hi all,

A fairly emotive topic but.. in fly fishing where is the line betwen rules versus gamesmanship!! (definition "Pushing the rules to the limit") Gamesmanship is the use of dubious (although not technically illegal). Important bit here is staying within the rules.

Now i could have put this topic in the comp fishing forum but people hardly look at that except for dates and upcoming comps hence general forum covers a bit more.

Now I give a few examples say buzzer patterns "top anglers" use carp guage hooks to get flies down where shall we say the avg angler probably buys standard hooks off a reputable fly catalogue. Both patterns fit the fly guage but one angler clearly has a massive advantage over the other. Where is the line?

Extra weight on the fly interpetation ie epxoy clearly adds weight yet the rules state unweighted fly. In theory one could have a full epoxy blob? (i wouldnt like to cast it mind lol) but yes the fly would certainly get down deep).

bungs are banned but hay ho a huge "dry fly" with a foam body is allowed.

I think in the last year or so some american angler won a big comp using a ladder to "stand" in 12ft of water there was nothing in the rules stating he couldnt (since then ladders are banned! in that comp anyway)... most people would say he is a cheat. He just interpeted the rules a bit differently than other people to gain the advantage!.

What do you reccon? post up your thoughts.

wheres ANGLER A when you need him

Only my opinion but i reckon that is cheating

Totally unrelated, but i read that anglers in the Troutmasters Final will not be allowed to stand on boxes in the the future

__________________

Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate
YOU DONT NEED EYES TO SEE YOU NEED VISION

Perhaps the ladder example is going a bit far .... but the guy still got the prize/money apparently.

I suppose this season forumla 1 could be deemed the same thing button won becuase his team took a different view of the "rules" than the rest of the field.

On the day i think 90% of the field catchs avg 5 fish and one other lucky guy comes in with 8.. and was casting a U nail with a hackle attached.
One could argue you might land a trout on it ... if it was on acid ,but the hook fits the fly guage. and is within the rules.

I guess the main thing is how far can u push without going too far like the ladder example??

And to clarify something everyone knows comp fishing is definitatly not the same as recreation fishing anyone who says otherwise hasnt fished many comps!! (what i ment was the same reasons why you go rec fishing are different to comp fishing)

I wil regret asking this,but why were they standing on boxes in the past?

__________________
Robbie
Amnesia, i forget what that means
Harbour lights flyfishers

Perhaps to gain an advantage over fellow anglers.

maybe have a read of this

Cheats

__________________

Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate
YOU DONT NEED EYES TO SEE YOU NEED VISION

I can see why its been banned, but i hardly think standing on a box is gaining an advantage,no worse than standing on a big rock which ive seen most do at some point,especially if theres an obstacle behind you.some anglers aint as tall as they would like to be lol.

__________________
Robbie
Amnesia, i forget what that means
Harbour lights flyfishers

Im sure you dont see anglers bring rocks with them to competitions to stand on. Just like you dont see random, fishing boxes out in the water all the time.

Can't remember the last time I ran my boat on to a "fishing box" on Lough Erne

Anyway, like I said, weve already had this debate on here. If you wanna see members opinions they check out the cheats thread.

__________________

Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate
YOU DONT NEED EYES TO SEE YOU NEED VISION

everyone has access to hook type when tying flies, aint no rule on hook weight, only size, ie length/gape etc.
bottom line is, if you believe someone is breaking rules of competition, complain on day at competition, then its down to judge/controller of said competition to make decision. once said decision is made, accept it, dont raise it months after competition, and hope you get moral support! stable door and bolted spring to mind.
regards
bert

oakham the cheats will always find ways to bend the rules to there favour mate.theres always somone thats so desperate to win and will push the line .

__________________
Robbie
Amnesia, i forget what that means
Harbour lights flyfishers