Troutbirder II

Troutbirder II
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Saturday, September 5, 2020

Passions and poetry

Passion and poetry

the passions of our life can come at most any stage. My first as doubtless is true for most boys was my mom. I’ve often been struck in reading war novels upon recognizing their impending death the young warriors most often cry out for their mothers. I was always a mama’s boy till the day she died. She was a saint and my role model for values and behavior. I didn’t always live up to her standards in many areas but I knew she would be disappointed when I had done wrong. She brought me to the St. Paul library when I was three years of age. There in the children’s room began my lifelong love of books which continues to this day as a great passion. Reading a lot I believe made a writer out of me and a storyteller as well. Those abilities were rewarded in high school by all my English teachers with praise and recognition. I live for that praise today through the venue of my blogs and book reviews. Since I do that for free it obviously is a passion that rewards itself. Hobbies can also develop into  passions and the following poem by author Robert Trevor is an example from my own life. I'm going trout fishing in the woods today. Would you like to come along?


These small valley's are carved by spring fed streams. Limestone bluff on one side, hardwood forest on the other. Feel how cold the water is. The trout thrive here.

Insect hatches often come off the riffles. Trout feed on them. But not today. I'll fish the quiet pools and deep edges along the banks. It so quiet here in the woods. I rarely see anyone else. Let's sit on the bank and listen. Sometimes a doe and a fawn can be seen coming down for a drink.  In the spring there are warblers everywhere. Well, the fish weren't biting today. Still, I don't think our time was wasted. Do you?


I must add that I loved my teaching career best but fly fishing was my favorite outlet. People would occasionally as me what the attraction was and I had a hard time putting it into words.  Famous Michigan Judge and fifties novelist Robert Traver (Anatomy of a Murder) said it best.....

I fish because I love to. Because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful, and hate the environs where crowds of people are found, which are invariably ugly. Because of all the television commercials, cocktail parties, and assorted social posturing I thus escape. Because in a world where most men seem to spend their lives doing what they hate, my fishing is at once an endless source of delight and an act of small rebellion. Because trout do not lie or cheat and cannot be bought or bribed, or impressed by power, but respond only to quietude and humility, and endless patience. Because I suspect that men are going this way for the last time and I for one don't want to waste the trip. Because mercifully there are no telephones on trout waters. Because in the woods I can find solitude without loneliness. ... And finally, not because I regard fishing as being so terribly important, but because I suspect that so many of the other concerns of men are equally unimportant and not nearly so much fun.”


































 

27 comments:

  1. Reminds me of A River Runs Through It.

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  2. I see the beauty of trout fishing---I am not a fisherman(woman), but there's no better way to spend a morning than in the peacefulness of the woods next to a fine trout stream. I know --because we live just a short walk from THE BEST TROUT STREAM in northern Michigan. Or, as some folks would call it--heaven!
    Have a terrific time fishing

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  3. I never fished but along with my dog I walked the areas where fishing took place. The peacefulness of nature never failed to make me grateful for being alive. Enjoy your day.

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  4. A major part of my life, headed out for walleye today

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  5. Looks like a fine time to commune with nature and be at peace.

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  6. Very beautiful indeed. I wonder why trout fishing seems to be such a man's pastime and not women's. Love the quote from Traver. :-)

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    Replies
    1. True but changing more women are taking up the sport

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  7. No time alone in the forest is wasted time whether you catch fish or not. Just my humble opinion. This is a beautiful place. My favorite kind of beauty!

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  8. That's an awesome piece of writing. For me I could just substitute bird where he has fish.

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  9. Personally, and I think I speak for all your fans, I think you can beat Robert Traver. No hurry, but we'll be waiting.

    Anyone who can teach kids fer crissakes. That's a hard job and the most important job in the country as far as I'm concerned. After refereeing juvenile delinquents all day, then coaching, then correcting papers, I'd head for the river too, and when I got there I'd cross the bridge and about a mile down on the right there's a bar.

    Seriously though. Toss a note pad in that tackle box. I challenge you.

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  10. Oh yes, I want to go with you, love fishing.Blessings Francine.

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  11. What a lovely creek. Catching is not the only goal in fishing. The quiet, the view, the enjoying nature in my book is number one. I could never catch a fish and still say "you bet" when asked to go.

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  12. Beautiful pictures. Reminds me of fishing with my Dad growing up in ND. Great memories.

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  13. I like those thoughts. I agree wholeheartedly. I think I shall have to take up trout fishing. :)

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  14. Great outing! I love the quiet of the forest and a steam too:)

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  15. Perfect...and I love to be out in nature as well. Peace and Beauty unlike anything else.
    Great post!
    Carla

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  16. Lovely post. Our streams are filled with trout and fishermen. We love local trout for breakfast at our favorite restaurant. I love the way the waiter makes a few slits and pulls out the bone intact.

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  17. The beautiful places where fish live helps make the process a pleasing one too. Great photos.

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  18. I've never done any fly fishing but my middle son loves it. It certainly puts you in a gorgeous part of the country...no wonder it's your favorite way to relax.

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  19. Hi Troutbirder, This spot for fishing looks perfect to me. As a fisherman, I have a question for you: For a few years the wife and I had a cabin in Montana, not too far from Yellowstone, in the Madison Valley. To believe the folks around there, the Madison was one of the best fishing rivers in the whole world. I wonder if you have heard of it and have you fished it? I think you've mentioned fishing in Yellowstone before, but I'm wondering about further north in the Madison Valley. Anyway, this is just a great post. Thanks for sharing. And thanks for your comments on my Jasper National Park post.

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  20. Time on the river is never wasted, even if the fish don't bite. My first venture out to throw the rod will be here in a just a few weeks. My most favorite stories about fishing are from Hemingway. How's Baron - the dog, at least I believe that is his name?

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  21. I too no longer fish, health issues. But memories of my caddis floating in a riffle on the Big Hole, or the Madison, the Bitterroot, etc sustain me. The last paragraph of MacLean's book sums it up for me: "Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of those rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs."

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  22. I like the idea of fishing, but by the time I had any interest in it, my dad was working two jobs. We've gone out a time or two over the years, but I wish we could try it more..

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