411#3

And now, on a lighter note...

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Sun, 12 May 2013 01:41:00 +0000

This is water...Have a nice day!

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Sun, 12 May 2013 01:34:00 +0000

I dig the new Headstones tune

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Wed, 08 May 2013 18:09:00 +0000

Canadian rockers The Headstones are back with a new album, their first since reforming for a mini-tour in 2011 after an eight-year hiatus.

The first single off from Love & Fury is titled "Long Way to Neverland." I dig it. Check it out below.

Viewing this in an email? Can't see the video above? Then click here.

* * *

Bass and boats and beats and other good stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Mon, 06 May 2013 17:30:00 +0000

It hasn't been intentional neglect of this website over the past few months. It's just there's so much to do & to see here.

It doesn't seem proper to hide away with a laptop, indoors, for the 2-4 hours it takes to research/write/edit a post. Especially since enjoying the climate of Vancouver Island was the main reason for us claiming Winter Refugee Status here.

That being said, it's been six weeks of living in our new apartment. It's time to develop an iota of self-discipline and a sensible personal schedule to ensure content is posted here in something resembling a semi-regular manner.

At least I haven't been idle: I've been planning, scheming, and taking notes for all sorts of topics and actually fishing a few times.

Here's a preview of what's to come:

Addicted to SMB - see photo at right.
Must-have add-ons for the Diablo Paddlesports Chupacabra
Paddling my new Jackson Kayak Cuda 14
Trying (& failing) to develop a great smallmouth fly - Working title: save time/money, tie a Clouser Minnow
(Slowly) becoming a fishing pier rat - more relaxing than you think
Product reviews for some cool new stuff from Columbia Sportswear - emphasis on 'cool.'
Evernote + Fly Fishing - it's a thing. Seriously.
Music - expect a return of music at the bottom of most articles and posts.
Essays - some of which will be posted after they've been rejected from magazines.
Book reviews - and possibly not all fish-related. Oh, the horror, right?
More music - get your speakers/headphones ready.
Recipes - why the f**k not, right? A man's gotta eat...
Fun and adventure - photos may be included.

In addition, be sure to check out my racket over at The Saltwater Fly Journal; there's a bit of a new look along with a new 'About' page, updated Links and the all-new SWFJ Bookstore.

And, as always, thanks for reading. Y'all are alright in my books.

* * *

Ross Neilsen & company are getting ready to release their new album, Resurrection, later this month. Leading up to the launch date, Ross has been releasing one track from the new album each week.

This track is called Need You More, and I think it's pretty damn good. Check 'er out.

Unable to see the video in your email? Click here to view the full post

* * *

Settling into island life, part two

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:16:00 +0000

I wake up each morning, make some coffee, and watch the sun rise over Coast Mountains, Quadra Island and Discovery Passage.

I like it here. A lot.

Last week I found out there's a public fishing pier ten minutes' walk away; that it's 600' long & I'd missed it for over three weeks is not lost on me: there's lots left to explore here.

So now I'm the proud owner of a couple Ugly Stiks, in both spinning & casting forms, and a box of heavier-than-most-trout metal jigs. Fun times.

I'm still in "Island Fishing Overload:" there's so many species and so many places, it's tough to nail down exactly what to fish for, and where.

I'm still in (what I consider) a shoulder season of fishing, as in, tossing size 18 chironomids for 10" stocked cutthroat is all well & good, but there's 4lb smallmouth kicking around somewhere in this same lake and I aim to catch it...if only the bloody water temperatures would come up a bit... Oh well. All in good time, my bronze-backed friends.

Until the water warms, I can idle my days..evening...tides...away, chucking gear from the pier for rockfish...

Or casting small Rolled Muddlers from the beach for cutthroat.

Or swinging streamers for the ever-elusive steelhead.

Or slowly stripping #18 chironomids from the lacustrine depths while seated (or standing) in my Chupacabra.

Or...

Yeah, so you see what I mean: it's pretty awesome here.

* * *

Email subscribers: can't see the videos above? Click here to view the full post.

Settling Into Island Life

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 18:30:00 +0000

Our apartment is just a bit further north.

We're just about five weeks in since our arrival.

We moved into our permanent residence and turned in the keys to our kick-ass little seaside cottage at Alders Beach Resort last week. I can't say enough about how much I liked being at the cottage (I highly recommend it) but our new pad in Campbell River is arguably the nicest apartment I've ever lived in, and in a great location.

Now I just have to finish furnishing the apartment so I can get to that whole 'fishing' thing, considering it was a main, underlying reason for the move. I've only been out twice, with nothing to show for it other than a little more intel than what I had prior to arrival.

On the plus side, we've successfully avoided the remainder of winter on the East Coast, missing such fun as ~18 separate snowstorms with roughly 43' of snow accumulating (those, of course, are my estimates).

Sunny and 20°C here over the past few days, suckers...

* * *

Though I haven't been fishing in water much, I have been fishing for intel by visiting lots of different fly shops & tackle shops in our wanderings in our new land.

Courtney at Nile Creek Fly Shop is a transplanted New Brunswicker as well, albeit he transplanted a lot longer than five weeks ago. He runs a great little shop in Bowser and was very welcoming & helpful. Nile Creek is also the go-to spot for stocking up on Clear Cure Goo for the central & northern parts of Van Isle...in case you're wondering...

The folks at Tyee Marine in Courtenay gave me a massive intel dump when I first arrived, and also saved me some money by explaining the inner workings of the provincial freshwater and federal saltwater licenses with their various stamps for salmon & steelhead.

If it weren't for them, I would've dropped a not-so insignificant pile o' cash on an annual, non-resident freshwater license and steelhead/salmon stamps that expired in three weeks. Instead, I held off with just the federal saltwater license for $22 until April 1st.

(shiiiiiiiittttt......that's today!?! I should be fishing!!)

Tyee Marine carries all sorts of fishing, boating, hunting product in addition to fly gear & tying materials. There's also a location in Campbell River, and the staff seem helpful and friendly. They're a stone's throw from our new apartment, so I'll be frequenting it once my tying 'office' has been furnished.

