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Location: Not where I want to be! | Muskie Gal - 4/17/2021 7:44 AM Ever been around a bass tournament? Like I said there are those in the bass and walleye world also. |
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| Fuc yea, we're elitist. Takes us years to learn to regularly catch the biggest, baddest fish that swim in fresh water. It has nothing to do with gear, either, I was elite in my trusty 1972 14' Stella Blue Fin with a 15hp merc. The big cat guys/gals are also elitist; the folks who hunt 30lb+ flatheads. Likewise the walleye and bass gals/guys who target only trophy fish. I knew an old timer who regularly caught buckets of 10" bluegill and 14" perch year-round, he was elitist.
Elitist is all good with one glaring exception and that's the flyrod trout nice tryholes who look down their nose at anyone that doesn't wear $800 worth of fishing duds and repeatedly cast a $1,000 rod/reel to catch a 14" trout.
"Elitist" isn't bad unless the person uses their skills in a particular interest to disrespect others.
Last, "elitist" reflects poorly on the person using the term if they intend to smear anyone who they don't understand, or, are scared of, or both. The word is widely used by one particular demographic in our country; those people also characterized by their hypocrisy, greed, dishonesty and shamelessness. |
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Posts: 59
| I think that most of the muskie community isn't elitist. I've found that those who have the elitist attitudes are the loudest ones, but there are far more quiet anglers than loud elitist anglers.
That being said, I will say that many muskie anglers are proud anglers, and rightly so. We chase fish that are notoriously difficult to catch and behave in a way that leads to all sorts of confusion and addiction (even Jeremy Wade from River Monsters got hooked on muskies). For many people a good season may mean only boating 10-12 fish. I can't think of any other sport fish with that sort of statistic (except maybe Marlin). Lastly the muskie community employs some of the best fish handling practices leading to very low delayed mortality, this alone is enough to justify pride. |
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Location: oswego, il | joh10891 - 4/17/2021 8:58 AM
One thing that I suspect keeps muskie fishing from being too elitist is that it just takes so many hours and is such a low numbers fish to target. Many folks will often be happy to stick one fish on a week trip. It’s more like deer hunting in that sense moreso than fishing. Whereas with bass, folks can fish a lake for a day and compare limits of X or Y lbs caught, that’s much more difficult in muskie fishing. Also, we have more folks ‘swinging for the fences’: trying to catch the biggest fish of their life on any given trip. A lot of times, I’ll exclusively fish massive baits that I know will turn off smaller muskies, but that’s not what I’m targeting. So the timeline is spread out much further, almost into a lifetime, rather than how many fish or lb limit was caught in a given day.
All of this is to say that with muskies, there’s much less of a defined comparison benchmark for a ‘good’ versus ‘average’ or ‘bad’ angler because frankly we just catch so few fish overall. We can't as easily say "fancy gear X allowed me to catch Y fish, versus that other person with less fancy gear B that caught C fish". So I think that keeps egos in check, and the sport is much less focused on competition, which I suspect is highly coorelated with elitisim.
Post a pic of a 50 that might look 48 here or anywhere. Your bones will be picked clean. This is a massive ego hero worship sport. There are factions and big drama. If you are involved at any level other than your own person, it will find you. That's not to say everyone is like that the sport is filled with great people. If you are around long enough you get to hear the stories that make you shake your head. Some of it has played out here over the years. I also would not go anywhere for a week to catch a single muskie.
Edited by ToddM 4/17/2021 4:31 PM
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Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Muskie Gal - 4/17/2021 7:44 AM
Ever been around a bass tournament?
Yes, for several years, the FLW Tour and the Bassmaster Elites, some qualifiers and the FLW Cup and Classic. Also a guest media for BPS during BPS pro days. Some of the most genuine folks I have ever had the pleasure to talk with and interview. You won't find more down to Earth folks than Jay Yelas, Ott DeFoe, Edwin Evers, Skeet Reese, Jeff Gustafson, Alton Jones, and many others fishing those circuits. Spent some time in the boat and at a few BPS dinners with Kevin VanDam, a nice guy and a tremendous angler to boot. In the several years I worked some of the tournaments I never met one pro who didn't have the time to let me shoot an interview or get a good image. Polite folks to a person for me, and I am just an annoying media guy. |
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Location: Chisholm, MN | sworrall - 4/19/2021 9:27 PM
Muskie Gal - 4/17/2021 7:44 AM
Ever been around a bass tournament?
Yes, for several years, the FLW Tour and the Bassmaster Elites. Some of the most genuine folks I have ever had the pleasure to talk with and interview. You won't find more down to Earth folks than Jay Yelas, Ott DeFoe, Edwin Evers, Skeet Reese, Jeff Gustafson, Alton Jones, and many others fishing those circuits. Spent some time in the boat and at a few BPS dinners with Kevin VanDam, a nice guy and a tremendous angler to boot. In the several years I worked some of the tournaments I never met one pro who didn't have the time to let me shoot an interview or get a good image. Polite folks to a person for me, and I am just an annoying media guy.
I met Ike, Van Dam and Bobby Lane. All 3 were awesome guys and sat and humored me by listening to my BS fishing talked for a few minutes. I don’t care for bass fishing but I respect their sport immensely. |
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| i just started fly fishing for musky. i am now super elitist. |
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| eljefe - 4/27/2021 3:31 PM
i just started fly fishing for musky. i am now super elitist.
