dcabarle
Administrator
Hi everyone, hope all is going well for you this winter. I've been playing a bit of hockey and must say that aside of the many ailments that come with playing hockey (recent broken nose (Took a nice slap shot to the nose), dislocated arms, broken teeth, black and blues everywhere (yes, even there (I don't where a cup)) etc...) I'm actually in the best condition I've ever been in. I went from weighing 225lbs just a few years ago, and from playing hockey, I'm now between 170 - 180 and went from a very tight 38 pant to a perfect fitting 32. Something strange about hockey... Nothing feels better than getting hit with a puck. That sting followed by the pain shortly thereafter really gets me going and I love it. Getting knocked around and knocking others around is the best! Anyway...
I haven't put a fly in the water since some time in Sept. Strange huh... I used to fish all year round but now I feel as if I can do without it. When I first started this site a while back, I was in love with the sport of fly fishing. I fished as often as I possibly could. I remember working for a company in Manhattan back in 97'. The manager picked up and left, leaving the few of us with a very laxed manager. So laxed that we could roll into the office at 10:30, and be out by 2:30. I took advantage of those early hours and fished just about every day when I got home. Those were the days! I couldn't wait to get to a stream and cast a line, whether or not I was catching wild fish or stocked fish; it just didn't matter.
Then I put up a little shitty website (Click to see the original version of this site) and learned some website development. I didn't develop the software that runs this site but I've had to learn quite a bit in order to modify it and customize it. It was fun learning how to do all of this.
You meet some strange characters on the web. I'm not saying that in a bad way... We're all strange in some way or another. It's interesting to meet other people who are strange in different ways.
Everyone has a different opinion about how things should be done. A perfect example is that I complained about the most recent fly fishing show in Somerset, NJ. A few chimed in and added their thoughts on the show which were considerably different than mine. Hey, to each his/her own. Everyone will get something different out of the same experience. Some enjoy catching 2lb trout in the KLG while I prefer to catch any size trout as long as they're wild (at least as long as I think they might be wild, I'm satisfied). There is definetely a difference in catching a fish that's been in a river for a while then one that has not.
I no longer fish places like the KLG because it doesn't do anything for me. Recently a friend called and asked if I wanted to fish the Little Lehigh. Now I don't care what anyone says... There might be some wild fish in that stream but there is a hatchery spill way there, and if you stand near the spill way, there are thousands of fish that are willing to take anything you toss at them. That's fine for some people and that brings plenty of joy and excitement to some people. Personally, it puts me to sleep.
Although I stopped fly fishing the catskills a while back, I found my way back probably around 2001 or so... Then with some words from a few on this site, I was lured to the Delaware river. That changed everything for me in a great way. I fell in love with the river and never looked back. The size of the river, the numerous types of water to fish, and of course the scenary! I think that's what keeps me going back every weekend. If you put 3000 more fish in per mile (they'de probably all die off because of the lack of water management
) but put developments and factories along the river, I probably wouldn't return. The beauty combined with the fishing is simply magical though, and it keeps me coming back.
Now we're introducing power lines, casino's, and the worse part of all, poor water management with various organizations who from my point of view, cannot get along.
We read about some townspeople who hate the fishermen (I even remember seeing something on the news about this... Someone speaking in Livingston Manor blamed the flooding on the fishermen). I understand that person cannot speak for the entire Catskill area, but there are people out there that would love to see the rivers void of fish and fishermen. I even believe that some would break the windows of our cars to deter us from coming to the area. Now this hasn't happened to me or anyone I know, but some of the rumours I've heard from what I would like to call reliable sources have told me that people broke into the cars of fishermen. Whether the purpose was to steal the goods and pawn them off or deter the fishermen from coming, doesn't matter. Oh yes, I can drive to a local mall and have my car broken into, but it's not the same because I would expect something like this to happen in a local mall or similar place. I would never expect this in such a nice area up in the mountains. Either way, it does appear to happen, and I still park my car wherever I can in order to catch a trout.
So here I am in my 5th year or so of running a fly fishing website. Over the past year, after reading all the bickering, I have to say that I'm better off not knowing anything about what's going on with my favorite fishing place or the people who are involved with keeping it pristine (in a way that probably suits them the best). Here's why... I've become friendly with people from this site, the FUDR, and of course the DRF. The part that's tough is dealing with everyone on a level playing ground. Being the webmaster puts me at a central point of contact which often places me in an awkward situation. This guy doesn't like that guy so ban him. Phone calls asking me to unban members that I've banned, people literally fighting with each other, photo's uploaded depicting one thing but are purposely posted to put things into another context that suit the needs of something else, etc... I have people out there who can't stand me because I 'allow' certain material to be posted to this site and when that information is posted, I'm looked down upon because I don't remove it. It's a mess... I think once in a while some folks should take a look at the situation that they're prepared to drag me into, and deal with that issue by picking up the phone and calling the other party themselves. Instead, Party A will bicker with Party B. The BS will start to fly, then both party's contact me to ask me why I let this post proceed then ask me to work my webmaster magic against each other! When I disagree, I'm of course the bad guy. After all, we're all friends, and friends do favors for friends... Incredible.
