Elitism in fishing...why?

[J Castwell]

Larry, lol. Just think how little that jerk gets out of fly fishing. I'm not asking you to feel sorry for him, but,,,if you can find a way,,, he needs your help.

[Gringo]

Larry I read your post with great interest.

I have experienced this so many times in Australia, even to the point that I stopped going to fly fishing gatherings/trips because they always degenerate into a competition, and whose rod is better or faster or who can cast the furthest.

I guess I might be a bit like you, only I do buy some expensive gear. I don't think it makes me fish any better, I just like some nice stuff and I can afford to right now so what the heck. Sometimes it actually embarrasses me - if your gonna pull out a $1000 rod your'e supposed to be a great caster! Anyway I tend to keep to myself in my fishing now because of the arrogance and stupidity I constantly encountered. I do catch a lot of fish and I am happy to help anybody where I can.

Recently I have been fishing quite a bit in Tasmania and New Zealand and I would have to say that if you see somebody there with exy gear they are probably a tourist! All the guides and fisherpeople I had anything to do with were like you, patched waders, maybe one or two good rods and so on. The gear looked as if it had been used every day for years, because it probably had. One one occasion a $675/day guide handed me his favourite rod - a fibreglass Daiwa with a cut down tip! Yes, it was a pig, but merely my point to illustrate.

All of them would share anything with you, were wonderfully warm and generous people with no tackle snobbery or competitiveness evident at all. In fact if a tool could be made out of an old toothbrush then it was - no wasteful spending here!

Until I experienced this I thought nearly all Aussie fly fishermen were snobs, now I know that I just mixed with the wrong ones!

[sagefisher]

Bad Luck Larry,

You had the unfortunate pleasure of running into a couple of the very few who can cloudy up the waters. But fear not, they exist everywhere, in every sport, every walk of life. Take a look around and observe the people in any sport or game you want to. You will find those few elitists. Go beyond that and pay close attention to the people who work with, you will find them there as well. For some it is human nature to want to think they are better than others or above others. Maybe they need that to continue to exist, I don?t know. When I run into ?those kind of people? I just laugh and keep on fishing. For me, I know what I want and what I like. That is all that matters.

Larry ---sagefisher---

[Flyandtie1]

See my latest blog post if you care to see my opinion...

[DShock]

B.L. Larry,
Here is a Quote that sums up the futility of it all;There he stands, draped in more equipment than a telephone lineman, trying to outwit an organism with a brain no bigger than a breadcrumb, and getting licked in the process. ~Paul O'Neil, 1965
LOL!
Doug

[flybinder]

BL-Larry;
Welcome to FAOL and I really hope, that you find a 'fishing home' here!
In the 30 some odd years I've been beating water into a froth any glass of beer would be proud to have, I've run into so many chaps, like you encountered, I'll now wade across a river to avoid having to talk to them anymore.

Yes, I have TRULY seen these "types", gearing up, at the backs of their $65,000.00 SUVs, (windows half covered in equipment decals), with price tags still hanging... either, off their waders, and/or, their hats and vests. They're pretty east to spot, for the most part, because the felt on their boots is usually whiter than when the manufacturer first glued it on the soles and there's almost ALWAYS a crease in the legs of their waders. And, the waders, God forbid, HAVE no patches!
When you approach them, and ask them anything, even if it's something about "How nice the day is", they HAVE TO work in at least ONE WORD in Latin.
Of course, my long time fishing partner and I, have our own "Latin" and we we love watching the little "twitches" these clowns get in the corners of their eyes when we start talking OUR Latin, back to them.................. "E'catchitquickus Ovaltine" and "De'bugusattheaqua" usualy shuts them right up.

Don't ever let these clowns bother you. They enjoy their "day on the water" probably 10 times LESS, than you ever will! I'll wade a stream with a man like you, anytime. I don't believe in ANY form of competition in fly fishing. Not even the "for fun" type that my local fly club members get involved in. There's no point in it, I can see, it proves not a thing. It's not what fly fishing, to me, is about.
The price of your rod, who makes it, and "oh, how much BETTER you'll cast, if you own one!" is pure crap and being sucked into mental ad hype.
I'd rather cast 30' feet and be able to see a deer crossing up stream, than making sure my $600.00 rod is laying out, exactly 87.8756 feet of line.

[Gringo]

I've seen guys with whom an expensive rod/reel would be a hundred bucks, and have virtually no gear, no vest, no tools or gadgets, maybe just a pair of scissors; they only ever cast twenty feet or so|: and they fish the pants off me. These people we can learn a lot from!

[GATOR9]

Larry,

I think there are more of us out there that share your thoughts on this, just look at the responses you have thus far. My best fishing partner is my youngest son and we have f/fished now for many years and we have added my 12 year old g/son to the team now. The three of us get just as much fun from an 8" fish as we do with one over 20". We have what we need and use what we have. Watching my two fishing partners is nothing more than poetry in motion. We truly believe that a bad day fishing is a good day spent.

Jeff

[kjgallaher]

Larry,
I mostly agree with your sentiment. I am unclear however how it makes a difference what gear they had or what they were wearing. I have met plenty of arrogant people and generally can't predict their arrogance based on how they are dressed. Could it possibly be that your interpretation of their comments could have been at least partially clouded by your preconception that since they had all the fancy gear, they must be elitest snobs?

I, like Gringo, have some expensive gear. Gear thats capabilities far exceed my own. Generally people find me to be a nice guy who is easy to get along with. Should I be worried that I am being viewed as an elitest snob even before I open my mouth?

Regards,
Keith

[Wild One]

Elistism...why?

Because everyone needs to justify or validate the thousands of dollars they just spent last week on fishing stuff. Either that or they're trying to over compensate for their own character flaws and lack of self-esteem. It all comes down to that, I think. Then again, I am probably guilty of appearing as an elitist to some people because I don't like combat fishing and if another fisherman approaches me with the intent to fish within eye-sight of me while I'm fishing, I'll just reel in and go somewhere else.