Decline in Flyfishing

[Bendix]

Hi All

I am writing this while being concerned about the future of Flyfishing…

During the last 5-6 years or so, I have been seeing a large decline in the number of people who are Flyfishing in my local area… In my local rivers, it’s becoming rare to meet other Flyfishers, and I have seen, how even some of the most hardcore Flyfishers, have converted to spinning tackle during recent years.
The story is the same in the Trout ponds (Put & Take), where people are apparently only using spinning gear. This also coincides with the recent popularity in Ultra Light (UL) spinning gear, which have swept the Danish country during the last 4-5 years or so. UL gear seems to provide a lot of the same advantages as Flyfishing, only UL fishing is super easy to learn, and the gear is a lot cheaper than Flyfishing gear. I also see this on YouTube, where pretty much all the Danish Put & Take film’s features different types of UL fishing.
And speaking of the cheap UL and other spinning gear, I also see more and more people who only purchase the cheapest stuff, with very few people willing to pay a little more for quality tackle…

All of these things makes me concerned for the future of Flyfishing…

So my question is, is this massive decline in Flyfishing something that I’m (hopefully) only seeing in my local area, or is it a trend you guys have also seen in other parts of the world?

/Bendix

[Chess]

Interesting but disturbing observation. I've been an avid angler of many disciplines over my life. From long broomstick type rods & sidecast reels in the surf & from the ocean rocks as a kid, to boat, 'slugging it out' light game gear to many varieties of spin tackle in the saltwater estuaries, but the fly rod has my favorite for many decades. Guess I was lucky enough to experience "the good old days," when waterways weren't as congested as they are now, nor the avalanche of advertising and cheap fishing products flooding the market. The huge advancement in soft plastic technology and braid fishing line have changed a lot of fishing perceptions. Plus that thing called the internet, the world has changed dramatically as I see it with the introduction of it. I can only speculate what it must be like to be brought up with it, especially now in my retirement as I'm 'off the grid' so to speak. I do find it horrifying what some commercial fishing practices have done, especially with over fishing in particular with high tech equipment. Pollution is another matter of concern too.
In Australia access to good fly water for trout is very limited and there are many more fly anglers now than when I was starting out or in my prime. Hence the pressure on the fish and resources has been increasing imo. Plus the other aspect of the proliferation modern 4X4s, boats & other watercraft has created it's own effect plus the added policing by the authorities and land owners alike. Lot's more rules around today!
Climate difficulties such as prolonged droughts have also made its mark but there are more trout fly fishers now than I've ever seen before and certain areas I avoid on weekends & holidays. An unsavory aspect I have noticed increasing over a long period is the lack of stream etiquette, a sort of push comes to shove bad manners manifesting itself. It is not only in fly fishing, but across a myriad of social interchanges, modern times I suppose.
I'd be interested in others observations in their local areas around the world on this topic. I'm saving my pennies and hoping for travel to open up again soon to seek out some pristine waters away from the maddening crowds.

[George C]

Fly fishing participation has been increasing in the US
https://www.statista.com/statistics/315 ... ipants-us/

[Tangled]

It's been declining in the UK for quite a long time. The last time I attended the AGM of my club it looked like a pensioner's meeting.
We're losing fisheries too either by simply closing or converting to any method.
Our rivers are in bad shape and often hard to access or expensive. Salmon fishing is now almost pointless unless you're doing it for practice.

Having said all that, Covid created a resurrection of interest in fishing in general and our club membership jumped to the extent that we now have a waiting list again. Whether that interest continues we'll have to see.

[Bendix]

Thanks for your replies.

So it seems, that the situation is different, in different parts of the world.

The thing with fishing becoming more popular during COVID, is definitely something I too have experienced first hand. But the thing is, that it is spin fishing that seems to get all the attention in this regard… Not that many seem to take any interest in Fly Fishing. And this is what concerns me a bit…
That Fly Fishing is growing in North America is really great to hear, but it unfortunately doesn’t seem to be the case in my local area… In fact, it’s the exact opposite! And it breaks my heart!

/Bendix

[andrewparkeruk]

I have a short essay in the making about this topic in the UK

We have numerous exclusive “fly only” clubs / syndicates / waters
I wonder if the restriction is not about C&R; fish handling; et c
More about the “class” of the person

If my judgement is correct, it may be quite discriminatory

A friend of mine frequently posts fish capture images on Facebook, where the fish have been caught on a 10’+ nymph rod, Euro nymphing flyline, “French” leader, with what is basically a jig head on the end

This would arguably be easier to cast, and manipulate, using a LRF outfit

Andrew

[davestocker]

Learning to fly fish on small stocked stillwaters was the backbone of UK fly fishing. So many of these fisheries have gone over the last 20 years. I posted the below elsewhere recently. Another nail in the coffin, I fear.

I discovered today that water temperatures in one of my club's stocked stillwater fisheries (an 11 acre water supply reservoir with a stream inlet, in NW England) reached 26 degrees this summer, at a depth of 20 feet. With this being the case, I'm wondering whether there is any future for small, stocked stillwater trout fisheries in England and Wales, if climate warming continues apace.

[Paul Arden]

It really depends where you are. It would be very interesting to see numbers. In SE Asia its increasing. Don’t know if we are to experience a boom. It’s certainly possible and I think would be good for the protection of the fish. FFing and conservation (C&R) often seem to go hand in hand.

The UK has certainly declined. I put that partly down to the end of the coarse fishing close season.

However these things also go through waves of popularity. I don’t worry about it so long as there are enough anglers about to protect the fish but not too many!

Not sure about going from FFing to Spinning however. I didn’t even know that was possible

Cheers, Paul

[davestocker]

Even I have crossed to the dark side, Paul. I fly fish exclusively for trout, but now have several lovely lure rods for pike, bass and perch. UL and BFS lure angling in the modern world are decidedly sexy, and I'm sure have impacted on numbers taking up fly fishing. Check out Youtube films about softbaiting the hydro canals in SI NZ. 30lb trout on dead drift soft plastics fished on lightweight lure gear. What's not to like?

Something else has happened, too, in the UK. Few fly fishing folk want to keep the trout they catch any more, even the stocked ones. The species that is Trout doesn't have the cachet it once had.

I'm' delighted FF is doing well elsewhere, but I fear that in the UK we are nearing the end of a cycle.

[Paul Arden]

Fly fishing is already the dark side, Dave. I don’t draw a line. Fishing is fishing. I have a line for myself of course. If life was 100 or 1000 times longer I might have time to do things that weren’t fly fishing. But if I had to choose between bait fishing and women and drugs it might not be bait fishing.

Cheers, Paul