tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44714865074756719792021-12-01T08:00:08.740-07:00In the Back Eddyqdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.comBlogger212125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-71440537966074067012011-06-12T17:34:00.034-06:002011-06-12T21:28:28.650-06:00Last Post Here<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Okay, no sentimentality because no one died, not even this blog. From this point forward I'll be joining the guys over at <a href="http://www.chiwulff.com/">Chi Wulff</a>. There are several reasons for this, but the primary one is that I can't really do this blogging thing justice by myself.<br /><br />In my opinion, a good blog requires requires a certain amount of both quantity and quality. Its best if you can do one of the two really well--and the best blogs do both really well. But even a two bit blog like mine should offer a minimum level of competency in both categories, and I don't think I can do that, except in the occasional short burst.<br /><br />So rather than quit altogether, I managed to talk the guys over at Chi Wulff into giving me a platform. I'll probably be posting over there on Fridays, but that may change. I'll try to offer up the same long-winded, noodle-shaped essays over there that you've gotten used to over here along with the occasional slide show or photo post.<br /><br />I hope you'll follow me over to the new place, I'll probably post over here when the first post there drops, but you can also add Chi Wulff to your RSS reader if you haven't got them in there already.<br /><br />See you on the other side.</div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-33857035942562388892011-06-07T08:33:00.001-06:002011-06-07T08:33:22.808-06:00If you only cast once, make it count<div><p><a href="http://northcountryangler.blogspot.com/2011/06/single-cast.html">A single cast.</a><br></p></div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-40959952939724331782011-06-04T19:59:00.000-06:002011-06-04T19:59:28.224-06:00The Road Not Taken<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Not sure if this was the road old <a href="http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-road-not-taken/">Bob Frost took</a>, but I imagine it looked similar. First decent landscape shot I have taken in awhile.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UvRqIUe_g9s/TerdF-NoUaI/AAAAAAAABPo/9MhfA5-sacQ/s1600/IMG_7145-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="378" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UvRqIUe_g9s/TerdF-NoUaI/AAAAAAAABPo/9MhfA5-sacQ/s640/IMG_7145-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com//photos/40285480@N06/sets/72157626761911379/show/">Full screen version</a>.</div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-60517682204288648972011-06-02T13:22:00.001-06:002011-06-02T13:22:03.805-06:00Beautiful moving pictures<div><p>Perhaps this will make your heart race for the weekend. </p><p><a href="http://www.thisisflydaily.com/archives/1285">BEATTIE OUTDOOR PRODUCTIONS FLY FISHING DEMO REEL</a></p><p>Ht:<a href="http://thisisflydaily.com"> this is fly</a><br></p></div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-69357941511324372512011-06-01T00:06:00.000-06:002011-06-01T00:06:25.426-06:00Anybody got $13.9 million lying around?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://www.prweb.com/releases/Colorado_ranch_for_sale/Steamboat_ranch/prweb8508486.htm">Check under the couch cushions. Oh and in the ashtray in your car, sometimes change piles up there. </a></div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-71478813348046924732011-05-30T23:38:00.001-06:002011-05-30T23:38:52.887-06:00Hopper Juan Helping Out the New Guy<div><p><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheHopperJuan/~3/6IaiOH7Wt0s/we-all-started-somewhere.html">Are you a new Fly Tyer?</a><br></p></div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-22602717163338530362011-05-29T10:39:00.001-06:002011-05-29T10:39:44.547-06:00Great title. Great album. Great price.<div><p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Everybody-Knows-This-Is-Nowhere/dp/B002B447U2/ref=amb_link_356446282_3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=browse&pf_rd_r=1V7MXMBWREMWF509RY2V&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1299556222&pf_rd_i=163856011">Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere</a>.<br></p></div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-82285698151510137562011-05-28T09:57:00.000-06:002011-05-28T09:57:20.290-06:00Days Like These<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">“We plan our free time like a day at the office; a weekend spent at home is one in which we can “get a few things done.” We no longer simply wish to enjoy our leisure, we wish to be successful at it.”