A Manifesto for Ignorance

David James Duncan makes the case for going guideless in this piece that appeared in Outside Magazine in July of 2000. A few copies of The River Why probably ended up in the trash bin as a result.

My reservations about the average
fly-fishing guide are a lot like my reservations about the average
spiritual guru. Both can be highly entertaining. Both can be idiots.

LINK (Via: Outside Online)

Comments

[Matt Dunn]

Books about fly fishing can be highly entertaining. They can also be too long and awkward the whole way through.

Though I look forward to the movie. The "not his" version.

[Biggie]

When I first starting reading the article I almost ran upstairs to my book case to grab the River Why and toss in the can. It started out very hypocritical since I am sure he took a pretty nice chunk of change for the movie rights and then wants to bash others trying to eke out a living on the river. However after reading all the way through it I do have some sentiment for people trying to figure it out on their own and take from their mistakes along the way. Fortunately for me there are those out there who will not have the time to come to understand it or just won't ever figure it out on their own.

Just as some won't ever read the book, they will just watch the movie.

[Erdo]

i enjoyed this for the do it yourself proponent, but i am compelled to comment on this for the guide bashing. as a younger fly fisherman who over ten years has taught himself everything through trial and error on the water and at the vice, i can somewhat relate. getting started as a 12 yr old entering a fly shop to ask a handful of bad questions and getting only laughs as answers guided me on that path. so today i am reluctant to seek out guidance but i am eager to give it to those who are getting started. my learning curve could have been enhanced immensely by a guide or someone offering help on the water but i recieved neither. so because of this i think guides are a necessity, to enhance learning curves on new water but more importantly for developing the skills and interest among the youth. not everyone who is young and getting started is going to be able to stick with it like i did.

[Alan]

Isn't the point of this article to illustrate that to enjoy fly fishing one doesn't have to rely solely on the services of a guide? That fly fishing is about exploration, misadventure, mistakes and learning from the aforementioned trio . That figuring something out and learning about the river, the fish, the art and finally catching a fish is more rewarding than letting someone else do it all for you and catching 50 fish?

[A. Nonymous]

I once assisted an angler whose vision was bad enough that at 10 feet they couldn't see a splashy take. I was a paid guide. The client caught fish with my assistance. We had fun. Guess I'm an asshole.