Campbell River is also home to River Sportsman, located on the banks of the river. It's big, with a decent tying material section. I've been in twice, but still haven't gotten a chance to chat with the fellas working, nor have I explored what's in stock. I'll remedy this in the near-future, I'm sure.

My lovely girlfriend and I did a day-trip to Victoria in our first week on the Island, where I rekindled my love of Fatburger, the Noodle Box, and Caffé Artigiano. These were some of my previous life's staples whilst living in Vancouver in '06-08. It was awesome, though I should note the Singapore Cashew Curry from the Noodle Box came back to the cottage for later meals, as I had stuffed my gourd with a delightful calorie-bomb from Fatburger shortly before. I don't want y'all thinking I'm a complete glutton.

We visited Robinson's Outdoors, located in downtown Victoria, which has a massive fly fishing section on their second floor. I'd argue this shop had the biggest tying material selection of all the shops I've visited, too. Robinson's also carries the Goo, stocked on a cool DIY rack one of the guys made from an unused sunglass rack.

On our way out of Victoria, I popped into Island Outfitters (weblink broken, FB page here), another general tackle-hunting-fly fishing shop (there's a few of those here on the Island). They had a decent tying material section, and seemed to have most of the well-known fly brands in stock.

I had a great chat with one of the guys working about the local fishing scene (including the seemingly epic smallmouth fishery), he commended me on my preference of Campbell River over Courtenay/Comox, and I left with a good impression of the shop.

We also took a day trip to VanCity, where we stopped into Pacific Angler. I had stopped in previously, in the summer of 2011 while passing through my old haunts on a work trip, but they had since moved to a new location further down to East Broadway. The new digs look pretty sweet, and seem a bit bigger than their previous location. As was the case in my first visit, the staff were friendly & helpful, and I left with a handful of cutthroat flies (my typical M.O. in most of the shops I visited).

Pacific Angler publishes a weekly fishing report, which is worth signing up for or checking out their FB page for if you're in the Lower Mainland & vicinity.

Though we didn't get a chance to pop in on this visit, I'll mention the Michael & Young Fly Shop, located on West Broadway anyway, as I had visited the shop previously, too. They had a great selection of product and a friendly staff manning the shop when I was in before.

And yes, while in Vancouver, we ate at Fatburger and had coffee from Caffé Artigiano. But I couldn't squeeze in a trip to the Noodle Box for takeout.

As you can see, all the tackle & fly shops I've visited so far on Van Isle (& VanCity) have left a pretty good first impressions on me. I've already narrowed it down to preferring a couple over some others, but that's not to say the others are by any means worse than the ones I'd rather visit on any given day. And, as always:

Tim Geist's CCG Deceiver

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:02:00 +0000

I try not to regurgitate too much content between this site and the Saltwater Fly Journal with my writing & editing duties over at the Clear Cure Goo blog, but this is too good not to share.

New Jersey-based CCG and Regal Vise pro staffer Tim Geist runs an awesome website called The Flybrary; you'll be hard-pressed to find better photography of flies anywhere else on the internet.

While I was working in West Africa, we discussed getting a step-by-step tying tutorial on the CCG blog. It turned out to be quite detailed and picture-heavy - too much for West African internet - so into a DropBox shared folder it went until I was away from a slow, goat-powered internet connection.

Now I've landed on the west/left/wet coast, and I had time last week to finalize the editing and formatting of the post.

It. Is. Awesome (if I do say so myself).

Tim went above & beyond online fly tying tutorials for this one, with FORTY-NINE high-quality pictures in the tutorial.

Check it out here. You will not be disappointed.

A driver never sleeps

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 18:18:00 +0000

A: Fredericton, NB - Thursday, 21-Feb

The plan, as it was conceived, seemed simple enough: wake up, load up the truck, tidy up the apartment, say last goodbyes, and start driving. I assumed we'd be on the road by 1400h.

At 2030h (Atlantic Time), we finally pulled out of town. It would have been logical to wait until morning, but there comes a time when you just have to go. We were delayed by a day already due to bad weather, and more bad weather was on the way.

The drive from Fredericton to the Quebec border was slow; heavy wind gusts with the kayak on top and occasional snow & ice-covered highways resulted in top speeds of 80km/h (~50mph, 'merican friends).

But we were on our way.

B: North Bay, ON - Friday/Saturday, 22/23-Feb

We pulled into North Bay at 1430h (Eastern Time) on Friday afternoon and quickly found a near-deserted Comfort Inn to rest our weary bones and order a pizza.

The front desk staff were friendly, helpful and courteous. They made sure we had a drive-up room so we could easily take the dog out as well as keep an eye on all of our worldly possessions in & on the truck. Sleep came easy that night.

Total travel time, Fredericton - North Bay: 18 hours. I made the same trip in the same truck (with a different dog & a lot less stuff) solo back in '06; it took me 14 hours...and a lot less gas. I did have an hour-long nap at a highway rest stop on this trip, however; thus making the title of this post an outright lie.

C: Thunder Bay, ON - Saturday/Sunday, 23/24-Feb

We set out on the big portion of the never-ending trek through Northern Ontario, or Nontario, as I like to call it. It doesn't seem like the Ontario of Toronto & vicinity, who give the rest of Ontario a bad name.

Nontario seemed a lot more inhabited than in Ought-Six; I distinctly remember thinking if I were to become stranded I'd have to eat my former project manager's black lab back then. I didn't have that feeling this time.

In fact, there was a lot of traffic, which sucked at times: there were not many places to pass transport trucks, and it meant using a lot of windshield wiper fluid.

We checked into another Comfort Inn at ~2200h. The free wifi & continental breakfasts are solid, though this particular one charged for Awesome staying in the room. Front desk staff was also friendly & helpful here, too.

Before bedtime, we decided it'd be most appropriate to stop at the Terry Fox Memorial in the morning. I'm glad we did.

Non-Canadians: click here for more on Terry Fox.

Canadians not knowing who Terry Fox is: Leave now. Get on an ice floe, push off and float away in a slow, southerly route. Far from shore. I don't want you here.

