By Ethan Hollifield
Social media is killing fly fishing! There, I said it. The conversations that I’ve had with fellow anglers and guides can attest to what I know a good portion of us, as fly anglers (or any anglers) are feeling. At first, I thought I was just being cynical, and that maybe I was being selfish with the fishing spots on which I learned my angling skills, but over recent years there have been a few phrases that always enter the conversation when talking about fishing:
“The fishing isn’t the same as it used to be.”
“I can remember when no one knew about (insert river name here) and now there are a million pictures on Facebook showing exactly where it is.”
“It’s not worth fishing at (insert river name here) anymore, it’s too beat to death.”
Discussions about this topic with fellow anglers have, to this point, been conducted in a hushed tone. I know that I can’t be the only one that cringes on the inside when I see the name and exact GPS coordinates of a place I worked so hard to find and learn how to fish posted all over Instagram, Facebook, or in some amateur YouTube video. Almost every spot I thought was somewhat unknown now has at least one hashtag to go along with it. This can be largely attributed to a lack of understanding on the part of the angling community. It is important to understand how fragile the ecosystems of smaller trout streams are, and that excessive pressure and improper harvest (or even release) techniques can have drastic effects on the health of a trout population. And after all, one of the joys of fly fishing is finding a secluded spot through hard work and research… instead of a social medial outlet.
This is an article that I wish I didn’t feel compelled to write, let me make that perfectly clear. I’m also in no way shape or form some overly jealous angler who doesn’t want people in any water within 100 miles of me. I believe that everyone has a right to these places, but more often than not, that right is taken for granted. A conversation has to be started when it comes to this issue, because I know I can’t be the only one who has this in the back of their mind. Hero shots of fish really don’t bother me at all either. I love seeing other people having the same expression of accomplishment on their face that I do when I hook a really nice fish. What kills me is the location tab that I see above the photo of a fish. Social media sites are fantastic ways to keep connected and to provide educational outlets for us as anglers to use, but I think there is a fine line between using these sites wisely and the unintended consequences to our sport that it’s producing. Places that I used to covet are now covered in footprints, trash, and the feeling of wildness lost.
Reading this will surely step on some reader’s toes, but I urge those who have made it this far in the article to at least consider what has been written. No singular problem in conservation can be faced without open discussion and debate. I could continue writing pages on this topic, but I’ll end this rant with a quote from one of my favorite college professors in natural resource management: “… the best way to conserve anything in nature is to keep it from those who see it merely as a picture to be taken and not a landscape to be cherished.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Ethan Hollifield is a guide for Southern Appalachian Anglers and works with French Broad Riverkeeper