[craigkoproski]

First of all I don't even know if I spelled that right? Anyway I was traveling for work and ran into an office full of fly fishermen. I knew this because 7 out of 10 offices had the same TU calendar hanging on their wall that I have. I tried to keep the conversation to business but my partner I was traveling with brought up to these guys that I teach at Orvis. These guys went from "stiff" to we had to start shuffling our schedules because we were there so long talking abaout fishing. The funny thing that I noticed was how these guys sort of turned their noses up when I told them about our upcoming Cod trip? I also told them about some of the techniques I use on the sound to catch big bass and they started riding me when I told them about live lining bunker or chunking bunker heads in deep water. They started in with the fact that they strictly FLY FISH ONLY! On the ride back home my partner and I were talking about why some people look at fly fishermen as "snobs" and from my perspective as a guy who will fishes with fly, bait, plugs..... I could kind of see why we get a bad rep! So what do you guys think?

 

[Lattitudechange]

Ahh, the purists.

A lot of them have the personality of balsa wood. I guess they would consider me to be the "Charlie Moore" of fly fishing.

What happened to thinking outside the box? I enjoy many methods of fishing. Does it make me any less of a fly fisherman. Maybe in their eyes it does, but what do I care. As far as I'm concerned, they are the ones missing out.

 

[PaddleOn]

I find the "elitist" types in alot of what I do.
Flyfishing is a big one for having these types

See them on the slopes skiing and on the golf course with their fancy shmancy clubs and cute Nike shoes
I've played tennis with a few...

In kayaking they are the sea kayaking elitist...
whitewater folks think there part of kayaking is the cream on top...
I see it with some kayak fisherman also.If the yak aint sit on top they think your a googin.
Makes me chuckle

At 50 I no longer can be bothered with these type of people.
I do what I do and how I do it when I do it and the rest of the world can say what they want.

So yeah...I hear ya Craig

PS:
I have an old Marshall Tucker song that plays in my head often and goes along with my living,attitude,belief in keeping this crazyness of life simple :

" I'm going down to the river
got a cane pole in my hand
Got me some red worms
in a Maxwell House coffee can
Gonna sit under a shade tree
by the riverbank where its cool
Gonna close my eyes
and let the cork bob away my blues"

This post edited by PaddleOn 09:59 AM 03/29/2008

 

[JC30967]

Fly Fisherman Question

Morning-

I have never even picked up a fly rod, not once, and probably never will. I am one of those Neanderthal bottom fisherman who primarily fishes party/charter boats, and actually has the nerve to keep fish

.

My question regarding fly fishermen is, and I mean this with no disrespect, why do they always seem to feel the need, when holding up a fish for a photo, to get their fly rod in the picture, even to the point of holding it in their mouth if need be?

I mean, if I were holding a nice 40lb cod for a picture, I wouldn't shove my codfish rod in my mouth

!

 

[fish4me]

Maybe it's the way they like the rest of the world to view them. To me they are just another jerk on one end of a line waiting for a jerk on the other. Just like me.

 

[strip]

JC30967 wrote:
Morning-

I have never even picked up a fly rod, not once, and probably never will. I am one of those Neanderthal bottom fisherman who primarily fishes party/charter boats, and actually has the nerve to keep fish

.

My question regarding fly fishermen is, and I mean this with no disrespect, why do they always seem to feel the need, when holding up a fish for a photo, to get their fly rod in the picture, even to the point of holding it in their mouth if need be?

I mean, if I were holding a nice 40lb cod for a picture, I wouldn't shove my codfish rod in my mouth

!

Good point! And I guess you are right...we are bragging to the world...sort of like..."Look Ma, I caught it on a flyrod!"

 

[Azaiter]

Lattitudechange wrote:
Ahh, the purists.

A lot of them have the personality of balsa wood. I guess they would consider me to be the "Charlie Moore" of fly fishing.

