4 cool ways that fly-fishing is evolving, mostly for the better

DIVERSE SPECIES

One time when I was a teenager fly fishing for bass and sunfish in a roadside pond, a few drivers stopped their cars to helpfully explain there were no trout in that spot. They weren’t mocking me; they just couldn’t comprehend why someone would fly fish in a pond. But it was simply the best water close to my house, and it’s where I cemented many of the basic skills I still use.

Trout are the most popular target for fly anglers, and they’ll probably remain so as long as we still have water that’s cold and clean for them to survive. At the same time, however, those of us who also embrace fly fishing for other species are at least no longer considered complete freaks. Outliers, perhaps, but at least not dangerously insane.

That’s an example of the biggest and most positive change I’ve seen—an increasing openness to new ideas, expanding the boundaries of where and how you can fly fish, and even who can be a fly angler. It’s added a richness and energy to fly fishing that’s essential if the sport is going to survive and thrive, and I hope it continues.