I hate to even post to this topic since it seems I have really stepped in it already this week but my Dad always said I had more guts then brains so here we go. LOL!
The sport of fly fishing has changed dramatically in the last 40 years and for those who have been involved with it most of that time, the current easy access to the sport is a radical departure from tradition. Let me explain: >From the time my father and his friends returned from WWII through the late 70's, fly fishing was a sport based on camaraderie, love of the outdoors and content over image. In those days, you couldn't just walk into a fly shop and get geared up, sign up for a casting class and be on the water in a few weeks. You had to seek out the people with the knowledge, equipment and willingness to teach. On your end, you had to be a decent enough fellow that these people wanted to befriend you. Personal reputation, honor and integrity played a big role in the development of the sport. You still see bits of this tradition in a lot of fly clubs during the pledge process. A current member often has to bring you before the group and explain your contributions to the sport in order to gain membership. Fast forward to today. If I didn't know a thing about the sport, I could drive to a fly shop, buy whatever gear I could afford, sign up for classes on fly tying, casting, rod building etc. and then head off to the river and hire a guide. This method has given many people a lot more access to the sport which is a good thing in my opinion. However it has depersonalized the sport a lot and so the traditions and ethics have been lost on many. A person can lack total ethics and respect for the sport but because they have access to the equipment and have the money to get into the sport they appear on the stream and wreak havoc. You all have witnessed this. The guy that cuts in below you on your favorite steelhead run, the guy that parks his butt in the hole for 3 hours without moving, the people who cast across your lines to make you leave, the person bonking wild steelhead on the head and taking them home. These are the people that Roger was describing. The Orvis hatch, the yuppie, the sport or whatever term you want to use. They have more money then ethics and it drives us all up the wall. Not all of them look like they fell out of a catalog or drive Lexus SUV's to the fishing hole but enough of them do that the stereo type has stuck (again for better or worse). So in closing, I don't think Roger's use of the term Yuppie was aimed at anybody that lives in a metropolitan area or drives a fancy vehicle. Hell if I could afford a nice SUV I would probably buy one. Instead I think he is describing the new era of fly fisherman who have fallen through the cracks and view the outdoors as their playground and to hell with everyone else. It is all our responsibility to try and educate these people and explain that there is a lot more to it then just having the gear and the basic know how. I hope that made sense without coming across as an elitist snob. That wasn't my intention. Mike
