I’m on unfamiliar turf, unsure whether to be melancholy, maudlin, or go with chest thumping bravado. Guys are always conflicted that way as we aren’t allowed to “tear up” when Old Yeller gets lead out behind the barn, nor are we supposed to get melancholy when we see our home water laying there with bones [...]

In an earlier post I’d made a joking reference to the next great gamefish being the common carp. Assuming plenty naturally; the continual destruction of the pristine water via human interaction, global warming, acid rain, and all other ills. That theory may have more legs than first imagined. Of greatest concern to states, water districts, [...]

Doctor Mom would’ve given me a good scolding, the Evil Eye, and an increased ration of Chicken soup.  A significant relapse this weekend suggested I’d returned to work much too early, and after feverishly climbing back into bed Saturday, I was just as feverishly climbing out of bed Sunday morning. For the next couple of months [...]

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 [...]

The excited catcalls and snarling gears suggested I’d better hurry if I wanted to watch the kid get stuck. Rubber is pretty ineffectual when the “Bones of the Old Girl” are exposed – ocher clay, equal parts mud and Vaseline, with a veneer of gravel that lures the aggressive into complacency. Offroad tires and wading boots are [...]

Brownlining is so much more than a cheesy car decal or embossed ashtray. Singlebarbed readers can enhance their stature both instream and off with the addition of the “Chest” inflatable wading aid. A misstep in our fetid world is always life threatening, a simple pull of the imbedded necklace inflates into a snug neck shield, [...]

I think “Scarface” holds the key to the entire salmon – steelhead issue, and is the poster child for what ails us… A Crystal FX leech proved his undoing, which would suggest diminished capacity – as the fly does look appealing, but it in no way rivals a Big Mac.   My interest started with [...]

Can fly tying inspiration come from an unlikely source like mixed drinks and gourmet cooking? If you’re desperate like me it can. I spent most of this week tracking down scientific information on Carp feed, mating ritual, natural predators, response to stress, and preferred Ph – and endured the traditional dry dissertation that ensured we [...]

Monotheism simply lacks enough deities to curse and I’m contemplating a switch to Norse or Greek “Old Timey” polytheism. Cursing is just one of many conversion advantages; you can junk the Solunar tables and paw through Crow guts to see tomorrow’s fishing forecast, there’s meaning to a bird flying past with a worm in its [...]