5 Stages of Fly Fishing

[@shanepierce401]

Having kids takes you from stage 5 back to stage 1 real quick

[@kristoffermiller4401]

Truth

[@thomasham8892]

Damn right….

[@andrewwinkelmeyer6503]

Amen

[@DaveEkrem]

I think the main takeaway here is that tenkara is Ben's favorite kind of fly fishing. And really, it's the best kind of fly fishing.

[@rodc4334]

That was my take away too!

[@JWhite-Fishing]

Stages 2, 3, and 4 are fluid - some days I feel like I just wanna catch fish, but then a crafty bugger which wont take my fly crops up. Shifts me straight into stage 4. I also don't know whether you yanks get it, but theres also another stage we get often here in England - the dry fly phase, perhaps thats stage 4 though.

[@MuhammadSmithSr.]

England is 🏳️‍🌈

[@itsbeerthirty]

the best part about Ben and his videos is the recurring message, have fun and enjoy it all

[@Hugh_Jassle]

I'm in the "I should be a guide" stage 😂 my approach to fly fishing is pretty unique though.

[@jaredtandle2596]

Should catch more than 4" brookies first.

[@dirkvannieuwenhove]

Stage 5 for sure, after 40+ years of fishing; It’s more about being outdoors in nature, relax and catch what I can. If I don’t catch, then so be it. I find these progressions you shared really recognizable! Great video, Ben

[@ShamonLaw]

Screw you twinkle toes, I've been stuck on lvl 4 for almost 14 years. It makes me so angry for some Boomer propeller nose assbugger to try and tell me how to fish. If I ever see you in my neck of the woods I'll be sure to blast Trampled by Turtles as loud as possible at the boat ramp while purposely not making eye contact. Until you ask us how our day's going, to which I will strike you down with a RL Winston eye roll that will make you feel as poor as my own self worth. Yeah👏 come at me bro , you can't kill someone who's dying on the inside. /S. 😅

[@FlyFishDan]

So funny...had to watch it twice

[@dh5363]

I'm at the end of stage 1, but also 5 because I picked up fly fishing to be outdoor and feel connected to nature more. Catching fish is a bonus.

[@katbars4788]

Not quite the lineal progression I followed; I skipped around a few and backed into others. Nice video, Ben.

[@_Lorant_]

Its scary how I am seeing myself through your words! At some point it is definetly not because of the fish, so I would like you to do more videos like this! For me it was much more enjoyable then a regular fishing video! Thanks mate, you made my day!❤

[@marklarsen4424]

I've been fly fishing for over 30 years. So now I just like to drive other fly fishermen crazy. Catfish on a spey rod, bass in winter on a 1 weight, white bass on a tenkara rod. It's all to get a reaction from the fishermen, and then when it works, I tell them they are doing it wrong just like there is such a thing.

[@antonliebreich]

Hi. Like your videos. It is my 3rd year fly fishing. I had only the 1st stage for a few month. It was hard to catch 1st fish. Then I get to know what is euro nymphing but I didn't stick to it like crazy. From the beginning for me it was not about to catch a lot of fish or big fish or hard to get fish. For me it's just different methods of fishing. It's all depends on the season, river etc. I do all kind of fishing , spinning , bottom fishing , nets in a sea etc. For me it's more a life style and meditation. I'm fishing since I was 6 , so it's 33 years in business :) Good luck 😉

[@jl4091]

I'm stuck on 4.Tying to get Grass carp on a Russian Olive fly.

[@jeffreyhatton1821]

Stage 6 has sent me deep into the history and how that connection affects our going forward I.e. a Don Quixote jousting with those bound by history (rod makers) and not willing to learn from where we have been and take the art forward more challenging than the fish

[@noahreinhardt3588]

I took my dog fishing yesterday and I fished for about 20min. Caught a small rainbow. Then I put my rod away and took her on a hike. Hiking along the river was the highlight of the day.

[@charlieboutin3341]

Thanks Ben! 👍👌🎣

[@joshuabennett7334]

I stopped trout fishing for almost 10 years due to being stationed in a area 400 miles away from a trout stream and when I got out and moved back to a trout filled area I went through similar stages but it took about 2 years. First was just catching trout period then it was gear buying as much gear as possible then catching as many as possible then big fish but after about a year I plan my weekly fishing based off the area the water is in more than the fish. A beer on the creek bank in a beautiful area and catching one or two trout is about as successful as I can ever wish for

[@stacychick67]

Pretty accurate as usual Ben. What really sucks is when you've made it to stage 5, but keep going back to stage 4 to torture yourself on things like steelhead & musky. Like, am I psycho?? And your derogatory phrases directed at those type of fish was perfect. Haha! Stay HUGE!

