What is the difference between them and what is the definition of one to the other? How do you identify?
Let us start with a fly fishing purist. Now I have been fly fishing for well over 30+ years and have run into some characters on the streams who call themselves a purist. One guy would only fish dry flies, another would only fish wet flies. Some would never think of adding weight to their fly or leader and forget about using sink tip or sinking lines. There is no way they would use a tandem rig or a dry dropper. There was one gentleman who told me if you don’t tie your own flies and use a bamboo rod then your really not a true fly fisherman, oh really! Now my thought was what about people who can’t afford fly tying materials, they can get pretty expensive with all the furs, threads, feathers, vices and so on, trust me I should know.
People have argued for many years of what identifies you as a fly fishing purist, are you one? Who is to say what a purist really is and for that matter, who really cares? Now I know there is so much more out there which could identify a purist, but it is time to move on to the modern day fly fisherman.
What makes you a modern day fly fisherman? Well maybe it’s the fact that you have every rod under the sun in every different weight combination and reels to match. You use weight on your flies and leaders and also have five different sinking lines and why are you using a sinking leader? That’s for another day. You would never think of wearing a fly vest, you only use sling packs and they probably match your hat. You use tandem nymphs or a dry dropper setup. You carry two or three rods with you when you go out to the stream. You have every gizmo in your sling pack that pertains to fly fishing that you ordered online. Also, let us not forget the badge of honor that signifies you as a modern day fly fisherman……..The Squiggly Worm!
The point to all this is who the hell cares how you identify yourself as a fly fishermen, purist, or modern day. In the end its all about catching that 20 lb steelhead or 20 inch brown trout, right?
As long as its with a soft hackle wet fly and a bamboo fly rod…..just kidding.
So which one are you?
Let me know below what you think.
