On Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:48:49 -0400, daytripper
wrote:
On Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:41:57 -0500, wrote:
On Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:10:32 -0400, daytripper
wrote:
On Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:20:27 -0500, wrote:
The article in the link below is an electronic version of an article
from the BoatUS magazine (I don't think the site requires membership in
BoatUS - I didn't have enter my membership info). The subject is Bob
Sousa and his book "Learn to Fly Fish in 24 Hours." Reading it brought
to mind a smattering of topics previously, um, discussed on ROFF,
including fishing from boats, even sailboats (yes, it can be done). But
the biggest question the article raises, IMO, is whether most folks can
learn to FF in 24 hours.
http://www.boatus.com/news/fishing_0708.pdf
I've haven't seen the book, so I can't comment directly upon it (and for
the record, I have no financial interest whatsoever in the book itself
or any particular seller). I suspect from reading reviews that it
merely purports to get someone "up to speed" enough to get a fly on the
water, but ??? Has anyone seen it?
TC,
R
If the article is any indication, the book would be best used as an emergency
source of TP - although the pages are already loaded with a lot of crap.
"Fly-fishing is different from other styles of fishing in that it
involves provoking a fish into thinking your fly is natural food."
That is only "true" because he put the word "fly" in the sentence - instead of
"lure". Other than snagging or netting - or dynamiting - all fishing involves
provoking a fish into thinking the bait is food, whether the lure is a fly, or
a Slug-O.
Huh? While I'd say the sentence was improperly worded, the words are
not Sousa's and further, I'd offer that "provoking" (also in quotes in
the original)is the iffy word choice. Also, it is correct in that the
other most common types of fishing can involve actual food -
fish/minnows or parts thereof, insects, worms, doughballs, etc. whereas
by its very definition, fly fishing is limited to "fakes." OTOH, not
_all_ fishing, fly or otherwise is an attempt to make a fish think the
whatever concealing the hook is food - think full-dress salmon flies,
"stimulators" (in the broad sense rather than particular - IOW, not
"stimulators" as indicators, floats in rigs, or as "imitating
stimulators") as with bedded "brim"/bream fishing, "teasers," etc.
Ok, I'll allow that the writer may well be responsible for an atrociously
written article, but it is also likely that the subject had pre-press review,
which would make him a willing co-conspirator ;-)
As to what constitutes a fake wrt fishing without a fly line: WTF - you never
seen a freakin Rapala?!? A damned-near *photo-realistic* imitation - or fake -
of any of dozens of different sizes and species of bait fish! Damn!
And you consider using a Rapala with FFing gear "fly fishing?"
The rest of the article is loaded with similar inanities. What - a spin-fisher
can't be as "stealthy" as a fly-fisher? I'd think quite the opposite - there's
a lot less thrashing about tossing a bait with a gossamer line...
I didn't see that claim and the article wasn't written by Sousa, so I
don't know that the article text reflects Sousa's views. I would offer
that the term "spinfishing" covers a lot of ground, and would say that
in some cases, flyfishing would be more "stealthy" than spinfishing. For
example, since in spinfishing the "bait"/"lure" must carry the line, it
must have sufficient mass to do so and therefore, it would be pretty
difficult to make a fifty-foot cast to surface fish on still water and
not produce a particularly unnatural disturbance whereas flyfishing
tackle could easily do so.
The two techniques are vastly more equivalent than different wrt delivery
systems, with the exceptions - differences - found at the ends of each's
respective abilities.
There's no doubt, one is far better off with a fly rod when fishing dry flies
or dainty sinking minutiae.
IOW, a flyfisher can be more "stealthy" than a spinfisher...
Otoh, a spinning rod is at least as viable when
imitating larger aquatic insects (think: golden stone) or even small bait fish
or crustaceans, and much more viable when imitating very large bait, finned or
otherwise.
Small baits usually allows lighter tackle and line for either technique, but
it's hard to beat the current offerings for ultralight lines on a modern
spinning reel for a soft landing, and with a little research you can build a
rod-reel-line combo that will toss a 1/32 ounce payload more than that 50
feet.
Strictly from a personal standpoint, I'm against "ultralight" tackle for
anything other than "ultralight" quarry, and as such, I'd not want to be
fishing 50 ft. of line out with "ultralight" gear - YMMV.
At the upper end of the payload range, if you throw - say - a 6 inch imitation
of a bunker on a fly line while fishing over blues or stripers - trust me -
that's gonna land with a goodly plop whether it was made from buck tail and
crystal flash, or a whittled piece of balsa covered in remarkably detailed
film - and not to mention there's that 100 feet of salt water fly line
landing. Indeed, having fished both in my life, the fly could make the louder
plop - I've thrown them while night fishing and scared the crap outta other
fishingfolk when it landed right next to them ;-)
It's not just the landing, although IME, flies tend to land with less
overall disturbance than other gear, esp. multiple-bait rigs. There are
generally natural surface disturbances in both fresh and salt, and I've
seen fish in the general area show no sign of "spooking" from them. It's
the whole "presentation" aspect of spin/casting tackle that can "spook"
fish more than fly tackle. Which is not to say that fly tackle and
flies/imitations are "better" overall than spin/casting tackle, only
that they can be in certain circumstances, just as there are times when
the other types of fishing and tackle make much more sense. And IMO,
there are times when using what is alleged to be "fly fishing" tackle
and claiming to be "fly fishing" isn't either of the two - "fly fishing"
for marlin, for example. It's a whole, er, flockin' chicken lashed to a
grappling hook, slung out with a outrigger-sized "fly rod" and using tug
hawser and utility-pole guywire. Just get a big Penn, a 20-pounder of
Ande, a real rod, climb into the chair and be done with it...
And having done it often enough, it's a whole lot easier spin-fishing off most
fully-rigged sailing vessels than it is to throw a fly line.
I'd agree with that. The article simply brought to mind a couple of
past threads on ROFF regarding fly fishing from sailboats and I'd offer
again that fly fishing from a sailboat isn't impossible or even very
difficult, even if it isn't the "best"/"easiest" choice for same.
I like the cover photo - looks like roll-casting is the order of the day for that guy - and
good luck with that ;-)
/daytripper
(some authors are just idjits trying to make a buck from other idjits)
Oh, without question.
TC,
R
I guess, bottom line, the article seemed dismissive of any other form of
fishing than flyfishing, while using intrinsically weak reasoning.
I didn't quite see it as THAT bad, but I'd say it ain't likely to go
down as one the great pieces on FFing, either. IAC, my main
point/question was whether anyone had seen the book, if so what they
thought, and either way, what they thought about the premise.
Apparently, Sousa does have _some_ FFing chops, as it were, so ???
I don't
think the article shed much light on fishing from a sailing vessel, other than
acknowledging it is possible. Sure, it can be done - I've done it - but it
often can be a pain in the ass - and other body parts - especially if the only
good place to do it means straddling the forward stay. And you might waste a
lot of time picking flies out of stays and halyards and sheets of all forms.
Actually, with a little practice, and if one is sufficiently "spatially
oriented" insofar as they generally have a "sense" of what's where, it
isn't too difficult, esp. at mooring. Granting, trying to flyfish
during a tacking duel might be, um, problematic...
The book might even make note of that - who knows, I ain't gonna buy it to
find out ;-)
/daytripper (not a purist in pretty much anything)
TC,
R