Stream of Consciousness

Haven't Posted Much Lately.....

2009-03-13T12:13:00.002-06:00

....Cause there hasn't been much worth posting. We haven't fished in a week. We'll finally get back in the boat tomorrow, but we're looking at only about 10-12 total days for this month prior to leaving for the Bahamas.

Most of what we've been doing this week is cleaning and organizing the boat in preparation for the trip. We did some fishing ourselves as well on the gulf side in this skiff for Spanish Mackerel and Ballyhoo, which we freeze and take with us to use as baits for Blue Marlin.

We're giving ourselves a bit of a break right now to watch some of the college basketball conference tournaments. Go Bucky.

I'm thinking about getting myself one of the pocket sized waterproof cameras in the next few days so I can keep it in my pocket and have it at the ready for some quick photos, especially in the Bahamas. Hopefully that'll bring some life back to the blog.

Anywho, looking forward to getting back on the water tomorrow. Fishing has been reported to slowly be improving as the weather has been warm for about a week now, and hopefully it'll hold that way and fishing will be even better next week.

Looking forward to seeing Little Ricky, his bride, and Craig this week as well.

Be well, everybody.

The Cloud Nine....

2009-03-05T17:22:00.002-07:00

...washed, waxed, new bottom paint and clean wheels. That's a happy boat right there.

A Few New Photos....

2009-03-03T11:21:00.002-07:00

....taken and kindly forwarded from one of our anglers this week.

Made a Big Splash this Weekend....

2009-03-02T17:42:00.004-07:00

Unfortunately, it's because as I was a little late to the boat Saturday morning, I ran in, stepped onto the gunnel, proceeded to take the next step onto one of the docking ropes, and immediately rolled off the side into the water.

Go me. It was probably karma. Greg was late the day before. When he arrived, he told the anglers that he'd been to three different bait shops looking for "giant live shrimp" that we'd use that day for bottom fishing. So, of course, smart ass me, as I was running in said to one of the anglers "Hey, I was looking for big shriiiiiiiim......**splash**. I guess you don't f@*k with the Captain.

Fortunately, though, after realizing it was only me that fell in and not a customer, Greg calmly walked to the office, bought me a dry shirt, and away we went.

Saturday was my first day out Swordfishing. We dropped baits six different times between 25 and 36 miles offshore, at depths ranging from 1300 to 1700 feet. We had three bites in the six drops, but unfortunately never really stuck the fish good, and came home empty handed.

We were fishing the same group of guys for the fourth straight day, and they understood the game, so they were good sports, and knew that they were more paying their dues than anything.

Good thing they were such avid fisherman, because the rest of the week pretty well sucked as well. We did catch the two Sails we saw on Friday, a double header actually, and boated the second for the pictures. Outside of that, fishing was just slow slow slow, and we tried basically everything around.

From the cold front two weeks ago, to strange winds and little current, conditions just haven't been great lately for anything.

There's another front moving through right now. Barely hit the 60s today with gusty winds. It's supposed to be warming up by next weekend, though, and we won't fish until then as we're taking the boat out of the water this week to clean and paint the hull in preparation for the trip to the Bahamas at the end of the month.

Finally, even though the fishing offshore wasn't great this past week, the Redfish and Snook were biting in the back. At least, they were biting for my roommate Capt. Drew Moret and his angler Baker Bishop. The two paired to win the Backcountry Fly Championship in Islamorada. They bested 35 other boats in the two day competition. Each team could submit their largest Redfish and largest Snook (both length) each day. They finished I believe with 117", including a 36" Snook on the second day. Their margin of victory was by over 10". Congrats on a great job fellas.

PS: Cellphones and saltwater apparently don't go well together. Hopefully I'll have a new one in a few days.

Been a While....

2009-02-21T15:18:00.002-07:00

...and fortunately, it's just been a bit busy. Doing a fair amount of fishing this past week, and we've got another big week coming up.

We're catching a lot of Yellowtail Snappers these days, along with a smattering of Mutton and Mangrove Snappers and Grouper, including a 80 lb. Jewfish we released last week, and a bunch of nice Kingfish.

We caught two sailfish yesterday, which was great, only it was a couple of days late for a woman's sailfish tournament we fished on Wednesday, when we struck out on the sails as we missed our only two sail bites of the day. It only took two fish to win the tournament, though.

We've been fishing a lot with our kites lately, and it's led to some amazing top water bites. During the Sailfish Tournament, Greg shouted, "Slammer coming on the right short." (A nice sized Dolphin is often referred to as a "Slammer" or a "Gaffer," I'm quickly learning) I look over at the bait only to see the Dolphin thirty feet away. It swam another 20 feet toward the bait before shooting 4 feet out of the water and flying the last 10 feet to crash directly down on the bait. It was very cool to see. Hopefully just a precursor more exciting things to come.

There's definitely a lot to look forward to coming up. Sounds like a group of good friends will be down the third week in March, which I'm looking forward to, then off to the Bahamas for six or seven weeks at the end of March through mid-May. There's even rumors of TV episode being shot on our boat for a couple of days while we're there. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Would be too much fun.

Hope all's well with everyone out there.

A Look Back to Idaho....

2009-02-11T18:28:00.002-07:00

Sheesh It's Kind of Cold...

2009-02-04T18:37:00.002-07:00

And the fishing is so so.

But when we warm back up, the snapper and grouper should get pretty good, along with a few straggling sails.

I'm really excited for the Bahamas, though. Come on March!!!

Taking a Beating for the Sail

2009-02-01T07:55:00.002-07:00

Saturday morning we headed out to what could only have been described as a marginally fishable day at best. A cold front came through the night before, and we were facing 50 degree temps and 28-35 mile an hour winds.

Sure, people fish those conditions all over, be when weather like that comes through here, the fish clamp down, bait retreats from their normal homes, and tackle crashes around the cabin with every wave.

We had a couple of MIT students with us, and we went out and attempted to get bait, with no luck. So we turned to our kites which we had bait penned up for, but even with the specially designed "high wind" kites, it wasn't meant to be. Greg put the first kite up, and when he attempted to reel it back into make an adjustment to it, the wind snapped it off the 60 lb mono, and the kite crashed to the water. Fortunately we were able to recover it, but the kite option was gone.

We headed back again to a patch, where our angler caught a couple of small grouper on a jig, but the bait fish, which had been plentiful, didn't show up for breakfast. Everyone then agreed that it was time to go in, and we'd see if the afternoon brought any better weather.

Greg and I did some kite repairs from about 10am-12pm and the angler returned to about 10 knots less wind and a bit warmer temps, so we decided to head out and give it a go with the kites again.

