“Halving my gruel ration” is pretty sacred stuff for us portly types. It’s like hearing the “Defcon 4” klaxon echoing through Cheyenne Mountain, requiring instantaneous response.
…that’s OK, this was what TC was going to unwrap for Christmas, a genuine bamboo monitor, with matching bamboo mouse.
Now I’m thinking the rubber dogdoo or the inflatable fish bladder is the appropriate gift, that’ll teach him to mess with fat guys.
Technorati Tags: bamboo monitor, take that
I was only kidding about the “too-big” trout for pike to eat, it appears the Department of Fish and Game was paying attention however, as they’ve just planted 33,000 pounds of 2-4lb Eagle Lake rainbows in Lake Davis.
Actually it was the American River hatchery that pressed the issue, as the trout earmarked to restock the lake were growing too large to retain in pens.
Results of the poisoning were also published, 50,000 pounds of dead fish were recovered after the lake was treated, 6% were pike, 80% were bullheads, less than 1% were trout.
75,000 more trout will be released in the Spring, the lake will remain closed to all fishing in the interim.
Technorati Tags: Lake Davis, pike, fennedefo99, rotenone
I remember seeing my first leader dispenser wondering why was this gadget necessary? Naturally, I was looking at the “dry” version and had no idea that you had to soak a catgut leader to make it supple.
We’re the “monofilament” generation, and it’s possible some small gadget may linger for your kids to ponder. Synthetic filaments are on the rise from many kinds of unrelated science, many have superior qualities over what we currently use, but none are mass produced, and no “heir apparent” exists to replace nylon and its many variations.
From Japan comes the latest entry, genetic manipulation of silkworms to produce “Spider Silk,” actual spider web that can be spun into threads and fabric.
“Researchers at Shinshu University have succeeded in injecting spider genes into silkworms to create a thread that is stronger, softer and more durable than conventional silk. A Japanese manufacturer is already experimenting with the thread, and spider socks, stockings and even fishing lines are expected to appear on the market within a few years.”
At the moment only 10% of the modified silkworms produce spider web rather than silk, but research continues with the goal of 50% production.
“Dragline silk”, which spiders use to raise and lower themselves and to construct the spokes of their webs, has one of the highest tensile strengths of any natural substance – five times that of a thread of steel of the same thickness. In terms of its ability to absorb impact, it is superior to Kevlar, the plastic fibre used for antistab vests and body armour.”
Anyone that’s worked with Kevlar thread knows its inherent danger; the small diameter opposed to breaking strength means you don’t want it wrapped around flesh if you’re trying to break it. The same would be true for a leader with 15X tippet, but rated at 5lb test – it would slice you to ribbons with a flopping fish on the end.
Fly tiers will lust after it due to the fine diameter and bulk reduction, it may require us to rethink some fly tying mechanics as it may simply slice through material rather than bind it to the hook shank. 40,000 yards of 20lb backing on a trout reel would be interesting, until it crushed your large arbor spool from the pressure…
Yep, you guessed it, they’re going to make us buy all new everything again..
Technorati Tags: monofilament, spider silk, genetically engineered silkworms, stronger than steel, kevlar
Guilty. I am a devotee of fantasy football, usually my fantasy ends on draft night and becomes a horrid reality the following Sunday.
I knew it was only a matter of time, but now we’ve got Fantasy Fishing – I can look forward to public humiliation at the hands of my favorite bass pro.
Any fantasy sports aficionado knows the strength of his team lies in avoiding injury, while “torn anterior cruciate” ligaments end the season for football players, I can only imagine how a strained Gluteus Maximus would cut a season short for a fisherman.
I suppose I can check injury reports by reading the Police Blotter, scanning the “drunk and disorderly” section, thankfully most newspapers are online now.
A $1,000,000 cash prize is available, so start preparing your draft. I’ll trade Tom Chandler and Ernie Schwiebert for Cal Bird, any takers?
Technorati Tags: fantasy fishing, public humiliation, lots of beer
That’s a helluva question, the kind that gnaws at a fellow for most of the day. I stumbled on a story of George M. Daniel, a fly fishing champion who was asked to speak to 182 graduating college students on the secrets of success.
Daniel is a national and international fly-fishing champion, with several gold and silver medals and first-place finishes under his belt. It’s likely he would know a thing or two about success.
Imagine being asked for the same speech based on your fishing career, and with 182 freshly scrubbed smiling faces peering intently at you, how would you mold your story into a positive message?
