The Billion-to-One Odds: Why Fly Fishing is a Privilege, Not Just a Hobby

Guest Author Chris Higgins reflects on Warren Buffett's 'Ovarian Lottery' and the Global Cost of a Cast.

Time to think while flying

As I sit in my seat, flying to yet another beautiful destination, I realize just how lucky I am to not only be alive at a point in history when travel is readily available, relatively affordable, and reliable, but to also be in a place in my life that allows me the time and money needed to be able to do this. There are about 8.3 billion people on the planet. (It's estimated that 0.120482% of those people fly fish.) Most of the 8.3 billion will never be able to afford to spend money on something as frivolous as traveling to remote fly fishing destinations. And of those that can afford it, most would avoid it. Choosing instead to spend their precious vacation time at one of thousands of options other than fishing.

Privilege of leisure time

Warren Buffett (a very successful investor/businessman) once said that he considers himself lucky primarily due to winning the "ovarian lottery" - being born in the United States in 1930 with the advantages of being white, male, and healthy. He believes these circumstances provided him with enormous, unearned opportunities and structural advantages that, combined with the U.S. market system, allowed his capital to compound.

I consider myself just as lucky.  Not because I will ever have the business success or even near the financial means of Warren Buffett. But because the longer I live and the more I travel, the more I understand how fortunate I have been. Being born to a white, stable, middle-class family in the 1970s gave me a significant advantage. An advantage that is only felt when you take a step back and look at your life through the eyes of the world rather than those in your immediate circle. An advantage that has allowed me to travel for the purpose of catching a fish on a fly, maybe taking a photo and then 99.9% of the time releasing that fish back to the water it came from. Not fishing for food.  But, fishing for fun.

Reality check:

Did you know that the median per-capita household income worldwide is approximately $2,920 per year? 

●      World Population: 8.3 Billion

●      Estimated Fly Fishers: ~0.12% of the population

●      Median Per-Capita Household Income Worldwide: ~$2,920/year

●      Highest Monthly Average Salaries: Switzerland (~$6,360), Luxembourg (~$5,167), Singapore (~$5,087), USA (~$4,662).

●      Top 2025 Average Monthly Salaries: (Europe): Norway (~$5,772), Denmark (~$5,749).

●      Mid-Range Average Monthly Salaries: Saudi Arabia (~$2,036), South Africa (~$1,295), China (~$1,009).

●      Lowest Average Monthly Salaries: Pakistan (~$156), Egypt (~$146), with others in Africa and Asia often below $200.

●      Average cost of a destination fly fishing trip:

○      A destination fly fishing trip typically costs between $2,500 and $6,000+ per person for a 4-to-7-day, all-inclusive lodge package, excluding international airfare. While premium, remote, or wilderness lodge trips can exceed $7,000–$10,000

○      Budget-friendly, DIY-focused, or shorter trips can be found for a few hundred dollars up to a few thousand dollars. 

Imagine telling someone making $3,000 dollars per year that you just spend that much for a weekend trying to catch a fish that you have no intentions of eating? They will think you are crazy.

Why do I think about these things? As the owner of a small company, I am constantly reviewing data. Even though my colleagues might not know it or believe it; I am very interested in making sure that each one of them is as lucky as I am. That each one of them has the ability to live a life with leisure opportunities. A life where they might have the chance to sit in this seat and jet off to a beautiful clear freestone river or an emerald green salt water flat if they want to.

For the majority of us, it's often hard to feel lucky. Because even though we are far better off than the majority, we are constantly being bombarded with content and advertisements reminding us that others are seemingly living their best lives every day.  All while we wake up early each morning simply to feel the monotony of life and work really long-hard hours. Then spend our evenings prioritizing our spending and carefully budgeting simply to afford one or two of these hopefully amazing trips each year.  It's difficult to remember that algorithms curate that content to make us feel that way.

Be humble, be thankful

So, I encourage all who are blessed enough to have the opportunity to recreate and then even more fortunate to have found the beauty and joy of a hobby like fly fishing to remember just how well-off you are.  Stop arguing over the best way to catch a fish (dry vs. nymph vs. streamer) or the best location to fly fish (river vs. lake vs. salt flat) and just enjoy the beauty of whatever environment you have access to.  The bodies of water that allow you to fish, rather than just watching streaming content of others fishing.

Always remember how lucky we are.  Remember that the vast majority of people who share this planet with us will never have the opportunity to do what we do. Be thankful that we are part of the lucky few who fish for fun and not for food - all while loving food and the communities that we fish.