tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30159906186696703532024-03-14T02:45:48.646-07:00Old Man River ORA blog covering my fishing expeditions the world over...but mainly in Oregon.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.comBlogger210125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-82615569551144685672014-12-01T14:36:00.004-08:002014-12-01T14:36:26.754-08:00Calming QuietWow, it's been quiet here, hasn't it? I've been fishing some, although not a lot since winter has begun. The steelhead/salmon bug continues to not bite me but there are a few vibrations coming in from a couple specific avenues. That may change soon, or maybe not. We'll have to see.<br />
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I did get in some good carp fishing over the summer that I didn't bother posting. Lack of good pics is not good fodder for motivation to write a post, hence the silence here.<br />
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More recently there was a brief and mediocre at best saltwater outing. I'll post something on that in the coming days when the pics are looked through and edited. Severe photoshop will be required to add/enlarge fish in the pics.<br />
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In the meantime, happy cyber monday shopping. Back to Amazon! I mean back to work!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-72385665780840819762014-08-28T06:30:00.000-07:002014-08-28T06:30:00.592-07:00Photography is Hard<div style="text-align: justify;">
I managed a morning out on the water this past weekend and had a moderately successful time. The fish were all over one of my favorite Columbia river carping locations and the water level is just about perfect right now. There's just enough weeds to attract the fish, but not so many that the fishing becomes impossible.</div>
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It has been a few weeks since I've been out in the water, so I found myself, not surprisingly, moving around a little too quickly and excitedly and spooked a good number of fish right off the bat. Fortunately there were plenty of targets. Before long I started running into dust clouds and tails dancing in the water column. After a couple missed fish that caught on to me after a couple of casts, I finally hooked into one from about 15 feet away. It was feeding and I dropped my flies near the dinner plate. When they got close to the bottom, I gave them a quick twitch. The fish picked up his head, flared his gills, and I assumed he'd eaten my flies so I set the hook.</div>
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To my surprise he was stuck solidly onto the end of my line and shot off directly out into open water. What seemed like 5-10 minutes later, and was probably about 3 minutes later, he was tired and I got him in close. I took a couple quick photos hoping one was good, and here was the best one.</div>
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It's not that great, but it's hard to take a picture of a fish when you're surrounded by weeds, in 2 feet of water, and don't have a net. A quick pull of the fly out of his mouth and he was gone and I was off for the next target. Along the way I stumbled into a couple monsters. Two of them lumbered directly at me and I didn't see them until they were within 20 feet and closing. With the first one I was able to drop my flies from my hand and quickly flick my rod up, which I was trailing behind me. The flies landed a short ways in front of the fish but they sunk too slowly to get to him before he spotted me. </div>
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This is my constant dilemma. I don't like to use heavy flies because they splash too much and spook a lot of fish. On the downside it's much more difficult to correctly time slowly sinking flies, and if you don't have much time to get them to a fish you're totally out of luck. I get stuck in this predicament often. It seems to be a bit of a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" sort of thing.</div>
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Anyways, I got one shot at a brute. In fact I got about four or five casts at him actively eating, but I just couldn't manage to get it just right. I had to sadly watch him swim away after my many chances when he caught on to me and ambled away.</div>
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I managed one more fish on a bit later, but he shot directly into the weeds, then turned into more weeds, and then turned into even more weeds. As I watched him get to at least fifty feet away, all of it through weeds I knew it was over. I held some pressure on the rod, but not a lot in hopes the weeds would slow him down and he wouldn't break off. It wasn't meant to be though, because he did break off.</div>
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By this time the sun was directly overhead and it seemed that the fish were becoming more scarce so I ambled off to another section of the cove I hadn't hit yet. On my way over there I got close to a heavy weed bed and decided I was best off shooting up onto shore and skipping it. I walked about twenty feet before at least thirty fish spooked from under the weeds. It gave me a bit of a chuckle; at least I'd found the fish. I continued on and twenty steps later the same thing happened with another pod of thirty-plus fish. I fished for another hour or two and had a couple of slightly positive targets, but no hookups. Mostly the fish I saw and ran into were cruising around pretty quickly and not feeding.</div>
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On the way out I tried to walk back through the weed bed and spook the fish a third time and get it on film. On my way into the weeds I spooked a couple individual fish but nothing big. Once I was fifteen feet or so in I stopped and tried stamping on the ground underwater to spook the fish, but it surprisingly didn't work. Then I tried slapping the water, still no. So I gave up on filming, put the camera away, and took three steps toward shore and fifty fish spooked. Figures.</div>
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All in all it was a good morning out and I'm looking forward to doing it again, hopefully tomorrow. Have a great long weekend!</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-46736090515476134592014-08-16T07:30:00.000-07:002014-08-16T07:30:00.212-07:00Long Overdue<div style="text-align: justify;">
Wow, have I been absent and delinquent on my duties here or what? My readership, all five of you, have probably forgotten I exist and gone off to more religiously posted blogs. I offer my sincerest apologies with no excuse to explain my absence.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_oy8FqKonA8/U-50sr36oJI/AAAAAAAAB-k/LJkUVDraubQ/s1600/High%2BWater.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_oy8FqKonA8/U-50sr36oJI/AAAAAAAAB-k/LJkUVDraubQ/s1600/High%2BWater.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>With that said, let me remind you of the epic annual trip I went on what seems like ages ago, and sort of <i>was</i> ages ago. That would be the annual Bighorn river trip in lovely Montana. In the days preceding the trip, way back in July, the river levels were rising precipitously and were causing some minor anxiety amongst the travelers. High and rising waters would not make the fish uncatchable, but could move them around, spread them out, and kill the dry fly fishing.</div>
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In the end, the expectations were about right. We'd never been up there this late in the year so the bug life was a little different and the fish were in new places. It took a few days to figure out, and I really didn't feel like I understood the nymph fishing until the last day unfortunately. But on the flip side, the streamer fishing was a ton of fun and pretty productive, and the dry fly fishing was pretty good in the evenings. In fact toward the end of the week it turned pretty epic with more bugs on the water than I think I've ever seen before.</div>
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The first four days involved 14 people spread out in 4 boats probing the waters having a modicum of success throughout the day. In the evenings it was back to the cabins or the campfire to cook up some tasty morsels, drink some (more) beers, and chat about what did and didn't work throughout the day. As usual, this was probably just as much fun as being out on the water all day. It was also a welcome respite from one thing we hadn't considered: how long days are this time of year! Fishing from 8 or 9am until 6, 7, or 8pm is one hell of a long day!</div>
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There weren't too many notables from the first half of the trip as long as you ignore the multiple boatside surgeries that were required. And if you ignore that Mike got his wish to have someone "push it through" by hooking himself deeply. Perhaps the most notable was rowing by another one of our boats full of people clamoring to get to the shore and with an angler in the front of the boat with a huge tuft of white streamer action sticking out from the tip of his nose. Fortunately that one didn't require surgery since it didn't get to the barb, but of course Clif, the offender, did not hear the end of it. That's sort of what happens when you hook someone in the front of the boat from the rear of the boat!</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pdD9hnxsRWE/U-50rywcthI/AAAAAAAAB-Y/XUFbV6s3XLs/s1600/Jokhy%2Bfish%2Bon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pdD9hnxsRWE/U-50rywcthI/AAAAAAAAB-Y/XUFbV6s3XLs/s1600/Jokhy%2Bfish%2Bon.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>For the second half of the week only two of us remained, Mike and myself. The most serious and addicted of the lot of course. Starting the day around 8 or 9am, again in a boat streamer fishing and nymphing. We continued to struggle to find fish with nymphs until the last day. On that day we were fishing an old spot that had been great to us in years past but this year had only yielded a couple fish. After getting frustrated Mike and I sat in the boat and watched a guide with a client docked on a sandbar in the middle of the river pulling out a fish every 10 minutes. As soon as they pushed off we looked at each other, and pulled anchor and shot for that spot. It felt a little dirty, but 2 hrs and about 20 fish apiece later we no longer cared. We had found the one spot in the river where all the 16-18" chunky rainbows were hanging out, and we made the most of it.</div>
