I always thought there were only two kinds of fish, those worth throwing flies at  - and bait. “Bait” is a slim category as us hardened Californians pride ourselves on being culinary “shock troops” - we gleefully ingest gastronomic foibles, delicacies, and taboo, which doesn’t leave much in the way of undesirable chow.
I’ve tried […]

It’s absence is glaring and with all the hand wringing over the decline in hunters and fisherman, no mention that less of us may help things, after all, we’re the barbarians putting pressure on declining populations - why no uptick in critters?
Politicians and the Captains of Industry may like our dwindling numbers - as we’re […]

I remember seeing a documentary on this years ago, where they left on the overhead lights of a gas station to observe a Mississippi river Hex hatch.
So many bugs were attracted it took half a day  to clear the parking lot using bulldozers.
Fishing would be out of the question, as I’m not sure you […]

It started innocently enough, a brief piece on Carp fishing on the Monument water in the UK. The proprietor has banned the use of maggots as they provide little nourishment to the trophy fish that inhabit the impoundment.
Boilies and pellets will now be the only two baits allowed at the fishery, as they are […]

Science gone awry, now it’s torch and pitchfork time…
I yawned at the stem cell debate and didn’t blink at the prospect of genetic manipulation of crops, but Pavlovian fish sounds like something worth firebombing a clinic or two. Fish taught to swim into a net when a tone is sounded - it’s every guide’s dream […]

Now that professional BASS fishermen have gained audience with the President, can the Rapala lobby be far behind?
I’m just not sure any branch of government is ready for campaign contributions from rubber worm and smokeless chaw manufacturers, the Fly Fishing lobby is Old School - legislators are used to fine meals, finer wines, and […]

Spring is like Christmas, before you know it the Redbud starts to pop and you realize Trout season is here and all the chores you promised you’d do remain unfinished. It’s a horrific marathon of nailing, mowing, plumbing, and painting, supplemented by moaning and Ben Gay. All this to avoid the “lump of coal” in […]

We ate all the big stuff, most of the medium sized stuff, and we’re working on the small stuff now. Next comes the really small stuff, those critters so important to the food chain that their absence upsets the entire apple cart.
West coast salmon virtually collapsed this year despite our best lip service, we […]

It was “The Last Train to Gunfire Lake” yesterday, with me and the  “Wiggletail Kid” for backup.

The howitzer was a new twist, but the Kid and I bartered our safe passage; a battered Baby Ruth and a handful of Juju-bees for a day’s fishing.
The lake was murky but airless, and while I’m pumping up my ancient float […]

While fishing I always am eyeballing “sign” - bird tracks, beaver tail drag marks, cloven hoof prints, you name it. It’s all part of the outdoors mystique, and occasionally might alert you to something worth knowing.
The Easter Bunny made the attempt, knowing my passion for jellybeans, but like usual I was waist deep in some […]