What's your favorite fly fishing book?

"Willi" wrote in message
...


Doug Kanter wrote:


He knew how to pitch a tent when he was 3, although obviously, he needed
help because of his height. But, he understood the order of things and
was
able to help by assembling parts and having them ready. He knew the
pattern
for which things went into building a campfire (kindling, small wood,
large
wood) by the same age, although obviously, he wasn't lighting matches at
that age. But most important, he was well on his way to understanding
that a
position of authority in no way indicates competence. And, he knew that
it
doesn't take 38 hands to do something more easily done by two or three
people working together. He learned these things from his mom and I.


Your child is/was a VERY gifted child! Those are not the type of things
that a typical 3 year old would be able to learn.

I don't know if he's gifted. But, he watched it done plenty of times. A tent
is nothing but a grown-up's tinker toy. Maybe he was highly motivated by the
thought of the cookies which would magically appear once the three of us got
into the tent.


Funny....he's been tying textbook-perfect knots since he was a toddler
and
those knots have never failed. Not once.


Or maybe even an adult!


The adult, i.e.: me, is another story entirely. He was emotionally attached
to certain lures, so he was always careful to test his knots by pulling on
them and watching for any change in the length of the 1/8" tag. I, on the
other hand, sometimes begin casting without testing the knot. It's amazing
how far a 1/2 oz lure will fly once it's been freed from the constraints of
the line. :-)

Now that my eyes are 10 years older, I'm more careful to inspect before
throwing.

Wolfgang
who still has a hard time understanding why the simple expedients
never occurred to the likes of ford, gould, morgan, et al.

Perhaps because they were able to afford non-expedients.

--
Stev Lenon 91B20 '68-'69
Drowning flies to Dark Star

http://web.tampabay.rr.com/stevglo/i...age92kword.htm

Doug Kantner:
Perhaps the BSA should set up two distinctly different programs. One,
for kids whose existence has been dominated by 98% electronic pastimes, and
another for kids who know the difference between a spider and a tomato
plant.

The kids who devote that much time to electronic amusement won't get much
from scouting. My last volunteer camp staff experience pointed out the
difficulty of getting youth staff to abandon their video games and music
videos for three weeks.

Good luck raising your kid. Sorry that one of the once-good tools is not
what it should be today.

--
Stev Lenon 91B20 '68-'69
Drowning flies to Dark Star

http://web.tampabay.rr.com/stevglo/i...age92kword.htm

Wolfgang:
Much snippage of historical and other material

I'm rather sorry that you didn't get the full experience. As you say,
Cubs, then, were not the outdoor oriented program that the older Boy Scouts
were. Exploring could be just a social club or a really good outdoor
oriented group. Like troops, posts varied and some were excellent.

As you are aware, there was often an effort by folks like J. Edgar Hoover to
capitalize on the para-military nature of BSA and co-opt the units into
junior G-men, ever alert for signs of communists under our collective beds
and in our public schools. My unit, fortunately was led by men who declined
to work for Hoover.

more snippage
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.

When I look at the group objectively, I think that BSA may have well
outlived its best years as a youth group. It may well be in its final
decline as a pre-eminent group for American youth.

It took serious hits during the '60's and early '70's because of its
para-military nature. It has suffered badly as a result of liability
lawsuits and the inherent restrictions that these have created for the
program. It's no fun to cut logs, lash up a forty five foot tower, and not
be able to climb it for fear someone will be sued over a splinter or broken
arm. And if such a tower were to be built today, it would be both
ecologically and politically incorrect.
And since today's uniforms are now designed by an Italian fashion house and
made in poly blends rather than cotton, modeled after fatigues, they aren't
really comfortable for climbing, hiking, crawling, or being near a fire.