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As you may expect, we expanded the already long hours, fishing until sundown at 9pm...and then continuing to fish. It's the only real possibility when fish are rising all around you, bugs are swarming everywhere, and you are a hopeless addict. So we fished, and fished, and fished. We fished until we couldn't even see our size 18 black caddis dry flies on the water any longer. Then we fished them a little longer by instinct, just hoping we "knew" where the fly was and setting the hook if there was a rise anywhere in the vicinity and miraculously picked up countless more fish doing so.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OjRVRcdNuoM/U-50rr-hnMI/AAAAAAAAB-U/McCBNqKj9ko/s1600/Jokhy%2Bsunset1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OjRVRcdNuoM/U-50rr-hnMI/AAAAAAAAB-U/McCBNqKj9ko/s1600/Jokhy%2Bsunset1.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>After 30 minutes or so of blind fishing you might think we'd call it a day. And you would be wrong. That was the point where I decided to take off my dries and tie on a streamer. Why not? I couldn't see anything so I figured I might as well swing a huge feathery hook through the air, then drag it through a pod of feeding fish. In all honesty, I didn't expect this to work but I couldn't see anything any more and Mike wouldn't let me leave. But on the first cast, fish on! Then on the second cast...fish on! And on it went. In all, I think the two of us caught at least eight total fish on streamers while casting in and around rising fish. It sort of seems like that should be a sin, but who cares?</div>
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The next couple days were more of the same, with the addition of a couple of bears within 40yrds of us, and a new fish species:</div>
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That would be a "mooneye." We stumbled upon a pod of these guys on the last night. They will eat anything and have very sharp teeth. Plenty sharp enough to sheer your tippet right off just about every time. On the positive side the clean cut made it easy to thread on the next fly. After loosing four or five rigs we moved down river a little to get away from them despite the novelty of a new weird looking fish, and caught a bunch of rising trout.</div>
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We begrudgingly worked our way downriver and put out right at 9pm. We were only off the water this "early" because we had gotten some sour looks from the fly shop the morning after a late takeout. They made sure to tell us that the guy was out 'till 11pm (supposedly) cleaning the boat. Sorry. We have fun with this stuff. Even when some of us are questionable enough to enjoy catching sucker fish.</div>
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In all it was yet another awesome trip. The fishing was different than normal and took a few days <strike>to get going</strike> for us to figure it out. But once we figured it out, I think it was better than I've ever had it, and for this river that is saying something. I just wish I had had more than 8 days to fish. Nothing is ever enough...</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-8056568876840108522014-07-11T07:00:00.000-07:002014-07-11T07:00:01.761-07:00Challenges Pending<div style="text-align: justify;">
I head out this afternoon for the annual fishing trip in Montana. Historically we have gone either in March or in late May. The past few years it has been cold, wet, painful, but good fishing. This year we made the decision to give July a try. The only main concern with July is river flows. We had been once before in late June and experienced record-breaking flows of 15,000+cfs, which resulted in missed boat ramps, people falling in the river, and many fewer fish caught especially by the less experienced anglers.</div>
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We've been watching the river flows for a while now and I was really surprised back in June that the flows were WAY below historical norms, exactly when I would expect them to be going up. It gave me some mild concerns and seeing the trend in flow now verifies my concern. Flows have more than doubled in the past couple weeks and are now up to 7000cfs. </div>
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At this level I'm not too concerned. We've fished it successfully in the 6000cfs range before. The trend, however, is a bit worrying. Will it stop at 7000cfs?? Or in the next couple days is it going to jump to 10,000+cfs?? If it does we're going to be in some trouble. We can still catch some fish, but after the year with record breaking flows all the fly shops added a disclaimer to their boat rentals stating that they won't rent boats above 10,000cfs.</div>
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I sure hope the flow stabilizes or moves slightly in the other direction. If not, the next week may be less full of fishing and more full of swimming and world up soccer watching. Let's hope it's all fishing, and lights out fishing to boot.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-22668402183526983152014-07-04T08:00:00.000-07:002014-07-04T08:00:00.690-07:00Travel Day 7: Waterfalls!<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's sort of weird and pathetic that I flew over 5000 miles to see some waterfalls. For those of you who don't know, Portland has about one million waterfalls, and hiking in the Columbia River Gorge to see waterfalls is a pretty popular weekend activity. So what do I do with one of my weekend days off in Germany? Go for a hike to see waterfalls. Call me uncreative.</div>
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I saw some signs for waterfalls and hiking just outside the mountain town I was playing around in and headed that way. It was the same area as the fortress I visited the day before. When I arrived I took a quick look at the map but was instantly confused. There were apparently quite a lot of trails available and the map was zoomed out just a little too much. It might be tough to make out in the picture, but all the little red lines are trails.</div>
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Fortunately, though, the waterfalls had their own 10K loop that was very well marked so off I went. the first couple miles were gradually uphill and followed a small creek that stair-stepped it's way down the gentle slope. I stopped a number of times to probe the water with my eyes and see if there were any living things below. I didn't see any but that wasn't surprising because it was probably too small to support fish.</div>
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A short mile or two later on I arrived at waterfall number one. It was nothing spectacular but I did find it neat how the cliff seemed to be growing out from edge where the water was. I'm not sure if it was all vegetation or if minerals were actually depositing and creating a solid rock structure outward, but it was really cool to see what appeared to be the opposite of erosion.</div>
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Up top of this first waterfall was a small cafe serving coffee, ice cream and a few other novelties. I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat by the river for a bit. There were also a couple families having BBQs over fire pits in the area which looked like a great way to spend a sunday. After drinking my coffee it was on to the next site. </div>
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From here the trail went up some steeper hills to the plateaus a few hundred feet above the valley and offered some really excellent views. There were a number of viewpoints along the way and they pretty much all offered a panoramic view of the hills and valleys and farmland below. It was pretty impressive. It was also impressive that I peed off the edge of a hundred plus high foot cliff! Yes, I'm still a child.</div>
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Eventually I reached the second waterfall, which I thought was significantly more impressive than the first. There were a few signs around and unfortunately my German isn't good enough to really get a grasp of what they said, but the area sure looked like it had been some sort of <strike>old</strike> ancient mining area or something. The waterfall actually stemmed from a creek that appeared to be diverted into three different paths that looked like they were man-made aqueducts.</div>
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Unfortunately pictures really don't do this place justice. It was super tranquil and also amazingly impressive and I think it was better to not know the story behind it. That way I was able to ponder and fabricate my own, certainly more impressive story behind the place. Like it was a hidden magical wizard's garden. Or it's where the dwarves entered the mountain to dig up their gold and gems until they dug too deep and awoke the Balrog leading to their demise. Or maybe it's just an amazing natural occurrence where the mineral-saturated water majestically creates it's own aqueduct, builds upon itself year after year, and saturates and feeds the ground around it to spur the growth of colorful wild flowers.</div>
