Fly Fishing: Evening Bite & Space Junk

Dr. Kaku's Universe @ Big Think (Michio Kaku)

Apparently, fly fishers in the Western Hemisphere are probably safe, at least in the Northern half of that hemisphere. But, anywhere else, if you are standing there fishing, you can probably rest assured you are  safe, although that 10-300# chunk of junk may create a noise as it hits the water or trees behind you. Make sure you collect that chunk, if feasible.

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“Since the dawn of the Space Age, no one has been injured by falling space debris. The only confirmed case of a person being hit by space junk was in 1997 when Lottie Williams of Tulsa, Okla., was grazed in the shoulder by a small bit of debris from a discarded piece of a Delta rocket.

The odds of someone somewhere on Earth getting struck by the NASA satellite are one in 3,200. But any one person’s odds are astronomically lower— one in 21 trillion.

“You’re way more likely to be hit by lightning” than by the satellite, Mr. McDowell said.

The U.S. tracks the roughly 22,000 pieces of satellites, rockets and other junk orbiting the Earth”  WSJ

OryGone Fishing etc.

THIS & THAT FROM ORYGONE

Hanistan Blogspot

FISHING LICENSE LEADS TO ARREST POPPED ON THE WILLY

NOTHING BUTT THE BEST FOR YOUR BUM ON TIMOTHY LAKE

AH, FATEHR & SONS BONDING WITH ROD AND BOTTLE

MAN VS. SEA LION

ARMED MEN VS. SEA LIONS

Actually, I am sure you could come up with similar stories from your neck of the woods? It is actually ORA-GUN.

SwittersB’s Tattoo’s Progression

SwittersB Tattoo

Designs, visions, suggestions, artist input…..a tattoo design can be created, but can go hither and yon while you practice mind control over a few hours. I designed the top tattoo as a combination of the family motto “Semper Paratus”, the Celtic theme and the triquetra symbol. I wanted it finished off with the hands presenting the fish to nature. It was just fine until I noticed the hands were not, well not quite right. Did I speak up? Nope. I rationalized the hands and made a mental adjustment. In time it was fine; but, I deferred to what is a permanent work on my arm and not quite what I wanted. Ok, it was done and I was cool with it. If anyone noticed, they said nothing.

Now, a thought evolved from a nymph/female image I had seen years ago on the back of a stillwater fly fishing book….a buggy looking nymph/female. I had a photocopy of the image for years. I still have it somewhere, I just don’t know where.

So, I asked my son, Tony, to devise a newer image. My vision: a female/nymph blend rising from below the first tattoo to reach up and receive the fish from the hands above. Tony drew his image and I liked it a lot. Originally, it was a buxom rendition. Off to Atlas Tattoo (Portland, Oregon) for an appointment with Corey Crowley. I turned over the renditions by Tony and an appointment was made.

I arrived to have the tattoo. The Crowley rendition was similar in theme, but again the artist’s input had altered my vision. But, I liked it. We went for it. I suggested, for peace keeping purposes, that perhaps some hair should descend down over the breasts. The hands rose to receive the fish from the hands above. The middle nymphette’s hands/arms were presented in a prayerful-respectful pose. The abdomen was perfectly segmented and the three tails reached to the hand. Blades of grass/vegetation reach out from the side. I suggested a shading of grey-green to delineate the nymphette from the grass. Crowley suggested shading and leaving it uncolored/shaded. I deferred.

In the end, I will digest the tattoo, as is, and not rush to green up the vegetation, just yet. I may have the top tat touched up and a hint of blush added to the fish. Still deciding. A very good experience and as always Atlas Tattoo, in Portland, is a very awesome experience regardless of the artist….all exceptional. 

SwittersB Tattoo (Vegetation Greened Up)

Sorry for glare of flash, but wanted to show the results of greening up the vegetation to differentiate it from the nymph. I am pleased. Brian Graham, Black Lotus, Eugene, Oregon

Fly Fishing Industry: Costco, Cabelas v. The Shop

SwittersB

This industry piece re Costco is interesting to read, especially if you do honestly support the small shop. Pay particular attention to the comments as well, as there is much to be digested there also: “It’s time for manufacturers to quit making the industry something it isn’t and truly become partners once again with specialty stores. Fly fishing specialty stores have little to no say in marketing products. Manufacturers control the product, the place, the packaging, the promotion, and the price. The same rules applied to specialty retailers need to be followed by the manufacturers at all times or their credibility is lost. Allowing products to be slipped through the cracks is inexcusable. Mass producing products that aren’t needed and turning a blind eye to sales that are “too good to be true” doesn’t do anything towards nurturing a fragile industry.”  Jerry Lappier

By the article, if true, the fly fishing manufacturers/industry have indeed lost their way. So too have they over priced many components of the sport. Seriously over priced! Get real. Kudos to those providing mid-level quality products. A reckoning for all of us, it seems, is coming.

