All the other stuff

All the other stuff — 6 Comments
08
Jul 13

Carpland

I found Carpland. I could see dozens of the fish, milling around. I could just see them, as the water clarity here is next to nothing, but still more than nothing, so, there was hope.

Carpland, open now.

I stood next to some of them and they didn’t seem to mind. They also didn’t seem terribly interested in what I was doing. Sadly, while I found Carpland, I wasn’t good enough to get on the ride.

I hooked one and had a few good, solid runs out of it… better runs than I’ve had out of a carp to this point, really, and then it just came unbuttoned. It was my first carp hook up of the day and it would be my last.

My consolation prize and the only fish I brought to hand was this little bass.

Basslette.

In the end there were several take aways…

The Clear Int Sink line really didn’t do the trick. It put me in the weeds way too fast.
The flies I had were too heavily weighted and contributed greatly to the end results from #1.
I don’t know what I’m doing when it comes to really stalking carp.

I found them. I could even see them at a distance at times, but a fly stripped in their face wasn’t working. I don’t know if it was the size of the fly, the color of the fly, the speed of the strip, the cadence of the strip or if was just the carp being, collectively, kind of dickish.

I have much to ponder… and miles to go before I sleep and miles to go before I sleep (figuratively speaking).

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03
Jul 13

My next trip

I’d like to take this time to tell you about my next bonefishing trip.

I’d REALLY like to tell you because that would mean I have one on the books, which I don’t.

That’s cause for depression.

My vacation time is, to put it mildly, exhausted, and I don’t know of a reserve store of days off which would allow me to head somewhere sunny and beautiful to find bonefish.

I get a little bit moody when I don’t have a trip in the pipeline and I fear that could happen again. Luckily, I have some other good things happening, like a pregnant wife, so while that may dim the prospects of my next fishing trip, it is still something to balance the gloom with a fair bit of joy.

So, for the next few months, I’m going to need to hear about YOUR fishing. Don’t be shy.

… thinking about Deep Water Cay from Spring Break and wishing I was there, right now.

The line is flying.

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25
Jun 13

So much to ponder

This is going to be a little scatter shot.

First off… very cool to see the Adopt a Bonefish project for Culebra over at the Moldy Chum. Very interesting project and a place I totally want to go to some day.

Second, Deneki did a great piece on tides for bonefish. Solid. As always.

Next, Long Island Bonefishing Lodge, a semi-DIY spot had a group of social media types out their way last week. Some of my flies were out there with Mike, in addition to photog and foodie Sam Root.

I’m still wishing I had some good water to throw my new Redington Vapen on.

I’m also still recovering from a weekend on the Upper McCloud River with a small, but mighty group. Such a beautiful place.

Too kewl for school

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24
Jun 13

I’m not magic

I can’t say I get it all right. I don’t know if she’ll be my fishing buddy forever. She lacks the patience to actually fish, but she loves to look at them, hold them and let the go free.

She get’s frustrated easily and endurance is not her “thing.”

Still, it feels like I’m doing something right, having her out here, among the pines, Indian rhubarb, caddis and trout. Campfires. Smores. The sound of birds in the morning. The sound or the river in the distance. No baths for two days. No screens of any kind. Bugs to catch. Lizards and the odd snake. I never feel like a better parent than when I’m camping.

I’m not magic, but when I’m on a stream with my girl and a fly rod in my hand, she thinks I am.

A girl and her fish.

I’ll take it.

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21
Jun 13

Parenting Lessons from Fly Fishing

If you head out to the water, be it a river or a saltwater flat, and just start casting away, you are likely going to have a pretty crappy day of fishing. Sometimes what is required is to stop actually fishing and just observe. When you are silent, on the bank of a river or calf deep in a Caribbean sea, you start to pick up on things, you start to notice what bugs are on the water or where the currents of the tides might indicate pathways for fish. When you take yourself out of the active role you open yourself to learning.

That’s a decent lesson for parenting too.

Today I went to pick my daughter up from camp and I noticed her on the playground. Instead of calling out to her I just sat back for a while and watched. Once our kids are out of our sight we really don’t know too much about what they do, how they act, how they interact with the world. It is only through this kind of spectating that we can learn anything about our kids in the absence of us.

Conversations with my 6 year old after pick up go something like this…

Me: How was you day?

6 year old: Great!

