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Old 07-23-2019, 06:19 PM
Mr Flyguy Mr Flyguy is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scel View Post
The notion of an 'elitist' is generally not propagated from the top-down, but rather from the bottom-up. Something is generally perceived as elitist if it takes more money, more knowledge/intelligence, and/or more privilege in general.

Fly fishing is more expensive than conventional gear. I know conventional gear can get pricey, but a fly angler walking down to the river in a cheap pair of waders, an entry fly combo, and vest is still sporting $500 worth of gear.

Fly fishing tends to require more knowledge. It tends to require more knots. And to be good at fly fishing, it is also important to understand basic entomology. It takes a great deal of grit to learn to even cast the rod on your own. This can be circumvented by spending some money on a class/guide/teacher, but this puts us back up to the first point of 'more money'.

Fly fishing tends to happen in beautiful places that take the privilege to get to. Also, most fly fishing is catch-n-release and conservation is a embedded aspect into much of fly fishing. Let's face it, fly fishing does not always catch more fish, but people will choose to do it because they enjoy it. I fully admit that I will always choose to fly fish over fishing bait, even if it means catching far fewer fish.

So, it is totally understandable that some people without the money and resources could see fly fishing as 'elitist'. And in many ways, they are not wrong in their perception. To change the perception, just be a decent human being and do not puke dogma.
Good advice for any activity, indoors or outside.
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