the "myth" of the wealthy fly fishermen

What? You went to the primary source and critically evaluated the article based on actual facts? That's unheard of, almost radical (and for those unfamiliar with the internet, sarcasm intended). There is indeed a lot of useful information on the Recreational Fishing and Boating Foundation pages.

Considering the gist of the Frye article is that the fly fishing community is worth targeting, which is hardly news, I'm not sure where the problem is. Of course, he got the numbers wrong, but that is nothing new in the world of journalism.

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Originally Posted by JohnScott

There is some very interesting information in the actual report, for those interested and willing to spend some time to become better informed.

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I thought the "ethnicity" was interesting. Fly fishing was shown as 79% Caucasian/white whereas freshwater fishing is slightly "whiter" at 83.1%. My experience does not support that. I've met exactly two non-white fly fishermen in my life, but I see loads of non-whites using spinning/casting tackle.

I don't find the figure unbelievable at all; it's slightly lower than both TU and FFF report. BUT:

1) The number is family income, not individual income. 50k apiece in a two income family.
2) In some parts of the country, that figure isn't much above the poverty level. In the Bay Area of California for example, you probably couldn't own a house if that were your family income.
3) The figures are self reported; some people are going to inflate their income.
4) The self-reported aspect especially affects the ethnicity numbers. I personally always answer "other" to that question because I think none of anyone's business. (And hey, my grandmother had a small amount of Amerind ancestry, so I'm not lying.) I'm not the only one who thinks that way.
5) Although I've only encountered a few African-Americans while fly fishing, I've known quite a few Asian-American and Native American who FF.
6) How many SUVs do you see parked along trout stream vs. econo-box? Each of those is a considerable portion of the 50k apiece mentioned above, and most people don't own vehicles that cost a year's income.

I think I will go with my theory that the article was written by a jouralism major, who struggled through college algebra and reallly doesn't know the correct definition of the work Average.

I didn't see the article, but it seems to me that average annual income may be interesting, but isn't necessarily relevant. If I were a manufacturer or retailer in the fly fishing industry, I'd be more interested in how much money is spent annually on the various categories of fly fishing related items, trends in this spending over time, etc.

That being said, I can't help thinking back to one night some years ago on the Beaverkill when a husband and wife showed up to fly fish in their chauffeur driven Mercedes limo. After they had assembled their fishing gear, donned their waders, and walked down to the river, the wife yelled to me where I was fishing on the opposite bank.

"What is the average depth of the water here?" she asked.

"It's probably about 3 feet deep out in front of you" I answered.

"Thanks" she said. Then she promptly stepped off the bank and into a hole behind a big rock that was at least 4 or 5 feet deep. She tumbled into the water, head over heels, and dropped one of her big fly boxes that she had apparently been holding open, in her hand. She was okay, although dripping wet from head to toe, and promptly righted herself. However, I could see dozens of her flys floating down the river.

So much for giving out "average" information!

John

Of course the assumption in the article is that people with more money spend more money. While sometimes true, it is part of the myth, too. There is a young man near the hunting camp I go to that went out and bought two Orvis rods, three reels, and God knows what else when he got into fly fishing and I guarantee that he wasn't making $20K a year at the time, with a new wife and young child to support. He spent more on those outfits than I have wrapped up in all the rods and reels that I have ever bought in my life. He spent money he didn't have yet.

very interesting conversation. The overall feel I'm getting is that the LH "Trout Trail" idea is basically TU behind the pulpit preaching to the choir.

Hmmm...I guess I'm doing my part to keep that average down to reasonable levels.

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Originally Posted by kbproctor

I used to think there were more high income fly anglers than others as well. That was until I got the batch of orders for custom baitcast and spinning rods that has come in over the last couple of months. These are pricing out right up there with the fly rods.

That said, when I got into fly fishing I discovered it could be every bit as expensive as golf if not more so. I am very glad I chose fishing over golf, though. Rods are a lot more fun to build than putters. :)

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You can buy a lot of fly rods for the price of a kitted-out bass boat.

Ed

Whoever did this "report" has been sniffing waaaay too much head cement. And what difference does it make, anyway? As far as I am concerned, on the streams, or the water, we're all equal. We are all out there mostly for a love of the outdoors, and all the wholesome things it stands for.