012016

One would think that the little bitty industry of fly-fishing would be full of people, on the inside, that do this because they really love it. There are far less painful ways to make a living and even some money than slinging flies, shoveling water, and spewing opinion-laced product reviews that are based on opinion more so than actual experience.
Maybe it's because the industry is so small that no one wants to step on the toes of others? Maybe there are just a bunch of lying crackheads that have risen to positions of influence simply through nepotism and being in the right place at the right time? Maybe the world is just full of a bunch of fuckheads and the TRUTH just happens to be that the more nights one spends on this planet, the more likely you are to run into them! I could also be delusional…oh wait…I'm not. I base my opinions on experience, not hypotheticals or suppositions.
Fly fishing is more than just a sport or an excuse to get outside and appreciate the smell of fresh, fucking air. It's more than the drug of the tug, a "Hey Brah," or time for reflections and respite. It's certainly more about everything that it is rather than all the shit that the bullshitters want you to think it's about.
It's the vehicle for a better existence in and within the world. Nobody every tries fly-fishing and thinks to themselves…"well, that sucked." Its a lifetime passion that never gets old and never becomes mundane for those that want to do more, see more, and be more. It really is the cure for a life that isn't worth living.
I'm aware that this is a little "out there" and no I have not taken my Ambien yet. I'm just tired of watching the sport - that I love - be constantly pushed back by a bunch of fuckheads that actually have no idea what people that actually fly fish really want. Pull your heads out of the hole and look around! Fly-fishermen are not consumers, we are anglers. We need clean water, open spaces, and someone that smiles around the next bend moreso than someone that flips you off. Maybe if we had more of these things, more people would actually give a shit.
The next time you are entertaining which fly shop to go into or which manufacturer to buy this or that from, just stop and ask yourself why? Do you see the folks behind the brand on the water, down that next run around the bend? Do they educate anglers? Do they actually give a shit about having accessible, quality water? Would they tell you what fly they were getting fish on just downstream from you? Would they even know what fly to use? Would they even know where that next bend in the river is? Would you tell them?
As for myself, I could answer those yes more time than not when I go into a fly shop or make a purchase. The vast majority of the "industry" is full of great people that truly love the sport. Unfortunately though, there are a bunch of really talented marketing tools that oftentimes just yell a lot louder...than the rest of us…that are actually trying to fish.
The point I would like to make is that fly fishing is fun and it is real. The industry of fly fishing is not the manufacturers, retailers, or guides/outfitters…it is the people that fish. The "so-called" industry of fly-fishing would be wise to listen to those that fish rather than worrying so much about trying to convince those that don't fish, to fish.