See that visual on the left there? The one of me holding my fly box open, hand running across possible fly choices? The look of intense concentration? As I went through the pictures taken on my trip to Oregon, there seems to be a lot of those same types of pictures. The, “well hell….now what” [...]
Author Archive
July 26th, 2010
Fly Fishing The Oregon View
Fly Fishing in Oregon: Oh the words I could use to describe it that have nothing to do with actual fish. For one, the rich beauty from every angle is awe inspiring. When Mother Nature was swirling her creative stick over the lands, I’m pretty sure she saved Oregon for last and gave it a [...]
July 24th, 2010
FishCruiser
The Fishcruiser and I have been gone again, you know, off doing what we do. This time I was in Oregon for a week and I’ll share a bit of that adventure here next week. Until then, I wanted to point you all in the direction of Kirk Werner, Author of a series of children fly fishing books, Olive the [...]
July 14th, 2010
Of Mice and Mummy Bag
As I’ve mentioned, I’ve been camping off and on for the past 2 months. Now, just for clarification, by camping I mean: In the Outdoors. In a tent. On the dirt. No modern anything. In all the years that I’ve camped, which is the whole of my life, I’d never invested in a decent sleeping [...]
July 13th, 2010
Cloud Bashful
I’m starting to have a thing for the combination of sunsets and clouds. As I spent the last couple of weeks up in the Mountains, each evening I would get excited to see if the day would end in a hushed blue to black tone or go out with a bold stroke of Mother Natures artistic [...]
July 12th, 2010
End of the Salmon Season
I know, it’s been awhile since I posted here. I have a legit excuse, really. I’ve been camping in the Mountains in a bubble where cell service is wishful thinking and the concept of Internet access is about as futuristic as the hovercraft car I thought I’d be driving by now when I was an 8 year old [...]
June 23rd, 2010
About a Fisherman named Dave Crawford…
I like to be taken by surprise by people, the good way that is. I’ve learned through time that admiration for another person can be forged in many ways, and on Saturday I found myself first admiring a certain man for his quiet act of Fatherhood and later for his more profound jaw dropping actions of a hero. On Saturday the [...]
June 22nd, 2010
Found! Thy Waders Hath Returned…
When I wrote my first Lost Ad for the local Newspaper about my wayward waders, it went something like this: “LOST in the Great Outdoors and I’m still crying like a baby. Please help me find my sweet Blue and Gray Backpack that is cradling inside a precious pair of new Patagonia waders that I [...]
June 15th, 2010
The $500 Morel Mushroom
Ok, so this morel mushroom didn’t exactly cost $5oo dollars, but might as well have! When I look at this single picture I took over the weekend, I see the sum total and only proof of my positive experiences and my sad losses. The math goes like this; Several bags of Morel mushrooms picked x A lot of [...]
June 14th, 2010
Lost (and never found) In the Great Outdoors
I’ve wrote it before here and I’ll probably write it again over time, but I absolutely hate losing flies. It isn’t about the monetary loss with the average 2 dollar fly at risk. No, for me it’s about ‘that’s my little trooper and I’d like it back pretty please’. I do understand that losing flies is part [...]
June 11th, 2010
In Honor of all types of Fishing…
In the last 6 weeks I’ve somewhat fallen off the Fly Fishing wagon and traded in my version of Fine Wine fishing for a 12 pack of Keystone light. First I kept a perfectly good fly rod strapped to the front of a warp speed Bass Boat and tried my hand at fishing for Smallies [...]
June 4th, 2010
The Water Swatter and Other Fishy Nicknames
I could write about my last two weekends of salmon fishing, post some more gratuitous pictures of lunkers and spin some tales of pulled muscles and flying sinker missiles, but today, I think I’ll write about something else that occurs out on the banks of water. Fishing Nicknames. I think if you spend enough time in the Great Outdoors [...]
June 4th, 2010
The Water Swatter and Other Fishy Nicknames
I could write about my last two weekends of salmon fishing, post some more gratuitous pictures of lunkers and spin some tales of pulled muscles and flying sinker missiles, but today, I think I’ll write about something else that occurs out on the banks of water. Fishing Nicknames.
I think if you spend enough time in the Great Outdoors (with [...]
June 3rd, 2010
Fishing, Intimate-(ly)
When you are fishing and the general rumor floating upstream is, “In So & So hole, they are catching 5 salmon every 5 minutes” and you let curiosity get the better of you, there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself toying with a situation that looks a lot like temporary fishing insanity. Especially on Memorial Day Weekend. I gave it [...]
May 27th, 2010
Fairy Fishing Dust with a slab of Salmon
Have any of you ever experienced the phenomenon of fishing that is so amazing, so unbelievably perfect that you feel like all the stars aligned and the Fairy Godmother of Fishing has swooped down, covered your gear with fishy gold dust, granted you 24 hours of the most perfect casts and extraordinary drift presentation known to man WITH [...]
