Extinction of Fly Fishing

[mattyvac]

I have some ideas that are based only on simple opinions and observations; please forgive me if I get some facts wrong.

 

Of course, we all are in the middle of a recession that is now over three years old, and lots of small businesses are failing. Fly shops are pretty specific places, and cater to a narrow slice of the fishing public. Most shops I have visited stock fly gear that is exponentially more expensive than conventional spin gear. I imagine most people considering beginning a hobby in angling could get a fine spin outfit for $50-$100 just about anywhere. Only BPS and Cabelas carry affordably priced fly gear, but still only a small portion of that is priced near most spin gear. The cost of even cheaper tying materials and tools is still prohibitive in the aggregate. So my first explanation for the decline in fly fishing would be economic reasons.

 

Next, culture has an influence, too. It's pretty obvious that Tournament Bass Fishing has exploded. There are bass tournaments everywhere, and the outdoor cable channels are choked with tournament fishing and bass fishing shows. These bass pros are celebrities. Kids want to be like them. There go our recruits.

 

Another point is, catching fish is harder with fly gear. You need a bit more skill to cast a fly. You need as much room behind you as you do in front of you, unless you roll cast exclusively. Unless you use dry/floating flies, you can have a really difficult time determining that your sinking lure has been taken. A smaller percentage of fish take lures off the top all season. We're fortunate that our favorite fish will....many, many more fish just won't.

 

Good thing is, none of this is really permanent. All fly fishing needs is a funny thing like 'A River Runs Through It" to happen, and the fly cycle will start up again. Similar thing about the decline in dinosaur films, but the avalanche of vampire/werewolf movies? Maybe fishing is vulnerable to faddish trends like anything else.

 

For me, I really love throwing a fly, and I'm grateful to the ones who got me started. But fickle as I am, if the perch are biting, I'll be dropping and dragging minnows on the big lake in the morning.

 

There's nothing quite like fishing, except for fishing and catching.

[Paul F]

Fly gear is expensive, and catching fish on the fly is more difficult. It seems most people (myself included) turn to fly fishing for a change of pace... But if you tie all your own flies its really not a whole lot more expensive than fly fishing.

[Paul F]

Correction, spin fishing

[Mike G]

Joe Cornwall's article inspired me to do some thinking. Mainly I do not think he went far enough. I will concentrate on two things, fly combos and fly shops.

 

First, what fly fishing needs is a good $50 combo. That's right the whole outfit, rod, line, reel for half of a C note. I occasionally see such combos at Farm and Fleet or Walmart though I have not seen any lately. The fly shops that are still in business should be selling these. They are the perfect way to get the beginner begun. Look at it this way, you do not hand the keys to the Vette to your son the day after he gets his license. Let hin make his mistakes on the 7 year old family sedan. For a beginner the $50 combo is perfect for absorbing the abuse that is sure to come.

 

Second, maybe the disappearance of the specialized fly shop is a good thing. Fly gear is fishing gear which should be sold along with all the other rods and reels a fisherman may want to use. We see this in some big box stores. The nice thing there is that you do not have to go anywhere else to look at a fly outfit. Again the remaining fly shops should probably be offering spinning and casting gear also.

 

We need some role models here. Roland Martin has done shows on fly fishing. Orvis should hire him. If Jimmy, Hank, Mike, and Denny were to show up using a fly rod, then you would see some interest.

[Guest Don R]

Second, maybe the disappearance of the specialized fly shop is a good thing.

 

We need some role models here. Roland Martin has done shows on fly fishing. Orvis should hire him. If Jimmy, Hank, Mike, and Denny were to show up using a fly rod, then you would see some interest.

 

I completely disagree with the disappearance of specialized fly shops being a good thing.

 

I've never fly fished and I don't know who Jimmy, Hank, Mike and Denny are. So I guess that wouldn't get me interested.

[mattyvac]

Great points.

 

Sounds like fly fishing has been excluding itself from wider acceptance - by its somewhat limited capabilities, and by its above average cost. There really aren't many fish a spin outfit can't fish for. To a point, same could be said for fly fishing, only it seems to be a much farther stretch to make it all work. I'm sure it's been done, catching all bass species with fly gear, for example. But when the cultural trend is to streamline everything, from cars to lightbulbs, a one-outfit-does-it-all setup does not aim toward fly gear. As much as I love fly fishing, I can still see why its losing ground in the marketplace.