Turned out for the best, as the skies were totally clear, temps hit the mid 60s, and the wind really eased up. Seemed almost remarkable how the day had changed from morning to afternoon. We landed a nice sail of about 65 pounds which I got into the boat for photos, and all were happy.

I had today off, so I was planning to go out last night, but my body had different ideas. After a burger and a couple of cocktails with Greg in the early evening, I headed home and proceeded to sleep for 12 hours. I think I needed it.

Heading up to Miami to a buddy's place to watch the game tonight. Hope everyone out there enjoys it.

Some Nice Little Honey Buns in South Florida

2009-01-30T17:04:00.002-07:00

Kind of switched gears fishing yesterday and focused on Yellowtail Snappers. Caught about a dozen, along with a couple of nice King Mackerels. Threw at a Sailfish as well, but he was just behind a giant school of Pilchards, so he'd probably been eating for a while.

Greg and I went to play golf today. Did my usual steady but decent blah round with a few total blow ups. Shot 88. Nice public course, though. Miccosukee, I believe.

After, we were driving down the road past the airport on our way to a tackle shop, a little 4 door Acura wagon pulls past us. Greg says, "Damn, that car is full of honey buns."

I'm thinking to myself, "Sweet, a car full of women, let's take a look."

Greg gets back up next to the car, and the back seat was literally packed full of sweet tasty treats.

Dammit.

The Weekend Recap; 5 Days in the Keys Sounds Like a Weekend, Right?

2009-01-27T17:07:00.004-07:00

Friday's tourney fishing was a good day. Was a charity tournament benefiting a small university in South Florida. Had seven sails come up and eat and raised a few others. We caught and released 3, which was good for third in the tournament. We had a good shot at winning, but it just wasn't meant to be for us that day. Four won the tournament.

Saturday we had a charter that didn't show from Ft. Lauderdale. But hey, wake up at 6 am on a Saturday, get to the boat at 6:30. Prepare everything for the trip, only to have Capt. Greg get a call at 7:05 telling him that they were still in FLL, they overslept, and were really sorry. Well, at least I had a nice sit down breakfast and was back in bed at 9 for a nice nap, right?

The time off also gave me the chance to call and check on my friend Mr. Walton who was in the hospital recovering from heart valve surgery. He still sounded a bit weak, but his doctors were assuring him that he was doing well and on the road to recovery, which is great news. They broke the mold when they made Mr. Walton, so the docs better keep him well.

We did end up heading out in the skiff a bit later on Saturday afternoon to try to catch some bait to freeze for the Bahamas, but unfortunately, no such luck.

Sunday (Happy Birthday Mama!!) we were booked for a half day with two gentlemen who turned out to be down from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. One was also a former Delta pilot, so we spent the morning listening to some flying stories in the wake of the recent Hudson River landing, and of course exchanged some notes on about our favorite local restaurants in WS.

Caught three sails on four bites that morning, so a nice day. Then celebrated with a pleasant evening out on the town.

Monday was another off day. Well, off in the sense that we weren't booked, but spent the latter half of the morning at the boat tidying up a bit. Capt Greg booked us for a half day on Tuesday so we went out in the skiff in the afternoon trying to find some Threadfins to use as Kite baits, but they weren't really biting, so we only ended up with four. We then went down to the local park where there's a golf cage set up and I gave Greg a quick lesson.

We headed back to the boat after that and went out fishing for Goggle Eyes, which are night feeders. While preparing to head out, I ran into the people we booked earlier in the day to fish on Tuesday. When I asked how their day went, they informed me that the went down to Key West for the afternoon and decided that they might as well get married. They'd been planning on Vegas or Sonoma, when they decided, hey, why not the beach in Key West. Turns out Tuesday would be my first ever Honeymoon charter.

Anyhow, Greg and I ended up catching about fifty Goggle Eyes. While we were out, I decided that I'd take out my SPOT device (personal satellite transmitter with OK, Help, and 911 modes) and give it a spin since I hadn't used it in a couple of months. I wanted to mark some of our positions so that I could take a look later where we were on Google Earth since the typical landmarks weren't visible. Night is funny like that.

About 15 minutes after I transmitted the second location, though, we saw flares go up, and then Coast Guard and Police Boats as well as a search and rescue helicopter were all working an area a few miles to the west of us. I got freaked out that I pressed a button other than the OK button. I double-checked the device and all looked normal. Turns out there was a boat that was indeed sinking down the way. Not sure of the outcome of that, but admittedly was relieved that I hadn't erroneously started an incident.

Anyhow, the fishing today was slower than it had been in the past few days. I didn't have my best day by any stretch, but it turned out OK. About 4 foot seas and variable gusty winds wreaked havoc with our kites and it was a bit frustrating. Fortunately, towards the end of the half day charter we hooked up to a nice dolphin and then about a 75 pound sail which we released at the boat, our newlyweds' first, so a good end to an otherwise rocky day for me.

Tomorrow will be a maintenance day again, and maybe some golf in the afternoon. It also happens to be my parent's anniversary, so Happy Anniversary to you both. 37, right? I love you both very much and am sorry I won't be there to share it with you.

Hope everyone out there is well and keeping warm.

EDIT: Oh, and here's a photo of me landing a sail for Mike from NJ last weekend. It was his first.

January 22, 2009

2009-01-23T00:22:00.002-07:00

Caught a couple of sails today.

Pretty ho-hum actually.

Tourney tomorrow, and my rooommate Drew with be fishing with us.

Back country meets offshore. Should be lots of fun.

Odds are I'll be giving golf lessons part of the time.

Sails In Islamorada

2009-01-22T19:08:00.002-07:00

I finally understand why everyone says "it's all relative."

I thought it was freezing when I woke up this morning. But the car read 47 degrees on the way to the boat.

When the boat left the dock, I was wearing a long sleeve shirt, a hoody sweatshirt, a hoody fleece, and also a windbreaker, with yes, a hood. It was terribly cold.

But then, I thought about it, and realized in college in Wisconsin, when it finally warmed up to 47 degrees after a long winter, all of the girls started running in shorts and a t-shirt when it hit 50 degrees. But, no matter, it was still cold this morning.

We'll blame it on a all of the moisture around us.

Caught a couple of sails today.

Tourney tomorrow, and I think my roommate Drew will be the other mate. Should be fun.

Brrrrrrrrr!!!

2009-01-21T21:18:00.002-07:00

Awfully chilly this morning when I woke up. Going to be about the same tomorrow when I wake up and go fishing. The breeze as we're running out to the bait patch should be very crisp and refreshing.

Yeah, I know 47 degrees isn't quite as cold as most are dealing with around the country, but for those of us whose blood has thinned considerably, it feels awfully cold.

