Sarley: Leave elitism out of fishing and hunting

I love fishing and hunting, and one of my reasons is that anyone can participate.

These are sports that are totally nonexclusionary. If you can buy a license and follow the rules, anyone can take part. How you dress or how much you spend on your equipment shouldn’t make a whit of difference.

That said, I will have to admit that there is a tad bit of elitism that creeps into the worlds of hunting and fishing on occasion. I’m not saying that it is right, but being the realist that I am, I merely acknowledge its existence.

Here is an example. I was at a party and was introduced to a young gentleman in his 30s. I was introduced to him as a dedicated fisherman.

The man asked me what I liked to fish for, and I replied that although I could enjoy fishing for anything, muskies were the species that turned me on the most. He asked how I fished for them, and I responded that I used baitcasting equipment.

He flashed me a combination sneer/smile and said: “I like to fish for tarpon. I’ve caught them up to 150 pounds. Oh, and by the way, I like to catch them on fly fishing tackle.”

Although we were of similar height, I definitely could see that he was looking down his nose at me as we spoke.

Hey, pal, I am happy for you, but don’t try to make it seem like your fish are better than my fish. Also, don’t try to make me feel that your way of fishing is better than my way of fishing.

Fly fishermen are often categorized as elitists, but I don’t really believe that is true. I think it’s a stereotype based on a handful of people.

How about this one? I have seen examples where archery deer hunters totally look down at shotgun deer hunters. Why is that? Yes, I believe that archery is harder than using a gun, but it shouldn’t make a difference in the grand scheme of things. Anyone who gets a whitetail by a legal method is OK in my book. No hunter is better than any other hunter and no method is better than any other.

Is one guy’s species of fish better than another guy’s species of fish? The answer is a definite “no.”

I once had musky expert Pete Maina and top walleye pro Ted Takasaki on my TV program at the same time. After Takasaki had talked for a couple of minutes about how much he loved fishing for walleyes, Maina sneered at him and said, “You know, my fish eat your fish for dinner.”

Carp are reviled by a majority of the fishing world. They are often referred to as being ugly. Let’s be honest, my friends. What fish is beautiful?

Heck, they’re all green and slimy and scaly, aren’t they? By what standard of judgment can you assess one fish being better looking than another?

One thing I have no tolerance for is people who use personal preference for a type of fish to harm other fish that they find less appealing.

There are situations that arise on some waterways where bass fishermen who accidentally catch muskies throw them up on the shore rather than releasing them. They mistakenly believe that the muskies are eating up all of their beloved bass. They hate the thought of muskies eating their bass.

I like to eat walleyes. My in-laws always preferred eating northern pike. Who is right and who is wrong? There is no correct answer, folks.

It’s a matter of personal preference. Baitcasting or spinning — it’s the same thing. Live bait or artificials? Let’s not argue about any of this. Let’s just go out and go fishing and hunting and have a good time.

• Daily Herald Outdoors columnist Steve Sarley can be reached at sarfishing@yahoo.com.