</span></span></i></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></i><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>--Ted Leeson – <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Inventing-Montana-Dispatches-Madison-Valley/dp/1602397961?ie=UTF8&tag=inthbaed-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Inventing Montana</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inthbaed-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1602397961" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span></span></span></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I think I have written about this before, although I can’t remember exactly where or when right now, mostly because I am exhausted. No one likes to read (or hear) people complain about being tired, so I will try to make that the last such mention of my tiredness. I only bring it up because my mind has been thinking about the old time vs. money paradox that I often think about in life.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I am firmly of the opinion that, assuming I can make enough money to live, time is a more valuable resource than cash. Unfortunately, it seems like everyone else thinks my time is a nice resource also. And through my own ineptitude I end up spending oodles of time on things that are not fly fishing. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Its not that I dislike the things I am doing. I started teaching an English course at a local university. I am doing it for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that I want to make some extra money and teaching classes pays better than writing fly fishing articles about my favorite rivers. It also pays better than writing noodle-shaped essays on this blog, which is one of the reasons things have been slow here lately. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">But that is not the only reason I am teaching. Frankly, there was a time in my life my when college professor sounded like it might be the coolest job on the planet. And I still think it ranks up there. I never had the stomach for academia that it would take to get a Ph.D. from a top school, but I have enjoyed my on-again, off-again relationship with college that is currently on with this strange role reversal that has me at the front of the class rather than the back. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">And even more strangely, I am enjoying it more from the front of the room. It is challenging and thought-provoking and completely different from my day job. It is also a lot of work. I am hoping that part of the reason is that this is my first semester—mostly because I am signed up to do this for at least another year. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The end result of this new venture, coupled with the ongoing craziness that is the rest of my life, means I have very little free time, and what I do have tends to get spent in ways that remind me too much of the Leeson quote above.* There is a lawn to be mowed, a garden to plant, things to spring clean and fix. Most importantly there are two kids who expect their dad to do his job. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">*By the way, I read and loved </i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Inventing-Montana-Dispatches-Madison-Valley/dp/1602397961?ie=UTF8&tag=inthbaed-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Inventing Montana</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inthbaed-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1602397961" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">. Fantastic book. Love the idea of each of us inventing the places we inhabit. Very cool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Last weekend I snuck off and went fishing for the first time in a month. It wasn’t an epic trip. I spent six or seven hours on a lake landed a total of three fish. But it was nice to not feel rushed or counted on. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I am reminded of the John Gierach quote: “Life is short, and responsibility is overrated.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is generally our responsibilities to other people that eat up our time. I don’t know a magic trick that somehow fixes all this. I am in far too deep to junk it all and become a trout bum, and that is not what I want anyway. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I just want enough of those days on the water to keep going. Days spent locked in and responsible only to myself and the next cast. Hoping to drop the fly in that little bucket two currents over where I can imagine a trout might rise. If I can get enough of those kind of days, I’ll be okay. </span><o:p></o:p></div></div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-44051665219563580292011-05-27T10:22:00.001-06:002011-05-27T10:22:20.419-06:00Who likes pancakes?