The Elitist Fly Fisherman....Reality or Myth?

[TYoung]

I think that you guys are making this way too complicated. Your trying to analyse every aspect of fly fishing and other methods of fishing in order to decide which is more elitist. I don't think that there are any elitism built in to any forms of fishing. Fly fishing, bait fishing, and lure fishing can be done for little money.

I think fly fishers are sometimes considered elitist because of the history of fly fishing. Originally, fly fishing was done by more well to do people that could afford to fish for sport, rather than fishing for their next meal. If someone had to go fishing in order to eat, they probably wouldn't choose fly fishing. They would probably take a cheep rod and reel and attach a hook bated with some warms and try to catch fish as fast as possible.

 

[jdaddy]

Bruno wrote:
I have never understood this elitism myth. An entry level bass boat is 20k plus having to pay insurance, gas, owning a truck to haul it. There is 40 to 50 k right there.

I have never seen a fly fisherman with a fish finder strapped to his leg or a drift boat with a 10k motor on it.

It is all BS - Fly fishermen keep it simple, waders, rods and a couple of fly boxes.

I have a ton of gear that I have collected over the last 15 or so years but I can tell you for sure that I have less than 5k invested in gear over that time.

Maybe it comes down to the fact that we like better beer and whiskey. I'll take waders and a good Bourbon over a bass boat and coors light any day of the year.

Having grown up in the southern states and being very active in BASS, I can't remember meeting a corporate executive, lawyer, doctor or other high esteemed professional in the bass fishing circuits. In fly fishing I meet them daily. Frankly, I don't think that the membership of this board is representative of number of wealthy professionals that are really out there fly fishing today.

 

[pcray1231]

Jdaddy, another way to look at it is that while fishing in general is seen as blue collar, fly fishing has a white collar feel to it.

I do think that membership of this board is fairly representative. We've got a wide variety here. We've got plenty of blue collar types. We've also got doctors, lawyers, engineers, insurance adjusters, and other white collar types. We've got VP's, entrepreneurs, and the management class too.

A cross-section of bait fishermen would have less of the white collar type, and more of the blue collar type.

 

[FarmerDave]

I can't believe this one made it to 13 pages. OK, I can, based on the title.

What did I miss!

 

[Pat]

many years ago golf was considered an elitist sport. Thats not the case so much anymore. Fly Fishing may have also had this stereotype years ago but now not so much. My sense is that any sport in which one has to think and spend an appreciable amount of money to participate will always be viewed as elitist.

 

[redrockgrizzly]

Here is a simple test --- walk into one of the higher end fly shops and walk around with confused look on your face. When someone asks if you need help, " tell them you were on your way to the stream and wanted to do some nymphing but you forgot your "bobbers" at home." Just to see what kind of reaction you get. Then tell them, "oh, you guys call them strike indicators." There is where your elitist stereotype comes from.

I did something like this a few years ago. I walked into a high end fly shop and started to look at the fly boxes. An older gentleman came up and asked if I needed any help. Me being my casual self, usually wearing beat up sweat pants, an old t-shirt and Walmart fishing glasses on top of my penn state ball cap, I asked him I needed a small box to put my spinners in. The old guy almost had a heart attack. I didn't know what to think at first, then I realized what I said. The guy thought the box was for my mepps and rooster tails but all I wanted it was for my sulphur and march brown spinners. There is your elitist fly fisherman!

 

[FarmerDave]

I occasionally pull stunts similar to that, and not just at fly shops. It can be fun. If they get bent out of shape, I take my business elsewhere.

I'm just glad to see that the son of one of the founding members of TAP is not worried about what others might think when he picks up a fly rod, and that his family has not disowned him for it. 😛

And yes, I do often call them bobbers.

 

[redrockgrizzly]

I very rarely go into a fly shop anymore just because of the way some of the elitist fly shop owners treat their customers. Im not the richest guy in the world and i don't wear the fancy clothes, but when I walk into a fly shop and only want some extra tippet material or one or two leaders, I get the mean eye treatment. I know the times are tough and only spending $5 will not pay the bills but come on. I got to pay my bills too.
When I need materials, I buy online, when I need to learn a new fly pattern I go to YouTube, when I have a question about fly fishing, there is only on place to go and that is paflyfish.com. This is the best source of info out there. If you have a good question, you will feta response within a few minutes.

Just to be clear, I live in the muncy area and I don't have a fly shop within 30 miles of me. When I do go to penns creek, I do stop in the feathered hook or penns creek angler or when I go up to a penn state game, I try to stop at tco or fly fishers paradise and get whatever I need. But I don't make any special trips to a fly shop anymore spending $20 in gas when i can sit home, go online and spend $6 in shipping.

 

[mike_richardson]

"I'm just glad to see that the son of one of the founding members of TAP is not worried about what others might think when he picks up a fly rod, and that his family has not disowned him for it."



I get crushed for using bobbers by my TAP uncles. 😉 I often get into heated arguments (for fun) and say that my thingamabobber is a strike indicator not a bobber. 😉

Also they are not against fly fishing at all, or spin fishing, or any type of fishing 🙂 fishing is fishing

 

[RCFetter]

I think it's a matter of definition. Elitism as defined by Wiki is the belief or attitude that some individuals, who form an elite — a select group of people with a certain ancestry, intrinsic quality or worth, higher intellect, wealth, specialized training or experience, or other distinctive attributes — are those whose influence or authority is greater than that of others.

For me the term does not have a negative connotation when the select group is one with specialized training or experience.

