Still alive

[[email protected]]

It has been nearly 20 months since I departed without farewell or
explanation from this forum. Through my absence, I have missed the
company of my friends here as well as the peace of the sport itself. I
knew that sooner or later, I'd be back to say hello; and a chance
meeting with a ROFFian on another newsgroup reminded me that time was
overdue.

I have on occasion peered through the windows and satisfied myself that
ROFF was alive and well; and I have been both comforted and amused that
so little has changed; but the sad fact is that I have given up fly
fishing, and consequently had nothing on topic to contribute.

I came to this painful decision in May, 2004 following yet another
spring when family pressures overwhelmed my ability to wet a line with
enjoyable regularity. Every outing became a domestic confrontation.
The stress of having an intense desire to fish without a relaxing
opportunity to do so was killing me. To be honest, the wonderful
camaraderie and resource that is ROFF only made it worse. To learn
what I did not know made the thirst for that knowledge stronger. To
wish for experiences beyond my ability for realization added to the
frustration. The more I stayed here, the more I read of others'
experiences, the more I beat my head against the wall only further
highlighted my continued discouragement with my abilities and
opportunities. On top of that, I was unemployed and fast approaching
broke.

That June, my local fly shop, where I had begun my interest in the
sport, my brick and mortar connection to the sport, and refuge of
goodwill and good cheer, closed its doors for good. I took it as a
sign, and simply went cold turkey.

There were no hatches for me that year, no claves, no shad run, no
tying flies, no wrapping guides. In October, I did drag out the gear
for my annual Salmon River trip, more for my son than myself. On the
second day of that trip, my custom-made 8 wt. shattered in three places
as I leaned on a big coho. That was a stake in my heart; the last nail
in the coffin of my fly fishing life. I loved that rod as much as one
can bestow such affection on an inanimate object. Its demise
completely deflated me. I knew I would never rebuild that rod, and I
haven't. I was done.

So, in a nutshell, that's the depressing answer to the question,
"Whatever happened to Joe F.?"

In the intervening time, I've simply done other things, among them
the construction this past spring of a fantastically beautiful 17'
mahogany stitch & glue kayak for #1 son. It was through this avenue
that Kevin Vang recognized my screen name on rec.boats.paddling and
prompted me to stop in & say howdy.

I do miss you guys, especially my many good friends here. I still
check the NC & Illinois scores for no apparent reason. I find myself
inexplicably rooting for the Pats. Memories of claves past play in my
mind often. I wish I had more to offer ROFF these days; but I have
squat for on topic contributions to justify an occasional OT rant; and
my present job does not allow for much newsgroup time anyway.

I apologize for my sudden disappearance those many months ago, but I
never liked grand announcements anyway, and I wasn't about to make
one myself.

So, for the present, I am alive and reasonably well. Tight lines to
you all.

Joe F.

[Wayne Harrison]

> wrote

>
> So, for the present, I am alive and reasonably well. Tight lines to
> you all.
>
> Joe F.
>
great to hear from you, joey. cop a wild hair this spring and drive
down to the blue ridge. the old north state could use a good juggler, from
time to time.

yfitons
wayno

[Charlie Choc]

On 8 Dec 2005 08:19:19 -0800, wrote:

>So, for the present, I am alive and reasonably well. Tight lines to
>you all.
>
Good to hear that, anyway, Joe. I'm not alert enough to have noticed you on rbp,
but the canoe project sounds like it was a fine one.
--
Charlie...
http://www.chocphoto.com

[Mike Connor]

> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
oups.com...
> It has been nearly 20 months since I departed without farewell or
> explanation from this forum. Through my absence, I have missed the
> company of my friends here as well as the peace of the sport itself. I
> knew that sooner or later, I'd be back to say hello; and a chance
> meeting with a ROFFian on another newsgroup reminded me that time was
> overdue.
<SNIP>


Very nice to hear from you, and good to know that you are alive and kicking.

Best wishes and regards.

MC

[Wolfgang]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> ...I do miss you guys...but I have
> squat for on topic contributions to justify an occasional OT rant; and
> my present job does not allow for much newsgroup time anyway....

Ah hell, anybody who can juggle fire can go wherever he pleases and say
whatever he likes......the natives be damned!

Nice to hear from you, Joe. Stick around.......we need all the good guys we
can get. :)

Wolfgang

[Tim J.]

typed:
<severe snipage ahead>
> It has been nearly 20 months since I departed without farewell or
> explanation from this forum.