<div><p><a href="http://www.henrysfork.org/node/167">Henry's Fork Day XXVII</a><br></p></div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-33786609058992462192011-05-24T08:25:00.001-06:002011-05-24T08:25:56.815-06:00For those of us trapped at work<div><p>This is a nice diversion and a way to set your mind on the run for the day. </p><p><a href="http://joshuabergan.blogspot.com/2011/05/god-willing-and-creek-dont-rise.html">God willing and the creek don't rise</a><br></p></div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-22531524223539571482011-05-18T11:08:00.001-06:002011-05-18T11:08:18.559-06:00For all my old pals in and from the beehive state<div><p><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChiWulff/~3/AQBHTVdwjwY/">The Provo on a GoPro</a><br></p></div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-28756587197970212112011-05-18T08:30:00.001-06:002011-05-18T08:30:02.321-06:00In case you forgot, part two<div><p><a href="http://www.flyrodreel.com/blogs/tedwilliams/2011/may/losing-america-fishery">The Big Issue: Losing America’s Last Great Wild Fishery</a><br></p></div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-5432224166509532292011-05-15T19:06:00.001-06:002011-05-15T19:07:05.119-06:00"High water rising, six inches 'bove my head..."<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I haven't fished in a month. Its painful--like a dull, throbbing ache--but I am managing. I hope to get out this coming Friday. Of course while I have been tied up the rivers have been rising. Bob Dylan nuts like myself have had <a href="http://www.amazon.com/High-Water-For-Charley-Patton/dp/B0028GDJ0M?ie=UTF8&tag=inthbaed-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">one song</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inthbaed-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0028GDJ0M" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> going through our heads.*<br /><br /><i>*<a href="http://www1.rollingstone.com/dylan/">Happy 70th, Bob</a>.</i><br /><br />Such circumstance drive an angler to seek out those those mysterious, flat ovals of confusion known as still waters. I find myself <a href="http://inthebackeddy.blogspot.com/2010/11/in-praise-of-stillwaters.html">loving still water fishing when it is good</a>, but when it is slow I find it intensely boring. All the paddling and fruitless casts, the wind, the feeling of helplessness once I have exhausted my meager bag of still water tricks. It can be difficult to face. At least in a river I can imagine there is a stretch of river around the corner where trout are rising. The flat nothingness of a lake all too often exposes me for the fraud I am. And there is nowhere to hide.<br /><br />But I have summoned the courage to get the pontoon boat inflated and ready to go in the garage, waiting to be launched on this year's first real lake trip. I haven't decided which water will have the pleasure of making me feel like a fool, but I am sure I'll pick the right one in that regard.<br /><br />Josh Bergen <a href="http://joshuabergan.blogspot.com/2011/05/runoff-ice-off.html">over at Troutbugs</a> had a similar thought, although it appears he caught some fish. If you're not fishing lakes right now, your best bet is the fly tying desk, I suppose. Tie some to catch some. Or maybe you are flying the bird of injustice the face of all this high water, like <a href="http://yukongoesfishing.blogspot.com/2011/05/twenty-five-inches-of-you-high-water.html">Ivan at YGF</a>. Either way, good luck. </div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-74167651178456133022011-05-11T11:01:00.001-06:002011-05-11T11:01:10.226-06:00Get it while its hot<div><p><a href="http://riseforms.com/">Rise Forms</a> issue 2 is out. <br></p></div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-5310439561630560212011-05-09T18:56:00.001-06:002011-05-09T18:56:54.356-06:00This Looks Kinda Cool<div><p><a href="http://www.flyrodreel.com/blogs/tedwilliams/2011/may/native-trout-adventures-debuts"> ‘TRCP’s Native Trout Adventures’ Debuts Today </a><br></p></div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-12617980343221770222011-05-08T19:32:00.000-06:002011-05-08T19:32:10.783-06:00One Eighty<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">When I first moved to Idaho, the whole region was in the midst of a drought. Springs were dry and summers were drier. The earth toasted a crusty brown in a surprising number of places. Those first few years the snow melted early and they closed the Big Hole to fishing because the water temps got too high. It was global warming or it wasn't. God was mad or he wasn't. The answers changed depending on who you talked to. Occasionally someone said something like this: weather is cyclical.<br /><br />I don't know if that is true. I don't know if weather is cyclical. But I do know that we are in the midst of a good run when it comes to snowpack and wet springs. Some say its global warming. Some say it isn't. It still depends on who you talk to. Either way no one is worried about not having enough water this year. Mostly folks <a href="http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_019af737-7c64-5e33-a749-e89d558fc295.html">are worried about having too much</a>.* Its a stark difference from 10 years ago.