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I'm not sure what the truth is because my skills in High School German class were never great and have since lapsed to be even worse, but it was a pretty awesome place. I just wish I had had more time to find more of these places in the area, but I didn't. After this hike and all of what I saw it was off to the airport to head up to Hanover for a few days of work before heading over to the home office in England for a couple more days.</div>
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Oh, and happy July-4 today! This is obviously written up and posted a number of days after the fact.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-73794435154243614522014-06-30T07:00:00.000-07:002014-06-30T07:00:08.374-07:00Travel Day 6: Hike and Bad Urach<div style="text-align: justify;">
Finally on day 6 I got out to do some fun stuff out of the city. The job that I gave myself for the past month and a half and always managed to come up with a good excuse not to do was to plan this weekend. I don't find planning trips to be any fun. Some people get a kick out of thinking of all the possibilities of their vacation, I just want to go on that vacation. So I hadn't planned much of anything until the night before, and not much then either. Winging it is the best way to describe my intentions. In general I intended to head toward the somewhat mountainous region nearby and tool around and do a little hiking.</div>
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I went out to the airport to pick up a rental car and was off toward Bad Urach, which, by the way, has a very German sound to it, doesn't it? The sort of sound that you're likely to cough up some phlegm trying to pronounce. A quick check in at the hotel and off for a bite to eat.</div>
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These little mountain towns are pretty awesome if you ask me. Quaint, cozy, and plenty to do and see.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mDV7R1vorpo/U678h2bRzJI/AAAAAAAAB4s/kknA6uWDwNI/s1600/BadUrach+meal1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mDV7R1vorpo/U678h2bRzJI/AAAAAAAAB4s/kknA6uWDwNI/s1600/BadUrach+meal1.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Wait, that's not quite right. Maybe this one is a little better:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k1csk0V9oS0/U678hklO3LI/AAAAAAAAB4w/E5LFBjLqNc8/s1600/BadUrach+meal2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k1csk0V9oS0/U678hklO3LI/AAAAAAAAB4w/E5LFBjLqNc8/s1600/BadUrach+meal2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Better. With some food, beer, and caffeine burning away in my internal engines I headed off to local park that I had seen a sign for that included something about waterfalls. I figured anywhere there are waterfalls there is sure to be hiking trails. There was also a really cool looking ancient fortress up on top of the hills somewhere in that region and I thought I might be able to find it.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PXMFbkO0eYc/U67-dUDyzxI/AAAAAAAAB5A/YZgKc3RsXyU/s1600/trail1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PXMFbkO0eYc/U67-dUDyzxI/AAAAAAAAB5A/YZgKc3RsXyU/s1600/trail1.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>Upon arrival I couldn't really tell where anything was anymore. That's just the way things go in the mountains; once you get close you can no longer see your target. There was a trail nearby and I simply chose one direction randomly and started walking. After not too terribly long there was a much smaller offshoot, and being the adventurous person I am, I took it, and started hiking more directly up the mountainside.</div>
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It only took maybe a quarter mile before the trail met up with a larger trail, probably the same one I had been on, with signs for something that sounded like it could be the fortress so I headed that way. Sure enough another quarter mile up the trail and I had arrived at the cool looking fortress that I had seen from the road. And it was just as cool looking up close, and probably moreso. Plenty of rooms to go into and check out, old staircases, dungeons, and all sorts of remnants of another world.</div>
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I wandered around in the fortress for a while marveling at how something this old could still be standing....sort of. After I had had enough I hiked out and headed back to home base for some soccer matches and more food and more beer. I won't bore you with any of that, but here are some more pictures I took at the castle:</div>
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medieval fire pit</div>
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Dungeon entry. Make sure no one locks you in!</div>
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Dungeon window.</div>
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Looking down from parapet.</div>
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The fortress in all its glory.</div>
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Cool stone spiral staircase.</div>
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View from bottom of spiral staircase.</div>
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Large open area behind main walls and up top.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KTLrgjqerwk/U68A-bz7--I/AAAAAAAAB7U/yhrk83yZonI/s1600/view+of+bad+urach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KTLrgjqerwk/U68A-bz7--I/AAAAAAAAB7U/yhrk83yZonI/s1600/view+of+bad+urach.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Bad Urach down below. I bet I could hit it from here...</div>
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Cool looking red slug I saw on hike out.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-19434784706219565472014-06-29T07:00:00.000-07:002014-06-29T07:00:00.047-07:00Travel Day 5: Photo Fishing<div style="text-align: justify;">
Day five was finally a day off from work. With all the free time available I was able to sleep in to finally catch up on my sleep debt and put jet lag behind me. It was quite nice. And when I eventually got up I headed out for a run to get some exercise at last and work off all the heavy food, large portions, and vast quantities of beer I have been consuming. I found a good park to run through and the park was full of creeks, ponds, and lakes. Of course being the obsessive compulsive angler that I am, I kept my eyes on the bodies of water the whole time trying to spot fishes. I saw quite a few and made a mental note to come back later with a camera.</div>
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After the run I got cleaned up and readied myself to head out. I was feeling exceedingly hungry so I found a nice outdoor eatery and got some food. And of course some beer as well. Beer flows like water here.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sCnnD4mObeU/U65uR6FLq3I/AAAAAAAAB4M/jOW827W6WOY/s1600/maultaschen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sCnnD4mObeU/U65uR6FLq3I/AAAAAAAAB4M/jOW827W6WOY/s1600/maultaschen.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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After I got some food in me and felt rejuvenated with the much needed fuel I headed back to the park I had run around earlier. The first pond/lake I walked by was very picturesque. Hemmed on all sides by cut banks, tall grasses and shrubs and trees around the edges, and a walking trail surrounding it. In the water were a number of visible carp nestled up against the cut bank poking around for food. An old man was there at a viewpoint where I stopped at first to check out the carp in the water. Shortly after I arrived he reached into his bag and pulled out a plastic baggie full of bread and started tossing it into the water in front of me. It was a little weird but I guess a nice thing for him to do.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MRjObQn1AyQ/U65uPoGPTvI/AAAAAAAAB3k/PS5OyHqCOmo/s1600/Park+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MRjObQn1AyQ/U65uPoGPTvI/AAAAAAAAB3k/PS5OyHqCOmo/s1600/Park+photo.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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As soon as the bread started hitting the pond, the water began to churn and things from the abyss below began darting toward me. There were about a million tiny catfish, a handful of carp of various sizes, and another fish I couldn't name that looked like a carp but had a normal looking, non-gummy, fish mouth. Then the ducks started getting involved too.</div>
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After a few minutes of amusement here I moved on. There were a good number of lakes, and every one of them had a handful of carps. Some big, mostly pretty small, and one colorful one. I also saw one mirror carp. I took a handful of pictures of them; most of which were feeding carp near the shore. And I must admit that something inside me was yearning to go grab my fly rod and head back out here. There were no signs saying no fishing, but from what I've read in order to fish in Germany you have to take some sort of exam to get a permit. Then in addition, depending on where you're going, there may be local rules and regulations and permits to acquire. It seemed like way too much effort and confusion so I opted to fish with my camera instead. It was easy.</div>
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I'm also pretty sure that had I had my fishing rod, the most effective type of fly would have been anything that makes a slight splash and sits on the top of the water because anytime I would walk up to the water's edge, the fish in the vicinity would swim toward me rather than away from me. They would even sometimes come to the surface and try to suck randomly off the surface presumably hoping for some treats. And pretty quickly and got confirmation of my assumption when I saw a number of people standing on the pond shores tossing food into the water. It would have been like catching fish from a barrel. Fun for a bit but not at all challenging and I'd feel just a tiny bit guilty about it. Nonetheless, it's fun to locate new fish and watch them do their thing.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-48970781452189595772014-06-28T07:00:00.000-07:002014-06-28T07:00:00.839-07:00Travel Days 3-4<div style="text-align: justify;">
