This is an interesting debate, but I don't believe that there is much room for establishing or agreeing on a set definition of what actually constitutes fly fishing and what not (or for that matter flies). Each individual is entitled to form his own opinion and the general idea is to simply enjoy what you are doing. My further comments should be seen in this light.
On the czech nymphing cast I am inclined to agree with Kevin, that it does not really constitute a cast in the traditional sense where the flies are carried by the line and not vice versa. The other side to this coin is that such a definition would exclude all forms of short range presentation where only the leader is outside of the rod tip. Think of our WC stream fishing where leader taper assists us in presenting a fly and flyline often does not play any role. Surely we are fly fishing? The same thing often happens in saltwater where a fish chases a fly right up to the boat and then eats it on a gentle lob in front of its nose.
Feeding the line downstream in a river is a far more difficult debate. We all do this from time to time and yes, sometimes it is the best presentation or even the only presentation that will achieve the desired effect. If, on the other hand, this is all that you do, then you are bluffing yourself if you believe that you are flyfishing. Again, it is a personal decision, but if you actually want to really enjoy or maximise your fly fishing, then you will have to learn to cast at some stage.
The fly issue?
Very much the same as the downstream line-feeding debate. Artificial imitations are so good nowadays and with the growing popularity of dropshot, there are hundreds of fly-castable imitations available. The short answer to this one is that you will know what constitutes a fly and what not. If you take the shortcut by using a factory made artlure, then you will catch fish and you will possibly be fishing a more effective imitation, but it can never constitute a fly by the addition of one bell or whistle. This is a very gray area and when we consider things like the Petitjean Magic Head, things really gets confusing. It is easy to find a middle of the road solution (fly) that contains just enough hand made elements to be called a fly and yes, I have also fished some interesting concoctions where these personally imposed boundaries were pushed to the extreme. At the end of the day, that is all that they are - personal opinions that each of us establish and adjust as we go along.
This is now getting too long.
Chat later.
MC
"So here’s my point. Don’t go and get your ego all out of proportion because you can tie a fly and catch a fish that’s dumb enough to eat a car key.." - Louis Cahill - Gink and Gasoline
Let the cards fall where it may. I am aware that I am indeed arguing your case for you and not against you - I am therefor not in disagreement with some comments. But I do stand firm of the issue of copyright whoever the original owners may be. I also responded to your PM.
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