We have lost some of the fun in the sport. Everyone has to pose
as an expert. The rugged guide look is in. I suspect some even
wear false beards. I have seen authors even hire models for their
books. Wow!
I tried to find a model for my article on Fat Girls Motorcycles and
Foster Lager. Those that I ask were offended, and those that would,
were young enough to get me arrested and guarantee a divorce. She
just had to be 300 lbs and wear a dirty green tee shirt and hold three
Fosters cans under her left arm while sitting on my Shovel Head
Harley. I was going to black out 2-3 teeth. It would have been a
great shot. The only one that would model the act was 70 pounds
and Playboy would have paid her to do the spread. I'm smart enough
not to pose her on the back of my cycle for international coverage.
My wife's divorce lawyer would have had a field day.
Those that could wouldn't and those would couldn't. Such is life.
Amanda you will never know why you were rejected.
The high dollar stores project the professional guide image. It's
almost a Star Wars thing. It's Arnold S. with a fly rod and high-tech
wrap around sun glasses. The best fly fishers I ever knew looked like
Mr. Clampett from the Beverly Hillbillies and carried a gunny sack
for a creel. Image was not a problem. They just liked trout, and were
on the stream more than a merganser duck. I have known many who
wore out the tread on a pair of expensive boots each year that wouldn't
have been allowed in my local bar on a slow night. The funny thing
was, these fishers just never bought cheap boots. Maybe there's just
a small lesson here. They fished with all matter of equipment but
never with cheap boots.
Boots define the situation. Wet boots are just not a class act.
When fly fishing fails to be fun then I'll give it up. I enjoy catching
trout and the associated one-upmanship that the day-to-day interaction
with my peers brings. There is nothing anymore fun than releasing
several big fish when they have caught none. The trick is to do it
with such a casual air they believe that monster was a regular part
of the act. I have returned to the truck many nights with a large trout
or so after having tied on a 2/0 Lefty's Deceiver. One shop actually
started to stock them. How much more fun could you have? Image
is not important it's just the fun. A Clampett hat and a gunny sack
creel goes a long way toward the fun thing. I had a fly rod that was
a converted 9 ft boat rod. The rod was wrapped with twine. The
nastiest rod you ever saw. I would wear bibbers and after I caught
the fish with my regular rod I would hide my regular rod and pick up
the twine job and rub in the fact that trout were an easy fish. I usually
hung a 2/0 deceiver on the pole. Some nights I laughed myself to sleep.
Fish hard, laugh a lot, and have fun. Remember Old Rupe, and have
a little fun at others expense. Old Rupe
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