Admit it, most of us are pompous ass fly fisherman. I myself try not to be one of them. Today I took a couple dudes out on a guided spin fishing trip, yup spin fisherman. I mean what's the difference if you hook a fish with the a Mepps, or a frigg'n san juan worm? These guys always practice catch and release and pinch their barbs just like us. They worked there rapalas and mepps through the runs and pocket water, and came out with what was Louis's biggest Brown he has ever landed. A twenty four inch, five pounder that ate a four inch shad rap. Even the little fish ate the damn thing. It was fun to watch fish come flying after these things. We have to remember that we're all sportsman and we can work together to save our rivers from greedy corporations and not fight each other over which way is the most dignified to fish.
9 comments:
I've seen your blue collar flies and the beer your drink, you are no pompous ass fly fisherman. I would put down the fly rod and throw a castmaster up at stampede back in the day. Caught a few bows and small mouth that way.
Matt---You say you're not...but you are. You're probably feeling a bit guilty and are justifying who you guided. I know I can be a pompous fly angler and am willing to admitt it.
A subliminal example is your comment about using "san juan worms" in the same sentence with spinners. I use the former all the time and you placed me with the spinning crowd in that sentence.
I know you're not an "Andy Groupie" because he also recently condescending commented about not using egg & worm patterns. Have you and he unconsciously become "purists" fly fishing snobs?
You do make a valid point about C&R regardless of method. But, I'm of the opinion that convertional gear anglers have a lot higher propensity to kill/harvast trout than fly anglers. Essentailly it is "limit your kill, don't kill your limit"
da Dean--
PS---guiding conventional anglers can come back to bite you ...especially if they let other C & R conventional anglers know what a good guide you where.
...alternately know as Uncle Freud
What would come back to bite me in the ass is if I couldn't make my house payment because I'm above taking anyone other than a fly fisherman out. The economy is tough for most people and I'm lucky to make a living being able to do what I love to do.
I'm with you Matt. I stopped caring about which way is "right" or "better" awhile ago. I used to be a pompous ass fly-hole. Before that I was a kid digging up worms and catching grasshoppers all summer.
As you know, working in the (insert name here) shop can make you bitter towards gear fisherman, especially cause you can't seem to trust them to do what we think is right, and even more importantly to do what we think is best (letting every fish go no matter what) on our home waters.
But they still have the same rights we do, and they can still keep two fish in the summer. Look at the Nevada side, look at all the bait dunking and catch and kill that goes on there, and it still produces some of the biggest and best fish on the whole river.
I remember this spring at the TU/TTFF Pyramid Fish Out when I gave a fish some wading staff shampoo and threw it in the ice chest. I still get comments about it from people who were there.
You know what? Who cares.
As long as you're not raping the resource, who gives a shit about how you're fishing. Tenkara or Rapala? Who cares.
Hey Guys---I too can care less how anyone fishes; but like Gonzo, I really don't trust a lot of gear anglers, regardless of what they tell you about their intentions. and concerns about the fisheries.
But I know...in your hearts...that you're still fly fishing snobs; regardless how yo attempt to rationalize it.
Uncle "shit-disturber" Frank
I hear ya Frank, I'm just stirring up the pot - Da Sheriff.
Da Sheriff...Same here; I too like shaking things up.
I fully understand about your house payment. I'm just suggesting that your spin clients just might show their other "other" gear angler friends the water you fished; and they may not have the same C & R mentality. That 5-6 year old, 25", brood-stock brown could wind-up on a stringer....and it is legal.
I agree "with" Gonzo; except I'm not a total liberterian. As long as people respect my space I do the same in return.
da Dean
Hey Matt,
I am Louis wife, and I can honestly say that I give him *hit and his fishing pal, Scott about spin fishing! Reel men fly fish at least that is what I was taught. I can tell you in the 13yrs together I have never had a fish brought home and seldom have pictures to see due to the fact that they aren't taking time for photo ops with the fish. Pure and simple catch and release!
The night before these two spin fishermen sat in my family room pinching the barbs and talking about whether Matt would faint when he saw what they were using. Worried a "pompous ass fisherman" would not show these spin guys the good spots to fish you pleasantly surprised them. Thank you for giving Lou his best birthday gift...a 24" 5lb brown!
Nice post. One day when I have the time I may consider adding a fly-rod to my arsenal and tryin' to learn how to use the thing. That said, I build my own spinners and tie my own marabou jigs. I catch more fish the the "average" fly-fisher. When I lived in Redding CA, I took great pleasure in stopping by the Hat-2 Powerhouse, walking by the fly-rodders with their thousand dollar rods, etc, catching a few nice ones as 4 or 5 of them stood there tryin' to look the part, walking out nodding at them to their indignant looks for me having the audacity to come fish their personal hole! Glad to see there are still a few folks that recognize that fly fishing is A way, not THE way to catch fish!
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