By day three things began to devolve into a bit of a blur. Staying out until well past midnight, coupled with fairly early get-ups, coupled with 9 hours of jet lag to adjust to, all resulted in this state of mind or lack thereof. Not much worth noting occurred on day 3. Work, dinner, soccer games, drinks. A rinse and repeat from the two days before pretty much.</div>
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Day 4 was a big day for me, the US, and for Germany. It was the final game of group play in the world cup for both teams and would determine who would get to keep playing and who would go home. Fortunately for the US, it was going to take some significantly bad things to occur to get eliminated. They could lose the game, as long as it wasn't by a lot, and still be fine.</div>
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On the downside, we had to work until 5, then nearly an hour train ride and walk back to the city center and our hotel, and the game started at 6. We got back to the hotel just in time for a quick change of clothes before kickoff. I figured we'd be ok watching the game from the hotel, because who would want to watch such a big game in their hotel bar?? Well, I should know better because I know how unadventurous most people are. Unfortunately the viewing area was packed full of people with nowhere to sit and not even anywhere to stand and watch. There was an area in the bar set up with a TV but the space was limited and filling up. We did manage to snag a standing room only area, got a couple drinks, and watched the US get totally dominated by zee Germans, but they held on to lose only 1-0 and advance.</div>
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After the game it was time for food so we headed out. One of my favorite German customs is after big soccer matches people go out into the streets and block off intersections, while others drive around on the main streets hanging out of car windows and flying flags and honking their horns. It's pretty funny. Here are a few images I took, but you really have to be there to fully appreciate it.</div>
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Dinner wasn't really worth noting, but we got some food then stopped at another drinking establishment for another beer then headed back to the hotel. When we got back to the bar for a nightcap we were amused for a little while by a group of 4 upper middle aged people trying to dance. The two guys were classic stiff Germans incapable of having fun. I'm sure I would have looked pretty much the same on the dance floor. Of the two women, one I would have admitted to a mental institution based solely upon her performance on the floor. The other couldn't dance but was having fun, so more power to her! I named her Elaine. Here's a crappy photo of the dimly lit bar dance floor.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-88994433284985619872014-06-26T07:00:00.000-07:002014-06-26T07:00:02.835-07:00Travel Day 2<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-reONw6937W0/U6uyynXu6_I/AAAAAAAAB2s/xCP-prEGlhU/s1600/Photo+Jun+24,+9+07+33+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-reONw6937W0/U6uyynXu6_I/AAAAAAAAB2s/xCP-prEGlhU/s1600/Photo+Jun+24,+9+07+33+PM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
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Day two in the Motherland involved some work unfortunately. But after work hours there was time for good food, ok beer, good soccer and fun times. Let's start with the good food. I had the classic German dish that I mentioned in my last post. Giant hunk of pork on a plate with some weird dumpling looking thing that looked/tasted/felt like it was yesterday's pasta smashed together and formed into a ball. The giant hunk of pork was pretty good, and also pretty funny looking. Zee Germans definitely appreciate things in quantity.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ysP7A95lYPI/U6uyyvS7mAI/AAAAAAAAB2o/ZQEdv6paKnE/s1600/Photo+Jun+24,+6+15+58+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ysP7A95lYPI/U6uyyvS7mAI/AAAAAAAAB2o/ZQEdv6paKnE/s1600/Photo+Jun+24,+6+15+58+PM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>In addition to food there were a couple soccer matches to watch, of course accompanied by beers. One we watched in the viewing area set up at the hotel along with some beers before heading out for food. The second game we watched in the university area of town in a large outside drinking area; the type that are scattered all over town. This second game was a little more entertaining simply due to the surroundings, unsurprisingly.</div>
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And that was pretty much the extent of day 2. Not nearly as much interesting things to report, mainly because it was filled with too much work and not enough play, so I am feeling a bit crazy.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-6327241921928452512014-06-25T07:00:00.000-07:002014-06-25T07:00:03.857-07:00Travel Diary Days 0-1<div style="text-align: justify;">
The flight went smoother than anticipated. Eight and a half hours on a plane may not be quite as bad as I remember. I only managed one movie, a bunch of reading, and four plus hours of very interrupted sleep. Upon arrival to my destination, jet lag had yet to set in. I was tired but not terribly so.</div>
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A quick bite to eat at the hotel bar and a mediocre german beer and then back to the room to try and catch an hour or two of sleep before I needed to go back to the bar to watch USA v Portugal. Sleep wasn't that good but but I got a little before the game. The game also wasn't that good. If you didn't watch it, first off, shame on you. Second off, US Defense, can you please for one world cup finally get your $#!% together? You handed Portugal a free goal in less than 10 minutes, then your offense brought you back to life and to the lead before Portugal earned their second goal. It was a fun game to watch at least. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BYT5Qj-yx1U/U6kJsYhpxfI/AAAAAAAAB2A/ofO5BE9dDwo/s1600/Photo+Jun+23,+12+01+10+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BYT5Qj-yx1U/U6kJsYhpxfI/AAAAAAAAB2A/ofO5BE9dDwo/s1600/Photo+Jun+23,+12+01+10+PM.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>The next morning I managed to sleep 'till 10:00, which was good since I didn't get to bed until 2am and hadn't had any real sleep in the past 48hrs; jet lagged mostly kicked. After a quick train ride out to the conference center to do the little amount of set up work required, my cohorts and I headed back to town, dropped stuff off at the hotel then headed toward the downtowny area to see if we could find some good food and drink and a good place to watch Holland beat up on ???. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cO5DXkKnowQ/U6kJsobLbwI/AAAAAAAAB2M/691QQJzksK8/s1600/Photo+Jun+23,+4+53+40+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cO5DXkKnowQ/U6kJsobLbwI/AAAAAAAAB2M/691QQJzksK8/s1600/Photo+Jun+23,+4+53+40+PM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Dinner was where we had our first truly German experience. No trip to Germany is complete until two things happen. One, you drink out of a massive beer mug and get drunk off a single beer. Two, you get a ginormous plate of meat; just meat. So I was happy to seee one of the top options on the menu where we settled to eat. Look at the Reisenhaxe. Haxe is a dish in Germany that is always good for an amusing laugh. It basically means large hunk of meat on the bone. I knew what this was going to be so I passed on it since I wasn't quite ready to bring this trip to complete fruition just yet. We did get to see another person; a man probably 5'10", 160lbs order and consume this spectacle. It was a pork leg nearly the size of my head and I don't know how he put it all down, but zee Germans are made of something impressive I must admit.</div>
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After dinner we hit up a Soccer viewing area near our hotel that looked like a good place to watch the game. And apparently there are a lot of Croatians in the area because this was a Croatian party and I'm not all that certain we were invited. We didn't stay to the end of the game and that may have been for the best since they lost 3-1 to Mexico. I was feeling no need to go rioting through the streets so I was happy about it.<br />
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A good start to the week and more to come I'm sure. I just hope I have enough time to write about the adventures!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-91878860269148027512014-06-19T07:00:00.000-07:002014-06-19T07:00:04.579-07:00Carp Update<br />
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I haven't had nearly as much time as I'd like recently on the weekends to get out on the water. Too much soccer and other activities getting in the way of fish time. And the weather sometimes doesn't help me either.</div>
