Leave No Trace

September 12, 2018 Jillian Rash

"Friend,

When you stray or sit and take your ease

On heath or hill, or under spreading trees,

Pray leave no traces of your wayside meal,

No paper bag, no scattered orange peel,

Nor daily journal littered on the grass;

Others may view these with distaste, and pass;

Let no one say, and say it to your shame,

That all was beauty here until you came."

I've driven past this sign half a dozen times. I always make Jacob pull over so I can read it, admire the flowers growing around it, and feel the breeze flowing through the mountains. Winding down the dirt road I always ask aloud; 'I wonder who wrote that?' And, I forget I've wondered just as soon as I say it. The sentiment, the lesson, is what always stuck.

Fitting Together

September 11, 2018 Jillian Rash

This morning I walked down into my basement with a load of wash in my hands. I carefully rounded the corner, noticing the bamboo blank currently in the saddle waiting to be wrapped. It was a little too close for comfort. I stepped over a box filled with thread and in-between the fly tying desk and epoxy/varnish/finishing desk, taking note that there isn’t currently a rod drying. Dust, ya know.

I’m not normally a graceful or agile person, more clumsy and hurried, but in the basement, there’s a need for considered steps. It’s in the best interest of our relationship.

New Discoveries, Familiar Places

September 10, 2018 Jillian Rash

We've fished this river for three years, several times a year, but not this section. Instead of heading up, as per usual, we took a gravel road down, until we reached the river. It was much smaller than up yonder, more enclosed, like the tunnels we are used to fishing in back East. Looking down into the small stretch of water there were no flashes of light indicating little trout, but we were already here. Plus, why not try and fish an entire stretch of river?

Two {More} Fiberglass Rods

August 29, 2018 Jillian Rash

Just before we left for Colorado, Jacob finished up two fiberglass builds that have just hit the shop! Here are a few photos and a little information on them.

A Rainbow and A Pot of Gold

August 28, 2018 Jillian Rash

The parking lot was full. We walked by all the cars, searching for fishy stickers or rod tubes in backseats. Determining that this was a big river, we'd just driven all the way out here, and the ratio of anglers to cars was not that high, we geared up. I swapped out my trusty hip pack for the daypack, as I do on most 'hike' trips. It was filled to the brim with snacks, rain jackets, and water, with all fishing essentials pinned here and there.

Jacob doesn't hike unless there's the return of fishing, a guaranteed pot of gold at the end of a rainbow if you will. Which is why these are my favorite kind of fishing trips, I get to hike with Jacob because the bribe of trout always works.

From Cutthroat to Rod Bags

August 24, 2018 Jillian Rash

After a few days on the road, and a quick stop in Kentucky for some bourbon to help soothe our transition back to the East Coast, we've made it back to North Carolina. And, back to work.

Jacob has been busy with trips and I've put in some long hours with a sewing machine, we're both thankful for work after our month of playing in the mountains with cutthroat.