The Art of the Follow Up
In journalism there is a rare writer who writes an ever rarer story. It’s called the, “Follow Up.” Having tallied almost twenty years of writing here, if you have been riding along for any amount of time, you realize I do do the “Follow Up” stories. Maybe too much, and too many times … I would like to think I am not just repeating myself due to old-manism, but maybe that happens sometime? I don’t remember.
DFW Fly Fishing Deserves Occasional Follow Ups
Just as so few journalists bother to follow up on a story, and that has been true forever, fly fishers have a habit of forgetting about old spots that were “hot,” or strangely called, “honey holes.” Honestly, fly fishers are less likely to use the term “honey hole” because it isn’t refined enough for their erudite taste.
Regardless of what we call them, these old spots need to be revisited, especially if you live anywhere in Texas and a big Texas city, like the Dallas Fort Worth Denton sprawl, I call the Messtroplex.
Revisiting is less of a sentimental journey, and more a sad folly around here these days. Paved over, new highways and bridges, people trashing and outright pollution are the new obstacles along the old paths. And the strangest thing is; the “good old days” were a lot less than a decade ago!
Texas is Overrun
In case you haven’t heard, people are leaving Texas now, and why not? Bad roads, invasive State Governing, declining public school systems, declining higher education and overall? DECLINING OPPORTUNITY is defining Texas today. The further you get away from the urban wasteland? the opportunities dwindle exponentially. All one has to do is observe the difference in local infrastructure – compare Denton to neighboring Lewisville? and it is stark, and visibly apparent. Denton strives to stay average, while Lewisville is building durable, lasting infrastructure all around itself.
So in an atmosphere that begs escape, why not see if those old quiet places exist? That’s what I do when the chips are down, a local “Fly Fishing Follow Up” to see if what was true is still true today in DFW. Forget true, is it even still there? I am not talking, “The Road Less Traveled,” anymore. I am talking, “How did this road get here?”
Putting Lipstick on Pigs
Dressing up an old creek bed into an old creek bed when it has been flown over by a giant overpass for a road that doesn’t exist? Finding a flooded Trinity River spot north of Dallas and showing fly fishers how to find it still not on a map? Yeah, are starting to get the picture now.
The creek, Hickory Creek, is a follow up that I have been on for three consecutive seasons (translation three years). Whether it is MY timing, or the rain gods, I have missed any “runs” that are triggered this time of year, and so far this season is no different. But the location? It’s not just different, it has been transformed. How often do transformations turn out for the better? Not this time.
Then there’s the Trinity River (Elm Fork) just above Dallas. This NEW spot is a combination of beauty and a beastly road being built. Any road that goes over a major Texas river, with a fantastic bridge? is a magnet for turnout park, drop in trash the place, and maybe catch a fish … it’s coming sooner rather than later.
Write It Off
What I really enjoy is writing a fly fishing location off after following up on it. That is for a couple of reasons. First, it saves other fly fishing readers and watchers time. Second, it spurs the contrarians to go out and try to prove me wrong, and it happens, rarely, but it does happen.
I invite being proven wrong. It just means I need to go back and try, try again.
Maybe you have a great DFW Messtroplex spot? Go ahead, tell me where it is … nobody’s watching.
