I, for one, appreciate living vicariously through Mr. Vedder's adventures. The places he has been and the flavor of the experience he shares is seed for dreams of my own. Will I ever make ONE of his trips a reality? Probably; more than one... doubtful. Knowing there is more out there is a gift.



Now if I could just figure a way to keep my f'n coffee hot. Gddamit.

Damn near unbreakable too.

I have broken one .. . .on a fish. . ... still landed the fish though. ... .

Nice post, Mr. Vedder. You are an inspiration.

Although I was never here to experience the "glory days," I have experienced a lot of what I would call great days, and I find that there are more opportunities for outdoor pursuits in this region than any in which I have ever lived (including Colorado - no ocean there). In many cases, the opportunities here are truly world class (even if that doesn't mean what it once did either). I would argue the fishing is about as good as it ever was, even if the catching often isn't.

The fact that there are still so many great opportunities out there is the very reason we must continue our dedicated stewardship. Barring acts of God and/or tremendous (HIGHLY unlikely) shifts in human thinking, as long as human populations continue to grow, these opportunities will eventually disappear. Shortly thereafter, most or all of us will go the way of the dinosaurs. All we can do (and should feel obligated to do, in my opinion) is to do our absolute best to preserve the wildlife and ecosystems that define those opportunities (and, lest we forget, provide us with food to eat, water to drink, and air to breathe) as long as possible. We should all get involved, stay involved, and encourage others to get involved as well.

I second this (+1 ???). Living in Alberta, Canada, I have to work 51 weeks out of the year to get the opportunity to travel 16 hours each way for 1 week of salmon fishing. I read many of the posts on this forum, just to get me through the long drought. I get twitchy around January, waiting for that late July week of paradise. And I am strictly a catch and release guy. I am in it for the love of the sport. I respect these creatures as true wonders of nature.
So I am also working hard for the hopes that some day, I too will be in a position to fulfill dreams of many fishing opportunities. SOME DAY, I will be in a position to hopefully walk down to the river and fish or maybe I will have to travel, but there will be many days of fishing for me in times to come. For now, I cherish my 1 week each year and am extremely thankful I have it. My family is very understanding...
So thank you Dave, for your many posts. You have provided me with wisdom, expertise, and most importantly, inspiration that there are so many wonders out there for us to experience. My time is coming!!!
BTW... I like your dog. I miss my lab

I was thinking the same thing. As a matter of fact I'm gonna start right now...Oh wait...I'm going fishin, I'll start when I get back.