Double Haul

'For someone with a total of three posts on this BB you certainly have strong opinions. '

Yup. I suppose if I made hundreds of posts and thereby became a real fish instead of a little bitty egg (I gotta go hurl now) and learned to use the little smiley things that clink beer glasses together I will seem far more likeable and perhaps even blend in. But it wasnt my intent to fit in here. I wanted to express my opinion here because I know many who lurk here had a hand in what happened. They deserve straight talk from me and anyone else who wants to speak up. I dont mince words - I talk straight about what is on my mind - no games. But I am not a troll. I wont be back, since little here appeals to me to be honest.

I think a root of the issue in this discussion is that many fisherman have managed to delude themselves into thinking they are above other fishermen, and somehow their application of the sport trancends the ugliness of bashing a fish on the head. Therefore, they think their way of fishing is the only path to conservation and good sportmanship. It leads them to be advocates, nay, fanatics against other forms of fishing, and therein lies a source of needless friction, error, and laws that do little to fix the problem.

Example? I know a drift gear fisherman whose pet peeve is watching fly fisherman wading out in front of him to their waist or armpits and walking on fish reds. He delights in pointing this out to the stupid aholes, and has very little appreciation for their snobbish views on his style of fishing. He would just as soon kick their tails and get all the 'gays' off the river. I am chuckling just thinking about him.

Where was I going with this? Oh yes. Stripped to its essence (forget about the tranquility of the river and the pride in ones's skill and prowess and all the other familiar and fond trappings), fishing is jamming a steel hook on the end of a line into a fishes mouth. The fish, upon feeling the needle sharp sting and tearing of its flesh, feels the pain and rolls and thrashes wildly, leaps to shake it, and makes exhaustive run after exhaustive run, until it is finally bent in will to be grasped by the person who has made it endure this.

Someone from another planet, upon witnessing this spectacle, might argue that the person who does this over and over to different fish, for the simple pleasure in it, is the sick one, compared to someone whose desire is to bonk the fish on the head and go home. Many C&R fisherman have managed to convince themselves that it is all so beautiful. Well, not if you are a fish. Are we level set yet?

One could agree with the saying 'Fish are too valuable to be caught only once'. Or you could also agree with the thought that fish should be caught and quickly dispatched to be enjoyed as a part of nature's bounty for man. Who is right? Why does someone have to be right? Cannot both be right? I contend they can.

To fish is to make a choice. How you fish is also a choice. The key to saving fishing for everyone isnt to divide on that choice, as so many posts on this forum seek to do by insulting other fisherman who make different choices. The key is to focus on the real enemy of fish. The dams, the Indian nets, the pollution, the housing developments that create flooding and runoff.

I will close by pointing out that the thing that makes Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation so successful in land acquisition and preservation is that while there may be bunnyhuggers who are contributing members, and who never want to see elk shot, they dont create a division or seek to change the mission of the foundation. If there were, the organization would implode. See my drift here?

And now, since I have most likely worn out my welcome, I will split.