Vol. 13 No. 23

THINKING BACK

Strange! I don’t feel that old. Since my body can’t cash the checks that my mind writes, I must admit to myself that it’s true. I’m no youngster anymore. Many things that were enjoyable in my life are now unreachable. These are things I call ‘Used ta’s’.

SPRING FISHING ON THE YELLOWSTONE AND BEYOND

From sometime in late November to early March, the winter months can become most tedious and frustrating to some members of the fraternity of fly fishers. Not everyone cares to fish the spring creeks or travel to the Big Horn and some, through choice, care not for braving the elements.

FITZ MAURICE

The more I've learned about wet flies and their history, the more I've wondered about two questions. As we know, the earliest American and Canadian wet flies were simply ones from Great Britain. Those transplanted to America brought their flies with them, and for the most part they worked just fine over here.

PRIDE GOES BEFOE THE FALL

Fiction by Neil..

Everyone that knew him considered him an egotist but few would tell him so to his face. He was somewhat of an impressive man with a certain swagger and a commanding presence that generally silenced his critics.

THE SECRET

We all are interested in being privy to a secret. There seems to be something within our psyche that draws us to the idea that somewhere there is a secret formula that, if understood, will bring consistent success to the person that possesses the knowledge. It’s that desire that keeps us buying books, searching Internet sites, joining clubs, hiring guides, subscribing to magazines, and all the other activities that we engage in attempting to gain information.

IT COULD BE

Well it isn’t Spring fever. The sun has preformed magnificently here for several days in a row, and the television weather people just don’t quite know what to do with themselves. One reported last night that he had not forecast a sunny weekend since last AUGUST. Wow, I wasn’t here, I was in Montana where the sun usually shines normally. By normally I mean it isn’t the damp, wet, dare I say rainy Pacific Northwest.

LAST TRIP OF 2009

I did not know that this would be my last timeout for the year. It is early November and the hammer may drop at any time. The weather had been unusually warm and it had not rained. The wind had blown fairly steadily and things had a chance to dry out.

ASIAN SNAKEHEAD FISH-AN ECOLOGICAL DISASTER!

Previously, I have written about the Asian Carp, how the fish was an ecological disaster for the United State. There is another fish from Asia, which is also an ecological disaster for the United States, the Asian Snakehead fish.

FLY-FISHING FOR REDFISH NEAR ORLANDO

One of the most popular destinations for travelers looking to escape the cold northern winters is Orlando, Florida. Famous for Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World, and other tourist attractions, there is also some great fishing to be had close to Orlando.

YELLOW LUMI DOLL FLY

Not sure if you all fish at night in the U.S.A. But here is a Doll Fly I call Jax Lumi Doll Fly I use a lot here in the Rotorua area of the North Islan

Night Fishing in the Rotorua Lakes will soon be coming into its own as the evenings draw in and the cold weather triggers the urge in the Rainbow Trout to head for the stream mouths in preparation for the trip upstream to ensure the future of their species.

Recent changes in the appearance of parts of the FAOL web site have elicited quite a bit of comment. Change is often uncomfortable, but it is inevitable. Nothing in our personal experience stays the same and if you don’t believe that just look in the mirror and then look at a photograph for a few years in the past!

A couple weeks ago the Ladyfisher posted a query on the bulletin board about what FAOL means to our readers. The response was encouraging but then the look of the bulletin board changed and suddenly some loyal supporters decided that they did not like the change and they were leaving. Since neither the content nor access to FAOL has changed I fail to understand the problem. To me it’s like leaving a church where you have worshipped for years because they changed the color of the carpet.

FAOL is really two separate entities. FAOL started out as an on-line magazine. The Ladyfisher started FAOL for two basic reasons; to provide a forum that would promote the dissemination of fly-fishing information, and to provide an income for herself and her husband. To fund the web site she solicited advertisers or sponsors. The content was free to anyone that wished to click on the articles.

Subsequently the bulletin board became a part of the site as a place where readers could exchange ideas. Today you can trade and barter, sell personal fishing items, report stolen items, post club events, get help with fly tying and rod building questions, just to name a few things that are offered free of charge on the bulletin board. You can chat with friends, debate ideas, and read the ideas of others.

All of this is offered to you, the reader, free of charge. We only ask that you play by a few simple rules. The material is copyrighted so do not plagiarize the material that you find on the site without the expressed permission of the publisher. Respect the rights of others to express their opinions and refrain from name calling and character assassination, after all fly-fishing is just a recreational pursuit not a matter of international or eternal importance.

Finally, it’s important to remember that FAOL is a commercial enterprise. While we might wish that our pockets were deep enough to allow anyone to use FAOL to promote their business for free our pockets are not deep enough and the number of paying sponsors is not large enough to allow us to be that generous. In addition, it would hardly be fair for us to allow some people to advertise their business for free while charging others for the same privilege. FAOL is not backed by large corporate dollars, stock holders, or some high roller with an unlimited bank account. Free content doesn't pay the bills, and free advertising doesn't either.

Neil M. Travis, Editor