.. From the earliest days of 'discovery' in Yellowstone National Park, place names have been scattered around the landscape like rice at a wedding.
NATIONAL PARK MOUNTAIN
.. One of these names is "National Park Mountain." Ever since the naming, folks visiting the park have used the name.
.. Park employees use the name. Rangers and interpreters use the name. This is a simple example of the subtle tyranny that words slam into our understanding of the world around us.
.. The name applies to a prominence that was left behind when the glaciers left the interior of Yellowstone National Park. It is not a mountain especially when viewed from the Madison Plateau. It can be 'called' a mountain when viewed from Madison Junction.
SURFACE GEOLOGY OF YELLOWSTONE
.. Interestingly; there is no universally accepted definition of a mountain in the English Language.
.. Elevation,
volume, relief, steepness, spacing and continuity have been used as
criteria for defining a mountain.
.. It's a matter of usage and local conventions.
.. Geologically this prominence is just that. It is a bit of the Madison Plateau that exists because of glacial scouring and, erosion of the rivers adjacent to it.
GLACIATED YELLOWSTONE
.. This glacier scouring has left behind several hanging valleys that did not have the available water to erode them down to the valley level of the master stream.
.. The Madison River Valley as it currently exists is a product of an ice divide that produced shear forces, (down slope,) toward the narrows at Hebgen Dam.
.. The same processes created the celebrated Mount Haynes.
.. This is not as trivial as it may seem. It is, in fact, emblematic of the way we perceive the world and the way we communicate with other folks about that world.
.. Most folks, fly fishers included, believe that the words they use are perfectly well understood by the people with whom they are talking.
.. Be they technical terms or, words from daily vernacular language the assumption of mutual understanding works a tyranny that can lead to gross misunderstanding.
THE ULTIMATE FLY
.. Depending on one's exposure to any one of the fly fishing cults that exist, verbiage can be precise or slipshod. .. Granted that the day to day vernacular is sufficient for most common interactions, it is seldom accurate when talking about flies like the "common transparently mutated and variegated imitation asphalt cased nymph." .. This particular fly is widely known by the fishers of Notellum Creek. Another bit of gear used by this particular cult of fishers is the "single handed, switch-spey, noodle-actioned, composite naturalized, artificial fly rod." .. When the neighbors are armed with a combination of this fly and this rod they take enormous amounts of good fish. My, my, my.
SWITCH OR SPEY NEW OR OLD
.. Politicians, feather merchants, gear manufacturers, industry representatives, guides, and other lucre motivated personages understand this subtle tyranny. They also understand the value of repetitive utterances of their preferred verbiage. .. Try this: 'no collusion,' 'no collusion,' 'no collusion,' 'no collusion,' - or 'Spey Rod,' 'Spey Rod,' 'Spey Rod,' 'Spey Rod,' - or 'Switch Rod,' 'Switch Rod,' 'Switch Rod,' 'Switch Rod,' - or 'good fish,' 'good fish,''good fish,''good fish,' - or 'streamer fly,' 'streamer fly,' 'streamer fly,' 'streamer fly,' 'streamer fly.' .. Of course the ultimate aim of fly fishers and politicians and feather merchants is obfuscation - not precision. It keeps things interesting and keeps the mystery forefront in the cults. .. Belief in the tyrannical words we adopt rapidly becomes dogma. From belief to dogma to religion to infallible pronouncements are rising in fly fishing and politics. Such an entertaining time we live in. .. We do enjoy the conversations of guides, counter help, feather merchants and marketing organizations as they pretend to impart information as they, in fact, are busy proselytizing converts to their religious cults. .. We know of only a few folks, guides, feather merchants, or organizations that are honest enough to utter such phrases as: "I don't know," "That may be the case," "There are many ways to accomplish that," 'In my humble opinion." .. However, whether talking about mountains, fly fishing, beer, food or politics, we know many folks that utter these kinds of phrases: "Best ever," "Can't be beat," "Absolute best," "Unquestionably, "The only way," "Everyone says," "I know," etc.
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.. We don't know if the myriad flies we intend to use this afternoon will catch a good fish. In our humble opinion the rod we will use is only probably the right kind for the fly we suggest may entice a trout. We think that we are fishing for trout. Perhaps we are even fly fishing. We won't use a gill net.
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.. It seems appropriate on this day to vent just a little. After all, for instance, we all know that "Tenkara" was really invented by Izaak Walton.
.. Or was it those Macedonian fishers that were recorded by Ælean at about A.D. 230? This is not just an April Foolishness.
.. Single piece rods, (of about the same lengths 6' to 18',) self or spliced string as well as self or spliced rods were used by all those fishers.