<br /><br />*h/t: <a href="http://montanaflyfishingguides.com/blog/">Montana Fly Fishing Guides</a> <br /><br />Its funny how our first experience creates a baseline for us, no matter how far from "average" that experience might be. I remember those first few years I thought the lower Henry's Fork fished best in early June. Only now do I realize that in an average year the feeder streams often color up the river those first few weeks in June. Last year my best fishing on the river came in July. Some part of me that refuses to believe time moves on when I am not present wants to tell me that these last few years are the outliers. But the cold hard light of statistics reveal that my baseline was skewed.<br /><br />Oh well. I suppose that kind of thing happens all the time. </div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-6458676181608283612011-05-07T14:17:00.001-06:002011-05-07T14:17:26.575-06:00In Case You Forgot<div><p><a href="http://bigskyanglers.com/fishing_report/2011/05/07/2-weeks/">2 Weeks</a><br></p></div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-22361963108949477702011-05-05T00:00:00.000-06:002011-05-05T00:00:03.598-06:00Stunned Silence<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://troutunderground.com/2011/05/03/a-montana-fly-shop-reducing-guide-trips-by-20-to-prevent-overcrowding/">I am speechless with admiration in reaction to this news</a>. If I am ever in Missoula (and I better be at some point, right?) I know where I am <a href="http://www.kingfisherflyshop.com/">shopping for flies</a>. </div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-12121589200814322732011-05-03T23:54:00.000-06:002011-05-03T23:54:00.896-06:00Eddy Music: The Fifteen Hundred<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Alright, this is really non-fly fishing related, so let me apologize up front for that. But Amazon has fifteen hundred albums on sale for five bucks each. Fifteen hundred albums! (Say it in your best Doc Brown voice, its fun.)<br /><br />Anyway, seems like a good opportunity to pick up some new music. So without further ado, here are some five dollar recommendations from yours truly...<br /><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Unplugged/dp/B002B43ZL4?ie=UTF8&tag=inthbaed-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Neil Young - Unplugged</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inthbaed-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002B43ZL4" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inthbaed-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002B43ZL4" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Zuma/dp/B001W2D6N8?ie=UTF8&tag=inthbaed-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Zuma</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inthbaed-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001W2D6N8" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (Unplugged has a fantastic version of Like a Hurricane where Neil plays pump organ)</li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wreck-Your-Life/dp/B000UPT89O?ie=UTF8&tag=inthbaed-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Old 97's - Wreck Your Life</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inthbaed-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000UPT89O" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (contains perhaps my favorite Old 97s song: Dressing Room Walls)</li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Stage-Names/dp/B000X71IIS?ie=UTF8&tag=inthbaed-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Okkervil River - The Stage Names</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inthbaed-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000X71IIS" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (just a fantastic album)</li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Suburbs/dp/B003X73QA8?ie=UTF8&tag=inthbaed-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Arcade Fire - The Suburbs</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inthbaed-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003X73QA8" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (still getting to know this one, but liking it so far)</li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Weezer/dp/B000W21ER4?ie=UTF8&tag=inthbaed-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Weezer - The Blue Album</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inthbaed-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000W21ER4" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (I know thats not its real title, just calm down)</li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Violent-Femmes/dp/B001UV8RIA?ie=UTF8&tag=inthbaed-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inthbaed-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001UV8RIA" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> ("why can't I get just one kiss...")