I hope I can find my winter hat in my car somewhere.

Hope everyone else is staying warm.

Wow, My Blood is Thinning!!!

2009-01-14T21:33:00.003-07:00

58 degrees this morning, and I thought I was going to ice over. Can't imagine what's going on in the rest of the country, even though I grew up with it.

This past weekend after the Sailfly we didn't fish, unfortunately, but we certainly tried to make the most of our days off. Friday afternoon we played golf on the Hammock Course at the Ocean Reef Club, which I'm told is one of the nicer courses in South Florida.

I haven't played since I left NC in June, so I was a bit rusty, and certainly proved that on the front nine shooting a fifty-something. Yes, I was the score-keeper, and I refused to actually add it up. However, I was quite sure I knew what I was doing incorrectly, even though I lacked focus on the front to fix it.

When I stepped to the 10th tee, however, I had a little conversation with myself and proceeded to run off a 39 on the back. Typical Jekyl and Hyde round for me, I guess.

Saturday we did some shopping and preparation for Sunday's Pig Roast. That's right, what's better than a sunny day in Florida with football on TV all afternoon? Well, a sunny day, football, and a full split pig smoking on the front lawn of course.

Captain Greg did the honors, with a pig that had been marinating in Mojo (a Cuban sauce primarily made of garlic, olive oil and citrus juice). It smoked for about 6 hours over mesquite, and it was phenomenal.

We did get back to some fishing on Monday and Tuesday. A few sails, some kings, a few snapper and a triggerfish. Still lots of fish and lots of bait, just lots of fish full of bait who don't seem much interested in whatever you're tossing to them.

I'm continuing to feel more and more comfortable in my new life. It actually hit me that my sense of time seems so differnent to me now. Days used to seem very long, almost waitng for each minute to pass at work, and everything seemed to labor and drag, but before I knew it, it was July 4th, and then Labor Day, and then back to Thanksgiving and Christmas again.

Now, I get up, fish and it seems like it's 9pm and I ought to be in bed before I know it. But in the grand scheme of things, everything seems to move more slowly. New Year's and the Key West trip seem like months ago, but they were only 10 days to 2 weeks ago. Heck, I've only been here two months. Not sure what it all means, but this way certainly seems better.

Random side note: I'm officially a resident of Florida as of today.

Random side note 2: Rumor has it Little Ricky from Little Rock will be making an appearance in Florida in March, and I'll probably be lucky enough to finally meet his better half face-t0-face as well. Definitely looking forward to that if the rumor's true.

Sailfly 2009 Recap

2009-01-08T23:01:00.002-07:00

It sucked. The fishing was bad. Only three fish were caught. Charlie Scoble, who's a master, was the winning captain for the 3rd or 4th time in 9 years. Great job.

And even though it sucked otherwise, I was still so excited to be a part of it, and just happy to be here.

I've had a lot on my mind lately. I've formulated lots of posts in my head, because a lot of times it's easier for me to express myself in writing than trying to talk things out. But that said, overall, every thing's just getting better.

There's a cold front coming through, and I'm still outside on the patio, with the breeze blowing, shoes off, and you realize that no matter what you think is bad, this is paradise.

Is everything perfect. No. Would I like certain things to be different. Sure. Do I know if I'll ultimately be happy here? No. But am I happy to be here at this moment? Damn straight.

Do I wonder if I'm supposed to be here? Sure. Do I wonder where I'm going? Absolutely? But everyday, I'm happier and happier.

Sometimes you just have to let got. You can't just sit and wait for things to happen, and you've got to make your path, but you also can't necessarily make the things that you want happen, especially when they're not all in your own control. It's hard to always believe that things happen for a reason, or trust that things will work out just because, but sometimes you just have to have faith.

My faith is getting stronger each day.

Sailfly 2009

2009-01-06T09:09:00.001-07:00

Just got the word that the Cloud Nine will be a last minute entry. I'm pumped.

New Years Fishing Wrap Up and More

2009-01-06T07:58:00.003-07:00

First off, I'd like to wish everyone reading a belatedly happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year.

Unfortunately, since my December 29, 2008 post, I've yet to receive any photos from the anglers on the boat with cameras, so you'll just have to take my word for it that fishing was as successful as I indicated. Five sailfish, including a few that I hooked and landed in the boat, which was one of the big turns for me.

Yes, I've caught sails before, but all on fly which is a different game entirely. Yes, I've caught a number of other species before, but without the pressure of a fish that might only be near the surface for a few seconds, with anglers on the boat dependent on you hooking the fish in that moment, with the captain screaming directions from the tuna tower.

There are a lot of moments in fishing that call for quick reaction and quick thought. Seeing a tarpon rolling, or seeing a Bonefish feeding up a flat, but even in those instances, you typically have a chance to see the fish, look at the direction it's headed make a couple of false casts, and try to make a good presentation to the fish. Typically, they're also trapped in shallower water, so if you don't spook it off, you can even represent if necessary.

With the Sailfishing, though, if you're chasing bait showers, or just looking for fish swimming freely, they're in water that's still deep enough, 45-120 ft or more, where if they're not interested the first time you toss a bait, they'll release to the depths below before you've got your bait halfway back to the boat.

So seeing, casting, hooking, and boating these wonderful specimens for the first time on my own was a wonderful progression for me. All of it was also in the midst of boating a limit of King Mackerel, as well as a number of Yellowtail Snapper, and even a few shots at Cobia. And each switch involves preparing different tackle, and readying oneself for the transition to the different species. A lot of this took place while the other "experienced" mate sat with the captain up in the tower and let me handle the fire in the cockpit, which was a confidence booster in itself.

The day ended with praise from the captain, and a new found confidence for me. Not that I wasn't confident that I'd be able to do it, but of course accomplishment makes it even stronger.

Unfortunately, the fishing since that day hasn't been as hot for us. I had a couple of misses on sailfish, but really no major mistakes in anything that I did. We've had some more mackerel, and a few snapper and Cobia, but the water's been clear, which makes it difficult for bottom fish, and the wind has been changing directions daily, which seems to keep the fish skittish.

New Years hit the keys in a strange fashion. The famed Cheeca Lodge caught ablaze when a firework is believed to have caught the newly built Tiki Bar on fire, and the flames quickly went on to burn half of the main building there. It's the high-end lodging in Islamorada, so the prospect of it being closed for six months or more with the already tight economy isn't adding much hope to the situation. They've already cancelled the sailfish tournament they sponsor which was to be fished in the next couple of weeks as well.