 

The solution might lie in marketing. Until the 1970's, America was more devoted to Trout fishing than black bass. People used all methods to catch them. Then Ray Scott changed everything with B.A.S.S. He pretty much single handedly invented black bass fishing as a sport. We can use a voice like that for fly fishing.

[ronk]

I read Joe's lengthy article.I'm not sure what to make of it.My concern is for the future possible extinction of fishing period when I see so few kids interested in spending time outdoors today other than maybe shooting a few hoops in their driveways. Why experience the outdoors when there's a WII game that lets you simulate it all w/o leaving the comfort & safety of your living room while all the while pointlessly texting & eating junk food.As an alternative for some hands on adventure there's always The Mall.

As for flyfishing itself, the advent of spinfishing in the 50's rendered it(along with baitcasting) a minority pursuit.If it were to become extinct it would've happened then.Following The Movie leading to a big increase in ffing it was to be expected that a good nummber who came to the sport as a result were dilletantes.Tennis enjoyed such a short time boom in the 70's.While it's unfortunate that mom & pop flyshops have closed the reasons have to do with factors other than a drop in ffing interest & more to do with big box & especially catalog/online competition.Why go to a shop that may or may not have everything you need in stock when you can pu the phone or go online & be assured it's all there & will be at your door in a few days sometimes sans shipping or sales tax costs.

Re ffing magazines I dropped my subscritions to all but Midwest Flyfishing years ago primarily because after awhile they became redundant which I think holds true for how to magazines such as In Fisherman also.There's only so much that can be said about how to catch a fish.

Re equipment costs ffing equipment is necessarily more expensive due to lower volume of sales for profit support.That said I do think costs did get out of hand.I never understood why someone would spend over $500 for an Abel freshwater flyreel for example.By the way I see you can now drop many hundreds $ on a spinning reel too.The ffing mfring industry has introduced more economical equipment recently & that trend will only continue.There have always been low cost beginners outfits available as an equipment base for anyone who wishes to advance to a higher level if they become engaged in the sport.If not little money's been lost.

Finally I think that while ffing is of course part of the picture Joe overstates its importance to the health of the environment in his last paragraph.Most who belong to organizations such as Audubon,Sierra Club,Nature Conservancy etc & for that matter the ISA don't flyfish.

[Guest airbornemike]

A fly rod is a tool, just as a baitcaster, spinning rod.....I like to make the "bow hunting" analogy, yes its harder, not as effecient and specialized, but its just a diiferrent means to the same end. Ron your point stated is spot on, the sales and shop part are accurate but for me I miss going into a well run, fully stocked shop with a knowledgeable FISHERMAN/TYER behind the counter to BS with and drink a cup of coffee. Truth be told many years ago I reached a "gear saturation point" and much of what I purchase got sold the next season.

[Guest rich mc]

my take on joes article was he was right on target. seems like all fly fishing shows and most magazines cater to exotic areas to fish that only those with big bucks can go.it leaves out the local joe angler that enjoys just getting out for an hour at a local pond or creek.

why fly shops dont open up to bass and walleye anglers in tying jigs and streamers stumps me. rich

[Steve S.]

why fly shops dont open up to bass and walleye anglers in tying jigs and streamers stumps me. rich

 

I think there has been movement in the industry to cater to the warmwater fly fisherman. Doesn't anyone else see this?

[Steve S.]

I read Joe's lengthy article.I'm not sure what to make of it.My concern is for the future possible extinction of fishing period when I see so few kids interested in spending time outdoors today other than maybe shooting a few hoops in their driveways. Why experience the outdoors when there's a WII game that lets you simulate it all w/o leaving the comfort & safety of your living room while all the while pointlessly texting & eating junk food.As an alternative for some hands on adventure there's always The Mall.

As for flyfishing itself, the advent of spinfishing in the 50's rendered it(along with baitcasting) a minority pursuit.If it were to become extinct it would've happened then.Following The Movie leading to a big increase in ffing it was to be expected that a good nummber who came to the sport as a result were dilletantes.Tennis enjoyed such a short time boom in the 70's.While it's unfortunate that mom & pop flyshops have closed the reasons have to do with factors other than a drop in ffing interest & more to do with big box & especially catalog/online competition.Why go to a shop that may or may not have everything you need in stock when you can pu the phone or go online & be assured it's all there & will be at your door in a few days sometimes sans shipping or sales tax costs.

