Nymphing for Steelhead...why are folks against it?

[Split Bamboo]

Swinging...Nymphing...some dude is going to be googling for a porn site and get linked to this thread. Maybe I should add "Paris Hilton" and "Britney Spears" just to make sure.

[Charles Sullivan]

Oh I forgot. Strawman arguments. They'll be lots and lots of strawman arguments.

Sign J-Bay,
cds

[Keaten LaBrel]

I'll nymph for steelhead until i can figure out how to get them to eat a stripped 8" hot pink sculpin ripped through a log jam and pitched in undercut banks while fishing from a boat........or i'll use a pinner and a pink plastic worm.

9 times outta 10 its the pinner that attracts the largest and most aggressive steelhead

[Charles Sullivan]

After a couple of pinners even steelhead like to eat.

Go Sox,
cds

[Evan Burck]

Swinging...Nymphing...some dude is going to be googling for a porn site and get linked to this thread. Maybe I should add "Paris Hilton" and "Britney Spears" just to make sure.

I love SPANKING steelhead with my nymph ROD. It's so HARDCORE

[Big Tuna]

Swing vs. Nymph
Spoon vs, Jig
Shrimp vs. Roe
Snagging vs. Netting
12 Volt vs. Blasting Caps
Damming vs. Logging
Lakers vs. Yankees

Lakers vs. Yankees?

[MasterAnglerTaylor]

who cares....catch fish and be respectful on river

[stewart dee]

Hey nymph people your giving fly fishing a bad name. Save yourself some money and buy a gear rod. Well heck at least you can slid into the fly fish only rivers.

[Brazda]

Because it's morally wrong. Basically all people that nymph for steelhead are bad people, void of values and strong ethics. I've always believed that steelhead nymphers are the kind of people likely to be attracted to hysterical cults and such. Just saying.

Love being Morally wrong, I belong to the cult of Catchem all even the ones that don't want to bite.
Who want's to catch the fish that would eat a cigarett but if it was dragging on the suface how fricken tough is that

Good consistant swinging success is a ZEN thing the guy's that can catch day in and day out have done it for ever and have a unique knowledge of current flows and steelhead water, or drive thousands of miles and spend ten's of thousands on BC guides (shaparones) to a river so stuffed with stupid steelhead a stick with a fether would catch one.
It just don't happen in a few days of fishing with next to no experiance,, when it does it's nearly and act of god.

Nymphing a steelhead is easier with a good rower but can be just as unsuccessful standing on the bank. However it takes way more understanding of line control than just tossing a sinktip and hoping.....OK I'm ready for the backlash.

Seriously I love it ALL

[Panhandle]

Good, true, enlightening post, Jeff . I take it back that nothing could come from this thread. Continue............

[Be Jofus G]

It is because most fly fisherman look at "nymphers" as gear fisherman with a fly rod. plain and simple thats what it is, it is the same as a jig/float setup but it is with a fly reel and rod.
jed

No way man. I can cast a jig & float 70 ft with a flick of the wrist using a nice stout lami & baitcaster and drop that bitch on a paper plate. Have you ever tried to do the same with a beadhead stone and an indicator using nothing but a forward cast on a fly rod? Don't even get me started on how freaking pimp the guys that can tightline a nymph @ 60 ft are.

Swinging is cool and my favorite way to fish for steelhead, but I've seen some pretty goddamn impressive displays of skill from guys working a nymph.

[stewart dee]

Hey anyone up for bobber and worm fishing? oh I mean nymph fishing.

[orangeradish]

[Ed Call]

Everyone overlooking the pureness of a skated dry making the steelhead rise and your reel going nuts as it hauls ass into a wet deep pool. The sad part is we can't even agree that we disagree on why one's technique is garbage while yours is perfect. Fly, spin, baitcast, netting, bait it is all FREAKING GEAR right down to your little tighty whities or high tech panties that are now in a big fat bunch. Fish however you like, marvel at your drive to get it right and leave well enough alone. You can't control the world, but you can control how you fish it.

[TB]

Well this is the first such debate I've seen on this subject, on this forum, which don't mean much cause I aint been here that long---but I'm learning.

So far what I've learned is that the essence of fly fishing is to match the food of choice the fish are feeding on at the time, for the purpose of actually catching some fish. As far as a 'debate' goes, nymphing seems to have more 'reason' supporting it, consistent with the philosophy of fly fishing. Swinging, seems to lack 'reason', appealing instead to emotionalism. Nothing wrong with that, but it lacks a certain convincing element necessary in a debate type setting, which boils down to mere personal preference, and fails to address the OP about why some folks are against the practice. Sure, they have an opinion, but it's based on emotion, not reason, apparently, and fails to address why others should necessarily follow suit.

The 'level of difficulty' argument seems irrelevant, and subjective, relative to the skill level of the one with the rod in his hand. I would bet that the level of difficulty I would have in catching fish during a large hatch would be much greater than any of you all would have, but in a case like that, would it be rational for me to develop an attitude towards you all, because my level of difficulty was greater than yours? Shoot, why not use a bare hook, or a sharpened stick?

I think the OP's got his answer: irrational prejudice.