Do you think that we as fly fishermen and women are making the art of catching trout with a fly too technical?This is a great forum and there are some very knowledgable people on it and they are more than willing to share it with the rest of us.I can understand the advances they have made in the various materials that we can use to tie the fly, but surely the main things to remember when tying flies is keep them skinny and simple, and good presentation and if there is a fish there and he thinks he can eat it he will.I have only posed this question because the people who talk to me about taking up this wonderful sport of fly fishing are often put of it saying "that its too technical"but when i explain that they really only need to use there eyes when on the water then its "what fly do i put on",look around you see what is coming of the water or in it then pick something out of the fly box that looks something like the real thing, simples!!!
Casting "that looks too hard" is the next statement it is only hard if you put too much power into it you let the rod and line do all the hard work ,simples!!

I think we get stuck in our ways sometimes, particularly salmon fishing. Maybe it's the traditions surrounding it. For example, i used a new american bass lure on the Tay last year to devastating effect, the fish couldn't get enough of it. I think we should be more open to new things

As fly fishermen and fly tyers I think we all like to experiment with different techniques and methods, both in fishing and tying. I suppose that's how things develop. But yes I agree we can get too technical and overcomplicate things.

When I started fly fishing over 20 years ago I was given some advice which I still find holds good ie. "When fishing a new loch or water and there is nothing hatching or any terrestrials showing tie on something small and black." Still the best advice I have been given it invariably works.

Fly fishing is a very technical hobby. For the beginner it must be a nighmare.I don't think as fishermen we make it too technical fly fishing has always been so. I've fished for over fifty years and I'm still learning. You can can get by on on limited knowledge and catch fish but the more you learn the more you realise how little you know.

Of course we make it to technical
Where is the fun in basic.
If I just wanted to catch a fish I would use a net or dynamite.
If I fished all season with a black spider i dont think my catch rate would suffer to much.
Where is the fun in that?
I have more fly tying materials than most tackle shops but it doesn't stop me from looking for more
You can make it as technical as you want, its your choice, and thats where the fun is.
ATB
Graham

__________________
It is in truth not glory,nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting,but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with his life.(Declaration of Arbroath, 1320)

How true, I have yet to meet a golfer who gets his handicap down to 10 and is then prepared to stay there, they too start getting technically obsessive.
The fun or me is not catching fish but seeing what different flies they will/will not take.I just dont care if I blank, the moment I do is the day I will pack in.

__________________
BROWN TROUT:THE RED SPOTS HAND PAINTED BY GOD

It's not us that make it technical, it's the fish.

Getting more 'technical' as you learn more and want to learn more is fine (and a lifetime occupation !) however, for many beginners 'technical' must be extremely daunting.

Starting with the KISS principal is surely the way to go !

Nigel

__________________
If it doesn't fit, use a bigger hammer!

For "technical" I suppose we should read "elaborate", and as anglers we all have a tendency to elaborate. You have only to read the angling mags to realise that.

But, as anglers, and the longer we stick at it the more truth there is in it, we will follow a well-trodden development path. To begin with we want to catch fish - A fish. It doesn't matter what it is, or how big it is. Just catching that fish is a major step. Then we want to catch lots of fish - the more the merrier, and some of us will stop at this point and be content. Some of us, though, will decide we want to catch BIG fish and will stop at that point and be content. Some will only want to catch difficult fish which is an extension of the BIG fish syndrome. Finally many of us realise that fishing is about all of the above and none of the above. It's about enjoying yourself.

We'll all develop our own style and use those methods that give us the most satisfaction, and whether that be boobies, blobs or buzzers it doesn't really matter. What does matter is that no-one's preferred method is better or worse that the next man's.

The flies my father used still catch me more than my fair share of fish, and I'm 64 this year! I do realise that the technological advances combine in the long run to make life easier (eg lighter rods, lines that don't need constant attention, etc, and indeed materials that allow us to produce ever more effdective lures and flies) but when I teach kids, I try to remember that catching fish is the important thing for a beginner and I find that from this time of year on, something that looks ridiculously naive (think about a Shipmans!) can be very effective and also gives the pupil something to watch and be aware of on the surface - and there's nothing to beat the shout of an excited kid when they get a fish on having actually seen it take the fly. I sometimes think we 'technologise' for the sake of it, or to make our sport a bit more esoteric, when the tried and tested methods can be just as good and often a heck of a lot easier!.