I am admittedly a bit of a fly fishing snob. I do my best not to be; however, I am aware of my flaws in this regard. I am not, however, a fly fishing purist...
Within fly fishing itself there is a spectrum of purism where people, who have been influenced and molded by mentors or their own experience, insist on adhering to "traditional" rules, specific techniques, language or philosophies. For the record, while I am a die-hard fly fisher, I don’t consider myself a purist — I will happily employ what ever fly fishing technique works to catch fish.
Some fly fishers are very particular about names. Take the “strike indicator” as an example. Made of cork, plastic or yarn, it is employed when fishing flies below the surface. The indicator floats along the surface and the fly is suspended below at the fishes’ feeding depth. If a fish takes the fly, the strike indicator will move accordingly. If this sounds like the bobber you used with a worm when fishing off the dock when you were 10… you are not wrong.
On one memorable occasion I was openly called out for my blasphemy.
Just to annoy my fishing partners I will often call the plastic or cork strike indicator a “bobber”. Some folks couldn’t care less. I’m sure that others judge me quietly using their inside voice. On one memorable occasion I was openly called out for my blasphemy. In the video clip below, from a recent trip for some early season brown trout, it is clear that my friend Brandy has no filter when it comes to judging me. I just can’t stop laughing at this and had to share.
Video Credit: Brandy Hasselback
"Did you just call it a bobber? What's wrong with you?"
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