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? ;-)

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

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 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

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:
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/