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

[wbranch]

Sasquatch wrote;

"I will say this. When it comes to my own personal fishing, I'm a snob. If I can't catch it on a fly rod, I don't want to catch it. I'm 100% FFing only."

I wouldn't consider that mind set being snobbish. You have just elected to fish with the tackle you enjoy the most what does that have to do with being a snob?

 

[Stagger_Lee]

Mtbrookie wrote:

Among fishermen, trout fishermen in particular, there seems to be an underlying sentiment that fly fishermen consider themselves elite compared to other methods of fishing. Is there a sound basis for this or is it mostly nothing more than misguided perception? Based on my own personal observations I'd tend to say it's more myth than reality.

Haven't even read 1 full page of this 11 page thread but from my personal experience, I will say myth.

Whether here or just a random guy on the stream looking to give advice, I have yet to meet a FF I would consider elitist ... and I despise elitists from all walks of life and can spot them pretty easily after a few minutes of convo.

That said; I'm sure if I went fly fishing with **** Cheney or Ted Turner on his 100's of thousands of acres owned out west ... I would say reality!

 

[vealboy]

Jason S,I fish in and out of the park,headwaters to mouth,except between Rt 23 and the old RR bridge which is closed to fishing.

 

[pcray1231]

Jdaddy,

For the years I lived in Berks, I was a member of Tulpehocken Chapter of TU. I made 3 or 4 meetings total, over several years, mainly because I had a repeated, ongoing commitment that feel on the same evening as the meetings. So I only went when there was a date change or cancellation on the other obligation. I am now a member of the Valley Forge chapter, but don't make those meetings either.

I've never danced around the fact that I'm not, nor have I ever been, heavily involved with TU. A paying member, and I support what they do, read the newsletters to keep up to date. But that's about it.

As far as non-profits in general, by far the one I've put the most time and money into is the United Way of Berks Cty. I realize that's not conservation, but it's important to me. I have been heavily involved in it.

As for conservancies, I am a current member of WPC and have also been, at various times, a member of Clearwater. There was a time when I was more involved but lately time constraints (work and family) have taken their toll both on my fishing time and all non-profit work. So it's kind of like TU these days, I give money but not much time, though the money is more than I give to TU. I would like to, and plan to, get to a point where I can get back into it more than I am. When the kid gets old enough, I suppose, to get him involved in conservation.

I would challenge you to look at the salaries, grant writing costs, overhead and expenses of these organizations that your propose give such great bang for the buck and advise me why it is that you feel that the average conservancy is of greater value.

It's really very simple. Long term, I think development is the greatest threat to watersheds, and preserving more undeveloped area in those watersheds the best way to protect them. The issues that TU addresses are natural side effects to development. To me it's prevention vs. cure. Not to diss either. But my heart lies on the prevention side. Trying to cure specific threats is akin to playing whackamole. Knock one down and another pops up. But undeveloped land prevents many of those problems (not all, I know), and my enjoyment of such resources lies not just in fishing, but also hunting, hiking, etc. as well.

 

[k-bob]

Great work is done by many groups. But the history of AMD in PA streams suggests that habitat preservation (by conservancies, private clubs, the state) may sometimes be good, and it fixing later may be difficult.

 

[Stenonema]

Amongst Fly fisherman I will say this.. It comes down to the motive. Why would a person decide to be a fly fisherman. Perhaps self hatred and I want to punish myself by taking a chance at hooking everything including a passing plane, I want to have limitless and mind boggling choices on Flies, lines, rods, leaders, etc. etc because I dig confusion and want to spend as much of my available time figuring what combinations to use when.
Perhaps a person watched a movie or t.v. show and saw a well dressed, well spoken, well respected person casting beautiful loops. Quite possibly they saw a movie and wanted to be Brad Pitt. My experience has been that the folks who want to better themselves in an image they perceive as who they want to be, tend to be the elitist minded folk who catch few but brag much. In this sport it's easy to feel masterful one day and incompetent the next. Some focus on the good days and some focus on the humbling moments that all fly fisherman experience.
I belong to a local Trout Unlimited group and it is filled with the elitist. It's a shame but this image that we as fly fisherman extend is shameful. Fly fishing is simply a very enjoyable way to catch fish period.
I am fortunate enough to call the sports elite friends. I will say emphatically that none of these fisherman consider themselves elite. When you are the man it is not an act.
This is a very fun sport and a learning one. There isn't anyone who ever reaches the pinnacle which is catching all the fish all the time. When I tie a fly that has the allure of a boob, I would
not tell anyone and play it off as though I am just that guy.

 

[pcray1231]

Regarding motives, I can only speak for me personally. My initial motive was to become a better fisherman. I recognized that there were situations where fly fishing simply catches more fish than bait fishing. There are situations where the opposite is true, too. I was already a pretty good bait fisherman, and to become the best fishermen I could be, mastering the fly game was a pre-requisite that I was lacking. Once complete, in a perfect world, I could then choose my tactics accordingly.

