Thankx Wes........you hit the nail right on the head.......and by the way, i
have no problem with "the industry" doing what it has to do to
survive.......and to thrive for that matter. i just hate to see something as
precious and spititual as fly fishing.....constantly being treated in such a
mundane way, as a sport.
Fly fishing, (just as is "the music") is ABOUT, "the messege." When and if you
hear certain people refere to "the music".......it is "the Messege" we are
refering to. i've spent my entire life involved with the same exact thing, from
within two worlds that are actually, one in the same. Jazz and fly
fishing........both, are "About" the same exact thing. THE MESSEGE. And it is
that, that needs exposure, attention, and sharing, so that more are inspired to
take up the challange to solve the problems we have in so many area of our
lives. Which brings us back to the subject at hand..........young people. It is
SO true that we have a very serious problem with a very large lack of replacing
all the old farts like me with young blood. i do "Conclaves" all over the
country, and you see the same thing everywhere. The average age of an
attendee.....is 50 something or older. That tells you all you need to know,
bout how we are not doin' our job as good as we should be doin' it. Something
is lacking in our ability to draw the yongsters to "the pursuit." And it's not
just that they are intimidate by how "good" you need to be to catch a lotta
fish. Or how expensive the "sport" is. There is something else missing. And i
believe it is enough of us to take the time to show them what is really
involved with fly fishing, BEYOND casting, reading water, presentation, knots,
etc., etc., etc..........THAT'S where the problem lies. We're bombarding them
with information.........all but the information they need to "understand" why
we fish. And trust me.....it's NOT called fishing, because we don't call it
catching..............you dig?
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:09:53 -0700
Subject: [VFB] Re: Something different: Orvis/Old Mill Fly-Casting Course
From: wada....@gmail.com
To: vfb-mail@googlegroups.com
Interesting comments, Mark. Here's my take.
Obviously Orvis has built this elaborate fly-casting course to encourage rod
sales and interest in fly fishing in consumers. More power to the fly shops.
The Mill District which is the area the fly casting course is in, is a
restored, now commercial district, and they pitched in as well. We need money
behind the effort to keep interest in fly fishing alive.
Orvis is Orvis, and the Bend Orvis store has some very straight-on fly fishers
on the staff. The president of the Central Oregon Flyfishers works at the
store part-time. It's a very positive group of people, and it'd be fun to work
at the store, in that respect. There are also at least six flyshops in the
general area, and their survival depends on the commerce of fly fishing.
On another note, I wish I were closer to a group of fly fishers who are
basically young guys. I know they are out there, but the fly fishing clubs I
see are comprised of a lot of folks around or past retirement age. Sure a lot
of you have seen the same thing. We are not yet a dying breed.
So the challenge is how do you get young people interested in fly fishing? I
have tried mightily to interest my nephew (now age 16) in fly fishing. But we
are two hours flighttime apart from each other. He liked to fish when he was
younger, but the parents never got him out into the wilds much to wet a line.
There are a lot of young people out there in similar straits. If you don't
plant the tree when the ground is fertile, it's a lot harder to grow a tree.
For my nephew, the ground is getting less fertile by the day.
I feel (A.) you gotta get them out into the "wilds" and give them a nice
fishing experience. That's the hook. (B.) The hoped for result, is they start
to appreciate the natural beauty around them. And with soft guidance, they
start to preserve the flora and fauna that envelopes the fly fishing experience.
I thoroughly enjoyed Boy Scouts growing up in Colorado. Enjoyed a lot of stuff
that isn't like anything in the city. That alone created a deep appreciation of
nature, inside me. But how many kids you know these days, who are having a
similar experience? Not many. That's troubling. Gotta do something about that.
Your mileage may differ...
Wes Wada
Bend, OR
On Tue, Sep 22, 2009 at 7:29 PM, Mark Romero <markflie...@hotmail.com> wrote:
Pretty cool Wes.......i read the entire article.........and as we all should
know by now, "Opinions are like ********, and everybody has one." So, for me
that has always meant that we're all right....and in a sense, nobody is wrong.
It's all in ones point of view. I'm refering of course, to fly fishing as a
"sport." As someone who deals with it every day as a sport, in the sense that
my wife is the Captain of an international team or two, ("competetive fly
fishing"), and because i know many who are involved with competitive fly
fishing.....i have to give them their propers as sportsman...........but also,
as someone who actually see's fly fishing as something that absolutely has
nothing to do with "Sport," i also think that until we go FAR beyond looking at
it in just such a simple minded way.......we will remain in trouble, in terms
of rising the consciousness of those who need to help us, and have the power to
help us do the things we need to do, to insure that the "habitat" is saved for
future generations. As long as fly fishing is deleniated as just a "sport," and
not totally understood as the much deeper thing it really is......we will not
gain the political clout we need to impower ourselves to truely be able to save
the wild places we need to insure, for the futrue of "the sport." And as long
as the "industry" is more concerned with "promoting the sport, and selling
rods".....anglers will continue to see their weekends as something so precious,
they need to spend them ALL fishing, instead of doing stream work or planting
trees. Greed begets greed Bro. i've watched this me me me me me me atitude
perpetuate itself for years amoung fly fishers. And the only thing they can
talk about in the bar at the end of the day, is size and
numbers.................bores the hell out of me. You never hear them talkin'
bout the rip rap or riparian work they just completed along a stream. Or how
many vibert boxes they just got installed into the strem bed for rearing young
trout. It's all, check out my new $800 rod........boring Bro. Highly BORING. i
guess it's just me.........but i don't see much of a future for our steams and
rivers if fly fishing is going to be continuely looked at, as just a
sport.......i don't think that enough caring individualls will be inspired to
do the work that needs to be done if that's as shallow as it's going to remain.
There simply isn't enough time left..............you dig?
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:39:41 -0700
Subject: [VFB] Something different: Orvis/Old Mill Fly-Casting Course
From: w...@wadaworks.com
To: vfb-mail@googlegroups.com
.
I will be doing this Thursday for the first time with friend Steve. It's an
18-"hole" deal.
http://tinyurl.com/kokwq5
Last weekend Orvis sponsored a Pro-Am tournament with a bunch of neat prizes.
I was not in town, so couldn't participate, but will at least check it out on
Thursday evening. I have seen a couple of the casting areas, but never have
seen or casted the entire course.
Wes Wada
Bend, Oregon
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