Both And

West and East, Fly fishing and Spin, Dry and Nymph, Bass and Trout, Shad and Stripers, Sea Kayaks and River Kayaks, Road Bikes and Mountain Bikes, Wine and Beer -- every thing that anyone ever turned into a pernicious dichotomy of This Good, That Bad -- to them I say, Both And!

Truly, I am up to my nostrils with the negative attitude that people too often bring to things when they want to play one-up, other down. Why disdain spin fishing to feel good about fly fishing, if you already feel good about it? Why complain and sneer at indicator nymphing and pretend you only ever cast dries in order to feel like a worthwhile individual, when you already ARE one, who does BOTH! AND!

I for one do not want to waste my time listening to the BS and hot air issuing from the Either-Or'ers, either. Maybe in that one respect I am a little bit of a snob.

Alright, with that rant now completed, I will go ahead and admit that the motto Both And is also a wonderful way to avoid making decisions. If you can't decide whether to go whitewater kayaking or shad fishing -- well, then go Both And! That's what I did last weekend, heading out to Cache Creek for a morning run on the Mother and then moseying over to Verona for a few more hours, considerably more stationary hours, fishing from my inflatable kayak (hardshells vs. duckies? Forget it -- Both And!). In another way, Both And is what I did with my fishin sabbatical plan. So far, it looks like I can both work a job, and get in a pretty good amount of fishing, too. Just about four weeks to Alaska from today . . . .

Right now I'm out in Maine, busily both/anding bass and trout and kayaking and canoeing and friends and family. Last night was a hoot, out on my favorite old eutrophic Cambrian shield pond with an old buddy catching pickerel on bass poppers. This morning, sea kayaking with the dolphins in Frenchman's Bay. I am a bit tired from the schedule, and I'm sure it shows in my writing. Need more both and sleeping and awake. But later on there will be plenty of sleeping, underground. I made a point of arranging to fly back this Friday night so that Saturday can be devoted to the shad; bass and shad, East and West! Hooray for Both And!