Competive fly fishing

[jszymczyk]

Personally?.....I bet it doesn't impact our favorite haunts much at all. I bet these things end up slated for huge tracts of privately managed waters that 99% of us never even hope to set foot along as it is. The money will go where the money already resides....those huge private ranches that close their doors to you?....will open their arms willingly to big money sponsors and TV dollars.

Well said.

When it boils down to MONEY over FISH, it loses any interest for me. Probably because I have very little of either . Long term "tournaments" where average everyday folks can register and post results based on their everyday angling pursuits are different than the highly organized tournaments where so-called "Professional" fishermen (sponsored and paid in some way) try to beat each other. I don't care one bit about the "Fly Fishing Teams" that I read about. It certainly takes something away from the sport in my opinion. Just like the idiocy surrounding deer hunting these days.

Catch and release in the big money bass tournaments is a joke. Grab a bass and wrench it's mouth open past 180 degrees, AFTER winching it into a bascar and letting it flop on the carpet, then shake it all to hell while jumping up and down hollering like an idiot, throw it in a tankwell for a few hours, then "release" it ? yeah right.

Witness the Sage, Reddington, and other "TOURNAMENT LEGAL" fly rods being sold. What a bunch of BS. Pure marketing crap to sell fly rods to bascar passengers. Has any of the "Big Name" tournament fishermen ever placed or won a tournament using one? I don't know for sure but I bet the fly fishing websites will be lit up IF it ever happens.

[DarrinG]

Fly fishing tournaments already has impacted public waters here. It's not for the private, richly fed streams only. Not at all. Not here, anyhow.

I know of more than one public trout stream here in western NC that was "off-limits" for fishermen except those in the tournament because a fly tournament was being held on the stream. These waters, stocked with fish from our state agency, was suddenly off-limits to everyone but the tourney participants, until the tourney was over. And one stream, the tourney admins didnt even clean up the "beat" signs on the stream banks when they were done.
I havta agree with Appalachian Angler to a point, that these tourneys are geared towards the "X-Games" type folks. It's run-n-gun, bragging rights, hook`em, jerk`em out as fast as possible, measure, toss back. Wonder how much good fish-handling is practiced to keep the fish healthy for release? Seems some companies are catering to it also, with the new-age-ey look and feel. Just look at Sage's newer logo.

[PA Dave]

Thanks for your opinions. I think it is an abomination! Susposedly the fish are not harmed but when money is involved, I think handling of the fish will suffer. I agree with Lotech that fishing should be between the fisherman and the fish. I cringe to think about tournaments on some of my favorite streams. Unfortunatly I believe this will become a real problem in the future

If you played a fish hard to bring it to hand and know that it needs to be revivied and release asap, there is no question about skipping the photo. But put potential winnings into the equation, and there is no question that the condition of the fish will lessen as a consideration for many competitors.

[NJTroutbum]

There a distinction however, between competetive flyfishing, and annual "derby's". I have no problem whatsoever on stocked waters, for the state to overstock and tag fish to run a derby. Catch and Keep on public water. They don't close the public out, but only registered fisherman can enter fish. It brings folks to fishing in the end....especially kids. I know that may rub some the wrong way....but I'm not a C&R at all costs guy.

[flybugpa]

so are the streams stocked for the pro's?

[NJTroutbum]

Good question?

[Prairieschooner]

Leave it to us Americans to make a competition out of something as pastoral as fly fishing. Geesh. Don't know about you all, but one of the reasons I fish is to get away from the competition that we all have to face every day!

[DarrinG]

In at least one tourney that went on in my area, it was held on a public Delayed Harvest trout stream, that yes, was stocked by the WRC (with taxpayer money). It was not a derby-type event, but a fly fishing tournament with members from various "fly fishing teams", etc, etc, present.
Several fishers in the area weren't too happy about the situation either.
Another one happened on the Cherokee Indian Reservation tribal waters on Raven's Fork River, which is a heavily-stocked water too, and open to the public with the purchase of a license (or day pass). So yeah, they were fishing stocked trout.

[maodiver]

It ain't just the tourneys that kick people out.

The Secret Service kicked my buddy off the South Fork Snake so Cheney could fish through.

I woulda gotten arrested there, probably, and I voted for his President. I would told him to take a flying leap, I was there first.

[tailingloop]

Competitive fly fishing is not a new thing and not uniquely american. The World Fly Fishing Championship dates to 1981 and started under International Confederation of Sportfishing in Europe. Saltwater tournaments such as the famous Gold Cup tarpon events in Florida and elsewhere had fly tackle divisions before BASS existed.

There are numerous tourneys locally for all types of fishing gear and species and some people like to participate and some don't and some don't have an opinion. Is there any differerence between fishing a tournament with fly tackle or any other type of tackle? Not really.