</li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pauls-Boutique-Explicit/dp/B000SX6INM?ie=UTF8&tag=inthbaed-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inthbaed-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000SX6INM" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (it used to be underrated, now I'd say its rated properly)</li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Live-Santa-Monica-digital-booklet/dp/B001BY15RQ?ie=UTF8&tag=inthbaed-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">David Bowie - Live in Santa Monica '72</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inthbaed-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001BY15RQ" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (what can I say, I am a sucker for live albums)</li></ul><div>So thats the list from me. I am sure there are more good ones. If you have some recommendations of your own, drop them in the comments. Just make sure they are really on sale for $5. I don't think I can handle too much dissapointment. </div></div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-10568005584936981732011-05-02T14:14:00.001-06:002011-05-02T14:14:11.881-06:00Emotion of the Day: Envy<div><p><a href="http://chiwulff.com/2011/05/02/now-this-should-be-interesting-the-drive/">Now This Should Be Interesting: The Drive</a><br></p></div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-18582815543649671632011-04-24T20:03:00.000-06:002011-04-24T20:03:56.129-06:00Never Too Old For the Pain of Youth<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">When I was a kid I had a lot of heroes. At least it feels like a lot now, as I look back. I was (still am) a massive Raiders fan. And as such I worshiped Mr. Marcus Allen and Mr. Bo Jackson, among a half dozen other players who wore the silver and black, most of whom are silver-haired now. On the baseball diamond it was Mike Schmidt, then Lenny Dykstra. On the basketball court it was Dr. J, then Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars.<br /><br />Strangely, or maybe not so strangely, I even had fly fishing heroes. I learned to tie from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dennis-Western-Trout-Tying-Manual/dp/0999003801?ie=UTF8&tag=inthbaed-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">the books of Jack Dennis</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inthbaed-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0999003801" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />. And I imagined (and still do) that he could catch fish anywhere. He was like a folksy Greek God of the Fly. And he had friends: Mike Lawson, dean of the Henry's Fork, Emmett Heath, Dean of the Green River, and Gary Lafontaine, who was the perfect distraction for a fly fisherman in college--Lafontaine was the like fly fishing equivalent of enlightenment.<br /><br />I also found myself admiring Randall Kaufmann. Randall and his brother Lance had a history with Jack and they turned sometimes turned up in his stories. Randall wrote about his flies in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tying-Flies-Jack-Dennis-Friends/dp/B002VUPN86?ie=UTF8&tag=inthbaed-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Jack's third book</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inthbaed-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002VUPN86" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />. They liked to go backpacking, just like I did. And I've written about my love of the Stimulator and I imagine my respect and admiration for Kaufmann was rooted in this fly that at times seemed magical. I caught my first good fish, a 17-inch rainbow, on the Stimmy and I also managed to catch dozens of backcountry trout on the fly in all kinds of flavors and colors.<br /><br />I remember my first year of college I was introduced to a new technology with the strange name of "e-mail." It was a wild concept but it seemed to be catching on, and when I used what was then the world's most popular search engine (Yahoo) to find the Kaufmann's Streamborn website I found they had an email address. So my mind began to creak and turn slowly as it does and I managed to send an email to my hero, or at least to his store. I felt sure that Randall Kaufmann did not hang around his store reading emails. He was certainly out fishing at all times, or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tying-Flies-Third-Randall-Kaufmann/dp/1885212178?ie=UTF8&tag=inthbaed-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">writing books</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=inthbaed-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1885212178" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />, flying to New Zealand or tying Stimulators (or perhaps the next great dry fly that would change my life). So my note said something to the effect that I hoped someone would tell Randall how much I enjoyed the Stimulator, how it was my favorite fly, and how I liked to use it in the Uinta Mountains. I was a freshman in college but the whole exercise seems rather juvenile now.<br /><br />A week or so later the University's email program (which was DOS-based, I believe--I remember the white text and the black background) delivered a reply to my email. It came from the Kaufmann's Streamborn address. I can't remember much of what was written (the email disappeared with my old college email account). Something about thanks for the note and how the Uinta mountains are a fantastic place. It was signed "Randall."