Virtual porn or….?

More thoughtful this time… something thought provoking for me, at any rate. I was listening to a techno futurist named Jason Silva (Brain Games) today about virtual reality and the possibilities. I have noticed that VR media attention has been about gaming and porn/futuristic sexual relations. Silva offered this and think of the potential for humanity….What if VR could take us to a refugee camp, an epidemic zone, a war zone, the aftermath of a natural disaster, the scenes of loss, devastation, the humanity of it all. Seeing is believing. Not news specials, news soundbites, still images…all with some influence upon us granted, but the VR would be profoundly more into our gut, our mind…dare I offer our soul?

What would be the impact on breaking down barriers, to clarify the often filtered, propagandized inputs? Would we perhaps care more, try harder with what is before us and beyond. Would the need for force on earth be clarified, if really needed? I found it thought provoking and far more important than those seeking self absorbed gratifications or the media’s limited promotion of the potentials here. Silva’s verbal presentation was far more provocative than here. Something to consider?

Mashable.com

Sexy This….Sexy That: Really?

I have noticed of late that things are getting just too sexy out there. I mean it use to be somewhat clear what was visually sexy, at least from my point of view. But now it seems sexiness is attaching itself to all manner of pursuits.

It seems like only yesterday that ‘sexy’ in the fly fishing realm was pretty recognizable

But somehow, my testosterone depletion has caused me to miss the apparently enticing changes in what is sexy out there…..

Even Caddis are ‘sexy’

Now Fly Fishing is not the only Sexy endeavor. Take these past times and picture sexy…

Now, I have to admit that on occasion SwittersB has used the tag ‘sexy’, but I believe the use was of a more traditional use (excepting the marabou). 

Today, fly rods, fish porn, reels, lines, waders, boots, destinations, fly patterns, insects and materials are sexy. Hell, if ping pong can be sexy anything can be sexy I suppose.

Ok, I vow to do better in misusing the tag ‘sexy’. 

Fly Tying, Porn Shops & the Worm

I have touched upon this before when I highlighted how to tie a version of the Vladi Worm using a Pink Condom. At the time, I remarked that it was hard to find a pink condom without walking into a porn arcade and perusing the lubes, toys, etc. and maybe having to sort through the color offerings of available condoms. Mail order options seemed limited and sketchy.

Earlier today, I was answering a comment question about the materials make up of a fly pattern. I recalled I had purchased a nice material from Performance Flies in Ohio. I went to PF to find the link to the materials section for the commenter. While doing so, I noticed that Performance Flies now offers Pink Condoms for the Vladi Worm. No more walking into the porn arcade for pink condoms.

A how to use the condom segment is in order. Because the condoms are lubricated, your fingers will get slick  while cutting the sections. Your other materials and tools will get lubed up so paper towels or such to occasionally wipe off some of the lube is helpful. 

The weighted Vladi Worm is a great dredging pattern to get down and perhaps take another pattern deeper. 

Photography & Fly Fishing: Images Sway Us…….

Images of the newest, touted better, innovations in many hobbies (to include photography & fly fishing) sway us to keep looking for the ‘magic bullet’ to improve our performance or outcomes. This is particularly true in fly tying.

There is the fly fishing blogging world’s often used expression of ‘fish porn’; ‘sexy’ images of beautiful fish that stir the mind, the juices, the body to go forth and seek the same pleasures. ‘Fly Porn’ exists although it is less acknowledged. Photography, macro work, combines when done well to seduce us into finding that magic fly, that irresistible creation, that will entice the fish and perhaps lead to ‘The Moment’ when it all comes together.

Looking for the magic list of must have fly patterns..the top 10 if you will is pointless. There are too many possibilities today compared to 20 years ago. The ‘net, the explosion of knowledge and new fly tying materials have caused a gazillion patterns to emerge…so to speak. 

We all do this to some degree. I give more weight, in my mental assessments, to a fly pattern that is depicted with crisp macro goodness. The details are there. The magic of the materials pop…the imagination is engaged. All fine and part of the enjoyment.

The ‘but’ or ‘however’ here is one should couple that chase for the magic fly with equally detailed passion for entomology, habitat, location, presentations and retrieves. Imagination or visualization are all part of the magic of combining fly, presentation and location. Settle upon basic patterns for larva, pupa, emergers and adults as they relate to Caddis, Mayfly, Stonefly, Chironomids, Terrestrials, Damsels and Dragons and assorted other creatures that fish consume and then master where to those food sources hold and how do they behave (move).