New Year's morning, at the "Blessing of the Fleet" for 2009, a boat with an experience captain got too close to the bridge, and was subsequently trapped under the bridge for a bit, and nearly sank. Fortunately, it didn't, but that didn't save another boat from sinking just outside the channel of the Bud and Mary's Marina that we fish out of.

Not necessarily the bright and shiny signs you're looking for entering a new year.

I did hit Key West for a concert the other night which was fun. It was on Sunset Pier, which quite literally was a wooden pier (very sturdy), and a very cool venue to just sit and listen to music with water surrounding you from three sides and below. Moments like that remind you how lucky you are.

The Key West jaunt was preceded by a day of fishing where I found myself alone in the cockpit again for the entire trip. The fishing wasn't spectacular by any means, but I think I handled it well, and the captain commented that he was pleased at the end of the day as well.

Since then, I've also been told that I'll probably be handling all future non-tournament days on my own as well. Even though the captain and I both acknowledged that I'm probably not fully ready yet, I've proven myself well enough in under 30 days on the water that I'm capable of handling the majority of it, and picking up the rest as I go. It's a nice compliment to have someone put that trust in you when it comes to their livelihood.

Hope everyone reading out there is well.

December 29, 2008

2008-12-29T23:04:00.002-07:00

Today was the best day I've had since I've arrived to the Keys.

MARK IT DOWN.

I really feel like I turned a corner in so many ways today, and for so many reasons.

Yes, they're all fishing related.

Yes, I still have ways to go to see if I can find true personal happiness in the Keys.

But, the truth is, I can't remember the last time I fell asleep feeling this good about anything since the day I made the decision to leave my job and start on this journey.

I'll post more specifics soon, and hopefully some pics from a customer as well to share.

The Week's Fishing in Islamorada

2008-12-28T09:12:00.007-07:00

It's a beautiful, sunny and breezy 74 degrees this Sunday morning in Islamorada. A lot of fun fishing this past week.

Started out Monday morning when we took Capt. Greg's family out for a half day trip to catch King Mackerel, but the wind has been blowing most of the week, and the seas were a little rough. Unlike Greg, his family aren't really sea-goers, and after catching bait and getting our first hook up on a Kingfish, we were forced to head back to the dock after his brother and pregnant sister-in-law got sick, and his daughter and niece also started feeling a bit queasy.

We were treated to a bit of a Manatee show when we returned to the dock, too. Strange looking creatures. They’re also known as sea-cows. They apparently like freshwater, although they live in saltwater, but if you spray them with a hose they’ll come to the surface, and if you feed them the hose, they’ll sit and suck on it directly until you can finally wrangle it away from them. I actually got some decent photos with my point and click, but can’t find the adapter at the moment, so those will have to wait.

Tuesday, frankly, I half don't remember. A few kings, I think, but that was about it. It was rolling pretty good that day too, and we cut it short to a half day since the sails really weren't around. We fished with some wonderful people from NY, though, who we’d also fish with on Saturday.

Wednesday we fished a friend of Greg's and his son and daughter-in-law. Caught a few Kingfish again, a mutton snapper or two and dolphin fish, as well as the daughter-in-law's first Sailfish, a Merry Christmas Eve for her. It was actually an incredible morning of fish watching. We saw baits being showered by sailfish everywhere, but the bait was so plentiful, that even when we'd drop a cast right on the fishes' noses, they didn't care and would swim the other way because the bait fish in the water were so thick that the sails really didn't care. It was neat to watch, though.

Didn't fish Christmas day, but fished two couples on Friday from Rochester, NY. The trip was a Christmas present for one of the husbands. Fortunately, he wasn't the one who got sick that day. Yup, twice in a week for us. In everyone's defense, though, seas were rarely less than 4-6 all week, and it can get pretty uneven and choppy in the shallower water, especially early while we're getting bait. We started off with a few Kingfish, including a 40 lb fish (hooked by the husband that did get sick, who handed off the rod to his wife mid fight as he immediately turned and launched his breakfast overboard).

The King bite stopped, and it was awfully slow from about 9:45 until about 3 in the afternoon. Finally, though, we got the bite we were looking for, and after a nice fight, the Christmas wish was granted, and the angler had boated his first Sailfish.

Saturday turned out to be a day of epic battles. Our new friend from NYC who fished with us the previous Sunday and Tuesday was back, and his sole goal was to get on some sails. We had one come up pretty early, and it turned into an hour and forty-five minute battle. Not typical for a fish down here, but it was an atypical fish to say the least. Normally the bigger fish we see are in the 45-50 lb range, and occasionally up to 60 lbs. This fish was 85-90 if it was an ounce. Was a great fighter, and our angler did a great job on light tackle with 12 lb test line. The fish made seven or eight strong runs, pulling a bunch of line back each time he got within 30 feet of the boat.

The bite slowed midday, but we made a move further east in the afternoon, and a little after had our second bite, and to all of our surprise, after another fight of over an hour, we boated a 105 inch beauty that appeared as if it would tip the scales at over 100 lbs.

Two really spectacular fish on the same day was a treat. An even bigger treat for me was since the fights lasted so long, after we pulled the remaining baited lines out of the water and focused on the fight, I got to take the anglers camera up to the bridge and take some photos. I was in absolute heaven. Here were the results:

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season.

Sailfish and Mackerel in Islamorada

2008-12-26T16:58:00.001-07:00

Have some days that I need to report on, but admittedly I've slacked some. I'm definitely going to update over the weekend, so don't lose faith in me, please. But, I am trying to live life some, and here I go.

Oh, and Go Bucky!!! Beat FSU.

"Chamber of Commerce Day"

2008-12-21T21:21:00.002-07:00

Heard that repeated a lot today, as although the fishing was a bit slow, on the first day of winter it was mid 70s, very little breeze, and little to no clouds.

Not ideal fishing weather, but lovely for a boat ride, and the guys on the boat figured their families were having a great day by the pool.

We did have some luck with the King Mackerels again, and nearly caught our limit before 9:30 am, but most were small to medium sized fish. Caught one Sail, and a couple of Yellowtail, but really, after about 10:30, despite much effort, our fishing day turned out basically to be over.

As beautiful as the weather was a little wind would hurt. That said, it was still an awfully nice boat ride, and I hope none of that cold air up north heads our way.

Full Day on My Own

2008-12-20T18:52:00.002-07:00

Capt. Greg got a call from the other mate just before departure time that he was sick (which I'm half assuming might be more commonly known as hung over north of Islamorada), so I quickly prepared for my first full day in the cockpit on my own.

