Last summer, me and a buddy were fishing the Stellako river, which is flyfishing
only for the most part. We were fishing right by Francois lake, because
gear is allowed there. ( I flyfish, My buddy doesn't). Now I'm
not exactly a pro flyfisherman, so if anybody as getting in the way it was
me, not my friend, but because he was using gear on a river known for flyfishing,
the attitude toward him just seemed a little stuck up. The way I see it,
we all pay for the same licenses and we're all just out to have a good
time, so use the gear you want to use and don't worry about how other
people are fishing. As long as their methods are legal, who cares?
This issue has been simmering with me since last November on the Thompson
River. I was a gear fisher for 25 years and loved it, I have since taken
to fly fishing for steelhead. I love the challenge of spey casting, the
challenge of covering fish with the fly and the deep personal satisfaction
when I do manage to hook one. Unfortunately, all too often I've found
myself in one level of conflict or another with a gear fisherman. These
exchanges usually end up leaving both of us with a bad taste and in a
few cases has completely ruined my day! I have been making a sincere effort
to avoid a confrontational approach (it is NOT easy!) but in level-headed
conversations with gear anglers whom I've felt were encroaching on my
"fishing experience" I've had the distinct feeling that when
I was done that they didn't have a clue why I percieved a problem. This
is frustrating and I am appealing to the general angling public - ALL
persuasions of anglers please - to offer suggestions as to how we go about
creating an atmosphere of understanding and respect for all anglers at
all times.
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"an atmosphere of understanding and respect for all anglers at all
times"nice phrase.problem is (IMHO) it's not going to happen,there
are now too many rats in the cage.the population of the lower mainland
is projected to double in the next 10-15years.what will happen to your
finely developed esthetic sense while surrounded by twice as many anglers?when
people are crowded it generally brings out the worst in them.complicating
the problem is the (not undeserved)reputation fly-fishing has for snobbery.as
a gear angler I couldn't care less about your"fishing experience",as
long as I'm not crowding you.i read on another(fly-fishing) board about
anglers giving each other 200+yds of space on the river.GOOD LUCK!!in
the end our fishing will be more & more public-free/private-pay,like
many European waters.i appreciate what you're trying to do,but my experiences
in developing countries tells me there is little hope.you've fished for
25+ yrs locally,so have I.we've both seen the wholesale destruction of
rivers&their fish populations,time&time again.how about the paving
of the fraser valley?like to go out&watch more destruction tomorrow?it's
easy,it's all around us,all the time.fishermen are by nature basically
optimists,that is our downfall,the reason we accept less&less every
year.it's all about $$$$ if you've got enough you can fish the upper dean
with all the swells,if not you're stuck here in the s*** with the rest
of us,going down fast.
think of gear fishermen as youthful, sometimes older, less refined drivers.
We are this way because it has always served us. Because you have moved
to a different level, not higher mind you, that makes us different. The
animosity from gear anglers generally comes as a result of restrictive
measures implaced by bureaucrats who think they are social engineers.
if someone was to say close the babine to flyfishermen, and call it gear
only, would you be as polite to us? Food for thought, or weed to smoke
if you like.
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