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hatch brats and other things.....

4K views 25 replies 16 participants last post by  skyrise 
#1 ·
First Skagit winter run hatchery fish caught at Lyman bar the day before xmas. Grandpa bar-b-qued the 8 pounder up for dinner that afternoon. Mmmmmm goooood! There is one good thing about hatch brats, they taste good off the barby.

Some native fish showing up also. Heard Ed Ward (who else) got one at Grandy a week or so ago.

Lots of hatchery fish being caught above Concrete. Hatchery reports 70 to 80 fish coming in per day. I hope the large hatchery returns is a sign of things to come.:hehe: :hehe: :hehe: :hehe:
 
#2 ·
Its been wonderful...

Was hoping to get out today but I was pretty beat from the past few days so I slept in. I then decided what the Hell...might as well go throw the 9140 around for a few hours this afternoon but today has turned into one of those get your oil changed, wash your car run errands sort of day!! :( Damn responsibilities!!!!
 
#3 ·
Divorce, Spey Style.

Ryan,

Now you know why you shouldn't get 'involved" with Spey rods until you're "older." High divorce rate; Wife/2hander ... Wife/2 hander.

Call the Atty.

:devil:

Married to Joan for a lot of years .... but she doesn't "understand." But her focus is (I guess) is he could be in dark bars with 'women of questionable repute' :tsk_tsk: or on the river. Her choice ..... usually Poochie with me on the beach.
:mad:


Gotta get that Gal's head checked.
 
#6 ·
or fishing can be detrimental to college as in my case.

This Fall was the worst...I kept thinking about fishing and worried more about what days I could fish during finals weeks I got all screwed up and thought my ESC 110 final was Friday when it was actually Wendsday. I didnt find out until Thursday. I was so upset I couldnt concentrate to study for my QSCI 281 final and couldnt concentrate during the actual test.

So I've got a 0.0 for Fall Quarter which means there goes my tuition from my parents and my finacial aide (which pays my debts, bills etc.) for winter quarter.

It my life over??? No. But are my hopes and dreams?? Yes!!

Now to pay off my bills, buy a driftboat, learn the sticks, become a guide so I can do what I can to support myself...
 
#8 ·
Hey Ryan,

You got to go back to school. I hate to say that to anyone but you have important work to do in the future.
We need young people like you doing the research needed to enhance our rivers and oceans.

We got plenty of guides but not enough folks who will stick with the objective of changing the current system. If you would finish school you would have the opportunity to do the needed changes from within.

Plead with your parents for another chance, tell them you have an addiction that you are treating. Turn all of your rods over to me until you graduate and get a proper job.

Really hope you find away to graduate, we need you out there.
OC
 
#9 ·
Ryan -

We look at some of the guide legends out there as almost immortal, and some of them are, but what they do depends on the dedication of others who protect the resource.

Anyone who can fish and host others can be a guide. But how many of us can make a difference in the state of the fisheries by having the kind of passion you have with the conviction, dedication to make something happen?

It all starts with your conviction to the cause. We all know you have it. Don't sell yourself short, do it while the timing is right. Can't you apply summer class credits to catch up?
 
#10 ·
Ryan,

Ask your parents if they want you living at home when you are thirty? If not YOU need to come up with a plan to figure this out and provide a couple of viable options. Financially and mentally school can be a burden. But there are always solutions availble. I don't know anyone who said it was not worth the efford. I know when in college the more hours I worked the better my grades became as I was forced to schedule time tightly.
 
#11 ·
Ryan, dont give up on your hopes and dreams! Listen to the other guys, they are absolutely right.

I know how you feel, I was in a similar position in my late teens and early twenties.

You will find both the means and motivation to complete your degree and whatever comes after. I know. I did - although I would never have believed it at the time. That was nearly 25 years ago and life has been pretty good since then. Sure there are ups and downs but experience is a painful process - wether its frustration with rising fish or making the occaisional wrong choice. You come out of these situations stronger and wiser. Trust me, you will too!
 
#12 ·
Hey Ryan,

I don't really know you but will give you my take on the situation. I am still relatively young at 25 and did drop out of college after my third year. I was pre-med and thought my hopes and dreams included being a doctor. I got involved in doing prostate cancer research and published a bunch of papers but the work was not as fulfilling as I thought it would be. I just didn't feel like I was doing the right thing for me at the time and in retrospect I feel it was the right decision. I then taught myself to program and got hooked up with amazon.com and the rest is history. I really enjoy it and would have never known if I had not dropped out. Now I have enough experience where the degree does not matter as much. So things have worked out to an extent.

However I have new dreams which include going back to school and finishing my degree but this time marine biology. I think I went to school to early and went in there without truly knowing what I wanted to do with my life. Realistically who does at 17. I think if I would have found my love of fishing at a younger age the decision on what I wanted to do would have been cake.
Now I am ready to go back and think about it everyday and wish I was in the position to drop everything and go to school. Unfortunately I now have bills, a fiancee, and plans to move out of the state and school is still a distant dream.

So even though things have worked out in life I still regret not finishing up that last year of college and getting my biology degree at least. That would make getting my degree in marine biology that much closer. I now regret my decision earlier in life which is not a feeling I like having.

