Every guide has been there, a novice client attempting to learn fly casting while fishing, and for the want of practice no fish will grace the deck anytime soon. The Matrix had the promise of knowledge at the touch of a button, but “wet-wiring” the cerebral cortex may take a couple more decades. Until then [...]

I may have been just a tad hasty distancing myself from all those blueline trout fiends –  now that I’ve been banned from all other venues, some dry fly purist dam operator just gave me my comeuppance.   Add three consecutive years of drought, a ton of tomatoes, and a satanic water manager with a grudge, [...]

I probably should’ve held off until next week to give it that “lived-in” look; coffee spills, discarded beer bottles, Simm’s pinups, and greasy wrappers from lunch – but I was too giddy to play coy.   The “before” is eloquence for us muddy cubicle warriors, yellow caution tape accent, paramilitary camo wall coverings, and the piece [...]

I’m unashamed at an unnatural fascination for Claret; mostly I’ll blame Andre Puyans – many of my tying references were black and white and seeing him with a handful of Claret was the same eye-opening experience as finding out that Fruit-Of-The-Loom made something other than tidy whities.. I recognize it’s a weakness, some deep seated [...]

For some it’s drugs, booze, or gambling, for others it’s the rush of adrenaline. For the chaste, it’s religion, or a triple decker, three cheese, bacon-wrapped grease-meat with a side of stained paper bag. Fly tier’s eschew such quaint mood-altering luxuries. We’ve pissed away the “milk n’ egg” money, and when we squealed out of [...]

It’s one of those conveniences we forget in our rush to make the plane. Months of careful planning, itinerary, careful scrimping to get just the right package for a once in a lifetime fishing adventure… … and the post-trip bill arrives from your cell phone company to the tune of $24,000? I suppose that password [...]

40 Rivers to Freedom posted a link outlining the toxic hazards of cigarette butts to fish and how researchers in San Diego want filter tipped cigarettes classified as toxic waste. I hadn’t considered my use of foul smelling cheap cheroots as “green” – but now I’ll get to blow smoke rings and claim the moral [...]

About five dollars worth of Mohair is enough to make you the next Picasso. It’s cheap, blends well, and available in a blizzard of colors. Making custom dubbing is easy when your mistakes aren’t costly – enabling you to take those risks that end in great reward.

I’ve got my share of adventurous and proximity to either coast gives exposure to the cuisine of many continents. I’ve happily crunched my way to obesity via chicken feet, raw fish, gelatinous stuff I can’t pronounce, dead stuff that I’d as soon forget, odiferous stuff that I can’t, and McDonalds – which extrudes lips, beaks, [...]

It’s a hotly debated topic among fish scientists, whether fish feel pain in the same manner as humans, despite differences in nervous systems and cognitive abilities. Being a lay person, I’ve always been skeptical of the “cognitive” theory, which suggests fish cannot feel pain due to the lack of higher brain function. Knowing the efficiencies of Mother Nature, it [...]