Yeah Ben that is an interesting post, I think I know what he is talking about. It is not something I have experienced though. I have seen many "beginners swaps" and the like so somebody with limited expertise should be able to feel encouraged to participate.

I for one like anybody to feel free to contribute, as long as they are mature enough to accept some constructive comments from the others. I hate it when everybody just says to me "Wow" type comments when I really want some constructive feedback.

My beef with a lot of swaps and the reason I don't do too many, is because I end up getting a heap of flies I didn't want - as in people don't stick to the instructions. What I mean is like in an "Adams" swap some guys ended up doing a crawfish pattern, one was a streamer, and a couple of nymphs even. I wanted some Adams to compare peoples styles, nothing else! The others end up in the bin, so that is a waste of someones effort and money.