Fly fishing is more popular than ever

afishinado

afishinado

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according to this article >

https://www.hatchmag.com/blog/fly-fishing-more-popular-ever/7715377




 
It's like Yogi Berra said, nobody goes there anymore; it's too crowded.
 
That’s fine.

Guess the prices of things don’t scare people off.

Don’t look at gear really but the other day an Orvis catalog came in the mail and their combo rod and reels were $1200-$1700. Wow. Guess I really have not looked at gear in awhile.

If your on Facebook or Instagram you will be bombarded with images and marketing of gear, you’d also think that fly fishing is mostly nymphing with a 2-4 wt, 10 foot rod with in shape 30 year olds with a $80,000 fishing rig and you have to a brown trout tattoo taking a dun. (Which is funny cause they mostly nymph fish.)

Let them eat cake.

For me, hopefully they blow all their money and give it up now that they can go the brew pubs and mall again.
 
Good article, and hits home on what we all see out on the water. While I agree that bringing in newbies to the sport helps with the goal of us being good stewards of our streams, it also provides stability to the many smaller fly shops out there that live on small margins and weak sales.

One thing that has always irked me is that we tend, as a group, to not bring enough young people into fly fishing. Technology has provided too many distractions to kids these days that prevents them from learning the joys of being outdoors.

My 2 cents worth...
 
I suspect it'll taper off as the pandemic wanes. Obviously people have been searching for outdoor-related activities to enjoy during these strange times. There also doesn't seem to be any lack of disposable cash in some areas to spend on fly fishing gear, trips, etc. People from urban and suburban areas are looking to escape to the "great outdoors", which means many of the public waters most of us enjoy with inevitably become more crowded :-(

This too shall pass...
 
When I fish, I prefer it like happened on Thursday: I never saw another angler and there was plenty of action on two small creeks near Harrisburg (which will remain unidentified). When I look for places to fish, though, I'm happy to know there are so many of us who enjoy fly fishing, and I'm glad to hear it's as popular as ever.

The dilemma: Without lots of us advocating for the preservation and restoration of wild places where trout thrive, we won't have any trout to fish for.

For that reason, I'm happy to see other people fly fishing when I go to my favorite streams. It just means I need to walk a little farther into the woods to get away from them.

After the hatch, I'm happy to share a bourbon and lie about the fish I caught (or didn't catch).

Meanwhile, I try to be an evangelist -- a fisher of fishermen if you will -- when I'm in social settings. I try to lure even more people to the sport, take them out and get them hooked.

If you're not trying to get others to take up the sport, you may enjoy the short term pleasures of a few days a year alone on the creek, but the creeks themselves may become fewer and farther away.


 
When did fly fishing ever become a sport? The population in PA has exploded and our far away distant trout streams aren’t so far away to far more people nowadays. Those who think suburban yuppies have infiltrated the “sport” couldn’t be more wrong. Actually those who grew up in areas of the state that have no jobs, moved to areas of the state where there are jobs and they are just returning to the area of the state with no jobs to fish on the weekends. So today’s yuppies are largely former rural folks who have bettered their careers and their lives by moving to more urban areas. That includes me, my children, most of their friends and everybody I fish with. But hey, keep judging.
 

poopdeck wrote:
When did fly fishing ever become a sport? The population in PA has exploded and our far away distant trout streams aren’t so far away to far more people nowadays. Those who think suburban yuppies have infiltrated the “sport” couldn’t be more wrong. Actually those who grew up in areas of the state that have no jobs, moved to areas of the state where there are jobs and they are just returning to the area of the state with no jobs to fish on the weekends. So today’s yuppies are largely former rural folks who have bettered their careers and their lives by moving to more urban areas. That includes me, my children, most of their friends and everybody I fish with. But hey, keep judging.
Click to expand...

Why the scare quotes around "sport"? Fishing is a sport by definition.

Other than that, I'm in total agreement with what you say.


 
I can't call fly fishing a sport. Sports are competitive. I played sports to win. Having fun came from the competitiveness. I wouldn't call beer league hockey or men's league softball sports either.

I miss playing sports because of the competitiveness. I was more competitive at hockey at 5 years old than I am at fly fishing.

As far as competitive fly fishing, that's about on par with race walking or hard-core parquor.
 
moon1284 wrote:
I can't call fly fishing a sport. Sports are competitive.
Click to expand...

Traditionally, "sport" referred to hunting, fishing and falconry. (Hence the "sporting goods store."

Competitive events like baseball were called "games".
 
Potato potatoe GG
 
Calling fly-fishing a sport is a matter of semantics.

Calling football, basketball, etc. sports is also a matter of semantics.

They are obviously different types of sports. Why argue about calling them sports when there are so many other things to bicker about?
 
I put it in quotes so calling fly fishing a sport is not attributed to me.

In any modern definition of the last few hundred years fishing is most definitely not a sport. Back in the day, hunting and fishing were referred to as sport by royalty, aristocrats, and the Uber wealthy. Fox hunts come to mind. To everybody else hunting and fishing was merely a way to survive and feed your family. So to me and dare I say most, fishing is not and never will be a sport.

I do think I see a theme developing. Is it possible that those who view fly fishing as a higher calling are the ones who refer to it as a sport? And those of us who view fly fishing as no more difficult than any other types of angling view fly fishing as nothing more then an enjoyable pastime. I think I’m onto something.

Why discuss wether it’s a sport or not? Because I’m laid up with a knee injury at the moment.
 
Make no nevermind what it's called.

Just go out.

Have some fun.

Breath some fresh air.

And enjoy the clean, clear water.
 
Which knee?
Sport or not it is a competition between you and the fish. Most of the time the fish win. Can you spell skunk? Just when you think you figured it out you get a big curve ball that goes wide right and you miss the target by a wide mile.
Plus 1 Afish. GG
 
Which knee?
Sport or not it is a competition between you and the fish. Most of the time the fish win. Can you spell skunk? Just when you think you figured it out you get a big curve ball that goes wide right and you miss the target by a wide mile.
Plus 1 Afish. GG
 
Well now seems like the appropriate time time to regurgitate whether nymphing is fly fishing. :-o :-o
 
The knee injury occurred while trying to boat a fat 18” smallmouth. likely my last fish this year.
 
poopdeck wrote:
The knee injury occurred while trying to boat a fat 18” smallmouth. likely my last fish this year.
Click to expand...

Like a football player getting injured in the end zone with a winning score. . . you went down on a high note. :cool:
 
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