[@DuriensBane]

well that was a weird hit. First fish was a blue gill at the river while attempting to fly cast, left the fly in the water while trying to untangle a wind knot, and he was just there somehow. First trout was a very good drift down a narrow seam on a creek that i thought only had stocked fish in it during july on a large ugly black dry. Learned about nymphing and bought a euro rod. Been stuck on that for the last year but started to take a streamer rod along and thoughts of wrestling a 20+ wild haunts my dreams. Not a streamer junkie yet (still a euro dork) but im getting closer every weekend.

[@dariomanfroi9447]

Great video. Very true. Thank you

[@rossrichards5936]

Excellent evaluation of the stages of being a fly fisherman! I've been fly fishing for over fifty years now and I have to say I'm going back and forth from stage 3 to 4 then 5 then back again. Thanks for articulating a phenomenon that I was not even aware of...🤣

[@DesOnTheFly]

Stage five makes me happy. Thank you for the journey

[@pmdun45698]

Some of your viewers may have enjoyed a lifetime of flyfishing. Sadly, some are homebound and probably came to grips that it was time to pack it in. I bet they appreciate watching your videos. Thank you for entertaining us all.

[@NativeFlies66]

You nailed it, that's hysterical!

[@GerdyOutdoors]

Absolutely loved this one!

[@edwardmlotkiewicz2343]

I've been flyfishing for 39 years and I float between 1 and 5 . Occasionally I 5, but rarely. I have gotten into the ,"I should be a guide" phase; I still suck too much and have been out fished by number ones. My real place is 4. Still gotta get my first tarpon and permit. Stay, Huge and thanks for another fun video. And Tenkara is just expensive cane pole fishing.

[@ddt1352]

Your videos are just dope and authentic man keep crushing!

[@skiddyfishing]

Stage 2.5= you become obsessed with native fish, state slams, and the WNTC

[@rudysmith6293]

Good analysis! It's accurate.

[@MyPancho1]

Huge as always Thanks Ben

[@gvox3424]

I think I am at a variation of stage 4. I have caught some of the difficult ones (permit and trigger fish) so now I want to check off more species- Rooster Fish, Marlin, Sailfish, GTs, Milkfish.

[@tarrant888]

I have a traditional fly rod, I have 2 tenkara rods. Keep them on me when the fishing's rough and they never let me down because I suck at fly fishing.

[@idaraz]

lovely fall happening there.

[@jamesottmer947]

Best vid you've done. Headed to a MO trout park

[@GregHyman-r3s]

"It's going to take a long time. Like decades." True that, Ben. Say hey to Gregory & Lee. They've got good names. Best, Gregory Lee.

[@cartermoffitt9718]

The Odell sponsor is HUGE

[@TitusHillRaceway]

So great, so true. Last stage = don’t need to catch a fish ever again. It’s not sad, it just happens as you work your way from stage 1 through stage 5. At 5 you can quit the habit altogether or fish vicariously through the interwebs!

[@edp1801]

I learned ff 30 years ago, self taught, and I've been mostly just happy to be out. I tell people I'm going out to practice fly casting, but I'll tie a fly on in case a fish is yawning and the hook falls in his mouth. I do admit, once or twice, I wanted to come back to the river with some cherry bombs and show those fish who's the boss.

[@Bonneville_Brute]

7.5 years since switching from conventional to fly fishing; stage 3 because I’ve been unlucky in the big fish department and have yet to catch anything over 20”. (Several 20-inchers though) Finally resorting to night-fishing 😩

[@matstaley388]

I'm somewhere in the beginning stages of 3 with a little bit of leftover stage 2... 15 months in.

[@austinelliott2798]

I think I've been through all the stages, but I haven't tried fishing the same fly all season. Maybe I'll try that.

[@paulcolson3220]

Good stuff, Ben.

[@joshlack479]

You forgot to add the stage where you figure out that most people that claim to be an "expert" are usually full of shit or trying to sell you something. When you figure out what work for you and your enjoyment in this love hate relationship of a sport increases 10 fold.

[@gideon7359]

Stage 6: Forego fishing all together in favor of watching KZbin videos about flyfishing.

[@suzanneflores8314]

Yep!

[@JamesBrenowitz]

Nailed every stage perfectly.

[@adamvanabel4939]

Nice one. I'd tell you what stage I'm on but you already know....Also where does tying your own flies land? I just wanna be prepared.

[@partizanpack]

I'm in whatever stage finding streams that no one else has fished in a long time stage.