May 25th, 2010
Not Quite An Armchair Angler
I just looked at my calender, computed some simple math and it hit me why I feel so far behind on just about everything reality based. In the last 19 days, I’ve been off fishing for 13 of them….. I’m not sure how much of my personality really comes out in this blog, but one thing I don’t do well is stationary [...]
May 20th, 2010
Before the Perfect Fishing Day…..
I do find it a bit ironic that my fantastic camping/fishing trip started out last weekend doing something I normally would shun off for something a bit more, I don’t know—Me. But I went to another lake with Slayer (not his real name), some good friends, the kiddoes and spent a couple of days fishing [...]
May 18th, 2010
5 Days Of Fishing…..
I just got home a few hours ago from 5 days of fishing and camping. I’m beat up, bruised, my fingers are all sliced up, and I’m dead ass tired. I’m also impossibly behind on all things correspondence, Internet and mowing the grass BUT~ I’m still grinning like a fool. So what’s the reason for my unlikely smile in [...]
May 13th, 2010
BassMaster-ess, Sort Of…..
As another weekend of fishing went down in my history, I sit here and wonder what exactly I should write about. The choices seem endless……the bad weather, the fleeting moments of decent weather, the deep fried bacon wrapped hot dogs, the G-force experienced on a Bass Boat, the laughter of good friends, the gas can that [...]
May 6th, 2010
In Times of Fishing Need
This may come as a real surprise to all you, but I can be a stubborn little cuss when I’m engaged in Outdoor activities. I know, I know, thats hard to believe, but it’s true. Maybe it’s pride or maybe it’s a good old fashion Outdoor upbringing (as in, don’t be a pain in the ass) or [...]
May 5th, 2010
Fly Fishing (Trout) Lady Goes Bass Fishing…..(Help)
Lets see, it’s Wednesday morning and in just over 24 hours I’ll be abandoning my wader boots at home and heading off for a weekend of buffet fishing. Buffet fishing = a whole lotta finned friends that aren’t on my normal fishing catch list. From Thursday through Sunday, I’ll be in pursuit of strange and mystical fishies [...]
May 4th, 2010
River (and Blog) Slacker
There’s something to be said for alittle slacker time. Sometimes when I’ve been out on the river all day and the fish have snuggled in for their version of an afternoon siesta, I’ll seek out a nice shady spot that harbors the least amount of ants and let the sound of water lull me off into a nap. [...]
April 24th, 2010
Fish On, Fish Off…There was no Middle Zone
In hindsight I probably should have skipped a part two in regards to my Steelhead fishing. I do not have the coveted grip and grin photo to display. I do not have the “I landed this whopper and it was kick ass” story. What I have is a whole lot of Steelhead caught and quickly lost from a super [...]
April 22nd, 2010
Crowded With a Side of Steelhead
I think it was last Thursday, when I was asked, “Hey, do you want to go Steelhead fishing?” ……..35 minutes later I was in the truck and headed North. THAT is why I have the emergency grab and go camp totes. No muss, no fuss, just grab the minimal and get the hell out of dodge [...]
April 15th, 2010
The Dark Side of Nature
Recently I shared a sunset picture I captured on camera that made me weak in the knees. This picture has the same ability but on a totally different level. The sunset I watched from a leisure place in the distance. When I took this picture I was up close and personal with a storm front that quickly came [...]
April 6th, 2010
A little Fly Fishing Fate
~From under the Blackberry Camera~ When I woke up yesterday it was rasnowing. You know, a sweet mixture of rain and snow. It was exactly the kind of mixed weather signal that just dared me to go out and fly fish in it. So being the brave and fearless sort of fisherman that I am, I grabbed my gear– plus [...]
April 4th, 2010
Easter Palette Mother Nature Style
A sunrise or sunset isn’t extraordinary enough to inspire people to go outside everyday and witness each new statement the sun and the sky co-designs for us. Fact is, both instances happen once a day, every day, of every year and it’s awe is lost in the predictable repetition. Yet, sometimes when I’m outside and I am paying attention, the visual lauguage of nature takes [...]
April 2nd, 2010
Forward Casting: Bite Worthy Words 3
It’s time again for me to cast off to the different reaches of the Internet River and show everyone a few honey holes that are guaranteed to produce a catch or two. A few of these are contests, so once again I’m just showing how gracious and generous I can be (as long as you don’t usurp [...]
March 31st, 2010
My Outdoor Sidekick Had a Birthday
Yesterday my daughter Kaitlyn, aka Z Outdoor Sidekick, turned 15 years old…. ‘Scuse me while I choke and sputter a bit over that number. I figure I’m approaching the cut off zone. Not the one that gets me out of the legal noose of parental responsibility (18), but the one that decides whether the kid will need a [...]
March 30th, 2010
The Fly Fishing Addict ~ Am I? Are You? Is Anyone?
”I’m still waiting to find another human who knows what that (fly fishing addiction) really means…….” Via a comment left within my website from Bigerrfish (a recently reformed fly fishing addict) who aptly writes the fly fishing blog: BigerrFish. Fly Fishing Addict — Or — Fly Fishing Addiction. Does the meaning of Addict truly represent the deep and undeterred, never [...]