Spring musings

This fast paced life we lead has its price. It exacts its toll. It grinds on you. Wears away on you the way the rivers carve massive rocks and even wear on mother earth as she meets to kiss the shore of those rivers. But God’s creation rejuvenates each spring, the landscape adapts and makes peace with the river. If only for a season or two. So it is with most trout fisherman, Civilized life wears at us, grinds us to orneriness  and spite. sleeplessness and strife. We bare the weekdays, kinda like carrying a sack full of rocks around, totein’ ‘em here and there until the weekend comes and we can shed ‘em, if even for a fleeting 48 hours. Those 2 sacred days we call weekends are reserved for our short forays into those rivers, a baptism of sorts, the hope that somehow immersing ourselves in rivers with a fly rod in hand will replenish and lighten our troubled souls. Stress and worry have a way of leaching out our very souls, sucking our hopes and dreams. Its the River that gives it back to us, God is there, In all His mystery, granting us slivers or reprieve  filling us back up, one cast at a time. Somehow the smell of pine and forest fill our noses with memories of trails once tread.The sound of rock and water fill our ears with recollections of battles won and lost. The cast and drift, rise and set, are the cadence of our meditation. It is here in the small gurgle of the river that God speaks to us. His timeless wisdom creeping slowly in to mingle like the currents we fish. They nestle in amongst the fond memories of what we cherish most; family friends and home. Somehow it cleanses us, strengthens our resolve and provides us with the energy we need to go back to carrying that sack of rocks, Somehow that burden is lighter, less burdensome. Its His gift of water, the coursing of currents ebb and flow of tides that grant us this strength and resolve and in gratitude we dwell on this gift. It is here that we sense the love. His deep infinite caress laps at our legs as we stand in the river, the current like his wisdom pulling us deeper into life’s mystery…

The Geared Chronicles day 2

 

I think a lot of Marc Crapo.  Besides the kick ass beard he sports, and the righteous ’tude the man vibes wherever he is,  the guy leads one heckuva fly fishing life. It not glamorous in the sense of glitz and creature comforts, nah,  Its more of a utilitarian pared back foray into a lifestyle that is dictated by his passion for fly fishing, and being in the outdoors. then there’s fact that he uses terms like “dude”, “tasty”, and “scandalous”. I concur! In fact, so much so that this post is a play on the title of  Marc’s killer video series “The Beard Chronicles”.  Tasty, scandalous, and totally killer in its own right, check ‘em out if you get an itch for some great footage and a look into what most of us only dream of, a life based on passion and love.

So with that in mind and with some prodding from a friend of mind, I’ll devote this post to gear, stuff I have and why, and gear I want and dream of. I love fly fishing. Nah, that ain’t right, Obsessed? in truth, not even close! It is who I am! Sure I’m a Christian man, a grateful friend of Bill W’s as well as a  loving husband and adoring dog owner, but DUDE! I just dig the heck out of fly fishing and even more so the tying of those flies. Its dang near just about all I think about. It could be the obsessive compulsive in me that manifested its ugliness by excessive drink many years ago, or maybe its just that I was blessed with finding a hobby that is equal parts passion, art, beauty, and craft, with a spice of ingenuity, utilitarian practicality, and thrift thrown in to make it interesting. Fly fishing it self is an art held in awe and mystery by the general public. A hobby taken up by bored old farts and vagabond biology majors. Ne’er do wells one and all! Well I’m neither, I just love catchin’ trout, so much so that I aim to do it on a level as close ot the fishes as possible. Not quite on their level but pretty close to it. I’m no Halfordian dry fly purist like my friend Mike, nor am a streamer chuckin’ madman like “the Beard” . I fall somewhere in between. I’m utilitarian in my approach. In other words I fish with the technique and flies that work at the moment. I’m as comfortable throwing streamers as I am chuckin’ a nymph rig, swinging soft hackles , or delicately casting a dry fly on the Ranch in mid summer. That’s why I carry what I carry. The gear I use is there because it works for me. In the week ahead I’ll be discussing what I use and why. From clothing and accessories to the very fly on the tip of my line. My passion and obsessed mind demand that it all serve one purpose, let me enjoy my surroundings and help me catch fish.  Lets make something clear this isn’t going to be some patronizing gear review based on a donation, I’m not getting paid or given swag to check out and write about. If I like it and wear it, it’s due to me buying it or having someone give it to me as a gift.

DAY 2:

Lets start with a base layer and we’ll work our way up and out, fair enough? In summer this just doesn’t matter.  I ain’t in the mood to debate tighty whiteys versus boxers or silk vs cotton, and stop undressing me with your eyes it ain’t a purdy sight!  Fall, Winter, early Spring in Eastern Idaho is a completely different matter, It can literally mean life and death. Lets face it, East Idaho is one cold place come winter. I start with a good solid pair of breathable long johns. I love my Under armour lvl. 2 bottoms. and a nice tight fitting short sleeved silk or synthetic top. Short sleeved you ask? OH YAH!  When I go fishing I tend to get everything from the elbow down wet even if I don’t want it, so I go with a base layer that at best only rides down to my elbows, yah, I’ve cut the sleeves of a couple of shirts to just below the elbow.  Over my bottoms I wear a pair of fleece bottoms as they form the perfect insulation barrier in concert with my long johns. I tried in the past to go with thermals and jeans and I was miserable. Without the insulation  properties of the fleece between my thermals and pantd my legs just plain froze!  Thats why I like to wear a  pair of khaki pants of thinner fabric like Dickies. they form the perfect balance of insulation and flexibility without compromising my range of motion. A decent web belt finishes off the bottom level and holds the upper layers in place. For my upper torso levels I like to go with 4 or 5 layers at the most.  and that includes the jacket. First is the half sleeve thermal. Over that I use a heavyweight cotton long sleeve with cuffs  T-shirt, together they give me breath-ability yet the cotton t-shirt still holds in my body heat. Next comes a pull over or zip up fleece top with a high snug fluffy collar or thin hood. From there I could go straight to a wading/rain jacket unless its really really cold then its a good old hoody, Why? They just work and work well.  I cannot stress enough a good quality wading/ rain jacket. They are worth their weight in gold! OK, lets top it off with a good solid beanie and some gloves.I personally wear a pair of Kast fishing gloves and one of their knit beanies. You know why? I’d like to say that the owner of the company gave them to me and leave it at that but the truth is the gloves are amazing, and the hat looks good and works great too.  The gloves are just awesome, there’s grip in the fingers and palm, a sturdy, thick wrist strap and a soft fleece liner that keep you hands dry and warm! Yes dry, the gloves are waterproof and with the cuff velcro-ed tight they don’t let water in at all. The hat? Its got fleece lined strip about 3 inches from the lip and the thick knotted grey yarn holds the heat in perfectly. Well that’s all for clothing in the winter, tomorrow I’ll talk waders boots and rain jackets in depth. come on back now ya’hear?