At the Fly fishing show, I went and spoke with someone who owns a business and was actually asked by that person to go speak with another person (on his behalf) whom he had a big issue with. I'm not going to mention a name or say what this person asked me to ask the other person because that would give everything away. That said, I also spoke with another person from the same place who would hardly look at me because I let certain posts proceed. What this person failed to realize while appearing to take out his frustration on me was that I'm not the one who made the disparaging remarks. Of course I'm the one who needs to be given the cold shoulder though.
The reason you don't see any advertisements on this site is because if I offer an advertisement, I kind of owe the person paying for the ad some type of guarantee that people won't come on and post evil about their company. An example... I visit Flyshop A and become friendly with the owner. The owner asks me to place a banner ad on the site. I agree and post the banner. Now some unhappy customer (also a friend of mine) decides to come on the site and mention that, "Billy Bob", skrewed him over and did this that and the other thing to him while he was visiting FLyshop A. Being that I'm friends with, Billy Bob, Billy Bob kinda feels that I should remove the post. So, to allow people to be honest, there are no advertisements. This avoids me having to play the middle guy or Bad Guy, at least for that type of situation. By the way, if your have a problem with a company, please feel free to post about it. As long as you're honest, the post will be welcomed. A few have contacted me and asked me if it was ok to post their bad experiences with a company. This has happened a few times, and what I did was contacted the company to see what the other side of the story was. As it turns out, sometimes things work out for the better and everyone walks away happy. It's nice to see that this website at times, brings results for both you as well as some company who is going to be bashed.
As you can see, this has been taking a toll on my overall fly fishing experience. As much as I love running this website, I'm not so sure I love the sport anymore. Some of the comments and some of the actions taken after the comments have really turned me off.
Who would think that such a sport could bring so much hatred amongst people. I mean, we're talking about fish here, right? I would expect such hatred if this was a site about religion or politics, but not fishing! If I had a nickel for everytime someone threatened me physically, I wouldn't have to work anymore (I'd be in the hospital ).
As I sit here and write this, I'm thinking of fishing one of my favorite spots on the West Branch. I see myself having a great day then I get out of the water to goto one of my other favorite locations on the mainstem. I see myself having potentially the best day ever. Then I think about a 'what if' situation: I see myself running into one of the party's who have been involved with some of the trash or treasure they've encountered or took part in while visiting this site. Then having my day ruined because Joe Schmo wants to have a lengthy conversation about how this site or I screwed up their 'progress' with the river and its fish and how this site and or my actions or lack of, potentially ruined their livelyhood.
Anyhow, maybe I've just got the winter blues and just getting impatient waiting for the Hendricksons. I love fishing the Hendricksons on the West Branch! I don't think the Wb can be beet between April - mid May for these insects. Walking along the bank watching huge brown trout gulping these bugs like it's the last super is great!
Well, that's all I'll say for now, I'm going to bed.
I haven't put a fly in the water since some time in Sept. Strange huh... I used to fish all year round but now I feel as if I can do without it. When I first started this site a while back, I was in love with the sport of fly fishing. I fished as often as I possibly could. I remember working for a company in Manhattan back in 97'. The manager picked up and left, leaving the few of us with a very laxed manager. So laxed that we could roll into the office at 10:30, and be out by 2:30. I took advantage of those early hours and fished just about every day when I got home. Those were the days! I couldn't wait to get to a stream and cast a line, whether or not I was catching wild fish or stocked fish; it just didn't matter.
Then I put up a little shitty website (Click to see the original version of this site) and learned some website development. I didn't develop the software that runs this site but I've had to learn quite a bit in order to modify it and customize it. It was fun learning how to do all of this.
You meet some strange characters on the web. I'm not saying that in a bad way... We're all strange in some way or another. It's interesting to meet other people who are strange in different ways.
Everyone has a different opinion about how things should be done. A perfect example is that I complained about the most recent fly fishing show in Somerset, NJ. A few chimed in and added their thoughts on the show which were considerably different than mine. Hey, to each his/her own. Everyone will get something different out of the same experience. Some enjoy catching 2lb trout in the KLG while I prefer to catch any size trout as long as they're wild (at least as long as I think they might be wild, I'm satisfied). There is definetely a difference in catching a fish that's been in a river for a while then one that has not.
I no longer fish places like the KLG because it doesn't do anything for me. Recently a friend called and asked if I wanted to fish the Little Lehigh. Now I don't care what anyone says... There might be some wild fish in that stream but there is a hatchery spill way there, and if you stand near the spill way, there are thousands of fish that are willing to take anything you toss at them. That's fine for some people and that brings plenty of joy and excitement to some people. Personally, it puts me to sleep.
Although I stopped fly fishing the catskills a while back, I found my way back probably around 2001 or so... Then with some words from a few on this site, I was lured to the Delaware river. That changed everything for me in a great way. I fell in love with the river and never looked back. The size of the river, the numerous types of water to fish, and of course the scenary! I think that's what keeps me going back every weekend. If you put 3000 more fish in per mile (they'de probably all die off because of the lack of water management
) but put developments and factories along the river, I probably wouldn't return. The beauty combined with the fishing is simply magical though, and it keeps me coming back. Now we're introducing power lines, casino's, and the worse part of all, poor water management with various organizations who from my point of view, cannot get along.
