FF in Baghdad

[Dryrod]

[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3][cool]I thought that you might find the following article by Dave Strege of the OC Register of interest.
[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Navy Lt. Joel Stewart left an unusual legacy in Iraq upon completing his tour there: The Baghdad School of Fly Fishing.[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Fly-fishing in Iraq?[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]It isn't quite like fishing in his home state of Montana, but Stewart found there were fish to be caught in the lakes surrounding the palaces of Saddam Hussein, at Camp Victory in Baghdad.[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]The fish are mostly carp, so Stewart e-mailed a fly-fishing forum asking what flies to try for carp, used them and caught fish. Other soldiers saw this and were curious.[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]"Many asked if it was hard, and I gave a few on-the-spot lessons," Stewart said in an e-mail interview. "Therein lay the seeds of the school."[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]In February 2005, with an outpouring of support from fly-fishers in the states, Stewart founded the Baghdad School of Fly Fishing. Rods, reels, lines and flies - "everything we could hope for" - were shipped to Stewart, who had taken his fly rod to Iraq.[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Stewart began with three, one-hour classes one day a week. It is an eight-week curriculum.[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Graduates receive a certificate and a box of flies.[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Stewart taught during his free time throughout his tour in Iraq before passing the reins to a fellow fly-fisher from Montana a year ago.[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]"I honestly don't know how many soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines have benefited from the school, but I do know that I officially had 35 graduates of the full curriculum, plus a number of quick lessons here and there," he said.[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Stewart said getting out on the water during free time was a great way to relieve pressure. That was part of the premise for the school, which is dedicated to introducing deployed service members to the "quiet sport."[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Still, the reminders of war pierced the mood on occasion. It was definitely not Montana.[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]"Fishing in Iraq is like fishing nowhere else I have been," Stewart said. "I've never tangled back-casts in palm trees, had to pry rotting dates out of my boot treads or caught fish reserved for a dictator. It was eerie to listen to a car bomb go off and later learn that people were killed a few clicks from where I was fishing."[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Twice, stray bullets hit the water Stewart was fishing "and once it was a rocket" landing 400 meters away. Yet, he said the base was secure and he felt safer there than crossing the street in Boston.[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Troops catch fish ranging from pan-sized to 15 pounds. Several 20-pounders are said to be swimming in front of the palace. Another is 40 pounds.[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Stewart hooked one of these monsters - a fish called a mangar - on his trout rod.[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]"I fought the fish for an hour but had to break it off as I had to report to duty," he said. "Let me tell you, I thought of a million excuses for being late. I was on time for watch, however, and the fish will cause someone else heart failure."[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]In the states, the club touched many hearts. People learned of the club and sponsors climbed on board. A fly-fishing club in West Virginia was recently closing in on the 1,000th fly that would be tied and donated.[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Carole Katz of Tustin, president of the Long Beach Casting Club, heard about this and reached out to club members. She soon will send five rod and reels, seven lines, 60 fly boxes and 13 dozen flies from the club.[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]"The response from folks all over the world has been amazing," Stewart said. "The generosity of people never ceases to astound me, and I can't ever thank the supporters enough."[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Currently, Stewart is somewhere on the high seas aboard a guided-missile destroyer, serving a NATO Maritime Group. But he keeps up the Web site for the Baghdad School of Fly Fishing when he has time.[/size][/font] (www.baghdadflyfishing.com)
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Chris Curtis, the third "dean" of the school, currently has five students. Curtis took the baton from Lt. Col. Bill Jones, the fellow Montanan.[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]In his farewell e-mail to the school Web site, Jones wrote: "This is the end of the odyssey - this chapter, anyway. This has been an island of grace and decency in a sea of trouble and I am so thankful to have been a part of it."[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[signature]

[rm1812]

That sounds like a good way to kill some free time in the sand box. I spent most of 05 in Fallujah, the only fish there were alot of smelly brown trout []
[signature]

[flygoddess]

[black][size 3]SMELLY BROWN TROUT! That is our quest around here[cool][/size][/black]
[signature]

[Scruffy_Fly]

Here is the Bagdad School of Fly Fishing website.


oops, I did not see the address in your orginal post. Interesting pictures on the website of guys with M-16s behind them or pistols strapped to their legs.


