In a recent interview with Angling Times' Staff Writer Dom Garnett, popular angling influencer Amie Battams hit out at elitist attitudes in fishing, stressing the need to remove barriers, particularly for youngsters.
In the two-page interview in the June 6th issue of the magazine, the 2022 National Angling Awards winner talked about her own path into fishing and some of the attitudes she's faced.
"There's definitely still some elitism and I've met people with some sh** attitudes," she said.
"A lot of it is down to who owns the waters, especially in fly fishing. Some of the prices are crazy.
"They'll lie and say it's about fishing pressure - but they want to keep it to themselves.
"They think the rest of us are chavs, it's nonsense."
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Keen to emphasise that fishing is a sport for everyone to enjoy, Amie also talked about some of the stereotypes she's faced, a further barrier to newcomers.
"Being gay. I'm not easily offended," she said.
"You still get some funny assumptions, however.
"I've had quite a few women saying it's good to see another female angler, but there's still a lot of sexist rubbish on display, particularly on social media."
Despite some of the negatives, Amie's love for fishing fishing and creating entertaining content for her followers only seems to be growing.
"I love the heritage of angling, but elitism can sod right off," she says.
READ THE FULL INTERVIEW ON THE ANGLING TIMES MEMBER'S SITE HERE.