.. It's just a stick and a string with a hook and feather attached to the business end. It's been done wherever there are fish to catch, (catfish, sunfish, trout, perch, - hell even tuna!)
click for 8 seconds of Tenkara catch and release
..
.. We are constantly bombarded by the hogwash perpetrated by fellow fishers, blogsters, marketing geniuses, and the industry fishing experts who are busy peddling the latest and greatest - of whatever! (To gullible folks upon whom our society is built.)
.. We've heard it said that fly fishing is about 1/3 facts, 1/3 mysticism, and 1/3 fascination with the exotic. We now know why all fishers are liars: it's not by choice, rather, it's from ignorance and self aggrandizement.
.. We, on the other hand, tend to believe that it's more like 1/5 factoids, 1/5 hearsay, 1/5 belief, 1/5 commercial allegiance, 1/5 "truth" with a capital "T".
.. It's not that there are no facts to be had, it's rather that most non-commercial fishers would rather accept hearsay, or marketing hype. Soulful prose rather than history or science is the preferred reading material. The best buddy knows more than anyone else.
.. It is way more soulful and poetic to believe that the gear, hearsay traditions, mystical behaviors, lofty terminology, and flies are the key to self fulfillment as a fisher rather than just catching fish. Why should we believe that new gear will make us a better fisher. Hells bells can any gear make one a better fisher?
.. Not so long ago it was just fishing. Then manufacturers and elitists and joiners, and cults began the verbosity ploy. This is often called the "Name it and nail it syndrome."
.. When spinning reels were invented there suddenly became "spin fishing." Aha, got that one down!
.. Of course the reel for the fishing string was only invented around the 4th century A.D., in China apparently.
.. Western reels were first called a "wind." They didn't appear until the 1600's - give or take a little.They were hung on the belt and used to wind up the line when fishing was completed - or you tripped on the excess around your feet. Soon thereafter they were nailed, glued, strapped, or otherwise affixed to the stick in the first two feet or thereabouts.
.. Soon there were Nottingham reels, fly reels, bait reels, bait casting reels, center pin reels, multiplying reels, fresh water reels, salt water reels, trout reels, big game reels, etc.
.. Of course you were obliged to believe that each succeeding reel was better at fishing in a particular venue with a particular style, with a particular ethos and mystique, and canonized behavior.
.. This, most certainly, demands verbiage to set one apart from the other. And, by inference, makes one a better catcher of fish.
.. Gadzooks: marketeers glommed on to this very early on in our Western tradition. England did itself proud and the industry, (centered in London and Reddich,) became very creative in their sales techniques.
.. The House of Hardy even got itself appointed to the crown as official supplier - wow that still carries weight today.
.. Fishing rods large enough to require two hands have been around since Izaak's day, (think of a 20' greenheart stick with attendant string.)
.. Of course since it was imported from South America it was highly desired. Folks that used these sticks were "Greenheart Fishermen", (not women.) They practiced 'greenheart casting.' Zowie !!! Something new to sell.
.. For years fishers used what was available. Bamboo poles, greenheart sticks, maple sticks, ash sticks, etc. Someone decided to split up some bamboo and then stick it back together again. It was cheap. It was strong enough. It was plentiful. And, by gum, it was imported from the exotic Far East.
.. Hundreds of thousands of them were sold by Sears Roebuck & Co., Montgomery Ward, and tackle shops across the nation and elsewhere. Each and every one of them made better fishers of the folks that bought them.
.. Suddenly there was spring steel, forged steel. iron, tubular steel, aluminum, fiberglass, graphite, boron and exotic mixes of miscellaneous synthetics. Bamboo was relegated to the shelf, the attic, the pawn shop, or the garden as tomato stakes. Meanwhile fishers kept getting better and better. The clothes make the man.
.. Cane rods were out: then back in when it became fashionable and the other sorts got real expensive. We wonder if folks are now better fishers because of their modern stick and string.
.. Today a two handed rod is a Spey rod and is used for Spey casting - but not Spey fishing. Why is that?
.. Of course it's a good gimmick to hang sales upon. Few fishers believe that Spey casting can be done without a Spey rod.
.. Fewer have been to the River Spey. But fly fishers being the sort of species that they are have jumped on the "Spey Rod" bandwagon. Marketing wins out over any sort of rationality. Just like Izaak Walton's Tenkara fishing.
.. Fishers on the River Test don't have "Test Rods."
.. Now there's an idea! Why not have Orvis start marketing the Test rod Should be a sales boon! Then we can all learn to Test cast.
.. It could be expanded to fishing in the "TEST WAY." A clipped brogue should accompany it as well.
