Best flyfishing memory of 2007

Catching a 28 lb Chum Salmon on the White River outside of Ketchikan, Alaska. Took a side trip on an Alaskan cruise and landed close to thirty fish, mostly 6-8 lb pinks in a 5 hr period.
 
My favorite fishing memory of 2007 was meeting up in the Smokies with my bro Josh. No offense to you all, but fishing with him is always special. Usually because afterwards we usually get really drunk and break something expensive.
 
It's a toss up between between catching cuttys in Yellowstone National Park and joining the 20/20 club, twice. I've been wanting to catch a 20"+ fish for years and finally did 2 times this year using a #20 PT. YNP is just an awesome place to be even without fishing. It only gets better if your standing in the middle of the Lamar or Slough catching cutthroat after cutthroat on size 8 and 10 stimulators with 4x tippet.
Now I've started thinking about the new 4wt I had built for me, which casts like a dream, fishing new streams(even if strange things happened to my vehicle), relearning to tie flies. Wow, the list could go on and on so I'm going to say my best memory is the whole year.
 
Conservation is a way of life, Environmentalism is a fad.
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You're going to have to explain that one. Lay out the evidence and make the arguments. Enlighten us!
 
How do you spearate the 2. I think you read this somewhere from some uneducated destroyer of the environment.
 
I understand Ryan's quote, and think it's a good one. Move to a city or college town, and you'll understand.

The environmentalists sit at drum circles (probably playing the music we talked about in the other thread. :p) and talk hypotheticals.

Let's break the two words down here.

They both have the "ism" suffix:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/-ism

Other than that, there are the root words: Environment and Conserve.

They are both a philosophy, but given that "conserve" is a verb, it is also falls into the "action, process..." area. Conservationism mandates action. All environmentalism takes is a little bit of hot air.

That's my hot air on the subject.

Keeping in mind that I'm clearly joking about the "drum circles" comment. There are many faux environmentalists that do just that though.
 
jayL wrote:


Other than that, there are the root words: Environment and Conserve.
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Conservative is rooted from conserve as well but historically they aren't very conservation minded. I think the you are confusing the extreme in both cases...that's the problem. No one is willing to think in anything but black and white. no one is willing to look toward a any shade of gray. It has to be one way or the other to many folks and that is never true.

And we all talk in hypotheticals...if someone introduces legislation to limit the discharge of pollution into the Delaware is that conservation or environmentalism? If someone introduces legislation to make auto makers make cars that get at least 50 mpg is that environmentalism or conservation?
 
In my mind, I think anything that initiates action is conservation. I feel as though you can be an environmentalist without actually ever doing anything. I take ryan's quote as taking exception to the fact that [some] people sell their 'environmentalism' for social status all the time.

I understand that it's just an opinion, but that's the classification I've given to the situation to maintain my own sanity.

Conservatism is rooted in Conserve, because, financially (at least back in the old days) that's just what they did. They were also socially conservative. This is just another use for the same word.

I do agree with your black and white statement, but when it comes to debating semantics on the internet, it somehow always ends up being a black and white argument. That's the nature of theory... at least theory that's low level enough to merit discussion in this venue.

Keep in mind that I suck at debate... This is just me blowing steam.
 
I am in Jays camp on this. Well stated Jay.
 
Mine is my wife catching her first largemouth on a fly rod. That was pretty good. But, the best was my 2 yr. old kissing her first fish. Now when she sees a rod come out, she's screaming to go with. Oh yeah, the seasons never truly over, we don't quit at halftime dude!!
 
The environmentalists sit at drum circles (probably playing the music we talked about in the other thread. :p) and talk hypotheticals.
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I doubt if Rachel Carson spent a lot of time sitting at drum circles.

Is the pollution of the Susquehanna River and the resulting collapse of the bass fishery a conservation or environmental problem?
 
Troutbert,

That depends which side of the semantic fence you fall on. That's all this debate is... semantics. I happen to disagree with the interpretation that the two are one in the same. It doesn't mean I disagree with what you call environmentalism.

Also, see my disclaimer about that comment at the bottom of my post.
 
Without a doubt just standind on Kettle and watching a Bald Eagle flying up stream in the FFO area not more than 25ft over my head!
The weekend of Nov2nd. To me it represented what getting out and just enjoying the day is all about.

Steve98
 
Maybe I should keep my mouth shut and just let JayL argue my point. He will probably do it better than i could.

Environmentalism IMHO is currently a fad. My quote sprung up from an argument we had earlier this year and I have kept it ever since.

My Point; It is cool to be against pollution, the harvesting of natural resources and materialism. It matters not how you live, just that you denounce these things in the public areana. As a result you have a general populace that claims to be environmentalists yet do not grasp the first thing about it.

My problem; People like Al Gore, Sheryl Crow and Leo Dicaprio may have the best intentions at heart. They are all environmental activists, yet none of them follow a conservation ethic in their daily lives. Leo has a prius. Big whoop, he also flies around the world to.......make movies. These people are frauds. They champion the cause but would not/ could not live the lifestyle of John Muir, Ansel Adams or Edward Abby.

The Ethic; We are stewards of the environment. We must manage it in such a way to achieve present needs and assure a sustainable yield for the future. It requires the knowledge that heat does not come from the forced air vent and food does not come from the grocery store. We are (stil) connected to the earth.
 
Anticdote to prove my point.

I met Julia Butterfly in a bar one night in Anchorage. This chick lived in a tree for god knows how long to keep them from cutting it down. She was the poster child dujour of the environmental movement.

I on the other hand was an environmental scientist for the trans alaska pipeline. Every day I was out there monitoring conditions, sampling and responding to incidents.

Which one was a fad?
 
troutbert wrote:
The environmentalists sit at drum circles (probably playing the music we talked about in the other thread. :p) and talk hypotheticals.
Click to expand...

I doubt if Rachel Carson spent a lot of time sitting at drum circles.

Is the pollution of the Susquehanna River and the resulting collapse of the bass fishery a conservation or environmental problem?
Click to expand...

Regarding the Susky problem..Environmentalism would be saying the Susky has a problem. Conservation would be actually doing something about it. It is often important to have both as a team to succeed.
 
Mo,

Exactly. Good to see I'm not alone in that thought.

Ryan,

Where'd the quote go? You made a strong case for keeping it!
 
John Muir, Ansel Adams or Edward Abby.
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Those people were all environmentalists. So were Aldo Leopold and Rachel Carson. And all were conservationists too of course.

That's who I think of when I hear the word environmentalists. Not Cheryl or Leo.

Regarding letting Jay L argue your point... Errr, not recommended.
:)
 
Great thread! For me, it was catching my first snook right off the beach in Long Boat Key, Fla. I was fishing a small trough no more than about 10 ft off the beach, on a fly I tied myself. It was an awesome week of fishing. Watched my son catch his first saltwater fish (a ladyfish) and we witnessed a blitz of snook, right in front of us, leaving bait all over the beach right at our feet.

Great to see so many people name the Jam ans one of their most memorable moments- makes me want to check it out for myself in 2008.
 
That's usually the case troutbert [referring to the 'not a good idea' comment]. I'm not good at convincing people that there is no real argument, even when it's true. Sometimes, I just like to nitpick those who don't see the semantics the same way as I do. I don't win too many arguments when I refuse to agree that there is one. It's a good way to kill some downtime when the stream is too far away. Stupid city.

It is funny that when I look back on it, every debate I've ever been in was about whether we actually had grounds for a true debate. I'm pretty sure they can all be solved by beer and an even number of buffalo wings. An odd number... well then we have some things to discuss.
 
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