Bill,
Your a great guy! We love you around here! 
Doug
Speaking as an aviator you really do not want to hear my opinion on most of the âdriversâ that are permitted to operate a motor vehicle.
Hey Doug - thanks for the next nominee for âThe Darwin AwardââŚ
Regarding âthe meatheadsââŚitâs easy to strike up a conversation about conservation. Iâve had a couple âstreamside chatsâ out in the Black Hills where there still exists the âhunt and gatherâ mentality. I never lectured - just started a conversation asking their luck, how many I caught and released, and show them the bag of garbage I picked up along the way and was carting out, then wished them a good afternoon.
Unfortunately the future of fly fishing is not soley in the hands of kids like flyandtie who GETS ITâŚbut in people that take up the sport in their 20s and 30s. Many were brought up fishing worms and bobbers where the mark of a good day was a full stringer of whatever they could get to bite. They donât appreciate how difficult it is to maintain trout habitat and water quality or a healthy fish population. But they CAN.
Jeff made an excellent point when talking about extreme sports - now we have âX-Games meets Fly Fishingâ. In a world of bigger-badder-better itâs sometimes hard to appreciate the nuances of our sport. There was an excellent article in this past issue of either Fly & Tie or Flyrodding talking about the âGeneration Gapâ of fly fishing.
And the truth of the matter is that collectively we need to have people continue to pick up the sport. It helps with lobbying for public waters, keeping fly shops in business, etc. Overall itâs a good thing. But it also means that itâs up to us to help âsteerâ and educate as more new people share our waters.
I am sorry to sya this. Meathead behavior is not limited just to your generation. The only reason you do not see too many âolderâ folk doing this is beacuse they are dead, disabled, in jail or simply have learned the lesson (not all though). I guess this kind of behavior goes with the age. It is my theory that the slow decay of moral values in our society simply makes this kind of stuff just more visible to some of usâŚ
I canât say for all states, but if these guys are drinking and/or intoxicated, then they are not âin accordance with the lawâ. In Ga., and I think in TN as well. you cannot have alcohol in public except in a licensed establishment, nor can you be in posession of it except for taking UNOPENED bottles or cans home from the store. You cannot appear in public in an intoxicated condition. You cannot even drink in your own yard unless you have a privacy fence, where no one can see you. Both of these are Class B misdemeanors in Ga.
If you are in possesion of alcohol, or under the influence in a State Park, or the National Forest, it is a Class A misdemeanor. In addition, they will confiscate your vehicle and fishing equipment, and you can lose both your driving, and fishing/hunting licenses for several years.
Maybe you should suggest some changes in your states laws. It sure works here. I seldom see anyone drunk while fishing.
Some of Gaâs. Fish and Game laws seem a bit draconian to me at times, but I think they are right on track with alcohol laws. They donât fool around, here. They have no tolerance for public drunkeness, period!
Semper Fi!
We had a strange situation occur here on the Clackamas River this summer. This Park became a âHang Outâ for the young crowd a few years ago and no one thought anything of it, until THIS summer. Because of the HOT temps this was the year that everyone who was anyone showed up at this Park and chaos insued!
People floating down the river that were drinking alcohol (Lotâs of Alcohol) Fights happened, how no one drowned is amazing! The Sheriff showed up, which turned out to be ridiculous! 11 Sheriff against 5,000 people seeking relief from the heat and some drinking alcohol. I have a nephew who was there and the Sheriffâs Dept. was so intimidated that they were overreacting to violaters.
Finally the authorities passed a special law that alcohol was Banned from the Parks. This was a extreme situation that included a special set of conditions, popular spot, alcohol and hot temps.
I have never been a drinker of alcohol , but I believe there are responsible drinkers. BUT there are folks that cannot drink! I probably would have been one of them. Iâve always been a person that questioned WHY someone was doing something and I never got a good enough answer.
Doug