Fortunately, it went fairly smoothly. There's a lot of room for improvement, for sure, especially where it comes to quickness and efficiency, but overall it was a positive day. Capt. Greg paid me a compliment that I performed well, and even showed vast improvement from morning to afternoon. Even though I've been here a little more than a month now, I just counted and believe that this was actually only day 11 on the big boat, so really, I'm pretty pleased with my progress.

The weather was really nice today....almost too nice, even. Calm seas and a gentle breeze, which actually doesn't make for great Sailfishing. That didn't get us down, though, as we still released one sail, landed 8 King Mackerel, an 18 lb Mutton Snapper, by far the largest of the species that I'd seen, and a nice Yellowtail Snapper as well.

All in all, a plentiful day on the water, and we're back at it tomorrow.

What a Day in Islamorada

2008-12-14T19:58:00.002-07:00

Tough good, tough bad, tough rough, tough successful.

I made some mistakes, but I know I did better. Billed my first Sailfish into the boat today. Pulled a hook on another Sailfish that I grabbed the leader on.

Pulled a couple of Dolphin into the boat today. Missed another that I tried to leader and gaff but hit the leader and popped the hook.

All good experiences though. After all, if you never make a mistake, you won't learn anything.

Either way, I thin it was day 11, and I think there's improvement, and I think the Capt. saw improvement, so hopefully it's all good.

We had two half days today. Caught 5 sails in total, which actually wouldn't have topped the field in the tourney today that we weren't involved in, as well as landed four more dolphin, so I'm taking it as a positive.

There were also a lot of pictures taken on the boat, and I gave the anglers my address, so hopefully I'll get a few pictures out of it to share.

Hopefully this was the end of our cold front, too. This foray into the 50s in the morning was enough for me, even though we've been in the 70s during the day.

Anyway, focus on the positive that it was a good day.

Hope everyone out there is well.

Islamorada Fishing and Life Around the Boat

2008-12-10T15:55:00.002-07:00

Monday was a great charter day for us. We caught a little bit of everything, which also meant that a little bit of everything had to be rigged, and different tackle was flying everywhere depending on the moment, and of course, a whole new set of rigs and techniques to learn.

We ended up catching six King Mackerels, a couple in the 35-40 lb range, as well as six Cobia, three of which were above the 33" size limit to keep, as well as a Dolphin and a Sailfish.

At the end of the day, I even learned to gut the Mackerels, which for anyone who knows me, knows wasn't my idea of fun, but I survived it, and wasn't as bad as I expected it to be.

Yesterday was a big boat cleaning day. Soaped up the whole house, as well as waxed all of the metal on the boat. Only took me about 7 hours to get it all done.

This morning was some bait fishing, and we caught a few for a change, which was nice. We'd actually planned to hit the back country for a little fly fishing after, but it was pretty breezy so that plan went out the window.

Tomorrow is going to be a lazy day, which means that I won't have to get to the boat until about 10 am. We'll do a few things in preparation for fishing Friday, Saturday and Sunday, which will be nice. We also had a bunch of bookings yesterday, which means we're looking at 12 more days before New Year's, which means about 17 days on the boat this month, which will hopefully translate into a relief on my bank account.

Hopefully things are picking up!

Islamorada Sailfish Championship Wrap-Up

2008-12-07T15:32:00.002-07:00

Well, I know I'm tired because I thought I posted yesterday for Day 2, but apparently I didn't. Subliminally, I wanted to say that there were another 120 or so fish caught yesterday, but unfortunately we didn't participate in the catching. We had one on, and saw a couple of more, but it just wasn't our day.

Today we caught 6, but it still really wasn't our day. Twice we had triples on, and of those six fish we only managed to get one to the boat. We had a few others hooked that broke us off as well. We were out of the running really for the overall, but if we could have boated a few more today we might have been in good position to win the Day 3 pot in the Calcutta.

The tourney days are very long and hard work. Definitely learning a lot in the process, and feel like I'm contributing more each day.

We fish again tomorrow, but fortunately it won't be another 5am call, as far as I know. Off to the post tournament dinner here in a bit. Hope everyone out there is well.

Islamorada Sailfish Championship, Day 1 Report

2008-12-05T17:47:00.002-07:00

WOW!! The Sailfish are here.

Some of the numbers I had the other day appear to have been off, as there were actually only 30 or so boats this year, and typically about 60, but the Sailfish were here in great numbers. In fact, there were a confirmed 145 releases today amongst the entire field.

Our boat, the Cloud Nine, started out a bit slow, but finished with 8 fish, including a triple header that turned into a double when one fish through the hook, another double, and then 4 single fish. We had 7 others that also broke our anglers off, so we ended 8/15 on the day. We caught two Dolphin fish as well, though neither big enough for the other species category.

15 is actually the number leading now, and there were a few other boats that finished in double digits, and one at nine, so we're around 6th after day 1, and kept ourselves in contention.

The morning started at 5am in the skiff running to get baits that we caught previously from the pens, and then more bait fishing and rigging. Lines in were at 8:30 and we fished until 4:30. We finished at 6 pm after clean up and re-rigging for tomorrow, and now I'm off to cut more leaders in preparation as well, and then to bed for another 5:30 am call.

Definitely learning under fire for me. I had a few missteps, but I think I did better as the day wore on. I feel like I'm still learning to crawl when I know it's time to run during the big tournaments, but all I can do is try to continue to improve, and not directly cost us any fish. There's a lot going on, but fortunately I'm working with some understanding guys, and three great laid back anglers, so it's all good.

Hopefully we'll be on them again tomorrow.

Is It That Hard to Make a Sand Ball?

2008-12-04T18:17:00.002-07:00

You wouldn't think so, but I was surprised. Headed out on the big boat this morning. Mix sand, chum, and water, and then form them into balls the size of softballs so that they'll sink and take the chum to the bottom. I quickly found that they're not nearly as easy to pack as snow balls, though, and if they're too wet, or too dry, they're just not going to pack and hold together well enough to toss and get the desired effect. Even balls of sand are a learning process.

Had a short day of fishing. Mostly we were getting the tackle straight and working out the last minute kinks for the tournament. We caught one small sail which was the perfect tournament fish. Had it to the boat and released in five minutes.

Excited for tomorrow, but it's an early call. At the boat at 5 am for bait. We'll catch what we can, then head back to the dock and head out for lines in at 8. Hopefully we'll have a successful Day One Tourney report tomorrow night.

Islamorada Cold Front

2008-12-03T19:40:00.002-07:00

Wish I had my camera yesterday morning as the front came through. We headed out from the marina at 7:30 in search of bait. It was clear, calm, and a beautifully peaceful morning.

We found some "ducks" as Greg likes to call most any bird on the ocean, in this case, pelicans, crashing baits and set ourselves in position to catch what we could. Not half an hour later, Greg turns and said, there's going to be some wind in that.

