How important is it to other fishermen out there to look like a good fly fisherman? I guess I was curious to see who else is interested in the "style" of fly fishing.
The look is important to me ... I admit to
not wanting to look a certain way.
I like to have good quality stuff, but I really don't like all the new "style" in fishing gear. Sometimes it's hard to find stuff that fits well, functions, and doesn't look like a space suit or an Eddie Bauer catalog.
I really disliked all the molded foam on Fishpond and Simms vests that was really popular a few years ago but has seemed to go away now. I want functional but not flashy, bells and whistles aren't my thing. I don't like dangling stuff. I did just buy a new vest this season and am feeling self-conscious about how clean it is!!
I want to look like a fisherman, and to me that means looking like I know what I'm doing, and that means
not carrying every gadget and zinger that will fit on my body but I'll rarely use and never
need. So for me this is an old, favorite baseball cap, an old comfortable shirt maybe with the sleeves cut-off above the elbow because the elbows already blew-out. And if I'm going to be fishing all day and walking, I now prefer to just wear my non-fishing specific day pack and the smallest chest pack to carry essentials at hand.