Shuffling

[griffin]

Naw - just having a loooong night at work Phil. It somehow helps me keep things in perspective when I see people getting upset about fishing methods after we scrape half a family off the highway......seems like those fishing worrying people need more grief in their lives to even things out with the folks who really do have something to be upset about.

griffin

[Rusty]

All I can say is, hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

But not to the last post of Griffin. You are right about that.

[Phil Lilley]

Scott- I understand. You see alot of bad things. Carry a heavy load. My heart goes out to you.

[gonefishin]

Here is some Drama for you. I am sitting here with most joints in my body stiff as a board and very painful. I am having a bad RA flare up. I find myself wishing I was able to go to Taney and shuffle up a few fish. On the bright side maybe by next week I can make it down to Phils and sit on his dock soaking up the sun and with any luck catch a fish.

[tippet7]

[Micheal Kyle]

tippet7

that is very funny, :

[vanven]

Disclaimer: I wouldnt shuffle, it is against my unusually high moral and ethical code.

I do occasionally have couple of habits that from afar could be percieved as shuffling. Let me explain before being hung!

1) While fishing a scud or midge, I will occasionally drop my fly and strike indicator at my feet to observe how it is behaving in the water. I am doing 3 things: checking depth, checking the impact of the water current on how deep the fly is actually sinking, and checking how long it takes the fly to reach the desired depth. Sometimes a midge set 3 feet from an indicator doesnt actually hang exactly 3 feet directly below the indicator. I do this regardless of fish or no fish at my feet. I also want to know how far ahead of that visable fish i need to cast in order for the fly to be at the right depth when it passes the fish.

2) Number 2 and probably the most questionable of the 2. If I read this board and every post says says "size 16 grey scud at outlet 2", if i stop by Lilley's and they say "size 16 scud at outlet 2", if I talk to someone else that says I caught 50 fish 10 minutes ago at outlet 2 on a size 16 grey scud. If all of these conditions are met and I am standing fishless and biteless hours later at outlet 2 on my size 16 grey scud, I will occasionall drop it down to the trout at my feet to see their reaction. I am simply looking for one thing: Do they flee in horror? If they look at it and flee I know there is something horribly wrong with my fly, or the size of my knot, or the visibility of my tippet. If they dont flee I am happy and can go on fishing my size 16 grey scud. The whole time I am feeling dirty inside and ashamed, and am quietly praying they dont attack it. I just have to know if I am doing something subtly but horribly offensive to the trout.

-jerod

[Phil Lilley]

Jerod- I live in the same fear... but I can handle it.

Fishin' is still just fishin'

[Terry Beeson]

I've done the same thing, Jerod.

I have a couple of bad knees. One of them will probably be going under the knife soon and is currently keeping me out of the water all together. Can't stand in one spot or walk for very long. It's a struggle to walk from my truck to my office. Even a struggle to walk from the garage to my couch...

Enough of that drama...

The point is, I have to "shuffle" to some extent while wading. If I don't, you guys will have to come out and help me out of the river... my knees would lock up. And those of you who know me, there is no doubt you don't want to tackle that task.... Maybe if you had a crane or a forklift...

Enough comic relief...

"Do not judge others, and you will not be judged..." Pretty good words from a pretty good fellow, I would say. Yes, we all do it (judge)... and I do, too. But I try to look at it, mull it, and try to see the positive side of it. Was he shuffling to catch fish? Was it blatant? Is it legal? Is it "ethical"? Is it worth getting into an argument over?

Ethics can be very subjective. What I might think is ethical, another might not. I think this is a good place to voice our opinions... And I intend to voice my opinions. That's just good debatement....

But this issue and others will continue to be debated until there is some sort of regulation passed... and then, how will it be regulated? And if you are the one standing in the water and your leg goes to sleep from standing in one spot and a game warden sees you "shuffle" to get rid of a leg cramp... do you want a ticket for that?

My opinion? Intentional shuffling to snag trout is not very ethical... But... who am I? I've seen it... I don't like it... but I don't think it's worth getting into a "scuffle" over.

Just my opinion, for what it's worth... and that ain't much...

[gonefishin]

After a lifetime of observation I have noticed that I can go to McDonalds and get a cup of coffee for my opinion and a buck; or I can get a cup of coffee for just the buck; however I have as yet to get a cup of coffee for my opinion only. I wonder what is up with that...