A few comments, hope they are fun.

I am new to the list and new to steelhead fishing with flies, although I fly fished when I was a kid in the 60's and didn't know any better. All my gear got stolen, then I discovered girls and cars, and hey, it was the 60's. I do remember most of them, though. 8^)

I mostly mix jigs with bobbers, or drift in some variation. I have been tying my own jigs and have just recently taken a real honest class in tying flies. Very cool. First 8 weight here we come.

BrianL said:
"Fly rods are used for all kinds of things. Bob uses one to soak eggs under the boat for Kasilof Silvers. Others toss mono on the reel and drift-fish with them. Some put on dink floats and fish 1/4oz jigs. You could probably herd cats with one too.

Comment: I am amazed at how gear and fly terminal presentations have converged over the last 30 years. I think it is actually good for fishermen as we continue to learn from each other. I probably won't try to heard cats with a fly rod, though. Hard enough with a drift rod.

BrianL also said: "I'm of the opinion that you use the best tool for the job. If I want to fish jigs, it's a gear rod (preferably a centerpin). Ditto for drift fishing. I don't enjoy casting big hunks of lead with a fly rod. Others can call it flyfishing if they want - I'm not going to waste time arguing."

Rick's comment: Works for me. I really like centerpinning, although it takes practice and works better for me in closer waters than far. Man, oh man, I love seeing that bobber drop, especially when I have been paying attention and have the slack out and the line mended and I don't go spastic.


And FleaFlickr02 said:
"At the other extreme, there are those who will argue that the only true fly fishing is done with a floating line and a dry fly that "matches the hatch," fished on a dead drift. This basically describes the early British method, which most agree was not the original method."

Comment: In about 1978 I asked and paid a guy to tie up some flies that resembled eggs with a little lead wrap so I could put them on 2-4# mono line and drift them in some pockets in some small streams up on the West Slope Rainier. He told me when I picked them up, "These aren't real flies, you know. This isn't fly fishing." I whacked 'em and neither I or the fish knew the difference.

I think he must have been an even older than me old school "match the hatch" kinda guy. So now Glo bugs are de riguer and drifters use yarnies. Go figure. I love it all.

And then FleaFlickr02 said:
"One school of thought (see Wikipedia) states that the origins of fly fishing lie in Macedonia, where an elite group of fishermen are said to have cast chunks of red wool and a couple of non-descript cock feathers tied to a hook into small streams, using a 6-foot rod and a 6-foot length of line. This "fly," by modern definitions, would be classified as an attractor pattern, and the concept of this being the original method of fly fishing seems to suggest that the most pure (if that is defined by originality) forms of fly fishing bear more similarity to fishing yarn flies and beads on a dead drift for steelhead, which is a relatively young practice, than the traditional British methods."

Rick adds: I am that Macedonian guy of the non elite version. Trying non conventional things is a major part of my fun in fishing. I used to look judgmentally at guys using rods missing eyes, and having mono on fly rods, and fly line on casting rods, and all kinds of goofy stuff, UNTIL I watched what they were doing and realized they were usually out-fishing me. They were usually local and knew what worked right there and then, and didn't know or care what they "should" be doing. I was the clueless one.

I am definitely going to try chunks of red wool and non descript cock feathers very soon.

Tight lines and good spirits, folks.

PS I hope Twitch posts some instructions soon for the "Twitchy Shrimp." what a beautiful piece of work.