1/28/08

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.  

4 comments:

El Pescador said...

Good luck with your blog Adam. Great start. Have fun and allow your natural voice to emerge.

Keep the line in the water and believe in every cast,
El Pescador

Unknown said...

I really enjoyed your articles, I too enjoy beauty of flyfishing, but unfortunately don't live close to many streams. College has also taken a toll on my fishing excursions but hopefully I will get out again in spring. Virginia sounds like beautiful country.
Tight lines,
Hans

AYG one love said...

Adam,

Your blog depicts passion and love for flyfishing that too many forget in this day and age. A few weeks ago I rode on a plane with a man from Wisconsin who happened to flyfish. He talked of his hatred for the streams in Wisconsin and even compared them to epic rivers such as the Green and the Provo. I said, "Man, you are missing the entire idea of the sport. Flyfishing is not just about catching massive rainbows. It is about enjoying your surroundings and the feeling of catching even the smallest of trout." Keep it up man.

One Love,

AYG

Adam said...

Thanks guys, I appreciate your comments. Please keep visiting!