Why I love flyfishing

I can remember watching my brother disappear around the bend in the bank as he flyfished and my father paddled him around. I remember how I longed to fish like my brother. As soon as
I could save up the money I bought this clunky 9 foot mustard yellow fiberglass rod that must have weighed two pounds.

The love affair was instant and long lasting. I been fly-fishing now for fifty years. I remember watching "The Flying Fisherman with Gaddabout Gaddis" as he fished. He really messed up one Sunday afternoon and let it be known that you could tie your own flies.

The experiences that I have gained from flyfishing have been nothing short of magical. Each rise or strike instantly takes me back to far away places with old Gaddabout. I cannot ever imagine not having this as part of my life. Thanks for listening to me blabber.

Really good stuff! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

I love fly fishing because it can be so much more than time on the water. I started just to add a little more challenge to fishing in general. Then I too learned that tying your own flies could add to the enjoyment and a good off the water connection to actual fishing time. Then I learned that you can actually build your own rods. Which I have several now that I have built and each with their own artistic uniqueness to them. And having a machinist background thought, hey I could even build my own reel... which I have several of these that I fish regularly with. And don't think that just because you say fly fishing your only referring to trout. I have caught trout, bream, largemouth bass, spotted bass, common carp, grass carp, perch, crappie, walleye, salmon, steelhead, and my biggest addiction species "striper". So what started as just a way to add a little more challenge to fishing, turned into a complete addiction in all facets to fly fishing.

Do y'all remember Gaddabout?

Yes. And I remember coming into the house one afternoon as a show was ending. Dad was so excited, said something like "You should have seen it !!" I asked him what I missed, and he said, "Gaddabout didn't catch a fish, not one during the whole show !!" Instant credibility, a bonafide fisherman.

And, in addition to pure enjoyment, flyfishing reminds me of my Dad and the best of times spent together. And we didn't always need to catch anything, just like Gaddabout.

That was a great show, btw.

Still have the fly rod I used to catch my first trout on a fly, that I also happened to have to tied myself (Telico Nymph, Looking Glass Creek, Pisgah National Forest). Courtesy of my grandfather who taught me to tie flies and let me use his rod, which he later gave me. That would have been about 36 years ago and though I have had many rods since, I still use that rod regularly.

There is just about nothing I would rather do than explore a small mountain creek with a fly-rod.

Haven't thought about Gadabout Gaddis in a long time! Saw him live once at the annual "Sportsman Show" in Cleveland, Ohio demonstrating fly casting.

Solitude, picturesque scenery, the sparkling colors of a brookie and hanging out with good friends.....

Yup...

It's something that can't really be put into words unless you're Harry Middleton or John Geirach or Chris Camuto; and even then, there's still something missing in the description.

This thread pretty much sums it up for me: http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=878106&highlight=hiding+from+heat