Fishing and Success are not always in the same hand of cards, at least not in most of the hands I’ve been dealt. You could flounder away through the message your folks gave you, “..don’t do drugs, don’t get pregnant, don’t…” – but that’d fall on deaf ears…
Figuring a 30 minute lecture with everything I’ve learned, here’s the highlights:
Maybe four quality bullet points would cover me, the rest is all that “feel good” filler that is requisite for such an occasion. No mention of fly tying, as this is supposed to be a positive and uplifting speech.
Technorati Tags: graduation, motivational speech, fly fishing success
In the prior installment I described a “professional” tyer as “someone who ties flies an hour per day”, fun or profit being immaterial. This is the start of flytying season, complete with area closures, holiday madness, Egg Nog obsession, and bitter cold. Lots of folks will fit this category for the next six months, applying the lessons of last season to their arsenal of flies for next.
They’ll do so in cramped quarters, using whatever table or flat spot is available, hoping not to earn the wrath of their equally housebound spouse. Some have their own room, others attempt to remain inconspicuous in an overlooked corner in their apartment – all share the same issue; “real” jobs that limit tying to evenings where lighting, table height, and chair dictate how long they can tie without fatigue.
Storage and the actual tying infrastructure are as overlooked as scissor choice. Materials are expensive and they always seem to get first crack at the budget. Trying to keep an accumulation of materials bug free, out of reach of children or an inquisitive pooch, usually has your collection moving vertical. For them as are apartment bound, either dating or married, you’re in worse shape – as there are no out-of-the-way locations.
Gals do not appreciate dead stuff, you don’t want to explain why a rancid “bunny’s face” is featured prominently on the coffee table – not on the first date, as there will never be a second. If married, your spouse is a reluctant participant in your hobby, while tolerant – few things can strain a relationship more than a significant moth infestation, or the family pooch burping up a hairball of orange bucktail.
Bulk storage needs to address three issues; insects, space, and ease of use. It must proof you against insect loss, be attractive enough so that your spouse permits guests to see it, offer enough space to be effective, and it must be close enough to the tying area to make it functional.
Storage is two parts, the space available in or on your tying table, and extended space available in boxes, a chest, or closet.
When a fly tyer is learning, he goes the cardboard box route; he’s tying on the kitchen table, so both he and his storage needs to be portable. After his first serious bug infestation the cardboard box is abandoned – he learns that if everything is in one box, it all gets eaten.
Next comes the “chemical” phase, where he pours mothballs into his storage area figuring his troubles are over. Armed insurrection results, as the spouse hates the odor, you hate the odor, and the family dog is now barfing up a potent chemical brew onto the rug.
Materials in contact with Mothballs or Crystals will retain the chemical on their surface, you’re tying at night and brush your eyes with the back of your hand, and now you are blinking toxic waste. Applied liberally, mothball odor will dominate an entire room and for an apartment dweller that’s not a recipe for domestic bliss.
After tying for 35 years, I haven’t figured it out either, the solution I have is multi-faceted and appears to have kept an uneasy peace on the domestic front.
I always have an eye open for old chests of drawers at garage sales, most are made of pine or better, and will refinish into something fairly attractive. Almost all of them are stained or painted, a quick glance at the interior of the drawer will identify the wood and its original color. The older the construction, the easier the finish comes off – as old lacquers become brittle and flake easily.
Line all the drawers with red cedar slats, available at any hardware store, sold as closet lining. Red cedar repels all the bugs, has a wonderful smell, and can be touched up with a belt sander every couple of years to restore the protection and aroma. Lay them loose on the bottom of each drawer, or you can tack them down with a little contact cement.
Apparently Madam approves as the frilly socks shown are not mine. This isn’t proof against a domestic dispute, she’ll question your sanity when you bring in the garage sale item – after it’s refinished, she’ll insist you promised it to her for her unmentionables.
Gals love the smell of cedar and you’ll have to defend your space aggressively. A smart fellow will realize this argument may be winnable, the “moth crystal eviction” argument is not.
Always keep your materials in sealed bags. Incense (Red) cedar will ensure that nothing is disturbed, but why take the chance – especially with extended storage, where you’re not in it everyday to notice an issue. Bagging ensures all infestations are localized to a single bag rather than the entire drawer.
Fly shops have moths, lots of them. Quarantine all newly purchased items in a separate drawer for a couple of weeks. During the quarantine period avoid mixing them on top of other materials on your bench surface, moth eggs are tiny and they’ll shower onto anything like salt out of a salt shaker.
If you’re done for the year take your fly boxes out of your vest and add them to the bug protection, it’ll be six months before you wear the vest again, you don’t want any rude surprises on the eve of the season opener.
