Uptonogood
PNW raised
I enjoy viewing the hunting and fishing reports, brings up a lot of great memories. The wife and I are moving to a senior living facility closer to her family and our specialized medical care at one of the finest medical facilities in the country. The hardest part is the downsizing.
in two weeks my nephew and his father will arrive from Californi, rent a truck and take possession of most of my African trophies and my firearms. I’ll also give them my fishing equipment except for a couple of surf rods and a 4wt and 6wt fly rods. I’m hopping they can manage the gun safe, too, but it’s probably 500 lbs so there’s that issue.
I was blessed to grow up in eastern Washington in a time between shooting wars. Very little land was posted and bird hunting was great especially chukars once we knew the secret. And we had our shotguns in our cars parked at school, known to parents and teachers, and no one worried about it. And firearm safety training was mandatory for boys in our junior high PE class.
My fishing started at Bicycle Creek in Yakima, a 14 and under fishery on the eastern end of the airport. The folks at the trout hatchery located there threw a hundred or so trout in the creek every now and then and all of the bicycles strewn in the dust on the creek pathway, lent the name to the five foot wide, 50 yard creek. Ultimately life took me to Idaho and Montana for incredible fly fishing.
I’ve lived in the southeastern US for a total of 25 years and hooked up with some really excellent fishing partners and good men. Whether fishing the estuaries for seatrout, redfish, flounder and Sheephead or offshore chasing wahoo mahi, grouper or snapper, there was always great fun and fish to filet every trip.
My greatest fly fishing experience was permit, bonefish and a big jack Creavle in Belize where even a journeyman level fly fisher could catch a Grand Slam (yes, the tarpon was small but the pros said it counted!)
Hunting also spanned the USA and the world. Fantastic freelance goose hunting in Alberta, grouse hunting in western Washington, doves in Yakima, Mexico and Zimbabwe (sand goose) were beyond and dream or plan I ever had. Montana has a very special place for sharptails, you just had to watch out for grizzly bears! I surely don’t want to forget woodcock, common snipe and marsh hens in Georgia.
And then there was Africa. I read Robert Ruark as a kid, over and over. I hunted southern bobwhite quail over great pointers, transported by mule drawn carriage. I never imagined that one day I too would hunt dangerous game, as Ruark did, in Zimbabwe and get charged by a pissy bull elephant.
I’m writing this, not to impress, but to say how grateful I am and also to close the door on my incredible opportunitie afield. The Fly Fishing Forum was/is the finest outdoor forum I’ve ever found and I thank all of it’s members for their posts, feedback and experiences.
Thank you.
in two weeks my nephew and his father will arrive from Californi, rent a truck and take possession of most of my African trophies and my firearms. I’ll also give them my fishing equipment except for a couple of surf rods and a 4wt and 6wt fly rods. I’m hopping they can manage the gun safe, too, but it’s probably 500 lbs so there’s that issue.
I was blessed to grow up in eastern Washington in a time between shooting wars. Very little land was posted and bird hunting was great especially chukars once we knew the secret. And we had our shotguns in our cars parked at school, known to parents and teachers, and no one worried about it. And firearm safety training was mandatory for boys in our junior high PE class.
My fishing started at Bicycle Creek in Yakima, a 14 and under fishery on the eastern end of the airport. The folks at the trout hatchery located there threw a hundred or so trout in the creek every now and then and all of the bicycles strewn in the dust on the creek pathway, lent the name to the five foot wide, 50 yard creek. Ultimately life took me to Idaho and Montana for incredible fly fishing.
I’ve lived in the southeastern US for a total of 25 years and hooked up with some really excellent fishing partners and good men. Whether fishing the estuaries for seatrout, redfish, flounder and Sheephead or offshore chasing wahoo mahi, grouper or snapper, there was always great fun and fish to filet every trip.
My greatest fly fishing experience was permit, bonefish and a big jack Creavle in Belize where even a journeyman level fly fisher could catch a Grand Slam (yes, the tarpon was small but the pros said it counted!)
Hunting also spanned the USA and the world. Fantastic freelance goose hunting in Alberta, grouse hunting in western Washington, doves in Yakima, Mexico and Zimbabwe (sand goose) were beyond and dream or plan I ever had. Montana has a very special place for sharptails, you just had to watch out for grizzly bears! I surely don’t want to forget woodcock, common snipe and marsh hens in Georgia.
And then there was Africa. I read Robert Ruark as a kid, over and over. I hunted southern bobwhite quail over great pointers, transported by mule drawn carriage. I never imagined that one day I too would hunt dangerous game, as Ruark did, in Zimbabwe and get charged by a pissy bull elephant.
I’m writing this, not to impress, but to say how grateful I am and also to close the door on my incredible opportunitie afield. The Fly Fishing Forum was/is the finest outdoor forum I’ve ever found and I thank all of it’s members for their posts, feedback and experiences.
Thank you.
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