More on Fly Fishing

I’ve never been much for pretentiousness. I try to take a logical utilitarian approach to just about everything… especially fishing. I like tying flies, though my eyes aren’t as good as they used to be. Still, the simple patterns seem to work best for me. I’m no expert, but I get by. And there’s a satisfactory little tug at my ego every time I catch a fish on a fly I’ve made myself.

Casting a fly rod can be artfully beautiful, but I can’t remember ever needing to cast 90’ of fly line to a rising trout. Short accurate casts that seem ordinary if not downright dull get the job done with the most efficiency.

Trout rising to invisible dry flies seem to be what the “pros” talk about over their cognac and pâté at the end of the day, though few can back up their yap with fish in the net. Far more trout at caught drifting nymphs under a float (“float” is the fly fishing world’s term for the lowly bobber) or swinging wet flies downstream through a riffle. It’s so effective many so-called purists frown on those that would stoop to that level. Whatever. I like to catch fish and sometimes flies just work better than anything else. That’s why I fly fish and tie flies. It makes me smile and that’s good enough for me.

Now I think I need to get some glasses.