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Thread: NEW BEGINNINGS - Ladyfisher - January 10, 2011

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
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    Bothell, WA, USA
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    Default NEW BEGINNINGS - Ladyfisher - January 10, 2011

    NEW BEGINNINGS

    New beginnings are wonderful. There is always a sense of optimism and hope.

    Each time we go fishing it's a new beginning. A chance to correct what we did wrong the last time, try a different fly, work on our presentation, fish a new place, extend our horizons. The success of our outing is in our own hands and capabilities to persevere. If we have success we smile, and walk a little taller.

  2. Default My New Beginnings

    Quote Originally Posted by rtidd View Post
    NEW BEGINNINGS

    New beginnings are wonderful. There is always a sense of optimism and hope.
    Ladyfisher,
    A great article and I really like the idea of paying back. I have vowed to try to teach or introduce at least one person to fishing each year, I think every fisherman owes it to the sport. Whether or not it will be fly fishing is dependant upon location and the person. During my recent deployment to Afghanistan I was asked by two of my Soldiers to teach them and their sons (one each) how to fish which I gladly accepted. One of those children is a four-year-old autistic boy, which made me re-look the safety aspect of fishing. I started purchasing a fly vest with built in flotation, new cold weather gear and basic survival gear (Fort Drum New York where it really snows) and a water activated beacon, hand held radios, whistles, etc. I have always carried a first aid kit in each of my tackle boxes and a larger one in the trunk of my car.

    This year the Army has implemented a Warrior Adventure Training program designed to help Soldiers conduct team building and high adrenaline adventures to keep them seeking adrenaline through activities such as drinking and fighting and racing cars. There are numerous opportunities and everything from guided hunting and fishing to bowling, sky diving, skiing and paintball are all options. My 23 Soldiers will be introduced to Steelhead fishing on the Salmon River in Pulaski and Altmar, New York through spinning, spin casting and an opportunity to receive lessons and even use my equipment for Fly Fishing and Centerpin. Later we will conduct some ice fishing as well and should I manage to find a charter service that can take twenty plus Soldiers either on one boat or multiple boats, we will do that on the Armies dime.

    Our Warrior adventure training will begin a few days before the actual fishing events so they can learn about fishing, conservation, basic knot tying, cold weather injuries, required clothing, safety and first aid and our rescue plan should something go wrong. These classes will have practical exercises, using the safety gear and rehearsing a rescue, tying knots and some casting practice.

    We will begin the day by having breakfast together prior to moving out to fish and will end the fishing day by cleaning up the area we fished and leaving it a little better than we found it. I realize Steel head fishing probably isn?t the best fishing for beginners but it?s the one type of fishing we can do on a few days notice where the ice fishing requires there to be ice thick enough (The Salmon river doesn?t freeze over). As the weather gets better we will explore Bass, Crappie and Pike. Once we have done this I will submit an article to you, hopefully it will be worthwhile despite the fact there will likely only be a few of us actually fly fishing in the group.

    Introducing Soldiers and children into the sport of Angling and instilling a respect for conservation and safety are my new beginnings for 2011.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
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    White Bear Lake MN
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    I have been "Paying Forward" most of my life. When I found FAOL back in October of 1997 I knew a gook thing when I saw it!

    Back then I was a raw newbie without any knowledge about fly fishing, and nobody to be a mentor.

    There is no other site on the internet that is like FAOL!

    That is why I have been loyal to this website, even through times of difficulties and miss understandings.

    My experiences as a trainer of soldiers in the U.S. Army, has helped me help others to succeed when success did not seem possible.

    My Beginner's Only Fly Swap, has been a way of paying forward, for all the help that Al Campbell gave me, in both fly tying and fly rod building. I will always treasure the 3 days I rode with Al in his station-wagon at the 1999 Fish-In. I appreciate the dedication of Deanna Travis's idea of this website, that is so unique. I knew back in October of 1999 that this site was goning to be something very special!

    Paying Forward for the help and kindness shown me by others..... ~Parnelli
    "Everyone you meet in life, give you happiness! Some by their arrival, others by their departure!" ~Parnelli

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Keene, New Hampshire
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    I've seen fishing of all types in my area of Southwestern New Hampshire tapering off for the last twenty years. Other outdoor activities have also been hit and, as everywhere, there seems to be less and less public access to our natural resources with each passing day.

    That said, I plan on joining my local Fish & Game Club this year, now that my finances show signs of recovery. Thirty years ago when my father belonged to it, there were many people there that fly fished and gathered together for related activities. Sadly, many of the folks that kept these things going have passed away since then, leaving the club pretty much solely about the "Game" side of things.

    Besides having access to a very nice shooting range and meeting and making new friends, I hope to raise the interest of any fly fishers there to getting together regularly for trips, tie and lie sessions and seeing if there's enough energy to help bring our sport to the community.

    At the very least, this will help me find the fly fishers in my area.

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