Total travel time, North Bay to Thunder Bay: 13 hours and change. This is where the comparisons between 2006 & 2013 should stop; in '06 Thunder Bay was a gas/coffee/bathroom stop, and I kept going...right through to Saskatoon...

D: Regina, SK - Sunday/Monday, 24/25-Feb

After paying respects to the Terry Fox Memorial east of Thunder Bay, we once again pointed west and were off.

Today was to be a wildcard day of driving: if we made it past Winnipeg, I'd be happy. Any further than that would be a bonus. We just wanted to be out of Ontario and eventually, we were: we made it into Manitoba.

High-level negotiations between driver & passenger carried on throughout the day to determine how far and how long we would go into the night. The driver (me) was feeling pretty good: alert, not stiff and well-rested. The passenger, unfortunately, was not.

Compromises were made, and a (rough) plan hatched: stop for the night in Brandon, MB; then take a short driving day the next day to rest our weary souls and bones. The passenger dozed off, and I pushed through to Regina, Saskatchewan. Bam.

We stayed at (another) Comfort Inn in Regina. The bag o' douche at the front desk gave me the "we have a room available" routine, as if to imply there was one and only one room available, and it was going to be expensive...in terms of the Comfort Inn. I didn't give a rat's ass whether it was $89 or $129, I just wanted a bed.

Then I almost broke my neck in the icy parking lot while outside with the dog, which endeared all-things-Saskatchewan to me even further.

Total travel time, Thunder Bay to Regina: Seventeen-ish hours. We stopped for a 'fancy' lunch in Dryden, ON, the birthplace of Chris Pronger...if anyone cares...

Fun fact: once crossing the border into Manitoba, I set my cruise control for ~105km/h (65mph) and didn't accelerate or decelerate from that speed for about an hour and forty minutes. Love the Prairie Provinces.

PS - Comfort Inn, Regina: eat a dick.

E: Medicine Hat, AB - Monday/Tuesday, 25/26-Feb

As agreed to during high-level negotiations of the previous day, this was our short day. A half-day...or more like a third-day, by the rate we had been travelling.

After a lazy start to the day, we made it into Alberta and checked into a nice Best Western in Medicine Hat by mid-afternoon.

Pizza was ordered, sleep was had.

Which is good, because the mountains were coming at us fast...

Total travel time, Regina to Medicine Hat: Five hours. If only all the days were like that.

F. Chilliwack, BC - Tuesday/Wednesday, 26/27-Feb

The day started ominously: at the first intersection of the morning, I needed to pop the truck into four wheel drive in order to move at the green light.

As y'all can imagine, I had been paying attention to the weather for days leading up to and throughout the trip. Our drive from Fredericton and through Quebec was a precision-timed masterpiece, avoiding storms by mere hours ahead of us and behind us.

I knew weather would be touch-and-go for the first two hours out of Medicine Hat but with minimal snow accumulation and no chance of freezing rain. And once we were past Calgary, it would be clear skies for much of the day through the mountains...but I also knew it wouldn't last for long: bad weather was a-brewin'.

I'll tell this part of the journey through Twitter:

Alas, it wasn't all rainbows & unicorns on this last big day of driving: I had a solid forty minutes of white-knuckled, butt-puckering, scary-ass driving on the Coquihalla Pass¹.

This was the worse part of the entire trip. I hated it, while my lovely passenger slept soundly through it all. I'm sure she still doesn't believe there were snowbanks towering over the truck (there were) with three feet of snow on the road at the summit (more like three inches).

But two lengthy Matthew Good songs² later, we were out of the mountains and into a light, mild³ rain.

We stayed at another Comfort Inn. Not as good as the Comfort Inns of Ontario, but a zillion times better than that shithead Comfort Inn of Regina.

I didn't sleep well as I was constantly checking on the truck. When I first moved to Vancouver in '06, some dick smashed my driver's side door window, probably to see if the newly-landed New Brunswicker left anything of value in the truck. He got thirty-seven cents; I got a $345 repair bill.

As we say back east, the bastards would steal Christ from the cross and go back for the nails. Fuckers.

¹ - just pronounce it Coca Cola Pass and you'll be fine.

² - like this one and this one (they're worth a listen. Right now. Go ahead).

³ - mild by Canadian standards, as in, it was 6°C (43°F). Goddamned tropical by eastern Canadian in February standards.

Total travel time, Medicine Hat to Chilliwack: Fifteen hours or so. We stopped in Canmore for lunch and in Kamloops for an extended dog-walk. Plus the whole snowpocalypse on the Coca Cola Highway slowed things down...

G: Comox Valley, BC - Wednesday, 27-Feb.

Nothing much to report on this part of the journey, except we finished it. Anticlimactic, isn't it?

We were on the road by 0800h (Pacific Time) with a quick Starbucks Coffee from beside the motel, and efficient use of the carpool lane through the Lower Mainland to North Vancouver to make it onto the 1030h ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo.

I had a huge breakfast on the ferry for not that much money and we chilled out for the ride; happy to be out of the truck while making forward progress.

Once on Vancouver Island, the goal line was in sight. We pulled into the Safeway in Courtenay around 1330h to grab a few groceries, and we were off to check into our seaside cottage hideaway.

We were asleep for the night by 1630h. Pacific time.

Total travel time, Chilliwack to Comox Valley: about five hours, with 70 minutes spent waiting to load on the ferry and almost two hours on the ferry.

* * *

Be sure to follow along with my Instagram feed for pics chronicling my adventure in a new land (and pics of Awesome the Dog, too).

Westward

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 06:00:00 +0000

Coming to a Western Province near you.

Just don't ask me how the gas mileage is.

The Promised Land

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 13:02:00 +0000

I've yet to load the Diable Paddlesports Chupacabra on the truck

Much like the Clampetts, we'll be soon taking our lives west. But not to Beverly Hills.

Ignoring the ~~minor~~ details of not yet knowing where we'll call home (Vancouver Island landlords aren't very good at responding to emails), we'll be arriving in less than three weeks.

Preparing both physically and mentally for a move from one side to the other of the world's second-largest country whilst in West Africa should be a breeze in this current age of technology...but it isn't.

A typical email to a prospective landlord would go as such:

Hi,
I came across your ad on Craigslist; is your house still available to rent?