Changes in family structure and leadership roles have compromised the
organization's ability to run its programs as it once did. While there are
women quite capable of being good troop leaders and of teaching the skills
required for advancement in scouting, the character of the organization has
changed markedly. Snipe hunts are no longer a learning or bonding
experience but harrassment. Bawdy camp songs are no longer just
questionable but forbidden. This is not to say that inappropriate actions
did not take place during my days as a scout. They did. Human nature
hasn't changed even though how we are allowed to express such nature has.
But the moral code expressed in the Scout Law was usually in effect and
strongly enforced in all units I was a member of in those days. Infractions
were treated as teaching opportunities and second offenses were not common.

The age for membership has been changed downward for purposes of increasing
numbers of paying scouts. Kids who were once recruited for Cubs in third
grade are now marshalled for a rather lame program in 2nd grade. The
emphasis has shifted toward involving the kids in activities that were once
Scouting and Exploring activities at an ever earlier age. Some kids can
handle it and some aren't old enough or physically able to follow the
program as it has changed. Further, by the time that they are of Scout and
Explorer age, they are bored with many aspects of the program and drop out.
The retention of older boys has, in my experience, decreased so that there
are fewer youths able to teach skills. We had many 16 year old scouts in my
troop. By the time I was an adult leader most troops had very few. Many
kids today drop out at about 14 so that they can work to buy a car the day
they turn 16.

Politically and culturally, I think that BSA has outlived its original
purpose. Baden-Powell's vision and that of Dan Beard are for a different
England and America than exists today. I don't think, Wolfgang, that BSA
can join the 21st century and remain true to what it was. Just as we don't
believe in national service as an ideal anymore, as we don't believe in
Honor, Duty, Country, Captain Hook, Mighty Mouse, or Red Ryder; so have we
grown away from the Scout law and the good things that were part of
scouting.

It would be interesting to find out how many of the CEO's involved in the
latest round of corporate ripoffs were once BSA members. I'd be surprised
if many were.

--
Stev Lenon 91B20 '68-'69
Drowning flies to Dark Star

http://web.tampabay.rr.com/stevglo/i...age92kword.htm

On Thu, 08 Apr 2004 21:24:42 GMT, "slenon"
wrote:


Further, by the time that they are of Scout and
Explorer age, they are bored with many aspects of the program and drop out.
The retention of older boys has, in my experience, decreased so that there
are fewer youths able to teach skills. We had many 16 year old scouts in my
troop. By the time I was an adult leader most troops had very few. Many
kids today drop out at about 14 so that they can work to buy a car the day
they turn 16.

I'd blame it on lousy leaders who neither know nor love the outdoors.
Not universally, I'm sure. Just every place I camp that had Scouts
there just before me or when I was there. Complaints by the longer
term campers are rife. And all about the Scouts, when it's really bad
leaders of that particular group once all the details come out.

Leaders who sneak their kids into the grounds late, camping way back
so they won't be noticed if the rangers do come through and then leave
before daybreak, repeating it all the next night or two. Leaders who
build a fire in the pit (or at least watch the boys start it) and
then, instead of taking them on bat hikes or doing some star watching
in the nearby open field, just vanish, leaving the boys on their own
to annoy other campers with their noise, lanterns, etc. until late in
the night. Leaders who get a group campsite (always to be
recommended, but neither of the two previous did) and then assume that
they can make all the noise they want to because they're a whole block
away from the regular campers, so they can sing and yell up to 2am.

I have camped on a small island with a bunch of juvvies who behaved
wonderfully. The only way I knew they were there and what they were
was my own fault for pitching my tent close to one of theirs (it was
dark when I finally hit a campable spot) and hearing them talking very
softly in the early part of the night. I have camped in a State
Forest site with a bunch of high school teens who were earning some
sort of college credit by doing forestry projects and the only time
they made noise was during the time they got in from work, went
swimming, and cooked dinner. The guy in charge of part of the project
came over the next day and asked me if I'd been bothered. Geeze. By
kids playing in the lake after a hard day and then being in their
tents and quiet by 10pm? Not likely.

