What's your favorite fly fishing book?

"Wolfgang" wrote in message
...

"slenon" wrote in message
om...

...there was a magic of its own in our program, a
real sense of discovery of nature, history, and self....

very nice (if monocular) description of the scouting experience snipped

As a small boy I had a burning desire to be big enough and good enough to
be
a Boy Scout some day. I wasn't very clear about the limits of either of
those requirements but the ambition was strong nevertheless. I used to do
all the things I imagined they did.....I climbed tress....I,
um....ahem....set things on fire (I'd never actually SEEN the manual)....I
ran over the jumbled and uneven blocks of limestone that formed much of
the
Lake Michigan shoreline as fast as I could, thinking THIS must be what
they
do! Well, painted wings and giant's rings......... I never
did actually become one of the boys in green (well, olive drab,
actually......hm), though I was a Cub Scout (not at all the same thing)
for
a couple of years and, in high school, was also heavily involved in the
Exploring program (not at all the same thing) for a couple of years.

As an adult, I've never exactly had a hard-on for the BSA, but there have
been and still are a few things that really bother me about the
organization. Having been in the rather schizophrenic (though not
necessarily always unpleasant) position of being active duty military and
involved in anti-war activities simultaneously, I eventually acquired a
strong distaste for saluting, marching, insignia, oaths, mottoes,
regimentation, orders, and all things martial....well, o.k., there was
kickboxing with all its attendant mystique and paraphernalia, but that was
recreational, right? I mean, as far as I know, nobody has ever side
kicked
an entire village of women and children to death, o.k.? Anyway, there
can
little doubt that the BSA has raised entire generations of
cannoneers.....as
well as cannon fodder.

The Boy Scouts of America has throughout its history been both a
politically
and socially conservative organization, thus reflecting the common
perception (if not the actuality) of the broader society within which it
exists. Now, there's nothing intrinsically and irredeemably wrong with
conservatism per se, but humankind has yet to invent a single political
viewpoint, religion, philosophy, societal structure or weltanschauung
sufficiently nutritious to maintain (let alone grow) neurons or synapses.
A
large part of the problems faced by the Boy Scouts, as well as most other
entrenched institutions, is directly attributable to a sort of psychic
atherosclerosis or, to put it in the vernacular, brain dead conservatism.
Oh, and lest anyone should think I betray a slant toward one political
party
or another, the meathead Democrats are as guilty of it as are the bonehead
Republicans.

The BSA, like all other social, political, religious, and economic
institutions are desperately in need of a memo stating clearly (and in
small
words) what century we (or most of us, anyway) are now living in.

Former Boy Scouts, almost to a man, will testify (and do) that they are
better men for the experience. I beg leave to remind them of the advice
given to his son by John Andrew Holmes:

"It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one trifling
exception, is composed of others."

Wolfgang

Nicely said. And best of all, I understand now why you think my scouting
saga was full of exaggeration: The post was longer than yours. Sorry,
Wolfgang. Next time I'm inclined to write something that long, I'll break it
into smaller, individual posts.

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Wolfgang" wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

...no exaggeration here...

My, my, what an exquisite load of horse****.....one of the three
or four
best I've seen in my years here. Um.....you DO know your brain is
diseased,
right?

You think it's exaggeration, eh? What do you base that belief on,
Wolfgang?

The most redolent stories in every culture throughout history have
always begun with "No bull****" or some tepid variation thereof.
After 40 years of smoking cigarettes, my nose ain't what it used to
be, but I can still smell lilacs.

Wolfgang
um.......and ****.....did i mention that i can smell ****?

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

Nicely said. And best of all, I understand now why you think my
scouting
saga was full of exaggeration: The post was longer than yours.
Sorry,
Wolfgang. Next time I'm inclined to write something that long, I'll
break it
into smaller, individual posts.

Break it into individual letters distributed at random and the
enterprising reader will be able to do something useful with it.

Wolfgang
and, for the indolent, it will flush easier.

"Wolfgang" wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Wolfgang" wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

...no exaggeration here...

My, my, what an exquisite load of horse****.....one of the three
or four
best I've seen in my years here. Um.....you DO know your brain is
diseased,
right?

You think it's exaggeration, eh? What do you base that belief on,
Wolfgang?

The most redolent stories in every culture throughout history have
always begun with "No bull****" or some tepid variation thereof.
After 40 years of smoking cigarettes, my nose ain't what it used to
be, but I can still smell lilacs.

