Amen on the closed fly shops and the clothes not making the person. I am one that has the nice toys, why, cause I worked for Orvis, liked what they had and I got it for a substantial discount. I would hope I don’t offend someone in blue jeans (which I also wear at the right time) or the rubber waders. It makes no difference to me what they are wearing, just that they’re out there injoying the fresh air and the quietness. I will give away my last fly, if it’s working to a fellow fishermen. Clothes don’t make the person. Just like gun’s don’t kill…People do. Some of you guys scare me…
You didn’t hear it from me, but some of the Yuppie fly shops were owned by Yuppies who thought they would make a fast million. Opps. They are mostly gone.
Some people buy all the best gear but catch very few fish. Most of this gear sits in a closet so they can look at it periodically. I have Orvis Reels, Rods but I also have less expensive rods that I like just as much and catch just as many fish. People buy this crap because they want it. They want the best gear and so on. thats the same reason people buy a BMW or Mercedes when they know the Toyota is more reliable and has a better resale value. Heck I love my TFO rods and I didn’t pay much for them. They catch just as many fish as the Sage rods catch.
I went to the Arlington, Texas (Dallas area) show last weekend and didn’t see the now infamous advertisement even though I looked.
Ironically, I think there are as many, if not more FF snobs who wouldn’t be caught dead in Orvis gear these days. I honestly don’t see other companies taking the heat when they use the same kind of advertising. When another very popular company put out an ad that stated “If you want a rod that casts like ____, but a ____.” (Note to the company that put out this ad, there’s one problem with your suggestion, I can’t afford your rods! Though I’ll admit they are rather nice to cast. I’ll have to stick to stuff that casts almost as nicely and cost me 1/3 the price for the forseeable future.) I didn’t hear or read anyone complaining of snobbery, but I did hear a couple of guys repeat the slogan like it was some sort of mantra.
Nope, mantis, I’m not putting you on. There’s better things to do with the time I have than to make up stuff to get folks worked up. BTW, look back at gqualls post on the first page. He was there and saw the same mannequin. Anyway, the sign struck me wrong, that’s all. Nothing wrong with the label, the equipment or even the price tag. Just a tacky sales gimmick that seems to strike a nerve with some other people like it did myself.