's partially the fact that ffing is more difficult,more challenging that makes catching however many (or few) fish more enjoyable,more satisfying, more FUN! And on those days when for most of us no fish can be had regardless of the method ffing will always be the more intriguing & the more involving choice.Anyone who doubts that need only watch the beautiful dance a flyrod can do with its flyline partner.

[Jim J]

Chicago to Taiwan

 

Flight 1 Wednesday, April 27, 2011

 

Departure: 12:15 Chicago, USA - O'Hare International, terminal 1

Arrival: 14:40 +1 day(s) Beijing, China - Capital Airport, terminal 3

Airline: Air China CA8851 e

Aircraft: Boeing 777-200/300

Operated by United Airlines

Fare type: Economy Restricted

 

Price

travellers flights taxes

1 adult(s) x (2,673.00 + 208.09) = 2,881.09 USD

total for all travellers 2,881.09 USD

[Guest Don R]

How about me?

 

You inspire me to duck.

 

It should be about what's the most enjoyable,the most satisfying.For a dedicated ffer it's partially the fact that ffing is more difficult,more challenging that makes catching however many (or few) fish more enjoyable,more satisfying, more FUN! And on those days when for most of us no fish can be had regardless of the method ffing will always be the more intriguing & the more involving choice.Anyone who doubts that need only watch the beautiful dance a flyrod can do with its flyline partner.

 

I agree with your post Ron. But I must say spin fishing has it's share of challenges as well. Oh great...another debate