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Sunday, May 27, 2018

Spin Fishing Still Loves You

Fly Fishing Vs. Spin Fishing

(I've wanted to get this on a blog post for some time now, but was unsure just how to go about it. So I'll just do it and say this: Adapted and Edited from a Tom Rosenbauer Orvis podcast. Full credit given.)


There has always been a rivalry between the different fishing styles, and possibly none is more pronounced than that between fly fishermen and those who use spinning gear....well, between fly fishermen and ANY other style of fishing.
But one isn't necessarily more effective, or sporting, merely by its existence.

Lets face it, they all exist to do one thing – get a hook in a fishes mouth.

In spin fishing, you cast a weighted lure using the coiled power of the rod; the lure then pulls the line out, as the it rockets away from you.
In fly fishing, you cast a very lightweight lure – a “fly” - by actually casting the weight of the line itself. The fly is really just along for the ride.

So, let's examine some points about both, and propose that BOTH are useful. Along the way, we'll encounter some negatives for BOTH, too.

COMPARING THE TWO
Fly fishing actually has a number of positives going for it - and some pronounced negatives we must look at objectively. 
In fact, truth be told, spin fishing is possibly more all-around effective, for reasons that will become clear.
But, lets start with fly fishing.

Tradition
Our first point to compare with fly fishing is tradition.

Flatly put, fly fishing is older and far more established than any other method of angling with a hook.

  • The ancient Egyptians depicted what appears to be fly fishing
  • Aelian has his account from 200 AD, which offers the first recorded use of a fly to catch fish... and it is thought to recount techniques that were already centuries old
  • Dame Julianna Berners is credited with her treatise on angling with flies from the 1400's, and Izaak Walton had his book, a few hundred years later
  • Native Americans were using a lure made of hollow bone and deer hide as soon as they got their hands on iron fish hooks.

For those who enjoy history and the lore that accompanies it, fly fishing is a gold mine.

By contrast, spinning equipment didn't appear until the 1930's and didn't achieve popularity until after WWII. Before that we had rotating spool reels, the ancestors of today's baitcasters. But they were crude and cranky, and not really in common use until the late 19th Century.

Cost
Here's a big reason why people DON"T take up fly fishing.

One can buy a complete spinning outfit with everything you need to fish for $30, give or take.
Walmart has rod and reel combos pretty much all the time for around $15.
They include line, too.
Add a few dollars worth of hooks, split shot and a pack of floats. Toss in a tub of worms and you're fishing for $25.

Throw in a six pack and you might have money left over.
No, it wont be the good stuff (including the beer).
It may not last a lifetime (or it might).
But it will function as intended... getting a hook in a fish's mouth.

Meanwhile, you'll play hell getting just a decent fly line for $25.
I think the cheapest complete fly outfit you can get these days is around $50, and its not much to brag about.

Such kits may be difficult to cast as they come out of the package; the line is usually the trouble for beginners. If any tackle is included in the “deal” it is pretty minimal, too - and those are the good points.

Now to be fair, you can find some good deals on fly rod packages these days, and you don't need to skip a car payment to get into it.
A complete fly rod combo possessing decent quality and handiness is anywhere from $100-200, for starters. 
Some Direct-From-China sellers may even undercut that by a little bit. At this price point, it all comes from there, anyway, so....
 
And while we are being fair, we must admit that you can also spend hundreds on spinning tackle, too.
But the point is, you can go fishing right now for about $25 worth of spinning gear.

Fly fishing is more expensive. Sorry.
In this instance, fly fishing chalks up a negative.

Learning Difficulty
Here's another negative for fly fishing – it's harder to learn. Seriously, if it were easy, everyone would do it.

This is because fly casting is a far more dynamic activity than spin casting.
There is a 2-part forward and backward motion that involves proper timing, just to get the fly line moving.
Then come all the little half motions, like roll casting and hauling.
You have a lot more to do with your hands, too.
How about the never-ending chore of line management? This is crucial to keep your line from tangling on waterside sticks, rocks and your own boots.

On the other hand, spin-casting is far more easy and natural.
We are raised from an early age to throw things away from us; balls, rocks, Frisbees, and so on. That's really all spin casting is, an amplified, outward throwing motion.
Quite natural. And easy.

Sorry fly fishing - its not looking good for you on this one.

Complexity
Flatly put, fly fishing is quite complicated, even in its simplest forms.
The spinning reel itself is a complicated piece of machinery, for sure. Gears turning, shafts reciprocating, bearings supporting, spool winders rotating, whew... these things are high-tech!

But that's it. The spinning rod, itself, is essentially the same as a fly rod.
Spin fishing terminal tackle is less complex, too, although still very cool. There are some really awesome lures and baits suitable for spinning...and all of them pretty much UNFIT for fly fishing.

Meanwhile, fly fishing has a zillion things to keep in balance.

The fly line has to be matched to the rod, the leader to the line, the tippet to the leader, the fly to all of the above... and that's just to cast it past your feet.
Put a too-heavy lure on a spinning outfit and it will cast – pretty good, in fact.
Put on a too-heavy fly that throws your rig out of balance and everything ends up in a heap.