What happened to thinking outside the box? I enjoy many methods of fishing. Does it make me any less of a fly fisherman. Maybe in their eyes it does, but what do I care. As far as I'm concerned, they are the ones missing out.
Exactly the way I feel,I'm a fly fishermans for more that 35 years and I have my arguments whit some of those call them self PURISTS,I love to fish whit my fly rod and like to fish nimphs or wet flys also love to fish dry flys but all way have respect and enjoy it my self fishing whit spinning rods or bait casting rods,I was fishing in Georgia Chattahoochi river for Trout couple of years back and was catching trout like crazy this guy just came to me and ask me what I was using I show him my Caddy pupa and he got offended he say he wont there to fish nothing but dry,I look at him cast my fly up river and in 30 seconds got me a nice Trout and said to the guy you dont know what you are missing.One think I want to say I also been discriminate by some people that fish whit bait or spinning special it when I fish in lakes for Crappies they look at me like I'm from another planet,I fish whit my fly rod because I love it not to try to show up,they stop making fun of me when I started to cacht more Crappies that they do.God Bless and good luck to all.....Fredd

 

[strip]

I used to go up and stay at the West Branch Angler cabins on the West Branch of the Delaware. There would always be plenty of "Fly snobs" there to go around. You know...guys with expensive waders and vests....the latest in 'Fly rod technology'. Most couldn't fish worth a ****. Like Craig , I have often been snubbed by 'purisits' who look down at bait fishermen. I get a chuckle out of it actually. What jerks. I think it has alot to do with that movie...A River Runs Through it

 

[JC30967]

fish4me wrote:
Maybe it's the way they like the rest of the world to view them. To me they are just another jerk on one end of a line waiting for a jerk on the other. Just like me.

Absolutely right! They're just like any other fisherman. That's what I was trying to say. Guys using spinning or conventional tackle don't seem to HAVE to get their rod in the picture along with the fish.

Again, this is not meant with any disrespect . Just something I've wondered about for some time, and finally had the chance to ask.

 

[JohnnyKapalua]

Elitest?

elite |?'let; a'let| noun
1 a group of people considered to be the best in a particular society or category, esp. because of their power, talent, or wealth : China's educated elite | [as adj. ] an elite combat force.

elitist |?'letist; a'letist| noun
a person who believes that a system or society should be ruled or dominated by an elite.

Elitism
Elitism is the belief or attitude that those individuals who are considered members of the elite ? a select group of people with outstanding personal abilities, intellect, wealth, specialized training or experience, or other distinctive attributes ? are those whose views on a matter are to be taken the most seriously or carry the most weight; whose views and/or actions are most likely to be constructive to society as a whole; or whose extraordinary skills, abilities or wisdom render them especially fit to govern.

I've been Fly fishing since I was 13. So lets see, oh yeah, that's 46 years. I've been spin fishing, bait fishing, surf fishing boating, etc. etc. a little longer. I can't find one thing in the above definitions that would apply to me. I love fishing period. There are many tmes I've excelled at it. Have I met persons that would fit into these definitions? Yes. I've met them in every form of fishing and for that matter in other aspects of life also. Happily they are the very few. To each their own.

So there you have it. If the shoe fits wear it. You'll know. Enjoy life, have some fun, and catch em-up.

Tight lines, whomever you are.

 

[Azaiter]

anthonyale wrote:
I used to go up and stay at the West Branch Angler cabins on the West Branch of the Delaware. There would always be plenty of "Fly snobs" there to go around. You know...guys with expensive waders and vests....the latest in 'Fly rod technology'. Most couldn't fish worth a ****. Like Craig , I have often been snubbed by 'purisits' who look down at bait fishermen. I get a chuckle out of it actually. What jerks. I think it has alot to do with that movie...A River Runs Through it
anthonyale I used to stay in there too,I have not been there for more than 3 or 4 years I think that play it's so beautiful but you are right about some of those yupys they look at my neoprene waders and they laugh at me...lol

 

[JohnnyKapalua]

Forgot to add this

On a personal note;
I prefer to think of those people suspect of being 'elitist' , ENTHUSIASTIC, sometimes OVERLY ENTHUSIASTIC but not intentionally elitist.

 

[soundflyguy]

I am really not sure if it is an issue of elitism and snobbery. I just think there is a core of folks who prefer that form of fishing. I've been around a lot of fly fisherman over the years and I can honestly say that I've only come into contact with a handful of guys who would fall into that category, and interestingly enough they were all terrible "fisherman". One guy told me he was a "techincal trout" fly-fisherman..you know, size 22 midges on 20 plus inch trout; fish only flies for the hatches, etc. Hey, that is what floats his boat, so he says. I love trout as much as the next guy but to this day I have yet to seem him with a photo of a trout that validates his "techincal" expertise. Funny thing, I met him once on the beach as I was having a blast with nice bluefish on the fly rod and he started his techincal mumbo jumbo about degrees of difficulty between trout and bluefish...to which I said, OK but I defy tou show me an equal-sized trout that pulls harder than this bluefish. He walked away. Later on that day I see him down the beach with his fly rod...catching bluefish. So much for technical brown trout! While fly fishing is my strong preference I consider myself a fisherman first and a fly rodder second. My boat has more fly rods on it than anything else but also its share of spinning and conventional gear. There are times when that gear is a ton of fun too! And to be honest 99.9 % of the fly guys and gals I know are regular fisherman too and never, ever play the "elite" game.

