My fishing career began like most others, dunking worms. Just a couple of years old, with pigtails and bangs, pink spinning rod, and a squirming creature at the end of a hook. My grandfather was a proud spinner fisherman, never picked up a fly rod and never wanted to. He got me out on the water; he was the reason I developed a fascination with fish. But, my tender child heart soon turned from fascination to complete horror. Not only was I to rip worms in half, but then we were hooking a fishing for our sick human pleasure? Um, no thank you. At the time, as far as I was concerned, my fishing career ended at the young age of four.
Read moreTapered Rod Bags
Recently I've been working on some really fun, tapered rod bags.
These are great for builders looking for a more "vintage" bag or fitting some of the smaller diameter rod tubes on the market. The top of the bag is the same as my signature standard rod bag, then tapers down to a much smaller width at the bottom.
Read moreA Different Perspective
I've come to view fishing as being a burdensome activity. Yup, I admitted it, going fishing is no longer fun. That's a pretty extreme thing for a fly fishing blogger to confess, but I do, wholeheartedly.
I've kept my fishing stuff neatly stored away in the corner of my office, and it taunts me every time I see it out of the corner of my eye. I feel guilty about it. I feel like a fraud every time I open my computer or post a photo of a decorated trout.
Read moreLet's Talk About Wet Hands
You could tell the fish had been severely mishandled, most likely with dry hands or gloves. I asked Jacob to scoop him into the net so I could try and get a shot or two of the damage. There was another pretty horrific spot near his tail, but I didn't want to cause him any more stress by additional handling. It's most likely that this fish died because of ignorance.
Read moreGolden Days on The River
It's that magical time of year here in Western North Carolina when everything transforms to gold. The river is no exception.
Read moreRainy Days and Notes From The San Juans
Rainy Days and Notes From The San Juans
Saturday I was looking back at our time in the Southwest. The weather here was rainy and cold, I had no desire to get out in the crud, and so I spent a lot of time looking through the photos I had taken. That's when I remembered our trip to Pagosa Springs.
If you're ever in the Southwest, I highly recommend it. Maybe not the "hot spring theme park,"(no judgment if that's what you're into, it's just really not my speed) but the rest of the town is pretty cool. It's nice to walk around the antique shop there, you could find ANYTHING in there, and Riff Raff Brewing Company had some of the best brews I've ever had (El Duende Green Chile Ale is to die for!!!).
However, when we first arrived the temperature had dropped from the upper 60s in Durango down to the 40s and raining by the time we got to Pagosa. Not the best day to walk around outside.
Eventually, we stumbled into a little fly shop, Let It Fly. Jacob was sorting through the flies, examining patterns that haven't made it to the East Coast yet, scooping up what he didn't think he could commit to memory. That's when I discovered a small bookshelf. I sorted through old issues of Gray's Sporting Journal, well-worn fly tying books, and guides for fishing the Piedra that outdated me. And, that's when I found them, two books by Steven J. Meyers. I gathered them up, immediately paid for them (I wasn't entirely sure they were even for sale), and started combing through Notes From The San Juans directly.
I've mentioned many times before that Mr. Meyers is one of my favorite fly fishing authors and Lime Creek Odessey may very well be my favorite book of all time.
Like his other books, Notes From The San Juans is a collection of stories, some being explicitly fishing stories, others merely tying in fly fishing to life. There's a specific chapter in the book which describes his time working in a mine, out of necessity to remain in the San Juans. At the very end of the chapter, he states, " It's not just mining San Juan county that's given me that perspective. I like to think that fishing has helped a bit too. I once worked in an office in New York City and I'm not sure that mine was any darker. Fishing taught me that."
Having worked in the corporate world, having lived in that office, and then dropping out of it all, I get you, Mr. Meyers.
Need an excellent collection of fishing stories? A few that will make you laugh and make you cry? Pick up any Steven J. Meyers book, or better yet, pick up Notes From The San Juans.