That ain’t a fly! Furthermore What you are doing isn’t even Fly Fishing.

According to the IGFA, a fly used for records must be “a recognized type of artificial fly, which includes streamer, bucktail, tube fly, wet fly, dry fly, nymph, popper, and bug.” They also state that it must be unscented. This definition doesn’t get us very far, but they do mention that “the fact that a fly can be cast with a fly rod is not evidence in itself that it fits the definition of a fly.”

I’ve heard quite a few stipulations while researching how people feel about this topic. You might be surprised to learn that people have very strong feelings on the matter. It’s common to think of a fly as something built onto a hook by a human. It must be an artificial object without any scent, but no one specifies which ingredients are unacceptable when tanning a bucktail or rabbit fur. I simply use fish oil to make the hide more pliable. It’s even better if you apply a little before you cast it. Many argue that the materials used to make a fly must consist of all-natural substances like furs and feathers. “If you have all those synthetic materials on there, it ain’t a fly.” They also prefer us to use bamboo rods, catgut leaders, and silk lines, but they tend to draw the line at bone or wooden hooks.

The “junk” flies also tend to provoke strong reactions. People might accept a San Juan worm as long as it’s made of chenille, but if you make a squirmy worm from a synthetic rubbery material, then you “might as well just throw a nightcrawler under a bobber.” The mop fly and egg pattern are not newcomers to the general disdain of discerning fly fishermen, but pegged eggs are the devil. You see similar sentiments in the streamer community. I don’t mind if you throw frogs and mice, but by George, they better be made of deer fur and not foam. “If you’re going to do it like that, you might as well just get a popper from the plug store.” 

If we hope to understand the debate at all, we have to start somewhere. Let’s begin with tying a hook onto a leader and dapping mayflies. This style of fishing has been around for a long time but is generally frowned upon now. Just because your great-granddaddy and Ernest Hemingway hooked hoppers onto a hook attached to a fly rod as kids doesn’t mean it was fly fishing then or now, right? Perhaps we can agree that a fly must not be a living creature with a hook stuck into it, but maybe not. If you’re dapping, you aren’t actually casting the rod, and don’t we think that being able to cast the item in question with a fly rod is important? It is, however, the primary way to differentiate our superior sport from conventional methods. A fly cast occurs when you use the weight of the line, rather than the lure, to deliver a fly (or whatever it is you’re using to catch fish with a fly rod).

I appreciate the stipulation that it needs to be castable with a fly rod, but that brings potential issues as well. For example, I’m currently using a custom rod that allows me to cast a 20-inch fly with a 700-grain shooting head. I could attach a muskrat to a hook and chase musky with this rig if I wanted, but I’m not sure that the heavily articulated muskrat fly truly qualifies as a fly. This raises questions about what tight line nymphing is and whether a Frenchie is a fly when cast with a 9’ 5 wt. rod, but not with an 11’ 3 wt. rod. That certainly muddies the waters, as a fly can be defined differently depending on the gear and who is using it. 

I’ve heard and like the idea of a fly being something attached to a hook, shank, or tube (for you two-handed folks), but not something you attach a hook to. All balsa wood and foam flies are scrutinized closely with this definition in mind. Those flies really come into question if a person is required to create the entirety of the fly on their own. You may be able to epoxy or rope that foam onto a shank, but can you carve the wood or make the foam? Furthermore, you still have to deliver it with a fly line, but I’ve got you covered with my rocket-launching FLY rod. Have we all just given up on these sorts of questions? Does it really matter? Are we okay with letting each person draw their own arbitrary line in the sand when it comes to what a fly is? Sure, that’s a really nice fish, but I hear you casted a bridled ballyhoo to that 8-foot sail. Do you call that fly fishing? I’m not one to look down on someone for the method they use to fish as long as they’re fly fishing. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed baiting and switching tuna offshore with my perfectly matched baitfish pattern—well, matched to the pilchard we cast netted at sunrise and are currently using to create a “hatch” off the back of the boat. 

I suppose the only true problem with this debate is whether your ego is tied to your fly-fishing conquests. “Wow, that’s a really big brown for this area. Did you catch it on a dry? Did you cast to that Mahi, or were you trolling the fly behind the boat?” Are we big enough to not think in the back of our minds, “Well, yeah, that one is way bigger than any I’ve caught, but it doesn’t really count. I hear he was tipping his egg patterns with roe. Cheater cheese? Yeah, cheater cheese.”

For me, a fly is something you can cast with a fly rod to attract and catch fish. It is something that one creates and attaches to a hook, shank, tube, and so on. Beyond that, the world is your oyster. Now, be sure to email all your responses to the previously mentioned email address, and I promise I will not be getting back to you. For those wondering about the conclusion of the GOAT conversation, well, it’s coming… eventually.