Recently I released  a podcast episode in which I comment on the new breed of fly fishing elitists. Spoiler alert: they don’t wear tweed or try to dazzle you with Latin terms.

If you give it a listen (which you can do from here or anywhere you listen to podcasts), hopefully it doesn’t come across as a rebuke. It is meant to be more of an admonishment; an encouraging word to pull back before cultural collision, if you will.

That said, I did want to address it head on. Passive-aggressive isn’t my thing. In fact, passive-aggressive is a thing I have no problem rebuking. But I do have no qualms about poking a little fun at pretentiousness with  a wink and a nod.

With all that said, these three posts from the Casting Across archive are meant to prod the new generation of serious fly fishers a little bit. And, it might be added, I think we all can see areas in which the commentary hits a little close to home.

Click on the image or the title of the three posts below to read the entire article.

Fly Patterns To Combat Fly Fishing Elitism

There are some flies that are not to be fished. These patterns are seen as the mongrel half-breeds that straddle the line between fly fishing and bait fishing. They are flies in name only. Created from synthetic materials and imitating much less sophisticated foodstuffs (if they imitate anything at all), they are second class citizens in a world that fawns over delicate mayflies. In the eyes of some, you aren’t fishing a worm or a clump of Power Bait… but you might as well be.

Fish Photos Forge False Fulfillment

Sure, there are some things that are worth knowing.  But why tell someone with typed condescension? Or, why go out of your way to say where the fishing is probably better? Or where the trout are probably bigger? Or where there are trout, and not just carp or panfish? Or explain why a dry fly would be better? Or why their rod brand of choice isn’t as good as your rod brand of choice based upon an incredibly well thought-out set of objective and empirical opinions?

7 Ways to Have a Bad Day at a Fly Fishing Show

Virtually everyone has a good time at fly fishing and outdoor shows. What isn’t to love about an exposition hall filled to the rafters with the people, places, and things that make fly fishing what it is? However, some people like to take the difficult path. You might have a natural proclivity for pessimism. You could desire to purposefully sully your experience. To be fair, maintaining the image of “crotchety” or “stuck up” has it’s place within the fly fishing culture. With that in mind, I’ve compiled seven surefire ways to limit your enjoyment of a fly fishing show.