Look at These Fish

It pains me to see the onesightedness of many fly fisherman, and I feel obligated to every now and then voice my opposition to this. It has gotten better, I think. But there are still so many anglers that cling to a type of fish to the exclusion and sometimes destruction of others.

Trout aren't everything.

If I had a dime for every time someone said "show me a more beautiful fish..." in reference to a specific species, I'd be drowning in dimes. I believe this attitude is destructive for both the sport and conservation. When it comes to native species, valuing one over another is dangerous. And when it comes to non-native species, valuing one of them over a native species is even more dangerous.

My continued frequent featuring of a wide range of native and non-native fish species is an attempt to combat this. Fish are beautiful. Fish are amazing. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I don't photograph fish to say "look at me!", I photograph fish to say "look at these fish!".

So... look at these fish!

There is no such thing as a trash fish. Period.