Fly fishing has a long English history and the experienced and knowledgeable fly fisherman understands entomology, trout and stream biology and habitat, tying flies and the art of working a fly rod. The vast amount of literature, some of it very old and collectible, on the subject is impressive This is an elite group when compared to other forms of fishing but I don't think the term has the same negative connotation as when it is applied to other elitist groups. You can find snobs in any social, economic or other type group but I don't believe that experienced and knowledgeable fly fishermen necessarily look down on other sport fishermen.

 

[WildTigerTrout]

Can I be an elitist flyfisherman if I'm blue collar? If so I'm an elitist. I took up flyfishing because I'm afraid of worms! :-o :lol:

 

[redrockgrizzly]

WildTigerTrout wrote:
Can I be an elitist flyfisherman if I'm blue collar? If so I'm an elitist. I took up flyfishing because I'm afraid of worms! :-o :lol:

Did you ever try powerbait?

 

[Chaz]

I haven't met a wealthy professional yet at a fly fishing activity, well off maybe, but I meet a lot of people that don't have what I have too.
I think that there is a fairly high element in fly fishing that are snobs, those folks I run into all the time.

 

[FarmerDave]

mike_richardson wrote:

Also they are not against fly fishing at all, or spin fishing, or any type of fishing 🙂

Based on the website, I find that hard to believe.

fishing is fishing[/quote]

I've always said that fishing is fishing and I get along with all anglers especially those anglers that can take it as well as dish it out. But based on the TAP website, I would never join TAP. Their own words lead me to believe that they are against fly fishing and C&R, or at least against what they perceive it represents. Their communicated perception of what is traditional is twisted (IMO). It seems that traditional to them is stock the hell out of the water and have big creel limits. I'm betting they were against the reduction from 8 to 5 fish.

When compared to fly fishing equipment and even bait cast, spinning gear and spincast is hardly traditional. Not that there is anything wrong with that. It is still fishing, just not very traditional from a historical standpoint.

It just goes to show you that names mean nothing. Traditional? Country Style? Amish Built? whatever.

I honestly don't see why someone who fishes as much as your TAP uncles apparently do wouldn't at least give fly fishing a try. I can see someone who only fished occasionally sticking with one method, but not a group of guys who fish that much. Unless of course it is fear of what others might think. Like we have both said, it is fishing and fishing is fishing, so why not give it a try? Don't give me that expense argument, either. The only rod that I own that cost me over 100 bucks was one I rebuilt and it originally only cost me 5 bucks. I taught myself when I was 12 without the help of of a website, videos or how to books. By then, I was already buying my own fishing gear with my own money, including spinning gear. I noticed the bluegills and bass taking bugs on the surface of Uncle Ted's pond and wanted to target them.

It isn't all that difficult to earn especially if you don't care what other people think about how you look.

I never liked bobbers even when I fished with bait. However, I'll admit that I use them often when fly fishing for steelhead and sometimes while fly fishing large streams for trout.

 

[FarmerDave]

RCFetter wrote:
I think it's a matter of definition. Elitism as defined by Wiki is the belief or attitude that some individuals, who form an elite — a select group of people with a certain ancestry, intrinsic quality or worth, higher intellect, wealth, specialized training or experience, or other distinctive attributes — are those whose influence or authority is greater than that of others.

For me the term does not have a negative connotation when the select group is one with specialized training or experience.

Fly fishing has a long English history and the experienced and knowledgeable fly fisherman understands entomology, trout and stream biology and habitat, tying flies and the art of working a fly rod. The vast amount of literature, some of it very old and collectible, on the subject is impressive This is an elite group when compared to other forms of fishing but I don't think the term has the same negative connotation as when it is applied to other elitist groups. You can find snobs in any social, economic or other type group but I don't believe that experienced and knowledgeable fly fishermen necessarily look down on other sport fishermen.

Dang! And here all these years I thought all I had to know is where the trout are, and how to catch them. Silly me.

 

[k-bob]

the state's wild trout survey found anglers were over 90% male. go to a horse show, and the people are mostly female.

people with demographic, income, etc., differences _on average_ may self-select in to doing different things, film at 11, including types of fishing. the average fly fishing dude may make more money than the average bait fishing dude. who cares?

one clear difference is that there are more people who bait and spin fish, than fly fish, in PA. another one is that there are more people who fish for stockies only, versus for wild trout only, in PA.

so people who fly fish only, for wild trout only, are a small minority of PA fisherman, and regulations are formed in a political process.

and yes, some people have what is imho an overstated view about how fly fishing is so much better, etc. ... that view, where it exists, may not be the kind of thing that helps in a political process. when fly fisherman are a minority in the first place.

 

[Breeze717]

This is a great thread. I have to say both sides of the argument have some stereotypes that can be true. I've been a spin/bait fisherman my whole life up until a few years ago when I moved to Lycoming county. I picked up fly fishing there. Now I fish both ways, and get enjoyment out of both. I also bartended in the Pine Creek area and have served douchey fly fisherman and redneck bait guys. The thing is, to me at least, is there are two types of trout people. The guy who goes out first week and fills his cooler full of stockies, and the guy who loves everything about trout fishing. I consider myself the latter, and most in this forum can identify with that. At the end of the day we are all chasing the same fish. Powerbait, minnow, or Wolly Bugger, it's all the same.

 

[troutbert]

The elitists are the ones who say, "Oh, so you fish PLASTIC."

 

[k-bob]

I don't see how anyone can spend much time reading this board and believe that fly fishermen are some wise, refined, elite group of people 🙂

 

[RCFetter]

k-bob wrote:
I don't see how anyone can spend much time reading this board and believe that fly fishermen are some wise, refined, elite group of people 🙂

How about trout bums with character defects and multiple personality disorders.