Stigma Against The Younger Guys?

20400 Views 226 Replies 79 Participants Last post by zen leecher aka bill w, Dec 4, 2016

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Discussion Starter · Nov 28, 2016 (Edited)

Hey Guys,

A few days ago I was floating an Eastern Washington steelhead river that I have been able to call a great friend for the past four years. During my expedition I experienced a common rejection that I have felt for my entire fishing career that has absolutely nothing to do with fishing itself. This common rejection was the immediate feeling of disrespect from almost every fisherman Generation X/Y and older. I have always found reaching out to the older generation brings nothing but a better knowledge of fly fishing and conservation for our sport, and for the past few years my encounters have troubled me. Before I go on any further let me preface that I have guided my past three summers in Alaska, I began guiding when I was 19 (by lucky fortune), and have been fishing for over 200 days a year for the past five. Salmon, steelhead, trout you name it. I have rowed and run sleds on whitewater, and have fished my whole life (like a lot of you). It truly is my passion and love. For our math aficionados out there; A calendar year sponsors 52 weeks. That means if the common working adult who is a DETERMINED weekend warrior fished conservatively 1-2 times a week they would rack up 80 days on the water. The point I’m making here is there are some young people who have fished more in the past half decade than most can say they have in almost 15 years. So what’s the issue? I have been blessed to have inspiring figures in my fly-fishing life, almost all from older generations, I owe a lot of where I am today because of them. However, I also can’t tell you how many times I have been shunned from older anglers simply based on some imaginary obvious prejudice that “I would be to young to understand”. Where a simple wave is treated with a smug glare. I faced this same prejudice in my first guiding year (which is common) and would often sense an aurora from many older clients along the lines of “I’ve been fishing my whole life so how can he know more than me?” I have then since earned the respect of other guides and lodges on my river from countless days connecting and making relationships. But what about rivers where we don’t guide? Does the amount of Instagram features, newspaper articles, pro deals, and sponsorships warrant credibility or the right to blow off respectful younger anglers? Do anglers feel threatened that there could be young people who know your “secret spots” or are actually better fisherman? Where has common courtesy gone? Don’t we all have something to learn from each other? I have nothing but the utmost respect for every angler in this state, as (most) anglers uphold their responsibility to utilize as much as conserve and educate. Like many of you I enjoy being alone on the river without seeing anyone, this is just a common observation I've made over the past years. My generation will be the one to continue our sport in the decades to come, and I know when I’m an old geezer I’ll do anything in my power to go out of my way to make a younger generation feel welcomed. I

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