Jay,
I speak only for myself, but doubt that there is any objection to people making a living...from fly fishing or anything else. The problem has more to do with both a monolithic view of "how it's done" and a blurring of the difference between advertising and editorial content.
There is more than one way to fish, and there's more than one way to fish with flies for salt-water gamefish. The vast majority of authors and publications however seem to be stuck recycling the same few ideas: 9 foot fast action rods throwing a 9 withgt intermediate or sink-tip as far as possible, then stripping as fast as possible. That tactic catches fish...sometimes. It works well...sometimes and in some places. But it is not the only way.
Similarly, flies made with epoxy and synthetic materials work very well...sometimes. Again, they are not the only way. There are other ways to look at the world, and other ways to approach fishing, and the conditions at hand.
Unfortunately, many of the authors and publications of today do not really look at opening up the discussions of rod design and function except to recycle that same old story. They don't bring any new thinking to the subject, just a recitation of the same few ideas. There are people writing with thought and wit on the subject, but they are few and far between. Certainly not enough to fill the pages of the magazines...but occasionally enough to put between hard covers.
Interestingly, this is less true for fly design. I submit that there is much to learn from the works of not only Ken byt Gary Borger, Datus Proper, Col. Joseph Bates, Gary LaFontaine and others. There seems to be a more creative and open-mined spirit among fly tiers. Perhaps it's related to economics, perhaps not. Still, the spirit of creativity and experimentation seems to ring louder here than in the area of rod design and function.
Obviously, fly fishing in salt water is not unique in this shortage of truly creative thinkers. No area of human endeavour is free of this particular problem. Indeed, cynics have suggested that the sum of intelligence in the universe, like the speed of light, is a constant, even though the population continues to expand. Still, the rehashing of old ideas to the exclusion of all else does us no service.
Continual learning, an open mind, a sense of adventure, and a willingness to look at other than the established wisdom can make us all better fishermen and perhaps better people as well.
Just my $0.02
Best regards,
-Doc
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