ness

Tell you guys what...how about you nip the political stuff in the bud before it gets out of hand. We've been asked, repeatedly, and some of the same folks, to steer away from it. So we oughta. Seems like no matter what the hell the thread is, they always go the same direction lately.

Yeah -- they're around, and it's worth making a report. Maybe it turns out, maybe not. We scared one up in SW Kansas about 8 years ago while pheasant hunting. Happened awfully quick, but the size and long tail was unmistakable. Definitely not a lab or a bobcat. Can't be 100% sure either. For whatever that's worth.

Goodun...snipped

Good stuff there. Also: Pure Prairie League, Allman Bros. Dallas: sure glad you're finally over the Streisand kick.

Yeppers!

It varies, 'cause I'm always mixing it up. But the long drives often result in me associating a particular artist or album with a certain trip. Trip last spring it was Marshall Tucker. Another one, Little Walter & Howlin' Wolf (Chicago blues harmonica). There's been a lot of Niel Young, Alison Kraus, Chet Atkins, Bill Monroe, Lonesome River Boys, Jack Johnson. Remember a couple trips long ago with Nancy Griffith and Mary Chapin Carpenter, another Johnny Cash. When I hear "I Am Woman" it reminds me of duck hunting trips with my dad and brother when I was a kid. Hate the song, love the memory. Gavin -- you've always got something interesting in the car. I like it when you're driving! Satellite has made it possible to hear a lot of different stuff anywhere, but I get plenty of that day-to-day. When I'm hitting the road, I set up a playlist on the iPod and listen & learn something new. Long drives home on Sunday, I'll often listen to Prairie Home Companion to get my fill of corn(y).

I know.... (wasn't referring to you, or anybody for that matter.)

Love 'em! Thanks for sharing.

Trespassing is an art. Spouting law isn't artful.

Oh @#$%! Filamentous algae is coming! A/K/A 'Fool's Didymo'.

Sounds like fun, Gavin. What's the word from Tom re: Westover?

Wait -- ain't the government currently run by humans? Are they different than the ones outside doing the wrong thing every time? Looks like this thread has jumped the shark. Bye-bye fellers -- it's off to read up on didymo on my own.

Lotsa studies mentioned there OB (and others). Got any links to some of them? I'd really like to know. I think everyone agrees there's a pretty good chance that this stuff CAN be transported by felt soles. But it's a leap to conclude its presence at some popular fishing locations is all about the boots. Chief chides conservationists that won't inconvenience themselves, and that's a valid point. But let's see the science and make our conclusions. I'd give up felt if I thought it was part of a problem, and I'd give up fishing altogether if something I am doing is causing harm. Anybody remember whirling disease? Sometimes this stuff sorts itself out. KCRiverrat -- did you let Evan Williams on the computer again?

I'm still using felt. Jury's out on the spread of this stuff, but busting my arse is very high on the list of things I want to avoid. I broke my tailbone about 10 years ago, and it took about 5-6 years to quit hurting daily. Not fun. -- don't do it. I have a collapsible wading staff, but I haven't really gotten into the habit of grabbing it. My tummy tells me this whole thing is overblown. But, I'm open to hearing the arguments and getting a little better educated about it.

Glad it worked out, and glad you posted this. I hope JD sees this.

Sounds like fun, and I'd like to hook up with you guys at some point. But, it that's opening day for KS bird season.

I'm convinced a lot of times snobbery is created in our own heads and is based on insecurity or our own feeling of inferiority. Mark, there ain't no country-club types around here. You're seeing things.

Here's my take: just do what you like, and don't worry about labeling it or comparing to others. Be nice to folks, even when they're a you-know-what.

Jim: I was down at Roaring River too. Found the same thing you did: low, clear water, small fish. I was hoping the rain would cloud the water, but it didn't happen. Dry and dropper seemed to work early on (50-50); tiny white drys later on.

Dammit Eric, I'm proud of ya man! I was skimming over this crap and chuckling but your post caught my eye. Good on you. This is a dead-end.

There are many more spin fishermen talking about elitist fly fishermen than there are actual elitist fly fishermen. I'm not saying there aren't any snobs, they're just a lot more rare than you'd think if all you had were these posts to go on. I don't know anybody who is 100% fly fish and I don't know anybody who looks down on spin fishermen (or bait-users, snaggers, noodlers, or giggers either). Everybody I know dislikes poachers though. I'm 75% or more fly fish, probably close to 100% when I fish for trout. It's a better tool overall for what I like to do -- which is fishing small streams for skittish wild trout. I thoroughly enjoy analyzing a stream, making my approach, laying a dry fly over a likely spot, getting the perfect drift, and fooling a trout into coming up and eating it. Some of my most memorable times are with fish I didn't catch. I love the chess match as much as the tug. It's not about superiority, expensive gear, proper wardrobe, looking the part, being Brad Pitt, dry flies upstream, building a resume, whatever. It's about fishing small streams for skittish wild trout. Yep -- there are snobs out there: I was in a fly shop over the weekend, and I ran into one of them. He was hell-bent on letting everyone in the shop know he'd traveled the country extensively. He had spent the better part of September fishing Colorado and New Mexico. He mentioned a couple places that I have fished, and since I was right there I kinda tried to join in the conversation. Well he wasn't having any of that, and rolled right over me and continued on about how great it was, and how well he'd done. He didn't buy squat, but if he had, by gawd, he announced it would have been Winston or Fishpond. This guy was a snob (or maybe blow-hard is a better description), that fly fished. I suspect his snobbishness wasn't limited to fly fishing. So, really guys -- give us the benefit of the doubt. You can't rightly paint the whole group of us with that brush. If you do, you are really the snobs. Maybe it's a feeling of inferiority driving this? If that's the case, that's your issue. Andy -- PM your list of screen names please. I'd like to see if I'm on it.

Given 1,2,3: average = 2, median = 2 Given 1,2,6: average = 3, median = 2 Sounds like a "median" to me, but I'm just picking nits

Rockbridge and Windrush seem to be making a living off small stocked streams and nice accommodations. Westover also has sporting clays, fly shop, etc. I'm not saying it's easy, because it isn't, it's not unprecedented.

That's a great point! I think part of their original plan was to build the big conference center, and attract the corporate (read: free-spending) groups out there. That's a great plan, but not at all unique to them. Every hotel/resort out there is after that group too. It's competitive, and the pie is smaller these days. I see some parallels to the way it often works with a restaurant. We've all probably seen this: a guy comes in and builds a magnificent place. He buys all the equipment and decorates the place up real nice. He's outta business fairly soon because he spent too darn much borrowed money, and there just wasn't enough time to get the revenue rolling in. The next guy comes in and grabs everything at a discount. But it's always tough to make money with a restaurant so he's gone pretty quick too. By the third go-around, the guy that owns the real estate is tired of churning tenants, and the bank that financed the equipment and other stuff just wants out. So, the third guy gets it all for a song. His expenses are a fraction of what the original guy was spending, (plus he's probably smarter and more frugal), so he's got time to make things work. If he can deliver a decent product and get a clientele built up, he'll do OK. Of course, I don't know financial particulars on Westover. But, what I do know is this: they've got a beautiful, unique property and some great people running it. Those are two big assets that aren't easy to come by. The bank/FDIC won't/can't own it forever, so it's gonna get sold. I'd bet there's somebody out there licking their chops over this one.

I don't know about world class, but it could be a great regional location. Somebody needs to sink enough additional money into it to finish it and market it so that people will come and spend their money. That'd take deep pockets and a lot of patience.