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But I did manage a couple of outings recently. I haven't had sufficient time to go exploring the Columbia river, and I feel like I require time because I really haven't found great places yet in high water. Instead I've hit up the old reliable Sauvie Island a few times to spook a bunch of carp in the murky still waters. I have had a ton of success at spooking them too.</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K1EgK2KX1L4/U6Hgcg8tsgI/AAAAAAAAB1k/4MoFWwNDe08/s1600/Photo+Jun+07,+1+55+04+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K1EgK2KX1L4/U6Hgcg8tsgI/AAAAAAAAB1k/4MoFWwNDe08/s1600/Photo+Jun+07,+1+55+04+PM.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>I don't know how many fish I've spooked that were sitting down in the muddy water out of sight and within a rods length of me, but the number is high. There has been some success as well, although not as much as I would hope. The island has seemed a bit more tame that the last couple years. It used to be a place where any given day I spent out there I could plan on seeing at least a dozen or two dozen tails dancing around on the surface. This year I've been lucky to see a few, and I have had to work a lot harder to find some fish cruising around. I don't know what's changed.</div>
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Nonetheless, it's been a fun couple of outings. I just hope there are a lot more in the near future. Of course there won't be any in the very near future due to some pending travels, but when I get back it's on. I intend to hit the BigC as hard as possible. Stay tuned for those reports!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-30539677159017120632014-05-20T08:00:00.000-07:002014-05-20T08:00:05.027-07:00NY Travels<div style="text-align: justify;">
Work took me to NY last week. If you remember I was in Denver last weekend, which was my stopover on the way out east. When I left Portland on Friday just over a week ago, we were coming off a week-long rainfest. Or maybe I should say a 7-month long rainfest that is called winter here. But Friday was supposed to be nice, and all through the weekend and into the week was sunshiny and warm. Just in time for me to leave town. Denver was nice until saturday afternoon. Then it was rainy, and a cold front swooped in changing rain to snow. Nonetheless I got in some fishing and had a good time despite the somewhat atypical Denver weather.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g3B2xS9qB2c/U3o6CtZtVfI/AAAAAAAAB0M/2yTUhk9hjxQ/s1600/Photo+May+14,+4+31+10+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g3B2xS9qB2c/U3o6CtZtVfI/AAAAAAAAB0M/2yTUhk9hjxQ/s1600/Photo+May+14,+4+31+10+PM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>On Monday it was off to upstate New York. And what was it like when I arrived? Well, it was of course cloudy, dreary, overcast, gloomy; what other lovely adjectives could I come up with to describe it? At least this time I wasn't planning on doing too much out of doors. It was a sales related visit with a couple drives from one locale to another, not leaving me a ton of time to play. And who really cares if it's raining while you're driving? I did see a couple people standing in a river on one of my drives, and that made me feel a twinge of regret for not bringing any gear.</div>
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Then again a day later, this is what one of the rivers near where I was looked like. Not a great opportunity to catch some east coast fish. Maybe on my next visit.</div>
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Oh, and while I was away from Portland it was super sunny, nice and warm, and all around lovely. I returned on Thursday around midnight. When did the rains start back up? Saturday. At least I got to enjoy looking out the window at work on friday. Actually that's sort of a lie. Most of Saturday was pretty nice too. But that's an inopportune fact for the theme of this post, so ignore it. Sunday was rain, rain, and more rain. With more rain in the forecast for today.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-75380841846603728562014-05-12T07:00:00.000-07:002014-05-12T07:00:00.906-07:00What Happened to Denver?<div style="text-align: justify;">
I weekended in Denver this last weekend before a work trip out to New York this week. And what else is there to do in Denver than fish? Well, certainly lots of stuff but fish are on my brain lately, probably because of the looming summertime that keeps faltering in Portlandia. With fish on the brain I had to think of places to go chase fish around, and those places are aplenty. </div>
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The plan was to hit up some northern pike at the Arsenal Saturday morning, then go in search of some carp in the chemical-smelling Denver South Platte in the afternoon. Sunday was going to be something in and around Boulder, quite possibly my old home waters. Then I looked at the weather. Snow, and possibly quite a lot of it. Excuse me Denver, don't you know that it's May now? And not even early May. It should be 65 degrees, sunny, and just generally awesome. I should want to get out on my bike, not hunkered down in front of a heating vent.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BqQxSr14okM/U3AW6UDhHUI/AAAAAAAABzQ/b7Ym4f_-vH0/s1600/sunup+pic+good.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BqQxSr14okM/U3AW6UDhHUI/AAAAAAAABzQ/b7Ym4f_-vH0/s1600/sunup+pic+good.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>Well, Saturday worked out all right, to start at least. We headed out to the Arsenal at O-dark hundred, paid our $3 and went to find a spot to try and toss flies into the lake over or through the cattails since there is no wading there until the end of the month. The fishing was a little slow, but only because I'm comparing to when you can wade and fish huge portions of the lake in an hour rather than fishing one little narrow section for 45 minutes straight before giving up and moving on. Either that or combat fish from the damn and I have no interest in combat fishing.</div>
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I managed to nearly catch one early, but in a spot where there was virtually no chance of bringing the fish in through 20 feet of cattails and other weeds. Why fish there? Cause it looked like a fishy spot, regardless of the impossibility of landing a fish. A little while later I did manage a fairly tiny pike to at least wipe the skunk off for the day.</div>
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And that pretty much ended the decent weather for the trip. The rains rolled in and ruined our chances for catching carp out of the South Platte, although we still tried. The next day was snowy and cold. And mother's day. Nonetheless a few hours out at the Arsenal and a few more fish occurred to finish off what could have been a bust of a fishing weekend. Instead it ended up being pretty fun since there aren't many fish more enjoyable to fish for and to catch than pike. I don't know what it is about them, but they are a blast. A mix of aggression and elusivity I suppose, along with the intrigue of newness since I have never really fished for them until recently.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-18283445728634522912014-05-05T07:00:00.000-07:002014-05-05T07:00:04.355-07:00Fishing Trips<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9lVsH2dF1cY/U2cDQxH7LfI/AAAAAAAAByU/Wt5Y9YBXPvU/s1600/P3250028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9lVsH2dF1cY/U2cDQxH7LfI/AAAAAAAAByU/Wt5Y9YBXPvU/s1600/P3250028.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Have you been on a fishing trip? Most of you have, but not all, plus I would like to think I have some wisdom to impart to all of you. The ideal fishing trip has a handful of ingredients. These ingredients comprise of beer and whisky first and foremost. Secondly, a good river that has some interesting aspect. This aspect can be a multi day float, huge pigs lurking in the depths, amazing scenery, or zillions of fish. It can be a lot of things as long as those things are important to you.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6el_YMSDuqE/U2b9s4QSsjI/AAAAAAAAByE/xeiAMI-aMp0/s1600/DSC05033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6el_YMSDuqE/U2b9s4QSsjI/AAAAAAAAByE/xeiAMI-aMp0/s1600/DSC05033.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>A third ingredient is people, and this one is probably the most important. It cannot simply be any people. A mix of abilities is important. Fishing trips just aren't the same if you don't have a couple guys who are new. These are the guys who you get to laugh at as they sit on the bank untangling their line half the day. These are also the guys who, after you've laughed at and subsequently feel bad for doing so, you can go help out. You can show them how to untangle or just clip and retie everything back on. It gets that person back in the water to catch fish and makes you feel like a better human after being a jerk earlier. And finally, these are the guys who feel real joy when catching a fish, and that real joy is contagious. You will smile bigger when these guys catch a fish than when you catch your tenth of the day.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nOzs641DGwc/U2cDjVOihbI/AAAAAAAAByc/MfUbVgFJiAo/s1600/Pictures+016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nOzs641DGwc/U2cDjVOihbI/AAAAAAAAByc/MfUbVgFJiAo/s1600/Pictures+016.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>A fourth ingredient will be a point of contention for a lot of people, but for me a trip just isn't the same without it. It is a good campfire dinner of fresh fish and potatoes cooked up just right. The fresh fish part can be difficult because at a lot of locations you can't keep or shouldn't keep fish. But there are a good handful of rivers where a few fish a year can be kept without worrying about the fishery. If you have to go in search of fish on the river, that would be a bad place to keep fish. If there are zillions of fish and not much pressure, by all means keep one to eat. Again, forego this in most instances, but if you can partake on occasion, do so without feeling bad about it. I always feel bad for people who claim to never ever keep a fish. Moderation is key to all things in life.</div>