Wolfgang
um.......and ****.....did i mention that i can smell ****?

Oh well. Believe what you like. Everyone else does.

"Wolfgang" wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

Nicely said. And best of all, I understand now why you think my
scouting
saga was full of exaggeration: The post was longer than yours.
Sorry,
Wolfgang. Next time I'm inclined to write something that long, I'll
break it
into smaller, individual posts.

Break it into individual letters distributed at random and the
enterprising reader will be able to do something useful with it.

Wolfgang
and, for the indolent, it will flush easier.



Specifically, which parts do you believe were exaggerated?

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

Oh well. Believe what you like.

Thank you. I may just try that one of these days.

Everyone else does.

Oh? Why wasn't I informed?

Wolfgang

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Wolfgang" wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

Nicely said. And best of all, I understand now why you think my
scouting
saga was full of exaggeration: The post was longer than yours.
Sorry,
Wolfgang. Next time I'm inclined to write something that long,
I'll
break it
into smaller, individual posts.

Break it into individual letters distributed at random and the
enterprising reader will be able to do something useful with it.

Wolfgang
and, for the indolent, it will flush easier.



Specifically, which parts do you believe were exaggerated?

The part between "He knew..." and "...kill himself."

Verisimilitude is the name of the game. Absolute and eternal
perfection in the face of an adversary's universal and irredeemable
incompetence is a tough sell because it's impossible to swallow. If
the hero cannot possibly fail.....if he is indisputably
invincible....and everybody knows it, no one will ever buy the movie
rights. Samson had his hair, Achilles his heel, Superman his
kryptonite. Nevertheless, I'd bet a shiny new nickel you can't whup
all their asses at the same time.

Wolfgang

"Wolfgang" wrote...
snip
Samson had his hair, Achilles his heel, Superman his
kryptonite.

As much as I hate to point this out, you left out Mighty Mouse. Your obvious
slight toward one of the great heroes of our time has, once again, not gone
unnoticed.
--
TL,
Tim
who would think someone from cheeseland would have a soft spot for the little
round-eared critter.
------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

"Doug Kanter" wrote...
I ran across the book at the library yesterday. This could get really
expensive, really fast, and I don't even own a fly fishing pole/reel yet.


Save your money for the more important accoutrements of fly fishing -
whiskey, pipe tobacco, and wader patch kits.

Everything I know about fly fishing I learned by reading Ed Zern books,
which are usually quite small and easy to slip into one's pocket after
distracting the volume's owner with a choice phrase like, "Say, look out the
window - isn't that an English Setter pointing a bikini model holding a
fifth of Famous Grouse?"

One advantage of using the techniques encountered in the Zern books includes
streamlining the Catch and Release system by eliminating the annoying and
unnecessary "Catch" phase of the operation. Another is the Zen-like
serenity that comes from knowing that a lower life form, the fish, is having
a great laugh at your expense. But best of all is the sense of pride
knowing that the other fisherpeople on the stream are doubtless impressed by
your ability to tie a knot with every cast and your colorful use of the
English language.

Hope this helps.

Timothy Juvenal

"VibraJet" wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote...
I ran across the book at the library yesterday. This could get really
expensive, really fast, and I don't even own a fly fishing pole/reel
yet.


Save your money for the more important accoutrements of fly fishing -
whiskey, pipe tobacco, and wader patch kits.

Everything I know about fly fishing I learned by reading Ed Zern books,
which are usually quite small and easy to slip into one's pocket after
distracting the volume's owner with a choice phrase like, "Say, look out
the
window - isn't that an English Setter pointing a bikini model holding a
fifth of Famous Grouse?"

One advantage of using the techniques encountered in the Zern books
includes
streamlining the Catch and Release system by eliminating the annoying and
unnecessary "Catch" phase of the operation. Another is the Zen-like
serenity that comes from knowing that a lower life form, the fish, is
having
a great laugh at your expense. But best of all is the sense of pride
knowing that the other fisherpeople on the stream are doubtless impressed
by
your ability to tie a knot with every cast and your colorful use of the
English language.

Hope this helps.

Timothy Juvenal

It sounds like there are plenty of parallels between fly fishing and other
methods. For instance: Have you noticed that if you spot a nice blue heron
while fishing, its wingspan is directly proportional to how many beers
you've had? I first noticed this while hauling 300 lb largemouth bass out of
the weeds with a buddy of mine a few years ago. I saw several heron whose
wingspans were at LEAST 30 feet across.