Troutnut.com Fly Fishing for Trout Home
User Password
or register.
Scientific name search:

> > Is the bead a fly?



MightyKenaiSeptember 16th, 2007, 8:13 pm
Cooper Landing, AK

Posts: 3
Many times I have sat down in the spring dillegently painting beads in a variety of sizes (6-12 mil) and have wondered about the fly puritans thoughts?
TaxonSeptember 16th, 2007, 11:26 pm
Site Editor
Royse City, TX

Posts: 1350
MightyKenei-

Am assuming you meant "fly purists" rather than "fly puritans", as to the best of my knowledge, no flies have yet expressed any particular religious leanings.

Now that I've gotten that admittedly lame joke out of my system, in Alaska and particularly when anadromous fish are present in the river, I believe most flyfishers would agree that strictly limiting oneself to fishing an imitation of some insect would probably not be the most practical approach to take. I believe that the vast majority of flyfishers in Alaska would have egg imitations of some form in their arsenal.
Best regards,
Roger Rohrbeck
www.FlyfishingEntomology.com
MartinlfSeptember 17th, 2007, 2:03 pm
Moderator
Palmyra PA

Posts: 3233
Acknowledging that Taxon's joke is earned, I liked the term puritans, as it suggests those who are willing self-righteously to burn innocent victims with scant evidence. Such persons are sometimes driven by ideological scruples that melt in a real world situation. For example, I'd bet if one such person was fishlessly fishing next to you with his or her pheasant tail nymph and you were landing huge fish after huge fish, that person just might accept a bead and instructions for rigging. I know I would, gratefully.
"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"

--Fred Chappell
Shawnny3September 17th, 2007, 5:15 pm
Moderator
Pleasant Gap, PA

Posts: 1197
For example, I'd bet if one such person was fishlessly fishing next to you with his or her pheasant tail nymph and you were landing huge fish after huge fish, that person just might accept a bead and instructions for rigging.


When the jackass next to me is accomplishing this feat while I whip the water fishlessly, I usually rig a half-dozen bead-heads about 2 inches apart and throw on about half a pound of split-shot. I then direct my backcast carefully but firmly at his head. Then, once he's out of commission, I proceed to snag fish until I've caught up to him, after which I resume fishing my pheasant tail in serene silence.

-Shawn

P.S. Don't sell yourself short, Roger - that was a good one.
Jewelry-Quality Artistic Salmon Flies, by Shawn Davis
www.davisflydesigns.com
MightyKenaiSeptember 18th, 2007, 12:24 am
Cooper Landing, AK

Posts: 3
Shawn I like your style.
TroutnutSeptember 18th, 2007, 12:40 am
Administrator
Bellevue, WA

Posts: 2737
A bead should definitely count as a fly, since considerably more goes into it (at least, a painted and well-pegged bead) than goes into your average glo-bug or estaz egg. Having the imitation attached to the line near the hook, instead of to the hook, should not be a real disqualifier.

That said, I think a less clear question is whether bead fishing (or any of the other Alaska stuff with a similar amount of lead) is really "fly fishing." I got to fish the Kenai a few weeks ago with Erik Knowlton and Jason Williams, and it was a blast, but with 6 big split shot above my bead it wasn't the same sport I'm used to. I caught some good fish but I was severely outfished by those two guys (despite using the same beads and overall rigging). There's obviously much more skill to that chuck-n-duck art than meets the eye, and those guys apparently have a lot more of that skill than I do. I left with a new respect for that method, although I still feel strange calling it "fly fishing" -- it seems more like a whole other category of fishing altogether, interesting and legitimate in its own right but very, very different.
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
FalsiflySeptember 18th, 2007, 8:49 am
Hayward, WI.

Posts: 661
I think I know how Halford would argue but it would be interesting to know what Skues might say. For me it is best left as a matter of personal opinion.
Falsifly
When asked what I just caught that monster on I showed him. He put on his magnifiers and said, "I can't believe they can see that."
MightyKenaiSeptember 19th, 2007, 1:02 am
Cooper Landing, AK

Posts: 3
Glad to hear you got out on the Kenai Mr. Troutnut. Maybe consider a slightly differnet setup on the leader and the weight next time to outfish your buddies. I go with a 10 ft. leader, starting with 30# up tapered to 8# Sniper flouro, and of course a strike indicator/bobber/buoy up top! I put a Sz. 3 splitshot and a BB on for weight (occasionally two Sz. 3's for Skilak lake and down) 24" above my hook and tie a nail knot w/30# test 2" above my hook. This supports my bead without the use of a toothpick or other pegging device and leave the bead free sliding. With a Sz. 10 Tiemco 2457 tied on to the end of that string it could be dynamite. Mega drifts and mending all day long.

Quick Reply

You have to be logged in to post on the forum. It's this easy:
Username:          Email:

Password:    Confirm Password:

I am at least 13 years old and agree to the rules.

Related Discussions

TitleRepliesLast Reply
Re: Nymph Color Comment
In Male Baetidae Mayfly Nymph by DarkDun
8Jul 18, 2009
by Shawnny3
Re: nice winter rainbow
In Fishing Reports by Benjlan
5Jan 19, 2011
by Jmd123
Yorkshire, River Wharf, on my own this time
In Fishing Reports by CaseyP
0
Re: What is the most common and most immitated of all nymphs
In Fly Tying by FredH
6Oct 21, 2009
by Teddyp
neversink river 7/4/2007
In Fishing Reports by Mcjames
0
Re: Amawalk river Brown
In the Photography Board by Mcjames
5Apr 19, 2008
by Troutnut
Re: Early back stonefly nymphs
In Fly Tying by Zugbuggin
1Aug 20, 2010
by GONZO
Wooly bugger tying with underwater footage
In Fly Tying by Mcflyangler
0
Umbrella hook Western March Brown Dun pattern
In Fly Tying by Rgiffin
0
Re: First Brookies of the Year on the Maple River
In Fishing Reports by TimCat
11Jun 1, 2018
by TimCat