"Opus" wrote in message
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"J the Trout" wrote in message
...


As a self confessed lurker, I take the view that I will only contribute
when I have someting useful to say - unlike the "usual suspects". I
suspect that they simply like the sound of their own voice (or the
on-line equivalent).

I can't recall ever having seen a post or reply from a "J the Trout,"
until Mike Cs latest return to ROFF. "As a self confessed lurker," have
you never had anything *useful* to say or contribute before Mike's most
recent return?
On VERY odd occasions over several years. This for a couple of other
reasons e.g. I live in the UK so, often, techniques, equipment etc. are
different to the majority of posters here. Also, getting your name on this
group seems to automatically generate loads of spam. I really don't need an
American mortgage, (who does?) or other pharmaceuticals. I suppose I will
get them now!


Defending Mike's honor doesn't constitute a useful contribution to fly
fishing, as far as I can tell. I suspect that Mike posted his disdain for
ROFF to several of the forums that he frequents and his pal decided to
come to his aide. Mike is big on recruiting supporters, when he has
gotten himself into another virtual fracas.

No recruiting here. No defending honour either. I don't know the guy, but
I can understand a logical argument and support it.

Quite a few of us "usual suspects" are not fanatical fishers, and we
simply like to fly fishing for its many attributes beyond the technical
realm. Therefore, we have come to enjoy and tolerate ROFF for what it is,
and not expect it to become some utopian fly fishers dream. It is
possible for two or more mutually exclusive cliques to associate in one NG
wihout ever interacting with one another. If you lurkers, Mike C., and
all of the past regulars that have been "run off" got together and made a
list of offensive ROFFians and then filter them, you could retake ROFF and
make it into whatever you want it to be.

Also, if you look back through this group, you will see many occasions
where newbies, or others, have asked sensible questions, only to be
derided or insulted, again, by the "usual suspects".

As someone who has been a regular at ROFF since 2000, I can say that the
above is an over simplification of one reasons that folks don't stick
around ROFF for an extended period of time. The majority of us regulars
were *newbies* at one time. People come and go for various reasons, one
of which might be that they couldn't deal with controversy or particular
ROFFians. Some people like others to tell them how they should *properly*
fly fish, others like mysef, don't necessarily care to be, or need to be,
told how we should fly fish.

Please, answer me this: Why do you lurk, if ROFF is so distasteful to
you?

I did point out in a previous post in this thread that I have been on the
cusp of deleting it for some time. I have hung on in the hope of gleaning a
bit of useful information from time to time.


I do contribute to other forums where I know that constructive
information is accepted, even if it's queried or discussed, it's done in
a civilised manner.

And the same is true of ROFF. Join in, block those ROFFians you find to
be instigators of trouble and see what happens. Yes, a find discussion on
the merits of knots, leader lenghts, rods and reels, casting techniques,
and a plethora of other topics will degrade; sometime in very short order,
but you will also find that varied opinions lead to much useful
information concerning fly fishing. You will also have those who are
bombastic in nature and who declare themselves to be the true arbiters of
fly fishing. Those are the people I can't take, so I block them. No harm,
no foul.

I take your point. It's refreshing to see that some points of view can be
expressed without losing it.

J

Op

J