EVERYDAY IN MAY CHALLENGE TOPIC: FISHING (SEE THE OTHER TOPICS & JOIN IN)
“Fishing”? That is almost akin to ‘trees’, ‘water’ or ‘food’. Ok, I’ll try this. So, as a rule, you won’t read in a fly fishing blog anything about other forms of fishing. That was left behind. It isn’t always that the other forms of fishing are viewed as bad, just not as challenging or ethereal as fly fishing. Commentators don’t discuss their current or past angling methods in conjunction with fly fishing. Many still fish other forms, but don’t mention it.
I rarely fish with any other gear but fly gear. But, I believe I could still work a spoon or spinner through a drift for Steelhead; tease a jib beneath a bobber down through a slot; set a shrimp/egg cocktail on a 5/0 hook beneath a beer can bobber in tide water for Kings; throw a fly behind a casting bubble on a mountain lake; rig up a slip bobber with Power Bait; chug a top water plug for Bass; troll Herring and a flasher on a downrigger; sit in a folding chair and wait for the bell to ring on my plunking rig. I’ve done all that many times over. I don’t look down on any of it.
I now almost always fish with a fly, but if I had a chance to go out on the Columbia River and use a level wind reel and 12 ounces of lead to get some smelly concoction town to a Sturgeon I’d be there and the truth is many fly fishers would. They just don’t talk about it much. There’s a lot to be learned from many non fly fishing methods. Color spectrum visibility in water depths and spinner components color come to mind. My brother in law is one of the best fishermen I know and he had never touched a fly rod.
I fly fish for the challenges and the greater, dare I say it, mental challenge in most aspects. I rarely encounter the hip to hip circle jerk that I use to participate in…. Regardless of how we fish, as a collective group, ‘fishermen’ must secure the habitats and native runs.
Tomorrow the Every Day in May Challenge Topic is “Praying”….Lordy Me
SwittersB & Exploring 
Well put. Sometimes, if you want to catch fish you have to put the fly rod down. We fish for bass a fair amount during summer and other than topwater they can be a big challenge between depth and weeds to get a good bite on with a fly rod. I’m not ashamed to say that I have no problem picking up a spin rig and chucking plastic or spinner baits. It’s not a fly rod but it’s “fishing” and fishing is a lot more fun when you’re actually catching fish.
Besides that, in the spirit of friendly competition that usually goes along with fishing with a friend or your kids, it’s the only way to stay in the game without going down among jeers from the bleachers decrying your dogged determination to continue fishing with the “fairly wand”.
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