I looked back to the north, and there was the most defined line of clouds that I'd ever remembered seeing, with dark clouds following. It was still totally calm where we were, and crystal clear blue skies to the south. A picture I wish I'd gotten, but I was sans camera again, unfortunately.

Not five minutes later, it was as if someone flipped a switch and a giant fan turned on full blast. No build up or anything. Just an immediate shift from no wind, to winds blowing 20-25. We just got hit with only light showers, but the ride back was rough and cold for sure.

We did get some baits, but not as productive as we'd hoped. We tried again later in the afternoon when skies cleared again, but no luck, nor any luck this morning.

This afternoon was spent rigging tackle. My Bimini Twists are getting better, which is good, since nearly everything we rig uses them. I always remember Craig saying, "Chicks dig guys who can tie good Bimini Twists." I was never sure why, but hopefully now that I'm getting the hang of them, the women will take notice.

Four straight days of fishing start tomorrow, including the big Islamorada Sailfish Championship Friday-Sunday. It's typically the biggest sailfish tournament down here, as I understand, with normally 120-140 boats, but it sounds as though there will only be about 60 this year, though. Fortunately, we're booked for it, and it actually sounds as though we're getting some decent bookings for the next three moths, which is a relief.

Going to go finish cutting a few more leaders tonight in preparation for the next four days. Wish us luck.

Back to Islamorada

2008-12-01T18:37:00.003-07:00

Rolled back into Islamorada today. Was nice to see my family over Thanksgiving. Always nice to be home around the people who love you the most.

Also had a chance to reconnect with a friend with whom my relationship turned a bit tumultuous. We had some ups and down, and hard to always have conversations about those sorts of things when there's so many feelings involved, but I feel better with how things were left, even though I think there's still some hurt feelings on both ends. I'm sure I probably say too much sometimes, too, as I have a tendency to be a bit too honest. I probably don't always explain myself very well, either, or get a bit too wordy and vague, as I'm undoubtedly doing right now.

Hopefully after some time wears on, though, we can leave the past where it is, and start to slowly rebuild a better friendship.

Anyhow, I'm really hoping that the charters here will pick up now. I know I'll feel better once I can get focused on a fuller work schedule and start making some better progress down here.

Hope everyone had a good holiday.

Jeffrey

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T10:10:00.004-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving all, especially those in my life that I'm particularly thankful for; my family and friends that have been so supportive to me over the past six months.

Of course, it's nice to have a day to remind us to be thankful for these things, but the more I think about it, I realize that I need to try to do a better job of being thankful for the special people in my life each and every day. It's easy to take the people you love for granted, and assume they'll always be there. Hopefully, no matter I am, I'll remember to always be as loving and supportive of them, and hope they're as thankful that I'm in their life as well.

Patience and Perseverance

2008-11-23T20:52:00.004-07:00

I got a couple of e-mails and comments giving me a kick in the butt to update a bit more, and they were right, so thank you.

It's been a little tough to motivate the last week or so because things have started off a bit slowly here. I hit the ground running with a few good fishing days to start, but unfortunately charters in the area seem to have gone the way of the stock market, and have been way down this month.

But the keys are going to be patience and perseverance. After all, as the old adages go, "It's not called catching, it's called fishing" and "It's not called killing, it's called hunting." You learn quickly that patience and perseverance are necessary qualities in being good at either of these endeavors, and those traits carry over to life in general if you want to be successful.

So, even though it's slow now, I know that in time, we'll be booked more regulary, we'll fish more, and I'll get the chance to learn more, get into the flow, and hopefully be successful in my new endeavor. In the meantime, until those bookings pick up for our boat, I'm going to have to try hard to continue to meet people, and continue to try and get on the water in any capacity that I can to get the experience I need to better hone my craft.

But, that said, since this week is going to be slow, I'm going to hop a plane to Chicago tomorrow so I can get home and see my family for Thanksgiving, and then hopefully come back and hit the ground running with renewed energy as Sailfish Tournament season takes full effect in December.

Great Day Fishing!!!

2008-11-15T20:38:00.002-07:00

It was a great day fishing, but how often after that, do you get to sit and eat dinner with Chico Fernandez and Steve Huff?

Yes, I know that the few that read this often may not totally understand, but basically it was eating dinner with two of fishing's royalty.

It's late and I'm tired, but I have a short day tomorrow, so more then.....but really an all around incredible.

Fishing Islamorada!!!

2008-11-14T15:44:00.002-07:00

Day one in the books. Was gratifying as well as difficult. Definitely a lot of hard work, which was to be expected, and I know I have a lot to learn. It's discouraging sometimes when I feel like I don't know things, but I also have to remember that I'm comparing myself to someone who has been on the water almost daily for 20 years, so I should probably cut myself some slack as well. A lot will be repetition, and I'm confident that I'll pick it up as time goes.

It was pretty windy when we hit the dock this morning, so the run to the Gulf Stream for Swordfish was scrapped. We started out Sailfishing, which was slow to begin with, so at about midday we hit the reef to fish for dinner. We hit the Yellowtail Snappers pretty hard, and ended up with 30 or so in the boat, as well as a Mangrove Snapper. Fresh fish for dinner!!!

While we were anchored on the reef, a Sailfish crashed some baits behind us, and the first mate, Mikey, tossed back a bait and in short order we were hooked to a decent sized sail. One of the anglers fought it for a while from a dead drift, and was playing it well, but it threw the hook about 5 minutes in. It got some good jumps in, though, which was exciting.

The day ended with a double header. Two small sails hit the baits, and both were brought to the side of the boat.

All in all, a nice first day.

Back to schoooool....

2008-11-13T19:48:00.002-07:00

Good learning day today. Didn't hit the engine room after all, but helped build a bait pen, learned to spool and re-line reels, and helped clean out the boat and reorganize from Marlin/Dolphin season to prepare for Sailfish season.

First full day of fishing tomorrow, and then learn to throw the cast net for bait on Monday or so. Very exciting.

Welcome to Islamorada

2008-11-12T18:36:00.002-07:00

I arrived in Islamorada Sunday night and have been getting myself situated since. I enjoyed my trip through North Carolina to see friends and send my dogs on their way to Denver, which was much more emotional for me than I had expected, but all went well. They're with Janis in their new home, and everyone is reportedly happy, so I'm very grateful for that.

Stopped in Jacksonville and spent a nice evening with Craig and Wendy on Saturday night, and then headed to Islamorada on Sunday to begin my new adventure. I've been out with Greg the past two mornings catching bait in preparation for some tournaments in early December. We're planning to do some boat maintenance tomorrow morning, and I should get a good initiation with the engine room.

