Just upstream of one of my favorite little runs is a spot where people congregate on the bank to fish a deep hole. Many of them use a length of monofilament wrapped around a plastic soda bottle, with a hook at the end and a weight a foot up from it. They use worms, corn or salmon eggs, toss the rig down into the hole, wind up the excess, and bring the fish up when they feel it. That’s probably the least expensive and most efficient way to trout fish.
Part of the appeal of fly rods is that you experience the stream and the fish in a different way. We could all handline but we choose to use a tool that is more difficult but more rewarding when we succeed. Tying flies is integral to this experience for me.
When you tie, your selection of flies becomes literally infinite. Your variations and innovations are endless. Your learning curve increases because you’re more aware of what the bugs are and why the fish are eating them.
Practical considerations include the perfect size, the perfect color, the perfect body or float. Many times I’ve fished one day, seen something different happening on the water, gone home and tied something different, and caught fish with the new fly the next day. Some people tie streamside and do the same in real time. For the cost of a dozen made flies you can buy enough hooks and feathers to make a hundred. Your flies needn’t be pretty – I still catch fish on things that look like a bit of lint that caught on my hook. It’s very carefully placed lint, with a bit of feather.