<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">*** </div><div style="text-align: left;">At some point in the late eighties, long before I ever got an email from Randall Kaufmann, Al Davis, the owner of the Raiders, was somehow upset and angered by the actions of Marcus Allen. I was too young to understand it all but Davis proceeded to more or less bench Allen for the better part of three seasons. Allen left the Raiders and played for one of their arch rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs. At some point during this standoff, Bo Jackson--who was perhaps the most exciting running back I have ever watched--incurred a freak hip injury that ended both his pro baseball and football careers. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Lenny Dykstra has, in his post-playing career, turned out to something of a sham. He admitted to using steroids and has been involved in a number of shady financial deals. He filed for bankruptcy in 2009. Julius Winfield Erving II (Dr. J) had an affair with a reporter that resulted in a daughter. The girl grew up to be a pro tennis player. Dr. J refused to have any sort of relationship with her until just a few years ago. Isiah Thomas bankrupted the CBA and proved an incompetent NBA general manager. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I am not trying to judging any of these events. I am simply relaying the fact that my heroes, it turned out, were just men. What a cruel lesson that was to learn.</div><div style="text-align: center;">*** </div><div style="text-align: left;">A couple of weeks ago I was at a fly tying expo, sitting across from a talented tyer who was churning out some terribly fishy streamers and stonefly nymphs. I wanted to fish those flies badly. I wanted to be able to tie them as well, but only so I could fish them more recklessly knowing my box was full. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Right in the middle of tying on a strip of rabbit, someone I didn't know asked a question I didn't really hear or understand. The tyer commented by relaying a story about his dealings with Jack Dennis. The story wasn't particularly kind to Mr. Dennis. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This shouldn't have surprised me. I am the one that posted <a href="http://inthebackeddy.blogspot.com/2010/09/hitting-links-jack-dennis-sues-himself.html">a links column</a> headlined by Jack Dennis' legal struggles. But it did surprise me. For some reason I still thought of Jack Dennis as a folksy fly fishing legend. I couldn't imagine him as a man who some people don't like or who makes mistakes or doesn't live up to my image of him. The boy inside me felt a little betrayed. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">That was my fault. When we grow up we ought to take stock of all the notions we gathered as children and see if they stand up to the cold hard reason of adult life. I admired these men because of their skills and because of some abstract sentimental attachment to the teams I love or the first fish I caught on a fly I tied myself. Then, against reason but rather naturally, some part of my adolescent brain turned them all into Lou Gehrig. I don't remember deciding that they were all heroes with hearts of gold, infallible in character, modest and forthright. But it happened. Subconsciously, that it was what I believed. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It was stupid and I know that. I now realize that we are all just people trying to do our best. Yet some part of me, that boy inside, still feels betrayed and let down when one of them is shown to be human again, when they change. That part of me doesn't want things to change, it expects Dr. J to still fly and Bo Jackson to put on the pads next week. That part of me doesn't understand why things can't just stay the same forever. Its dumb, but its there. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I felt that way a little this week <a href="http://troutunderground.com/2011/04/23/kaufmanns-streamborn-stores-closing/#comments">when rumors began swirling</a> about Kaufmann's Streamborn going out of business. Not because Randall had somehow let me down, but rather because something I never expected to change was doing just that, and in the worst way possible. This is Randall Kaufmann's fly shop (even though Randall apparently retired five years ago). This place was home to the Stimulator and Kaufmann's Stone Nymph. I remember leafing through their catalog in my teens and early twenties, thinking about all the exotic locations they advertised. My gut reaction doesn't care for logic, its tied to all these memories. Such shops don't go under, the boy inside protests, such places carry on forever. </div><div style="text-align: center;">*** </div><div style="text-align: left;">I lived in Oregon for about 18 months after college. I never went to Kaufmann's while I was there, though I meant to. My Oregon experience was cut short suddenly by the bursting of the dot-com bubble and a swift layoff. All my family and my wife's family was in Utah and Idaho, so we returned. But while I did live in Oregon I discovered <a href="http://www.west-fly-fishing.com/">Westfly</a>, one of the great online fly fishing communities. I read the Oregon forum with zeal to learn everything I could about this strange new place I now called home. