Sometimes the Truth Hurts

[Terry Beeson]

Steve,

Yes... well articulated for sure. I don't see any disagreement with anything I may have said... other than I can offer my opinion on what I believe is best. I guess I should add that proclamation of a belief does not make is truth or fact.

[Guest flyfishBDS]

I liked your post Terry which us why I excluded it in case anyone, including you, gopt the wrong idea I was pinging at you. You know how confusing the net can be sometimes.

Your perspective on fly fishing is a personal belief and its as relevant as anyone elses, but its in no way elitism, just how you want to fish.

The only point I disagreed with was the connection of "competition" to numbers, but as i said that was a side issue. your attitude what I was trying to endorse.

I just hoped to add a different view, hopefully to get people to look at an issue form a different perspective

Cheers mate

Steve

[Stuartwp]

I count, and I am proud to say I can still remember all the trout I have caught for the past 22 years. The first four where in Tanneycomo in 1985 in Maarch while on Spring Break. Five years later, my wife and I where vacationing in Colorado, and I caught seven stocker rainbows and one 15 inch brown in Dillon Lake. It was using the same spoon I used at Tannycomo five years before. A few days later I caught my first trout on a flyrod in the St. Vrain River on a size 8 black wooly bugger which I tied myself. The picture of that eight inch brook trout is still hanging on my wall. A couple of years later, I caught one rainbow on a black and yellow 1/80th oz maribou jig at Bennet Springs. A few years later I caught three more at Bennet on a red/gold spoon one afternoon after a hard rain. I could have caught more, but it my Tricia's turn to fish and my turn to go change the diapers.

After a few more years I made it back to Tannycomo and caught two more rainbows on a flyrod one afternoon. The next year, the the whole fam damily decide to go to Silver dollar City. I woke up early and snuck down to Tannycomo before we left. I caught seven stocker rainbows on a No. 14 hairs ear nymph that I tied myself. I was using a 6 Wt rod that my wife got me for my 30th Birthday a few years before. Those where also the first trout I ever caught on that rod. I caught them in the chutes above rebar hole dead drifting with out an indicator. I took a picture of every one and not a single picture came out. The next spring, I pulled the same early morning trip and I caught one fish, a 17 inch rainbow, the biggest trout I had ever caught, that was in 2003. The next fall It was foggy and I blanked out as they blew the whistle and stated running water.

A freind and I went down in February 2004 so he could catch his frist trout. I caught one stocker rainbow, again in the chutes and so did he. Then I caught a 17.5 inch Brown trout at big hole on a black and gold spinner. The biggest trout in 19 years and a brown to boot. The picture of me holding that fish shows a grinning from ear to ear.

That next fall another friend named Bill said he thought fly fishing looked like it was fun. I told him it was a dark path and that he should avoid it if at all possible. Nope! He saw me having too much fun catching a bass at a lake that past summer and he wanted to try it and perhaps some fly tying too. I hung my head in shame and told him I would help him out as best I could but that it wasn't too late to turn back and save himself.

He went out and bought a rod and a fly tying kit. I showed him how to cast and how to tie a few flies and we headed for Tanneycomo on October 22nd 2004. We went to outlet three and I caught a 19 inch rainbow on my first cast at 7:00 in the morning on a size 14 peacock soft hackle with a black bead head. The buzzards where just comming off the roost. Three fish and 20 minutes later I caught a 15 inch brown trout. Bill was gripping about how he wasn't going to catch any trout if he spent all morning taking pictures of me. He no sooner said that, when he caught his first rainbow, on a red blood midge that he tied himself. Bill was ruined that day. He caught 14 trout, all on flies he tied himself, none using an indicator. His largest was a 17 inch rainbow. I told him it was never this good and that his next time fishing he would be very disappointed. It just so happened I also had the best day I had ever had in my life trout fishing. I caught 22 trout that day that ranged from eight inch dinks to the 19 inch roainbow that morning. In one day I almost doubled the total number of trout I caught all the previous years. Yes I count, and I am proud to say that I can remember them all. I will admit that after that day in 2004, I started keeping a journal to make it easier. I went trout fishing four times that year, a record that still stands. On Halloween morning this year I caught my first "trophy" brown a 21 inch brown caught on a size 18 olive scud. I caught two brown trout that day. That was the second one. Yes I count, but how about I promise to stop when I catch No 100! Maybe 2007 will be the lucky year!

[troutchaser]

Just an update on this, I happened to read a blog entry from this same author, dated January 15, 2007:

"It’s at this point that I’m supposed to say that it was great just getting out on the water, marveling at the beauty of the river and timelessness of the sport, but I’m enough of a brat to admit that I wanted to catch a few trout."

Here's the address, for all us "Show Me State" natives:

http://troutunderground.com/index.php/%3fpage_id

Maybe it's possible that even the "ignorant snoots" of our recreation pursuit of choice can waffle in their convictions occassionally.

[Brian Wise]

A post by Dano December 4....

I would presume that the author still keeps score. Maybe he doesn't have a clicker on his wading belt, but in his mind he is going to guage his day on whether he has a fish or two or three...

His psyche would dictate that if there are no creel numbers then he must ask himself, have I lost my "touch"? How do I explain this to my fishing partners who are bringing to hand large numbers? Am I not the angler I thought? I think we all keep numbers, some are just more vocal about it as if it matters.

Dano

The authors words posted Jan 15....

"It’s at this point that I’m supposed to say that it was great just getting out on the water, marveling at the beauty of the river and timelessness of the sport, but I’m enough of a brat to admit that I wanted to catch a few trout."

Good call Dano!

Brian