It’s always been a Singlebarbed trait to delight in the suffering of others. We cackle and point fingers, toss barbs quicker than most – yet lack the social niceties that defines the true prima donna.
No, my good lord: banish Peto, banish Bardolph, banish Poins; but for sweet Jack Falstaff, kind Jack Falstaff, true Jack Falstaff, valiant Jack Falstaff, and therefore more valiant, being as he is old Jack Falstaff, banish not him thy Harry’s company: banish plump Jack and banish all the world.
Henry IV. Pt. I. Act II. Sc. 4. L. 520.
Our soiled punctuation linen is never far from public display. Some might sulk or nurse an imagined hurt, instead we’re giggling at our foibles with the rest of the crowd.
My New Year’s Resolutions
1. Accuse dry fly fishermen of unimaginable crimes.
Fish are wet, the river’s wet – you’re moaning over a leak in your waders, and being rained on – yet insist your fly remain dry?
2. Fish more often.
The press of Mankind on a finite resource is taking its toll. Salt or fresh, gamefish or no, the only certainty is that next year there will be less. These are the Good Old Days – don’t lose sight of it.
3. Embrace the Smart Phone format.
Now that people can (and will), read novels on their cell phones, the writers craft will have to undergo a revolution comparable to that engendered by the Gutenberg press. While this doesn’t mean a generational change from Shakespeare to Doonesbury, you get the general idea. “Less is more.”
As eloquent as I’ve seen it phrased …
4. Share with the “young guns” (who’ll be carrying the banner the next half century) and imbue them with what was passed to you.
The good stuff. Rare materials gifted by the prior generation – the reels no longer made yet still purr after a century of use, and the knowledge that came after a lifetime of doing things the hard way.
The issues they’ll face will be more onerous than anything we’ve endured.
5. Fire Weather permitting, make that trip to Montana this year.
6. (you can fill in those I missed)
Tags: Good Old Days, New Year’s resolutions, fly fishing, smart phone, fly fishing, fish more often, them as inherits,
6 – Buy a fishing license, so even when I don’t go fishing I can retain the title of “fisherman”.
That’s the spirit, I was hoping for a long list of sins – and the potential for forgiveness.
You know its funny you mentioned about sharing stuff. My grandfather just recently has given me his old fly tying kit, some rods and reals and his bird hunting gun.
I’m of course grateful and I’m pretty excited to try out this stuff that always worked so well for him.
I’ll be lucky if someday I’m even half the sportsman he was.
Share with the “young guns”? Hell, they’re often teaching me more than I could think of teaching most of them. I wish that most could understand about rock music.
I understand about stuff. I resolve not to obsess about finding right Striper rod. And, I resolve not to compulsively tie even more Parachute Adams and Ausable Wolfs. Not to mention Ray’s Fly, September Night and Day, etc, etc, etc.
Oh, Yeah. I resolve to read Shakespeare more often. Thanks for reminding me!
4: I’m not so young, but I’m new to the sport and you’re doing a great job passing on your wisdom (and if I had tied more than 5 flies so far and knew what to do with your dubbing material, I know you’d be generous to pass on some of them, too). Thanks for your entertaining and informative writing and for helping keep me excited about fly fishing even when I’m stuck at my desk or it’s 12 degrees with the windchill and 35 mph gusts that would wreak havoc upon my novice casting. Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2010!