Ok before we get going. I am posting this to get people to think not to start anything. What make an expert ???

Is it a guy who has guided the cowlits for 20 years and now runs two trips a day side drifting and the boat limits out ever time?
Is it the guy who knows one river or species of fish and always does well no matter what method?
is it the guy who travels all over and has fair success everywhere he goes with all kinds of methods and once in a while has exceptional fishing?

I know it doesn't matter and completely a matter of opinion but what do you think?

i think it is personal opinion. i think my grandpa is an expert but he doesnt catch alot of fish, but he has taught me all he knows. so to me he is an expert.

I would have to go with the traveling fisherperson. Fishing many different rivers one must learn to adapt to a wide range of tactics. A method that works good at river S may not have the same effect at river Q forcing the traveler to have a diverse approach. The traveler's large bag of tricks and experience is what makes em tops.

Tallying the experts experience could be endless...knowing...
boats...of many sorts
Bank...spots
gear...what and when
Water...contour and structure
bait...flavor is everything
Approach...hitting it right
Tackle...how long what line retrieval method
Where...self explanatory
When...critical timing
For how long...quality being key
Who to ask...when in uncharted waters
when not to fish through...a matter of ethics
Why not to kill wild fish...for the greater of the fish
To leave it better for the next guy...the next guy may be you

And yada yada yada!

Wait another yada...
I don't think whether the person is paid or not has any bearing on the subject.

yada...
This is a good thread and should get plenty of valid input...I think you can ease up on the duck and cover! :p

FJ...out.

Here's one for you a expert on not catching fish. No matter how many times I went out this year I didn't catch any thing. And little fish don't count. I fished a few lakes I got skunked. I fished many rivers same results. It's like fish don't like what I'm sending out to them. Big flies,little flies, drys, nymphs,w/b's,streamers. If I ain't careful I'm going to go back over to the Dark Side.

An expert is a relative title..In some instances I may be an expert to someone in their eyes and a novice to someone else at the same time. What really counts is whether you are a BIG FRIGGIN EXPERT...That takes some doing.

When it comes to understanding mother nature think that only mother nature understands her self.We try to help her and only she understands her self.We end up doing nothing but harm.I say this after being at her mercy up north in the Bearing sea.Too many times I was close to death and at her mercy.After all that I look at our understanding and relise that the only EXPERT is the one that created it all.none of you are experts!!!

Every one is an expert at something, right?

There's a fine line between an expert and a know it all :p usually the expert is a good listener and keen observer.

my mother in law, she knows everything

I think most people would consider someone who catches more fish than they do an expert, so almost everyone knows somebody who they think is an expert and at the same time they are an expert to somebody else. That was the long hard way of saying it's all relative.

Hey RA3 I'll be at the Summit Saturday helping out for the Coalition, it will be nice to meet you!! 31 organizations are sending representitives---- hopefully the start of something big and long lasting.

I'm thinking an expert would be someone who has fished enough to know that no matter how much you know that you cant predict what the fish are doing. But can increase your odds by knowing who, what , where, and why.

I don't think there are any all around fishing experts. I think you have to qualify the word expert with the area or areas that person specializes in.

For example, a guy may be one or more of the following:
drift fishing expert
boon dogging expert
plug pulling expert
spey casting expert
Lake WA cutthroat fishing expert
Spoon fishing expert
nymph fishing expert
Jig\bobber fishing expert
Green river steelhead fishing expert
etc...

The more of these types of things a guy has under his belt, the closer he comes to being an all around fishing expert - but I've yet to meet someone quite that good...

It's like asking if someone is a 'medical expert'. More than likely, they will have a lot of general knowlenge, and or they will have a specialty that they may be considered an expert at (foot doctor, eye doctor, ...)

So then the next question would be: How do you tell if someone is an expert at a specific type of fishing? Success rates? Flexibility\adaptabilty? Years experience? Out fishes the 'competition'? Better at it than you? Good form, technique, or presentation? Good teacher? All or some of the above?

Expert: (in my big fat opinion) A person who is completely tuned into their local waters with intricate knowledge of most/all the techniques with which to fish them.
Also, this person can be put into a completely new surrounding and still put a lot of in the boat.

It looks like most people are saying about the same thing, but here I go anyway...I'll make it a list.

1. Respect for the angler's self, other anglers and landowners, the regulations, and the resource.

2. Ability to catch multiple species of fish under widely variable conditions, both in familiar and unfamiliar waters.

3. The understanding that being an expert is not something that you necessarily achieve, but something that you continue to grow closer to as you continue to learn about the various factors important in fishing. This takes perserverence, experience, observation, research, and good questioning of folks who are doing something you're not familiar with and are being successful.

4. Experts are also folks who help others achieve better success. Keep your zipperlips, and a few tricks up your sleeve, but be free with *most* other folks about proper gear and presentations, resource management, and ethics and safety issues.

And, lastly...

5. Someone who enjoys fishing and catching, and knows the difference between the two.

Fish on...

Todd.

As stated already, it truly is a relative question. There are 2 kinds of experts in my book. First, there is the over-hyped, star studded group that publish articles and are glamorized by the major fishing rags and newspapers. I've run across many of these "experts" over the years in my own travels and, in many cases, found some to have no exceptional knowledge or secrets........some of them even snag!

Then, there are the real experts. In my opinion, being a true expert seldom extends beyond a fisher's local geographic area. These are the folks who concentrate on 1 region or river, share info. with people they trust and think the biggest sin on earth would be to write articles broadcasting their mastery or locations to the world. Exploring and putting in the hours on your own get these guys' respect. These same experts also cringe when a local fishery is printed in a magazine that may be a delicate, fragile fishery because they know the catastrophic effects it can have on that fishery. At the same time, they breath a personal sigh of relief because they know they had no part in "broadcasting" the news.

I've learned more from this group over the years than any other. I think we all know folks like this in every area of the state, wherever we live. They put in the hours, develope an intricate knowledge of their river/region, don't have loose lips and quietly go about the business of kicking some butt on the water.

In my opinion, this board (in total) is an 'expert'. Anything you'd want to know about fishing and related topics can be found here.

two words: me

There is no such thing as an expert when it comes to fishing. There is always another fish to catch in antother river, lake, or ocean. You acn never learn it all. Personally, rather than be an expert I would prefer being lucky. Lucky fisherman catch big fish. Experts just talk alot.