WHAT'S NEW IS OLD

December 14, 2009

Had a message this week from Fly Anglers OnLine (FAOL) reader Thunder Thumbs, and he has moved from Kansas to of all places Havre Montana. His real name is Hugo Gibson, the nick name having something to do with his career choice, he is a chiropractor. He tells me his dream was to live and work in Montana, well I fudged a little on that, he actually wanted to spend a lot of time fishing in Montana. Other than the fishing places mostly being frozen over (and I didn’t ask if he is into ice fishing) he is working on another of his interests, recording, as in video and audio. Podcasts anyone?

As a matter of fact yes, we are interested. In fact our computer tech., Ron Tidd, has outfitted our web site with all the necessary technology for doing the Podcasts and we have had a couple videos, one recently on tying flies and another on the way.

I asked Hugo what he would like to see for Podcasts on FAOL and he had some excellent ideas.

The first one will probably be an interview with me and Trav. This would be on how FAOL came to be, where it’s been and what the future looks like. He also thought it would be a good idea to post a question to our readers on the Bulletin Board asking who you would like to have interviewed, any fly fishing manufacturers. How about famous or infamous fly tiers? Are there any famous names in fly fishing? What would you ask them? We probably have access to anyone you’d like to know about. (Remember the Podcasts will be archived for later use too.) Watch for that one on the Bulletin Board, and give it some thought please?

In all of this I can’t help but think of what all FAOL is, or what it has become. There are some I know who thought this web site would disappear when Al Campbell died. (There were some who even thought Al was the owner.) I expect some were surprised we are still here. I know we’ve had some Sponsors who thought FAOL would disappear when JC/Castwell/Jim Birkholm passed from the scene. That hurts financially, but we are still here. Those who have been regulars here probably knew Jim had been ill for some time, but unfortunately neither his heart doctor nor I didn’t know how ill, and the last Bahamas trip was just too much.

I was searching FAOL the other night, looking for a particular piece Al Campbell wrote, a humor piece to use in our Lighterside section this week before Christmas. It is The Santa Trap and it up again for you to enjoy. I read through some of Al’s articles and stopped at one he wrote on December 30, 2002. I’ve edited it a bit, but he has said so well what FAOL is about, I can’t improve on it.

"There are memories that make us smile and wish we could do it all over again. Others can bring a tear to our eyes and make us wish we could go back and change something we said or did, or say something we carelessly forgot to say before it was too late to speak those words. Life is like that.

Here at Fly Anglers OnLine, we made a few memories of our own. We learned just how great Ronn Lucas can tie classic salmon flies. We learned who was funny and who was not. We debated serious topics on the bulletin board, laughed together on less serious topics, and made a lot of new friends. We shared time together in several places, celebrating something we call a Fish-In. We learned to function as a family or fraternity. In a sense we became one with each other in the spirit of fly-fishing.

We discussed fires and dry streambeds. We talked about floods and high water. We prayed together and hoped together for the sake of our friends, and we grieved together for those we lost along the way. We celebrated new toys, new friends, new skills, new loves and other new happenings like we had always been one big family. We invited others into the fold and asked them to join in the feast of information we all share. We even squabbled a bit, as all families do from time-to-time.

We cared and shared together like we had known each other all our lives; even though we had never seen the faces of some of those we were caring for. "Pull up a chair," and "pass the donuts," were common greetings we passed among our guests, hoping they would also find a home here. We mothered, fathered, coddled and cradled each other as needed, just to show we care. And, we do care, that's obvious. There is a reason we call this a big family.

We learned from each other, taught each other, shared skills and talents in a way that others only dream about, and we watched the family grow. The year that's passing by is one we won't forget, and a building block for future memories. Where else can you go to share what we have shared? Where can so many different people with so many different experiences from so many different places come together with one voice and one focus? We are fly-fishers all and that is the common ground we share.

I have no doubt we will continue to grow if we stay on this course. We will learn new things, share new experiences, examine new ideas and all the while, we will be relating the old traditions with those who are new to this sport, and in that common ground is the rich soil where great experiences can grow. And, we will grow if we continue to feed this experience with the food of our knowledge, and hunger for more of the nourishment the shared experiences can provide. How could we not grow? "

Amen, and thank you old friend.
LF

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