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Some of the folks on Westfly weren't particularly fond of Kaufmann's. I remember reading of poor customer service experiences. I had come to respect the Oregon anglers who posted on Westfly and I felt the uncomfortable twinge of cognitive dissonance as my mind tried to reconcile the idea that Kaufmann's wasn't everything I always assumed it would be. Maybe that is why I stayed away, so I would never no for sure. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But I wish I had gone, just once, to see and feel what it was like. I just wish I had once seen the the sign reading "Kaufmann's Streamborn" and the rows of Stimulators. I wish I walked through the door. It seems like the least I could have done for the boy inside. </div></div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-22677786140611817402011-04-23T14:48:00.001-06:002011-04-23T14:48:42.822-06:00At Least Someone is Writing<div><p><a href="http://scarles.org/blog/cutthroat-stalker/2512/a-day-with-dr-behnke/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss">A Day With Dr. Behnke</a><br></p></div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-69630689798190804122011-04-13T22:58:00.000-06:002011-04-13T22:58:52.827-06:00Hitting the Links: Double Expo (but no Youppi!)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://a.espncdn.com/media/mlb/2001/0427/photo/youppi_i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://a.espncdn.com/media/mlb/2001/0427/photo/youppi_i.jpg" /></a></div>Not that anyone cares, but life is a little crazy right now. I mostly bring that up to say I have been a little delinquent (or is that de-link-went...sorry) on the links lately. So now that I've got that out of the way, click you arms off.<br /><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A couple of weeks back I found myself in Salt Lake on the same weekend as the expo, so I went. <a href="http://a.espncdn.com/media/mlb/2001/0427/photo/youppi_i.jpg">This week the expo comes to me.</a> See you there if you go on Friday, and I manage to get off work (and keep myself from heading directly to trout water).</li><li>NPR <a href="http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/04/11/pm-rooster-feathers-prized-by-fishermen-are-now-popular-in-hair-salons/?sms_ss=twitter&at_xt=4da5b329ae812105,0">covers the hackle</a> and (teenage girls) hair crisis. Seriously. </li><li>The Trout Shop <a href="http://www.thetroutshop.com/blog/view/1636">posts about a recent Big Mo Advisory Board</a> meeting. </li><li>Travis Lowe <a href="http://springcreekfilm.com/2011/04/patagonia-visits-abel-reels/">with some footage shot</a> at Abel Reels recently, includes Yvon Chouinard .</li><li><a href="http://cofisher.blogspot.com/">Wind Knots and Tangled Lines</a> promise the <a href="http://cofisher.blogspot.com/2011/04/worst-clients-ever-guest-post-fred.html">Worst Clients Ever guest post</a> (h/t: <a href="http://www.troutunderground.com/">TU</a>). Anyone wanna weigh in with the worst guide ever guest post? I'll post it here if you do. Fame and fortune will surely follow. </li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youppi">In case you're wondering</a>. </li></ul></div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-21738853304480355262011-04-11T06:45:00.001-06:002011-04-11T06:45:00.730-06:00The Portrait of a Solo Fisherman as a Photographer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I have kind of a funky schedule. I get every other Friday off from the day job and I work a fair amount of evenings and weekends, which I can trade in for half days of here and there. And I accrue vacation at a pretty significant rate. This (along with my generally poor personality and overall lack of friends) all adds up to me spending a fair amount of time on the water alone.<br /><br />I don't have a major problem with this fact. Sure, there are times when I wish I had someone else along for the trip, and I often find myself wishing that some of my favorite fishing pals could get away from the day jobs that seem to be killing them both slowly and softly. But for the most part I don't mind fishing alone. I get all the best holes and on a weekday I sometimes never see another human on the river. That is excellent.<br /><br />But one of the problems I have as a solo fisherman is the fact that I also enjoy some good on-stream photography. Fishing solo limits the photos somewhat. Its more difficult to get a nice a fisherman in the foreground of a landscape for scale or composition reasons. And of course, it makes photographing fish a real bugger. The reason most of my fish photos are macros of fish lying in the net is because I am often alone when snapping the photo, and there is no one to gently lift the trout out of the water and point his nose at the lens.