I think it was in 1999 or maybe 2000 that I first registered with FAOL. I had been lurking for a short while and liked the site so much that I made an entry in the “Guest Book.” In very short order a fellow named DShock responded and made me feel welcome. We’ve been long distance fishing buddies ever since. So, who was your first contact? And have you had the chance to fish with them?
I met JC & Deanna on America Online’s “Watering Hole”. A chat room for fly fishers. They were hosts there. I came here when they started the site.
Parnelli (Steven McGarthwaite) in 1998. I won the May, 1999 contest which was a selection of fly-tying materials (synthetics) which I had no clue at that time what to do with. Took the Beginner lessons here and they disappeared quickly. Now I’m waiting for my new Elkhorn prize to come my way. 
I lurked for some time before reading an article that got me a bit upset and decided to join up so I could complain to the publisher. If I remember correctly I ended up exchanging a couple of messages with Ladyfisher and kept my complaints mostly to myself. I have been reading this site regularly on Mondays since then and normally check in once or twice a day.
Al Campbell. I e-mailed him a question about fly tying and got an almost immediate response with a full answer to my question. My first thought was “Here’s a guy who loves what he does.” He is sorely missed.
My first contact with Jim & Deanna was at FBN (Fly Fishing Broadcast Network) a “few” years ago where they were participating hosts. When that folded, I lost touch untill a current Chat Room regular Slicfoot -Dave Ulmer told me where Jim & Deanna had moved to. The rest is history.
Mark
Around 2004 was surfing the internet looking at anything related to fly fishing and fly tying and ran across FAOL and bookmarked it for daily surfing. Noticed “ohiotuber’s” profile stated he was in the “Nation of Ohio” which is where I moved from to Tennessee. Been in Tennessee ever since (about 26 years now). Also noticed that Mikey lived about 40 miles from where I was raised in Ohio and I decided to send him an e-mail to see if he knew any of the people I grew up around and went to school with. Discovered he knew the area where I grew up and he even knew a doctor who owned some land which bordered on the farm I was raised on. This land was private property and it contained a nice pond. Since the doctor purchased the property as an investment, he did not come down much which left the pond for me to fish!
Mike told me that I was lucky I did not get caught because the doctor had a local gentleman there to keep an eye out on the property for him to keep people out. Turns out the so called “care taker” of the property was a good friend of mine and since our farm joined this property, he never said anything to me when he would see my truck there because he knew I hunted this property for grouse and squirrel for many years as I grew up. After many e-mails back and forth, Mike convinced me that I needed to join FAOL which I did, as a Friend of FAOL and the rest is history. I surf FAOL everyday from home and work and do not know what I would do without it! Just love this site and the people here! Thank you Mikey and thank you JC and LF! Since joining, Mike has made the trip to Tennessee and brought Jack Hise with him and we have fished together to further the bond. Now Jack Hise lives just down the road from my home and I really enjoy having him here and having him as a friend.
I had been looking at FAOL for awhile before I ever looked at the bulletin board. I just wanted fly tying recipes and flyfishing instructions so would visit the site occasionally for those. One day I accidentally clicked on Bulletin Board and it was like Dorothy waking up in Oz. Here were all these fishermen and fishing ladies sharing and caring with each other not just about fishing but about family, cooking, sickness prayers and praises. How to cut and paste, what type of camera to use, how to waterproof or degauze or strip paint off about anything. I was hooked. I signed in on the visitor’s page and continued to visit til after our Montana trip in July I finally thought I had something to contribute. Jack Hise was the first one to welcome me as a newcomer. Something about new guys get the firewood and make the coffee. Made me feel right at home. Ron Eagle Elk was next.
I have since been a contributer for the Lighter Side column, became a Friend of FAOL and as of posting this reply will have posted 100 times. 
jimsnarocks.
A few weeks ago Bazza pointed me to this site as being a very friendly and informative site. So far I have not been disappointed.
Although I have not been too active so far I really like it here.
I met Bazza at the www.completefisher.com forums, a site very much worth having a look at, UK based, a good bunch of friends there…
Cheers, Hans
That would be the late, great, Al Campbell. I found this website while doing a search on fly tying. One of the search results was Al’s fly tying section found on the main board. At the bottom of each lesson was a link to Al’s email. I figured ‘what the heck’ and to my surprise he answered me. He did this many times though the years. He always ended each reponse with some encouragement. I never met him in person and hoped that someday I would get to meet him at a Fish-in. Unfortunately the Lord had other plans for Al and he left this earth before I had the chance to meet him.
