Nev.,
I agree with you- to a point. Yes, memberships are down, and that's a
trend- I agree.
My thought and 'soap-box' is that 200 VFB members could make for a very
lively list if just
those 200 participated.
There'd be no reasons for lamentations and nostalgia if there were just 50,
or even 25, left
that posted and carried on regular conversations, traded photos, shared
thoughts and designs, etc.
After all, two hundred is a very good number, if the trend is what you say.
And it would grow if the list got busy.
Yes, I did leave out Nick, but not intentionally. I used Chuck as an
example, as he was a very beginner.
When Nick started, I could see immediately that he had talent and some
experience, and would be teaching before long. He just needed an alter-ego
to be a complete person.
DonO
----- Original Message -----
From: "Neville Gosling" <nev.gosl...@shaw.ca>
To: <vfb-mail@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 12:58 PM
Subject: [VFB] VFB Then & Now
Just hold on a moment! The general trend in this conversation is that the
VFB list is not what it used to be because it has less members now than in
its heyday. The implication is that this problem of a diminishing number
of
members is peculiar to VFB, but I can assure you that is not. Roll back to
1995 when this list was born. I too have been a VFB member since the
start.
I was on Ross Parnell's list sponsored by Fly Fisherman Magazine, which
closed down for a period due to the need for a server replacement and lack
of funding for same. Shortly after, Byard Miller sent out invitations to
various people to join his new list VFB which I did.
Now fast forward to today. There are now hundreds of similar lists. Many
use
the "Forum" approach like Flybc.ca, Speypages
(http://speypages.com/speyclave/) and Flyangler.ca while others use the
email like VFB and FF@ which is my personal preference. I was a member of
a
European fly fishing list and the server was located in Germany. It
folded.
In Canada we have a list called CANFF which as far as I know is still
available but totally inactive. Flyby.ca on the other hand is
hyper-active.
I am currently the President of the Totem Flyfishers, British Columbia's
first and oldest fly fishing club formed under the tutelage of the late
author, Roderick Haig-Brown. Formed in 1967, we are now experiencing
difficulty in attracting new and younger members. British Columbia now has
many fly fishing clubs spread throughout the Province. This membership
problem is not confined to the Totem Flyfishers, but other clubs as well.
The net Result? Although there are more people interested in fly fishing,
they are more spread out and can select a club or list, forum etc that
appeals to their particular interest like spey fishing.
When Byard set up VFB his mail order business followed shortly after.
Byard
was a good friend of "Murph" and when Murph died suddenly, Byard's
interest
in VFB seemed to wane. In the early days, Byard organized huge caddis fly
swaps on an annual basis for a while with 100 flies to be submitted by
each
participant. The last such swap was 2002. Byard is now more interested in
bird photography and that's fine, but his dis-association with VFB has, in
my opinion, had some affect.
In summary, lack of membership and input is not peculiar to VFB.
Neville (Nev) Gosling
Greater Vancouver,
B.C. Canada
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