The Wedding Has Me Thinking

I cannot imagine I'm the only bug-chucker, drift-boating through the blogosphere, that has had it to the top of his waders with the British royals. The news reports started a month or so ago with round table discussions comparing Kate Middleton to Diana Spencer, stories about the future queen's engagement ring, and the likelihood of William ascending the throne before his father. This week, royal watchers have opened the flood gates, and we've been inundated with photos and video of preparations for the big day.



She is hot ... I'll give her that. He looks like he could chew his way through a 2 x 4.

I've had it, and I think I'm as fed-up as I am simply because so many of my fellow Americans (my wife among them) are so taken with the ostentation and privilege of this royal hullabaloo (I've always wanted to write a sentence using the the word hullabaloo ... check that one off the bucket list). So, while the world watches William and Kate walk down the aisle and exchange their first kiss, I'll be thinking about how lucky I am to be an American, and to live in a place that does not acknowledge royalty - not even a token monarchy like that of our British friends and allies.

Why does any of this matter to we bug chuckers?

Just consider how very different our lives as fly-flingers could be if we were lorded over by a family of royals. Fly fishing - especially for trout - might be limited to the select few who have the proper breeding. At the very least, the experience of casting a fly on most of America's best trout streams would likely be limited - even more than it already is - to those who could afford to pay an exorbitant price for the experience. Such is the case throughout much of Europe. Ask our British counterparts about the tuition they must pay to fish a beat on the Test, Itchen or Kennet.

In our country, we're blessed with some tremendous water, and we all know that as good as the most famous rivers and lakes may be, they're rarely as good as their lesser known and less frequently traveled cousins. The best part about having all that water - and the part we're most inclined to forget - is that more often than not we have rights of access to nearly every inch of it.

With that thought in mind, I hope to go into the weekend looking for the silhouettes of little sailboat wings drifting down river. It's hendrickson time, and the bugs will almost certainly be popping. I can only hope the river drops enough to lure some of its brown trout to the surface.If all goes well - and the river, bugs, and fish all play their part - I might just spend an afternoon as king for the day, even though I'll only ever be a lowly commoner, who wears battle scarred waders and smacks 'em on bead heads.