"Tim J." wrote in message
...
Larry L typed:
"Tom Nakashima" wrote

I remember one recent
trip I gave a fly to a stranger, about 15 min. later he hooked up as
I had not a single strike. Later he came by and offered me the
fish. I just smiled and told him to keep it and commented on his
great presentation skills.

One of last season's greatest highlights for me occurred on the
Henry's Fork just above the log jam....
snipped nice story

Since it's story time. . .

Last year, my older son (you know, the guy with the metal-rod-construction
spine) decided to take my dog for a walk at the secret spot. About 100
yards in, there was a woman sitting on the bank and her young son was in
the water flailing away with a completely improperly rigged fly rod. We
stopped long enough to let the mother pet the dog and to find out the
boy's father had passed away a few months back. I took the kid, about
12-13 years old, back to my car (always properly stocked with fishing
gear), rerigged his rod (backing installed, turned the line around on the
reel, new leader, etc.), tied on a wooly bugger, and gave him about a
dozen flies to start him off. We went back and I showed him how to cast -
pretty funny if you've ever seen *me* cast. Kinda like the blind leading
the blind. anyway, the kid was pretty jazzed, and the mother was beside
herself thanking me. I had to leave before it got too maudlin. My son
promptly asked me why I was so much nicer to other people's children. ;-)

A few weeks later, I was back there to do some fishing. The boy was back
and said his mother was sitting and reading downstream about 1/2 mile. He
said he hadn't caught anything the day we met, but he went back the next
day and caught several little fish I assumed were brookies. On this day,
he went in the river at the same spot I'd left him the last time and was
casting fairly well.

I see this kind of stuff not as a "nice thing to do", but as a duty to
society. If that kid gets into fishing instead of trouble, it's sure worth
the time. AFAIC, all the kudos go to the mother for continuing to spend
the time to get the kid on the river....

Five or six years ago, Becky and I did a backpacking trip in the Never
Summer Wilderness, just outside Rocky Mountain National Park. At the end of
the trip we spent the better part of a day reacquainting ourselves with
civilization (such as it is) in Estes Park before heading home. After a
decent lunch in the outdoor cafe seating area of one of the local bar/grills
(where they allowed Cullen to sit with us......and even brought him a bowl
of water and a hot dog) we strolled the boardwalk along whatever the hell
stream it is that flows through town. A boy appearing to be about ten years
old was there with his mother, doing his level best to tease a trout up out
of the water. We stood and watched him for a while. Eventually, he gave up
and came up on the bridge from where we and his mother had been watching.
With an air of morose anxiety he searched briefly through the pitiful supply
of flies in a little plastic box. I asked to see them and he, looking a bit
embarrassed, held the box out to me. After a quick glance, I asked him to
wait a minute and then walked back to our car and retrieved my fishing bag.
Returning to the bridge, I got out a fly box and selected a few. Holding
them out to the boy, I asked him to take them. Eyes aglow, he complied. As
he placed them carefully into his box, I dug out another and made a few more
selections. We repeated the procedure a few times. Eventually, he couldn't
fit any more flies in his box.....so I gave him another. Then we filled
that one. Half an hour later, we strolled away, to the accompaniment of
profuse thanks from both boy and mother.

Since that day, I've had to replace the transmission in my van, I lost my
job, I got a parking ticket at Big Cedar Lake, I've had several colds, I've
cut myself numerous times on kitchen cutlery, razor blades and broken glass,
I got a big zit on my nose, I've had more fishless days than I care to count
or remember, my favorite coffee mug got smashed, there are mice in the
pantry, Susan Sarandon, Daryl Hannah, Jessica Lang, Holly Hunter and Sharon
Stone NEVER return my calls........I could go on.

Wolfgang
karma this.