Every now and then, fishermen debate what flyfishing is and what “baits” are generally a part of this sport. We have reviewed some examples from domestic and foreign literature and provided views on the topic.
We were particularly interested in whether fishing, using a combination of classic fly fishing gear and artificial flies on a heavy jig hook (weighing, say, more than 20 g), could be called fly fishing. We asked some friends who are fishermen, but their answers did not satisfy us. Some say it is fly-fishing, others strongly oppose it, and few of them can justify their opinion.
The debate, which is interesting and important for several reasons, needs to be expanded a little. First, fishermen are only humans and we love being able to identify ourselves as members of a particular group that we value. Secondly, the definition of fly fishing is important for strict compliance with fishing rules.
In the broad sense, we can talk about fly fishing if we use an artificial fly made with tying techniques and if our fishing gear set consists of a fly rod, a flywheel and a fly line. In the narrow sense, we can speak of fly fishing if we also satisfy the third condition, that is, our artificial fly made by tying technique can be thrown effortlessly to the (distant) target with the action of the fly line.
Based on the above findings, we can conclude that fishing with heavy jig hooks is a broader sense a part of fly fishing because we use fly fishing gear and the bait is an artificial fly made with tying technique. Such fishing cannot be classified in the area of fly fishing in the narrow sense since it is not possible to throw the bait smoothly with the help of fly fishing line.
You certainly have an opinion on the subject as well. Be sure to let us know in the comment section below!