[@bobdobbs6022]

This is your best video.

[@bizovski]

well ... i like fly fishing ... but I'm bit dissapointed in using bobbers with flies ... i can do it with regular match or bolo rod and regular float (bobber) ... and euro nymphing ... lol ... using fly gear to drift some jig along bottom without flyline ... loool ... I can do that with my regular UL and XUL spinning gear ... cast 0,50gram lure 20m with UL braid PE 0.1 or PE0.2 ... don't need a fly rod and fly reel for that ... and fly line as a backing ... So in that regard only dry fly fishing makes sense.

[@alexc9187]

Stage Four. Have been here a while, and will be here for a while.

[@peirules154]

I definitely did the hard to get stage. Climb straight up a mountain for goldens lol

[@richardfisher3656]

Spot on ....

[@SkidinDingo]

im about a decade in and given how many days ive gone out to fly fish musky and how many of those ive not even seen a fish im pretty sure im at the crossroads of hard fish and big fish

[@Ericbyhookorbycrook]

I'm in an F'd up stage where I refuse to use other people's flies. "Tied or die" is the mentality . I could break the spell, but I just don't want to yet. I'm slumping real hard last few weeks here in endless summer Pennsylvania. Where the hell is fall? Freakin 80 degrees today 😵 !

[@craigborrenpohl1233]

Shout out to Odell, always a good choice for the river.

[@christianherrington1456]

I messed up and caught a really nice rainbow my first time trout fishing and have been chasing that high ever since lol

[@Worm_Dunker]

1:22 is definitely what happened to me when I caught my first one with a fly.

[@jakepage7383]

im on stage 5 ....been fishing since i was 5 years old....when i could tie line to a stick.

[@rodc4334]

I started at about age 60. It was my wife's fault. Really. We were in Missoula where she had a business trip. I said, what do you want to do while we are here, after her work was done. She pointed out every corner had a fly shop, so maybe we should give that a try. At the end of the day she said, "we need more hobbies, lets go get some gear." I love buying gear, so I said whatever you want! If the journey takes decades, I'll just have to enjoy the journey because I sure won't last too many decades! 🤣 But as my wife points out, god does not put trout in ugly places. Tight lines! And while Tenkara might not be "fly fishing" my wife bought me a Tenkara rod for father's day, because I do a lot of hiking up mountains with streams that sure look like they ought to have some little brookies in them, and now without carrying hardly anything, I can fish for a few minutes, maybe catch a fish or two, then get back to my hike. Thanks dear!

[@kornelkowalczyk4568]

Ben, how do I cast further than 30 feet?

[@ginovives]

Stage 9 here, an endless cycle between 4 and 5 😂

[@skiddyfishing]

Stage 6: Appreciation for tenkara headwater fishing

[@tyerconservation]

This topic was discussed on the Troutbitten podcast a while ago. Be sure to check that episode out!

[@garrettlandon]

The "euro-nymphing" stage 😂

[@SCYCOFISHINGHUNTING]

I’ve been in this stage for a couple years 😂

[@jonme423]

Best video!

[@Charsept]

Stage 1-2, been here for years

[@vjaldere2]

I find myself moving through the stages at this point. 25 years later.

[@DBc-PA]

Many men fish all their lives, never realizing it is not fish they are after. Henry David Thoreau

[@billblair7804]

Darn, I was hanging to hear what comes after Stage 5. Am I stuck here forever? 😢

[@coreytohme9861]

Yeah but it's just because the numbering system gets weird and there's a lot of side quests. 5.4C is definitely an interesting one.

[@rustyknott-W.D]

The next stage is when you know you can catch pretty much anything that swims and you don't care if you get skunked because you know that sometimes the magic works and sometimes it doesn't and you're ok with that. You spend a lot of time turning over rocks in streams and staring at the water to see what floats by. Curiosity about the aquatic universe consumes you. The other day, I spent a lot of time watching a bunch of bees hover over the water until they decided to go somewhere else. By this stage, you're pretty much hopeless. It's a great feeling.

[@chrisshootingvideos1053]

My stages are all messed up. I caught a 10 pounder while in stage one and am still trying to hit stage two.

[@shaneclark207]

Stage 6 here. The DILLIGAF stage. A sub section of stage 5 that keeps people away from you. 👊🏼👍🏼🤙🏼

[@rloft]

When Ben reaches stage 5, he will start tenkara fishing 😂

[@jacobdavis3737]

What about the stage where everywhere is so crowded that you become the villain and hate fly fishing. But then you miss it…

[@HugeFlyFisherman]

That’s called “I love fly fishing so much I want it to die.” It’s a thing.

