I have some questions about the "stitching" technique of retrieving line back to the reel.

I know you fly guys do this.

Can ya give a bud a hand and let me pick your brain on this?

I am reading Bill Murphy's book and he does this to catch deep bass and I can't find anyone who does it.

Thanks.

I have not found it necessary to do. Even when I spin fish it's with ultra light rods that enable me to feel even 3" bass when they strike my very small lure.

Here's a good explanation of it.

http://www.worldfishingnetwork.com/tips/post/a-stitch-in-time%C2%85

I know how to do, it's been my main technique for the last two years.

Do any of you do this with your fly rods?

I don't know what it is.

Thanks for the link, Chatterbait. That helped me understand.

FFM,
Yes and no, lol.
I almost always have the fly line hooked on the last joint of my index finger, and I am holding the loop to the reel in the other hand as I strip line in. However, I almost never fish weighted flies on the bottom, so I don't think it qualifies as stitching as described in the article.

Kirk

Okay, so as I understand it, the answer is sometimes. Because of the way fly fishermen retrieve the line using a direct connection to the fly, with hands used as both the last 'guide' of the rod as well as the retrieval mechanism for the line, we maintain a lot of sensitivity to what the fly is doing. What can happen though, because we are using a line that is often much heavier than the fly, is the feeling of direct contact can be muted.
The only time I would feel like we were genuinely using the technique of stitching would be when using a very heavy fly, and even more so when using a sinking line in conjunction with a heavy fly, such as when dropping to fish on the bottom in 30-60' of water. Heavy fly + shooting head + monofilament running line would probably be your best bet to get genuine 'stitching' with a fly rod.

There would have to be almost a total lack of current, though, in order to stay in direct contact with the fly as described.

I'm not familiar with the term "stitching", but it sounds like the technique referred to as "stripping in the line" in fly fishing. This is line retrieval method used for many (especially still water) fly fishing situations. This is a popular technique for bass fishing in lakes, it is not as popular in trout streams and in the salt.

A fly reel is not used very often to retrieve line while trying to get a fish to strike. The fly line is usually pulled in by hand. So, yes, I think we all do it when fly fishing.

The fly fishing technique is to loop the line over one of the fingers on the rod hand and then pull (or strip) in the line with the other hand. Close the finger on the rod hand to hold the line when the other hand needs come back up for more line.

However, now that I've typed that, maybe I'm offbase and you are talking about something completely different...

This is the way old-timers fished with casting and spin-cast tackle. It doesn't work with spinning tackle. It was popularized as soon as fishermen started fishing with weighted jigs and plastics, bouncing them slowly along the bottom. It was simply using a slow retrieve while keeping the line between your finger and thumb as you slowly turned the crank or jigged the rod. It does sort of borrow the concept from fly-fishing, in that we always retrieve the line by hand through our fingers. So we are constantly in direct contact with the line.

Nowadays, you won't find too many fly anglers fishing slow along the bottom with weighted flies. I fish crayfish, worm, and a few weighted bait fish patterns this way (Clouser Deep Minnows, for example). It's pretty important to use a full sinking line when fishing this way. 80% of all Largemouth Bass are within a foot of the bottom at all times. So are the vast majority of catfish and Walleye. And I fish this way 100% of the time when fishing along the bottom with casting gear. It does keep you very aware of what is going on. With some experience, you can learn to feel the differences between grass, rocks, sticks, stumps, little fish pecking at your lure/fly, or a big fish inhaling it. A fly has to be pretty heavy before you can feel the bump when it hits soft bottom. They don't sink very fast, compared to a Texas rigged rubber worm (for example). You learn to sense contact by the presence of a bit of slack. When you gently and slowly remove the slack, you'll feel a bit of resistance. Each time you move a fly, it will hop a bit off the bottom and then settle back down. You have to remove the slack to regain contact with the fly, but if a fish takes it, you'll feel it. There's not enough slack in the line to miss a take if you're doing it right. But this is far too subtle of a technique for most modern fishermen. You have to keep the fly rod directly parallel to the fly line, even if the tip of the rod is underwater. And you retrieve so slowly that the fly is only moving about a foot every 20 seconds or so. This is the only way I have ever caught a Walleye in a lake on a fly. It is also how I catch a lot of the biggest Largemouth Bass I catch in the Summer and Winter, when big bass are deeper and move less. It is also the way most trout are caught in lakes, but not always by bouncing a fly along the bottom. It takes patience, a gentle touch, and concentration. And, frankly, that's why it has lost popularity. But it is very effective.

When I was a kid, I used to jig for Crappie using ultra-light spin-casting tackle by keeping my finger and thumb on the line in front of the reel. Honestly, I didn't know you could catch fish any other way, because the old-timers who taught me to fish taught me that way. When I was in high school, I learned that a lot of people tried to rely upon the rod for feeling the fish. But I noticed I caught a lot more fish than they did.

Outstanding post FlyGuy66!!!!