I went down to the local river the other day and noticed a fair number of anglers on the water. Interestingly, I noticed that every angler I saw was fishing with a strike indicator-nymph rig, even though there were some bugs flying around. One hundred percent. Nymphing is no doubt an effective way to fish, especially if you want to actually catch something, which is the key to its popularity. Another important reason for its popularity, however, is that it more or less takes that complicated and often intimidating “casting thing” out of the equation. You don’t need to be a great caster to flip a weighted nymph rig upstream; with the right practice, I’m pretty sure an orangutan could do it.
Which leads us to the upcoming IFTD show, where we will be shown “amazing, breakthrough, revolutionary” new fly rods eclipsing that fabled $1000 retail barrier, and I cannot help but wonder if the real market of legitimate casters who can actually appreciate those things has shrunk, grown, or stayed the same. You tell me…