Very nice Tom... Excellent points & tales. BP
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Tom Davenport Sent: Friday, February 13, 2004 8:10 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [VFB] The fly fishing purist As we all know, sometimes fly fishing gets a bad wrap from the "Fly fishing purist". The Balsa wood thread belongs somewhere in that camp. The stereotype would go something like this: Member of Sierra club, uses a Sage rod and Simms gear, prefers to fish with dry flies made from all natural products (no foam abominations, thank you), and looks at nymphs, especially nymphs fished with lead split shot and a strike indicator with distain. Will only catch and release fish, and always uses barbless hooks. Now there is nothing necessarily wrong with any of the above, unless this person also refuses to acknowledge the legitimate claim on the sport by others who choose a different route (including the dreaded worm fisherman). But consider some of the following case studies: Case Study #1 An employee of a local flyshop, and excellent fly fisherman and fly tier, spends a day fishing a local river using his fly rod. He meets a variety of fly fisherman along the river, the swap stories and share flies. The next day he decides to take his spinning rod and target some bigger fish. He meets several of the same people who pass him by with out even a hello. Why? He figures its the spinning rod he carries. Case Study #2 The Provo river in Provo canyon is one of Utah's few legitimate Blue Ribbon trout streams. The stretch below Deer Creek reservoir is the most famous, and has artificial lure and fly only regulations. But it is over populated with fish, and the fish are starting to stunt and suffer diseases common to overpopulation, This, combined with a six year drought is a recipe for disaster. The Department of Wildlife Resources has been begging fly fishermen to harvest a few trout for years, to no avail. Now they have decided to increase the slot limit and allow bait fishing. The flyfishermen purists howl! Case Study #3 Years ago I am fishing with a buddy and accidentally lock my wallet, which holds my license in his car. He is already far downstream. I think "What the heck, no one has ever asked for my license" and of course find myself staring at a badge before I even wet the line. I explain to the game warden my predicament. He looks at the light olive ninja turtle neoprenes I was wearing, my K-mart vest that shrunk one size with its first (and only) washing, and my cheap Pro-graphite rod. "Local?" he asks? "Yup". I reply and tell him where I live. "Well..." he pauses. "You don't look like some Mr. Orvis from Colorado, so I guess I'll believe your story and let you fish" Obviously he could spot the "purist" and I wasn't it. Well, times have changed, and I have adopted a lot of the "purist" philosophy. I will always release trout, because I have no interest in a dead one. Ever. I have upgraded my gear several notches (but still haven't hit the Simms and Sage level). But I try to be friendly and civil with all I meet on the stream, even the spinner fisherman who tosses his spinner into the run I am fishing. I figure he doesn't know any better. That's how we purists think...