Damn straight! You should be ashamed! ;-)

> but the sad fact is that I have
> given up fly fishing, and consequently had nothing on topic to
> contribute.

No cooking tips? Wine selections? Woodworking know-how?

> I came to this painful decision in May, 2004 following yet another
> spring when family pressures overwhelmed my ability to wet a line with
> enjoyable regularity. Every outing became a domestic confrontation.
> The stress of having an intense desire to fish without a relaxing
> opportunity to do so was killing me. To be honest, the wonderful
> camaraderie and resource that is ROFF only made it worse. To learn
> what I did not know made the thirst for that knowledge stronger. To
> wish for experiences beyond my ability for realization added to the
> frustration. The more I stayed here, the more I read of others'
> experiences, the more I beat my head against the wall only further
> highlighted my continued discouragement with my abilities and
> opportunities.

Oh sure - it's all about you. What about us? We love you, man!

> On top of that, I was unemployed and fast approaching
> broke.

Well, I hope that's behind you - nasty stuff, that.

> So, in a nutshell, that's the depressing answer to the question,
> "Whatever happened to Joe F.?"

Ah, but you're here now, and that's what counts. I, for one, have really
missed your posts; your compassion; your wit. Although we've never met, I've
always felt a connection with you.

> In the intervening time, I've simply done other things, among them
> the construction this past spring of a fantastically beautiful 17'
> mahogany stitch & glue kayak for #1 son. It was through this avenue
> that Kevin Vang recognized my screen name on rec.boats.paddling and
> prompted me to stop in & say howdy.

Do more than that - please. The fact is you DID fly fish in your last life
and have a lot to contribute. We'll try not to make you feel *TOO* bad, but
stick around, or at least pop in from time to time. Hell, you can even host
the next DDFS - it's yours for the asking. ;-)

> I apologize for my sudden disappearance those many months ago, but I
> never liked grand announcements anyway, and I wasn't about to make
> one myself.
>
> So, for the present, I am alive and reasonably well. Tight lines to
> you all.

Damn, Joe. It's good to see you 'round. Welcome home.
--
TL,
Tim
------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj/

[bruiser]

Joe, The legends on this board probably fish like once a year each, so
don't worry about it. ; -)

Welcome back.

bruce h

[Dave Mohnsen]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> It has been nearly 20 months since I departed without farewell or
> explanation from this forum. Through my absence, I have missed the
> company of my friends here as well as the peace of the sport itself. I
> knew that sooner or later, I'd be back to say hello; and a chance
> meeting with a ROFFian on another newsgroup reminded me that time was
> overdue.
> Joe F.

Hi Joe,
Glad to see you at least lurking around . . .as I do.
BestWishes,
DaveMohnsen
Denver

[Wayne Knight]

wrote:
>
> So, for the present, I am alive and reasonably well. Tight lines to
> you all.
>
> Joe F.

Good to hear from you. Be well and I want to see pictures of that
kayak.

Wayne

[Ken Fortenberry]

wrote:
> It has been nearly 20 months since I departed without farewell or
> explanation from this forum. Through my absence, I have missed the
> company of my friends here as well as the peace of the sport itself.

Good to "see" ya, Joe !!

Glad to hear you're reasonably well, and that's too bad
about your favorite 8wt.

As for leaving roff because you don't fly fish, that's
like not drinking because you quit brewing your own.
Hell, I haven't wet a line in a coon's age so **** man,
don't be a stranger around here.

--
Ken Fortenberry

[Charlie Choc]

On Thu, 08 Dec 2005 11:51:07 -0500, Charlie Choc
> wrote:

>but the canoe project sounds like it was a fine one.

D'oh, especially when the result of the project was a kayak.
--
Charlie...
http://www.chocphoto.com

[Tim J.]

typed:
<snip>
> Joe F.

Hey, Joe. Shoot me an email at kpos3wt at comcast dot net.
--
TL,
Tim
------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj/

[FlyCaughtInTree]

>Joe, The legends on this board probably fish like once a year each, so
>don't worry about it. ; -)


>Welcome back

Ain't *that* the sad truth?!??!?

Although I'm new around these parts, I feel your pain.....

--Steve

[JR]

wrote:

> ..... I wish I had more to offer ROFF these days; but I have
> squat for on topic contributions to justify an occasional OT rant; and
> my present job does not allow for much newsgroup time anyway.

You don't need any justification here, boyo. Drop in anytime you feel
like it. On any subject.

Glad to hear you're well.

