A sad truth lies hidden between the columns of the typical USOB ledger*… The system is rigged, and – as a responsible, gainfully employed, parent and spouse with obligations and expectations – not in your favor. Thrift and a disciplined deposit schedule are, as we’ve discussed, fundamental aspects of any successful USOB wealth building, Read More

The house is spotless. We’ve hardly been home. The pickup is a disaster, so is the boat bag. Clothes shoved into the corners, smelling of bug spray. Plastic bags, food wrappers, and empty soda bottles litter the floor mats. The girls went back East to visit family and my son and I are flying, Read More

Recently I was on the phone with my brother. He told me he had been reading the blog and enjoying it. Pleasantly surprised I asked if he had any feedback. He said something to the effect of “You know that living in New Jersey I don’t get to hunt and fish much these days,, Read More

Native fish are cool, that’s just my opinion. There is simply something to be said for a fish that is living in the place it evolved. Maybe there are better reasons but that’s what it always comes down to for me. Don’t get me wrong here, I spend more time fishing for rainbows and, Read More

The rise was visible down the bank, just into the shade under a russian olive. My two year old was hanging onto my leg and my wife was on the sticks. Our daughter was crouched on the cooler next to me. It was the first time our entire family had been in a drift, Read More

PMD’s and Yellow Sally’s were coming off. We were fishing to pods of risers. It was the first true dry fly hatch I had fished this year and it took some adjusting to. Having fished streamers with 2x all winter, punctuated by working on my strip set for a trip to the salt, my, Read More

The rainbow, who’s situation simply deprived him being able to go to the ocean, gave me his best in honor of his sea run brothers.

I learn something every time I go fishing. Yet with every lesson I realize that the boundaries of my ignorance are farther away than ever. Usually this “progress” comes in bight sized chunks that, like parenting, are great for maintaining humility. It’s a puzzle here  (jab),  a challenge there (jab, cross) and maybe even, Read More

All day I had been swinging my fly through some of the best steelhead water on the planet, but I hadn’t connected with a fish. The Dean had been kind to me over the past few days and I was utterly spoiled on what was my first steelhead trip. Still, I was addicted to, Read More

Mark reaches under his pillow and pulls back the hammer of his pistol. My eyes are heavy as I’m about to drift off to sleep. I barely hear the pickup rolling into camp. More shocked by the pistol than the pickup, I urge Mark to put away the gun. Throwing on a shirt I get, Read More