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Why are Fly Fishermen Such Snobs? Explained

Fly fishermen’s attitudes and “snobbishness” are frequently questioned in the fishing community. In an effort to dispel this fly fishing “myth,” I decided to look for some answers.

As a result, how come fly fishermen are so arrogant in their arrogance? Ignoring the possibility that some fly fishermen are less educated than others is a bold assumption. As with any activity, a few “snobs” will always participate. Why are all snobs cyclists? Alternatively, “How come pet owners are such snobs?” These are too broad questions to be measurable.

The ensuing question is why fly fishers are seen as snobs. Others say that fly fishers conduct in a way that elevates them “above” the rest of humanity.

One thing I would say is that spin fishermen are more likely to trash than other types of fishermen. Or maybe there are simply more of them. 

I almost never come across fly fishing garbage, but I frequently come across bait containers. Additionally, there are miles of mono in the Big Manistee, where I spend a lot of time fishing.

Snobbery of the Highest Order! Are Women and Fly Fishers Snobs?

I occasionally run upon an ignoramus over our mutual hobby. Generally, it is rather benign. “Have you gone fishing? What is fly fishing? You should simply use a worm. Those trout are worm fiends.”

After that, I respond, “You’re screwed! You bloodthirsty neanderthal! Why not simply throw a dynamite stick into the river? Even better, why don’t you stuff that styrofoam worm container up your arse!”

Indeed, I grin pleasantly while the expletives ricochet in my brain and remark, “Worms? Yes, I will bear it in mind.”

In all seriousness, I have no objection to spincasters (in fact, I own a couple), but that is not what we do. They are unaware that flyfishing is an art form due to their ignorance. 

It is transcendental in nature, scientific in nature, contemplative in nature, and spiritual in nature. Please feel free to add other adjectives. I could go on indefinitely.

However, for the love of God, it is NOT as simple as hooking a worm and throwing it out there!

And now that I’ve written the descriptions above, I feel like a snob.

The snobbery of fly fisherman: Is it real or not?

In Melbourne, where I grew up, I had plenty of time to go fishing. As a fly fisherman myself, I was guilty of thinking that fly fishermen were somehow “better” than other river fishermen.

I thought this was snobbery because fly fishermen seemed to have more experience than those of us who use spin tackle.

A few hundred feet away from their companion, each fly fisherman was fishing alone. 

My impressionable, young mind was impressed by this.

On both sides, elitism (ignorance) occurs. Snobs are those who look down on fly fishermen and say, “hey, just throw a worm on a hook, y’idiot.” You are a snob if you look down your nose at them.

Fishing with a fly rod is an art form. It is transcendental in nature, scientific in nature, contemplative in nature, and spiritual in nature. yet, spin casting is also a kind of entertainment for certain individuals. and then there are plenty of fly fishermen who do not regard fly fishing as an art form in the manner you have stated.

At the end of the day, you’re waving a stick in a river. Make a conscious effort not to take oneself too seriously. It’s nothing more than fishing:)

Consider saltwater fly fishing. Nobody knows what I’m doing out there. I’ve been asked several times (after all, this is Florida) 

“So Snook/Redfish/Tarpon consume flies? I assumed they dined on shrimp and other seafood. Are they snatched from the air? Is that why you guys swivel the line in that manner? 

You should just employ bait.” At the end of the day, keep in mind that fishermen of all stripes share more in common than their approach differences imply. Out there, we’re all on the same team.

Do they Really Look down Upon Non -fly fishers?

Fly fisherman: Do you regard non-fly fishermen with contempt?
The few that I am aware of do. 

The majority of men I know who call themselves fly fisherman are the douchiest bunch of guys I know on the lake, the type of individuals who would look down on you for not owning a $30k gheenoe. 

While fly fishing draws a lot of very wonderful men, it also attracts a lot of snobbish douchebags.

Some people simply do not understand why we go to all this work when you can spend $100 on a spinning combination, add a bunker chunk, and almost certainly catch a bigger fish. 

You cannot, in my opinion, comprehend the exhilaration of watching a fish rise to accept your dry fly or of missing your deceiver a couple of times just to snag it boatside and begin ripping line like crazy. 

To be totally candid, I despise guys at the stream who appear as if they stepped out of an Orvis catalogue. I take my waders, a small chest pack, and my rod with me when I go fly fishing.

 I don’t use nets because I release everything, and some of these people may look the part but couldn’t tell a nymph from a streamer. 

These are the individuals that perpetuate the myth that fly fishermen are snobs. I always stop to shoot the bull with other guys and share what was working for me, and I generally get some terrific ideas for flies I would have never pulled out of the box on my own. 