Re ffing magazines I dropped my subscritions to all but Midwest Flyfishing years ago primarily because after awhile they became redundant which I think holds true for how to magazines such as In Fisherman also.There's only so much that can be said about how to catch a fish.

Re equipment costs ffing equipment is necessarily more expensive due to lower volume of sales for profit support.That said I do think costs did get out of hand.I never understood why someone would spend over $500 for an Abel freshwater flyreel for example.By the way I see you can now drop many hundreds $ on a spinning reel too.The ffing mfring industry has introduced more economical equipment recently & that trend will only continue.There have always been low cost beginners outfits available as an equipment base for anyone who wishes to advance to a higher level if they become engaged in the sport.If not little money's been lost.

Finally I think that while ffing is of course part of the picture Joe overstates its importance to the health of the environment in his last paragraph.Most who belong to organizations such as Audubon,Sierra Club,Nature Conservancy etc & for that matter the ISA don't flyfish.

 

Ron

 

You brought up a lot of great points in your response.

[mattyvac]

It seems to be just about unanimous. We love to fly fish, and we all seek to use fly gear whenever we can, including inventing ways to squeeze fly fishing into places that no one has gone before. We all seem to be finding ways to get around the costs of gear, tying tools, waders, and whatever else we need, to approach our favorite water with fly tackle. We are all just fishing fans, mostly regular guys, and we have little problem doing the fly fishing we need to do. We just get creative, and find a solution. Just look at the BassBugger topics in the ISA forum. Its rich with encouraging communication.

 

So, why is there such talk of extinction? I admit, I'm way down the food chain from the people who really know things - manufacturers, retailers, shop owners, guides and lodges - these are the folks who live and die by fishing trends. Is extinction what they are talking about? Or is it just Cornwall?

[Mike G]

I completely disagree with the disappearance of specialized fly shops being a good thing.

 

I've never fly fished and I don't know who Jimmy, Hank, Mike and Denny are. So I guess that wouldn't get me interested.

 

Jimmy Houston, Hank Parker, Mike Iconelli, and Denny Brauer.

[Mike G]

I think there has been movement in the industry to cater to the warmwater fly fisherman. Doesn't anyone else see this?

 

I do. Bean's, Cabela's, Bass Pro seem to have it figured out. Beacons im thedarkness.

[tjtroester]

is fly fishing facing extinction? ...hhmmm... there are times i feel as if i am becoming extinct, for sure. i've been casting a fly rod, now, right at 50 yrs. i have, in my life, fished with two gentlemen you were casting a fly rod before 1900. one of them fished till the age of 98 and passed at the age of 100. think about all the changes, variations and "improvements" in fly fishing they witnessed in their lives. i have in my pocession a reproduction copy of flys published in the 1800's. many bass flies found there. these are flys, not bottom dragging chunks we often heave today. i have seen an article that was written about fly fishinf got bass that was written in the 1700's by a south carolina planter. so fly fishing for bass in not a new thing. prior to the war fly fisning was more common. after the war with the new nylon line and spinning reel alot of sportmen converted. there were the odd few. we were an odd few, proud and defiant, snobs. the whole rest of the world was nuts. as a kid i recall a fly casting demonstration at the pulaski county fair. the guy was casting to catfish in a tank. as a kid i fly fished for catfish, bowfin, bass as well as crappie and bluegill. i was an adult before i ever saw a trout. there have been alot of changes in the last few years. cars don't stop and the people get out and watch any more. i have fewer other fishermen tell me i'm stupid. and we now have available to us for 60 bucks genetic hackle of a quality that did not even exist 20 yrs ago. i think carp as a sport fish is a new comer. any fish you can catch on any other type of rod you can use a fly rod for. i think what we are seeing now is the decline from the upsurge after the movie. i loved that movie but man did the streams get crowded. business got so good, companies expanded and when the fad declined those business were extended beyond their ability to sustain themselves. i don't theink flyfishing is facing extinction unless the fish all die or outr only fish to fish for becomes snakeheads, ick!, we use to make alot of our own equipment and ordered from herters only what we had to once a year, in the winter. there will always be those few who will move on a parallel road following their own way with out regard to what is popular. oh! yes, there is another big change that has occurred in recent years, i do occassionally have someone else to talk to that fly fishes. LOL timothy troester

[Guest Don R]

Jimmy Houston, Hank Parker, Mike Iconelli, and Denny Brauer.