Nah, just a masochist. |
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| eljefe - 4/27/2021 3:31 PM
i just started fly fishing for musky. i am now super elitist.
Only if you get all your #*#* from Orvis... |
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Location: Kronenwetter, WI | Jerks are everywhere. So are nice guys. Know the difference. |
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Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | It does seem we might be a bit overly dramatic at times.
I can't express how amusing I find the idea it's cool to have suffered SO in our chosen entertainment as we 'Ground it out', 'kept pounding,' or some other extreme self-sacrificial action proving our manhood somehow, against all odds, continuing.... to fish.
No. It's fishing, not mortal combat.
And what is it with all the odd grammar? There is a G at the end of casting, fishing, etc. And is not 'n.
There are no longer proper names, only the guy's first name followed by 'Outdoors' |
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Posts: 341
Location: Western U.P. | No, but unfortunately, a lot of people that fish for Muskies have. There are elitists everywhere, but we're talking Muskies here. You don't need a certain rod, reel, lure, boat, electronics, technique, etc to catch a Musky, as some people believe. Guides (some well known), or others that drive up to your boat while you're fishing claiming that this is "their" spot... is just crazy stuff. I've fished with more than one person in this M1 group that I would rather not, or won't fish with again, just because of their attitude. I just want to fish as often as possible, have fun/enjoy it while I can, hopefully learn something that I didn't know before, and catch fish. Fortunately, I now live in a relatively rural area, with a lot of smaller Musky lakes with light fishing pressure, so I don't have to deal with as much of the BS/drama that a lot of you do. Be open minded, and learn. Life's too short to be a butthead. Fish on everyone. |
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| sworrall - 4/27/2021 10:49 PM
It does seem we might be a bit overly dramatic at times.
I can't express how amusing I find the idea it's cool to have suffered SO in our chosen entertainment as we 'Ground it out', 'kept pounding,' or some other extreme self-sacrificial action proving our manhood somehow, against all odds, continuing.... to fish.
No. It's fishing, not mortal combat.
And what is it with all the odd grammar? There is a G at the end of casting, fishing, etc. And is not 'n.
There are no longer proper names, only the guy's first name followed by 'Outdoors'
Dramatic is a good term. I read where you need a 72" shaft on your trolling motor so when fishing 3-4ft waves it doesn't get clear of water or how you need at least a $400 rain suit to stay dry while fishing in a monsoon and wonder: Were these folks sentenced by a judge to fish, regardless of conditions? |
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Location: Michigan | sworrall - 4/27/2021 11:49 PM
It does seem we might be a bit overly dramatic at times.
I can't express how amusing I find the idea it's cool to have suffered SO in our chosen entertainment as we 'Ground it out', 'kept pounding,' or some other extreme self-sacrificial action proving our manhood somehow, against all odds, continuing.... to fish.
No. It's fishing, not mortal combat.
My favorite is people refusing to wear handling gloves as they consider it 'soft'. I don't understand how being smart enough to not get injured is 'less manly' haha. |
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Location: oswego, il | There are those who thrive on the drama and love to create it. |
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| "Blessings upon all who hate contention and love quietness and virtue and angling." |
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Posts: 255
| The only real elite-ish thing I have found over the decades with musky stuff is the price of all the equipment. It leads me to have used stuff, old stuff, and not be in the loop as i had been when younger and spent more time on the water for skis. A person has to choose where to enter the sport of fishing, and where it all ends. You can shore fish somewhere, or be in a loaded boat. You can take big trips, or go to a local spot. Most of all this discussion is about people and how they act, and we come in all shapes and levels of idiotness, which will never end. Choose to be better than average. Have a great season all! |
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Posts: 61
| So do anglers targeting different species, end up catching a Kraken aka. Muskie, become part of the elite automatically, just because the bars run vertically instead of being horizontal? Huuuge egos; blue pill. 
Edited by szczochu13 5/1/2021 10:34 AM
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Location: oswego, il | szczochu13 - 5/1/2021 10:29 AM
So do anglers targeting different species, end up catching a Kraken aka. Muskie, become part of the elite automatically, just because the bars run vertically instead of being horizontal? Huuuge egos; blue pill. ;)
It depends.on how bad ass your buff looks |
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| Would have to dig in quite a bit. Yours? Were you able to get in front of the line to get the shot as part of the endorsement? 
Edited by szczochu13 5/1/2021 11:14 AM
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| I've had guys get mad at me for calling them "musky snobs", because in their videos they catch a really nice fish, but it is a bass or a pike, and they are like "DAMMIT !!" Come on guys, ya, it's not what you were hoping for... but you caught a fish!!!, Be happy, it's not taking all that much of your time... it's not destroying your bait. I see it a lot with pike... guys treating it like they have a leper on the line. |
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Location: Walker, MN | ToddM - 5/1/2021 11:00 AM
szczochu13 - 5/1/2021 10:29 AM
So do anglers targeting different species, end up catching a Kraken aka. Muskie, become part of the elite automatically, just because the bars run vertically instead of being horizontal? Huuuge egos; blue pill. ;)
It depends.on how bad ass your buff looks
My Costa monocle popped out reading this. |
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