My first official fishing day will be Friday when we venture out for some Swordfish. I've never fished for Swords before, so it seems apropos to get off and running in with my new career with a truly fresh experience.

I hope to have some pictures up from the trip in the next few days. Thanks to all of those who provided me places to stay and all of your hospitality along my trip back east. I hope everyone is well.

Thank Goodness for Audiobooks

2008-11-03T00:39:00.002-07:00

Before I headed west in July, Craig suggested I look into Audiobooks. He said they were a great way to keep yourself entertained and awake when driving alone on the open road. I enjoyed a few on my way out, but I don't think there's been a time that I felt more fortunate to have gotten that advice than the last couple of days. Southern Colorado is just desolate. The drive into Albuquerque isn't bad, but once you turn east from Albuquerque, there's nothing there.

I take that back. Amarillo is in the Texas panhandle, but I'm not sure why. My friend Alan said, "It's there 'cause that's where the wagons broke down." It seems about as logical a reason as any. But other than Amarillo, sagebrush, and a few windmills, there's just nothing between Albuquerque and Oklahoma City that even comes close to grabbing your attention.

I used to whine about driving through Iowa and Nebraska, but I think I owe them a written apology and a fruit basket or something. At least they've got some corn and a rolling hill or two.

But don't get me wrong. While the Audiobooks have been a savior while I've been driving, I'm having a great trip. Hung out with my friend Brett in Laramie for Halloween. Met my sister Janis for brunch in Denver yesterday morning. Continued on to Albuquerque where I arrived to a beautiful sunset over the mountains of Sante Fe last night and had dinner and drinks with my friends Ann and Steve. They have a new puppy, and Ann faught with her daughter Jaime over who'd get to show me the puppy tricks. I've never heard a grown woman huff "No! He's my friend, I get to show him the tricks. You can do the tricks when YOUR friends are here," as she pushed her daughter aside. I was quite amused.

Headed to Oklahoma City today and met up with my friends Renae and Alan. Enjoyed a great Mexican dinner with a couple of margaritas, and then hit a local poker room for a bit for old time's sake. I'll head out leisurely in the morning, as I've got about 2 days worth of driving to get back to North Carolina.

From there, I'll need a few days to get some personal business attended to, and then it's time to go south, but I'm looking forward to spending some time with some friends while I'm there.

On the Road Again

2008-10-31T07:48:00.002-06:00

Well, today's the day. I'm heading out in a few hours, if I can get packed. Ran into some hiccups yesterday so there may be a slight delay, but I'll be on the road at some point today.

I'm incredibly indebted to Sid and Sheri for their generosity and hospitality in allowing me to stay at the lodge this summer. Their friendship and support has meant the wold to me, and of course, the fishing and hunting and watching Sid work in the woods are incredible experiences in themselves. I can't wait to get back next summer.

Of course, no good ever seems to come without a little bad. A little too much worrying about mom this summer, but fortunately she's doing well now.

Lost someone I loved from my life, but as much as it hurt, they say "it's better to have loved and lost." Focusing on that adage, it kept me in Idaho for a couple extra months to gain an appreciation for hunting that I didn't have before. It also left the door open for me to pursue a new adventure, a chance to live a dream to the fullest, and I'm going to do my best to take full advantage.

So overall, it's been a wonderful experience. I'm leaving a more relaxed (most of the time) person, and with the continued excitement that I found that had previously been absent from my life when I started this blog.

Thanks to those who continue to read. I'll update from the road as I can, and continue with my new adventures from Islamorada in 10 days or so.

Be well, all.

Sunrise Over Trail Canyon

2008-10-29T08:58:00.002-06:00

Smart Aminals

2008-10-26T21:55:00.003-06:00

The elk and deer have evaded us the past couple of days, but not for lack of trying.

I did have a staring contest this evening with a cow moose at about 20 yards. I decided after a while, however, that I'd let her win. Pretty sure she thought I was cute, though. She couldn't take her eyes off me. After a while, she stumbled away, but I didn't get very good pictures, as I didn't properly accomodate for the low light.

Oh well. Was a pretty neat experience. I know Little Ricky got a kick out of it as well. Here's a photo of Rick taking one last look at a ridge before we lost our light for the evening.

Good Scenery

2008-10-23T13:16:00.003-06:00

Long hike this morning. Seemed fortunate to be moving a lot though, since it was 14 degrees when we started the hunt. Was probably a balmy 35 when we finished, which at that point almost seemed tropical.

Saw a bunch of nice bucks that were all out of range, and Sid saw a nice Bull Elk through is binoculars that had been not very far from where Little Ricky and I sat yesterday evening, with almost an eerie silence surrounding us. It was too quiet. Not even the birds wanted to talk to us.

Oh well, such is hunting. Rick came close to a shot at the end, as we continued pursuing elk, but it wasn't meant to be today. When I was in a position where it wasn't a big deal if I were making some noise, I snapped these couple of photos as I was heading down the mountain.

A Picture I Thought Was Interesting

2008-10-21T22:16:00.003-06:00

Shot after a brief rain shower, just before sunset, and a little hole in the clouds opened. Shot off the front deck of the lodge.

Breezy Days

2008-10-21T08:27:00.002-06:00

Wind had blown out the past couple of morning hunts. When it's windy, the animals tend to stay bedded down since they just don't like being up in the wind, and wind creates a lot of noise, which makes it harder to hear their predators from a distance. Also, if the wind is swirling, it also makes it more difficult to determine which direction unusual smells are coming from that also allow them to determine if predators are approaching.

Rick did get out hunting for a bit last night, though, and got right into the thick of deer not much more than a stones throw from the lodge. All of the bigger bucks seemed to have a knack for keeping enough of themselves hidden that there wasn't a great opportunity for Rick to shoot. It's expected to be very windy again for the rest of today, but tomorrow is forecasted to be as clear and calm as could be, so we're rooting for a big day tomorrow.

As a follow up to yesterday, I know Craig was very appreciative of all of Little Ricky's efforts on his behalf, but it appears that this guy might be a little more efficient.

Craig's Ground Breaking

2008-10-19T17:03:00.004-06:00

While were having a cocktail and talking at the lodge this afternoon, we filled Little Ricky in on some of the trials and tribulations Craig had been having with getting construction of his cabin underway on his parcel of land down the road a piece from the lodge.

Building permits, zoning, health permits, and late contractors. Everything you could think of seemed to be stalling the actual breaking ground on the project. It has certainly been a large point of stress for both Craig and Sid these past few weeks.