Scorched earth is the only policy on unbagged loose material, if the bugs get in the entire drawer should be thrown away. Synthetic materials will not be damaged, they’ll just harbor the eggs safely so that the infestation can be transmitted to other places. Dry your tears, and toss the entire supply.
The seams in the drawers will contain live eggs even when the drawer is empty, treat it as a quarantine area, and add only sealed bagged materials to that drawer initially. Give the cedar lining time to ferret out all the critters and cleanse the unseen areas.
Like I’ve said, I don’t have the answer – your storage needs are as big as your appetite, you can make do with a couple nicely refinished furniture items, it’ll keep you in Madam’s good graces (after she claims them), and will allow you to increase your addiction in a socially acceptable manner.
Technorati Tags: red cedar, fly tying storage, fly tying, domestic bliss
There are times when I wonder, I suppose it’s proof that I still have a spark of optimism left, at this late stage I assumed it’d been stomped out of me. Surfing in the Arizona desert gives me pause, but so does adding cream and sugar to black coffee…
“…another ambitious project is in the works: A massive new water park that would offer surf-sized waves, snorkeling, scuba diving and kayaking – all in a bone-dry region that gets just 8 inches of rain a year.
“It’s about delivering a sport that’s not typically available in an urban environment,”
No Meathead, it’s about draining Lake Mead for fun and profit. It’s dreadful that folks that don’t live near the Ocean can’t surf, but an ocean of freshwater in the desert?
“I couldn’t imagine raising my kids in an environment where they wouldn’t have the opportunity to grow up being passionate about the same sports that I grew up being passionate about,” he said.
So … move? I’m not sure the business plan will be successful but if he retains the rights to all that groundwater, his kids will be squillionaires.
Throw a couple six pound trout in there and I’ll quit bitching, until the Gila Monster hisses at me from the adjoining shower stall.
Technorati Tags: arizona surfing, scarce freshwater, gila monster
Cooperation the key to financial reward? Makes sense for any other industry other than fishing, as getting two fishermen to agree on anything is an exercise in futility.
Nevertheless, the Science journal has published research from Australia that suggests a cooperative system can increase the financial reward and lessen pressure on troubled fisheries.
“We believe these results will help persuade fishers that it is in their interests to take the long-term view — that by reducing their catch now they will more than make up any temporary financial losses with increased profits in the future,” he said.”
In typical fashion, a follow on article written for the Joplin Globe suggests a system akin to student loans, whereby the fishermen could be paid during “rebuilding” years, and the loans repaid once the fishery was reestablished.
To overcome opposition from fishermen, loans could be taken out to pay them for not fishing as the stocks rebuild. The loans would be repaid by the fishermen when the fish were abundant, said Grafton.
I think I’ll take the dim view on this one, as soon as the fishery is closed you buy some rotting hulk in drydock, get your commercial skipper, and slurp federal dollars. In the meantime, you can fish commercially for species that are viable and profitable, or just lounge around after leasing your boat to the Starkist folks, who’ll gladly handle the paperwork and federal stipend.
I’ll admit I don’t have the answer, but the subsidy angle has been abused so often in the past, I’m leery of it’s application to fisheries.
Technorati Tags: fishing subsidy, starkist, beer drinking, party barge
I’m thinking that the TC is bent on world domination with the inclusion of the Daytripper to the Underground Writers Network. It’s a great addition, guaranteed to get you in trouble with the boss, as now there’s three idjits to read.
What he failed to consider is that two of the authors fish, and between us we have six or eight times the fish porn of the Trout Underground, with even a hint of provocation, we’ll not hesitate to put “Pop” in his place…
The Daytripper is another hard charging fishing blog, written by an angler unafraid to get some on him – the kind of fellow SingleBarbed doesn’t have to feel self conscious around as he smells as bad as we do.
I like hardcore, guys that fish in the rain intentional, not accidental – the kind of fellow unafraid to tell you your 15″ fish was 13″ tops.
Thin the prey to benefit the predator? Somehow it sounds all wrong, but Swedish scientists suggest it’s one way to reestablish a predatory fish whose numbers have dwindled.
Scientists found that culling older, larger prey fish can lead to more small fish for predators to dine on, even though the overall number of prey decline.
Makes a fellow wonder, as with the ongoing issues with Lake Davis and Northern Pike, would the converse also be true? Introduce huge trout too big for the Pike to eat, and their numbers will decrease…
Then again, if there was a decline in Pike numbers it could be because they ate the “too big” trout anyway’s, but ruptured something serious in the process.
Technorati Tags: northern pike, lake davis
