Fly Cheater

[rockfisherman]

People fish for different reasons. Some people fish to fill the freezer and "just catch fish." Others enjoy the literature, history and traditions of the sport. Fly fishing is more difficult. It is a self-imposed restriction - put upon the angler by himself. If you only want to fill the freezer, nets or bait are much more efficient. Most people fly fish for other reasons.

Fly-fishing has become big business in the last ten years. Businesses by their nature want to grow, and to grow you need to attract new people into the sport, and invent new things to sell to them.

In our instant gratification society, some individuals are always looking for shortcuts to success. They want the title of fly fisherman, more than wanting to BE a fly fisherman. They are easy marks for businesses wanting to sell gadgets and “systems”.

50 years ago, when “Flies” was written, there was no mention of weighted flies or weighted eyes in the “Materials” chapter. None.

If you attach a piece of bunker to a fly, and dunk it with your fly rod, you might catch a large fish. You can say you caught the fish on your fly rod. Will the IGFA accept it as a fly rod record? Unlikely, if the truth is told how the fish was caught.

You can fish with a curlytail glued to a hook, or a jig, or fly soaked in fish oil. There are no fly fishing police, and these practices are legal in saltwater. But these practices are not recognized by the IGFA as fly-fishing.

Going back to the original title of this thread, it seems very appropriate. But the only person you are “cheating” by taking shortcuts is yourself. Honestly ask yourself, are you are fly fishing, or just fishing with a fly rod?