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A fifth and by no means final ingredient is half-drunken story-telling at night, preferably around a campfire of course. Stories of people falling in the river, stories of the one that got away, stories of people knocking fish off someone else's line with a net, stories of trips of the past, and stories made out of whole cloth. It's an enjoyable and essential way to pass the evening, and if at all possible, get them on tape because they can be very funny to listen to later on.</div>
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My list is not law. It is not limiting. It is simply my playbook for fishing trips. Feel free to follow it or write your own. But be sure to take a fishing trip!</div>
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Take some time and watch a movie of a past instance of my pending fishing trip. It's Monday and no one really does any work on Mondays...</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-13246481103424208042014-05-02T11:20:00.001-07:002014-05-02T11:20:19.634-07:00NerdsSometimes work looks like this and humors me.<br />
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No I'm not a nerd. Well, maybe I am, but I'm not a computer nerd. And when work looks like this it's usually a bad thing and means I'm ready for the weekend. That is the case right now. Too much fighting with buggy software and too many mundane menial tasks this week. On the plus side I'm bailing early today to go play some golf on what appears to be the last day of nice weather for a while. Don't tell the boss! And despite the crappy weather pending for tomorrow I intend to go scare some carp. We'll see if I can manage anything other than scaring them.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-77962469382666651042014-05-01T12:39:00.003-07:002014-05-01T12:39:56.885-07:00Sum Sum SummertimeWell, summer is officially here in Oregon. Except it really isn't. It's really just poking its head through the door to see what's going on and to give us a little relief from the winter rains. This week has been all sunshine and warmer and warmer temps. Here is what my car said on my way out of work yesterday:<br />
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In case you can't read it, that says 84deg. Today is supposed to be even higher, approaching 90! That's a bit much for me, but low 80's was awesome.<br />
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And I'm really hoping to get out on some water this Saturday. Yesterday rains were forecast for Sunday and today they've pushed up to Saturday. Grrrrr. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVT6YQenzPw" target="_blank">Please baby, please baby, please</a>, hold off until Sunday.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-80098962665351309682014-04-28T08:00:00.000-07:002014-04-28T08:00:05.299-07:00An Upgrade Happens<div style="text-align: justify;">
For those of you with better memories than mine, this post title might awaken a few neurons harkening you back to a post I put up a few weeks ago about updating or not updating my old, dirty, cheap fishing vest. But don't worry, I didn't upgrade the vest and I will continue to rock it for as long as it remains useable.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ChQUm_MDsd0/U1dNF995GxI/AAAAAAAABw8/7HZdybN7rrY/s1600/preupgrade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ChQUm_MDsd0/U1dNF995GxI/AAAAAAAABw8/7HZdybN7rrY/s1600/preupgrade.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>What I did upgrade recently is the tying bench. I was running out of bins in my storage case for hooks, beads, and other small items. It held the basic necessities but it's been a very long time since I had only the bare necessities. And so there were things sort of lying everywhere, falling into cracks, dropping into other materials and just creating a mess. More than annoying enough to give me the necessary incentive to get something else and something better.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nMguxVBPXKM/U1dNF5roR1I/AAAAAAAABxA/Q7ouNfqIV0Q/s1600/postupgrade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nMguxVBPXKM/U1dNF5roR1I/AAAAAAAABxA/Q7ouNfqIV0Q/s1600/postupgrade.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Armed with a bunch of Amazon birthday monies thanks to my two wealthy sisters I acquired a new and much larger case. Moving and labeling everything was a bit of a daunting task, so I put it off for a couple weeks, but eventually I got around to it. And now all the hooks I had stuck in little plastic baggies or still in their original packaging lying around everywhere are nicely tucked away into a labeled drawer and organized according to dry/emerger/nymph/streamer and size. It gives the Type A in me butterflies in my stomach.</div>
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But in all seriousness it is quite a treat. I now even have plenty of extra bins to expand to broader hook sizes, more beads and eyes, and other things that I don't even know about.</div>
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Now I just need to do some more tying.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-14232517958872699902014-04-24T06:00:00.000-07:002014-04-24T06:00:11.636-07:00Easter Eggs<div style="text-align: justify;">
Since I don't have kids I decided to go on my own Easter egg hunt on Easter sunday. That and Sauvie Island was newly opened for the year and I enjoy hiking around out there looking for feeding carps. For those not in the know, there are approximately one trillion carp in the wetlands out there, but they can still be surprisingly difficult. With the sheer numbers I would expect to be able to catch at will, but my experience is not quite so rosy. This is certainly in part due to my skill level. But the other part is undeniably the water conditions.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EwtzKbfRe6M/U1fjDm1Gh5I/AAAAAAAABxU/E3_Q11kjHas/s1600/lake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EwtzKbfRe6M/U1fjDm1Gh5I/AAAAAAAABxU/E3_Q11kjHas/s1600/lake.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>It seems most times I head out here the visibility is best measured in millimeters. Either that or the weed beds are solid for 30 feet out into the lakes rendering them mostly unfishable. This time out it was partly poor visibility, but also a new issue...little activity. Typically I'll see a minimum of a dozen tailing fish in a couple hours of fishing, and typically I will manage to spook eleven and a half of those. In addition a bunch of cruising fish can be expected. This time out I saw zero--read it, zero--tailers; unheard of for this place. I did see a couple of wakes from fast cruising fish and a couple of dust clouds after standing motionless in the water for 20 minutes. It's pretty hard to cast effectively at dust clouds, and even harder to know when to set the hook.</div>
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But finally I did see one fish cruising slowly near the surface, headed right for me. I threw a little flick cast to get my flies out past the fish and five feet in front of where she was heading. One quick well-timed strip to pull the flies right into the path, and she stopped dead in her tracks. I admit I expected her to spook and turn away, but instead her head went down and she disappeared for a moment. I could only assume that this was to feed on my bugs, so I waited a moment and set the hook. To my surprise my flies didn't come right up out of the water, but locked solidly onto the fish's mouth!</div>
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On the downside, she was tired or cold cause she pretty much just rolled right over and came in. Fairly small, even for this place, but with a belly about to explode with eggs. Very appropriate for Easter. A quick photo and back she went to contribute to the next generation.</div>
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And that was the last fish I saw other than the crazies jumping up out of the water on occasion. It was nice to get a bit of carp slime on my hands for the first time this year. Hopefully much more to come!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-91736775406779649182014-04-14T07:30:00.000-07:002014-04-14T07:30:03.124-07:00Of Moments to Come<div style="text-align: justify;">
It is still way too far away to get pumped, but I cannot help myself. With my last planned fishing trip now completed, the fabled annual Montana outing is what I have left to look forward to in the near future! And it's not that near unfortunately.</div>
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This happens every year. Usually by talk beginning amongst the inner circle of the trip schedule, of lodging, and of things to nail down, all done way earlier than we need to. Except lodging which is usually done a little later than we should. When this talk begins I often find myself going back through the photo logs of past trips, which are getting pretty deep now. I'm not one to reminisce, but this is one of the few things I do reminisce on annually.</div>
