Everyone has a dirty little secret. Mine is bass fishing with gear. About three years ago I reconnected with some friends from my early highschool years and they are big time gear heads for bass. One of them in particular has over 12 amateur tournament wins, and will most likely go pro and fish the circuit within a year or so.
I have learned more about fishing in general by fishing with my bass crew than I really thought I could have. One of our “night spots” has even become a fly rod only spot for us, and everyone can both fly and gear fish.
Purism has its places, such as the Henry’s Fork or the mighty Skeena, but in the reel world, you have to be open minded. If you want to figure out new tricks, or get help thinking outside normal parameters for fly design, drop the fly rod, pick up a flipping stick and go fish the slop, chuck frogs or jigs and may even some finessing. You never know what you may learn, or the new connections you may create, whether it be to fish, or people.
Just get out and fish
