This has been covered before on many sites. If you think you're better then someone else because you practice a certain method of fishing, you're an elitist. I know a ton of baitguys, and a ton of flyguys. BUT, most of the flyguys I know are pre"the movie" flyfisherman. Guess what? Most are very down to earth. I don't think the elitist label is for the "conservation" minded. It's from the Simms sporting, bandana wearing, wide brimmed hat, fly boxes coming out their ears, rods and reels that cost more them most of our cars do. Usually, most of these guys CAN'T fish a run (but can throw a fly rod usually) and gripe when you come in and catch fish near them. Usually you're a "snagger" to them (I've actually been called this by a couple guys fitting these descriptions). Being an elitist is an attitude, not what your background is. If you are conservation minded, very rarely are you elitist. But, you are an elitist if you gripe, whine, and cuss out a guy who's keeping a native fish (steelhead or salmon where legal to do so) when they should try to be polite and educate. If it's legal, it's legal. You'll get nowhere attacking someone who's doing something that by state standards is legal.

So, depends on your attitude towards things. If you feel flyfishing is the creme dela creme of fishing, the highest art form, then you could be described as one. For all fishing has it's give and takes. I know fly guys who can't pull plugs or keep a boat in the zone to boondog. I know fly guys who can't throw a baitcaster without backlashing everycast. They make their judgements without really knowing all there is to know about fishing. Now, I know gear guys who are same way. Only toss jigs, spoons, whatever. And claim it's the best of the best to fish. Now, that's same thing. If you say spoons are the only way to fish, and you're not fishing unless you're tossing hardware, then he's an elitist as well.

Get it? LOL. But, it's your attitude. As I said, most guys who are elitist usually don't catch that many fish in first place. No matter what they say. Like guys I fished next to above, I was running a sinktip, with a non weighted fly. They were running damp flies (subsurface/near dry) on floating lines. They actually said this to me "A fly fisherman only uses a floating line". Well, not a successful winter steelheader. Most use dredging lines, or floating lines during dry winter conditions that are clear. Well, all my fish were caught legally, in the mouth. None were snagged. But, I still got a ration of you know what. I finally got my 2 hatcheries and left (which I got reemed over keeping HATCHERY fish!!!). Have to tell you this too, isn't first time this has happened, and by different gentlemen/women. So, it's your persona. The only reason you see more fly guys being conservation minded is the overall makeup of people fishing. I bet a good majority out there are majority gear guys. Well, the percentage is probably more, since flyfishing's big jump came as conservation started to come around with fishing. You have many generations of gear guys that grew up bonking fish, so hard to change what you grew up knowing. I know I had a hard time changing, I grew up bonking nates, was not uncommon to do back in the 70's and 80's. So, I'd say since you've seen more of a upswing in flyfishing then in gear fishing, that may be why you see the higher percentage of conservation types in that group.