Christmas Thanks to the Forum

[DaveKile]

A thank you to all the participants on the forum and the lurkers too. We are closing out the 25th year on the site and getting ready to move to a new chapter with an updated forum platform based on Xenforo. I'm hoping to the migration going before the end of the year, but we'll see. This year I added several webinars that seemed to go very well and once the new site get's going, I'll start some of the new programs this winter.

The site has taught me a lot about fishing and more importantly what a great community of anglers we have here on the site.

I had an exceptionally fun year fly fishing. Highlights included an early day out to the Casselman with the Western Pa boys, a fantastic caddis hatch on Spring Creek with the guys from Sky Blue Outfitters, several days with Maurice following the drakes on Penns and another trip to NY around Oak Orchard. Some personal bests, some skunk days, but all with some good friends that I met through the site.

Along with the new forum for 2022, we are going to move forward with the Spring Jamboree in May. Something that has been on hiatus for a couple of years.

I've been battling a cold for the last few days, seems like it's been a few years since I had one. I was worried about the family coming in so I did a test and came up negative for the Covid. This Christmas is a little more difficult this year with my father passing away a couple of weeks ago. But, I will have my kids and in-laws joining Lizanne and us for the weekend.

A lot to be thankful for including the gang we have here. I will raise a glass of bourbon to our families, friends and fun we have had in 2021 and to what next year has to bring.

Merry Christmas to you and your families.

 

[Bruno]

Back at ya Dave. Sorry to hear about your loss. Cheers to all and may your stockings be full!

 

[EchoRidgeElder]

Thank You for all that you do.

Right back at you......Happy Holidays to you and yours.

Happy Holidays to all that read here.

Let's hope that 2022 is a much better year for all of us!

 

[JackM]

Thanks Dave. You deserve all the credit. Merry Christmas! I'll be lurking around.

 

[wildtrout2]

Sorry to hear about your Dad's passing. Thanks for all you do throughout the year to make PAFF possible. Happy Holidays to you and your family.

 

[troutpoop]

Thank you for all the work you are doing to get this new site up and going. This is a refuge for many of us. I read a lot, and post when I think there is something valuable for me to contribute.
While I have only met a handful of the members the exchange of ideas and skills is amazing. Thanks!

 

[just_jon]

Thanks for all you do for this community. So sorry for your loss.

 

[just_jon]

Thanks for all you do for this community. So sorry for your loss.

 

[dryflyguy]

Thanks Dave for providing the opportunities here.
It really is my "favorite place out of the water"
Best of luck with the new forum

Gonna be a tougher Christmas for us this year also.
My mother-in-law passed away last month.

She was really the glue that held the family together.
Christmas Eve in particular, was always very special, - she hosted the "Feast of the Seven Fishes" every year, right up through last Christmas.
And it was a very special time indeed.

My brother-in-law will be having it tomorrow now.
And I'm sure it's gonna be nice.
But without her there, it will never be quite the same..............

 

[tztrout]

Merry Christmas and thank you!

 

[wgmiller]

This forum has taught me a little about fly fishing and a LOT about people! :-D

Here's to 2022 and making more memories on and off the water!

 

[lestrout]

Yo Dave - I have hung out on myriads of ffishing fora and bulletin boards, even before GUI. There is a life cycle to these things: once they get going (that is, the ones that do), and hit a critical mass of participants, they seem to hit a peak. In general most of them end up dissipating. Often the beginning of the end is marked by a flame war, maybe around a full moon during cabin fever. These battles often are over essentially nothing - not even passion magnets like politics.

One of the critical keys to durability is Goldilocks moderation: too much chills the free exchange of information and drives away members, especially the new ones. Too little allows chaos to rule - kind of like entropy.

Success requires vision, perseverence, consistency, adaptability and fairness in administration, all of which you have amply provided.

Sorry to hear about the loss of your father. Losing parents is part of the usual cycle but that does not make it any easier.

Keep up the great work. I recommend PAFF to all the anglers I meet as the best of the many.

 

[coyoterahn]

Thank you Dave for this great forum. I appreciate the effort you put into making this a fantastic place for those of us who enjoy fly fishing . Its is a great place to learn and exchange information.
Merry Christmas!

 

[Arminacast]

A big thank you from me also Dave, Paflyfish is a great internet site and I have learned much from it. Merry Christmas!

 

[rrt]

Dave and DFG -- Sorry for your losses.

 

[Bamboozle]

I don’t know you Dave, but I appreciate this website and all the work you and the moderators do to keep it interesting, informative and fun.

My sympathies to you and your family on your loss. Keep them and the memories close at hand over the holidays because it will be rough. I know as I’ve been though it myself with my parents and in-laws. You never get over it, you just get through…

A very Merry Christmas and a Happy & Healthy New Year to you, yours and the rest of folks on PAFF!!

 

[greenghost]

So sorry to hear about your father, Dave. Prayers and best wishes to you and your family.

 

[Canoetripper]

I love the website and have learned so much from other member's posts. So sorry to read about the loss of your father.

My father was an Eagles and Phillies(especially the Phillies) fan. He died a week before the Eagles won the Super Bowl. I wish he would have lived long enough to watch that game.

 

[tomgamber]

Yes, the holidays provide equal opportunity to remember and reflect. It's what heals us and keeps us whole when we lose a big part of our world. Here's to doing some of both in the coming days and moving into a new year with purpose.

Thanks for the vehicle you provide, Dave.

Merry Christmas and a Happy new year to all!

 

[krayfish2]

Dave,

Sorry for your loss and thanks for all you've done with the website. I think it's allowed many of us to escape from the daily grind, fantasize about getting that 'perfect eat', learning a lot and making some new friends. Without it, I might have hung up my gear years ago. Some of the guys I've met here have been great people. I know that I've been a pain in the *** to you and the mods from time to time but it's just who I am. LoL. Looking forward to 2022 and hope to fish with some of you again...or some of you for the first time. Merry Christmas!