Respectful Representation: Public Perception of Anglers
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![Jody Smith (left) and the author’s father, Jerry Haugen, are two of the author’s favorite men to be around and fish with. Both represent sportfishing in a positive fashion, and have hooked many newcomers on our great sport.](http://www.salmontroutsteelheader.com/phpThumb/phpThumb.php?src=../tactics/tricks_1_04-30-2015-11-58-10.jpg&w=300&h=300)
Leading my second springer of the evening into the net, I punched my tag and pulled anchor. Rowing across the riffle I’d been fishing, I was eager to identify the man in the familiar cowboy hat. Like me, he was alone, fishing from a drift boat.
It was pouring rain and daylight was fading. The closer I got to the man, I realized he wasn’t who I thought he was. He was nice, and congratulated me on my solo limit. I wished him luck, nosed the boat downstream and pumped on the oars.
To say I was disappointed would be an understatement, but I wasn’t surprised, after all, why would the man I thought it to be, be fishing an upper tributary of Oregon’s Willamette River, more than 150 miles from his home. The man in the boat had a stature, and wore rain gear and a cowboy hat, similar to legendary angler, Buzz Ramsey. This was back in the early 1980s; I was still in high school. Buzz was a man I highly respected, though I’d never met him.
Twenty years would pass before I’d actually meet Buzz Ramsey, and when I did, he was everything I’d envisioned. Who would have thought that as a boy growing up in the little town of Walterville, Oregon, I’d have the honor of both fishing and hunting with Buzz, many times. The moment we met, we hit it off; he was a class-act, a true gentleman, reminding so much of my father, the man I most respect in life.
I consider Buzz, and my dad, two of the best anglers I’ve fished with. Both catch fish, work hard, think outside the box and love the outdoors with great passion. I’ve never seen either one of them drink, heard them swear, or bash fellow anglers with harsh words. These are men of integrity, the kind of men I want my sons to grow up to be like, the kind of men sportfishing needs.
Over the past 15 years, Buzz and I have fished a good bit together, and been presenters at multiple sportshows along the West coast. When in the public eye, Buzz is always the same; positive, fun and takes time to listen to others, a true ambassador of the sport. Another legendary angler whom I greatly respect, Jim Teeny, exudes the same demeanor. Though I’ve never had the pleasure of fishing with Jim, I want to.
Projecting a positive image is important, for all of us. Buzz, Jim, and many others like them, know they’re constantly under the microscope, but they also carry a genuine desire to help people become better anglers; I try to do the same.
As anglers, we all share common interests that bond us. In America, we’re a minority among the masses, part of a mere estimated 11% of those who sportfish. Oftentimes, how we treat one another, and the public image we project, may not be as well represented as it should or could be.