 

Thanks for clarifying. I'm guessing these are fishing celebrities of some sort? Maybe associated with tournaments? I'll assume they're all fine fishermen. I've never been impressed with tournament fishing. Ho hum.

[Steve S.]

I do. Bean's, Cabela's, Bass Pro seem to have it figured out. Beacons im thedarkness.

Other examples I had in mind were various manufacturers introducing rod series, even lines designed to better cast bulkier flies used by the warmwater fly angler, shops setting up to market to the warmwater angler, such as Tight Lines Smallmouth Shop and Pat Ehlers The Fly Fishers in Milwaukee, which offers a Warmwater Fly Fishing catalog. How about Musky Country Outfitters offering guide services specifically for musky, Tight Lines Fly Fishing, Wildwood Float Trips, and many others offering guided trips geared to the smallmouth fly fisherman? I dont view these as gimmicks designed to sell a few more items, but rather a market I see developing in the fly fishing industry.

 

I hate to knock the stores you referenced but I only go to them in a pinch. I'm usually disappointed in what they have to offer. Fly shops are far better, and I try to give them as much of my business as I can. I'd hate to think that one day I wouldnt have that option. It would be like only having Pizza Hut, Dominos or Little Caeasars if you wanted a pizza. Screw that noise!

[Guest airbornemike]

I read some where recently that warm water is the fastest growing segment of fly fishing industry, there used to be a "warm water fly fishing" magazine published years back.

I think there has been movement in the industry to cater to the warmwater fly fisherman. Doesn't anyone else see this?

[Mike G]

is fly fishing facing extinction? ...hhmmm... there are times i feel as if i am becoming extinct, for sure. i've been casting a fly rod, now, right at 50 yrs. i have, in my life, fished with two gentlemen you were casting a fly rod before 1900. one of them fished till the age of 98 and passed at the age of 100. think about all the changes, variations and "improvements" in fly fishing they witnessed in their lives. i have in my pocession a reproduction copy of flys published in the 1800's. many bass flies found there. these are flys, not bottom dragging chunks we often heave today. i have seen an article that was written about fly fishinf got bass that was written in the 1700's by a south carolina planter. so fly fishing for bass in not a new thing. prior to the war fly fisning was more common. after the war with the new nylon line and spinning reel alot of sportmen converted. there were the odd few. we were an odd few, proud and defiant, snobs. the whole rest of the world was nuts. as a kid i recall a fly casting demonstration at the pulaski county fair. the guy was casting to catfish in a tank. as a kid i fly fished for catfish, bowfin, bass as well as crappie and bluegill. i was an adult before i ever saw a trout. there have been alot of changes in the last few years. cars don't stop and the people get out and watch any more. i have fewer other fishermen tell me i'm stupid. and we now have available to us for 60 bucks genetic hackle of a quality that did not even exist 20 yrs ago. i think carp as a sport fish is a new comer. any fish you can catch on any other type of rod you can use a fly rod for. i think what we are seeing now is the decline from the upsurge after the movie. i loved that movie but man did the streams get crowded. business got so good, companies expanded and when the fad declined those business were extended beyond their ability to sustain themselves. i don't theink flyfishing is facing extinction unless the fish all die or outr only fish to fish for becomes snakeheads, ick!, we use to make alot of our own equipment and ordered from herters only what we had to once a year, in the winter. there will always be those few who will move on a parallel road following their own way with out regard to what is popular. oh! yes, there is another big change that has occurred in recent years, i do occassionally have someone else to talk to that fly fishes. LOL timothy troester

 

Timothy,

 

We are the reason why fly fishing will not go belly up. Once you mentioned Herter's, Tenacious for Quality, I knew we were brothers. My fly tying kit still contains stuff I bought from Herter's. I remember having to give my dad the cash so he could write the check, me not having a checking account yet. IT IS IN THE BLOOD.

[tjtroester]

Timothy,

 

We are the reason why fly fishing will not go belly up. Once you mentioned Herter's, Tenacious for Quality, I knew we were brothers. My fly tying kit still contains stuff I bought from Herter's. I remember having to give my dad the cash so he could write the check, me not having a checking account yet. IT IS IN THE BLOOD.

i'm told it's called an affectation. sounds like an insult doesn't it? LOL timothy troester

[Mike G]

Great points.