Sorry for the rambling but here is my point. School is not the answer to everything. You do not necessarily need a degree to do what you want but it sure helps. Unlike my case it sounds like you know what you want to do and guiding really is not it. Follow your dreams while you get the chance cause unlike guiding they might not always be there. Life goes by to quickly not to do what you dream. Yeah you may have to give up some things to get there (maybe cut down fishing) but once you get there you can do whatever you damn well please.

Fishing is a wonderful and a great passion to have. However, you do need to reacess things though if it is getting in the way of your life. No matter what anybody tells you fishing is not life. A big part of it yes but there is so much more out there that needs to be experienced. Don't corner yourself now at such a young age. Life really starts to suck when you have no options.





-sean
 
#14 ·
Ryan I just love beating dead horses so here it goes. I agree with the above posters. One bad semester at college should by no means be the end of your schooling! I am not saying you need to be back in there this next term, all I am saying is that don't let a minor setback or even a major one derail you from your dreams. You have a lot to contribute. From our conversations I can see that you are intelligent and resourceful. In my mind you'd be a major asset to WDFW or any other agency.
Even without your parents to pay your way it is still very possible for you to finish successfully your degree. My sister for instance while working full time and raising 2 kids is working on her degree to become a veterinarian. I should also mention that my lame brother in law doesn't work and hasn't had a steady job for the last 10 years.. if she can do it a young single guy like yourself can do it.
Now I am not saying you shouldn't go get a boat and a guides license but if you do do that I think you should look at it as a means to an end not the end itself. LOTS!!!!! of guys in Montana guide in the summers to put themselves through college.
I just think if this is truly your dream you should pursue it until you are satisfied. Failing is ok. Giving up because you fail is not. Life is too short to worry about doing everything right. You WILL make mistakes in life some of them might be big ones, but life still goes on. It is not the events of our lives that dictate how we live it is our responses to those events.
If being a steelhead biologist is your dream then that is what you should pursue. Wether it's now, next year or 5 years from now. It really does not matter. There is one person and one person only who needs to be satisfied with your life.. YOU!
Now smile pick up your rod head down to the North fork fish a while and think about how wonderful it is to be alive , living in the northwest and to care about something so much that you want to dedicate your life to studying it and trying to provide for it's welfare. The do what's right for you at the time that is right for you.
 
#15 ·
Ryan,

I know you never listen to me but I will give it another go. I have kicked you ass so hard and so often because 1) you needed it :) and 2) you have what it takes to make a difference. While I agree with Sean's advice that college isn't always the answer, it does open doors.

It is easy to get caught up in the romance of being a guide and fishing all the time. Before you jump into it though, take the time to talk to some of the good ones. Call up Rob or Bob or any of the others you know and talk to them about what they think. First off, it is hard work. Next throw in the fact that you don't fish but instead watch your clients hopefully catch fish. If they don't then you might never get them back. Oh yeah, those same clients may be the best people on earth but they also could end up being the most belligerent a-holes around. Either way, you need to kiss their backside.

Finally, take a look at the recent trends in river closures and factor that into plans to pay off that driftboat, sled and/or new pickup. Oh and did I mention that there are a ton of guides out there all trying to capture a limited number of customers?

Please Ryan, find a way to get back to classes. After you get that sheepskin, then if you want, take a try at guiding. If nothing else, that degree will come in handy when marketing yourself.

Duggan
 
#17 ·
Moxie and carry through.

Duggan nailed it in his last paragragh. A lot of employers look at the college degree not so much for the 'education' but as a solid indication of a potential employees 'carry-through.'

In my early 40's I quit a job that was paying me in 2 or three months what most folks would consider a good annual income just so I could go back to school and 'learn' another trade. Joan and I wanted to start our own vineyards and these cost a ton of money. NEVER, EVER, regreted handing in my notice .... and no one thought I was nuts. Well, maybe just a little.

Vineyards built, and subsiquently sold, but never had more fun with my cloths on in my life. Point of all the above is you have "choices" in life; the bad "choices" are usually the easy ones to make.
Fred
 
#18 ·
WOW!!!! :whoa: :whoa: :whoa: :whoa:

I never thought my post would bring this much support. I was just hoping for a little sympathy (or pity). ;)

A year and a half ago, my life seemed to be set on the destiny I wanted. I had left the tackle shop to take on a well paying part time job that fit perfectly with school. I had good enough grades and everything was looking great...

Well the company I worked for started going downhill fast and I was losing a large amount of sales (straight-commision) so I finally one night I couldnt handle it anymore and left. It was perfect timing because my buddy had just left the tackle shop. So I took that on and it was great to be back around what I loved full time.

But because I took a major pay cut, I fell into deep credit card debt fast and due to personel reasons (death in the family) and health problems, I did very poorley winter quarter and withdrew spring quarter.

Anyways the more time I spent back in the tackle industry, the more I loved it and I started to wonder what I could do to make a good living within the industy (it is a very cutthroat industry and you MUST make a name for yourself to become successful).

