Yep, this sums it up. Is the future of Montana fly fishing deciding which jig/nymph/ass to tie on? Look, I've went to one of the fabled rivers this past week. Not only did I get a ration of flat-brimmed, millennial guide, lazy gettin'-paid horseshoe at the ramp, but I thoroughly enjoyed the rising trout (and there were a bunch) in just about every corner that you could imagine. So my question is when did nymphing become the default for all of the new crop of guides? Shop owners should be embarrassed, and the guides should wonder if this is all that there is. True enough that many of these pups never knew anything else, but for Pete's sake read a Haig-Brown book. The customer learns nothing about fly fishing, dry fly presentation or the ethics of the sport. I guess it probably goes back to the short-cut, immediate nature of our lives lately. Now anyone can be a "fly fisher". Now anyone can "get into fishing". Shit man, you could be a guide if you have enough coin!
I remember a time when nymphing was dirty, akin to watching midget porn or using powerbait. Midget porn really isn't that bad.
I talked with a prominent fly shop owner today and he explained that his shop would be limiting their guided trips to 6 per day. That's pretty dang cool. He had a bunch of reasons for the decision, but it all boiled down to a better experience for the guest, the health of the rivers and a commendable sense of preservation. His kids need as good of an experience as we all had. The let's "make all we can while we can" mentality is near-sighted and pretty pathetic. So, check yourselves; try to see a bigger picture. Wouldn't it be nice to present to the public a brighter and sustainable face of commercial use? It does seem that the ones complaining about over-crowding and boat traffic seem to be profiteering off of our best resources. It must be hard to sleep each night on pillows filled with hypocrisy. Maybe not. But, it should be.
Best of luck to the nymphers this season. We will be praying for your souls.
-Predator
