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swinging flies== flossing fish??

Spey 
8K views 80 replies 47 participants last post by  sandspanker 
#1 ·
How many of the fish caught swinging flies are flossed?? Just wondering.. Everyone or most everyone is all bent out of shape with the nympthers but I think those fish do take the fly. I think at least half of the fish on the swing are flossed nothing wrong with it but seems when the flies are out to in on the mouth they are flossed in my opinion. at least that is how it is with gear
 
#41 ·
You guys are all a bunch of liars. Admit it. I routinely floss steelhead with my patented Surface Flossing Muddler fly. Coho salmon have also proven susceptible. The right deer hair, treated to float properly, is the perfect material for getting stuck in their unsuspecting little teeth. It takes a little more skill to time it just right to coincide with the surface rise of a steelhead, and it helps to have several underwater cameras set up and synchronized by satellite to a time-corrected atomic clock at Hanford, linked to the vanadium-alloy microprocessor chip that I had surgically installed in the casting-lobe of my brain ... but it is worth it.
 
#46 ·
I really dont understand the hate. I never once said that people have said I'm a flosser..Or do I try to floss the fish. I was just stating or asking what if any % of fish were flossed while swinging flies. I have caught 2 on the swing and one was out to in so i figured it was flossed. I could be very wrong. And as to all the people on here that have lost respect for me. You really don't know me other then on this web site. so REALLY don't know me other wise.. For east fork and the other local guys I think you would at least hold out to the lost of respect if we were to go fishing sometime. Then by all means judge me then not for asking a simple question. I figured that there was some % of flossed fish so I didn't think of adding a 0% again that was my thoughts. Sorry to stir up some bad blood. never meant too. Just was wondering everyones thoughts.
 
#47 ·
Jordan, sounds good. I routinely travel with a sixer or half rack within arms reach.
PT wears man sandals in his photos.
Sometimes even using good rigs and technique fish get hooked in strange ways. Hell, just this year I've caught three whitefish on dries. Two on the Yakima within inches from the bank on chubby chernobyls and a third on a creek using a hopper. No flossing. Certainly not what I was expecting when I placed those floating bugs in spots expecting them to get the trouthammer.
 
#53 ·
Alright, WTF! People are getting a little uptight here lately. In reading your origional post, I figured this was an honest question, especially if you are new to flyfishing, because a TON of gear dudes do infact think that swingers are flossers. If anyone doesn't believe me on this, get out a little more. Actually, go look at the Caddisfly blog and see just what got written on the back of one of the employee's SUV when he got off the water on the central Oregon coast by a bunch of gear guys. So, before I tell you that I hate you and your a horrable person who beats up little old ladys for thier milk money to feed your crack habit that you must have for ever thinking of such a question, let me give you my honest answer.
In my.....let me puff my chest a little...hold on.....ok....16+ YEARS of fishing for Steelhead (after 10 years you get the "steelhead expert" pin to wear on your vest...the problem is that anyone who is truly cool doesn't wear a vest anymore), I do not believe that I have ever flossed a fish. I have however snagged a couple. I snagged one last year right in the eyeball, on a type 6 tip in the middle of the swing, on an unweighted fly, with a 2 foot leader...So yes, I do believe it can happen, although I do believe it would a one in 100 billion chance to acutally floss one. Accidently snagging a fish is much more likley, and it does happen from time to time...and no, It does not make you a horrable sportsman. Either break it off or let it go and make another cast. Wierd shit happens out there. In the case of the fish you hooked outside the mouth, who knows...my guess is that the fish went for your fly and grabbed it from the side, then turned on the side your hook was on...but who knows. If you did infact truly floss that fish, go but a lottery ticket right now!!
 
