When you're talking about fly fishing, you're already selecting for {time to fish} && {unwilling to pursue the most efficient method of catching fish}. So it's not a leap to && {slightly crazy}.
(Said as a fly fisherman)
(Said as a fly fisherman)
Then I realised that just for one week a year!
Also, the statistics they provided suggest that each fish you caught would cost about the same as a cheap car.
You get folks who just do it as a hobby (because it's not that expensive), die hard folks who live it (but aren't that wealthy), plus ultra-wealthy folks (who are generally jealous of the former!). I think it's the peace and tranquillity that attracts.
Add to that, that at least in the US, Trout Unlimited is without a doubt the most politically-connected pure sportsperson lobbying organization.
What you described is also true for skiing, scuba diving, mountain diving and any number of other outdoor pursuits.
Fly fishing feels more like bird-watching to me though: in that it's relatively easy and cheap to do, but not a thing you would ever do accidentally.
[1] https://outdoorindustry.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2018-... [2] https://www.statista.com/statistics/376710/active-skiers-and... [3] https://www.dema.org/store/download.aspx?id=7811B097-8882-47... [4] https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170315005391/en/Cam... [5] https://www.statista.com/statistics/191240/participants-in-h...
e.g.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-47963208
NB Doesn't matter who owns it, we can still walk over it!
What's the most efficient method of catching fish?
Currently? Very large industrial fishing nets.
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/insight/understanding-bycatch...?
>Unwanted catch is an issue both ecologically and economically. Animals that are discarded often die and cannot reproduce, impacting marine ecosystems. Bycatch can slow the rebuilding of overfished stocks, and place protected species such as whales and sea turtles at further risk. Bycatch of species like corals and sponges can cause damage to protected corals and to important fish habitat.
Explosives, hands down, by a wide margin. Most people aren't optimizing for pure efficiency though.
I do both: I trot bait when the river I fish is unsuitable for the fly.