I’ve never been very good at following rules. The very number of folks who can attest to this fact borders on embarrassing.
While my affinity for non-conformity has never been my best trait, it hasn’t exactly been a curse either. In fact, it has helped me countless times on the water as I was trying to figure out what the fish would eat.
Often, anglers get so hung up with the pomp and circumstance—the way we are “supposed” to fish—that they miss opportunities for fish that need a little something different in order to be fooled. Whether that difference is in presentation, adjustments in fly patterns, gear choice or whatever, I’ve found the fish that want something different are usually the ones that have been hooked before, and therefore are older and larger.
Other than game laws and laws governing boater/angler safety, the rules of how we’re supposed to fish need to be broken from time to time.
About a decade ago, I was learning how to “swing” emergers and soft-hackle flies downstream.
The man who was teaching me, whose fishing abilities I’ve always admired, told me to use soft hackles when tying these flies.
Trouble was, I was out of soft hackle.
So, I did what anybody would and made do with what I had, dry-fly hackle.
Despite being told dry-fly hackle was not for emergers, the fish didn’t agree and actually ate the emerger with dry hackle more readily than the same fly tied conventionally.
The result put me ahead of others on the water, simply because I was not preoccupied with how I was supposed to be fishing.
Fishing flies with ultralight spinning gear, not a fly rod, is a major departure from the accepted notion of how one ought to fly fish. While it might sound funny, it’s a completely viable option, regardless of whether you’re fishing dries, nymphs or streamers. It is another great example of not letting rules get in the way of catching fish.
The rules of fishing are merely a hurdle in most cases. Never be afraid to break them… so long as state regulations say it’s OK.
After all, the trout don’t read the imaginary fishing rulebook. Even if they could, I’d bet they would break every rule they could manage to, anyhow.
Stay flexible on the water, and the number of fish you hook will almost certainly increase.
[easy-social-share]