Top Ten Physics and Fly Fishing

1.      Tides on Salt Flats

Tides on salt Flats can make or break a day on the water. An incoming tide sets the fish off, so much that Giant Trevally will begin to chase a fly at forty miles an hour before it even lands on the water. These tides which are the dreams of fly fisherman are caused by the Sun and moons Gravity, Even thought the sun is enormously larger than the Moon, the Moon still has more play in tides due to its close proximity, as the gravitational formula squares distance as a denominator diminishing the force. The highest tides are when the moon and sun line up and create a spring tide.

2.      Stop Lights driving to rivers

A stop light knows to change direction because of electromagnetic induction, and as the car rolls up to the stop light a magnet inside a large set of coils of wire is moved. This causes a voltage inducing a current. This current is then recognized as a signal to change. Then Sam, Henry, And I can go catch fish without having to run the stop light like usual.

3.      Planes flying to the Flats

Asheville is not home to any salt flats, so I have to fly to the flats because there is simply nothing more fun than slinging a Sage VXP with a Shark Wave line, like it is just perfect, But to make this a reality The plane’s wings must have air flowing over the top of the wing move faster than below, or more wind resistance. This Ties into how wind resistance is affected by speed and surface area.

4.      Trolling Motors on Boats

Once you get to the fish you don’t want to spook the fish, so we use trolling motors, which are electric to quietly move us into position to stalk fish. A combustion engine is simply too loud. The Minn Koata’s that we use are moved by a current carrying wire, and magnet which are then moved by the torque created when the wire has current flowing. The torque then spins the props moving a twenty one foot flats boat through the water like a Virginia class submarine undetected.

5.      Hydro Electric Generators at dams

When I’m on a float trip I often find myself having to portage a drift boat over a Dam, and it simply is less than pleasant. The dams are usually hydro electric, where they use the weight of the water to spin a turbine, which then spins magnets around coils of wire, and through electromagnetic induction energy is created. I simply hate dams.

6.      Flies dropping more slowly due to air resistance

Air resistance of a fly completely changes the way that it’s cast. A big dry fly will have big wings, so that it drops slowly and elegantly to the water. This differs from a big nymph where it’s all chunk and dunk. The physics are simple; a larger surface area will have more air resistance and drop slower.

7.      A wet fly swinging across at an angle like a boat vectoring across the river

Swinging wet flies is one of the oldest forms of Fly Fishing dating back to the 1300’s in Japan, it has transformed into what the British call throwing spiders. The idea is that the fly is caught in the water and pulled up by the tension of the line. The Physics Involved reminds me of the man trying to get across the river, as we discussed vectors of projectiles.

8.      Magnetism on my Tying bench

Magnetism is on my bench, as I have strips of magnetic lining to catch the small size 18 hooks which quite often slide out of my hands. Magnets are made up of domains which all spin together. I often think of this due to the large quantity of flies which fall out of my hand.

9.      Gravity with water flowing down a stream  

The Water in streams remind me of the force of gravity, with how it constantly flows downward toward the center of the earth, and to the ocean and its tides reminds me of how everything is attracted to each other due to gravity, and the massive mass of the Earth.

10.  A Tug of war type situation with a fish on the line

A fighting bull redfish will Spool a Ross CLA 5 in 5 minutes flat, and constantly reminds me of how tug of war is simply about putting more friction between the ground than the fish. The fish wins, since even the CLA can only apply 10 pounds of drag. The Fish simply uses its large forked tail as a turbo booster and creates so much friction with the water that it can pull line out at a staggeringly high rate.