I hope it's just rust. . .

.. . . because the alternative is "old age."

I went out on the river for a few hours yesterday and enjoyed my skunking.
Sure, it would have been more fun *not* to be skunked, but I had my chance.
The weather was great - 70 deg. and a few passing clouds. There were some
fish rising to what looked to be a very slight Hendrickson hatch (they
didn't want to wait until next week, George), so I tied on a #16 Para Adams.
There were no takers for the dead drift, so I dried it off, coated it with
floatant, and started skating and twitching it downstream just before a fast
riffle. A fish came up, slurped it off the surface and. . .

.. . . I did nothing. Zip, nada. It took a good two or three seconds for the
event to register and get the message to my arm to strike. It's not like I
was preoccupied with something else - I was staring right at the spot where
my fly used to be. The fish had ample time to realize it had taken a phony
and spit it back out. I guess I was so wrapped up in the presentation that I
forgot my mission.

BUT, it was a good day to be on the river - it just looks like there are
some kinks to work out of the process, though.
--
TL,
Tim
-------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

Tim J. wrote:

. A fish came up, slurped it off the surface and. . .

. . . I did nothing. Zip, nada. It took a good two or three seconds for the
event to register and get the message to my arm to strike. It's not like I
was preoccupied with something else - I was staring right at the spot where
my fly used to be. The fish had ample time to realize it had taken a phony
and spit it back out. I guess I was so wrapped up in the presentation that I
forgot my mission.

Maybe the event of a fish taking one of your flies would be one of
those rare once in a lifetime things that you just didn't know how to
react? ;-)

"Tim J." wrote in message
...
. . . because the alternative is "old age."

I went out on the river for a few hours yesterday and enjoyed my skunking.
Sure, it would have been more fun *not* to be skunked, but I had my
chance. The weather was great - 70 deg. and a few passing clouds. There
were some fish rising to what looked to be a very slight Hendrickson hatch
(they didn't want to wait until next week, George), so I tied on a #16
Para Adams. There were no takers for the dead drift, so I dried it off,
coated it with floatant, and started skating and twitching it downstream
just before a fast riffle. A fish came up, slurped it off the surface and.
. .

. . . I did nothing. Zip, nada. It took a good two or three seconds for
the event to register and get the message to my arm to strike. It's not
like I was preoccupied with something else - I was staring right at the
spot where my fly used to be. The fish had ample time to realize it had
taken a phony and spit it back out. I guess I was so wrapped up in the
presentation that I forgot my mission.



Had that happen in a bar, back in college once, with a cute blonde. With the
same dumbfounded reaction on my part.

Unfortunately, it wasn't rust. :-(

--riverman

Wayne Knight typed:
Tim J. wrote:

. A fish came up, slurped it off the surface and. . .

. . . I did nothing. Zip, nada. It took a good two or three seconds
for the event to register and get the message to my arm to strike.
It's not like I was preoccupied with something else - I was staring
right at the spot where my fly used to be. The fish had ample time
to realize it had taken a phony and spit it back out. I guess I was
so wrapped up in the presentation that I forgot my mission.

Maybe the event of a fish taking one of your flies would be one of
those rare once in a lifetime things that you just didn't know how to
react? ;-)

Any one of my past fishing partners (not that there's anything wrong with
that) can testify that it's a fairly rare occasion. Not once in a lifetime,
but too damned close for comfort. However, they'll also testify that I can
have more fun *not* catching fish than most people have catching them.

When are you coming out this way so I can show you? ;-)
--
TL,
Tim
-------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

riverman typed:
"Tim J." wrote in message
...
. . . because the alternative is "old age."

I went out on the river for a few hours yesterday and enjoyed my
skunking. Sure, it would have been more fun *not* to be skunked, but
I had my chance. The weather was great - 70 deg. and a few passing
clouds. There were some fish rising to what looked to be a very
slight Hendrickson hatch (they didn't want to wait until next week,
George), so I tied on a #16 Para Adams. There were no takers for the
dead drift, so I dried it off, coated it with floatant, and started
skating and twitching it downstream just before a fast riffle. A
fish came up, slurped it off the surface and. . .

. . . I did nothing. Zip, nada. It took a good two or three seconds
for the event to register and get the message to my arm to strike.
It's not like I was preoccupied with something else - I was staring
right at the spot where my fly used to be. The fish had ample time
to realize it had taken a phony and spit it back out. I guess I was
so wrapped up in the presentation that I forgot my mission.

Had that happen in a bar, back in college once, with a cute blonde.

She slurped your fly and realized it was a phony?
--
TL,
Tim
-------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

Tim J. wrote:


When are you coming out this way so I can show you? ;-)


My friend in CT got tired of waiting and hired another consultant.
At this point, the Lord only knows but its' on the to do list.

Tim J. wrote:
riverman typed:
"Tim J." wrote in message
...
. . . because the alternative is "old age."

I went out on the river for a few hours yesterday and enjoyed my
skunking. Sure, it would have been more fun *not* to be skunked, but
I had my chance. The weather was great - 70 deg. and a few passing
clouds. There were some fish rising to what looked to be a very
slight Hendrickson hatch (they didn't want to wait until next week,
George), so I tied on a #16 Para Adams. There were no takers for the
dead drift, so I dried it off, coated it with floatant, and started
skating and twitching it downstream just before a fast riffle. A
fish came up, slurped it off the surface and. . .

. . . I did nothing. Zip, nada. It took a good two or three seconds
for the event to register and get the message to my arm to strike.
It's not like I was preoccupied with something else - I was staring
right at the spot where my fly used to be. The fish had ample time
to realize it had taken a phony and spit it back out. I guess I was
so wrapped up in the presentation that I forgot my mission.

Had that happen in a bar, back in college once, with a cute blonde.

She slurped your fly and realized it was a phony?
--


Yep, and I just stood there, too mesmerized to react. Until it was too
late, and she was gone.

--riverman
(and she was THIS big!!)

"riverman" wrote

(and she was THIS big!!)

hilarious, and exquisetly subtle.

yfitons
wayno

Tim J. wrote:
extraneous story snipped A fish
came up, slurped it off the surface and. . .

. . . I did nothing. Zip, nada.

And this is different from normal, how? You always have that glazed over,
deer on the headlights look when a trout hits your fly. g

BTW, Quabbin opens this weekend...
--
Stan Gula
http://gula.org/roffswaps

Stan Gula wrote:
Tim J. wrote:
extraneous story snipped A fish
came up, slurped it off the surface and. . .

. . . I did nothing. Zip, nada.

And this is different from normal, how? You always have that glazed
over, deer on the headlights look when a trout hits your fly.

HEY! It's not just when a trout hits my fly.

BTW, Quabbin opens this weekend...

Ooooooo. . . I can't go for a week or so, but my people will be in touch
with your people.
--
TL,
Tim
---------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj/