Fly fishing or not fly fishing?

[scudrunner]

Here is a nice little poll to engage some interaction and see where folks are on this very fundamental issue:

Do you consider fishing with beads to be fly fishing or not? Why or why not? What is your definition of fly fishing? And so on...

While a question like this can certainly raise the stress level... let's keep it civil and entertaining and educating.

Enjoy

[Globugger]

Depends on how you use it.. If you using it for things other than drifting a bead with a float up top then it's not fishing... If that makes sense

[RollinontheRvr]

That's an interesting question....I know alot of people including myself that drift fish with Globugs but if I am not mistaken they started out as a flyfishing technique correct? So then, if, you are drift fishing a bead as you would a Globug then I would think it would still be drift fishing. If you are swinging it it on a fly rod then it would be flyfishing....yeah, no, maybe??????

[scudrunner]

I agree that it is fly fishing, but where the rub comes in is that a glo-bug is tied from hair,yarn,fur, or feathers and a bead is simply pegged on the line.

[Chinook SSSF]

The preffered technique for bead fishing is very much the same as indicator nympthing. I would have to say that a bead fished on a fly rod properly is called fly fishing. I know that is only an opinion that might upset some but staying honest, I do alot of odd ball stuff like chucking drift rigs on a fly rod or split shot and I honestly refuse to call that 'fly fishing' but it is still effective.

I also started out using glow bugs on a fly rod but with no indicator and I would often use split shot....in contrast this method was also NOT considered fly fishing per Oregon DFW. regulations because split shot could not be attached in fly only water, the fly must be weighted or the use of a sinking line must be employed.

That is the definition of fly fishing according to ODFW

The whole fly fishing or not thing is really down to opinion these days with so many crossover techniques being used around the world. Even people I fish with call some of these blacksheep methods fly fishing each and every day. I honestly believe that bead fishing may be closer to actuall fly fishing than anything else I have mentioned above that is currently in dispute throughout the fly fishing world.

Staying on track here IM going to vote 'fly fishing' if fished properly.....

[scudrunner]

I agree. The "traditional" view of fly fishing is crafting something from common materials to match a natural food source and lure the fish to strike (I just made that up... but I think it fits the bill).

When one considers beading, I believe it is simply matching the hatch. We are representing a natural food source, that being salmon eggs (or others). The rub seems to come in when we secure this to the line instead of the hook. Nevertheless, if you have even been to a sportsman's show or fishing show and seen Mr. Norlander working his vise, he applies a hot glue to a streamer hook and creates a "bead" attached to the hook.

I have used beads and heated the hook so that it would melt through the eye of the bead. This seems to work well, however not nearly as good as the glue gun eggs. I don't think this fishes as well either.

Having the bead pegged no more than 2" above the bare hook seems to be the most effective, efficient and ethical.

There is no doubt that certain members of society have drug the ethical beaders through the mud by pegging the bead a great distance (anything greater than 2" in my mind) from the hook, thereby "lining" the fish rather than evoking a strike. That is unethical in my book and not fly fishing. This often results in foul hooking, hooks through eyes or gills, and permanent scarring.

So, in my feeble mind, I believe that properly attached beads, cast with a fly rod/reel/line, using traditional fly fishing techniques, is fly fishing (of course there are some who do not consider nymphing to be fly fishing either).

[Chinook SSSF]

True and another point we could add is that part of the ******** and eye balling comes from to large of a hook. Also why the purists argue that beading is not fly fishing.

As with tying or using any fly correctly the hook must be properly proportioned in relation to the fly, and in this case for a bead, the hook must be VERY small....Size 6 and 8 seems to be close to correct for most applications...This also helps when you foul a salmon because you can bend the hook right out on the lighter line and not have to build a new rig.

[mikebraun]

Back to the original question, I don't consider it purist fly fishing. And with that said I'm glad I'm not a purist. A globug is a fly but a piece of yarn on a snelled hook isn't. A BB shot on your line is flyfishing but a size 4 shot means driftfishing whatever kind of rod you use. So even though I use a flyrod 80% of the time, I only consider it flyfishing when I have an actual fly on. The flyrod is just funner to use and more effective on medium and small water.

[scudrunner]

Mike,

Thanks for your post... I think I was able to follow...

Do you ever cast (Heaven forbid) bait with your fly rod?

[mikebraun]

Mike,

Thanks for your post... I think I was able to follow...

Do you ever cast (Heaven forbid) bait with your fly rod?

That was all I did when I was up there last spring on the lower peninsula fishing kings. Sometimes I will even clip on a little red/white trout bobber with a big glob of eggs, boy do I get some looks . They usually change their look when I'm catching fish though.
It all depends on where I'm at and whats the best or funnest way to catch fish. I may have given you the wrong impression of me, but I like to people guessing .