Anyone Else Get Funny Looks

[livin4ice]

I was just wondering if anyone else gets funny looks when you show up to a popular fishing hole with the fly rod.  I have gotten a lot of sideways looks from other fisherman.  I think most of them think I am crazy until they see me catch more fish than they are.  It may also be because I fish for everything and anything I can with the fly rod.  The purist may not like that but I don't mind (not a lot of trout streams here in Indiana).  My buddy bought a aluminum fishing boat and has it set up for fly fishing (high, flat fishing decks on front and back).  I can't wait to see the looks we get with that.  He he

[Cider]

Funny looks with a flyrod eh?  These aren't quite what you are referring to, but I can't resist sharing them anyway.  Let's see...

I was stationed in Bosnia as a combat engineer when I ordered my first truly "expensive" Orvis flyrod outfit.  Only problem is that it came to Bosnia instead of home like I requested.  I was the only soldier wandering around Bosnia (no fishable water within a couple hundred miles) with a flyrod in hand!

We go to a remote wilderness in northern NH (27,000 acres of undeveloped land with only ten rustic cabins on it) for annual flyfishing trips.  I was hiking to the top of a cliff with my flyrod and waders one morning after fishing a nearby stream and drew some very strange looks from other hikers I was passing on the trail.  They kept asking me where I expected to find fish in the middle of the forest at such a high elevation!

Another trip, I was fishing with a buddy in a small stream that ran along a class B highway.  There was a cow pasture nearby and an electric fence that crossed the stream.  My buddy reached out and touched it with his flyrod to see if it was "hot" and after determining that it wasn't he made it across safely.  I reached out to touch it with my flyrod and was lit up like the statue of liberty on the fourth of July in the middle of that stream!  Let me tell you, cars were slowing down that day to watch the spaz with the flyrod!

[rgfixit]

Only funny looks I get are from other flyfishers who really know what they're doing.

Sometimes my casting looks a bit like a Whirling Dervish with a flyrod in his hand.

I used to practice the Pat McManus technique of smoking a pipe and looking thoughtful or bemused....but I kept setting my pocket on fire with the pipe....so I quit.
RG

[Cider]

I used to practice the Pat McManus technique of smoking a pipe and looking thoughtful or bemused....but I kept setting my pocket on fire with the pipe....so I quit.
RG

Let me guess, you also know a shorcut that will get you to each fishing hole faster too eh!

[rgfixit]

Shortcuts are a story of their own. I'm a natural born practitioner of the McManus Method and have  been known to follow one of his shortcuts directly to the water.....abruptly.....but directly.

You know, you can't trust Mother Nature to provide a decent down fall tree to get across that pool.

RG

[Cider]

RG - nice avatar.  Is that a son or grandson?

[rgfixit]

That's my grandson Colin Daniel  1yr 4 mos. Yes I'm a proud grandpa.

RG

[flynuts2004]

The Funny looks I like are when I am catching the fish and the others are trying to see what flies I am using. A TRUE Fly fisherman will say (would you like to try one of my flies)

[Cider]

The Funny looks I like are when I am catching the fish and the others are trying to see what flies I am using. A TRUE Fly fisherman will say (would you like to try one of my flies)

yeah, and then give them that one hideous fly in your collection that has no chance of ever catching a fish, telling them that this is the ultimate trout getter and you couldn't possibly go wrong!

With my luck, the other guy would make that fly perform miracles...

[seaweed01]

Cider,
I have given many  flys away that were catching fish,
having the correct fly always helps, but remember
you have to have a drag free float. Sometimes  a
person just cannot get into the right position for a
good float. I have had this happen to me many times
and  I'm sure you have it happen to you also.  It is
always frustrating.

[Cider]

Seaweed - I completely agree.  It is all about the presentation.  I was just messing around in my last post here.  But, you nailed it on the head.  This is one reason why I get so frustrated with wind knots.

The fly must land on the water before the leader or line.  Skating that fly across the surface is important too.  It has to look natural - drag free like you suggest.  It is good to pick your landing point so that you can get the best possible skate across the entire area you think are holding fish.  Try to let the current/water do the work for you with as little mending as possible.  This is a great reason why it is so important to know how to "read" trout streams.

I think this is why I like the elkhair caddis fly so much.  You can see that fly from quite a distance and watch it as it skates the surface and gets quietly sipped under by a hungry trout.  It is fun to watch the whole event play out.

[Germ]

Funniest Look i got was Last year Night time FLy fishing for Pickerl at Some locks a hour of where i live..Everyone else was using Bucktail jigs tipped with worms or minnows ..I came out and brought my flyrod...I had some smirks jeers and laughs towards me..You can always hear the ever so famous..(that guy thinks he is going to catch something using the flyrod..then a laugh) Anyhow about 1 hour into the Fishing i already had caught a few nice pickerel using some Wolly wuggers not to mention..Bass and Bluegills and one carp Caught in the eye socket..Poor guy..Anyhow The fishing was awesome and i had all the guys that were laughing at me asking me what i was using and checked out the Rod and Most of them said they were thinking about FLy fishing...Anyhow point is that Usually at first you get the weird looks but atfer your outcome is better then thiers they seem not unestimate the FLyrod after that....

[Dark Cloud]

Funniest looks I ever got was when catching walleyes on big white streamers at night up on Oneida a few years ago. We fish it from shore quite a bit in the fall at night. One night we could see fish with the flashlight but they wouldnt touch a thing. I had a streamer in the bottom of my tackle bag and was able to cast it once wet with a spinning rod to those fish. Most of em attacked it when it slowly dropped in front of thier face. Next week we had the fly rods with us and had a ball.....

[TroutFishingBear]

Once, on the colorado river, I was catching a lot of catfish while using an elk hair caddis. All of the cat pros and old timers frowned at me, and I just grinned and went back to catching the cats. Got about 13 in 2 hrs.  Flies do work for cats but keep about it

jk tell anyone you want they will think you are nuts!!! But I will keep on catching them

[PGKris]

OK this is old but I'm posting here anyways The funniest looks I get come when I break out my flybox on the ice I've also been known to collect a few sideways glances when I RELEASE the biggest fish of the day
KRIS