And the fly fishing gear... oh the gear! Waders and fly boxes, floatants and wading boots (in addition to waders), special hats for every climate with logo names on them, tippet spool holders and extra reel spools with different lines and...well, its complicated.

Remember, I said that BOTH spinning and fly fishing have uses to the well rounded angler? Well, spin fishing is looking pretty good right now.

More Spin Fishing Advantages

- Its great for prospecting. 
You can cover a lot more water with a spinning outfit.
They cast farther, and they can be made ready to cast much quicker.
Their fast retrieve speeds gets your lure back, and back out, quickly.

- No line spooking.
Cast a fly line over the heads of fish and you might be done. That big, heavy line flopping down on the water is likely to put the most human-adapted fish off its feed.
By contrast, spin casting lines are pretty much invisible and make about as much disturbance on the water as an egrets fart.

- Wind.
Casting a fly line in the wind is often an effort in futility.
Paradoxically, the wind pushes oxygenated water and food into concentrated areas, so you WANT to fish there.

But to cast a fly line effectively under windy conditions, well, you may have to move into just the right position, angle your arm just so, get the wind at your back, maybe up-size your rig.... its complicated.
Put on a little weight or the next size lure, and the spinning rig will keep on casting in the wind.

UPDATE:
Fishing Deep
There’s also a very good case to be made for switching to spinning gear when one must fish deep. Fly fishing tends to be, basically, a shallow water proposition. 
Much beyond 15 feet deep and it can be a decided pain in the butt. 
Special gear, special lines, special techniques, long wait times for weighted lines to descend to depth…well, that’s all part of it.
Typically, with spinning gear, none of that is needed.
You normally just need a different lure, and maybe some added weight, and you can plumb the depths to your hearts content. 
Put bluntly, spin fishing is probably more efficient, effective, and likely more productive when the fish are deep.

HOW ABOUT FLY FISHING?
Okay, so what advantages are there to fly fishing?
Well, to be blunt - not all THAT many.

We don't do it because it's hands down, undeniably, always consistently more effective.

We do it because it's fun.
We do it because its complex and intriguing.
We do it because of its tradition and fascinating lore.
We do it because if it were easy, everyone would do it.
We do it because its what I call an, “Everest Activity.”

Why do people climb Mount Everest, today, after thousands before them have made the trip?
Because they can, and they want to prove that its possible to push themselves to great and soul-satisfying achievements.

Fly fishing is like that.

WHY FLY?
So if spin fishing is so wonderful, are there places - and times - where fly fishing offers an advantage? Well, yes, there are.

Small Prey
Fly fishing excels at presenting imitations of small prey items. This is most exemplified by the dry fly, which mimics tiny insects little bigger than a match head. It is probably impossible to deliver such lures as these to feeding fish in any other way.

Before someone says it, yes, there is the plastic casting bubble. But that is more like a meteor impact than a great way to deliver a fly. Drop that whopping great orb into a trout pool and you may as well quit while you're ahead.

But its not just dry flies and trout.

Often times, fish will focus on smaller prey items.
I don't think I could catch big bluegill with any regularity on another artificial like I do on the fly... and I've tried most all of them for years.
Flies just work better for these fish, with their small mouths and slow, sheltered ways.

Early season crayfish, small crabs and shrimp in salt water, minnow-busting bass in Spring shallows, are other examples.

I remember Henry Cowen telling me how the stripers on Lake Lanier key in on small, 1” baitfish during certain parts of the year and reject anything else.
A teensy fly delivered on a fly line may excel, when most spinning lures might be rejected.

Small Streams
The small stream is difficult to fish with a spinning rig because they are so tight and cloistered. Most any weighted lure flicked into the water is bound to set up a shock wave and spook the fish.

A fly, by contrast, can be tossed here, flipped there, and all with nary a ripple on the water. It simply better matches the life and quiet nature of a small stream.

Ditto small ponds and other such backwaters. The life and doings in a small body of water focus on one thing: quiet and predictability.
Life is serene, even pastoral on the small pond or cove. Dropping in with great kerplunking lures and noisome whooping n' hollering is as likely to scare off the residents as lure them to your hook.

Quick Lure Re-positioning
All spin rigs are fast to get into action. But they have a shared drawback – you have to reel the whole thing back to orchestrate another cast. With long casts, that takes quite a few seconds. In prospecting, this might not be such a big deal.

But added up, cast after cast, you could waste half an hour in any fishing day just reeling in your lure to cast it back out.
Normally it is also being reeled in over unproductive water, adding insult to injury.
You're fishin' over THERE – but you have to bring it back through all that vacant water, to get back HERE.

A fly can be picked up straight away, once it leaves the strike zone, re-positioned within seconds, and put right back into the action.

This way, you keep your flies out there, unless they have a fish on them.
This means they stay in the working area much longer.

