Yeah, I hate ’em.
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| Not where chocolate milk comes from. Duh, that’s from chocolate goats. |
Here’s ten for you that revolve around fly fishing. I have more, but a list of ten seems about enough.
Why now? Because I feel like being opinionated for a change.
Starting with…
FASCINATION WITH PBR – Pssst…cool Montana fly fisher guy, you’re drinking the same beer attention-seeking hipsters do. The only acceptable PBR is this PBR.
BAMBOO RODS – Whatever…can I interest you in a rotary phone for $2,300? Wax this ferrule.
“SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FLY SHOP” – Eh, not if they give crappy service…oh, and constantly whine about how “big boxes” & e-commerce are killing them. Adapt. Evolve. Move on.
CATCH MAGAZINE – It’s a great picture book. Any reason why every blogger, tweeter, & facebooker has to announce its monthly release?
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| A small sampling… |
GOLDEN BONES – I like carp, but enough with the glorification as the future of fly fishing crap already. I get it. They’re big. So is your mom and I don’t write article after article about her.
BRISTOL BAY/PEBBLE MINE – Okay, we heard you for the 14,023rd time. Enough. You’re past the point of being tuned out.
DEREK DEYOUNG – Ultra talented artist, but if I see his stuff on another t-shirt or fly box or toilet paper holder…
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| My art is mesmerizing…no? |
FLY FISHING BLOGS – Yeah, flailing a 5-weight doesn’t mean you automatically should write – and guess what, nobody reads your blog because it’s pretty damn uninteresting, just like mine. I blame the OBN. OK, not really. (Speaking of which, when’s the OBN going to stop giving away fishing gloves and lanterns and put together a meeting or conference or something, so you know, us outdoor bloggers can…ummm…network?)
KIRK DEETER – Total respect for the guy…and he’s originally from Pennsylvania. But writing for 107 publications/organizations/and trade rags may constitute as overexposure. Where are the comic books Deeter?
GO PRO CAMERAS – See fly fishing blogs above. You ain’t Yukon Goes Fishing.
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| Hawgdog55…you’re doing it wrong. |
I’d toss tenkara in there (I love the tool, but not the “simple is superior” complex that often accompanies it) but it already gets made fun of plenty. A graphite cane pole can’t be a sacred cow.
You got any sacred cows you want to pick on? I know you do. Let’s discuss.
C’mon, grow a set and add your own to the comments below…
fly fishing the salt can definitely accessible to the boatless, money-impaired fly-fishing masses. that being said….i really agree with you on parts two and three. the way i see it, the glorification of distant fishing places (salt or fresh) and the reluctance to speak up about good fishing close to home are related. while people are slobbering over fly-porn about fishing for permit in belieze, peacocks in the amazon, or sea run browns in argentina, the creek that runs through their neighborhood used to hold bass or trout has been going downhill and is on its way to being a barren, currentless algal mat (if it isn't already). maybe there are some folks who still know of a stretch of water that holds decent fish, but they'll be damned if they'll tell anyone else about it. well, when that stretch no longer holds fish because of development, channelization or pollution, you've got no place to fish and nobody else gives a shit and never tried to keep it healthy because they never knew it existed. i guess the secret keepers win that one, huh?i understand that its good to dream of far off fishing locales, but the impression one gets from reading most fly-fishing magazines is that the only places to fish are in central/south america or some remote pacific island filled with bonefish and permit. there is plenty of fishing to be had around your hometown, and if more people knew that and started to care, we'd all have better water quality. but i guess if you can afford to drop 5 grand to jet off to a lodge in a as-yet untouched location a few times a year, then who cares?
you got it Anonymous. Agree completely.
I'm in…tell us when!
I'm in…set it up Mike!
As an OBN admin, I'll remain neutral to the fly fishing commentary (but may comment under a more personal/fly fishing related account at a later time)but figured I should defend the OBN/networking/get together or lack of..Every week I invest exactly 2 dollars into the local powerball lottery. Just as soon as my numbers come up and I hit the big one, I hereby promise to fund a national get together! And maybe I'll buy everyone a rotary phone as a bonus. In the meantime, I need my pocket change for fly fishing excursions. I'm sorta selfish that way =) RebeccaSome day…
Completely agree with Anonymous, though, in a move that'll make me sounds like a hypocrite, I think I'd love some punk soundtrack…
If something of the sort actually does happen, it doesn't even have to be a big deal. Pick a spot on a stream that can handle the pressure of a few extra anglers, and just let everyone know a time and place to meet. Handle your own food, lodging, etc. A message board on which I'm a regular poster has 2-4 events per year like this, and it really adds a completely new and far more personal dimension to the friendships forged through fiber optic cables.
