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Dammit! I need new trout fishing buddies!

1K views 17 replies 9 participants last post by  Kyle Smith 
#1 ·
All of my old ones either died, grew up and moved on to other things, just quit fishing, or only want to fish for salmon and/or steel. Trout are "too small," and not "macho enough."
The fly fishers that I have recently met live too far away to make it reasonable to plan a simple day trip. Where I live is smack dab in the heart of poacherville, and the locals look at C&R fly guys with extreme suspicion. Everyone around these parts is either working, or if they're retired it seems like they''re too old and/or out of shape to hike in or paddle anywhere, or claims they need to keep their fish to eat and feed their families.
Too many times I have heard the excuse, "My wife wouldn't let me go fishing unless I bring something back to eat. She loves to eat trout!"
Apparently, none of them feel like they can afford the luxury of taking the time to go C&R some trout. And it seems like nobody here wants to toe the line of my "buddy requirement" of fishing legally. Hence I am doomed to fish alone.

I only live here any more because I am still a surfer, own my own home, and don't like crowds. I do have a few surfing buddies. At my age, I don't consider it wise to surf alone any more, although sometimes I do. There's usually other surfers out, any way.

I am going to start hiking into the more popular ONP and OP Wilderness Area rivers by myself. At least there are some other peeps up there with fly rods. Its my last resort.

Sorry about the rant. I have been feeling a bit edgy at times, and go off rather easily ever since I quit the herb. I'm going for a paddle up a tidal creek.

You desk jockeys hang in there. Your time will come.:p
 
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#2 ·
I feel your pain. Almost every ****ing time I go to the Cedar I see the refuse left behind by baiters. Loved your comment about them looking askance at us. I've received a number of those Deliverance stares lol.

But...I have to say I'd trade all my trout time in for learning salmon/steelhead. I'm halfway thinking about leaving the reel at home. Just take 40' of line and loop it around my hand. Drag & backing for 8-15" fish?
 
#5 ·
I'm too far away to be a reliable buddy.

But why would you quit the herb right when it's (sort of) legal? Even Dr. Sanjay Gupta thinks it's a good idea! http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/08/health/gupta-changed-mind-marijuana/index.html?hpt=he_c1
Dr Gupta is talkin' about medical applications. I am basically healthy. I don't need no stinkin' medicine, except for over-the-counter nsaids (ibuprofen) if I have pulled a muscle or inflamed a joint (no pun intended) or tendon sheath, or something similar. All of my prior use was recreational.

I totally support legalization and medical use of pot. I believe that prohibition just doesn't work. Its a matter of personal preference and responsibility.

I don't suffer from any chronic medical conditions. I need no prescription drugs of any kind, and have excellent blood pressure (always have), a healthy pulse rate, am lucky enough to have no problem with cholesterol, no matter what I eat, and usually feel great! My doctors have always told me that I'm really lucky to have inherited my genes.

However, I am getting older, and I don't need to slow myself down any more. I still like to enjoy a beer or two, glass of wine, or the rare shot of hard alcohol. I've cut down on that, too, since I don't like feeling fuzzy around the edges, and would rather be clear and quick.
There is nothing that I need to forget or block out.

I'm still surfing regularly, and I'll be 63 in a month. I remember how to pull off all the moves that I used to, and my wave judgement and sense of timing is still there. My only limitations are physical, due to "old age," which has cut into my endurance, and some stiffness, which slows me down some.

Today I was going to go paddle a tidal creek and cast for searun cutts, but I checked the buoy reports and surf forecast one more time and changed my plans. The surf was coming up a bit, and the fog here along the coast was suppressing the NW wind. Suddenly, going surfing seemed like the better idea.
When I paddled out at about 3:20pm, the tide was just beginning to run out, and the waves started breaking really fine. The other guy that was surfing that break in the fog went in, and I enjoyed excellent surf alone for a good half hour before some of my bros joined me. I'm no judge, but I had some great rides. I cracked the best off-the-lip on a 5' face since I resumed surfing again...which happens to be the best lip-smack I've pulled off since 2001.(Yes, 3'+ swells at 13 second intervals can produce some nice head-high waves when they focus in on a good sandbar). We had a great wave-sharing session going on. For example, if it was my turn to go, but one of my bros was in better position to get a good ride, I shouted, "Go for it!" and waved him in, just to be sure. It was awesome and we all were having a bitchin' sesh!
The fog bank obscured the view from the beach, and no one else could see how good it was, and no one else paddle out.
After I'd had enough and went in, changed out of my superhero costume (yeah, yeah. OK, it was just a 5/4 mm wetsuit) and back into my street clothes, I grabbed the micro-brew that I'd brought along and went up on the berm to watch, and the fog lifted, and the sun came out. Some more of my surf bros showed up and paddled out, providing some entertainment.
Just another shitty day in paradise!

All of my medical issues revolve around prior injuries to my joints and tendons, mainly from overdoing things, or suffering bad wipeouts when having "too much fun" and getting a bit carried away and going beyond my limits. Or frying my hide by staying out in the sun too long. A biocam has gotta know its limitations!

So no, I have no medical use for weed. I never say "never" though. I can use the money not spent, on better quality food, and gasoline.

