I had my three days of Grace, wherein we tiptoed through the clean water, drank coffee with our pinkie extended, showered regular, and didn’t wipe our nose on our sleeve. It wasn’t enough to weaken us measurably – complying with all those societal norms, but once our feet hit the brown water, we were back [...]

I have to blame Tamanawis for my dilemma. I keep reading Mike’s Scottish fly fishing stories featuring grey skies, fish, and a variety of single malts. Their names sound harsh, with multiple “och” and “agh” syllables – and only a Scotsman can pronounce them so they sound buttery and delightful.  My hydration pack debuts tomorrow, [...]

Trains are part of the fabric of the Upper Sacramento, a mixture of positive and negative that keeps you mindful of their presence and noise. I’m sure locals have a more realistic vantage, having endured the extinction of the river in the Cantara Loop derailment many years ago. I remember resenting their intrusion on my [...]

August and early September are the “boxing” months, not enough bug activity to make any imitation conclusive – and what little is available are the “bar fly” insects, out just before closing time hoping to hook up with something of loose morals and lower standards. It’s the cause of much head scratching and contemplation, where [...]

I was hoping for some portly fellow, about 40 pounds past lean, maybe a decade older than me – and with eyesight that died about 4:30 in the afternoon, unable to tie on anything other than a hot toddy. That way I could dance about striking heroic poses while rescuing him from the fast water, [...]

An astute Singlebarbed reader checks in with this consumer warning: “I saw your piece on the Chanel Rod, and it was most fortunate, as I was approached on Market Street by a shady vendor, selling ‘Cocoa Channel’ outfits – billed as Brownline couture.” “I immediately went ‘Fist City’ on the perpetrator, confiscated the tackle, and [...]

The Kern County Water agencies refiled their lawsuit against the California Department of Fish and Game over the Striped Bass depredation of Delta Smelt, and coupled with recent findings that wolves prefer salmon over deer, can another suit be far behind? “Salmon is a safe resource in contrast to deer that could kick back and [...]

The Chanel rod costs $18000 and appears to be a shallow tribute to the original Coco absent any real function. For that kind of money I expected something more than a couple trademarks and an oversized purse to carry it in. Couture is foreign to me but quality is something I know quite well, this is another Barbie Rod in a leather satchel.

It’s too simple to be on the level, and always alert for conspiracies, I figure it’s the latest CIA unmanned drone armed with a Hellfire missile. Some kid glued to a screen armed with a joystick, hoping Osama Bin Laden will let down his guard a little … The Carp’s eyes are focused downward, implying [...]

More odd creations using the Bernat Boa Mallard fringe – only this time we get some positive results. The Little Stinking Olive makes a hardened smallmouth into a kid in a candy store – and if’n it hadn’t been so bloody hot, and I’d tied more than a single prototype I might’ve had a day of carnage.