If so, could you tell me if there is carpeting or not, and if the bathroom has a bathtub?

Also, our dog is approximately 35lbs (Brittany Spaniel mix); is that too large for you?

We are moving to Vancouver Island in late February but would have no issues renting for Feb. 15th if it works out.

Thanks in advance & have a great weekend!

This response to those four fairly precise questions was returned:

"im showing it tmr at noon, 250-898-****"

So I guess the house is still available to rent.

* * *

On the bright side of things, I've almost forgotten about one significant (and awesome) detail about fishing on Vancouver Island...besides steelhead, cutthroat, pink salmon, coho salmon, chinook salmon, ling cod, dungeness crab and oysters:

Whether it is the infinite number of Bass that proliferate its waters, or the fact that these fish attain weights of up to 4 kg.

For my metric-deficient American cousins:

I can deal with less-than helpful potential landlords for 8lb smallies.

Heck, I'd sleep in my truck for 4lb smallies (my lovely girlfriend is another matter altogether, though).

Vancouver Island is the promised land.

Book Review - Fly Fishing for Sea-Run Cutthroat

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 14:22:00 +0000

Fly Fishing for Sea-Run Cutthroat
by Chester Allen

Published December, 2011
Stackpole Books

Amazon price: $17.50 (Hardcover)
Kindle price: $13.72
Kobo price: $15.49

Pros:

Well-written and entertaining, matching good storytelling with solid how-to.
In-depth tips on equipment, flies, how to recognize favourable environments to locate fish.
Available in e-book editions.

Cons:

Dealt almost exclusively with the Puget Sound. I'm left wondering if the tips & techniques are applicable elsewhere. EDIT: The author clarified the techniques ARE applicable for sea-run cutthroat throughout their range. See comments for more info.

Overall Rating: 3.75 / 5

* * *

This book showed up in my Kobo Reader app's 'recommended for you' and I bit on it. I don't regret it; the book was an enjoyable read as well as informative.

The main reason I purchased it was to gain a base of knowledge for cutthroat fishing once I arrive on Vancouver Island (and I wanted something 'fishy' to read here in Africa). Though I'm slightly disappointed Mr. Allen did not discuss any locations other than Puget Sound in Washington, his storytelling made the purchase and time commitment worthwhile.

If the author had titled the book Fly Fishing for Sea-Run Cutthroat in Puget Sound, I'd probably have given him 4.5 / 5...but then I might not have bought the book in the first place.

I will be returning to the chapter containing fly recipes in the future, however. And I do feel pretty good about myself if I ever find myself in the vicinity of Puget Sound.

Kudos to Stackpole Books for making the book available for e-readers.

Counting down

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 15:52:00 +0000

Much like a child awaiting the arrival of Christmas morning, I'm counting down the days.

There's slightly more than two weeks left to go for me on this project; once I arrive home, I'll be taking a break from work for six to eight weeks. Note I've omitted placing the words 'much needed' prior to 'break.' This past week is the first I've worked since leaving here on December 18th; I won't try to convince you I have it that rough...though the chaps in the picture above (part of my security detail) might suggest otherwise.

After arriving home in February, my lovely girlfriend and I will spend the next week sorting our belongings and packing what won't be sold, donated or tossed. Frantically, I might add.

I'll be attempting to replicate the packing abilities of minibus drivers seen here in West Africa, with assorted baggage, bicycle and fishing kayak towering several feet over the height of my truck's roof.

I'll admit I'm looking forward to this.

A lot, I might add, because it's just another step closer to us getting on the road to our new adventures on Vancouver Island.

And that's what I'm really looking forward to.

* * *

Here are a few Vancouver Island beach flies I've tied for coho & pink salmon.

All are variants on fairly well-known (locally, at least) Pacific NW salt patterns. Changes to the original fly recipes were made not to add in a 'creative touch' but due to lack of availability of the originally-listed tying materials.

Ferguson Green and Silver

Pink and blue Handlebars

Cathy's Coat (or Kathy's Koat) variant

Bead-head Handlebars

* * *

East, then west.

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 16:34:00 +0000

If things had gone to plan, I'd be sitting in an airport right now, bound for a return trip to Africa.

But for various reasons, most of which weren't confirmed until yesterday afternoon, I'm tapping away at my desk instead. This, in my mind, is not a bad thing.

Time > Money. Don't ever forget that, kids.

— Mat Trevors (@mattrevors) January 11, 2013

I like my work all fine & good, but an extra week at home is appreciated. Even if it means a 33°C temperature difference.

Note: It's an unseasonably mild day here in New Brunswick. Had I written this earlier this week or last week, that temperature difference would be more like 48°C. For my 'merican cousins, that's the difference between 81°F and -5°F.

So if things go to plan (version 2.0), I'll be sitting in an airport or on a plane next Saturday, bound for a return trip to Africa.

* * *

If any of you follow along with my dribble on Twitter and Instagram, you're probably all aware of our plans of relocating. But in case you missed it, here it is: after I escape the clutches of work in Africa, we're moving to Vancouver Island.

We'll be doing our best Beverley Hillbillies impersonation with our moving truck, which may be familiar to car manufacturers, dealers and me as my 2003 Ford Sport Trac.

Valuables that can't be left behind & must be loaded on the truck include my Chupacabra kayak, fishing & tying gear, my bike, my lovely girlfriend's ever-growing book collection, as well as numerous personal & kitchen effects, including my various coffee snob paraphernalia.

And we mustn't forget Awesome the Dog and his crate, too.

After we pile a small U-Haul truck's worth of gear in and on a small truck, we'll then drive from the eastern side to the western side of the world's second largest country in February, known to some as 'winter.'

We're making the move for a number of reasons, but is best summarized by these two reasons:

I'm on a mission to bridge the divide between the East Coast and West Coast rap scenes, and to prevent any escalating violence while promoting a confluence of the ideals and creativity of hip hop and rap from both coasts*.
My lovely girlfriend, Awesome the Dog, and I all absolutely hate winter. And both my lovely girlfriend and I would like a change in scenery, at least temporarily. Awesome is unable to communicate whether he wants a change in scenery as well, though.

