Archive for December, 2009

Note: This is simply a personal rant that I was thinking about last night and since this is my personal fishing journal, I decided to post it for others read and form their own optinions.

Over the past year I have really notice the influence the Internet has put on fly fishing…The once pure innocent past time has turned into a cyberspace monster, so to speak. So I post the question is it good or bad?  Lets start with the good. 1. Information is everywhere and easy to find. One can learn different techniques, watch movies, and listen to podcasts. (There is an endless amount of knowledge) 2. Online forums can be very helpful and bring people together forming new friendships. 3. Can reach out to more for important conservation efforts and help unite the people. 4. Gives most men something to do when they should be working. 4. Opened the doors to international fly fishing and travel.  Now the BAD 1. Sitting on the computer learning about fly fishing is more important to some than actually going out and learning first-hand on a river or lake. Creating the Lazy Age of Anglers 2. Fly Fishermen have turned into elitist idiots who don’t care about fly fishing, but only that they look and act the way the Internet crowd says they should. What happened to the days where you fly fished because you loved to fly fish? 3. Online forums in most cases are great, but there are a few people in each that ruin the experience for the other 90% that follow and would like to contribute but are too afraid to get be-littled by the forum “bullies” or the “in-crowd”. These bullies are a disgrace to fly fishing and symbolize why the Internet can do more damage than good. I just wish these people could see how much damage they have actually done for the fly fishing. (I personally wish they would all switch to bait fishing or somehow get locked out of each forum they ruin) 4. Fishing reports, hot spotting, whatever you want to call it. Posting something online can reach a lot more people than just telling your buddy. Some of the best fisheries in the state have been ruined to Internet posts. Simply put think before you post.  5. Taken away the surprise factor of fly fishing. I remember driving for hours in anticipation to what the fishing was going to be like at a far off river. Now there are water tables, forums, cameras at marinas and who’s knows what other crap they have made to take away the surprise factor. Everyone expects now to arrive to a location and catch as many fish as the last forum poster did. 5. Lastly it has changed the attitude of the sport. The Internet has allowed fly fishing to be transformed into something completely false. Its not about the art of fly fishing, its about the rage of fly fishing. Its not ok just to fish and enjoy a day on the river with friends and family, its about extreme locations and only fishing for the hardest fish and not sharing it with anyone else.  To me these are some of the main reasons why I don’t like where the Internet is taking our sport. Simply put nothing needs to be done to make fly fishing cool. If you are a true fly fishermen you will understand what I mean…if not I think you might be looking for a long time.

Fly Fishing can’t be changed, only humans change.

Travis Gillespie