#56 ·
Alright, WTF! People are getting a little uptight here lately. In reading your origional post, I figured this was an honest question, especially if you are new to flyfishing, because a TON of gear dudes do infact think that swingers are flossers. If anyone doesn't believe me on this, get out a little more. Actually, go look at the Caddisfly blog and see just what got written on the back of one of the employee's SUV when he got off the water on the central Oregon coast by a bunch of gear guys. So, before I tell you that I hate you and your a horrable person who beats up little old ladys for thier milk money to feed your crack habit that you must have for ever thinking of such a question, let me give you my honest answer.
In my.....let me puff my chest a little...hold on.....ok....16+ YEARS of fishing for Steelhead (after 10 years you get the "steelhead expert" pin to wear on your vest...the problem is that anyone who is truly cool doesn't wear a vest anymore), I do not believe that I have ever flossed a fish. I have however snagged a couple. I snagged one last year right in the eyeball, on a type 6 tip in the middle of the swing, on an unweighted fly, with a 2 foot leader...So yes, I do believe it can happen, although I do believe it would a one in 100 billion chance to acutally floss one. Accidently snagging a fish is much more likley, and it does happen from time to time...and no, It does not make you a horrable sportsman. Either break it off or let it go and make another cast. Wierd shit happens out there. In the case of the fish you hooked outside the mouth, who knows...my guess is that the fish went for your fly and grabbed it from the side, then turned on the side your hook was on...but who knows. If you did infact truly floss that fish, go but a lottery ticket right now!!
Thank you ozcast that is all I really wanted from this topic.. Cant wait to see you on the river sometime :thumb::thumb:
 
#55 ·
Almost never. flossing fish typically requires a concentration of fish and that nearly never happens with steelhead.. now coho and chinook are flossed a LOT because coho and chinook pant that is they open and close their mouths when they are in fast moving water where a of of people fish for them as they are traveling
 
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#57 ·
i have accidentally flossed one fish on a trout pole was fishing a worm with no weight and a chinook ran into my line woops but never have had it happen on a fly pole i hooked a silver on wednesday and it actually chased down the bunny leech that was about 5-8 inches from the top.
 
#58 ·
This site is famous for people getting butthurt when you question their preferred method of fishing, so don't take it personally despite the personal responses. Just try and phrase your questions better. It sounds like you were genuinely curious if people think they're flossing fish. From my point of view, if you're swinging correctly, then you're not flossing fish. Same goes for nymphing.

I would have voted >1% - Occupy WFF.
 
#62 ·
25-75% is a really high number to start with. I have never flossed or foul hooked ANY FISH (am I doing something wrong:rofl:) on the swing. And I like to swing! Be it soft hackles for trout or big tubes, or big irons for salmon and steelhead!

Come to think of it, I can not recall anyone ever talking about a foul hooked fish on the swing.
 
#63 ·
We're now at page 5 and still no definitive answer...:beathead: A question I have is, if we are flossing and the result of flossing is a hook in the mouth, HITF will we ever know for sure? :hmmm:

...this ought to be worth at least 5 more pages :D
 
#65 ·
This is stupid,,,Flossing is the puposefull hooking of a NON Biting fish,,,it does not happen here in the NW on Steelhead, maybe some jackasses on salmon!

Can one accidently snag a steelhead possable but not too likely,,,seen maybe 2 out of thousands..and that was in less than a foot of vis...

I have however seen them bite so aggressivly as took them selves outside the mouth but what the hell aggressive biting is what its about...
 
#67 ·
Friggin snagger!! ;)

We slayed silvers as well over a week ago. Funny how the hootchie and grubs/bass worms on the hooks are finally catching on. Work like a charm especially on the hook of a spinner.

Ok Mr. Smartass. I meant the drift guys with corky and yarn doing. Jigs are a tad different. Why I outta put you on timeout sir. ;)
 
#69 ·
No cartoons for sure. But damned, you'd have to miss my desserts on the OP? Sucks to be you. Ask Chris. He dug it. :)
 
#70 ·
In over 20 years of fly fishing for steelhead exclusively through swinging wets, riffle-hitching flies, or skating dries, I've never snagged, foul hooked, or hooked one anywhere except inside the mouth. The wets were swung on both floating lines and sinktips of many densities (i.e. sing rates). And I fish flies on hooks from #10's all the way up to #2/0's. Additionally, I've never seen any friends who swing flies for steelhead hook one anywhere other than inside the mouth. Therere, it is very obvious to me tha this poll's catagories are very biased in assuming there is a rather large number/percentage of steelhead that are "flossed, snagged, foul-hooked" when swinging flies.

Can one foul-hook a steelhead on a swung fly, perhaps; but it would not be very many. I'd guess the percentage to be 1% or less.
 
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