It’s part of my duty statement as a computer geek; avoid eye contact with the customer, inhabit darkened alcoves with blinking lights and strange ritual, and finger all the donuts before selecting the one you’re going to eat … Most claim I don’t fit the mold, a little too outgoing, a bit of rational speech [...]

I got a bunch of flies tied this holiday weekend, only I’m not entirely sure what it is I tied … perhaps I was rebelling against the sorely needed monsoon we experienced – with the out-of-doors gray, leaden, and dripping water. Up to 7 feet of snow had fallen in the Sierra Nevada over the [...]

Are you sure we’re not in a major global conflict with fish, the “other Nuclear Power?” While our military trains their shock troops, and we piss in their homes, we could be on the verge of watery conflict – all out species war for planetary supremacy.

A brief public service message from your pals at Singlebarbed. Saturday you must pay dues, you must grovel and endure hideous ritual, you must utter filthy words foreign to your vocabulary, and must prepare your tailbone for the obligatory Tom Hanks – Meg Ryan marathon. More importantly you must not fish, because on the 364th [...]

Bamboo rods are as cheap as they’ve been in 30 years, compared to graphite. If you’re going to pay $1000 for a rod, why not pay $3000 – as it’s nearly a 50% decline in the price (as compared to graphite) since the 1980′s.

Cats breeding with dogs, and farmed salmon winking at taut wild virgins? They’ll get their comeupance for sure – but not before we get plenty of progeny. We’ve fished for King, Chinook, Silver, and Chum salmon – now we’re going to punch that life list with the Quarter Pounder with Cheese, and his kin, the Acne salmon.

Police in Suffolk, England have closed the books on a £10,000 theft of rare carp. Over the course of a few weeks 23 exotic Koi were stolen from a backyard pond. Among the highly-prized fish which vanished from a home in Carlton Colville were three ghost koi carp worth £500 each, a three foot long [...]

Hematite is a magnetic oxide of Iron, non corrosive so it won’t rust or discolor, and is available in bead form for fly tying. It sinks slower than brass or copper, but more important – it’ll lay waste to a fly box full of small flies – as they’ll want to glue themselves to the bead instantly. Got a problem with pals that rape your fly box, toss them a half dozen then watch as they climb out of the water to reorganize.

Yarn has a bad rap, largely because of the lifeless trout colors offered in miniscule amounts at the fly shop. There are millions of colors, textures, shapes and sizes released each year by the millinery industry and what we see is less than 1% of what’s available. Next time the spouse drags you into the craft section stop feeling self concious and shop like a woman. Use both your fingers and eyes to find interesting textures and colors – and learn the nomenclature the industry uses so you can describe yarns to a vendor or counter staff. You’re the Scourge of the Sequin aisle – get out there and make them bluehair’s want you …

Tool usage among non-primates is pretty rare. Dolphins have been known to use sponge to protect their nose from ocean coral, but a bait fishing bird is a first.