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What is most exciting about this year's outing is that it will be at least a little new. In years past we made the trip either in March or in May; this year it's mid-July, which presents new bugs, new conditions, and who knows how much water. What I most look forward to this year is not encountering 35-45 degrees and overcast like we've had the past few trips. The first few trips were 70's and sunny every day and it was unbelievably nice except for the sunburns. These pictures will give you a good idea of the contrast:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b_vew5hvmZQ/UzzOnMqOVnI/AAAAAAAABvE/Ul7kYpjhzuQ/s1600/MT+fishing+warm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b_vew5hvmZQ/UzzOnMqOVnI/AAAAAAAABvE/Ul7kYpjhzuQ/s1600/MT+fishing+warm.jpg" height="149" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-12ah75HBJDc/U0oJE_mKdFI/AAAAAAAABv4/CyjWK3QonLM/s1600/IMG_4394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-12ah75HBJDc/U0oJE_mKdFI/AAAAAAAABv4/CyjWK3QonLM/s1600/IMG_4394.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jxj_H82OaaM/U0oP_70-i2I/AAAAAAAABwM/y17Uiu50a3Y/s1600/DSCF3969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jxj_H82OaaM/U0oP_70-i2I/AAAAAAAABwM/y17Uiu50a3Y/s1600/DSCF3969.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>But cold or hot it's always a great time. Campfire coffee made from river water in the morning, breakfast burritos for sustenance, then off to fish fish fish all day long from boat and bank. The river's not really one for the advanced angler; it's chock full of big wild and fairly dumb trout. As long as you can get your bugs near one of the 10,000 fish per mile, which aren't too tough to find, you will catch fish. But it's great for a big group of mixed abilities. The intermediate anglers can bring their family and friends who may have never fly fished before and help them catch fish, while looking like experts themselves.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JwB2hANQ6tI/U0oP_84u9eI/AAAAAAAABwI/_6mAlFXJRL0/s1600/DSCF4053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JwB2hANQ6tI/U0oP_84u9eI/AAAAAAAABwI/_6mAlFXJRL0/s1600/DSCF4053.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Most of the fishing is dredging the bottom with nymphs; at least that's the most productive way to catch. Of course there are often some hatches at certain times of the day that lend themselves to the dry fly enthusiast. There's even some trash fish in a few certain locales to sidetrack you after you've been slaying trout for 4 days straight.<br />
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And then there's evening meals around the campfire, with good beer, good whisky, good (or not) cigars, and good (or not) people. The only downside of the trip is that it does have to come to an end, but after 4-8 days of fishing, it's usually ok.<br />
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It's not surprising that I (and others) look forward to this trip so much. I look forward to the next 3 months of waiting. It should be fun.<br />
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But I hope to catch a bunch of big carp in the meantime!!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-30889599133049792702014-04-08T08:00:00.000-07:002014-04-08T08:00:05.081-07:00To Update or Not To Update<div style="text-align: justify;">
That may not be THE question, but it can be A question sometimes. It's been on my mind for a long time now. I'm not talking weeks or months; I'm talking years.</div>
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What is it that I should maybe update? My fishing vest. I've had the same vest for something like seven years now. It is an amazing hand-sewn work of art with wonderfully well put-together pockets and storage spaces, and is made of the finest and most durable materials known to man. No, I'm joking. It's a $35 special from Bass Pro or some other big box store; I can't remember exactly where.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9bRHAF-enCo/Uz4rJSsoZxI/AAAAAAAABvo/5TwlHbll4Ww/s1600/Photo+Apr+03,+8+42+11+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9bRHAF-enCo/Uz4rJSsoZxI/AAAAAAAABvo/5TwlHbll4Ww/s1600/Photo+Apr+03,+8+42+11+PM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>I am fully aware that the cool kids no longer wear vests, but that's not why it's been on my mind. I'm sometimes a bit counter-cultural and shun fads until they are no longer cool. Hence why I have not moved away from the vest to the chest pack. The other reason I haven't updated is because I have a system: I know exactly where in my vest each and every item I require is located. But I can't help occasionally wondering if I should get a new one since what I've got is so old and cheap.</div>
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Newer vests have nicer pockets, waterproof sections, zippers that aren't broken, velcro that still works, and padded neck areas to avoid rubbing your neck raw. This vest, however, has character. It's got seven years of fish goo, sunscreen, dirt, and other nefarious chemical elements soaked into its every nook and cranny. It may have been a piece of garbage when I bought it, but it has become a work of art over time.<br />
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So of course I won't be updating this multi-faceted tool. I will continue to rock this eyesore until something structural irreparably breaks. My apologies to those I meet on the river and even more so to those who get stuck fishing with me. But it's all about enjoying the time on the water, catching some fish, and drinking some beers; it's not about looking good. Luckily for me...<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-73667801077134285302014-03-31T07:30:00.000-07:002014-03-31T07:30:02.544-07:00Fruits and Nuts<br />
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I have to apologize for the lack of updates throughout the week on my beachfront trip. The wireless in our lodgings was frustratingly spotty. It went out every day for hours at a time. Plus there was beach, ocean, and sun calling me. And a hammock.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G7Q3WUZGR2o/UzeOR3wL0sI/AAAAAAAABuU/qpnIbcjaGNc/s1600/Photo+Mar+28,+5+51+20+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G7Q3WUZGR2o/UzeOR3wL0sI/AAAAAAAABuU/qpnIbcjaGNc/s1600/Photo+Mar+28,+5+51+20+PM.jpg" height="165" width="200" /></a>In addition, I was lacking the requisite ammunition for a good posting: photos. Now wait, that's not because I didn't catch anything! Although I admit I didn't catch much. It is because when I pulled my waterproof camera out of my luggage I found it missing a bunch of parts that were rattling around in the bottom of my bag. And of those parts: the ever important power and "take pic" buttons. Somehow a little screw-on cap over these buttons rattled loose and it all fell apart.<br />
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With a little ingenuity, however, I managed to put the buttons and cap back on. I even managed to screw down the teeny tiny Torx head screw with a kitchen knife. But only to discover that the "take pic" button had a bit of a plastic nub break off. And of course that plastic nub was the bit that pressed the electrode down to register a "push." I could turn the camera on and navigate through stuff, but no matter how hard I pushed the button it wouldn't snap a shot. Ugh!</div>
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So I tossed it back in my bag, and considered taking my phone along with me on the boat but decided it wasn't a good idea. Instead I'll insert a few photos that I stole from the internets and pretend as though they are mine.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JqZRoaM8PFo/UzeM-jcz3WI/AAAAAAAABt0/3Jbw0Hp13cM/s1600/bonefishfins.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JqZRoaM8PFo/UzeM-jcz3WI/AAAAAAAABt0/3Jbw0Hp13cM/s1600/bonefishfins.JPG" height="193" width="320" /></a>The result of the trip was a disappointing and somewhat expected 0 fish caught on my own. I really didn't have enough time to give myself a real chance here. I spent about an hour one morning chasing a few bonefish around the flats outside our lodging and that's it. There were a handful tailing in the turtle grass shallows around where we were staying. I spooked them a number of times but never got a bite. The next day was with a guide and the day after was a snorkeling trip too early in the morning to add in fishing. Thus, only one morning of a few casts at a few fish.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6gqTtunLyP4/UzeM-nroqiI/AAAAAAAABt4/R-FR54NBAkg/s1600/bonefish-underwater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6gqTtunLyP4/UzeM-nroqiI/AAAAAAAABt4/R-FR54NBAkg/s1600/bonefish-underwater.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>The guide outing was another story. We saw about one billion fish, but I remain unconvinced that my guide knew what he was doing other than knowing where the fish were. And with me knowing nothing about how to fish for any of these fish, that was an issue. I felt like we were spastically chasing them around the flats constantly rather than making any sort of intelligent approach to a pod of fish. I felt like every time I got a cast to them, they were already aware something was pursuing them and were moving on.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r0pxgJVnpl0/UzeNAiifLVI/AAAAAAAABuE/xc2IrrBm5Ek/s1600/permits2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r0pxgJVnpl0/UzeNAiifLVI/AAAAAAAABuE/xc2IrrBm5Ek/s1600/permits2.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
Nonetheless, I did catch a couple after a few morning hours of chasing. Once the skunk was off I gave the guide permission to take me out to chase around some permit, which I figured I were much less likely to yield a catch but would be fun to try for. And that's where we spent most of the afternoon hours, again chasing fish around until they vacated the area. Doing so seemingly with no real plan other than: Fish there! Fish where? Right there, hurry they're swimming away!! Cast Cast Cast!!!!! Strip Strip Strip!! (to my non-fishing readers, strip basically means reel-in in fly-fishing-speak)</div>
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Of course, I have to admit that I really struggled to double haul an 8wt rod with 9wt line out 40+ feet in 2 back casts or less with 20mph cross or headwinds. So certainly some of the blame of my lack of fish numbers is my own lack of ability and experience. In fact the majority lies there. But I don't tell myself that so I can remain proud of my <strike>in</strike>abilities.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-622829950228372322014-03-21T10:52:00.000-07:002014-03-21T10:52:04.395-07:00Salty Preperation<div style="text-align: justify;">
