John...

Thank you for the nice words about my dad's generation. Sometimes we (and I
include myself) lose sight of what is most important. For anyone who ever
watched "A River Runs Through It" or read the book, that was how my brother
and I were raised. My dad, while far from being a minister, none-the-less
taught us a lot about life through fly fishing. There are parallels if you
look for them. I can still remember my visits to Lloyd Sylvius' fly shop on
Harris Street in Eureka. He and my dad would talk for hours about fly line
tapers (Lloyd was way ahead of the industry in terms of building compound
tapers) and sometimes embellished fish stories. My dad was devastated by
what was done to "his river", the Eel River. It will never be the river
that he once fished...but then again, there are few that have not been
hammered ecologically by man. I now live on the banks of the Smith
River...not because it's the easiest river to fish with a fly (for it is
not) but because it's Federally protected and designated as a "Wild and
Scenic River". I will figure out how best to use a fly to legitimately
catch its salmon and steelhead. It will take awhile as I am relatively new
to this river. I will study it as my dad taught me to study rivers...and I
will learn. With luck, this river will continue to be protected....at least
during my lifetime. I worry about the generations to come, however. The
ever increasing demand for fresh water has already placed the future of the
Smith River on the chopping block. I look at what happened to the Klamath
River not too long ago...and realize what can happen when enough political
pressure is used. It scares me.

I have yet to go fly fishing since my dad died on June 6th. I'm aware that
he wants me to continue with his legacy...but as I look around my den, all I
can see are photos, rods, reels, fly tying equipment and so many things that
I associate with my dad. I fished with him for over fifty years and while
the memories are all good, right now, they are painful....for I will never
hear that familiar holler when he hooked onto a big steelhead. For him,
that was the king of fish for the fly fisher. He also refused to use a reel
that did not have a paul drag system, choosing his old Hardy reels over any
of the new ones. He loved the sound of the noisy reels as a steelhead took
out line. My dad...even in his 80's could throw a longer line than most fly
fishers half his age.

It's going to feel strange to go it alone in spite of the fact that I'm a
bit long in tooth myself. However, I suspect that I will still hear my
dad's laughter when I slop a cast...or miss a strike. His laughter, sense
of humor and love of fly fishing and life will not be forgotten.

If there is anyone still in the Group who is of my dad's generation, I'd
love to hear from you.

John, thank you again for your warm words. It is appreciated more than you
know.

Barry


"bassrecord" wrote in message
...
Hi Jenny,
I may not know your Bill. But I know of Barry's father. He fly fished
with
a group of great guys on the Eel, Klamath, Mad, Trinity and Smith rivers
in
Northern California and passed on a wealth of knowledge and a sense of
conservation of the natural resource for future generations. Although I
never met Ron Brown I heard of him and his fly fishing buddies. If you
get
a chance to go to the library, check out "Steelhead Fly Fishing" by Trey
Combs. In his book he describes the pioneering work done by Jim Prey,
Lloyd
Sylvius and others which included Barry's Dad, Ron Brown.

And Jenny they passed it on to the younger generation. So I bet your Bill
passed it on also. Fly Fishermen are that way.

Best wishes.
John

"SJinny1" wrote in message
. ..
Hi Barry:

I'm new to the internet and splashing around without a "net". Seeking
to
price and sell my late husband's prized gear. You made me cry. Seems
all
fly fishermen are nice folk. Dont know how I got into this newsgroup and
am
sure I will never find it again so be consoled by the knowledge that
your
dad survived and enjoyed his long life. My Bill died in 1991 at 62 and
that
was shattering. I am now 72. Best wishes to you and your brother and
families.
From: "Barry"
Subject: In Memorium...
Date: June 6, 2004 8:05 PM

Today, at 8:15 a.m., my father, Ron Brown, died at 85 years of age in my
arms after a lengthy battle with congestive heart failure. I post this
so
that those of you who have had the chance to fish with him or know him,
will
be aware. My dad moved to Eureka, CA after WWII expressly for the fly
fishing opportunities that he found here. Fly fishing was his passion
and
he quickly adopted the Eel River as "his river". My brother and I, both
raised with fly rods in our hands, spent many hours fishing with my dad
and
his friends. My dad fished with the likes of C.Jim Prey, Lloyd Sylvius
and
others who plied their skills on the fish of the Pacific Northcoast.
Aside
from being an honest, hard working man, my father passed along to his
two
sons the love of fly fishing. His ashes will be scattered in his
favorite
stream and I will use his favorite fly rod to throw a long line into the
waters. We will miss his wit, charm and love but the lessons he taught
all
who knew him will live on.

For those who did not know my father, please treasure those moments with
your own dad for time passes so very quickly.

His loving son
Barry