It wasn’t so much the Perfect Storm as it was the perfect sunshine – robbing me of any pretense that I could vanish fishing. The American was running nearly double last year’s flows, which gave momentary pause, but the accumulated chores and yard work was running nearly triple normal. While I blistered those soft pasty fingers [...]

Hot Orange isn’t high on the list of trout colors, so it’s only natural you suspect I’m up to something gaudy. Not the case, us Impressionists are freed of the narrow confines of caddis larvae and Giant Stone dry flies and recognize Orange isn’t really Orange if you don’t want it to be … I’m [...]

Her icy gaze punctuated by the bony digit pointed in my direction … Naturally, I tried the First Law of Backpedalling, innocence. “ … What?” I gazed around studiously avoiding That Which She Held, but I guess my look of innocence wasn’t quite up to par – or I’d gone to that well too many times [...]

I figure it was some great sin in a past life – nothing newsworthy or famous, just some callous Lothario that fleeced spinsters of their birthright, some real estate wunderkind that unloaded worthless railroad right-of-way by foreclosing on widows and orphans. Others have a knack for useful things like plumbing or electrical wiring, own a house full [...]

In Spring a young man’s thoughts turn to love – and in Fall, us mature types think of love too, how much we’d love it to be cooler… I’m tired of dusty creeks and the rattle of discarded water bottles blowing in the hot breeze. We’ve endured enough fires, sweltering mornings, and fleeing to the [...]

You might say my day started poorly. I’m up extra early attempting to cram in a fast run to Sporting Creek even though it’s supposed to be chore day. My first mistake was making the coffee using the dubbing grinder – the Obergruppenführer of Romance insisted I be doubly good in her absence and had [...]

Shad flies share similarities with the automobile industry, like cars they have a few features swapped out and a yearly naming convention. Trout fishermen refine flies to catch more fish – and Shad anglers refine their patterns just to tie something different… … must be something to do with catching 50 or more fish on [...]

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 [...]

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’m rarely satisfied with fly shop packaged dubbing, small little chunks of fur or a single shade of color just doesn’t fit with my impressionist bent. I’d rather make my own – but I’m careful to use my own coffee grinder as explaining a “Furrpachino” to the wife means a painful and demeaning doghouse experience.