Bad luck, lack of skill, karma, it’s hard to say. What seems certain is that I’ve far exceeded my quota of broken rods for the year. Maybe it’s because I went several years without breaking one. But five, and it is still September, that seems excessive. Other than the end result there doesn’t seem, Read More
“Hey Dada look, a exoskeleton!” said my four year old, thigh deep in the river, pointing to a stonefly husk on a midstream boulder. “Seriously?” I asked, incredulous. “Of course, it’s from the molting, cause see,” he continued quite conversationally. “Did you actually just drop exoskeleton… and molting in casual conversation? Who’s kid are, Read More
I’d been hearing it for weeks. Hushed reports from friends that it was happening. The talk became so pervasive it was clear it wasn’t a secret any more. The buzz was becoming unbearable. No matter how hard I tried the stars were not aligning. I wasn’t able to get in on the action. There are many, Read More
Spray from the river and your jacket collar take turns slapping you in the face. Wind pushes waves upstream. After driving a couple of hours and dumping the boat in the river the options are limited. Keep pushing. Spring is fickle. Calm bluebird days are interspersed with harsh winds, snow storms, hail, graupel, and nearly every, Read More
Imagine if you will the year’s first ripe watermelon. You’ve been getting up each morning, munching some world traveling supermarket fruit with your eggs and coffee, and stepping out the front door to face the day, more or less satisfied with your circumstances. Then one bright afternoon you spot a sun-weathered old man selling fruit from the, Read More
Mom is gone on a long work trip. The pizza boxes are beginning to stack up. The truck floor is littered with string cheese wrappers and doughnut crumbs. Fueled by enthusiasm, and sugar, the kids and I have been getting after it for over a week. We have had a ton of fun, but I’ll, Read More
I heard Steven set the hook from thirty yards downstream. “Fish on?” I asked over my shoulder, unwilling to abandon my own drift just yet. “Uh, you could say that,” grunted Steven in reply. It was the year’s first post-work outing. With the equinox behind us and daylight savings time tacking an extra hour, Read More
We’ve known each other for years. In the days when I spent more time with a belay device in my hand than a fly rod, we climbed together often. But geography and time pulled us apart. So I was thrilled when Toby called and said he wanted to come visit. It was an opportunity, Read More
The sun peeks over the canyon rim, providing light for a few short hours. In the cold and dark hardly anyone visits. But the trout are still there.