There's only three points here that I have a strong reaction to either way:1) Saltwater fishing becomes increasingly expensive the farther you live from it, and the less flexible your 'real life' away from the stream. For a guy that can throw a 9wt in his vehicle and be knee deep in saltwater within a few hours, it's dirt cheap. For our father/mother of 4 in Iowa, in all likelihood it's nothing more than a dream, as you're looking at airfare, lodging, food, guide, and probably at least a week away from the job and family. Just because salt isn't especially exotic to someone working “in the industry” doesn't mean it is so for everyone. This goes for any remote destination: within 6 months, I will have a friend living in Nelson, New Zealand, who has already told me to come visit once they're settled in. For the trout fishing there, I'd be confident going sans guide, so my only expenses would be travel and food. Yikes…minimum of $2,200 in airface, just to get me there and back…2) April Vokey: you got this one perfectly. I think she's doing a great thing and have nothing at all against her, it's just the “fanboys” that tend to either amuse me or creep me out.3) Native fish: here, I've got to disagree. Just because a native fish isn't a favorite fish, or the most glamorous/hard-fighting/good-eating/pretty/etc. doesn't mean that it isn't important. To contrast it with the “eradicate all brown trout” argument, if you take Mr. Bie's position to it's logical extension, why not just stock snakehead everywhere and get it over with?I feel that, as someone who truly loves my local natural environment, that it's my responsibility to minimize human impact on natural areas. For some, this is simply a matter of practicing leave-no-trace, for others, it involves stream cleanups, and for others it involves large-scale activism, campaigning for dam removal, bounties on invasives, etc.This all being said, I'd like to thank Mike for starting such a widespread, long lasting, CIVIL discussion!
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes.Though I wound'nt call out O'Keefe specifically, in general, I couldn't agree more.The ridiculous HDR is particularly vexxing, as it amounts to a post-processing mistake. When HDR is done right, you shouldn't be able to tell.
Don't feel the need to defend. Pretty much all of us are indefensible. We're all sheep. Just name a time & place and we'll appear, no lottery dough necessary.
Check it-http://www.owljones.com/2012/02/15/initial-review-cabelas-29-wind-river-fly-reel/
Screw it. I'm finding me some cases of Rhinelander shorties. The old style, with the white and red graphics.
Aside from PBR, other notable labels I turn to when “Slummin' It” include: Icehouse (for some reason, doesn't hang me over), Stoneys (not bad when it gets warm, valuable for outdoor activities), Lionshead (not bad, and at $11 for a case of bottles…), and Straub (surprisingly mostly organic, w/ no preservatives…and local). If you want to *look* like a PBR drinker, but actually drink good beer, get Dale's Pale Ale, from Oskar Blues or American Bitter from 21st Amendment.
I'm late to the party. I blame night shifts. Good post, good comments…except that total hater. That guy needs to chill with a PBR or five.Mine: the “Oh, it's just being out is what matters” type of people (and style of writing). If you seriously don't give a rat's ass whether you catch a fish or not, go feed pigeons & get out of the run/pool/flat/etc. I enjoy being out there, too. But if I'm waving a rod back & forth, you better f**king believe it's to catch fish
Tom McGuane, a major “moo”. I slogged through “92 in the Shade”, a Hunter Thompson wannabe mountain of gibberish, and tried to enjoy “The Longest Silence”. Talk about pretentious. Give me Gierach anytime. “Never use a big word when a little one will do”.Cliff
Seriously, big words scare you… no check that, make you angry. I'd say that's much less McGuane's problem than yours. As for The Longest Silence, it stays sacred, mate.
Exactly the pretentious nonsense I was talking about. “I use big words, therefor I am smarter than you”. Get over yourself dude. And since we're talkin' about “havein' a set” how about signing the post. Cliff
Just because a word is big does not mean that it is unnecessary or overkill. Rather than criticizing an author for using big words, why not step-up your vocabulary and learn what the words mean?PS. The dude links his SITE with every comment. If that doesn't count for more than posting as “Anonymous, Signed, Cliff” I don't know what does.
I've got to add trucker hats, buffs and holding your fly rod on your mouth for grip and grins! Leave the PBR's out if this;) That shit's more like the holy water than the sacred cow.
How about $400 Yeti coolers… why in the world is a $25 Igloo or Rubbermaid cooler not good enough? sheesh.
Bummed I missed this post T! As one of the guys pimping the carp revolution I have to actually agree that it does really suck. My water is getting crowded, my fish are getting educated. On the bright side I finally have people to talk carp with besides the voices in my head. They asked me to tell you great post by the way.
Way late chiming in. Laugh at my l/s shirts, omnifreeze “buff” and gloves, boonie hat…you get the picture. I've had two carcinomas cut from my nose then got hit with malignant melanoma. Wish I had known at 15 what I now know about the sun.PBR beer and purists who look down their noses at those of us who were raised by fathers as gear chuckers and didn't start fly fishing till a couple of years ago. Hey, at least we started!
I've read every comment (yes my eyes are tired). This has been a great post and even greater discussion. I also regret that I arrived at this party so late.
I'm also bummed that I arrived at this party so late. Great post, great comments. The majority of them I agree with though not all. Ain't America grand?As for me:PBR and purists that snub those of us that were raised by fathers as gear-chuckers. Yes I now prefer the fly but there are times when a spinning rod can prove more efficient.
I didn't make the cut…
Fortunately I flail a 4wt, so my blog is good to go.Right?Glorious stuff man, loving it!
Just to be clear, Windknot is not me.
Now that there is funny!
Rather than call it overexposure, I call it trying to make a living as a writer.
Oh god, this was hilarious to read. I think all of us in the fly fishing world tend to take ourselves too seriously at times and it is good to be able to sit back and laugh at what we know we do but fail to admit. Thanks for the laugh sir.
Thanks…the comments are probably as good if not better than the post!