"Gene Cottrell" wrote in message
...


t. And, yes, I've been sucked
into buying a few more than I'm ready to admit to.



Since I've fallen victim to hype for nearly every product introduced since
1971, I understand the "Maybe I can buy some skill." thing from watching
myself, not just others. :-(

At this point, I giggle when I see a new 'atomic submarine material rod that
casts itself" each, and EVERY, new catalog, but that is after collecting a
closet full of rods and still being a crappy caster :-(

I just got a catalog with new dubbing "blended to perfectly to match the
important Glossosoma caddis" and it's all I can do to force myself away from
my credit card and the phone ... Glossosoma, btw are black and I fish them
every year successfully with plain old black dubbing, but maybe, just maybe
"special blended black" would catch more ????? Be strong Larry ... drop
that credit card ... DROP IT !!

But I agree with Willi, many things are really greatly improved, although
his ranking is wrong G .... I'd rather go back to old "breaks when you
look at it wrong" tippet, than back to old "weigh 24 pounds and you're still
wet" waders.

I make a lot of noise about stupid spending on fly fishing, but in reality
shopping and trying new things is part of the fun.

However, I have a STRONG personal distaste for the 'beautiful person
syndrome" that is so very common and getting more so in our culture. They
just divided some rice land, one property away from me, into 40 acre pieces
and are building some of those obscene super sized homes common now on them.
The new owners are busy as hell trying to outdo each other parking $250,000
motor homes and Hummers next to them, building security fences and ponds
that are going to breed mosquitoes, lots of mosquitoes ( we had two horses
on this 'block' with West Nile last summer) but ponds clearly co$t to build,
so we need a pond.

Fly fishers ( and the number, thankfully, is decreasing from a high a few
years back ) that are in the sport, mainly, to spend and be seen wearing the
right gear, carrying the right rod and being told to "set the hook" by the
right fish pimp, make me sick to my stomach. But, they are part of the
same, spiritually bankrupt, phenomenon as the super sized houses ( I know a
guy that has a 10,000 square foot TWO bedroom home ... when he gave me the
tour, all I could say was "it's not too cozy is it?" ( I've never been
invited back G ) We have an entire culture that has been raised on TV
and subjected to constant bombardment from the ADman ... they have come to
believe, honestly believe, "You are what you own." and sadly, many that I
meet really don't have any more depth, as humans, than their bank account.


um, how did I get here? .... oh, yeah ... tippet