Thomas Jefferson Trout

I decided to start this blog to write about fly fishing and life in Charlottesville, Virginia.  Though I grew up in Salt Lake City Utah, the past six years have been spent in a multitude of places.  First, I went to the University of Oregon and spent a year there.  For some reason, I decided to transfer to U.C.L.A.   After graduating in 2005, I started graduate school at the University of Virginia.  Through all the moving, studying, and adjusting, I had little time to fish.  

 When I got settled in Virginia, I walked into a fly shop near UVa.  When I said I was from Utah, the attendant sniffed and explained that the "fishing out here was not as good as out west."  He was wrong.  The streams in the Shenandoah National Park are beautiful and teeming with wild native brook trout. My good friend Paul, a native of upstate New York, showed me the in-and-outs of these streams.  An hour away, spring creeks offer challenging fishing for big browns.  The fishing is not "worse," but different.  In fact, I have spent more time on the water here than in Utah.  Fly fishing is not about catching the most and biggest fish.  Otherwise I would just use dynamite or electro-shock tools.  Fly fishing is about enjoying--and more important--understanding the natural environment around you.  It is also about the feeling of casting and spending time with close friends. 

This blog will have articles on many different aspects of the fly fishing world.  All too often we avoid politics, when the resources we enjoy depend on active engagement in the political process.  Therefore I will post my views on issues affecting the fly fishing community and what elected officials are doing about them.   Second, I will publish comments about the future of fly fishing as a sport and business.   I am increasing disturbed by the "wal-martization" of the industry.  Yet, I am pleased that the values of conservation and equal access are becoming more widespread.  Less serious, there will be posts on gear.   My brother says that I am a "gear-whore." Though the happiness of acquiring new stuff soon fades and material desire wreaks havoc on budgets, I cannot seem to avoid it.  I enjoy learning how rods are constructed, how reels work, and new advancements in technology. 

Let me know what you think.  This blog is a new endeavor.  I hope that I will keep up with it.