Some of my co-workers are fly anglers. Chats between us at the water cooler can cause strange looks or worse…
I was talking with one of my angling co-workers. There was a group of 3-4 people standing next to us with their own conversation. I was recounting a certain fishing expedition on Cummins Flats in '08. I said something to the effect that I loved standing in the middle of a blue wing olive hatch taking one maniac rainbow after another. The other conversation ended abruptly and I got stared at. I can’t help but wonder what was going through their minds. “Cocktail olives flying out of martinis on blue wings?” “Maniac rainbows?” “Some kinda pill?” “We never had Ed down as that sort of person.”
But alas, it gets worse (better?)…
Last month I was talking to the same guy by the same water cooler…
It was a Monday. My friend has a pond. I asked him if he had gotten out and caught any fish. He had. He asked if I had gotten out.
As it turns out, I hadn’t. I HAD managed to tye/tie some flies. Included was a new pattern of my own to match some local mayfly nymphs. (Y’all can see this one heading downhill fast, can’t you?) I tyed them with black bead-chain eyes. Not having a name for them, I call them “beady-eyed nymphs”. This is all quite true…
So I replied to my friend, “No, but I tyed up some beady-eyed nymphs on Saturday.” My friend snickered. I follow his gaze, turning around. One of the older, more highly ranked, and most severe of the females in the place had just walked up behind me. I very nearly ended up explaining myself to the HR department.
Now my reputation is in tatters. People think that I am a pill-popping drunkard and sex maniac. Actually, I’m a fly angler…
If you’re lucky they will never understand how desparate the fly fishing addiction can become. Have you been accused of trimming anyones hair for tying materials? blamed for the lost fur lined mitterns? Have they learned to check your sick days against a hatch chart yet? Be thankful that the powers above remain ignorant of the true nature of your depravity.
Excellent story!! That reminds me of a conversation on another message board owned by a large fly angling magazine. We started talking about ‘swapping nymphs’ and the magazine editor (a die hard fly angler) knew what we were talking about but posted saying that we got the attention of the admins (not fly anglers) when the software filters picked up on some key words.
Try and explain to a female supe that when she overheard you talking about working on Kelly Galloups sex dungeon, butt monkey, and peanut love that you truly were talking about fly tying and not what she thought you were… it actually took a google search to prove myself to her so she would not fire me on the spot. I am so glad I am self employed now!!
Not just accused, but accurately accused! A friend’s wife gave me her red ponytail when she got it cut…
My Sister won’t let me approach her male Sheltie (awesome, white ruff) with scissors…
Her cats (a.k.a. mobile dubbing dispensers) no longer let me comb them…
Oh the shame, the shame…
(But her Siamese has a perfect medium blue dun when you comb him.)
Ed
P.S. This is probably that Karma stuff coming back at me. Last fall I was talking to a technical manager who is very smart, competent, diligent, fly fishes, and happens to e an attractive young woman (lady, actually). She had been talking about donning her waders and going fishing a few days previously. Late one Friday afternoon I asked her if she was going to put on her rubber pants and have some fun this weekend. Unfortunately several uber-geeks (who make me look normal) overheard. The looks on their faces was amazing. I had to hastily clarify my statement. After all, she IS a manager…
:roll:an’ it’s just gettin’ fun!