About this time last year I ran into Jay Zimmerman doing a fly tying presentation at Charlie's Flybox. I consider Jay one of my carpin heroes so I introduced myself and we talked a little about carpin and blogging. I mentioned that Fly-Carpin was turning out to be allot more work than I had pictured when I naively pushed that innocent looking "start a blog" button. His outright laughed with (at?) me and then said something along the lines of "Let me guess, you figured heck, it's just like having your fishing journal on-line right?"
Well it turns out that in many ways a blog is an absolutely terrible fishing journal. First off your typical fishing journal is BORING. Boring to write and even worse to read so you end up leaving out allot of important stuff that might help you in future years. Second of all eventually you don't want to share everything. Some days the fishing is so bad that you really have nothing to say. Some days you fish poorly or make a rookie mistake and are a little embarrassed. Occasionally something about the day is so absolutely perfect that it just turns personal.
Today was all of the above. The fishing kinda sucked, I kinda sucked. I spent 98.9% of the day looking for feeding fish or screwing up the few I found. I spent 1% of the day catching what will undoubtedly be one of the coolest carp I will ever catch on the perfect fly on the perfect presentation on the perfect take and the perfect hook set with a great extended battle to boot. I spent the final 0.2% of the day making a rookie mistake, screwing up the photo-op and coming away with nothing but fond memories. That's fly-fishing for carp, if I wasn't so damn stubborn I would quit while I was way ahead. Or way behind. Hard to tell which, but I sure feel great.
I could hear the pain in your voice man. Sorry about the non picture, buti doubt you have trouble remembering that fish!
ReplyDeleteNope, no trouble remembering. I usually remember nearly everything (presentation, take, fly, battle) about 90% of my fish EXCEPT what the date / month / weather was like. Sometimes pond juveniles or days with lots of fish landed blurr a little but that is about it.
DeleteAt least you caught a fish, I must have the world record for NOT! Proven again yesterday.
ReplyDeleteGregg
Or "alleged" fish... :)
ReplyDeleteExactly!
DeleteFunny ... I almost emailed you back when you started. A "beware" message... Blogging: "a lot more than I pictured ...".
ReplyDeleteBTW, you are way, way, ahead ... and do not quit.
We need you. Ha !!
Thanks JM. Blogger should automatically send a Surgeons General Warning email to everybody who hits that button. Nice to feel needed though.
DeleteI think you have written a rather concise description of my entire fishing career. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I'll just go fishing.
Good plan. Just going fishing is pretty much the awnser to all of lifes problems. Until it is creating lifes problems of course.
DeleteYou got out fishing; that sounds like a good day.
ReplyDeletePS I believe you that you caught a fish.
No worries, every day is truly a good day, if the post seemed negative it was being a little bummed about one tiny little detail coming through while in reality I am totally pleased with myself.
ReplyDeleteI think about 90% of my carp reports could start with "I kinda sucked today."
ReplyDeleteAt least you have that "photo" floating around in your head now. I think I'd be pretty pleased too.
Yeah man, the learning curve just never seems to flatten out does it? You hear guys like Reynolds who have been doing this forever say that they are still learning and think they are full of it but the deeper I get the more I believe them.
Delete