The geared chronicles

I think a lot of Marc Crapo.  Besides the kick ass beard he sports, and the righteous ’tude the man vibes wherever he is,  the guy leads one heckuva fly fishing life. It not glamorous in the sense of glitz and creature comforts, nah,  Its more of a utilitarian pared back foray into a lifestyle that is dictated by his passion for fly fishing, and being in the outdoors. then there’s fact that he uses terms like “dude”, “tasty”, and “scandalous”. I concur! In fact, so much so that this post is a play on the title of  Marc’s killer video series “The Beard Chronicles”.  Tasty, scandalous, and totally killer in its own right, check ‘em out if you get an itch for some great footage and a look into what most of us only dream of, a life based on passion and love.

So with that in mind and with some prodding from a friend of mind, I’ll devote this post to gear, stuff I have and why, and gear I want and dream of. I love fly fishing. Nah, that ain’t right, Obsessed? in truth, not even close! It is who I am! Sure I’m a Christian man, a grateful friend of Bill W’s as well as a  loving husband and adoring dog owner, but DUDE! I just dig the heck out of fly fishing and even more so the tying of those flies. Its dang near just about all I think about. It could be the obsessive compulsive in me that manifested its ugliness by excessive drink many years ago, or maybe its just that I was blessed with finding a hobby that is equal parts passion, art, beauty, and craft, with a spice of ingenuity, utilitarian practicality, and thrift thrown in to make it interesting. Fly fishing it self is an art held in awe and mystery by the general public. A hobby taken up by bored old farts and vagabond biology majors. Ne’er do wells one and all! Well I’m neither, I just love catchin’ trout, so much so that I aim to do it on a level as close ot the fishes as possible. Not quite on their level but pretty close to it. I’m no Halfordian dry fly purist like my friend Mike, nor am a streamer chuckin’ madman like “the Beard” . I fall somewhere in between. I’m utilitarian in my approach. In other words I fish with the technique and flies that work at the moment. I’m as comfortable throwing streamers as I am chuckin’ a nymph rig, swinging soft hackles , or delicately casting a dry fly on the Ranch in mid summer. That’s why I carry what I carry. The gear I use is there because it works for me. In the week ahead I’ll be discussing what I use and why. From clothing and accessories to the very fly on the tip of my line. My passion and obsessed mind demand that it all serve one purpose, let me enjoy my surroundings and help me catch fish.  Lets make something clear this isn’t going to be some patronizing gear review based on a donation, I’m not getting paid or given swag to check out and write about. If I like it and wear it, it’s due to me buying it or having someone give it to me as a gift.

 

That quiet little voice

You know what I’m talking about. The inner fisherman. You hear at various times. Mostly going to or on the river, but as often as not it pops up during the day attempting the mundane or efficiently conquering the plausible. It is an accumulation of things read, seen, heard and experienced. Its tidbits shared, nuggets gleaned from conversations. These are the things that make up the difference between and angler and a mere fisherman. Today, for me, its running a checklist. Tomorrow I go fishing. It’ll be one of the last nice days of fall before jack frost comes to crash the party. storms whip tailing about like drunken sailors on shore leave. In Eastern Idaho fall storms can be as severe as any, well let me take that back! What happened on the east coast last week was nothing to trifle with and I’m darn glad I was far far away, but I digress. Yellowstone closed Sunday so hunting for big post sexed brown trout on the Madison system is out. Im thinking about the lower Henry’s Fork, maybe the South Fork Snake, I haven’t decided. I’m really blessed with more water and rivers than I have time to fish. Its really crazy, I mean there are rivers, streams and creeks near me that would be considered top notch water in other areas of this country but because they wind their ways through the shadows of Yellowstone they are not even glanced at when surveying a map. Well thats going to change! I think this next year I am going to concentrate on hitting the less fished spots as much as I do on the henry’s fork.

Hmmm?

Brain blocked! Trying to figure out what I want to say, er write about and yet I’m dumbfounded, I am working on a post about fish size and the catch and release ethic and also still reworking my steelhead story, yet I don’t have anything to put out there at this exact moment. I will tell you that I am contemplating two epic fishing trips this weekend. On one hand the call of the Salmon River in Central Idaho for steelhead is STRONG! I love swinging flies for chrome! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! But then again chuckin streamers for lake run browns in Yellowstone on the Gibbon river can be epic! Big hungry post spawn fish trying to get their eat on, before winter swoops down and puts the clamp on their feeding habits, is a can’t miss situation. So that’s the conundrum, a chance at touching the king of game fish or preying on the instincts of a blood thirsty post spawn behemoth,,, HMMMM?