First off, apologies for the long absence here. Not much fishing has been going on due to travels, skiing, rain and blown out rivers, and other weekend festivities. That of course is about to change or I wouldn't be writing this. You see, I don't write this blog because I always have something to say and because I have a neurotic need to grab other people's attention. I write this to reflect on and look forward to my fishing outings. It's the same reason I read your blogs, vicariously of course!</div>
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And today I find myself with about 5 hours in the Houston airport waiting for my connection. I apparently did a poor job of booking flights, but if memory serves me right my only other option was for an earlier flight in first class. And I don't make enough to afford first class travel, at least not yet. Someday maybe. So here I sit waiting for a flight that is a long way off.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GolRBQddHNQ/UyxnxLJgWOI/AAAAAAAABtU/fKu1mf92EPY/s1600/fishing+flats.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GolRBQddHNQ/UyxnxLJgWOI/AAAAAAAABtU/fKu1mf92EPY/s1600/fishing+flats.jpeg" /></a>I'm off to a saltwater destination, which is something I've never done before. I tied up a few flies in weeks prior and stopped by my local fly shop this week for advice and tying inspiration. I've got a good collection of flies that I will use this one time; I don't expect to lose a ton or to come anywhere near running out, nor do I expect to use these regularly in the future. But I have time to kill and I brought along my vise and a handful of materials. What else can I do? I already donated some time to work on a day off and I can only read for so long before boredom and ADD force me to move on.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ivcnOjW8hkQ/Uyx7O9n-MYI/AAAAAAAABtk/CRtn7oCaYT0/s1600/Photo+Mar+21,+10+21+10+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ivcnOjW8hkQ/Uyx7O9n-MYI/AAAAAAAABtk/CRtn7oCaYT0/s1600/Photo+Mar+21,+10+21+10+AM.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Stay tuned this week for updates in real time. The trip is not 100% fishing, but I plan to get out every day for at least a little while. Some of it will be DIY, one day will be expensive and probably much more fruitful. I very much look forward to it.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-66197217328327246892014-01-28T07:30:00.000-08:002014-01-28T07:30:02.987-08:00Foiled<div style="text-align: justify;">
This marks the second, or maybe third year in a row; I can't really remember anymore. F3T has screwed me again. I love you F3T! You are highlight of my entire year! I sit in the dark of my room the other 364 days a year waiting for you to come back. Why do you keep avoiding me like this??</div>
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Well, maybe I'm not that extreme, but I do love the show. It's a great mid-winter reminder of how refreshing summer fishing can be, and for some of us it's a nice reminder of how refreshing fishing in general is.</div>
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But with that said, I will sadly be out of town yet again for the Portland showing of the Film tour. I don't think I'm quite devoted enough to drive down to Corvallis for the show the following weekend....but I might be.</div>
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Everyone else out there should watch the schedule and plan on attending. It's a lot of fun, everyone attending is generally happy and excited, and free gear is given away. You can't beat free gear.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flyfilmtour.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WrGgxQ5kvWs/UuajHB-qpXI/AAAAAAAABsk/x5ZrWHANQ2A/s1600/logo-text.png" height="128" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flyfilmtour.com/" target="_blank">http://www.flyfilmtour.com/</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-33008624973387850252013-12-23T12:19:00.002-08:002013-12-23T12:19:52.288-08:00Ode to Plebians and Peons<div style="text-align: justify;">
Once a year every year for the past three years I have been gifted a wonderful early Christmas gift. This is indirectly and graciously given to me by all the peasants on their holiday journeys to visit friends and family. I too am about to be on such a journey. I take plenty of trips every year, and never ever get seat upgrades. The reason is that I am just about the very bottom of the bottom of the barrel of fliers with airline status. Each year I attain just a few miles over the minimum for status and thus am among the dregs who are qualified for upgrades (but never actually get them).</div>
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But this time of year when the airport gates are packed to the brim and people are packed like sardines into the ballistic aluminum cylinders, the ratio of important people to the rabble decreases. And it decreases sufficiently for an important person like myself to achieve that much vaunted upgrade to first class.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M7X9dA6vH_Q/UriAYUO6KgI/AAAAAAAABsQ/QOe69veAGx4/s1600/plebian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="115" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M7X9dA6vH_Q/UriAYUO6KgI/AAAAAAAABsQ/QOe69veAGx4/s400/plebian.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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But at this point I have to say, I really don't think first class is all that. It's certainly not worth the money. Sure you have a little more space. Sure you get free drinks. Sure you don't have to wait for the bathroom. But big deal. Of course this is coming from someone who's 5'7" and 140lbs soaking wet. I fit quite nicely into the tiny airline living spaces provided in coach. Of course it's nice to get to hobnob with the elites of society once a year and pretend that I am actually someone; when it's free.</div>
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And here I come huge aluminum cylinder filled with recycled air. Be good to me.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015990618669670353.post-72461465794369291102013-12-13T07:00:00.000-08:002013-12-13T07:00:09.511-08:00Personal Stimulation<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have a new ride that I'm struggling to get a handle on. Big cars are a bit unwieldy and not very responsive so I feel weird driving it. This is what it looks like:</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ldceCnSYx80/UqovsfL3vMI/AAAAAAAABro/APUxFm498SI/s1600/Photo+Dec+12,+1+49+29+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ldceCnSYx80/UqovsfL3vMI/AAAAAAAABro/APUxFm498SI/s320/Photo+Dec+12,+1+49+29+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's what my old car looked like:</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-axTlSzJxG0g/UqoxC_rTg3I/AAAAAAAABr4/zV3oubg2mNQ/s1600/Sacramento_Lamborghini_Gallardo_Exterior_Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-axTlSzJxG0g/UqoxC_rTg3I/AAAAAAAABr4/zV3oubg2mNQ/s320/Sacramento_Lamborghini_Gallardo_Exterior_Image.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Just kidding, it looks like an old, dirty version of this, except VR6 rather than TDI and a broken antenna:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-knL0UqtsP4Q/UqoxC9N197I/AAAAAAAABr0/0BOPAyE9EPo/s1600/2002_volkswagen_jetta_sedan_gls-tdi_rq_oem_1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-knL0UqtsP4Q/UqoxC9N197I/AAAAAAAABr0/0BOPAyE9EPo/s320/2002_volkswagen_jetta_sedan_gls-tdi_rq_oem_1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And everyone who knows me well is instantly curious why I would now have this boat of a car. I've been planning a car purchase for quite a while now, and here I am driving around something that is the last car I would add to my list of consideration.</div>
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So why the land yacht? Well, on my drive home last night I noticed the temperature gauge in my car creeping up beyond the its position halfway up the dial. And by the time I got home it was in the red and steam was beginning to billow out of the engine. Fortunately it at least waited until I was home to blow up on me. This morning I located the nearest autoshop, drove it over, and luckily arrived just about the time Mr Jetta was about to overheat again. </div>
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Being unsure what the prognosis would be and thinking it might cost nearly as much as the car's worth and adding in the fact that I am planning to buy a new car very very soon, I figured I'd rent a car for today and maybe through the weekend for some shopping. A quick call to the enterprise just down the street provided me with a positive response and they drove over to pick me up... in the land yacht pictured above. </div>
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Apparently the prolonged sub-zero temps we've been suffering through lately has put a lot of people in the situation I find myself in, and this was the only car they had left so I got it at a bargain basement price. </div>
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I also found myself in a similar situation earlier this week. I had a plumber out to do some work that I've been putting off for quite some time. In chatting with him it turns out that they're also incredibly busy repairing all sorts of busted and frozen pipes. </div>
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There are a ton of depressing ways to look at our current cold snap, mostly involving personal discomfort. But apparently the tiny silver lining to this massive thunderhead of doom is a forced economic stimulus. Plenty of people are being forced to shell out extra unplanned cash for bare necessities they (I) took for granted. You're welcome economy. I'm glad to have participated in your stimulation.</div>
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Now can I get my money back through massive economic growth next year and a gargantuan raise, please? Tit for tat, you know.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09384276404234323940noreply@blogger.com1