Your parents or grandparents picked up this sport when it truly was on the fringe, if they got in the game early. Fly-fishing has grown into a “huge” industry, but back then, finding information, great gear and quality fly-tying materials was hard. These days there are thousands of fly patterns, myriad rod and reel companies, and when you want to learn a new technique or find out what the fishing is like in practically any location world-wide, real-time information is only a mouse click away.
I imagine it was pretty tough “back then.” Today we can check the stream flows from our computer or smartphone; back then you found out what was happening when you got there. Imagine spending hours on the road getting to a trout destination, only to find out the river was blowing out or the road closed. Major bummer! Back then when you broke your fly rod, you were pretty much screwed. These days, a fully warrantied replacement can be in the mail the same day you broke it.
