Quote:
Originally Posted by scel
The notion of an 'elitist' is generally not propagated from the top-down, but rather from the bottom-up. Something is generally perceived as elitist if it takes more money, more knowledge/intelligence, and/or more privilege in general.
Fly fishing is more expensive than conventional gear. I know conventional gear can get pricey, but a fly angler walking down to the river in a cheap pair of waders, an entry fly combo, and vest is still sporting $500 worth of gear.
Fly fishing tends to require more knowledge. It tends to require more knots. And to be good at fly fishing, it is also important to understand basic entomology. It takes a great deal of grit to learn to even cast the rod on your own. This can be circumvented by spending some money on a class/guide/teacher, but this puts us back up to the first point of 'more money'.
Fly fishing tends to happen in beautiful places that take the privilege to get to. Also, most fly fishing is catch-n-release and conservation is a embedded aspect into much of fly fishing. Let's face it, fly fishing does not always catch more fish, but people will choose to do it because they enjoy it. I fully admit that I will always choose to fly fish over fishing bait, even if it means catching far fewer fish.
So, it is totally understandable that some people without the money and resources could see fly fishing as 'elitist'. And in many ways, they are not wrong in their perception. To change the perception, just be a decent human being and do not puke dogma.
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^this is very well said...and I agree. I've been fly fishing for 30 years...but started with spinning gear 15 years before that. I've fished fly gear almost exclusively for most of the last 30 years if I'm being honest, but that had to do with being enthralled with it..and I kept trying to push the boundaries of what I could do with sink tips...when spinning gear would have been a far better choice. I've seen good and bad behavior with both, more with the guys using spinning gear (and float gear/centerpin). I don't think that's a slight on gear guys...I just think more people USE gear so the incidence will be greater. Life has taught me that fly/spin, city/country, eastern/western Canada~there are good/not-so-good people in all cases. lol
As a "fly guy"...it's tempting to look at what's required to do that effectively and not think the spinning guys have it easy...but...the choice TO fly fish is a decision to catch your fish the way you want to, injecting challenge where it doesn't always need to be. lol It DOES work better at certain times and on certain types of water...but the opposite can be said as well. Like the person who picks a canoe over a motorboat~both will get you across the lake, it's what you want out of the experience that sets them apart.
I'm heading north soon to target steelhead, pink salmon and chinook salmon (great lakes) on both Lake Huron, and Lake Superior tributaries. There will be a walleye component (interior lake) towards the end, but the others are the focus. Wasn't that long ago I'd have taken 2 fly rods, 2 reels, 2 extra spools with sink-tip and full sinking lines. Since (in recent years) I've decided to use the "best gear for the job no matter what"...I'll have a fly rod, an 11' float rod with a centerpin reel, a heavy spinning rod for lobbing spoons..and a lighter spinning rod for walleye. I'll have a ridiculous # of my hand tied flies, a small tackle box with spoons/spinners/crank baits, some plastics....and roe bags. Having fished up there a number of times, I believe I'll have all the bases covered for a shore-bound angler.
Would I prefer to hook/land everything on a fly rod? Yes.
Is hooking/playing a fish as much fun on spinning gear? Yes.
Is hooking/playing a fish as much fun on float gear? No, but it's too effective on migratory fish to leave it out of the equation. lol