A farewell post (long and from the heart)

ORIGINAL: jimhalupka

for all fishusa members, especially those who think I'm full of arrogance and elitism.

As my friends and I thought about the potential future of the gem and it’s fly reputation in years to come, we joked about possibly being a few of the pioneers of the waterway.  You know, one of the fabled men like Charlie Fox or Marinaro who left the initial footprints for generations to follow in the infamous region of limestone valley, central, pa.  We have been aimlessly throwing fly line lately, and I’ve been fairly diverse in touch downs, expanding my fly selection from the typical caddis and dun imitations into some cdc march brown spinners along with the infamous inverted sulphur emerger from the overpriced Orvis dealer.  Tonight, it finally started to pay off, as my first rise to the emerger at near dark broke the spell of misses the two days prior.  There were  two gentleman tossing, or dropping I should say, worms from  the bridge above one of the runs, and their witnessing of my success on top of the water today has hopefully deterred their return, though it’s highly doubtful.  I reserved my true, passion-minded thoughts tonight with a tight mouth and a light chuckle every so often.  These fellas do indeed have the same right to fish here as I, however, why would you waste your time on a run that holds at most a dozen wild trout every 500 yards when Approved Trout Waters  are full of stocked, bait munching fish that are nearly devoid of angling exposure?.  It felt nice landing some chunky browns on size 18 flies, especially in front of the aforementioned posse. The caddis seem to be picking up, though the blanket like that of the previous year has yet to emerge.  Talk in different fly fishing cells as I like to call them has been reporting of premature emergence of mayflies and most other aquatic insects this year.  My local freestoner, my gem, thankfully a tailwater, has nearly been right on time with Charlie Fox’s hatch chart, if not later than usual.  Wet wading season is unquestionably here, though I don’t dare leave my breathables at home just yet, not until at least July, and even then 60 degree water near the groin can cause some inversion. 
The fishing, from the etic perspective, has not been the greatest.  To be honest, it’s been more than challenging, hence bringing forth the emic reasoning for my devotion of time. More than two-thirds of each outting is spent observing the next rise, or the rising pattern of the one you’ve been shadowing loops to for over an hour, six fly changes later, hoping he has yet to notice your presence.  Oh well, at least there is an abundance of cahills/sulphurs, caddis (green and tan), and the occasional March Brown.  I thoroughly enjoy observing the mayflies, and wish I had an air piston to take out a few of those birds picking duns out of the air before they can return as spinners to drop their eggs.  I know it’s all in the great cycle of things though.  Tk and I enjoyed the last half hour of daylight and a few minutes of pure dark with a very nice blend  of smoke, relegating the walk back to the vehicles to the luminescence of my **** LED light I keep handy for tying the “one last drift” spinner on at dark.  Disposing of beers in the back of my chest-pack I’m now wearing for those warm spring days, we found the faint trail of our entrance, and hiked back to the car in smiles, knowing I’d be returning the following day.  Hey, at least I admit I want it to be my fly line putting down those fish!  How else would I guarantee some joke wasn’t creeling them like the previous years post Loomis and I took hits from the badas$ Washdog from haha!?  
I sincerely hope my convictions do not come to be true, and the gem remains low on the radar, propagating the hold of the wild population that is just now beginning to show itself.  However, with TU advocates and internet like-minded now screaming for recognition and protection, my hopes are just that, farfetched hopes.  I am disheartened with the thought this resource will someday harbor the glamorization like other streams in Pa receives, such as Penns Creek, now in at least one issue of Fly Fishing Magazine annually.  I never really do feel the essence of nature when I’m in a state park, so fabricated with signs, and beaten paths.  Sadly, the popularity and recognition the protection brings ushers these travesties.  Only now can I enjoy each day like it’s the last, and I do just that each and every time I wade, though a small influx in angling pressure does leave me feeling a tad depressed and insecure.  I fear of the day I will no longer be able to look downstream and plan my next move at the rising unbothered fish a few hundred yards away.  Some may call this selfish, I think just the opposite.  From a geographical perspective, only a mile of this seven mile tailwater is unposted private property, and it does receive a dose of fingerlings in autumn, just as the other six miles of private property does.  I was once asked if I cared so much for wild trout if I would be disgusted in the event every inch of the said stream would be posted just so the fish could sustain themselves, and my answer is indefinitely no.  The memories I hold close to my heart now will inevitably last a lifetime, and being a firsthand witness to the beginnings of nature at it’s finest means more than the bend of a rod to me.  So, my dear friends, I leave you all with a little more insight to my seemingly arrogant personality portrayed and at times deeply misunderstood on these forums.  My clique of fishing comrads are all culturally construed with this mindset, at least I think, and though it may be hard for you to ascertain, it’s what drives us to act in the “disrespectful” ways the youth of today employ.  A new era of fly fishing is emerging, that’s all I can assure you. I’m now signing off, not for your pity, but with a new direction in mind.  Things just aren’t popping here anymore, and my seat at the table seems to have a broken leg.  It’s been real, and I must give thanks to all those who have helped me refine my skills over the past two years, and moreover, develop the passion I put into each word of this post.  I came here as an average guy, and quickly wanted to become part in the pride of the fly community. Endless nights of research from proper casting strokes, to Dru’s first tutorial on how to tie a triple surgeons knot, down to the percocet induced reading of  Troutnut’s creator Jason Newswonger’s unfathomable knowledge of entomology, and I’m still by no means an expert, just a self-proclaimed artist searching for a style of my own.  Farewell to those I have attained friendship with during my short stint on the boards, and F. You to a few.  

A few pics of this years browns at the gem, a fingerling fishery that gets no adult stocking of fish.  Through the efforts of individuals who own the property, they wish it to be a catch and release artificial lure only fishery, however, these regulations that are ASKED are not followed by a select few.  There was a thread last year about the issue on the "gem", and it stirred up some controversy.





nice adipose and the yellow belly









some blue hues



matching the hatch

I sincerely hope my convictions do not come to be true, and the gem remains low on the radar, propagating the hold of the wild population that is just now beginning to show itself. However, with TU advocates and internet like-minded now screaming for recognition and protection, my hopes are just that, farfetched hopes. I am disheartened with the thought this resource will someday harbor the glamorization like other streams in Pa receives, such as Penns Creek, now in at least one issue of Fly Fishing Magazine annually.