[unsure][font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]Sorry Scruffy_fly but I had to remove the link which contained a fishing forum. Dryrod[/size][/green][/font]
[signature]

[rm1812]

The funny thing was, unlike how trout are attracted to flies here, those flies seemed to be drawn to the browns.
[signature]

[Scruffy_Fly]

Well DryRod,

If you are going to remove the link to the bagdad fly fishing webpage out of my post then you darn well should remove it from your origin post too. .... cause it is the exact same address as what I typed in.

[]
[signature]

[Dryrod]

[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3][blush]Sorry about that Scruffy_Fly. I completely missed that in my post since it wasn't an active link. The parenthasies kept it from being active. That is one couldn't click on to it & go directly to the site. I appreciate you bringing it to my attention. It has been deleted. Thanks.[/size][/green][/font]
[signature]

[macfly55]

Dryrod...

I hope I say this right because I do not want you or anyone else who reads this board to think that I am directing this at you personally. You are a moderator and as such you have a job to do and I for one think you and others do that job very well.[]

Now, on that note, I understand you have to be aware of links put up and the sites they lead to. You describe this site as a fishing forum and therefore it conflicts with this forum.

On that I have to disagree. If that linked out to any number of sites any of us could name I would 100% agree with your concern. I see that site as a journal, for lack of a better word, that tells a story about how one angler was able to bring to his war fatigued comrades a means of relaxing that did not involve booze, or drugs, or any other illegal substance. He tells the story well and has passed the legacy on to others so that it can continue. It is updated as often as possible not only as a semi permanent record of the hows and whys of that school but also as a means for the rest of us to read and see how our soldiers, the one over there in the middle of it all, are doing.

I for one would like to see an exception made, if we need to classify it as that, in this case.

MacFly
[signature]

[macfly55]

as a side note.. Capt Joel has already been sent over for his second tour in the middle east.

MacFly
[signature]

[Dryrod]

[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3][cool] Hi there macfly55 - I went back to that site & clicked [/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]"The outdoors best forums fly fishing forum" and it led directly to a fishing forum. Am I missing something here? If I am wrong then I apologize for jumping the gun. Don't worry about offending me. Hopefully I am strong enough to accept criticism or better yet constructive critique.[/size][/green][/font]
[signature]

[macfly55]

Ill be honest and say I was concentrating more on the content of the site and not any links out it may of had. If it goes out to that site then that is most certainly a fishing forum from that site.. and therefore you were not "jumping the gun"... I still contend that ff baghdad itself is not a fishing forum as most people perceive a fishing forum to be... but Id be willing to bet they gladly put up links to sites that supported them in their endeavours.

I also still contend than an exception should be made on this site because of its history and who it represents but I also understand that once an exception is made.. everyone will want one made for a given site.

Again, I was not criticizing the job that you or anyone else does here...as I said, in my opinion you all do a fantastic job of keeping this site fresh and well worth the time to come back as often as I can.

MacFly
[signature]

[Dryrod]

[cool][font "Poor Richard"][size 3][green]Hi there Macfly55 - I have to agree with you regarding the exception. However, the owner of the BFT sets the guidelines and as a Mod I obliged to carry out their policy. True that their site doesn’t have a forum per se but as I mentioned there is a link to a group of forums. You are probably correct in that they are being sponsored by some[/green][/size][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][size 3][green]major groups. At present 3 are hunting related and 4 are fishing. It is the fishing group that presents the problem.[/green][/size][/font]
[signature]

[macfly55]

DR,

I do understand your position on this. You are simply enforcing the guidelines...that is why I said it was not personal... you and the moderators here do a hell of a job keeping this site going as smoothly as it does.. we have all seen sites that at one time was good and slowly things eroded to a point where a I wont go back to them... this is not one of those sites.. and that is because of the job you and the others do here..

Have a great weekend my friend..

MacFly
[signature]