It seems to me that even in the past, plenty of guys didn't believe in a fair fight
That was especially true in the days of $3.25/lb with no closed season You had $100 worth of fish on the end of the line, when $100 was worth $100, you didn't want to level the playing field
Remember when many of the then-gods used rigs like Harnell or "5M" meatsticks and Squidders loaded with 45 or 50# Dacron? That was as thick, if not thicker, than today's 80# superbraid.
And for every guy like Flap or Ski who ran 16# tournament Ande on the flats, there were guys running 30# mono on Mitchell 388s. Some guys even threw eels on Squidders and Abu 7000s with heavy mono--up to 40 or 50# test. I know--I tangled with quite a few over the years
I kind of split the difference with 20# pink Ande.
There are places where you just can't fight fair--like around the bridges. You need to stop and turn a fish. They get around those pilings, they're gone. Mono or braid--doesn't matter. Barnacles cut any line.
To tell you the truth, I'm still a conventional guy at heart. I like using my Newells for jigging. I use the "new gear" in a few places for specific reasons---casting distance, drag performance (yes, it's true--not a single conventional in my collection has the drag and cranking power of my Saltiga 6000-Z spinning reel), and the fact that the All Star 1209 fishes much better as a spinning rod. I use it in places where I have to stop a fish in its tracks.
As I've gotten older, I tend to use spinning gear more and more for throwing plugs. For the plain and simple fact that it's easier. 30-50# braid helps me match most conventionals for distance. Accuracy suffers a little bit, but with practice you can come close. If you like a fair fight, spinning gear and 30# Stealth is a more sporting outfit than a Newell 229 and 25# mono. Trust me--the mono's stronger, and more forgiving because 100 yards of mono will stretch anywhere from 15-25 yards before it breaks