Knowledge

I stopped in my local fly shop the other day to see a friend. He had customers to deal with and I was waiting around. A customer made some comments about our local creeks. I interjected into the conversation some history to when things happened. Another statement disparaging a stream and another interjection from me on what has gone on with the creek. Ok, so number one I should just shut up and leave people be. The other side of the conversation got me thinking. It's total crap that local anglers and often shop staff know nothing of the plight of our local streams. Hell, one river with a damn goes through FERC re-licensing, and locals lobby for stream improvement money, the money gets tied up for a few years and finally gets used and nobody even knows about it. Local anglers go to great lengths on in-stream flow standards and water swaps yet most anglers are totally unaware of the work they benefit from. So how do you change this? I do think shop employees have to be up on this stuff. This is where they eat, learn it. I also think our TU chapter has to do a better job marketing it's successes. You could save 10 rivers but if nobody knew they were saved they probably wouldn't help or appreciate the effort. I think I have a small task of seeing where to take this.

On the flip side, you are not an angler or sportsmen if you are not involved in conserving your local opportunities.

On the work bench I've finally glued up Tom's rod, Jeff's and 2 more Big Creeks. Looking to plane out a 8' 3pc FE Thomas and 2 variations on the Big Creek taper. Should have some real cool fly reel work coming from Shamburg soon. I've got 2 cool projects with him on a S-handle for a presentation rod and trout version of his St Mark.

Cheers, Shawn