JR

[Dave LaCourse]

On 8 Dec 2005 08:19:19 -0800, wrote:

>So, for the present, I am alive and reasonably well. Tight lines to
>you all.

Sorry to hear of your broken rod, but let me tell you, you are missed
around this nuthouse. Glad to hear you are ok.

Remember, when in Mass., call Dave and Jo for a free dinner.

Dave

[David Snedeker]

Welcome back.

Dave

[rw]

bruiser wrote:
> Joe, The legends on this board probably fish like once a year each, so
> don't worry about it. ; -)

Amen, brother. I haven't fished since September, and I won't until
January at the San Juan, which I'm really looking forward to. Bruiser,
can you tie a half dozen chamois worms for me? I can't seem to get them
right. :-) It's my most productive pattern on the San Juan, even if it
does only amount to one small step above bait fishing.

Good to hear from you, Joe. I'm curious: Which favorite shop in
Baltimore went out of business?

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

[rb608]

"rw" > wrote in message
> Good to hear from you, Joe. I'm curious: Which favorite shop in Baltimore
> went out of business?


Joe Bruce at the Fishermans Edge in Catonsville decided to call it quits. I
didn't hear any details as to why.

Joe F.

[rw]

rb608 wrote:
> "rw" > wrote in message
>
>>Good to hear from you, Joe. I'm curious: Which favorite shop in Baltimore
>>went out of business?
>
>
>
> Joe Bruce at the Fishermans Edge in Catonsville decided to call it quits. I
> didn't hear any details as to why.

Too bad. When I was growing up in Northeast Baltimore I was always
partial to Set's Sport Shop in Towson. I see that they're still in
business. It wasn't exactly a flyfishing place, but I wasn't an
intolerant flyfishing snob at the time. :-)

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

[[email protected]]

Good to hear from you, Joe. Maybe we'll meet up at Malinda's
again sometime.

[Bob Patton]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> It has been nearly 20 months since I departed without farewell or
//snip//
>
> So, for the present, I am alive and reasonably well. Tight lines to
> you all.
>
> Joe F.
>

It's about damned time! Welcome back. And no apologies!!
Bob

[bruiser]

I'll tie you as many Chamois's as you want! Willi's are better though
(although I'm thinking it has something to do with the operator).
bruce h

[rw]

bruiser wrote:
> I'll tie you as many Chamois's as you want! Willi's are better though
> (although I'm thinking it has something to do with the operator).

He claims that you should stomp them into the mud before tossing them.
Sounds plausible. Personally, I think the trick is to catch one fish and
then use the same worm for the rest of them. :-)

Losing a well broken-in chamois worm really sucks.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

[chas]

wrote:
>I came to this painful decision in May, 2004 following yet another
>spring when family pressures overwhelmed my ability to wet a line with
>enjoyable regularity. Every outing became a domestic confrontation.
>The stress of having an intense desire to fish without a relaxing
>opportunity to do so was killing me.

I think this is one of the most troubling things I've read here Joe. I hope
you can find a way to work it out.

In any event, hang in there and welcome back.

Chas
remove fly fish to e mail directly

[Frank Church]

"rb608" > wrote in
news:nA3mf.8640$Jg5.3554@trnddc07:


> Joe Bruce at the Fishermans Edge in Catonsville decided to call it
> quits. I didn't hear any details as to why.
>
> Joe F.

....and I'll add to the chorus of "you are missed" Joe. I still remember our
little conclave on the Rappahannock. I remember you as a fine gentleman and
a pleasure to talk with. Right at this moment you probably aren't fishing
any less than most of us. :-( Stick around anyway.

Frank Sr
....of the frozen north

[rb608]

It took me a day to find the pix, but I can't post to abpf from here.
I'll post a few when I get home.

[sstump]

Nice to hear from you again Joe.

http://www.flyfishingshow.com/collegepark/

Jan 14-15, 2006

Free ride for you & yours if interested.

Sam

[Kevin Vang]

In article . com>,
says...
>
> It was through this avenue
> that Kevin Vang recognized my screen name on rec.boats.paddling and
> prompted me to stop in & say howdy.

That's all I really wanted, you know. I didn't ask for a full
confession. (When we want your confession, you will find yourself
on an unmarked airplane headed to an undisclosed location in
Eastern Europe.) Good to hear from you, though.

>
> I apologize

I'd rather be served breakfast in bed by Giada De Laurentiis
tomorrow morning than apologize on roff.

Kevin

--
reply to:
kevin dot vang at minotstateu dot edu