.. Diction lessons could accompany certified fly casting instruction by the Federation Of Fly Fishers. There's a marketing opportunity here somewhere. Think of the mythology. Think of the hearsay. Think of the possible factoids that can be generated.
.. Perhaps there is Madison Casting, Henry's Forking, Gallatin Grabbing, Missouri Mending, etc. Think of the marketing and blogging that could be enjoined. Words aplenty just waiting for exploitation. Soon we will all be better at catching.
.. Unlike the Tenkara tradition which was originally a solitary commercial venture the Spey casters around here are joiners. They are elitist back slappers and proselytizers: just as are the recent Tenkaristas in the Americas. Is it 'my rod's better than your rod' or is it 'my rod makes me a better fisher' or is it 'us against all the other fools'? We're obviously missing something here.
.. Most specialized fly fishing gear is better than 90% of the fishers that buy it and extol it's virtues. For instance the drags on many contemporary trout reels are superb pieces of engineering. Far better than the 14" trout that are caught with them. Far better than the fishers that listen to them buzz and click and whir - to the exhaustion of the fish. It's a wonder that folks just 20 years ago caught any fish.
.. Of course we miss the point. Fly fishing is not about catching fish. It's not about selecting appropriate tools to the task.
.. It's way more about drinking, telling stories, hanging out together, buying the latest gear, believing the marketeers, believing the truth so freely dispensed by counter help, and "belonging." Our peerage is too important to seek facts or ignore fashion.
.. No longer can one just go fishing. One must go fly fishing. One must go bass fishing. One must spin fish. One must deep sea fish. One must belong: even if it means adopting a foolish and romantic belief structure propagated by the wizards of Wall Street and the corner fly shop.
.. This is not to say that fishers of Pseudosasa amabilis, (Arundinariaamabilis) are different than the rest of us. They are just easy and popular targets. .. This pastime is a target rich environment by it's very nature. Spey casters using Spey rods have a belief structure and vocabulary no more unthinking than the rest of us. .. The Tenkara advocate and practitioner is no more shallow in his beliefs than the dry fly purist, the generalist, the nymph fisher, the ice fisher or the spin fisher. .. We have allowed the hype of marketing and joining and of belonging to mythologize a very simple pastime, (not, however, - more or less, - the commercial fisher.) .. What is it that demands of us that we seek to believe in that which is built upon the sand? .. We certainly don't know.
JUST WHAT'S NEEDED FOR THE FIREHOLE RIVER . . . (courtesy Orvis)
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.. Wow! That river is over 60 feet wide. A giant rod is best here. Let us wade through the fish at our feet and whip the water to a froth while extending enough line to cast to the far bank with a size 14 soft hackle.
.. Oops, missed the spot better do it again - and again - and again. Hurray, that's where the fly should be. should be. Damn! How to mend all that line? There's a take. Lift: lift all that line - that's why the rod is so long. Keep lifting. Get the slack out. Oops, that fish spit my fly. Must be the wrong fly.
.. We certainly do enjoy the entertainment value of the long rod.
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TYPICAL SCENE ON THE MADISON RIVER IN YELLOWSTONE . . . (courtesy Winston)
.. The Greater Yellowstone Spey Casting and Claw Seining Society has scheduled their annual clinic in Yellowstone National Park starting April 18, 2008. That leaves just about 5 weeks to plan, pack, get here and participate. Hooks are not allowed until a few weeks later. .. Expert casters from around the world annually attend this shindig and rave about it's usefulness. Casting & Seining instructors from areas as diverse as Buffalo Ford, Obsidian Creek, Elk Creek, Firehole River, Specimen Creek, Trail Creek, Soda Butte Creek, and other far reaches of the park will gather to instruct visitors and attendees. .. Although no hooks are used in the clinic, water reading and scanning will be much practiced by the participants and instructors. Early prognostications and daydreaming are the usual fare for those attending this week of non-fishing. .. Typical activities include: staring at roiling waters, recalling past adventures, dodging errant automobiles and bicycles, shivering, nipping, and driving aimlessly along park roads. .. Fees for this experience vary depending on age and residency. This is one of the few activities offered in this area where the gnarled and aged have a slight advantage over the tight and youthful. .. Instructors are already out in force: Link One, Link Two, Link Three. At this time of year the instructors are particularly grumpy and should not be approached. Regulations require that they be kept at a distance of 100 yards, - this is probably a bit too close - stay in the car /// with the windows up. .. If you'd like to see how the wolves do it CLICK HERE. .. Plan early to visit pre season clinics. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION. For those of you needing further Spey Casting information: try Google, or watch the videos.
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