"jeff" wrote


larry - speaking of...i fished yesterday off cape lookout with a fella
from winchester, va. when he mentioned being a dog trainer and traveling
out west years ago, i mentioned you...he thought he remembered you and
admired your work. his last name is carter... middle name or nickname is
"smoot".



name doesn't ring a bell, but then my mental bells take more striking to
gong than in the past

I was never the biggest fish, ... but I was a fairly big fish .... in the
pretty damn small pond of retriever field trials ... I've trained for
people in Alaska, Florida, upstate New York, San Diego and most places
in-between ... and I traveled a lot running dogs, so it's very possible that
someone could vaguely remember me and me not them. I also used to see
someone else with my unusual last name listed occasionally in the Field
Trial News, and have wondered if I was often confused with whoever it is/
was.

This Sept at Silver Creek, the trial crowd rolled in ( the circuit works a
lot like rodeo or other traveling competitions, new spot each week ) and
several people I could only "sort of" recall came over to say "hi" and
inquire what I was up to these days, most assumed I had a dog of my own now,
and was there to compete. The Wood River club trial used to be in August,
prime trico time, but got moved to Sept on a weekend when we had a trial 500
miles closer to home ... always regreted that schedule change G Anyway,
it was kinda weird being there to fish and having the "circuit" pull in and
find myself chatting with a few people I've known for 40 years and trying to
pretend to remember others that remembered me.

um ..... the "new spot each week" part of my past ( spots included Picabo,
Id, Jackson, Wy, McCall, ID, Twin Bridges, Mt, Fall River Mills, Ca,
Chiloquin, Or, Mammoth, Ca, etc etc .... really nifty places but for only
a few days each/ year ) helps explain my "gettin' old" reluctance to to
engage in "name collecting mode" fishing trips ... as per the other thread
in which you replied to me