Sport or ego?

[Chuck441]

I'd like some opinions from my FFOL friends. According to an article in the latest Fly Tyer magazine, a gentleman from Australia traveled to the Northwest Territories of Canada, apparently in search of one or more fly rod records. While fishing for shallow water lake trout, he caught and landed a 30 pound 8 ounce laker. Nice fish! My personal gripe: he did it on a 3-weight rod, with a 2-pound tippet. The fight (?) lasted- get this- 4 hours and 13 minutes. The fish was released after being "rested", and swam away.

The question: is this sport, or is it ego? My opinion is the latter, but I'm open to others views.

Chuck

[Uncle Jesse]

The answer is yes. It is sport but there is also a generous helping of ego. As long as the people who keep fishing records keep line class records, there will be someone trying to break them.

[JohnScott]

...The question: is this sport, or is it ego? ...

If we call fly angling a sport, then this catch was as much sport as is catching any other fish on fly fishing gear.

If it all ended with the release of the fish, it would just be sport.

But it didn't. Publicizing it in a national magazine is nothing but ego.

So to answer the question, it is both.

John

[Jayatwork]

IMHO the whole line-class record thing is silliness. Last time I looked you can't even see what the records are unless you're a member. But, to each his own.

[Kerry Stratton]

Fighting a fish for 4 hours and likely to its death for the purpose of having a record is being a jackass. Acheiving a record that doesn't cause a useless death of an animal is not. Now, I don't know for sure the fish died but my guess it did and if it did the guy is nothing more than a jackass. In my opinion. Yours may vary.

[maodiver]

It's ego. All sport fishing is ego, especially catch and release. You are trying to prove you are smarter than somthing with a brain the size of a pea (in the case of trout), and not doing it for sustenance. Why else fish for bones or tarpon, etc? How many people post bjornian numbers of fish, or sizes when on special streams, etc? Or talk about a size 32 fly they used to catch a 20+er?I for one don't care...stroking my ego by fishing grants me relaxation, so it's cool...and as Buddy said...it's a FISH. i woulda ate it, if legal, because I like having more culinary options with trout, and big'uns give you that more than smallfry do.

[Kerry Stratton]

I don't know if it is ego or what but I think the guy is a jackass. And the only reason I call him a jackass is because I can't post what I really think of him or anyone else that persues such records.

[DUB]

As long as it is legal, more power to him. Jackass? Hmmmm, perhaps the people of the NW territories are the jackasses for allowing such practices/laws. Not him. He is playing by the rules.

My my we are quick to condemn others for playing by the rules.

[Buddy Sanders]

If it's what he wants to do and it's legal, I have no problem with it.

If he'd have kept it and ate it, that would have been a sure death for the fish. At least the fish had a chance for survival this way.

The fish may have died, but we don't know that for sure, and anyway, it IS just a fish.

Lots of ego in fly fishing. This is pretty minor stuff.

But in answer to your question, if fly fishing is a sport(and I'd argue that one), and you do it according to the rules, then why can't it have been both?

Buddy

[Kerry Stratton]

DUB, respect your opinion but because it is legal does not automatically make it correct. I can walk down the street calling people vulgar names legally but it is not the right way to behave. Just as I toned down my opinion of the guy to be acceptable here.