Last week I went to my local shop to buy some tying supplies. I asked for some scud back and the employee showed me where it was kept. I then asked for a
few other things which lead to he and I talking for a while. We started talking about different flies each of us used and I ended up bringing in my fly box
from the truck to show him what I had been using successfully in the ponds around my neighborhood. I am originally from Colorado and have continued to fish
with my old trout flies. I am slowing tying larger patterns more associated with bass. When I opened my fly box the employee looked surprised and asked me,
"You fish these flies around here?" I said yes. Then he asked "And do you catch anything?" I said yes again. He went on to explain to
me the way trout and sunfish feed. He said that I was very likely to injur most of the fish because of the way sunfish sort of inhale their food as apposed to
biting their food the way a trout does. It seemed to make sense, but I have not yet experienced this issue.
Normally, I dismiss other peoples opinion of what type of flies certainly will or will not work. I think that there are more opinions in fly fishing than
there are fish. Anyways, have any of you experience in this? Am I putting fish in greater risk by fishing smaller flies?
are my small flies going to kill fish?
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 brokentippet |
are my small flies going to kill fish? |
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Posts: 12 04/13/09 10:14:39 |
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spinzo |
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Posts: 1182 04/13/09 12:49:39
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I suppose if your local shop clerk is worried about whether a fish or two might suffer a mortal wound in the course of your angling it's time for him to
give up the sport and join PETA. I don't see any reason for that person to have given you that advice, apart from wanting to sell you bigger flies. Small
flies catch fish and, at times, are the best choice for panfishing and there's no reason to discard yours in favor of bigger flies. The choice isn't
mutually exclusive; you should have a variety of sizes and patterns.
In fact that advice, if applied universally, would just about make bass fishing off limits. Largemouth and smallmouth bass (which are actually a member of the sunfish family and not a true bass) "inhale" their food, and since a bass' mouth is a lot bigger, it'd take a HUGE fly to prevent the occasional deep hooking. If you are managing your line well, you'll not have to worry about too many deep hookings. Just tie on whatever is working and have fun. Mike |
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bill0215 |
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Posts: 504 04/13/09 13:31:55 Master Guide |
Since i am not an ear nose & throat doctor, i will not attempt to remove a fly that has been inhaled deeply. i just cut the tippet & release the fish.
normally i use #16 - 12 flies at this time of the year and i'm able to catch bass, crappie, BGs, golden shiner, perch, etc. i've yet to see a fish go
belly up after i have released it.
Bill |
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midmofly.fiberglassflyro... |
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Posts: 16 04/13/09 17:27:32 |
To keep injury to a minium I use barbless hooks and usually even on deeply hooked fish I can get the hook out with very little injury to the fish---I not sure hook size is that big a factor. |
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FlyCoach |
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Posts: 66 04/13/09 17:40:33 Registered Member |
I concur with Bill. When the fly is taken too deeply to remove it, simply cut it off and release the fish. However, under most circumstances, a fly or small
popping bug that has been inhaled by a bream can be removed easily and gently with a small pair of forceps. I always carry a pair for just these situations.
Crimping the hook barb can also be beneficial.
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mcanders |
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Posts: 42 04/14/09 05:50:52 Registered Member |
I have caught several large mouth bass with hooks still embedded in back of the throat. Another angler caught them earlier in the season and clipped the line
as suggested. I usually try to remove these hooks as I find them, most of them come out very easily because the hook barbs have rusted away.
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agedsage.clarksclassicfl... |
#6 | ||||
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Posts: 7 04/18/09 16:19:39 |
Brokentippet:
Let me preface my response by first presenting my credential (for what ever the hell they are worth. With them and $2.00 I can get a cup of coffee in most restuarants her in the metropolitan Houston area.). I am a septaugenarian, have fished with nothing but flies for nearly 30 years (have fly fished off and on since 1952), hold a PhD degree in fisheries biology (since 1969), and have caught two or three fish in my time, both warm water and cold water. My German immigrant grandfather had an expression for clowns like this one: "Nichts kommt aus der Lachmans Haus." Translated, it says:"Nothing comes form a laughing (crazy) man's house". Centrarchids (sunfish and the black basses) will both suck in their prey and slam the hell out of it! Salmonids do the same thing. Take this clown with a grain of salt and go fish; and by all means have fun!!! Frank Schlicht |
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brokentippet |
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Posts: 12 04/20/09 05:30:46 |
Thank you all for your input
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