Difference was the leadership in all the cases. Juvvies have tough
leadership and the forestry kids were ones that worked or were dropped
out. They didn't need much leadership.

Scouts with lousy leaders _aren't_ going to be good Scouts or learn
much about the outdoors. And Scouts will be what people talk about,
not their inept or uncaring leaders. Nor will they learn honesty from
people who steal camp sites, manners from people who encourage them to
behave as if they were the only beings of importance in an area, or
responsibility from leaders who walk off and leave young teens on
their own for hours at a time.

That said, my grandson is in the Scouts and I'm pleased about it. But
the daughter in charge of him is heavy into monitoring her kids. If a
leader sucks, she'll get a change or move the boy out.
--

rbc:vixen,Minnow Goddess,Willow Watcher,and all that sort of thing.
Often taunted by trout.
Only a fool would refuse to believe in luck. Only a damn fool would rely on it.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli

"Doug Kanter" wrote ...
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?

Drinking beer while fly fishing is uncivilized. It's an established fact
that every good fish, and many other things as well, deserve a hearty toast
of Scotch whiskey. But don't feel bad, it's a common mistake many beginners
make. You'll need to get a good flask, preferably one with a handsome
engraving of a scantily-clad woman on it. The engraving helps the whiskey
stay fresh longer, although nobody knows exactly how.


There are a lot of herons in our area. Last year I was fishing a likely
spot that had already been claimed by a heron. The heron hissed and paced
back and forth a short distance away, and I believe it would have been
willing to fight for the spot, except for the presence of my faithful canine
fishing companion Rusty. Rusty was quick to kill any savage beast that
might interupt the otherwise tranquil nature of our fising - such as
copperheads, porcupines, and skunks. The heron paced back and forth, and
Rusty never took his eye off him. The bird finally decided better a live
heron than a dead hero.

At one spot we liked to fish, the stream is lined with tall old trees that
form a green canopy all the way across the stream, and the water is so still
that it reflects the bright green leaves, so it's like fishing in a green
tunnel. We fishing along and approaching a bend, when around the bend flies
a great blue heron. It was an amazing sight! I had to duck as the heron
flew overhead, because it had an eight-point buck in it's mighty talons, and
the hapless deer's hoofs nearly bonked me on the head.

Did I mention it's important to bring a flask?

Timothy Juvenal

"VibraJet" wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote ...
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?

Drinking beer while fly fishing is uncivilized. It's an established fact
that every good fish, and many other things as well, deserve a hearty
toast
of Scotch whiskey. But don't feel bad, it's a common mistake many
beginners
make. You'll need to get a good flask, preferably one with a handsome
engraving of a scantily-clad woman on it. The engraving helps the whiskey
stay fresh longer, although nobody knows exactly how.


There are a lot of herons in our area. Last year I was fishing a likely
spot that had already been claimed by a heron. The heron hissed and paced
back and forth a short distance away, and I believe it would have been
willing to fight for the spot, except for the presence of my faithful
canine
fishing companion Rusty. Rusty was quick to kill any savage beast that
might interupt the otherwise tranquil nature of our fising - such as
copperheads, porcupines, and skunks. The heron paced back and forth, and
Rusty never took his eye off him. The bird finally decided better a live
heron than a dead hero.

At one spot we liked to fish, the stream is lined with tall old trees that
form a green canopy all the way across the stream, and the water is so
still
that it reflects the bright green leaves, so it's like fishing in a green
tunnel. We fishing along and approaching a bend, when around the bend
flies
a great blue heron. It was an amazing sight! I had to duck as the heron
flew overhead, because it had an eight-point buck in it's mighty talons,
and
the hapless deer's hoofs nearly bonked me on the head.

Did I mention it's important to bring a flask?

Hm.....

One hates to cast aspersions (however unintentionally) on anyone's integrity
or offer commentary on eyewitness accounts of events at which he was himself
not present, but careful observers as far back as Bartram and Audubon (as
well as others too numerous to mention) have noted that herons do not
usually carry their prey.