My 1st contact was the late, great “oldman” Bob Dial. Bob actually emailed me as a result of some posts, & we became very close friends in a short period of time. We talked often, got together at times, but due to health issues & timing, Bob & I never were able to fish together…something I will always regret. He was a perfect example of the caring & sharing that exists on this board. I was a very inexperienced fly fisherman & Bob took me under his wing & taught me volumes. We shared good times & hard times & it always seemed that we could sense when the other needed a “pick me up”. I met his family, including his nephews & my good friends Sean Dial (Lake Erie High Ball) & Sean’s brother Jimmy (fivedials) who are both FAOLers as a result of Bob’s influence.
I have made MANY really good friends here on FAOL, but Bob Dial holds a VERY special place in my heart…He was more big Brother than friend, & I miss him tremendously. I will never forget the night Sean called me to tell of his passing. I think of Bob often & still treasure a number of flies he tied & gave me…most remain & WILL remain unfished memories.
Mike
Jack Hise. Like many I lurked here for awhile before registering (and I still mainly lurk). Jack pulled me in though. We sorely miss you up north Jack. I’ve had the honor and privilege to tie with and fish with Jack in the past. They are experiences that will never be forgotten and form part of my fishing foundation.
Mike
I never lurk… I just jump right into the fray. FAOL is home to many friendly and generous folks. I posted a hello and introduced myself right off, and got many responses welcoming me. It was the first I had ever seen of fly swaps, and I jumped right into that. I think the first fellow I met here was Joe Valencic when he answered and solved a problem I had. I got a warm welcom from our hosts as well. I have enjoyed being a part of this bunch immensely, and have been a help to some I hope. I check in nearly every weekday, and some weekends. Long live FAOL !!! 
I could be wrong but I think it was Jim Flamming. I had just posted an introduction and very shortly after that Jim PMed me inviting me to join him and a group of people for a Micro Fish Inn in Michigan. I am very grateful for his kind invitation as it has brought me many great friends not only from Michigan but all over the country.
first guy to talk to me was
FishinInjun
My first contact was in the late 90’s. I had just got my first computer and was doing some browsing for fly fishing sites. The first one that I saw that interested me was FAOL. I got to reading some of the information there and found something called a fish-in. The notice read some of the members were getting together at State College. It said everyone was welcome, so I took them at their word and packed my meager equipment and was off the next morning.
I finally found the motel and checked in. I was talking to the clerk and asking him if he knew what the fish-in was all about? He said he didn’t and pointed out the fellow getting a cup of coffee and said he would know. I introduced myself and that was my first meeting with JC. He invited me back to his room to meet Old Rupe.
Rupe was there tying some flies on a vice like I have not seen before or since. It had gears and levers and wheels everywhere, it was something you had to see. Rupe had developed some foot problems and couldn’t get out to fish. It turns out that JC had flown to Dayton were Rupe lives and they drove to the Fish-in from there. That worked out good for me because JC didn’t want to drive Rupe’s truck so I volunteered to drive.
The next day we fished Fisherman’s Paradise and that was the first time I meet George Harvey. We fished some and I caught my first trout on a dry fly, a small BWO.
At night I would go to there room and Rupe would teach me to Tie flies. I had been tying a little but didn’t know anything compared to Rupe. We would still be up at 2 in the morning tying.
Looking back on it now, it is still one of my best memories of fly fishing. I have been to several fish-ins’ since then and have enjoyed every one of them. I do hope to get to Idaho this coming year. Shorthaul and I are planning on the trip in Sept. 2009.
If you haven’t been to a fish-in, try to go. When they say everyone is welcome, they mean it. From the first minute JC and I meet he treated me like a friend, he taught me to cast much better than when I arrived and we just had fun fishing together.
Thanks JC and LF for the great site and all that you do for the fish-ins and the free lessons on casting.
Haven’t heard from Dick Lane in years. He was the guy that organized the first Idaho Fish-In, and it took off from there. He tied some of the best looking steelhead flies I’ve ever seen. Last I heard, he was driving cab in Tri Cities, Wa.
Lets see that would be His Royal Highness Sir Joey Doughy oven God! followed by Al Thomas, then O-Tuber
THANK YOU ALL!!
If I am right, it was LOTECH thru my cousin Paul Levar from Spokane Falls, WA. Is this right Lotech??
My first FAOL contact was with Rick Z, by means of private email, asking him for advice on some subject after I’d read about a hundred of his Panfish stories that got me so wired to go fly fishing that I was pinging off the walls. Rick’s my Main Man; he goes fishing every chance he gets, he was catching panfish and relating straigtforward info about stuff I wanted to know, about how a person might catch panfish.
A few weeks later I was re-geared with different tackle and then jumped back into the sport for my third crack at it. Rick’s stories helped me bigtime; I started catching fish virtually from the first cast.
Soon after, my second contact was with FAOL co-publisher Deanna Birkholm, asking her if I might possibly contribute some stories to this site? The outdoor writer in me had gotten lured out of seclusion, I’d been hooked and hoped I’d get pulled in and landed. I was.
Joe
“Better small than not at all.”