The guys who refuse to give you the time of day are the guys I despise.

Your sterotype is identical to the one that fly fisherman have about bait fishermen dropping rubbish all over the river. 

Without a doubt, all sides have their share of douchebags. 

To be clear, I fly fish for trout and utilise bass gear. I’m in it for the tug, but nothing compares to a monster fish on a fly rod in a river.

A hook is a hook, and how you get it into the mouth of the fish is irrelevant to me. Fly fishing, on the other hand, I find to be more demanding and hence more satisfying.

 That is why, in comparison to other methods of fishing, I like fly fishing. Anyone who appreciates fishing in the vast outdoors is, in my opinion, just like me. Unless they discard their line/trash/lures, they are, in my opinion, a waste of human life. 

Simply appreciate the fish and the water in which it was caught, and you’ll be a champion in my book.

Janus says

I Really don’t look down on bait-fishers at all. Just want to have a good relaxing time out on the water. Always  greet ! sometimes it’s ignored but just keep on walking. Growing up in Slavic Village and Cleveland in general.

 

 

Pompous doesn’t really seem natural to me especially with a fly rod in your hand. We are from Walleye/perch fish fry trolling, bait chucking, pleasure boating land.

 

 

I grew up with it… Not really a fly-fishing culture here, you have to really commit to it.

 

 

A lot of people do for a season and then realize it’s not for them. But in the end it is all fishing and it is good for the sport. I fish rocky in the spring and summer I will not see anyone for 2-3hrs…or not at all the whole trip. But, in the fall it’s gets crowded. But I enjoy having it to myself for half of the year. In fact, I was drawn to flyfishing because if offered more solitude.

 

 

I have met some really good people on the water though very helpful and I shared what I have learned.

It’s all just fishing,

Fishinjim says 

For all those who ‘look down on bait fishermen’, there’s two reasons why people fish:
1. to get out into nature
2. to catch fish

If switching to bait allows people to catch fish that day, they just completed their day.

Can’t we just put away the “I’m better’n you” attitudes? In the end, we all have to use the same facilities.

Reno  says 

That seems to be a common misconception about fly fishing. Everyone I talk to thinks I’m swinging my line around to mimic a fly repeatedly landing on the water/flying above the water. Even the first time my dad saw my fly fishing he was like “why are you letting it just sit there? Shouldn’t you be whipping it back and forth like a fly?”

Why are Fly Fishermen Such Snobs? Explained

Fly fishermen’s attitudes and “snobbishness” are frequently questioned in the fishing community. In an effort to dispel this fly fishing “myth,” I decided to look for some answers.

As a result, how come fly fishermen are so arrogant in their arrogance? Ignoring the possibility that some fly fishermen are less educated than others is a bold assumption. As with any activity, a few “snobs” will always participate. Why are all snobs cyclists? Alternatively, “How come pet owners are such snobs?” These are too broad questions to be measurable.

The ensuing question is why fly fishers are seen as snobs. Others say that fly fishers conduct in a way that elevates them “above” the rest of humanity.

One thing I would say is that spin fishermen are more likely to trash than other types of fishermen. Or maybe there are simply more of them. 

I almost never come across fly fishing garbage, but I frequently come across bait containers. Additionally, there are miles of mono in the Big Manistee, where I spend a lot of time fishing.

Snobbery of the Highest Order! Are Women and Fly Fishers Snobs?

I occasionally run upon an ignoramus over our mutual hobby. Generally, it is rather benign. “Have you gone fishing? What is fly fishing? You should simply use a worm. Those trout are worm fiends.”

After that, I respond, “You’re screwed! You bloodthirsty neanderthal! Why not simply throw a dynamite stick into the river? Even better, why don’t you stuff that styrofoam worm container up your arse!”

Indeed, I grin pleasantly while the expletives ricochet in my brain and remark, “Worms? Yes, I will bear it in mind.”

In all seriousness, I have no objection to spincasters (in fact, I own a couple), but that is not what we do. They are unaware that flyfishing is an art form due to their ignorance. It is transcendental in nature, scientific in nature, contemplative in nature, and spiritual in nature. Please feel free to add other adjectives. I could go on indefinitely.

However, for the love of God, it is NOT as simple as hooking a worm and throwing it out there!

And now that I’ve written the descriptions above, I feel like a snob.

The snobbery of fly fisherman: Is it real or not?

In Melbourne, where I grew up, I had plenty of time to go fishing. As a fly fisherman myself, I was guilty of thinking that fly fishermen were somehow “better” than other river fishermen.

I thought this was snobbery because fly fishermen seemed to have more experience than those of us who use spin tackle.

A few hundred feet away from their companion, each fly fisherman was fishing alone. 

