Sneaker Waves….Be Careful & Not Shy

Angel of Grief

I am mindful, as two Oregon teens perish from a ‘sneaker wave’ that swept them off the rocks on the Oregon Coast, of two things: First, do not trust the seemingly routine ebb and flow of the waves on the Oregon Coast ………

“…the body of 18-year-old Connor Gregory Ausland was found and that authorities have yet to find 17-year-old…”

“Three men have drowned after being swept to sea by a rogue wave…”

“A romantic marriage proposal on the Oregon coast turned deadly for the bride-to-be when a wave swept her out to sea.”

“The waves were so high, they were crashing over the pole at the end of the pier,” said Bulawka, a schoolteacher. “I kept watching. I just thought they (a couple) would stop. They kept going. And then they were gone.”

“The State Police said two teenagers have drowned after waves swept them off a rocky outcropping on Oregon’s central coast and into the ocean….”

Secondly, ‘your kids’ (be they your blood children, nieces, nephews, students, friends of your kids). Spring is coming. Energy abounds. A heightened state comes particularly for Seniors. Don’t be shy to caution them re their driving (speeding, passing), texting and driving, drinking and driving, outdoor pursuits, swimming, celebrating. Each Spring the loss of young ones spikes as a result of that energy and beckoning freedom. The heartache is too much to bear for such a needless loss. You have nagged them this far, don’t stop now (even if you are trying to given them their space). Sobering I know. That’s ok, you have a party to go to and I am headed out fishing. Have a nice day.

Fly Fishing: Excitor Seduction………….

Fly Tying: Iantra’s Copper John Tutorial

The Copper John has surpassed, in some people’s assessments, the Gold Ribbed Hares Ear (GRHE) and the Pheasant Tail Nymph (PTN) as the most popular, worthy mayfly nymph imitation. The Bulgarian flyfishing site Iantra has a nice tutorial/SBS on tying the Copper John

Copper John Nymph @ Maine Fishing Today

SwittersB’s Super Bowl XLV Pick

Well, I have never been a Pro Football fanatic. My allegiance is to the old I guess. YA Tittle, Johnny Unitas, John Brodie,  The 60′s Green Bay Packers of Lombardi, Bad Boy Paul Hornung, Jim Taylor and Bart Starr or the late 70′s Steelers of Lil’ Abner Bradshaw, Franco and Swan. Nothing has quite grabbed me since. Not the Montana 49ers, not the Cowboys nor the Vikings. I tried during the Bronco’s debacles. I don’t own a single jersey with someone’s name on the back (a genuine pussified garment in my estimation). Ok, I do have a few college shirts and hoodies and some All Blacks rugby shirts. So, with that in mind, my Super Bowl pick is to go fishing and forsake the ads, half time garbage, excesses and pretending I give a rat’s ass. So while everyone else is burping and scratching I am going out to find some private space.

SwittersB's Super Bowl Pick

Fly Fishing & Digital Photography

Don't Be A Prisoner to Auto Mode!

For me, understanding camera basics has been akin to being back in high school algebra. Brain freeze. That side of my brain was probably damaged when I was dropped as an infant. It has never computed for me. So, when I read about shutter speed, aperture, ISO setting and depth of field and realize they are interconnected my mind, at first quakes, then sighs in relief that there is an auto setting for my cameras.

I’m spoiled by nice mid-level cameras. But, is that going to teach me how to maximize the capabilities of the cameras/lens? Of course not. If you are like me, every little bit helps in the take me by the Manual Mode hand and teach me. Here is a good Digital Camera Tutorial site for the beginner that wants the cues on how  to experiment with confidence in that manual mode. So, if that creative streak hits you out there on the water or at the bench take a chance. Of course you can search down the right side of my blogroll for the true experts in fly fishing photography. Inspiring and exceptional work; they obviously excelled in algebra or weren’t dropped on their heads.

Fly Tying: Mayfly Emerger by Ian Martin

The Grand River Fly pattern by Ian Martin and presented by Rob O’Reilly has great possibilities for mayflies presented in the surface film or just below on a river or a stillwater. As O’Reilly suggests, vary the size and color for different mayflies. I like the possibilities of this pattern. Notice the straight shank hook and in this instance the straight eye.

Grand River Fly by Ian Martin (Rob O'Reilly) SB

Bob remarked: ‘I would probably burn up the whole fly while burning that tail.” Do the burning of the shuck fibers first. Then if you mess it up you have not wasted the tying effort.

Fly Tying: Zandoli Worm

The linked to video isn’t the best, but you get the idea. The trickiest part of the fly is the wrapping of the chenille up the Spider wire core section between the hooks. Anyway, it prompts the ‘I’m going to give that a try’ or ‘I wonder if………’     More here by Thomas Zandoli

Zandoli Worm

Mike Kinney (Word Pictures for the Drift)

I have to recommend, again, Mike Kinney on FB. His ability to provide small snippets of imagery via his words is perfect. If you are a beginning fly fisher chasing steelhead, whether with a single hander or two hander, you owe it to yourself to read each paragraph and visualize the process. Also, he takes some nice photo’s. Mike has been around a long time, but his recent posts on FB are excellent.

Pebble Mine’s Reality Check (China)

I can by no means frame the contentious Pebble Mine debate any better than the article I am linking to in this post by Andrew Jensen @ The Alaska Journal of Commerce. Seriously take a few minutes to read it and consider the realities here. Whether the mining process moves forward or not based upon celebs, fishing industry, eviro’s and FFers input is, to me, frankly insignificant. The often ignored point is China. It is being ignored in our country’s current debt debate and financial crisis by many. China now owns us. China is one of the largest consumers of resources and will surpass us and India soon to consume the majority of natural resources. China will eventually own the majority interest in Pebble Mine. Yes. (China & Mining & Fishing) (China & Gold Production)

“So while China is snapping up mineral rights for essentials like copper and stockpiling its rare earth minerals — for which the U.S. is 100 percent dependent on imports — not developing Pebble may not be a luxury America can afford forever, according to Yale professor Oswald Schmitz.” (I say we won’t have a say because China will dictate the development for us)

So, with all the notable celebs and groups that have mounted anti Pebble attention why no substantive response from the Obama Administration. They (Dem’s) have held the power since 2006 (Congressional) and Executive since 2008. Why? The usual connect the media dots by such groups re all manner of fav issues is most often enough to result in legislation or executive orders for regulations to control most aspects of our life, especially in the last two years. Token BS about innovation for green this and that; wind turbines, solar…yadda yadda.  Why nothing substantive on Pebble Mine? The sense of urgency should be about our financial house of cards, our resources (managed or not) and China. Just a matter of time re the Pebble Mine holdings and China’s insertion into the mix. Then what?

Fly Tying: Franz Pott & The Pott Flies

“Pott flies were the creation of Franz Pott, a German immigrant who set up shop as a wig maker in Missoula and soon found a passion for fly-fishing on nearby streams and rivers. Pott devised and patented a method of weaving animal hair into insect imitations that proved to be very attractive to local trout, and began a commercial fly-tying operation that continued for many years.

Each Pott fly came individually packaged, affixed to a card bearing the words “The Pott Trout Flies-Hand Woven Hair Flies,” in block letters, accompanied by Franz Pott’s hand-drawn trademark proclaiming the “Mite Family” and including Pott’s signature.”  Greg Tollefson @ Missoulian Weaving the Abdomen