Brigid O'Donnell

Mayfly & brook trout biologist. Outdoor enthusiast. "I fish because I love to; Because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful, and hate the environs where crowds of people are found, which are invariably ugly; Because of all the television commercials, cocktail parties, and assorted social posturing I thus escape; Because, in a world where most women seem to spend their lives doing things they hate, my fishing is at once an endless source of delight and an act of small rebellion; Because trout do not lie or cheat and cannot be bought or bribed or impressed by power, but respond only to quietude and humility and endless patience; Because I suspect that women are going along this way for the last time, and I for one don’t want to waste the trip; because mercifully there are no telephones on trout waters; Because only in the woods can I find solitude without loneliness; Because bourbon out of an old tin cup always tastes better out there; Because maybe one day I will catch a merman; And, finally, not because I regard fishing as being so terribly important but because I suspect that so many of the other concerns of women are equally unimportant – and not nearly so much fun." ---R. Traver (edited from the original by BC O'Donnell)