Note: The twelve months of fishing Vancouver Island provides, as opposed to six months of fishing here, has absolutely nothing* to with the decision.

* - Denotes a blatant lies, also known as a 'fibs.'

Follow along on this farcical adventure, complete with tweets of frustration and photographs of triumph and/or disaster on the aforementioned Twitter and Instagram, as well as here on mattrevors.com, in February, 2013.

* * *

Enjoy a tune:

Don't see a video above this? Click here to view the full post.

UPG Fly Box Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 16:14:00 +0000

Twenty-four entrants.

Actually 26 comments; two people made two comments each but without any malice.

One winner.

First comment on the post was left by............

JUSTIN KEENE!

Justin writes over at stream2stream.net; y'all should definitely pop over to read his stuff while you're at it.

Congrats, Justin!

And thanks, Umpqua!

So what's up?

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 18:25:00 +0000

UPG! FTW!

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 17:44:00 +0000

I've written here before about how much I like the UPG fly boxes from Umpqua Feather Merchants.

They're lightweight, rugged, and large capacity without being obnoxiously large.

And now I can say Umpqua backs them with legendary customer care, too. But you don't have to trust me on this. I'll prove it to you.

A CASE STUDY IN LEGENDARY CUSTOMER CARE

The Issue

For the last year or so, I had two UPG boxes: the Double-Wide for bass bugs or redfish flies, and the Streamer box, for, ummm, streamers (duh!).

Both UPG boxes were repurposed for my trip to Belize in September. Bonefish flies & general patterns went in the Streamer box, and tarpon flies & beefy crab patterns inhabited the Double Wide.

On our last full day of fishing, the boxes slid out of my backpack while we were motoring between flats. They proceeded to soak up the sun for a few hours while temperatures hovered near 454°F. I may be exaggerating the temperature just a little, but not by much. It was hot.

As Umpqua presumably does not do product testing at the second inner gate of Hell, the foam on the sides of the two boxes exposed to the sun became warped, and the adhesive melted.

Long story short, I killed both boxes through neglect.

When I discovered my mistake that night, I was disappointed. The UPG boxes are my favourite by a long shot, but they're not cheap enough for someone like me to say, "Oh well!" as I toss them in the trash. Like a rugby player on a blood sub, the boxes would remain in the game as long as possible.

Adhering to my sometimes-frequent principles of reduce, reuse, recycle and repair, I wrote Umpqua a message explaining my stupidity and asked if I could buy replacement foam for the two boxes.

Note: I bought the UPG Flats box shortly after returning from Belize, bring my UPG box collection to three. That's how much I like these boxes.

The Response

Due to a technical glitch, they didn't receive my original message right away...or ever. BUT...once I finally spoke to someone at Umpqua (Luke...and he contacted me on his day off), they didn't waste any time to answer.

Luke said they'll take care of things after New Year's Day and apologized profusely for my original message getting misplaced. By midday on Wednesday, David from Umpqua's customer care responded:

In answer to your original question, no, we do not have replacement foam for the UPG boxes. However, if you give me your mailing address I’ll put some new boxes in the mail for you today.

Sweet! Two new UPG boxes!

That was more than I ever expected: it was my own damn fault the foam warped & lifted, and I was fully prepared to buy the replacement foam inserts (or make my own).

Two new UPG fly boxes was awesome.

Needless to say, when UPS arrived THIS MORNING (Friday, as in less than 48 hours from the first message on Wednesday), I was taken aback with the size & weight of the box the delivery driver handed me.

WTF?!?

I ripped off the packing tape, tossed aside the paper wrapping and peered into the box...

Holy shit!!

Six fly boxes and a hat.

The replacement boxes for the Streamer & Double-Wide, plus a Magnum Dry, a Magnum Midge, a Weekender, and another Flats. And a hat.

Holy. Eff.

Umpqua Feather Merchants, you have completely outdone yourself. I'd almost let you get away with dognapping Awesome the Dog or eating all of my mom's meat pie after this display (almost...but I would at least share the pie with you).

Merry F**king Christmas to me.

Thanks, Umpqua!

Luke & David, you guys rock.

* * *

UPG FLY BOX CONTEST

Since I now have two UPG Flats boxes, I'll give one away through a random draw.

I try to be a bit of a minimalist when it comes to accumulating things, plus I'm moving & trying to downsize...and it feels good to give awesome stuff away once in a while!!!

So here it is:

Comment on this post by 0800 EST on Monday, January 7th to be entered to win the fly box.

While you're at it, pop on over to Umpqua's Facebook page and give 'em a 'like,' too. This part isn't necessary to win, but it'd improve your chances through karma. Trust me on this.

In summary:

The Prize: One (1) UPG Flats Fly Box.
To Enter: Leave a comment on this very post you're reading now by 8AM EST on Monday, January 7th.
To Enter, part deux: For karmic reasons, go 'like' Umpqua's Facebook page. It's not necessary to win, but it's karma, dude. Karma.
The Rules: One entry per person. Winner will be selected through random number generator and announced Monday, after 8AM EST...at some point...

Good luck to all!

Traveling Angler Tuesday: 10 DIY Tips from Cod

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 15:54:00 +0000

Mista Cod, he of the Chronicles of Cod fame, takes being a Traveling Angler to a whole new level.

Last winter he undertook this epic adventure:

drove from Calgary to Houston, flew to Belize & fished permit;
flew back to Houston and camped on the Gulf Coast to chase reds;
drove from Texas to San Diego and then down the Baja to camp and fish for roosterfish;
drove back to Calgary, but stopped along the way to pop over to Cuba for a week-long liveaboard trip.

Needless to say, when he offers up some advice on fly fishing travel, it might be good to pay attention.

* * *

COD'S 10 TIPS FOR DIY FLY FISHING TRIPS

(not necessarily in order)

10. Use all available resources

Use Google Earth, fly shops, maps, tourist information kiosks - Lonely Planet books are bad ass - every bit of info you collect is good. Sometimes you have to filter through a lot of it to get good stuff but keeping your ear to the ground and at least humour every lead; it can sometimes help you.

