Bait Fish (n) – An individual animal from any of the numerous small coastal ichthyological species (typically of the taxonomical class Osteichthyes) which when netted early (often on the first furtive stab) of a lengthy expedition induces in its captor a certain wide-eyed wonder, chest puffing strut, and incessant retelling of conquest. The name is believed, Read More
“Dada, Dada I got a big, BIG one! Look!” “Sweet. Don’t lose him.” “The red breasted robin wants to eat him, but I won’t let him cause it’s mine and the trout’s gonna eat him when we CATCH it and he must be real yummy cause everyone wants to eat him cause see Dada?”, Read More
He hung in there for six hours. Fueled by gummy worms, twizzlers, and blue gatorade, he flogged the water with a thrift store rod and an indicator. Taking occasional pause to point out a seagull, cow, or family of geese, his focus was unwavering. For the first time all year sun screen was more, Read More
I love to hunt and fish more than most. It’s an urge I can hardlyresist, and I pursue it with reckless abandon. But not all of my mostenjoyable moments happen on the river or in the mountains.Recently, I coached my daughter’s first soccer game. My dad, whocoached my first game nearly thirty years ago,, Read More
“Alright Bud, pick a winner,” I said. Despite George Daniel’s best efforts, I often shoot from the hip when selecting nymphs. I have a handful of go-tos for each of my home waters, but once they’re exhausted, so too are my ideas. Sure, I roll rocks and I reason backwards from recent hatches, but, Read More
“Dada Dada there’s um… there’s um… you have a dragonfly on you!” announced my four year old as though I’d won the lottery. “Coooooool,” I said, humoring him but not bothering to look. I know better than to take my eyes off a half-tied blood knot. “Yep, on your special wader pants that give, Read More
Two thousand miles of heartland are between us. I’ve always been bad at staying in touch, the same isn’t true of my brother. Eleven weeks ago, the playing field was leveled when I became an uncle. Within the first ten weeks my brother has gone solo for several days with the little guy, been on a road trip, Read More
Blonde hair juts out like straw from underneath a truckers hat. The hat is pulled down tight and underneath a pair of eyes peer intently at the water from behind a pair of dark rimmed glasses. “Hit it” comes a voice from the rower’s seat, as the rod simultaneously thrust towards the sky coming tight, Read More
What I see through the spotting scope: Tack sharp definition Vivid, true to life colors Full-pop contrast Edge-to-edge clarity Unbelievable light collection What he sees: “Dada, Dada he’s… he’s looking right at me… with gold eyes” “Look it, he has some furry on his um… some fur in his beak cause…um… cause he hunts, Read More
In the spring of 1990 an intruder tried to kill our family. Well, not our family exactly, but the pair of phoebes who nested under our second-story deck each year, and their family – two shell-bound chicks. We’d watched these little grey fly-catchers for three consecutive springs, our faces pressed so close to the deck slats above, Read More