If it's legal in the water you're fishing who cares?! The Pistol Pete has been around forever. Guys can throw "flies" off a spinning rod with a float. If it makes you happy screw'm.

As far as i'm concerned there is no cheating as long as you're within the law. Why should i care how you catch fish? Unless I'm not catching any, then i would really care to know.

I'll qualify anything a fly if it's sold in a quality fly shop. Yeh, you can throw a rapala on a fly rod if you really want to, but you won't find many guides recommending it. But find me an good Montana Outfitter that doesn't have foam bugs...they're not easy to cast on a spinning rod, which makes them flies in my eyes.

I would say spoon flies and gummy minnows are more innovation in technique and material than anything else. Aren't we always trying to tie it better. Deeter, if The gummy material is no go, then so should be anything synthetic

perhaps it's time to rename the sport and the definition of 'fly' fishing. really the only thing that separates 'fly' fishing and spin fishing/baitcasting is that in 'fly' fishing, the weight of the line delivers a relatively weightless lure/bait/fly. in other forms of fishing, the weight of the lure/bait is cast, and the line follows. in situations where you don't want to spook fish with a heavy splash, fly fishing was the method of choice. in the old days, fly lines were cast to deliver live baits such as real hoppers.

the heavier the fly relative to the mass and diameter of the fly line, the more inefficient it becomes. with conehead woolly buggers or size 6 weighted stonefly nymphs on light lines, it becomes less 'fly' fishing and approaches spin fishing, as the weight of the 'fly' is what is actually being cast. a lead-eye clouser minnow is basically just a bucktail jig, approaching weights of 1/4 ounce, depending on the size of the eyes.

who cares what constitutes a 'fly' in terms of material or design. there are more variables that define the sport than just the lure or terminal tackle. in the old days, 'fly' fishing was given that name because trout were being fished to and insects ('flies') were what were being imitated, and it made sense to throw weightless 'lures' or flies using this system of a weighted line.

anyway, who cares, it's all fishing. fly fishing is exploited too much these days as a way for people to snobbishly differentiate themselves for involving themselves in something they perceived as superior.

Lol joey Deeter is right, i was expecting a corn joke or something directed towards me.

Blind caster and Joey are right on. If you want to restrict yourself to naturals and bamboo or dries only, that's your thing and that's cool, but I'm going to continue to fish foam poppers and streamers tied with super hair and epoxy heads, and gummy minnows in the salt and be more than content that what I am doing is fly fishing.

Scent? That's crossing the line.

Fly fishing, spin fishing, noodling, it's all fishing in one way or another. As long as you're enjoying what you're doing, whose to tell youse it's wrong?

"Throw foam or go home!"

Anthony - I WILL give you credit when I use that line! Classic!

AlaFlyGirl - I have an order in for some foam frogs. I am just waiting for them to come in to use down here in the south for some bass. I will let you know how they do.

If you are throwing foam - make sure to rope up the tippet as the fish will crash it hard. If you use that thin stuff expect to spend more time twisting tippet than fishing.

normally I like to stay out of dicey conversations such as this. I watch the passion volley back and forth as I sit squarely on the fence minding my manners and sipping a cocktail

but I'm gonna have to jump in here -- pls pls pls don't take away my foam hopper

come july in montana...foam is home

ok. now should we talk about something lite and easy like the race for the white house or where real BBQ comes from?....Texas Beef or Southern Pork, which is the real deal?

From the slippery slope, where it is, indeed, expected to snow above 9000 feet tonight.

Ox, yeah ... it's all good.

Anthony, you already sold out on me, bubba. What was it, a week? C'mon ... foam is a fetish, you don't tell close friends about it, and you certainly don't comment about it on a blog. That's a private matter.

Alabama Flygirl already thinks I have a bee in my waders ...

Fly Chick, you can say whatever you want, cocktail/foam or not ... we missed you dearly.

And Joey, we finally have something we can agree upon 100% ... real BBQ=Texas, and believe me, I've tried them all.

I'd rather watch cow-tipping.

Just kidding ... that was a thinly-veiled reference to a lead I had for a story (Carp Crazy) in F&S a couple months ago.

A-Train ... beer indeed comes in bottles. I'm from Milwaukee. Jeez.

Oh boy ... don't go there with football, Alabama flygirl. I mean, I think the SEC is no doubt the action conference ... and my own little brother played for the Georgia Bulldogs. But I, myself, am a Michigan man ... and we're 23-5-1 all-time v. the SEC. So it just doesn't register. The SEC is our insurance policy to make sure those Buckeyes crash hard to the ground (after we gag) when they get full of themselves. Bless y'all for that. Texas too. Any Gators wanna talk about this?