Springer

Apparently he put a lot of thought into that article... coulda been fishing.

Springer2: " Springer "

Thanks for sharing this!

Springer2: " Springer

"

"Here, too, the praiseworthy has its rewards;
there are tears for things and mortal things touch the mind.
Release your fear; this fame will bring you some safety."
Virgil, Aeneid, 1.461 ff.

"The world is a world of tears, and the burdens of mortality touch the heart."
-Robert Fangles translation Aeneid

Lacrimae Rerum

Tough to beat wild trout with some butter, lemon, mushrooms, onions, and salt. Thanks for sharing!

Beautifully written article. Wild fish are our spirit animals.

This is greatness: "The cause of this shocking omission is a mass delusion that those blotchy, cellophane-and-Styrofoam-swaddled, dented Grumman-canoe-colored fish corpses at the local chain supermarket are, as the label claims, “rainbow trout.” Don’t believe it. The supermarket product is mass-manufactured, half-embalmed pond spawn. Raised on industrial pellets, toned by flaccid water, genetically violated to begin with, these hapless victims of technology bear as much resemblance to wild river trout as does a drug-addicted feed-yard cow to a wild bull elk."

"Gray's Sporting Journal" is Carnegie Hall for outdoor writers and this essay should have been published there.

What is it about trout fishing that squeezes so much reflection out of the fishers? They are often small fish in small water, unimpressive by heft, but they make many muse. And of those who can't wrangle words, many trout fishers have little libraries of books extolling the lofting of flies to these fleet fish.

bobbernumber3: "Apparently he put a lot of thought into that article... coulda been fishing."

As a writer, i can tell you that you're right: A lot of thought went into that article. You have to fill yourself to fill the paper, which means you have to see more, hear more, taste more, smell more, and feel more and then you have to ruminate all you've swallowed to recast it into words. All this filling and chewing can keep you off of water, but here's the perk: I can return to water whenever I want in my mind. Because I witnessed vividly, I can replay a fishing moment in all its glorious minutiae. When I reminisce with fishing partners, not only can't they remember the details, they often can't even remember the moment. It's lost to them, whereas I've netted hundreds of such sacred moments in my mind.

Caught on a small UP lake a few years ago. I'm sure it was stocked,,, I checked the stocking record and could tell the fish had been there about 10 years. Long enough to no longer taste like half-embalmed pond spawn (love that description). I need pictures to spark my memory. Merry Christmas.

missmolly: "

bobbernumber3: "Apparently he put a lot of thought into that article... coulda been fishing."

As a writer, i can tell you that you're right: A lot of thought went into that article. You have to fill yourself to fill the paper, which means you have to see more, hear more, taste more, smell more, and feel more and then you have to ruminate all you've swallowed to recast it into words. All this filling and chewing can keep you off of water, but here's the perk: I can return to water whenever I want in my mind. Because I witnessed vividly, I can replay a fishing moment in all its glorious minutiae. When I reminisce with fishing partners, not only can't they remember the details, they often can't even remember the moment. It's lost to them, whereas I've netted hundreds of such sacred moments in my mind. "

Grateful you write/wrote when you could (have) fish/fished.
A toast to your discipline and craft, Miss Molly!

Jill Pine, you are a just plucked Honeycrisp, a Belgian chocolate shop, and spring's first warm breeze.

Sincerely,

A Toadfish

missmolly: "This is greatness: "The cause of this shocking omission is a mass delusion that those blotchy, cellophane-and-Styrofoam-swaddled, dented Grumman-canoe-colored fish corpses at the local chain supermarket are, as the label claims, “rainbow trout.” Don’t believe it. The supermarket product is mass-manufactured, half-embalmed pond spawn. Raised on industrial pellets, toned by flaccid water, genetically violated to begin with, these hapless victims of technology bear as much resemblance to wild river trout as does a drug-addicted feed-yard cow to a wild bull elk."


"Gray's Sporting Journal" is Carnegie Hall for outdoor writers and this essay should have been published there.


What is it about trout fishing that squeezes so much reflection out of the fishers? They are often small fish in small water, unimpressive by heft, but they make many muse. And of those who can't wrangle words, many trout fishers have little libraries of books extolling the lofting of flies to these fleet fish. "

Quote Henry David Thoreau “ Many men go fishing all of their lives without realizing it’s not fish they’re after “ When you fish for trout the challenge is catching something wild, usually in places that defy description?but people do their best to describe . The experience of being in a beautiful place is transformative for many .

Or, Joey Ramone waxes poetic about trout fishing…

Trout fishing
Don’t like trout fishing
The air is too clean
The trees are too green
The waters too wet
It’s not a fun scene

Trout fishing
Don’t like trout fishing
No ones around
I can’t hear a sound
I slipped on a rock
I’ll never be found

Trout fishing
Don’t like trout fishing
I got worms on my fingers
Scales on my brain
If I don’t stop fishing
I’m gonna go insane

Trout fishing
Don’t like trout fishing
Trout fishing
Don’t like trout fishing
Trout fishing
Trout fishing
Trout fishing

I have been trout fishing for 60 years.
I have eaten my fair share.
I plan to eat more.
I never brought into catch and release only.

Catching trout is fun.
Fly rod, spinning tackle, live bait.

Not really into catch and release myself. Catch enough to eat or process a few for the freezer. I've never been into catching and irritating the fish for no reason except maybe to locate a hole for the next day when I'm ready to keep one. I really only keep redfish closer to the 20 inch limit and let the 25 inch plus fish go though. The smaller fish are better and the bigger fish are the breeders, which may have been the thought of the author. That and some fish just connect with us for some reason. It's nice to accumulate some fish karma sometimes.