Access: The Future

Field & Stream editor-at-large, Kirk Deeter, argues today that the future of flyfishing depends on access. It’s simple: By pulling the public resource plug, we drain the opportunity pool. Montana’s “ditch” redefining House Bill 309 is cited as an example of poisonous back-pedaling into barbed-wire territory.

From Field & Stream: “The number one threat to the viability and value of flyfishing for present and future anglers is shrinking access to opportunity. Plain and simple.

“It’s all about having a place to go, or the lack thereof. We can talk about fishing for carp, bass, and panfish, which can indeed be caught in a lot of accessible places, even with fly rods… and sure, the oceans are wide open (provided you have a boat to fish them with), but the foundation of the flyfishing world is, for better or worse, trout fishing. And for that, we need rivers, streams, lakes and ponds with cool, clean water. The more we have available, the more flyfishing will prosper.”

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