Interesting...

To begin, I'm sure there are a handful, actually a large handful of fishermen on this forum, IFish, Steelheader, etc. that "believe" they are the elite, but of course this is in their own minds.

At age 27 I truly believe I am an "experienced" fisherman, but not necessarily the "elite." Place me in my element, such as on the Klickitat/Cowlitz for steelies, Potholes for walleye, or small ponds for largemouths and I honestly think I'm for the most part elite. I only say this because I believe it is justified by both the time I've spent on the water and my success. Also, growing up on a boat and now having my own boat for years makes a difference.

When you talk about a place like the Cowlitz, there are times when any person with a rod, strong line and a few corkies can catch fish; technique or not!! "Combat" fishing to me is not skilled though; people of all sorts are there because the KNOW there are fish in the river and there odds are vastly increased versus a remote river with small runs.

Here's how I see it...how many of these "combat" fishermen can work a true steelhead river like the Klick, Sol Duc, Clack, or Sky and use "their own" techniques to hook into a steelhead? Probably not too many. And the ones that are "true" fishermen probably have been doing it for years or are using legitimate techniques.