 

Sounds like fly fishing has been excluding itself from wider acceptance - by its somewhat limited capabilities, and by its above average cost. There really aren't many fish a spin outfit can't fish for. To a point, same could be said for fly fishing, only it seems to be a much farther stretch to make it all work. I'm sure it's been done, catching all bass species with fly gear, for example. But when the cultural trend is to streamline everything, from cars to lightbulbs, a one-outfit-does-it-all setup does not aim toward fly gear. As much as I love fly fishing, I can still see why its losing ground in the marketplace.

 

The solution might lie in marketing. Until the 1970's, America was more devoted to Trout fishing than black bass. People used all methods to catch them. Then Ray Scott changed everything with B.A.S.S. He pretty much single handedly invented black bass fishing as a sport. We can use a voice like that for fly fishing.

 

Though I am not an historian, I am positive that all this bass fly fishing was already done before 1950 on bamboo rods with silk lines and gut leaders. As an eye witness I can assure you that bass were targated by fly fishermen on or about 1950. Though I did not witness them, the big name guys that did the sane were , Ray Bergman, John Alden Knight, Tom McNally, and AJ McClane-all excellent warm watter bass hunters.

 

The advent of spinning and spincasting around 1950 really put a wrench into it as far as fly fishing is concerned. This is to say that the fly voices were there back then though buried by the spinning marketing plan. I will give Scott his due, however, the sport of bass fishing existed over 100 years before the insurance salesman was born.

[Scott Ferguson]

Though I am not an historian, I am positive that all this bass fly fishing was already done before 1950 on bamboo rods with silk lines and gut leaders. As an eye witness I can assure you that bass were targated by fly fishermen on or about 1950. Though I did not witness them, the big name guys that did the sane were , Ray Bergman, John Alden Knight, Tom McNally, and AJ McClane-all excellent warm watter bass hunters.

 

In 1892, Mary Orvis Marbury, daughter of Charles F. Orvis, published the book "Favorite Flies and Their Histories" Many of the flies in the book are bass flies. So, fly fishermen were chasing bass way before 1950.

[ronk]

I think there has been movement in the industry to cater to the warmwater fly fisherman. Doesn't anyone else see this?

Warmwater ffing equipment has always been available along with coldwater/saltwater wherever ffing stuff's been sold whether it be heavy leaders,bass bugs,bluegill bugs,big streamers,6wt+ rods etc.

[ronk]

In 1892, Mary Orvis Marbury, daughter of Charles F. Orvis, published the book "Favorite Flies and Their Histories" Many of the flies in the book are bass flies. So, fly fishermen were chasing bass way before 1950.

A tv show from the 60's I never missed was Gadabout Gaddis The Flying Fisherman.He was an old dude who flew around the country ffing for bass exclusively with a white Shakespeare Wonderod.

[Steve S.]

Warmwater ffing equipment has always been available along with coldwater/saltwater wherever ffing stuff's been sold whether it be heavy leaders,bass bugs,bluegill bugs,big streamers,6wt+ rods etc.

 

I've only been fly fishing for a couple of seasons now (though +/-35-40 years ago was actually the first time I fly fished in my youth, strictly for warmwater species), so I think its fair to say I don't know enough about its history to comment intelligently about this topic. I still say in the past few years I see more trends towards marketing to the warmwater angler, though some of that could very well be growing personal awareness of what's out there. Perhaps its more of a recycling of old concepts along with adding new tweaks, I don't know. Gear fishing is not that much different in my eyes in that I think the mfrs. get carried away marketing specific rod series, like G. Loomis does with its smallmouth rods, walleye rods, crankbait, flipping, swimbait.......you name it and it seems there's a rod specific for that species or tactic. Seems to me they're all just variations of light action, medium, heavy, and so on.

 

Maybe this is not a good analogy, but recently there seems to have been renewed and growing interest in hockey in Chicago due to the Blackhawks success as a team, hence a perceived growth in the sport's popularity. In reality, there is a core of hockey fans that have always been here and that core has not really grown significantly, despite the team's recent successes and the improved marketing of the hockey product. So, unless the sport undergoes some major changes, hockey will always be in the minority compared to sports like football, baseball and basketball. Likewise, perhaps fly fishing will never become a majority in the fishing world, but will always have its loyal following of core fly fisherman.

 

Fly fishing has become the majority for me the past few years (probably 80% of my fishing outings are spent fly fishing) and I don't anticipate its going to change.