9. Observe

Watch what others are doing. This is a great source of information that's so easy to obtain. If others are catching and you are not, watch what they are doing. It's there for the taking.

8. Don't beat yourself up

If the conditions are screwed, if there are no fish around, if you're getting frustrated: take a day off or an afternoon or whatever. If you have time, take a break or a nap. It gives you a chance to mentally recharge. It allows you to add some depth to your trip, learn some new shit, or just generally relax.

Don't beat yourself up, it's fishing and you are supposed to be enjoying yourself.

7. Follow your gut

This can save you a lot of grief. Whether it's a road, path, area, or tingling spidey sense, if shit don't seem right...it likely isn't!! Sometimes you get shit info. If you don't think fish are there, don't like where you are, or just aren't feeling it: make changes!

I am a firm believer in fishing with confidence; when you do this everything leans a little in your favour.

6. Patience

Super important. "If it was easy, everyone would be doing it." We have all heard this statement before. Achieving hard shit is cool.

Spin fishing, on a whole, is way more productive than fly fishing; why don't I just huck bait? Not gonna happen. You have taken it upon yourself to "DO IT YOURSELF." Expect a learning curve and be patient. Don't focus on what you're not doing, rather make note of the things you are learning and getting better at.

5. Network

Hang out in fly shops, at boat launches and places where fisherman congregate. Talk to people, tell them what you're there doing. You'd be surprised of the number of people you can meet and the great info you can find out just by chatting with other fishermen.

4. Know your enemy

Going into the unknown is an often daunting task. If it's a new fish you're targeting, try to get some background info on them; e.g., flies, tides, diet, size or techniques.

Bring tying material if possible; sometimes you show up with the wrong stuff. It's nice to have the option of spinning up some new bugs. It's a good confidence builder and it adds depth to your trip.

3. Set realistic goals

The chances of you showing up and shit-canning the fish that you're after are slim to none. Set realistic goals ("I hope I get an eat" or "I hope I can catch a decent one.")

Don't be disappointed if you don't achieve your goals. Look for the positive: maybe you thought your vision got a bit better or you figured out something that made you cast a little better in the wind.

If you've never been there or done it before, what makes you think you're gonna whack 'em??

2. Be flexible

When you do things on your own, you need to be a little more flexible than on a guided trip. Expect to fish less, explore more, have more down time, make mistakes, and fumble the ball more generally speaking.

You might have a few wild goose chases, expect them. That's all part of DIY fishing: embrace it. Thats what makes it awesome and rewarding. You figured it out. Not your guide. Not your local buddy. It's then truly your fish.

1. Time or money

Many people have one of these. Very few have both. Make an honest decision which one you have.

If you only have a few days, or a week, then maybe a guided trip makes more sense.

If you've got no dough but spare time, do it on the cheap: go longer and expect your pitfalls due to inexperience.

I justify extended trips by telling myself, "It cost so much to get here, I might as well stay longer." I prefer to have time on my side as opposed to money when it comes to DIY.

For example, weather can shut you down. If you go on the week with crap weather, your fishing will likely be the shits. If you're there for three weeks instead, you'll likely encounter good conditions at some point.

Sometimes shit just takes awhile to figure out, too.

* * *

Thanks for taking the time to write this up, AC!

Be sure to follow Cod's next adventure over at Chronicles of Cod.

He can be hit up via Twitter at @chroniclesofcod

* * *

Traveling Angler Tuesdays launched June 26th, 2012 on mattrevors.com. My mission is to prove the concept of fly fishing travel abroad is not just the realm of old rich dudes and magazine writers & photographers. Keep checking back regularly as I share tips & tricks to get you to fly fishing locales you dream of going to. To see past articles & tips from the Traveling Angler Tuesdays series, click here.

My Top 5 Albums of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 19:39:00 +0000

Everyone's got a year-end list of highlights and memories. I'm keeping it simple with naming my favourite albums of the year, with a couple of songs from each.

Check 'em out & let me know what you think.

(Email subscribers, click here to see the full post with videos)

1. Matt Mays, Coyote
I've been a Matt Mays fan for a while. I liked the self-titled Matt Mays + El Torpedo in '05. I liked Terminal Romance (2008) even more. Coyote beats them all, hands down.

2. Jack White, Blunderbuss

When I first heard this album, I thought it was going to be my album of the year. Though it's edged out by Matt Mays above, it is still a great album and a must-have.

3. Big Wreck, Albatross
Big Wreck's In Loving Memory Of... (1997) remains one of my favourite albums of all time, so this one might slide in here on sentimental value...or it may not: it's a great album, with or without sentimental reasons. I was one of many people uber-excited to see Ian Thornley team up again with guitarist Brian Doherty for a reincarnated Big Wreck.

4. Japandroids, Celebration Rock
By far the most 'fun' album I added in 2012. Love it. It deserves to be played loud. One of my main memories of working in Niger in early December will be cranking this up on my headphones to drown out the call to prayer over the loudspeaker on several occasions.

5. Gary Clark Jr., Blak and Blu
Mad guitar skills, rocking blues. What more can you ask for? A great album, start to finish.

Honourable Mentions:

Ross Neilsen, The Shack Up Sessions
Any blues fan absolutely needs to have some of Ross Neilsen's albums in their collection. The Shack Up Sessions are an acoustic companion to some of Ross's hard-rawking blues albums.

To see the full performance of the show previewed below, click here.

Crooked Saws, Mo'Fi
Dirty. Whisky-chugging. Bar-brawling. Greasy. Blues.

'nuff said.

Why bother leaving the house?

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 17:25:00 +0000

I made my escape from Africa this past week, arriving home on Tuesday night. I'll be writing a little somethin' up about the trip & other randomness this weekend.

Meanwhile, broaden your horizons with this video from TED.

Traveling Non-Angler Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:36:00 +0000

More randomness

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 20:20:00 +0000

It's been a while since I wrote an essay of complete random bullshit, and, since I haven't posted here on ten or so days, now's as good as time as any.

1) Niger
Yes, Niger (not Nigeria. Two different places).

I'm going to Niger tomorrow for three weeks or so (and possibly again in January).

Hopefully I won't land what Bjorn called a grand slam of dysentery, malaria and getting kidnapped.