Fly Fishing Lakes & The Wind (What if?)

 

Wind & More Wind

Lakes and the wind. A given element almost everyday at some point. You must plan for this. The picture above: Spring time. Cold. Winds kicked up. At this point, I had come into shore to take a break. In short order the wind kicked up big time. We considered heading back, but the fishing promised epic memories. We anchored. The wind blew harder and we moved even with heavy pyramid anchors.

We decided we had to try to row the long haul back to the rig…at least a half hour of steady, hard pulling. We pulled hard and gained nothing. We lost water, so to speak. Eventually, both of us, in excellent shape, could not beat the wind. We made for the far shore to wait out the wind.

The wind did not stop. There was not an access road near our shoreline and our rig was a good mile and a half away if we walked the shoreline. We were wearing booties, the type you wear with fins. We were seriously lucky by the shoreline configuration (rocks and shallows) and walked along into the cold wind, each pulling our pontoon boat with a twenty foot section of poly rope we had each always carried but never envisioned using in this way. Had we had a treacherous shoreline and deep drop off from the shoreline, we would have been stuck until the wind dissipated.

We were prepared clothing wise and booties wise (they had good soles). We made our way back after a very long (time wise) walk. Point being: plan for the wind blowing you to hell and not back. Ask yourself what is on the far side of that lake. What if you end up over there? Is there an access road over there? If you had to wait a long while for the wind to die down, do you have adequate clothing/shelter? It was an extreme exception to normal conditions. I had never not been able to row against big winds and waves. Met my match and now have a better sense to plan: what if?

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.

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?

Tenkara: What Am I Missing?

Dapping the seams? Long rod, like the old cane pole, with the string? High sticking? Connected to the presentation? All seems fine, simplistic and cheaper. Beyond that, what is the fuss about? I am missing it. Almost like the retro zeal of a hipster that rediscovered the cane pole. Sorry, just another means to the same end and not deserving of the fawning. Eek!      Tenkara USA

“…the continued Balkanization, or specialization, or fracturing, or whatever you want to call it, among fly anglers… the various fly-fishing subcultures—tournament bass fishermen, carp anglers, steelheaders, backcountry saltwater fishermen and so on —will continue to define themselves more distinctly and vocally.” – Ted Leeson, Author. He failed to include tenkara anglers in the subcultures, but you are part of a distinct, and shall we say, a very cool group of anglers!

“Trends for trouties: The European proliferation of deadly nymphing techniques will continue to gnaw on Yank rod makers, who after many years of ignoring anything longer than 8 1/2 ft. and 9 ft. rods for regular fishing are going to convince users of the versatility found in longer (9 1/2 on up) equipment.” – Paul Bruun, Columnist and Guide. Huh!

Our prediction is that 2010 will be an awesome year for angling with a rod, line and a fly; when angling will be the simple and relaxing experience we crave, when you don’t need to (though you may still want to) travel far to enjoy pristine waters and wild fish, and perhaps a year of retirement for your underworked reel. This will be a tenkara fly-fishing year for many anglers throughout the world who will enjoy the simplicity and relaxation only tenkara allows.” Tenkara USA

The only thing unique and worth mentioning are the fly patterns that are worth consideration.

An air of superiority seems to exude from the pores. Just what’s needed, another elitist nitch. Just do it and shut up already.

*Ok, Ok….after some behind the scenes arm twisting and a stern re-education program, I will concede the Tenkara approach to presenting the fly has merit and more importantly…who am I to put down a past time that seduces a fish to the fly. To each their own in connecting to nature and the purity of their endeavor. My apologies to the several I offended.  SB 9/28/10

Chupacabras Attacks & Ufology? Huh?

Is this a Western Hemisphere phenomenon? Muy interesante..these Chupacabras and associated livestock deaths. Seems to range up into Tejas as well. Currently, rivals Montauk Sea Monster, or whatever the hapless critter was, for notoriety.  Inexplicata: The Journal of Hispanic Ufology