Of course, it's not such a simple task to master fly fishing. It's a lifelong pursuit. The reason is as you state:

I want to have limitless and mind boggling choices on Flies, lines, rods, leaders, etc. etc because I dig confusion and want to spend as much of my available time figuring what combinations to use when.

And the above turned out to be true. Somewhere along the line I figured out that it wasn't catching fish that I loved. It was figuring out how to catch fish, solving the puzzles. And for me, anyway, fly fishing offers so much more in that department. I'm still not anti-bait, and I even do it on occasion without feeling even a pang of guilt. But I've gotten to the point that 99% of my freshwater fishing is done with fly gear.

 

[troutbert]

Stenonema wrote:
Amongst Fly fisherman I will say this.. It comes down to the motive. Why would a person decide to be a fly fisherman.

What are the motives for spin fishing and/or baitfishing?

 

[Chaz]

+1 Pat, I've been over there and I'm going back, I have been told I can fish anytime on Macdonald Land, no questons asked by the Laird himself.

 

[Stenonema]

To catch fish. Why would anyone go beyond that in practicality.

 

[Bruno]

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.

 

[Stenonema]

I'm in ... Nat... honey

 

[Maurice]

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.

Bruno,

I don't think the elitiism label referred to is about financial investment. Rather, I believe it is attitude toward other types of fishing that gets the label. Although typically those who do feel elite often have better toys, a snob can be frugal too.

I don't think I've met one yet(I likely have and forgot about them) but maybe I am one of them so I don't see it. I do know that those that think about us that way usually see flyfishing itself as elitist because they lack the enthusiasm to pursue it.

I think they are jealous. So they hate.

 

[JackM]

We're snobs-- embrace it; love it.

 

[Squaretail]

"Baitfishing Only Regulations".

Can you imagine what that stretch would be like when it got extra pressure from baitfishermen like the FFO's get from flyfishermen?
Stock it up and let'em have it. I'm all for it. 🙂

 

[wetnet]

I only know a few Elite fishing persons. They don't need to shut out the babble they just are so focused they don't hear anything else but the stream.

As far as the rest ...everyone has the right to fish. Fly fisherman are getting spoiled as they has fly fishing only zones and of course on the best stretches of water.

The sorriest day I had was on Fisherman Paradise. A little guy with his worms all excited with his Snoopy pole. I had to tell his parents he couldn't fish.

Fishing ethics are the most important but if we continue to segragate nothing will get better. Like every other sport it will be for the rich only.

 

[WildTigerTrout]

I have to disagree about FFO water being on the best stretches of water. I fish several FFO and Delayed Harvest streams and they are NOT the best water. The one stream I fish is 24 miles long with 3 miles of regulated water and most of the open water is better.

 

[Maurice]

WildTigerTrout wrote:
I have to disagree about FFO water being on the best stretches of water. I fish several FFO and Delayed Harvest streams and they are NOT the best water. The one stream I fish is 24 miles long with 3 miles of regulated water and most of the open water is better.

True dat.

The only reason they are "the best water" is because there is still fish there. Or the perception of more fish there.

Now as a flyfishing community, we do have the best water because the best water has wild trout and is typically unstocked or has harvest restrictions and wild trout thrive in above average habitat or "the best water"

So the people who put their trout in a bag can pound sand if they think the reason there are no fish there is because its not the best water. Its because they took them.

Found a guy fishing th big hole below the fly are at Muddy after a flood and it was loaded with fall stocked rainbows. Some large. He spent days there, and shared all the other big hole spots around the watershed he had been catching the "big trout". Every time he would describe another location and the big 'uns he caught I would say from across the creek, Did you kill 'em? HE said yes every time. and then would go on to say there are none there anymore. I said, hummmmm, I wonder why?

Just saying these guys are out there and if there and when the fish move to the big holes during the lean times, they know it and drag night crawlers through till they have them in a creel.

So if there is a few percent of stocked water that has a harvest restriction I am not ashamed of it. Afterall, some of those fish move out and get creeled too.

 

[bikerfish]

you summed it up Maurice, totally agree.

 

[Gone_Phishin]

I just got off the phone with a buddy who told me a story about the elitist FF'er. He was out spin fishing last Sunday when he was accosted by a fly fishermen. He just walked up to my friend and started berating him. He told my buddy that what he was doing was unethical and shouldn't be allowed to fish where he was, etc. Apparently they got into a pretty heated argument and my friend ended up walking away. I understand you may not like what someone else is doing but unless they are doing something illegal, keep your mouth shut.

Opinions are like a$$holes. Everybody's got one and everyone thinks everyone else's stinks.