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I used to agree with "joe" totally. Several years ago I used to fight for having a show where all the fish entered must be in the person's own pond for at least 1 year. That way it would, from a purist's standpoint, decide who has the best keeping skills. You can buy a fish for 5-6 figures, but can you keep it looking polished or will it go downhill. It's all up to you. Now, and forever, that is my definition of a dedicated hobbyist.
There is no right answer to this question Joe, so you can see there are different opinions, which I have heard for years, and you can argue til you're blue in the face. What it boils down to is that it just doesn't matter who brings the girl to the dance, it's if she is made "prom queen" for the day.
I know a hobbyist here in the bay area of California. He, that I know of recently, has not purchased any new fish. However, having said that, he has brought them out to dealer's locations for exhibition only, just to show hobbyists what you can achieve. All his fish are over 28-30 inches. I have seen several of these fish on more than two occasions over a three year span. His ability to maintain a very high level of quality is amazing. This person, in my opinion is a "true hobbyist" in every sense of the word. Not only is he a highly respected hobbyist, he is also highly respected as a person. He has taken several GC trophies home including the ZNA Bay Area Show, The ZNA Gardena show just to name a couple. He will be coming out of retirement as I will for the All Bay Area Koi Show in April. You don't want to miss seeing the fish he brings. It will be truly awe inspiring. As for me, I can only hope! The competition is truly going to be of the highest caliber. You don't want to miss this one.
Mike
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