Refined sugar is worse, in my opinion. It just gave me the "sugar blues" and maybe added some unwanted flab during times of inactivity. Its almost impossible to avoid eating too much sugar these days, unless you make a supreme effort to cut it out. That was/is an addiction I want to lose, and I am having some success.

Surfing is an addiction that I cling to like a life preserver.

I don't need to smoke any stinkin' weed, but I support full legalization, and I know several people with chronic pain who benefit from using it, as well as some stressed-out types who seem to need it to keep their heads from exploding.

I could go on. Its a personal choice.:cool:
 
#6 ·
Yeah, I need to halve the chances of getting pounced on by a cougar, and maybe even might need someone to send for help if I fall and hurt myself.

A surfer new to the break showed up today alone and ended up dislocating his shoulder. One of my bros offered to drive him in to the emergency room.
 
#10 ·
Damn, Jim, you got it bad. I don't know what it is, but I hope it's not catching! ;)

Yeah, I live up in Mill Creek... sucks you live so far away! I'd fish with ya - I already have.

I caught myself looking around at least a dozen times for Cougars (the feline type) as I fished alone up in the remotes of the Sky basin four times this week.

I've changed my style of fishing caddis entirely - preferring upstream quarter-down and swinging it drowned when the skitter drift is over. It's killin' em... and dialing into the bigger trout, too! I lost one this evening on my 2-weight that must have been a good 13 or more inches. Biggest to hand was 11-inches. I'm fishing funky stuff too in addition to my EHC and hatch matching mays... swinging wets like Parmachene Belle, (the original) Gold Ribbed Hares Ear, and fishing weird dries like Montana Bucktail. You know the trout still love all this stuff - it's just not in fashion - which suits my fashion just fine!

F macho. Trout fishing is where it's at.
 
#11 ·
Thanks Jim. Glad to know that your recovery from that stroke is going well. I've got local fishing ideas for tomorrow if I get up early enough. Maybe even a late afternoon surf session can be worked into the picture. Depends on how well I manage my energy. Rack time!
 
#12 ·
Jim, a couple of suggestions here. If you haven't replaced refined sugar with stevia by now it is time you started. Sweet with no phony aftertaste and a tiny bit goes a long way.

Older guys often have prostate problems and caffeine is like throwing gas on the flames as you get older. I had been having chronic prostatitis since my mid 40's when my doc told me to never consume anything with caffeine in it again. I took his advice about 10 years ago and-knock on wood-have been pain free ever since without having the usual rounds of antibiotics to deal with.

Too bad we are so far apart, I have the same dearth of fishing buddies that you do. The old guys around here are usually red neck right wing bible banging holier-than-thou worm dunkers that are 80 lbs overweight and couldn't walk a mile up a slight grade to save their ass. That may be a generalization but it is not too far from the truth.

Speaker, I'm glad to hear you are back in the saddle again. That's good news.

Ive
 
#13 ·
Geez Jim. I always fish alone. I can go when I want and come home when I want. I carry my cell phone with me. If I fall in some out of the way place I can always call 911. It works where a Cell phone won't. I had a couple of cold ones a few weeks ago. I drank one and poured the other one out. I have to almost hold a gun to my head to drink beer.

I got a good bottle of Booze two years ago. I still have about a half left. While I'm not the picture of health, I feel pretty good from where I sit. Yeah, I take pills for a few things,

I'd fish with you if I still lived in Washington State. But Trout fishing really sucks when you get right down to it. When you fish the Puget Sound skinny water they all say that the smaller trout are all Smolts and you shouldn't fish there. Hell, you have to get a release some where. Besides most of the skinny water is closed 6months of the year.

Then you have the rain. It don't rain there it pours. Here it clouds up and you get a sprinkle of two. Not a gully washer. I could go on and on but after a while my two finger get tired of typing. Like now.
 
#15 ·
Geez Jim. I always fish alone. I can go when I want and come home when I want. I carry my cell phone with me. If I fall in some out of the way place I can always call 911. It works where a Cell phone won't. I had a couple of cold ones a few weeks ago. I drank one and poured the other one out. I have to almost hold a gun to my head to drink beer."
I need a new cell phone, but I don't really want a "smart phone." My battery keeps dying. I turned my volume down, and the buzzer is off. I keep it turned off so I won't get unwanted calls that drain it. I check it for missed calls every once in a while. Rarely find any.
After the beer I enjoyed at the beach after surfing, I had another when I got home to fix dinner. I didn't have a gun handy to hold to my head to prevent that.:D
 
#14 ·
Ive, Thanks for the advice about trying stevia and giving up caffeine. My Dad has been fighting prostate cancer for nearly 15 years, now. His doc has him on estrogen to keep his testosterone level at zero.

I'm going for switching to Green Tea again, for starters. I did that before and held out on coffee for over a year. My GF back then liked her latte's, and I eventually caved back in to drinking the high test after I made the mistake of ordering a mocha for the drive back from Neah Bay.

I'm also thinking of using malt syrup on my oatmeal, since maltose is two glucose molecules (sucrose is a glucose molecule combined with a fructose molecule). Glucose is metabolized throughout the body for energy requirements, but fructose is metabolized in the liver, and may cause all kinds of problems if you don't burn it off.
I eat fruit, though, but avoid fruit juices. I like the whole fruit.
 
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