Small rant

[Prairieschooner]

I recently renewed my Trout Unlimited membership on line. I haven't fished for trout in a long time; sometimes I wonder why I'm even a member. There's no local chapter or anything (I mean, this is Kansas, right?). If there was a Bluegills Unlimited or a Bass Unlimited or even a Panfish Unlimited it would be more appropriate for me. But as far as I know there isn't, and they do send out a nice calendar, so I keep paying my bucks to them.

They have a senior membership (which I have) but they don't have a spot for that on their online renewal form, so I called them and they said to mark "other" and type in the amount, which I did. They charged my credit card on October 16 and since then I've heard not a word; no renewal acknowledgement, no new membership card, no nothin'. I've noticed they're pretty prompt and aggressive in sending out the notices to renew, so I'm puzzled by this.

Thinking back, the same thing happened last year, so I emailed them about it. I said I was getting the feeling that maybe they don't want me as a member. So far I've had no response.

[sagefisher]

Oh, they will get back to you, in just under a year.

If memory serves me right, Betty may say that there are trout in Kansas, one or two anyway.

Larry ---sagefisher---

[Prairieschooner]

Oh, they will get back to you, in just under a year.

If memory serves me right, Betty may say that there are trout in Kansas, one or two anyway.

Larry ---sagefisher---

Yeah, they do stock a few around here occasionally; I just got tired of banging elbows with the guy next to me when casting for them!

[Betty Hiner]

Yaaah ... well ... they do stock a few of the "lakes" around here, but the elbow thing keeps me away. Missouri has a few put and take trout parks/State parks, but, they too, are frequently elbow to elbow during the spring/summer/fall fishing season. Best time for trouts fishing in Missouri (about 150 miles so of KC)? Winter. In the snow. Weekends. Many times you can have the MO park totally to yourself ... if you don't count eagles and squirrels. Gotta make do with what you have.

[Byron haugh]

Betty,
I grew up in Lebanon, Mo....about 15 miles from Bennett. It was a wonderful place back then. Not very crowded. Over the years I would return and, though crowded, still enjoyed it. They also began a program of stocking the Niangua which wasn't very crowded. Used to go to Bennett during the winter season. Much less crowded then, of course.

[bowfin47]

Prairieschooner,

Trout Unlimited is a marvelous trout conservation organization that I will not disparage, but as you have expressed some dissatisfaction with TU and as you are obviously a fly tyer/fly fisherman with a desire to find a home in an organization oriented to fly fishing and fly tying for more than just trout, I would like to suggest that you check out the International Federation of Fly Fishers.

Over 50 years ago, the Federation was founded with Lee Wulff's idea that, A gamefish is too valuable to catch just once, and the IFFF has become the largest fly fishing education organization in the world, i.e. tying, casting, & fishing skills.

As a Kansas fly tyer and fisherman, when you join the Federation, you will automatically become a member of the Southern Council of the IFFF (SOC). The Southern Council's history, in both their member clubs and yearly Fly Fair in Mountain Home, AR, in both teaching tying and casting, and in inviting many of this country's best tyers to instruct Federators in your area of the country is unsurpassed.

Heck, you will find so many warm water, especially bream fly fishers, who call the Federation home include such tying greats as fellow Kansan and world class, deerhair tyer, Mike George: http://www.themidwest-drift.com/blog...19/mike-george, casting instructors, such as Captain Paul "Sodie" Sodamann: www.flycastingmasters.com/sodie.html, and authors/warm water fly tying/fishing enthusiasts Terry and Roxanne Wilson, who wrote the books on largemouth, smallmouth, crappie and Bluegill fly fishing: http://bigbluegill.com/profile/Terry...ource=activity

Additionally, the Federation is "gear specific", and is the only national or international conservation organization that has a history of fighting for fly fishing, including fly fishing only waters.

Please check out the Federation's website: http://www.fedflyfishers.org/ and https://www.facebook.com/Federation.of.Fly.Fishers/ , the SOC's website: http://www.ifffsoc.org/ and https://www.facebook.com/socflyfishingfair/ , and if you'd look to see what the Federation other Councils are like, then please check out the Gulf Coast Council's (GCC) website and FB page, where we have over 600 photos of GCC Federators and over 60 species of fly caught, primarily warm and saltwater fish the we catch here in the Louisiana, Mississippi, south Alabama and western Florida: http://www.gulfcoastfff.org/

I made the decision to join the Federation in 1984, have attended three-quarters of SOC fly fairs/shows since '84, and have never regretted my affiliation. I hope you and other members of FAOL will take a serious look at joining the International Federation of Fly Fishers.

Sincerely,

Kyle Moppert
President Gulf Coast Council - IFFF
Life Member - IFFF

PS
There are over 230 IFFF clubs, three of which are in Kansas: http://ifffsoc.org/index.php/membership/30-kansas

[sagefisher]

Kyle,

Well said, I couldn't agree more.

Larry ---sagefisher---

[Prairieschooner]

Kyle, thank you for the information. My little rant was really more about the service I received (or didn't receive) than a denigration of TU overall. I used to be a FFF member; in fact I still have the patch on my tackle bag. I frankly don't remember why I no longer am. I'm really not much of a joiner and it's probably my own fault that I typically don't get as much benefit from organizations as there is to get. My continued membership in TU is more habit than anything else. That and the calendar . Thanks again for the reminder about FFF; I will definitely look into it again.

[Betty Hiner]

Why does your bag look so good???? Mine looks like its been through a typhoon/earthquake/fishing trip!! WOW!!!

[Ed_D]

Why does your bag look so good???? Mine looks like its been through a typhoon/earthquake/fishing trip!! WOW!!!

Perhaps the question is to ask how old that picture is, i.e. was it taken right after the bag was purchased.