Mr. Sowbug?

DATE: Friday, 7/29/2005

TIME: 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

WEATHER: Mid-80s to low 90s, partly cloudy

WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units

LOCATIONS FISHED: White River, Walk-in Access at Bull Shoals Dam

HATCH: Tiny black midges, crane flies

ROD USED: Winston 8’ 6” 5-weight WT Joan Wulff Favorite

FLIES USED: #20 olive cockleburr, #14 black cockleburr

OTHER: I fished with Dick. The river was crowded as usual. I managed to take a couple of fish on #20 olive cockleburr, but missed two others. Mr. Sowbug was on the water and is a bit obnoxious. He had his cell phone with and unbelievably loud ring. He talked on and on, and his voice was so loud that it annoyed everyone within about 300 yards. He was teaching a class on nymphing. I managed not to say anything, BUT then he began crowding me, and almost cast his line over mine several times. I was holding back on my cast, casting only about 30 feet instead of the usual 60 feet or so I had been casting. I ask him if he knew me and he just waved me off. He kept crowding closer and closer and I finally told him he was fishing my water. He left; and it’s worth repeating, he’s obnoxious.

By the way, his phone conversation was about minimum flow and water pollution. I wonder if he ever heard of noise pollution. It's SOBs like him that damage the cause of protecting our waters, and unfortunately, there are too many of him around as wannabe fly fishing celebrities, officers in fly fishing clubs, etc. It makes me want to puke!