So at this point I dont know what I want to do. If I didnt have a huge amount of debt and made a couple more bucks a hour, it would be an easy decision-take a couple years off and play around. But I dont have that option because working full time would just keep me treading water and would not help me gain any ground. I guess I refuse to be a 22 y.o living with his parents making $10/hr with $8,000 in cc debt.

I FlyTalk member told me about how he took a couple years off and it only helped his schooling...I wish that was an option!


Anyways, thanks for the support and encouragment from all of you! I can easily tell you I never expected it at all...

And Duggan, I do listen to you!! So please dont stop your fatherly lessons for me... ;)
 
#19 ·
you'll find in life that everything you own can be taken away from you one way or another - except that which you hold in your heart and in your head. I'm lucky enough through school (lots of it!) to have a job that allows me to make decisions that affect how large chunks of public land are managed in the Pacific Northwest. :) I can't begin to communicate how satisfying this is, and how important school was to achieving this goal.

Stick with it - what you know is the only thing in life that is truly yours.
 
#21 ·
Ryan, dont make the same mistake that I did, when I was your age I was passed over for a co-op program that was offered Through the USFS, because I was a white male, stubborn me dropped my application that I had started with a school , because I thought I couldnt pay for school. I joined the service and learned a trade that I absolutely hate, I loath going to the shop everyday, but I now have a famialy to take care of and there is no way out for me. If I could have change one decision in My life that wouldbe it , I would be in a job that I feel I was Made for, rather then spending my most of my life doing something I hate, just so I can keep food on the table and presents under the tree.....DONT GIVE UP ........WITHOUT A DEGREE YOULL BE LIKE ME>>>>nate
 
#22 ·
Just my two cents worth.... I think you ought to get the degree you want.. get it over with... your interest may change in certain degrees by desire or necessity. I am planning on retiring at 55 form my position as a senior officer at a large Boston financial institution. I went to law school and graduate law school, (by the way the company paid for a $10,000 LLM program 15 years ago, not a bad perk considering). I have kids in high school now. My point is I know some guys who are in college AND guide. I am still in good health and can walk the beaches like I was 20. My point is at 55 I can Fish... even be a guide on the Cape... start my own Fly shop... play Golf when I am not fishing... teach High School, since this is in great demand.. particularly for people who have been out in the work force.. and finally take courses in Egyptology. I always wanted to be an Archeologist. I can never regret that I got my education over with when I did.. now it's really all for fun without the pressures that I had endured.... Remember Timing is everything and I am not saying I did it right. I am just saying that grab the opportunities when they present themselves. But make the opportunities for yourself also...plan... You can do it all. Sorry for the lecture... I just got on a roll. and it is just my perspective from where I sit now.:smokin:
 
#23 ·
Agree with the others, get the degree (s) over with early in your life. Guiding is hard and I do not know of many in Michigan which have lasted full time more than 5 years or so before they got into something else.

You may have to put fishing and other recreational interests on hold for a while to get the eduction thing over with as soon as you can in your life. To get my CPA and MBA - Finance I had to put the fly fishing down for probably about 6-7 years combined to date. You can always resurrect them later and get out during school breaks for a day or two when needed. Thats what I am telling my 20 year old son, get the education behind you and them move on with the rest of your life career, marriage, hobbies etc....

Now if you win lottery or accumulate great fortune in some other means, then I would say consider the guiding or hell just fl.y fishing all of the time. To me though it would be golf and fly fishing, and some downhill skiing once in a while to keep busy.

Good luck
 
#24 ·
The Coming Of the

NEW YEAR


A very Happy and prosperous New year to all the members of the Board And a heartfelt hope that you RYAN will truly consider the advice that has been put forward by your frends myself included who have been there done that . I will not add my tale as it mirrors the others but will say it cost me derely and two years of fogoing the things I loved most of all at that time.

Enough of this rambling :eyecrazy: lets get on with the 2ND. year of the new millenium and hope for world peace at the closing next DECEMBER.

-------------saltRon
 
#25 ·
I started this thread talking about hatchery fish and barbys. Not sure how it got here.

I have made a bunch of screw ups in my life. I have thrown away opportunity after opportunity and I have jumped on a some. One thing, you are young only once. So don't screw that up. I didn't get my high school diploma until I was 32 years old. I graduated from college when I was 37. I have been a laborer, carpenter, logger, owner of a successful small business, commercial fisherman, farmer, unemployed and lots of other crap. I am currently the systems administrator for a large regional construction company. Sometimes I wonder how the hell that happened.

If you find yourself in a dead end job or some other set of circumstances you don’t like. CHANGE!

Experience is the worst teacher. It gives you the test before the lesson.
 
#26 ·
Ryan, I do have to agree with the others on this. If you can finish your schooling "do it now". When you get older it gets so much harder. Having passed on so many opportunities, I know now you have to take them when they are there cause they usually dont come back. One thing I am telling my child as her college years are in view. Do it now, and once your done you will have so many more doors open to you even if you dont go into the field you studied for. Take it from me I know! Oh and dont go to work for a large aerospace company (wont mention names) they shed workers like the clouds shed rain around here. Even if you have to work part time and school part time. Good luck!
 
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