We read about some townspeople who hate the fishermen (I even remember seeing something on the news about this... Someone speaking in Livingston Manor blamed the flooding on the fishermen). I understand that person cannot speak for the entire Catskill area, but there are people out there that would love to see the rivers void of fish and fishermen. I even believe that some would break the windows of our cars to deter us from coming to the area. Now this hasn't happened to me or anyone I know, but some of the rumours I've heard from what I would like to call reliable sources have told me that people broke into the cars of fishermen. Whether the purpose was to steal the goods and pawn them off or deter the fishermen from coming, doesn't matter. Oh yes, I can drive to a local mall and have my car broken into, but it's not the same because I would expect something like this to happen in a local mall or similar place. I would never expect this in such a nice area up in the mountains. Either way, it does appear to happen, and I still park my car wherever I can in order to catch a trout.
So here I am in my 5th year or so of running a fly fishing website. Over the past year, after reading all the bickering, I have to say that I'm better off not knowing anything about what's going on with my favorite fishing place or the people who are involved with keeping it pristine (in a way that probably suits them the best). Here's why... I've become friendly with people from this site, the FUDR, and of course the DRF. The part that's tough is dealing with everyone on a level playing ground. Being the webmaster puts me at a central point of contact which often places me in an awkward situation. This guy doesn't like that guy so ban him. Phone calls asking me to unban members that I've banned, people literally fighting with each other, photo's uploaded depicting one thing but are purposely posted to put things into another context that suit the needs of something else, etc... I have people out there who can't stand me because I 'allow' certain material to be posted to this site and when that information is posted, I'm looked down upon because I don't remove it. It's a mess... I think once in a while some folks should take a look at the situation that they're prepared to drag me into, and deal with that issue by picking up the phone and calling the other party themselves. Instead, Party A will bicker with Party B. The BS will start to fly, then both party's contact me to ask me why I let this post proceed then ask me to work my webmaster magic against each other! When I disagree, I'm of course the bad guy. After all, we're all friends, and friends do favors for friends... Incredible.
At the Fly fishing show, I went and spoke with someone who owns a business and was actually asked by that person to go speak with another person (on his behalf) whom he had a big issue with. I'm not going to mention a name or say what this person asked me to ask the other person because that would give everything away. That said, I also spoke with another person from the same place who would hardly look at me because I let certain posts proceed. What this person failed to realize while appearing to take out his frustration on me was that I'm not the one who made the disparaging remarks. Of course I'm the one who needs to be given the cold shoulder though.
The reason you don't see any advertisements on this site is because if I offer an advertisement, I kind of owe the person paying for the ad some type of guarantee that people won't come on and post evil about their company. An example... I visit Flyshop A and become friendly with the owner. The owner asks me to place a banner ad on the site. I agree and post the banner. Now some unhappy customer (also a friend of mine) decides to come on the site and mention that, "Billy Bob", skrewed him over and did this that and the other thing to him while he was visiting FLyshop A. Being that I'm friends with, Billy Bob, Billy Bob kinda feels that I should remove the post. So, to allow people to be honest, there are no advertisements. This avoids me having to play the middle guy or Bad Guy, at least for that type of situation. By the way, if your have a problem with a company, please feel free to post about it. As long as you're honest, the post will be welcomed. A few have contacted me and asked me if it was ok to post their bad experiences with a company. This has happened a few times, and what I did was contacted the company to see what the other side of the story was. As it turns out, sometimes things work out for the better and everyone walks away happy. It's nice to see that this website at times, brings results for both you as well as some company who is going to be bashed.
As you can see, this has been taking a toll on my overall fly fishing experience. As much as I love running this website, I'm not so sure I love the sport anymore. Some of the comments and some of the actions taken after the comments have really turned me off.
Who would think that such a sport could bring so much hatred amongst people. I mean, we're talking about fish here, right? I would expect such hatred if this was a site about religion or politics, but not fishing! If I had a nickel for everytime someone threatened me physically, I wouldn't have to work anymore (I'd be in the hospital
).As I sit here and write this, I'm thinking of fishing one of my favorite spots on the West Branch. I see myself having a great day then I get out of the water to goto one of my other favorite locations on the mainstem. I see myself having potentially the best day ever. Then I think about a 'what if' situation: I see myself running into one of the party's who have been involved with some of the trash or treasure they've encountered or took part in while visiting this site. Then having my day ruined because Joe Schmo wants to have a lengthy conversation about how this site or I screwed up their 'progress' with the river and its fish and how this site and or my actions or lack of, potentially ruined their livelyhood.
Anyhow, maybe I've just got the winter blues and just getting impatient waiting for the Hendricksons. I love fishing the Hendricksons on the West Branch! I don't think the Wb can be beet between April - mid May for these insects. Walking along the bank watching huge brown trout gulping these bugs like it's the last super is great!
Well, that's all I'll say for now, I'm going to bed.
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