[@HVSKYBOI]

Maybe it was about the friends we made along the way

[@fishhandsfranky]

Stage 4 clinger here, how likely am I to get stuck in purgatory with a camera prior to ascending to stage 5. Asking for a friend.

[@SabineSkiff]

Very accurate. 😊😂

[@wilcosec]

Which phase is when you go fishing just to get away from your stressful job?

[@Hrogthar]

Main message to take away from this; if you're using a clicker, you've got some growing up to do. A lot of 'guides' out there that never grow up.

[@davidpelo-w3g]

Everyone’s stage 5 is different. For some it may mean that you now only tie flies from cigarette butts and threads pulled from your last pair of socks. Every fish makes you sigh. Now they all remind you of the dark haired woman you left behind a lifetime ago. You release them and they swim away while the melody Leonard Cohens “Famous Blue Raincoat” echoes over and over.

[@christianlingurar7085]

started fly fishing after a few decades of coarse and spinner, at any time my aim was beautiful fishing, I don't even care too much for the fish... is there anything, any activity more beautiful than standing with waders in or on the banks of a crystal clear softly running stream where you can see and target the trouts swaying through the rocks at the bottom a few feet away... needn't even be sunny... so, no real stages with me...

[@justinthefisherman1334]

I'm still stuck wit my Cajun fly rod 😂

[@Beejmiles]

I miss the reggae music/video clip after the "Hi, I'm ben..." you used to do. I don't know why, I just do. Stay Huge.

[@davidp130]

After fly fishing for 25 years, I've discovered there's really only 3 stages. I suck at fly fishing, I'm awesome at fly fishing, and finally I suck at fly fishing and never was awesome. So ..I guess actually there's only one stage. I suck at fly fishing.

[@TheTroutTricker]

i'm a stage 4 for sure, but I bypassed stage 3. i don't really care about the big fish I just want to catch the ones that annoy the f out of me. great video Ben

[@easylivinprosperin]

I go through stage 2-4 every time I’m on the water 😂

[@sweetwater2128]

at what stage do you fail me as my mentor and I skunk my first time out?

[@DPM-dp9on]

I think I am at the minimalist stage. No stupid bobbers, lures, oh sorry, streamers and barbless hooks. One rod, one box of flies and an Orvis mini sling bag. Ok, maybe I am at stage 5.

[@greenwoodsbushhogging6704]

Stage 4.9257÷9+8 or some other common core math problem. I'm the idiot fishing in pipes or downtown for creek chubs. Guys gotta catch a chub, right? Or I'm off somewhere that nobody even knew was a creek, let alone has fish in it. I've always just done my thing fishing, I'll hunt a big, or a hard, fish until my ADHD gives up and I'll just hangout flipping rocks looking for bugs.

[@jaynesjunction]

Hilarious - Giving the it the finger and punting it back into the river. I think I am at this stage regardless of size. How about the entanglement stage? Where your buddy has twenty million do-dads, gizmos, and every half size of tippet known to man dangling or attached to something 😂

[@articchar-lf]

I was so certain fly fishing would take me away from standard normal distribution. I was wrong all these stages?!?

[@maaqu]

Question, is the fish " caught" if you do not intentionally release it? Philosophical question here. Like let's say you net a fish it spits the fly and then it flips out of your net. Before you even touch it... was the fish "caught" or was it "illegally detained" ?

[@Ccccc5558]

I go through all 5 stages of fly fishing over the course of a trip😂😂😂 100% in stage 4 tho I went steelheading every weekend for the past 2 months and didn’t hook a single one

[@fjg8340]

Thats brutal

[@themidnightrider6805]

Freaking awesome 😂

[@craigborrenpohl1233]

I’m at stage 3 6 5 in that I think about fishing every day.

[@jimholland1592]

I went fishing without my gear and my wife followed me🤣🤣🤣

[@chrishenslick5482]

Definitely stage 2. Euro all day, dries when they rise.

[@ThemFishinBois]

"God I hate fly-fishing, I can't wait to go tomorrow"....what stage is that?

[@IhorFedorak]

Stage 5 is when you enjoy rowing more than fishing.

[@Flyordie11300]

Stage five is to pass it along to others.

[@josephnapoli8521]

One more stage: guiding. Professional or not. Catching fish with another person holding the rod. Maybe someone who has never fly fished before. Or someone who has never even fished at all. It will teach you more about your sport than you can imagine. Answer questions you did not know you had. I own rod combos I don't use myself, only lend to the people I take fishing.