Me: Awesome. What did you do today that was fun?

6 year old: I don’t know… nothing.

Me: Well, you said the day was great, what was great about the day?

6 year old: (silence)

Me: Honey, what was great about the day?

6 year old: I don’t know. I don’t remember. I don’t want to talk about it.

Clearly… I’m not going to get any information out of her. I’m left with either the observations of her teachers/counselors, or I need some opportunities to watch her, in her world, without me.

So, taking a page out of my fly fishing book… I try to sit back, when I am presented with the opportunity, and watch, unseen.

(I totally wrote this for my daddy blog and redirected it… hee hee)

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19
Jun 13

Chris, a SUP and a Bonefish

Chris gets after it. He’s one of the Skinny Water Culture guys and a passionate Heat fan (so he’s happy today) and he’s been getting after it in a big way.

He’s recently been hitting the water on his stand up paddleboard and he’s been doing pretty damn well on it.

I’ll bet that was nice.

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18
Jun 13

A riff on luck

Scott had an interesting post recently about luck. Some guys seem to have it and some seem to make their own.

I’ve been there on days when nothing seems to be happening and on those days it is hard to keep looking, to keep your head in the game. On the flats you can stare at the water for hours and hours and after a bit, you start to lose the belief anything is there.

On the days when the fishing is good it seems like they come out of the woodwork (or mangroves). You see fish and you anticipate seeing fish. Luck is maybe the same as Belief. I mean, have you ever seen Luck and Belief in the same room at the same time?

It works the same on the river. You sometimes just seem to know the fish is there and that feeling impacts how you approach the run, it influences that first cast (which is the most important and the most likely to be successful). When you are having a tough day you can stop believing and it can seep into the physical act, lessening the effort.

Keep your eyes open. Keep the belief. With belief you can get lucky. Without it, you are condemned to plod on toward the inevitable self-fulfilled conclusion.

Looking for fish

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17
Jun 13

My father’s day

I’ll remember this father’s day for a while. First off, the sunburn I got today will be with me for some time, providing a nice reminder for the days to come. Seriously… total sunscreen failure today and the wife, who would like me not to die of skin cancer, is nonplussed.

I also got to spend about 6 hours out fishing on the pier with my daughter who, at 6, is capable of fishing for 6 hours at a stretch. She impressed our pier-mates with her knowledge of the fish and just generally was pretty awesome out there today.

Also had a couple of firsts… our first ray and our first Broadnose Seven Gill Shark (even if it was a small one). The Seven Gill is the SF Bay’s Apex predator and can reach over 6 feet in length. We’ve seen these caught, but this is the first time we ended up with one on our line.

I love the hair here. It was windy.

Fly Ray… FLY!

No complaints.

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16
Jun 13

Thanks

My dad has given me a lot over the years and one of the best gifts has been the love of fishing. He’s the one who first got me interested and gave me the opportunities to experience the water, the fish and the environment. I am actively trying to pay it forward with my own children.

My dad is a lover of nature. He’s curious about rock formations and clouds and birds and fish. He’s interested in the land and how all the pieces fit together. He still gets excited about a fish, any fish, and will still pull the car over to see a bird. My mom is sometimes frustrated that he won’t remember the name of someone he’s known for 20 years, but will be able to tell you what river he caught a steelhead on in 1969, on what day, on what rock!

We’ve had some great days on the water… and some truly miserable ones, but I’m grateful for each and every one.

Thank you, dad, for the gift of fish. I’d say it stuck.

Dad

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22
May 13

Etsy goodness

I like the whole idea of Etsy. Real people making real stuff. Some of it sucks, but a lot of it is just fantastic not-from-a-big-box goodness.

I thought I’d highlight a few bonefish related items from Etsy here. Maybe I’ll convert one of two of you into a customer. I have no financial stake, I just like this sort of thing.

A cool bonefish wooden sculpture for $130. Well done, I’d say.

Cool.

A cool bonefish print called “Off Big Pine” done by Jonathan Marquardt. $60.

I like this.

A cool Bahamian bonefish coin cut into a necklace. This is only $16.

Cool idea.

People making things. I guess they still do it. Not everything comes off an assembly line and not one of these things has been made by a 3-D printer. I like it.

Bonefish on the Brain Bonefish and all that relates (maybe a bit about tarpon too).