I am not anti-AI.
I also grew up with the Terminator series and, therefore, have a healthy fear of giving robots too much autonomy.
One of my favorite ways to interact with large language models is to ask them what other people are asking them. Or, I see what kinds of questions are on people’s minds.
Recently I engaged a chatbot on popular fly fishing inquiries. I wasn’t surprised at the overall responses.
- What is fly fishing and how is it different from spin fishing?
- What basic gear do I need to start fly fishing?
- What rod, reel, and line should a beginner buy?
- Is fly fishing hard to learn?
- How much does it cost to get into fly fishing?
But then I probed a little deeper. What was trending as follow-up questions. Or, outside of those basic beginner questions, what were fly fishers asking? Here are the three of the top questions anglers have been asking AI… along with my non-robotic responses.
How I can I learn fly fishing faster without hiring a guide?
This is essentially a question that could be applied to any field. How can I learn small engine repair faster without going to a technical school? How can I learn about literary criticism faster without enrolling in a humanities program? How can I get faster faster without hiring a personal trainer?
You can do virtually anything and everything on your own. But you’re not going to get feedback, let alone individual and immediate feedback. YouTube, books, and even fly fishing websites are incredibly valuable. Repetition of that knowledge plus trial and error on the water is essential to learning fly fishing. But a good guide’s instruction and feedback is going to be the most pointed, accurate way to learn how to fly fish holistically.
What I appreciate about this question is that it means people acknowledge that guides do more than help catch fish: they teach.
What flies should I use when I fish [water] in [month]?
This is a great way to use AI, assuming you are willing to check your footnotes. Why? Large language models are pulling data from preexisting online sources. Robots are not heading to local streams with a seine net. They’re aggregating data from catalogued fly shop reports and blogs. Basically, when you ask your chatbot “what should I use” it is answering with the kind of information you’d get in a printed guidebook.
All of that said, the AI answer will be a good start. Generally those patterns will work because they imitate the insects that are usually present at those times. Unless the particular model is adept at crawling and harvesting incredibly dynamic data from relatively small sites, you’re still best off calling the local shop.
If you’re content with general, AI can help. If you want specific, you still have to talk to a human.
How can I understand entomology?
“ChatGPT… teach me Latin.”
I know this isn’t what the question is really asking. And I won’t discourage anyone from learning the difference between Maccaffertium vicarium and Ephemerella subvaria. But that aspect of the sport is virtually unnecessary for fly selection.
Taxonomy matters. But common insect names and fly pattern names are used enough that knowledge the Latin is not required. The best way to learn is to pick up an fly fishing insect or hatch guide. They’re arranged by family/genus/species, which will help you identify those flies that are most similar – which is ultimately the most complicated part of the endeavor. Then go find some real bugs and make it practical.
At the end of the day, I’m not opposed to asking AI questions about fly fishing. But the best way to use AI tools is to see them as a ramp to a better answer. In fly fishing, the best answers will always come on the water with real human beings.