Idenification Process

I have a fishing buddy who happens to be a devoted canoeist as well as an excellent fly fisherman. He hails from Edmonton Alberta where he taught at the University of Alberta for twenty years. While in Edmonton he was more of a canoeist than fly fisherman. I am not much of a canoeist so our shared adventures have mostly been fly fishing trips. Many of the streams/rivers that we fish he also canoes with his canoeing friends. Interestingly, on our first trip together he had names for the "runs" we fished ~ names that didn't correspond with the names that my fishing friends and I had for the same runs! Canoeists, as it turns out, are notorious for naming their "waters" ~ the "devil's toenail" is one of my favorites. He has a "ton" of names.

He and I now share names of fishing runs that we have come up with. Paul's hole, Skip's hole, and Ed's run are some of the more nondescript and less exciting names we have handed out. But, we also have "the sewer hole" (it is just below the drain field for the ranger station septic system), the horse camp hole, and the meadows that are more interesting names. We, of course, have many others. But, when we mention the name to our circle of fly fishers, they immediately know the hole to which we refer.

Just as interesting, when we encounter new fishing friends they usually will have a name to describe a particular fishing hole as well. However, their name will seldom correspond to our name. Oh, a few are universal. But few are the same. The one exception, in my experience, is the "sewer hole". Most everyone immediately identifies that spot.

Canoeists, on the other hand, seem to me to have a universal naming system. Perhaps, they are smaller in number and are more closely organized. As a result. they have more universality in identifying their rapids. I really don't know. But find it interesting.

It's also interesting to compare the names given by different groups. Some names are obvious such as names of persons, physical attributes, or locations. Others seem to be the result of personal experiences, i.e. dead man's run.

What are the most interesting names you have come up with or heard? Or do you even attempt to name your favorite runs? I have acquaintances who simply use the mile markers to identify the stretch of water to which they refer. I always thought that to be a pretty unromantic way to approach life! At the other extreme, I know certain fly shops in my experience that seem to take special joy in unusual and sometimes cheesy names.

Gordon

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Comments

• 
  davem

  20 Dec 2010 at 06:45

  Good post.
  Most “Holes” that I name usually have something to do with meeting somebody or some other memorable occasion while there for the first Time.
  “Bow Island Jeff’s Pool”, met a guy at this pool on the Oldman, Jeff, that lived in a small town “Bow Island”
  “Bear Shit Run” stepped in some bear shit while I was fishing this run for the first time.
  Have never changed these names, my buddy calls em the same thing and we know exactly where they are. It has become all part of the “confidential reporting system”!
  
• 
  Spokane

  20 Dec 2010 at 09:35

  David,
  
  Your bear shit experience reminded me of an adventure my dog "moose", an Australian Shepard, and I had last summer. We were huckleberry picking ~ just the two of us. I'd been picking for quite a while when I missed moose. I started yelling for him and here he comes. He was completely covered with bear shit. He had obviously rolled in it. He had to ride home in the back of the pickup. I called him a traitor when we got back to the cabin. If a bear showed up he wanted to be considered more bear than human. The coward!! By the way he was a kinda pretty purple color!