I will have internet access but have no idea of the workload as of yet, so posts may be sporadic. Well, more sporadic than usual...

There's no fishing there, which really doesn't help me write content for Traveling Angler Tuesdays.

Which brings us to...

2) Traveling Angler Tuesdays
Traveling Angler Tuesdays might be placed on hold for a little while.

I have no fishing trips planned or schemed (but some are dreamed). I am working on a few subjects for upcoming posts (doing liveaboard/mothership trips, using booking agents, etc.) and I was hoping for a few guest posts from other Traveling Anglers I was in touch with, but for now, this Traveling Angler isn't doing too much angling.

If anyone would like to contribute a guest post with how-to's or other fine points of being a Traveling Angler, by all means, get in touch, but I'm not chasing people down.

Trying to track down fishing addicts to write something is like herding cats, for f** all.

Not that I blame them. I'd rather be fishing, too. I'll always be a fisherman that writes, not a writer that fishes.

3) Pic of me with the best Key Lime pie ever

I'd shoot someone for a piece of that Key Lime pie right about now.

And that, folks, is why gun laws are tight in Canada. We'd shoot people over pie.

But not dog shit. Never dog shit. That's just irrational.

4) International Fly Tying Symposium
Last weekend I was in Somerset, New Jersey for the tying symposium; my first 'official duty' as Clear Cure Goo's writer-not-in-residence. I had a blast meeting a lot of folks that I had only spoke with via Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/Skype up until that point.

I understand turnout was a little down this year; a lot of that had to do with people dealing with the aftereffects of Hurricane Sandy.

Thanks to Brian of CCG for letting me tag along and to everyone for stopping by the CCG booth to say hi. It was great meeting y'all.

Note: I'll probably write a little more about the IFTS on the Clear Cure Blog soon, so keep your eyes peeled for it over there.

5) Being sick sucks hole.
Honestly, I've been having my ass kicked by a cold/flu since the tying symposium in NJ, so I haven't been posting too much here, there, or anywhere else for that matter.

I've been combining various elixirs and concoctions for the last few days. The congestion remains...but I seemed to have made a new friend that appears after certain medications have been mixed together:

As I'm 28 hours away from boarding multiple tin-pigeons (with their healthy recycled air) for the better part of a day and a half, I'm hoping adding some Buckley's flu medication into the mix finally knocks this bastard down the basement stairs for good.

I'd like to take the elephant with me to Niger, though...

6) Being sick isn't the only excuse, though...
As I wrote many weeks back, I've been using my side project, The Saltwater Fly Journal, to share a lot of content that previously would have been posted here. Stuff like this. And this. And this, too. So sign up for email/RSS updates (right hand sidebar, underneath the Redington banner) so you don't miss anything awesome on The Saltwater Fly Journal.

Because someday, there will be awesome stuff there. Trust me.

7) The following people/blogs need to keep doing what they're doing...
...because it's damn good:

8) Some people just don't get it.

"Kramer goes to a Fantasy camp? His whole life is a fantasy camp! People should plunk down $2,000 to live like him for a week." George Costanza

Someone recently referenced that quote while talking to me about my life. Some days I think it it's bang-on.

But that particular day I just purchased this to keep strapped to my body 24/7 in Niger.

Fantasy camp, my ass...

9) I love this website.
I like to mix it up once in a while here: fly fishing and lifestyle.

That lifestyle probably doesn't jive for the majority (go back to 1) and 8) on this list) but I'm sure two or three of you are interested in it a little bit.

Oh, that link might be classified as NSFW and/or the kids. There's a lot of swears in there.

My apartment is in a state of flux right now. I call it controlled chaos. The clutter and squalor quotients are kept to a minimum, at least. The kayak, fishing gear and all the fly tying materials in the living lend a certain loveable ambience to the place.

UFYH gives a much-needed dose of reality to the realm of cleaning & organizing: cleaning sucks, but it needs to be done (for advanced level reality, give this guy a read...if you can handle it)

It's a good site to read when things get out of control.

10) The new James Bond...
...was ok. It was no Avengers, by any stretch, but it was good.

11) Music for your playlist
A few tracks I've been listening to recently, give 'em a listen:

(Can't see the videos above? Click here to view the full post)

Things of Three VIII

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 14:09:00 +0000

The eighth edition of three items/subjects/places/people worth checking out to make life as an angler and global citizen far more enjoyable.

1. TFM interviewed on Itinerant Angler
Glass guru Cameron Mortenson of the Fiberglass Manifesto spoke with Zach Matthews on the Itinerant Angler podcast the other day, sharing his insights on current trends in the world of modern fiberglass rods.

The discussion ranged from a who's who of modern glass rod builders to the feel of casting slower action rods. The podcast is a great listen; Cameron really knows his stuff.

Since following along to Cameron's glass sermons over the past couple of years, I've dipped my toe into the shallow end of the fiberglass pool. The 7/8wt Cabela's CGR ended up as one of my favourite rods, and I've dusted off my dad's old Shakespeare two-piece rod a few times. They're fun to cast, and playing a 2lb smallmouth on them is a near religious experience.

Though not a devout glass disciple, I've discovered my casting style and technique (or lack thereof) is better suited to slower action rods, and have since adjusted my rod quiver accordingly. Gone are a couple super-fast action rods (eg, TFO's Axiom). Another lightsaber has found a home with me: a new 7wt Redington CPX (I now own the CPX in 7, 8 and 10wts). Casting the fiberglass rods helped me determine what works best for me, and the slightly-slower action of the CPX is it...it just took a few other 7wt rods to figure that out.

If you haven't taken a glass rod for a spin yet, I recommend it. There's a rod loan program over at TFM to give you a chance to demo a few. It's worth looking into.

Listen to Cameron on the Itinerant Angler podcast here, and visit The Fiberglass Manifesto website to get your inner glass geek on.

2. Google Nexus 7
You might recall me singing the praises of my iPod Touch in previous posts. And while I still believe it's a amazingly useful device for communicating, snapping pictures and listening to music (especially when traveling light), the Nexus 7 otherwise blows it out of the water.