Wolfgang

"slenon" wrote in news:uqjdc.424299
:

... And if such a tower were to be built today, it would be both
ecologically and politically incorrect.

Interesting clumping these two together. "Politically Incorrect" is almost
a feeling, but what is "ecologically incorrect". Cutting down enough trees
to build a 45 foot tower so you could climb it leaves a whole bunch of
stumps in the woods. It doesn't seem to equate to the possibility that
somebody might be offended by your actions.

scott

VibraJet wrote:

"Doug Kanter" wrote ...

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?
It was an amazing sight! I had to duck as the heron
flew overhead, because it had an eight-point buck in it's mighty talons, and
the hapless deer's hoofs nearly bonked me on the head.

Did I mention it's important to bring a flask?

Sounds to me you guys were imbibing in something in bit more
psychoactive than alcohol.

Willi

On Fri, 9 Apr 2004 05:03:47 -0500, "Wolfgang"
wrote:


"VibraJet" wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote ...
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?

Drinking beer while fly fishing is uncivilized. It's an established fact
that every good fish, and many other things as well, deserve a hearty
toast
of Scotch whiskey. But don't feel bad, it's a common mistake many
beginners
make. You'll need to get a good flask, preferably one with a handsome
engraving of a scantily-clad woman on it. The engraving helps the whiskey
stay fresh longer, although nobody knows exactly how.


There are a lot of herons in our area. Last year I was fishing a likely
spot that had already been claimed by a heron. The heron hissed and paced
back and forth a short distance away, and I believe it would have been
willing to fight for the spot, except for the presence of my faithful
canine
fishing companion Rusty. Rusty was quick to kill any savage beast that
might interupt the otherwise tranquil nature of our fising - such as
copperheads, porcupines, and skunks. The heron paced back and forth, and
Rusty never took his eye off him. The bird finally decided better a live
heron than a dead hero.

At one spot we liked to fish, the stream is lined with tall old trees that
form a green canopy all the way across the stream, and the water is so
still
that it reflects the bright green leaves, so it's like fishing in a green
tunnel. We fishing along and approaching a bend, when around the bend
flies
a great blue heron. It was an amazing sight! I had to duck as the heron
flew overhead, because it had an eight-point buck in it's mighty talons,
and
the hapless deer's hoofs nearly bonked me on the head.

Did I mention it's important to bring a flask?

Hm.....

One hates to cast aspersions (however unintentionally) on anyone's integrity
or offer commentary on eyewitness accounts of events at which he was himself
not present, but careful observers as far back as Bartram and Audubon (as
well as others too numerous to mention) have noted that herons do not
usually carry their prey.

Wolfgang



That is because Master Juvenal has mistaken the observed behavior as
predatory in nature when in fact it is an example of a complex
symbiotic arrangement between herons and 8 point whitetail bucks. When
young, herons and fawns will often spend hours together romping and
rough housing in wet meadows. At maturity they will usually seperate
and go there own ways but there is a strong bond formed. When the buck
reaches the peak of his buckliness, his tawny antlers reaching for
God's blue heavens and his neck swollen with the lust of life, the
great blue heron, the very same that was the buck's childhood
campanion, will alight upon the deers rack. From this high perch he
will be in the perfect position to alert his old chum to the approach
of predatory beasts, be it wolves, bear or Fred Bear. For this
vigilent service the buck is rightly grateful. And in return he will
allow himself to be picked up by the great blue and carried to the
nearest stream. (This is the behavior that VibraJet observed.) There
he will be deposited by the bird in the stream bed and then the bird
will take up position upstream from the proud male deer. With a great
splashing the deer will wade towards the bird, driving the silver
fishes ahead of them. The trout and chubs flee in terror from the
razor sharp hooves only to fall sad victim to the equally berazored
beak of the blue and sinister bird. Thus is nature's strange dance is
completed and the circle of life come full...circle.


g.c.

Who saw it on the Discovery Channel.