What, in your mind, qualifies a fly fisher as a 'flat brimmer'?

[PocketWater]

Troy wrote:

bikerfish wrote:
I think, that besides the dorky hat, one must wear a buff device covering their face, despite the 12 days of sunshine a year that PA receives.

Yeah, that cracks me up seeing people wear these buffs in situations where they are not needed. Flat brimmers try to look pretty on the water.

I keep a buff in my pack, and wear it on streams that have a lot of mosquito. I don't like putting bug spray on my face and it helps a lot.

 

[JackM]

Never wore a buff on my face/neck, but I was wondering is there a diaper crowd. I'd like to join.

 

[BrookieChaser]

Warning; Rant -
When the flat-billers got into diesel motorsports the problems at events went up and the sport went downhill fast.
When 12v Cummins' got cheap they bought them up, painted them flat black, put a 12" stovepipe through the bed, turned the screw on the pump, slapped a Monster energy drink sticker on every window, put on their white Oakley's, then proceeded to lug them around in 5th gear under the charger to blow smoke all over every car they, somehow, managed to get in front of. All the while filming it and putting it on YouTube.
Now we have EPA issues with the aftermarket companies.

Lately they found fly fishing. They're easy to spot now that it's getting colder. Just look for the bright green Patagonia puffy jacket, the Cheeky reel, and a bunch of bass fishing terms being yelled in conjunction with "brah". Now look closely because they can be confused with hipsters.

I agree with PocketWater though, as long as they respect the resource I don't have a problem with it. If anything they brought the sport some popularity with segments of the population that might not have tried the sport otherwise. Similar to the "River Runs Through It" bump.

Sidenote - "Earth is Enough" is a much better representation of fly fishing than "A River Runs Through It".

 

[Chaz]

I'm a hat hater but if I wear a hat it's a ball cap, but not one with the stiff top, that's a truckers cap.

 

[krayfish2]

No need for a hat or buff? Sit for 10 hrs in a boat on the Susky or other big water. You get burned beyond belief. I wear long sleeved shirts, straw gardener hat, cowboy hat or whatever. Buff will likely be in my future. Every Monday morning at work "Wow, where did you go this weekend? Your face is burnt".

 

[BrookieChaser]

krayfish2 wrote:
No need for a hat or buff? Sit for 10 hrs in a boat on the Susky or other big water. You get burned beyond belief. I wear long sleeved shirts, straw gardener hat, cowboy hat or whatever. Buff will likely be in my future.

Agreed. It's the same way when wading big water all day.

 

[PennKev]

Buffs > insect repellent.

 

[PocketWater]

JackM wrote:
Never wore a buff on my face/neck, but I was wondering is there a diaper crowd. I'd like to join.

I could see adult sized Depends having a lot of benefits. Who wants to come off the stream in the middle of an epic hatch, search for trees you can hide behind so the local hiker babe's won't call the cops saying they were flashed, and then have to mess around with taking your vest or pack off just to loosen up your wader straps.

Plus, added bonus features, if you wear just the pant high waders you could leave some of the diaper hang out and use it as a fly patch or if you take a spill the diaper would soak up the water, balloon up, and act as a floatation device. I think you're onto something bruh!

 

[Troy]

krayfish2 wrote:
No need for a hat or buff? Sit for 10 hrs in a boat on the Susky or other big water. You get burned beyond belief. I wear long sleeved shirts, straw gardener hat, cowboy hat or whatever. Buff will likely be in my future. Every Monday morning at work "Wow, where did you go this weekend? Your face is burnt".

Being on a boat all day is a situation where a buff is needed. Being on a mountain stream when it is cloudy/raining is a situation where a buff is not needed.

 

[PocketWater]

BrookieChaser wrote:
Sidenote - "Earth is Enough" is a much better representation of fly fishing than "A River Runs Through It".

Is Earth is Enough a film, or a book? I Googled it and am just seeing books. I have been trying to find some good fiction books and films about fly fishing or with fly fishing as a major part of the storyline.

 

[tomitrout]

Book, never been made into a film.

 

[Coudersportguy]

The Earth is Enough is a book. The author has a few books about life and fly fishing. Good reads makes you think how things use to be. No flat brimmers or hipsters just guys that knew how to fish with what they had available.

 

[pro4mance]

fly Fishing hipsters

 

[mcwillja]

krayfish2 wrote:
Yo J,

Ease up on Ken Tanaka. I've watched and enjoyed his vids. "beauty brown". LOL. I like the guy and was going to email him to see if he wants to hook up for a float on the D next spring / summer.

Ive watched his videos too. He grew on me as well. Seems like a cool dude. But when I saw this thread about flat brimmers he was the first person I thought of lol.

Oh and don't forget "beauty bow"

 

[ponner1us]

Might not be a flat brimmed, but I like this hat.

 

[Pwigglez]

Flat brimmers are the typically western ski bums that have discovered fly fishing in the off season. They have incorporated alot of backcountry and park ski culture into fly fishing- hence the flat brim hats, stoner lingo, and love of rap music.

 

[pcray1231]

That's all perfectly true and for the OP, probably the best and most useful description found in this thread.

And I'd add that, IMO, the culture originated with west coast surfing, and has spread into skateboarding, snowboarding, and now fly fishing.

 

[McSneek]

I own a buff and have been known to use it. They are quite practical under the right conditions. If nothing else, I use mine like a scarf on a cold day. I do not have a flat brim. Prefer a little curve to my hat bill.

I don't care for the hat style where the brim is all frayed on the edges. Some hats come that way. Others intentionally distress their hats to give them that worn out look.

 

[PennKev]

McSneek wrote:
I don't care for the hat style where the brim is all frayed on the edges. Some hats come that way. Others intentionally distress their hats to give them that worn out look.

This is the the psuedo-country-Luke-Bryan-concert-goer look. It it is the ying to the flat brimmers yang and brings balance to the world of fly fishing posers.

 

[moon1284]

As long as guys give me some space and don't talk too long it doesn't bother me what they wear.

My least favorite people are the guys that give unsolicited pro tips as they pass by. You can't tell them by the way they dress, but they tend to congregate at the fly zones of the salmon river. The wb of the del at Indian country also has quite a few.