 

[Onemoredrift]

My take on flyfisherman.

I commend them. There perserverance and patience to get that fly out blow me away, and I have alot of patience!

Anytime I see a flyfisherman, I give them the space they need. One of there objectives is to match the hatch. Make their fly look as real as possible to the predators they are hunting for. There determination no matter how many casts it takes to get it to that spot is an inspiration to me that they are not content until they know they hit there zone. Although I'm not a flyfisherman, I can appreciate that and respect it.

 

[Azaiter]

Onemoredrift wrote:
My take on flyfisherman.

I commend them. There perserverance and patience to get that fly out blow me away, and I have alot of patience!

Anytime I see a flyfisherman, I give them the space they need. One of there objectives is to match the hatch. Make their fly look as real as possible to the predators they are hunting for. There determination no matter how many casts it takes to get it to that spot is an inspiration to me that they are not content until they know they hit there zone. Although I'm not a flyfisherman, I can appreciate that and respect it.
Well said Capitan..good job....fred

 

[638331]

I fly fish...bait fish....surf fish.....boat fish.....

Some are..some arent elitist. don't know why folks turn their noses up at anything but illegalities and snagging. Guess it makes them feel beter about their chosen passtime.

Wanna start an elitist discussion, post a thread that says BOAT FISH DON"T COUNT! lol*

 

[FischerMan21]

I?ve been fishing ever since I can remember ill say that my father had me when I pry about 3 now im 23. In my 20 years of fishing I have constantly tried to expand my fishing horizons. For me fly fishing (which ive been doing for about 8 years now) is much like the game of golf. What I mean by that is its more of a challenge for me, it takes my complete attention, the minute I lose my focus I have little other option then to start my cast from scratch again. I catch far fewer fish with my fly rod then any other type of fishing I do (perhaps this just means im not a very good fly fisherman). When I bring a fish in on my fly rod its still extremely exciting because that means everything came together in just the right combination. I still fish with bait and plugs and just about any other method you can think of. I also see nothing wrong with these forms of fishing and enjoy them all the same. It has also been my experience that your gunna meet a snob or elitist no matter what type of fishing you do, in my opinion any true fisherman/fisherwoman would be more then happy to strike up a conversation about fishing regardless of the type, style or means. The bottom line is no matter what type of fishing im doing or what im fishing for I love it because even the best fisherman can be skunked. No one is guaranteed to catch fish, and every fish caught is caught because the person on the other side of the rod did something right.

 

[RedEd]

I, as well, like all types of fishing, although I could do without trolling. Fly fishing may partially get the elitist rep. because of it's difficulty. In my experience it's progressively more challenging to catch a fish as you go from bait to plug to fly. Showing the fly rod with the fish is an extension of that idea. It sure is more challenging to me and thus more satisfying when it all comes together.
Ed

 

[kcee7]

I flyfish, but spinfish a lot more. I have a friend who started out a bait spin guy, but them got into fly fishing and now he is a complete fly purist to the point where I can't even really fish with the guy anymore it's that annoying.

 

[636943]

JC30967 wrote:
Morning-

I have never even picked up a fly rod, not once, and probably never will. I am one of those Neanderthal bottom fisherman who primarily fishes party/charter boats, and actually has the nerve to keep fish

.

My question regarding fly fishermen is, and I mean this with no disrespect, why do they always seem to feel the need, when holding up a fish for a photo, to get their fly rod in the picture, even to the point of holding it in their mouth if need be?

I mean, if I were holding a nice 40lb cod for a picture, I wouldn't shove my codfish rod in my mouth

!

LOL. The fly-rod-in-the-mouth pics are from the old-school elitists camp. Totally out of style nowadays.

Actual fly fisherman only take pics of the fish, because nobody wants to see your ugly mug!! LOL. The pictures below display proper photo etiquette...

To try to sum up fly fishing as simply as possible, I would say this:

We know we can catch fish on bait, everybody can... but can I catch a fish on a piece of fur with some feathers on it? Its not about the numbers. Its about getting big fish to chase and attack a hook with minimal material on it. Anybody fly guy who says that fly fisherman catch smaller fish is doing something wrong.

That being said, I baitfish and keep fish in the salt, too. The elitists are just doing their thing, don't let 'em bring you down.