A Thing of Beauty…That Transcends ‘Porn’

Photography is a wonderful endeavor. It captures such magnitude, at times. Beauty, passion, energy, awe and just plain pleasure. Such is the case for me, with certain images of fish. There are many in my circle of fly fishers, or let’s say fishermen in general, that are greatly pleased with the beauty of a fish. 

The term ‘fish porn’ arose a few years ago to capture that energy one feels of looking at a beautiful fish that subconsciously replicates something sexy, curvy, plump, sexy, powerful etc.  Sometimes, a thing of beauty transcends the provocative porn label…I know it does.

A couple of things, that I have come to take for granted, should be noted for those that visit here for the images or my blazing charm…the photos of fish that are so gorgeous have been taken by my wife or son and it is important to note that the fish are released back into the waters unharmed.

I do get the occasional comment re ‘good eating’ or ‘tasty’. Short of a few hatchery (“put and take” resource) steelhead or salmon, I rarely kill any fish. I long ago stopped killing trout because they often went to waste. There are hatchery trout that are also there for “put and take” enjoyment. I just don’t bother with it anymore. The above Rainbow Trout is too glorious for me to harvest it for a meal. 

Handling Fish: Counter Balancing Our Ego’s & Excitement

A beautiful Trout is released back to the depths. Was it posed? Yes (SwittersB)

Handling Fish:

“Keep the fish in the water

Don’t lift fish out of the water – don’t even touch the fish if you don’t have to. Many fish can be released without ever touching them. Just bend over, remove the hook with your hand or with pliers, and let the fish swim away. Research has shown that keeping a fish in the water dramatically increases its chances of survival. Think of it – after the fight of your life, say going 12 rounds in a boxing ring or running a marathon, imagine having your air cut off! That’s exactly what we do when we lift fish from the water. Fish kept out of the water for more than one minute have a greatly diminished chance of survival, once a fish has been out of the water for three minutes, it has virtually no chance of survival, even if it swims away.

Keep your hands wet when handling fish

If you do handle a fish, and you do it with dry hands, it can cause some of the protective coating (“slime”) on the fish’s skin to come off. This coating is designed to protect fish from disease.” (more)

Here I hoisted a large Trout out of the water, in a net up, onto my apron. From there I work on releasing the barbed hook and lowering the net back into the water with the fish still in and release the fish once it looks ready to jet. Was this fish posed…hell yes!

Trophy shots of live fish…Fish Porn…Most of us do it. To celebrate the size, the beauty, the outcome, the proof, the epic quality of it all. But, most of us that do such things have close calls with fish that are too over taxed by the struggle to just jet away. They leave but then rise to the top, belly up or on their side struggling to correct. I pose few fish that are not partly in the water or but a few seconds out of the water.

But, if you end up in that harmful struggle on the bank, on the apron of a tube or the deck of a boat seriously don’t waste time with a stressed, stunned fish. No squeezing them to protect them while they thrash. If you celebrate the beauty and quality of those fish then forget the picture. Get the fish back in the water and make certain they are revived. 

This was a good moment. The fish was powerful and still fresh. But, leaning out like that, hollow foot rest and cradling the fish is problematic. It is precarious for me and the fish. If the fish jets and seemed ok then great. But sometime they surface 15 feet out from you and then a timely, often backwards response is in order as you turn, kick, position and attempt to recontact the fish in order to save it. As much as you cherish that fish is as much as you will feel panic or dread as that fish dies or struggles to survive. Yes, yes I know. Simply kill the fish. Well, short of hatchery salmon or steelhead I haven’t killed a fish in years. For many reasons. So, I do try to do all this recording of great moments in as expeditious/safe way as possible. Forfeit the picture if the fish is in harms way.

TSA & The Really Big…well….. Carry On Gear?

Have you sensed the extra tension brought to your life while passing through airport security these days? Maybe it is just me. I was always excited to travel before. Now, I just have this elevated sense of anxiety and resentment to get past some bozo’s with an inflated sense of duty. Yes, yes….’just trying to protect you’….whatever. So speaking of inflated, imagine this ‘problem’ as Johan Falcon attempts to pass through airport security with his super schwantz taped to his thigh…apparently a record breaking appendage that freaked airport security. They can never be too careful or embarrassed.

JONAH FALCON’S ROD INTIMIDATES SECURITY

So, this remotely segways into when you attempt to pass through airport security do you have a clear idea if reels, lines, flies, rods are acceptable for carry on? I would be interested if anyone has access to a definitive statement on the transporting, as carry on, of fly fishing’s basic implements. I have read varied opinions re this and have had varied responses at airports. Flies ‘yes’…flies ‘no’ for example.