My impressionable, young mind was impressed by this.

On both sides, elitism (ignorance) occurs. Snobs are those who look down on fly fishermen and say, “hey, just throw a worm on a hook, y’idiot.” You are a snob if you look down your nose at them.

Fishing with a fly rod is an art form. It is transcendental in nature, scientific in nature, contemplative in nature, and spiritual in nature. yet, spin casting is also a kind of entertainment for certain individuals. and then there are plenty of fly fishermen who do not regard fly fishing as an art form in the manner you have stated.

At the end of the day, you’re waving a stick in a river. Make a conscious effort not to take oneself too seriously. It’s nothing more than fishing:)

Consider saltwater fly fishing. Nobody knows what I’m doing out there. I’ve been asked several times (after all, this is Florida) 

“So Snook/Redfish/Tarpon consume flies? I assumed they dined on shrimp and other seafood. Are they snatched from the air? Is that why you guys swivel the line in that manner? 

You should just employ bait.” At the end of the day, keep in mind that fishermen of all stripes share more in common than their approach differences imply. Out there, we’re all on the same team.

Do they Really Look down Upon Non -fly fishers?

Fly fisherman: Do you regard non-fly fishermen with contempt?
The few that I am aware of do. 

The majority of men I know who call themselves fly fisherman are the douchiest bunch of guys I know on the lake, the type of individuals who would look down on you for not owning a $30k gheenoe. 

While fly fishing draws a lot of very wonderful men, it also attracts a lot of snobbish douchebags.

Some people simply do not understand why we go to all this work when you can spend $100 on a spinning combination, add a bunker chunk, and almost certainly catch a bigger fish. 

You cannot, in my opinion, comprehend the exhilaration of watching a fish rise to accept your dry fly or of missing your deceiver a couple of times just to snag it boatside and begin ripping line like crazy. 

To be totally candid, I despise guys at the stream who appear as if they stepped out of an Orvis catalogue. I take my waders, a small chest pack, and my rod with me when I go fly fishing.

 I don’t use nets because I release everything, and some of these people may look the part but couldn’t tell a nymph from a streamer. 

These are the individuals that perpetuate the myth that fly fishermen are snobs. I always stop to shoot the bull with other guys and share what was working for me, and I generally get some terrific ideas for flies I would have never pulled out of the box on my own. 

The guys who refuse to give you the time of day are the guys I despise.

Your sterotype is identical to the one that fly fisherman have about bait fishermen dropping rubbish all over the river. 

Without a doubt, all sides have their share of douchebags. 

To be clear, I fly fish for trout and utilise bass gear. I’m in it for the tug, but nothing compares to a monster fish on a fly rod in a river.

A hook is a hook, and how you get it into the mouth of the fish is irrelevant to me. Fly fishing, on the other hand, I find to be more demanding and hence more satisfying.

 That is why, in comparison to other methods of fishing, I like fly fishing. Anyone who appreciates fishing in the vast outdoors is, in my opinion, just like me. Unless they discard their line/trash/lures, they are, in my opinion, a waste of human life. 

Simply appreciate the fish and the water in which it was caught, and you’ll be a champion in my book.

Janus says

I Really don’t look down on bait-fishers at all. Just want to have a good relaxing time out on the water. Always  greet ! sometimes it’s ignored but just keep on walking. Growing up in Slavic Village and Cleveland in general.

 

 

Pompous doesn’t really seem natural to me especially with a fly rod in your hand. We are from Walleye/perch fish fry trolling, bait chucking, pleasure boating land.

 

 

I grew up with it… Not really a fly-fishing culture here, you have to really commit to it.

 

 

A lot of people do for a season and then realize it’s not for them. But in the end it is all fishing and it is good for the sport. I fish rocky in the spring and summer I will not see anyone for 2-3hrs…or not at all the whole trip. But, in the fall it’s gets crowded. But I enjoy having it to myself for half of the year. In fact, I was drawn to flyfishing because if offered more solitude.

 

 

I have met some really good people on the water though very helpful and I shared what I have learned.

It’s all just fishing,

Fishinjim says 

For all those who ‘look down on bait fishermen’, there’s two reasons why people fish:
1. to get out into nature
2. to catch fish

If switching to bait allows people to catch fish that day, they just completed their day.

Can’t we just put away the “I’m better’n you” attitudes? In the end, we all have to use the same facilities.

Reno  says 

That seems to be a common misconception about fly fishing. Everyone I talk to thinks I’m swinging my line around to mimic a fly repeatedly landing on the water/flying above the water. Even the first time my dad saw my fly fishing he was like “why are you letting it just sit there? Shouldn’t you be whipping it back and forth like a fly?”