<br /><br />Over the past few years, I have learned how to take better fish shots as a solo fisherman. And a few weeks ago I got some nice ones that I quite enjoyed. So check out the slideshow and I hope you enjoy them as well. That big streamer is the Butt Monkey I mentioned in the last post.<br /><br />Check out the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/40285480@N06/sets/72157626339157799/show/">full screen version</a> if you like.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="300" width="400"> <param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2F40285480%40N06%2Fsets%2F72157626339157799%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2F40285480%40N06%2Fsets%2F72157626339157799%2F&set_id=72157626339157799&jump_to="></param><param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2F40285480%40N06%2Fsets%2F72157626339157799%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2F40285480%40N06%2Fsets%2F72157626339157799%2F&set_id=72157626339157799&jump_to=" width="400" height="300"></embed></object></div></div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471486507475671979.post-62865554681618821072011-04-08T18:44:00.000-06:002011-04-08T18:44:49.076-06:00Gear Review: Rio Streamertip Line, Part One<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">A month or so ago I groveled successfully to the Rio PR folks on twitter and managed to score a spool of the new <a href="http://www.rioproducts.com/product.php?recKey=123">Rio Streamertip line</a>, which to be honest I desperately needed. My old sink tip was in dire shape and I was never very good at casting it anyway. Consider this post the first part of a review of the Rio line, though it should be noted I am not the most technical guy in the world when it comes to gear specs, so my review focuses on stuff like how well a mediocre fisherman like myself can use the gear.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rioproducts.com/photos/product/large/b258569f0fa8b127b2fb19802d5d7e4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.rioproducts.com/photos/product/large/b258569f0fa8b127b2fb19802d5d7e4.jpg" /></a>The Streamertip is based on <a href="http://www.rioproducts.com/product.php?recKey=139">Rio's Outbound Shor</a>t lines. As such it has a short head (30 feet) and front taper that is designed to make it easy to throw heavy flies, which coincidentally is one of the things I struggle most with. In this particular area, the Streamertip immediately improved my casting. I spent most of the day casting a <a href="http://www.taneycomotrout.com/howtotiebuttmonkey.html">Butt Monkey</a>--which is a pretty monstrous fly--and I also threw a <a href="http://sculpzilla/">Sculpzilla</a> and a few other conehead flies. I was able to roll cast pretty easily, which was always a struggle for me with my old sink tip.<br /><br />The Streamertip also has what it calls "extreme slickness technology," which I assume is some kind of coating to help shoot the line. If that is the case, then mission accomplished as the line shot much easier than I expected, although I'll have to fish it a few more times (bummer, I know) to see if that holds up or if the coating just wears off. For this first trip, I was shooting enough line that I was more worried about it getting tangled up at my feet than getting it through the guides.<br /><br />Overall, I didn't feel like I had to completely overhaul my casting stroke to get used to the new line, like I often did with my old sink tip. While I still had to slow down my motion a bit, the line cast naturally. I find that pretty helpful because I almost always carry at least two rods, so I am switching back forth between a five-weight nymph rod (or a four-weight dry fly rod) and the six-weight streamer rod in every hole. Its nice not to spend the first five casts re-learning the whole process.<br /><br />So my initial impression was pretty good. I was fishing a mid-sized river (from the bank) and I managed a couple of good fish on the Butt Monkey. The only negative isn't really a negative but really a design choice. The sink tip sinks at only 1.5 ips. The line was designed to be fished out of a drift boat, back towards the bank. So I can see why they wanted the slower sink rate to keep the fly above the fish as the boat drifts downstream and casts are pretty rapid. But I can't help but feel this limits the line's effectiveness in big deep back eddies where a lot of Montana and Idaho winter fish are still holed up. In these types of holes, I never really felt like my line was getting the fly down to the fish. <br /><br />I am going to fish the line a time or two more this spring, then really give it a run out in the fall. I'll post part two of this review after more extensive field testing. <br /></div>qdoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08886105130963514946noreply@blogger.com3