Singlebarbed (Free subscription) | 11/25/2009
While the rest of you are droning on about weights and tapers, modulus and action, I’ll be downstream …. … just me and my Blue Water Barbie. Via John Merwin and his Honest Angler blog, comes an eye opening video of a fellow catching a 100 pound blue shark on bright pink Barbie rod, complete with closed [...]
Singlebarbed (Free subscription) | 11/24/2009
Despite two years of closure the count of returning salmon at the Coleman National Fish Hatchery is down 60% compared to last year. Scott Hamelberg, the hatchery’s manager, said Thursday that only 8,000 Chinook salmon have returned to the Battle Creek hatchery so far this year, down from 14,000 the year before, one of the [...]
Singlebarbed (Free subscription) | 11/23/2009
As we mentioned in Parts 1 & 2, the measure of true fly beauty is held by fish not humans. Unfortunately with you averaging 9 days afield your flies are viewed most by people, and suffering their continual criticisms can make a fly tyer resign himself to please both anglers and quarry. … and in the doing, [...]
Singlebarbed (Free subscription) | 11/21/2009
If you’ve ever wondered about the inner workings of the genetic hackle business – how years of careful selection and good genes yields those yard-long saddle hackles and expensive rooster necks – you won’t find any of that here… Instead, we’ll show you how those lengthy saddles are harvested, and how trained specialists size and select [...]
Singlebarbed (Free subscription) | 11/20/2009
It’s one of those questions that has plagued me for the last couple of years, what happens to fish subjected to the annual torrent of runoff and massive amounts of debris dislodged from upstream. The small creeks in my area are scoured badly every year, growing to over a thousand times their normal size in [...]
Singlebarbed (Free subscription) | 11/19/2009
Science has upset matchmaking theory and suggested the perfect mate for a fisherman is a female Smallmouth Bass. Sexual selection theory asserts that a female should choose to mate with a male that offers a benefit to her or her offspring. If the benefit is genetic, females should be drawn to indicators that a male might pass [...]
Singlebarbed (Free subscription) | 11/19/2009
Cameron Mortenson of The Fiberglass Manifesto recently gave away a set of the Precious, for any stalwart willing to tie midges. A worthy contest, liable to bring the worst of a fellow’s character to the fore – what with inhaled fly hooks, gossamer tufts of unmentionables, and everything requiring a microscope to see the craftsmanship. … [...]
Singlebarbed (Free subscription) | 11/18/2009
If you’re as uncomfortable with the building storm of Xmas advertisement, cognizant that the undeniable forces of consumerism lack the courtesy of waiting for Thanksgiving, you’re not alone. The only difference between this year and last is all the stock market pundits poised to declare the recession is here here over based on the retail reports [...]
Singlebarbed (Free subscription) | 11/16/2009
The second issue of “Fish Can’t Read” debuted yesterday, and the boys at Dry Fly Media have really done a bang up job. Lot’s of diverse content, photo essays, and meat … from numerous continents and a variety of gamefish. … and yes, I added my two cents. This month’s column, “Three Flies Short” is [...]
Singlebarbed (Free subscription) | 11/16/2009
I don’t expect Science will ease a fly tier’s burden anytime soon. Even if they manage to add the vocal gene into a Salmonid and trundle the tank up to the podium … while all us fishermen crane forward waiting to hear what fish really like – it’s liable to eyeball a flybox and croak, [...]
Singlebarbed (Free subscription) | 11/14/2009
You saw it, you loved it, and now you can drive the wimmenfolk batty with the original DVD, or merely the soundtrack – or both. Rivers of a Lost Coast has been released on DVD, available for $29.95 from the folks at Skinny Fist Productions. It’s just in time to wreak havoc on the entire Thanks-Christmas [...]
Singlebarbed (Free subscription) | 11/13/2009
Seeing a new wrinkle in any of our traditional regalia has always piqued my interest. Cameron Mortenson at the Fiberglass Manifesto sent me a little tidbit figuring it would whet the creative juices. The idea of a $100 fly tying bobbin would have had us gagging a couple of years ago, but once fly rods broke [...]
Singlebarbed (Free subscription) | 11/12/2009
It’s one of many angling axioms, how the outdoors-fishing ritual guarantees some unnatural food tucked away in a vest, or cooler, and daylighted with great trepidation knowing the catcalls and scorn that will greet luxury items from those roughing it. A couple days worth of whiskers and yesterday’s underwear is about as close to Jim Bridger [...]
Singlebarbed (Free subscription) | 11/11/2009
While the California legislature and the Governator play the superlatives game; beaming smiles and back pats – sheathing their weapons temporarily while gushing meaningless platitudes about how hard it was to come to consensus, requiring real cleverness to disguise their pet projects and ritual looting of the state’s treasury… … the opposition has had time to [...]
Singlebarbed (Free subscription) | 11/10/2009
My streak of 33 years without being called to Jury Duty, is over. I’ve received sage council from the folks at work; mention how I can spot a guilty fellow a mile away, it being an innate skill … Carry a copy of “Mein Kampf” under my elbow, and mumble a lot to no one [...]
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