Mortality Reduction
Now, a lot of people will tout the reduced mortality of fly fishing, but this is questionable. A lot of fish end up mortally wounded from fly fishing, too.
Any single hook lure, whether delivered by spin or fly, may do as much harm as another.

And lets face it - you can be a ham-fisted klutz that badly handles a hooked fish no matter what method you use.

What I think happens is that fly fishermen are more careful and conscientious. It kinda goes with the territory.

They tend to be more understanding of their quarry's life-cycle.
Usually, they understand more about the aquatic environment.
There is a tendency to get a fish out and back into the water unharmed, etc.
This stems from a huge catch and release following in fly fishing, one that has been there for a century and a half, or more. Call it an ingrained sense of stewardship.

That simply has not been part of the other methods, which originated from a “meat fishing” mentality, and which still cling to that in large measure.

This “do no harm” school of thought has spilled over into all aspects of fly fishing.

Now, this isn't to say spin anglers are excluded from this; not at all.
I spin fish a lot, sometimes more than I fly fish, and I am still careful about handling, doing all I can to help the fish I don't intend to keep.
I would also say that since I started fly fishing many years back, my release efforts have been enhanced when spin fishing.
Remember, its not the catching as much as BAD HANDLING once the fish is hooked.
There, that's my soapbox moment.

WHY FLY FISH AT ALL?
Here, I'm going to dispense with the touchy-feely stuff fly anglers love to ooze when they hear that question. You guys know who you are.
You gush, "It's my passion...," or, “being in the glory of Nature...,” and, “soft sunsets, with the... feel of the water against your waders,” etc.

Oh, brother.

But you can achieve these same esoteric things with a cane pole, if you want, so they don't really count.

Honestly, most people fly fish for the things we've already mentioned, plus a few that may surprise you...

Tradition
For many, they grew up with someone who fly fished, and either learned it or were exposed to it that way. Or they discover the centuries of lore and development behind fly fishing, and that draws them.

Complexity
This isn't tossing worms with a float. I enjoy that kind of fishing, sure, but there is a certain complicated element to fly fishing that attracts the gear geek, and the deep thinker.

Fascination
Lets be honest here; its just fascinating that a hook dressed with bird feathers, thread, and animal hair, entices a fish to strike. I'm still fascinated by it each time it happens.

Uncommon
As long as it has been around, fly fishing still remains relatively uncommon.
I wouldn't call it obscure, and it is seeing a growing popularity these days among everyday anglers. It's not just for prissy, rich guys anymore.
But I still get a lot of wondering questions when people realize I'm actually catching fish on flies, especially in warm water.

Challenge
There is more stuff to do with your hands.
You have to understand why a particular fly should be placed here, and not there.
Fly fishing is a stealth game most of the time, and often a “stalking game,” much like hunting.
These challenges force a man or woman to rise up. And that suits many of us.

Connectedness
This sounds a little touchy-feely, so I gotta be careful, but its important:

Your average fly angler has more knowledge of the aquatic world, and a deeper quarry awareness, than most other fishermen.

Only the competition bass angler comes close in our collective experience.
The fly fisher understands the food chain, intimately, and how a given fly imitates what fish are eating.

Fun
It is just plain fun. Its almost hypnotic, in some ways, what with all the stuff going on while fly fishing. And its clean – no smelly baits, stinky chicken guts or worm slime under your fingernails. It is literally good, clean fun.

Fly Tying
Here, I've saved the best for last, in my opinion.

You can catch fish on effective lures (flies) that you craft yourself, by the thousands if you want, for little money.
Now a spin angler can purchase blank, plastic lures and paint them.
Or he can make his own spinners and spoons from parts.
Or he can carve and paint plugs from wood.
And I have done all that myself, and I liked it.
I can also say that this is not the same as tying your own flies. Fly tying boils down to making something useful from virtually nothing - it is the apex of creativity.

You can tailor a fly to mimic any single prey item, or a dozen different ones, with just a few basic materials that fit in a vest pocket.
You can create a fly right at the waters edge, too, one that can match any forage or prey that is showing, either above or below the water.

While a select few of the materials are costly, most are generally inexpensive, and can be used in dozens of ways. Some can be downright mundane, and cost nothing. The first fly I ever tied used hair brushed from my own dogs butt, and some old carpet yarn...and it still catches fish!

SUMMARY
Do we need to fly fish? No.
One might say the same about spinning, too.
I mean, you can catch fish with hand lines, cane poles, or spears, even.
At the core, fishing equipment merely becomes a tool to achieve that shared aim – to get a fish on a hook.
How you go about it is your choice.
What I hope is you've gained some insight that might help you see the merit in the different ways to do that.

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If so, email me at
...dahutist@gmail.com

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Thanks so much for reading, and...


Tight Lines,

Dave Hutton

© All rights reserved, David Hutton/Palmetto Fly N Fish 2018/2023 


Adapted and transcribed from a Tom Rosenbauer Orvis Podcast.
All credit given, all rights reserved © 
To hear the source podcast, visit Fly-vs-Spin-Podcast

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