This message is to RonMT, WarrenP and Marco…
My name is adam, I am a 44 year old (recently upgraded to the middle class) father of two boys and a lovely new bride. I make a web site (actually, I’ve made many) on fly fishing that I think is slightly older than this one. I meet the FAOL administrators while on a fly fishing surfari to find out about why another fly fishing web site even older than ours was going to be a monopoly, collectively, we didn’t like that.
Anyway, I’ve taken a different tack, my own, all of my life. I am a skateboarder (still), an old punk rocker (my favorite music is bluegrass and classical), I’m a paraglider/hang glider pilot of more than 25 years, pioneer snowsurfer and the point of my “tirade” is that I’m a angler, preferably a fly fisher. Having been a veteran in the US Army, I understand freedom of speach and diversity so now we are on an even playing field.
I came to fly fishing from spin fishing. Although I am a dedicated fly fisher of streams, rivers, lake and sea, I sometimes pull out the spinning or baitcasting rod in the Sea of Cortez to sling lead, to sea the sound and listen… I didn’t forget where I came from and I’m definately not going to forget why I’m here or where I’m going.
Fly fishing is not high church or anything other than fishing. You, as a fly fisher are no better or worse than a Native American snagging fish on his own stream. We are all anglers and the sooner we get toward that, the better. Most women wonder why we “throw them back” and PETA for G~d’s sake, well, they could care less how barbless our hooks are.
With that said, I produce a web site that I write stories and share my experiences to who ever wishes to read them. More importantly, I publish YOUR stories in the vernacular. I don’t like fly fishing magazines for the most part and I buck the advertisement there and here. Conversely, I will post an ad for companies I do believe in and write about their goods.
You see, I want to see performance fly rods in the hands of poor students who drive fecked up pick-up trucks hundreds of miles to fish, spending all their cash on the destination, NOT the equipment. And when they get back, I want to read about it weather it is here, or at the web site I publish. It’s the journey I’m after, the experience, not the accoutrements of it although a fine reel and rod are certainly a nice thing to behold in a snow storm or blazing heat.
I’m not coming over here to garner any more readers, shine that. The people that I want to be involved with find their way anyway and most of them visit other sites as well. That’s the kind of people I like to share my time with, not some grouchy junkyard dog defending their turf. I’m here because I want to be. I’ve been here probably a lot longer than you because I want to be.
I like this web site, it’s the best [albiet bloated] attempt that I’ve read since the internet has been available. Even with it’s commercialism, all that which I don’t like, a pretty good feel comes through.
You guys who I mention?
Well, if I had the time to get to know you, I would probably like you and like most of my fly fishing friends I have meet online, the common bond would be strong. But for now, I think you are fool of yourselves and I would appreciate it if you would back the [explicative] up and help Deanna and Jim keep this place a little more clean, a little less flak, tu sabe? Help keep the site going to the next level through the critical mass.
Never feel like you are under someone’s thumb, you are not. Free to go, you are, even more free to stay, it’s a good place but there are a whole lot more out on the internet. I’m always looking and the reason why I build mine is because I don’t believe in a monopoly. You will find mentions to this site at my own, I promote others to visit anywhere they please and I don’t want any kooks who believe in a monopoly pontificating about fly fishing, here or there.
Now you decide what you want to do with those words of yours, I’ve already decided what I have done and will do with mine.
Take care,
adam
[insert website here]
