Conference wahoo::fishing

1638.0. "Why I go fishing" by WAHOO::LEVESQUE (Personnel: the first refuge of a scoundrel) Thu Jun 27 1991 11:27

 I found this excerpt from _Anatomy of a Trout Fisherman_ in a tribute
to the late author in the July issue of _Fly Fisherman_ magazine. Maybe some of
you will see something of yourselves in this as I did.

	 "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 things they hate, my fishing is
	at once and endless source of delight and a small act of rebellion;
	because trout do not lie or cheat and cannot be bought or bribed or 
	impressed by power, but respond only to quietude and patience; because
	I suspect that men are going along this way for the last time and I 
	don't want to waste the trip; because mercifully there are no telephones
	on trout waters; because only in the woods can I find solitude without
	loneliness; because bourbon out of an old tin cup always tastes better
	out there; because maybe one day I will catch a mermaid; 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."

                                             Robert Traver (1903-1991)

    Second that.

    
    I saw it in the magazine, cut it out, framed it, and it's hanging in my
    office.   Also framed a copy as a gift for a friend.
    
    Wonderful words.
    
    Ray