With a 7" screen and larger touchscreen keypad (equipped with Swype), it's far easier for reading and typing content, and videos can be watched without holding the device 4.5" from your face. Synced with my Google account, it has everything I need (email, calendar, contacts, etc) for my jet-setting ways.

The Nexus 7 is also far more comfortable to read my ever-expanding ebook library than my iPod Touch, and the screen allows me to read with the lights off, unlike the Kobo e-reader. As both Kindle and Kobo have Android apps, I'm able to keep both libraries on one device. Brilliant.

Am I retiring the iPod Touch? Hell no. I'm still a big fan of Apple products. But it's a lot easier on my brain traveling with the Nexus 7 & iPod instead of my MacBook Air, which remains my HQ for all things Mat in the digital world.

And another bonus: it's far, far cheaper than an iPad. I wouldn't own a tablet if the Nexus 7 wasn't the price it is ($250 for 16gb model).

Web: google.com/nexus/7/

3. The (updated) Saltwater Fly Journal
Blatant self-promotion? You bet.

But a couple evenings of sleeplessness from jet lag brought some flashy renovations to my little side project, The Saltwater Fly Journal.

Gone is the plain-Jane minimalist look. A flashy header pic and a few coloured fonts later and I'm ready to take on Midcurrent*!

* - No I'm not.

Though still existing as an aggregator of news, videos and info from the salty realm for now, I'm excited about putting more effort into the Saltwater Fly Journal. Expect content about community supported fisheries and eating seafood to accompany the usual fare of saltwater fishporn, gear and fly tying. And yes, there will be some original content in there, too...eventually.

Note - Don't fear, for the rambling bullshit that you've been used to seeing for nigh onto 270 posts will continue here on mattrevors.com.

I'd be pumped if you clicked over and checked out The (new) Saltwater Fly Journal.

* * *

Who's in?

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:30:00 +0000

(click image to go to the Tying Symposium's website)

I'll be the at the symposium this weekend, hanging around the Clear Cure Goo booth (trying to be helpful, a.k.a., not a nuisance).

Stop by to say hi to Brian & I if you're in the neighbourhood!

Traveling Angler Tuesdays: Wishin'

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Me, in Belize (Photo by Dylan Rose)

SADness

noreply@blogger.com (Mat Trevors) — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 04:36:00 +0000

Yes, I'm alive.

No, I haven't been fishing...except for a few hours chucking fowl-sized flies for muskie. And no, I didn't hook (or see) any.

The vise was hauled out a few nights back, tying a few mid-sized ugly flies to refill the bass box for next season. But even that burst of spontaneous creativity was short-lived due to traveling for work.

It's -12°C here in Idaho (about 10°F in Yankee units), with snow on the way. I didn't bother to bring any fishing gear this trip for my post-work / pre-flight pilgrimage to the Boise River. Time constraints and such.

If you can't tell, I'm about three weeks deep into the winter blues and we're not even past the midway point of November.

I'm hoping for Sage to release a high-priced, angler-themed ultraviolet light to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder. I'll be one of the first to buy.

Only 154 days to go...

Note: my SADness is self-diagnosed and caused almost exclusively by lack of fishing. And probably not real. I'm sorry if people who truly suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder are offended at what they may perceive as insensitive humour. It's not my intention to offend, only to entertain...and whine...

* * *

One thing that isn't 154 days away that I'm looking forward to is going to the International Fly Tying Symposium!

I'm going to help spread the word about Clear Cure Goo and its overall awesomeness, so if you're at the show this coming weekend, stop by the CCG booth to say hi to Brian and I...and buy some Clear Cure Goo!

* * *

One of the mid-sized uglies I tied up the other night came out pretty good, if I do say so myself:

It's pretty simple, can be done in any number of colours, and only has seven ingredients including hook & thread:

Hook: TMC 8089 #10
Thread: black 6/0
Tail: rabbit strip w/ Krystal flash above (long) & below (short)
Body: Cactus chenille (black & copper shown above)
Eyes: Medium dumbbell eyes
Silli-legs

I used some Clear Cure Goo on the eyes & to finish the head, but any head cement could do the trick.

In the bass bug pictured, I used three legs per side (resulting in six legs/side), which, in the end, is a little excessive & a bit of a pain in the arsehole to deal with when wrapping the chenille. I'll only use two legs per side (four legs a-danglin') in the future.

This was the first fly in my new Bass Fly Philosopher's Collection, in which there are two components:

Surface flies: Sexy is good. Flashy is good. Precision is good. Think of deer hair bass bugs, hand-crafted foam & balsa poppers, so on, so forth. Care & effort is worth it.
Sub-surface flies: quick & dirty ties. Clousers, buggers and their variants that can be tied quickly, cheaply, and thus lost on bottom or structure without too much grief for time and dollars spent.

Most of my bass fishing is in a smallish river; hence, the majority of bass flies I use (and lose) are weighted flies I dead-drift along bottom or toss into structure. Because I'm one of only a handful of bass-on-the-fly guys in the area, the fish aren't all that heavily pressured by seeing a lot of flies. I don't need to antagonize over near-perfect appearance of crawfish claws to get some fish to eat.

For subsurface, simple is better. And cheaper.

The Ancient Greeks said it best, lamda phi balla ding dong: Keep it simple, shithead!

* * *

A couple of notes about the TMC (aka Tiemco) 8089 bass bug hooks:

They are awesome. Big, wide gap & a good, stiff shank (that sounds dirty, huh?).

They're sharp as f**k (if you need a translation for that, here's a handy guide on understanding my people). I wasn't paying attention while palmering some rabbit hair, and, well, it really fuckin' hurt.

They are really big. Like, big. Don't think a TMC 8089 #10 is equivalent in size to some Mustad streamer #10. Because they are not. Not at all. I even did a little graphic for y'all on how goddamned huge these TMC 8089s are:

Yes, that's your standard Mustad 34007 saltwater hook. Like redfish, baby tarpon, snook-sized fly hook. The TMC 8089 #10 is almost the exact same size, albeit with a thinner gauge wire. The Tiemco engineers must've been huffing a little too much glue when labelling the 8089 series...

But still an awesome hook.