Well, another Jim Beam or two later, and Little Ricky decided this was just unacceptable. He decided that since the track hoe was delivered on Thursday, but nothing was done on Friday, that it was time to take matters into his own hand.

A few minutes later, he was geared up, and invited both Sid and I to attend the official ribbon cutting ceremony for the Reagor Ground Breaking 2008.

We thought it was pretty clever, and pretty funny, but little did we know, he wasn't content to stop at that. To our surprise, Little Ricky then sprinted to the track hoe, as he was set to REALLY get down to business.

When he couldn't get in, he decided he was going to break in, and nothing was going to stop him.

Fortunately, Sid jumped into action, and reasoned with Little Ricky. Sid convinced Little Ricky that trying to operate heavy machinery after a few Beam's wasn't necessarily the the soundest decision.

But Little Ricky isn't easily deterred. Sid might have slowed him down a bit, but nothing was going to dampen his spirit, or deter his will to get this project underway. Little Ricky was fixated on getting that heavy machinery up onto the pad and start digging. After a few more minutes, Little Ricky was in position...

...and the excavation commenced.

After a short period of time, Little Ricky really got into his groove, and was making some outstanding headway.

Clearly, he was pleased with his progress in such a short time.

Sid and I were both excited as well, and didn't want to get in his way. We decided to head back to the lodge for a couple of hours, maybe have a snack, and then return to check on how Little Ricky was progressing.

Much to our amazement when we returned, Little Ricky had transformed Craig's pad into a multi-tiered extravaganza.

We're all sure that Craig will be extremely excited.

Laying Low

2008-10-18T17:55:00.002-06:00

Been a quiet weekend. Everyone decided to lay low and let the "weekend warriors" drive their four wheelers around the mountains, scaring the deer and the elk.

We'll head back out tomorrow, maybe, or Monday morning after the animals have had a chance to settle down and get back into their routine.

Until then, we'll just watch some football and baseball and enjoy the return of the warm sunny weather.

Hiking, Hiking, Hiking

2008-10-16T22:53:00.002-06:00

And when I'm not hiking, it's nap time......

....so forgive me for not writing so much, but I at least wanted to share some more pictures, cause if you're gonna walk the wilderness, there can't be too many neater places....

Good night.

Mule Deer Bucks

2008-10-14T18:54:00.007-06:00

The past two days of hunting have been exhilarating, exhausting, an incredible learning experience, and ultimately frustrating, all rolled into a beautiful package.

Yesterday morning started a little slow, ended with a bang, and yielded an epic chase. At least epic in my eyes. We had one guest hit a 3x2 buck not far from the cabin. 200 yds out and moving. A hell of a shot. He was immediately brought back to the lodge.

Two others were shot right in the back yard. We found blood trails on both, as they were hit, but unfortunately not fatally. One was a very nice 4x4. Greg and I literally chased it for four straight hours. It laid down 10 different times. We must have pushed it 3 miles. We often debated whether to let it lie down and hopefully die, but in the snow, we could see such a distinct trail, and a good amount of blood, so we pushed on and hoped to make it continue to bleed.

We got it to one point where Greg had another shot at it, but we weren't in a place that would have been prudent to shoot, so we pushed on.

After four hours, we decided to give it a rest, and went back to the lodge. Two hours later, we went back at it with Sid, and Sid jumped the deer and pushed it for another three hours. He had a shot at it from 60 yards, but I was up the hill higher, and according to Sid, "I still need some help til the end of the month, so I decided to wait. If it were the last day and I didn't need you anymore, I might have risked it."

He was kidding, of course. But frustrating in the end that we didn't get it. Sid even chased it down another three hours today, but to no end. Truly amazing how strong these animals are, and their will to live.

Sid described it as they don't have a mortgage, they don't have bills, all they have to do is mate and survive, and they're very good at it. It really gives you an appreciation for how smart and willful these animals can be, and how extremely difficult a true free range hunt is.

But, in the end, as you're up on the top of the peak at the end of a hard day, you always remember to appreciate where you are, as dusk approaches, the sun sets, the moon rises, and you can smile, even at the end of a rigorous, frustrating, but extremely exciting day.

Global Warming My Ass.....

2008-10-12T08:20:00.001-06:00

The front deck of the lodge. 8am this morning.

Fall is Coming to a Close

2008-10-11T12:08:00.004-06:00

The view out the window right now back at the Lodge tells me fall is quickly coming to a close, so I figure I need to do a catch up before I fall too far behind.

I had a very nice visit. It was great to see my parents and my sister Laura. Mom's recovery after the surgery, though slower than we'd all hoped, seems to have ultimately gone well, and though she was still in rehab when I left, I saw a lot of improvement while I was home. And happily, I can report that she finally got to go home to her own bed on Thursday, and the trooper she is, is planning to head to work for a half day on Monday.

My sister Laura graciously treated me to a Cubs game while I was in town.

We had seats in the bleachers that were a bit obstructed view from left field, but the nice people at Wrigley think of everything, and had us set up so that we could see all of the action.

Of course, I had to partake in some of the tastes of home, and enjoyed a beer and a kosher dog with grilled onions and mustard.

Unfortunately, the Cubs were out of the game basically after the second inning after they gave up 5 runs, and ultimately lost 10-3. There were some amusing moments as usual from the crowd in the bleachers. At one point, as much of the stadium spent the night in stunned silence with little hope of a comeback, I asked Laura if she thought it would be better to lose that way, basically out if it from the get go and have to sit through the balance of the game, or if it would have been better to lose with a heartbreaking rally in the eighth or ninth inning.

Little did I know that on Saturday night, when Laura and I would head to Madison to take in the Wisconsin Badger game vs. Ohio State with Ryan, Megan and friends that I'd soon have that exact comparison.

Always awesome to see the Badgers in action at night, though lacking a little of the typical energy because the band was actually on suspension for sexual misconduct, go figure, Bucky lost after giving up a touchdown with 1:08 to go, 20-17.

Imagine 85,000 people walking away in stunned silence, knowing all the hopes for a BCS season just basically slipped away. Oh well, still always a good time in Madison, and even better to spend time with great friends.

I got back to Idaho on Monday, we spent most of the week doing errands in preparation of rifle season, and as Friday marked opening day, we were even treated to a mid afternoon flurry.

It subsided quickly, and turned out to be a beautiful fall afternoon.

No deer on day one, or this morning, but we're staring at two inches of snow on the ground right now, with potentially more to come. As I've been told, the dark Mule Deer will look like the bright lights of a Christmas Tree when they're turned on the first time of the season for the next few days, so there could be some excitement to come.

Hope every one's well.

Happy Birthday!

2008-10-06T22:58:00.003-06:00

Happy 7th Birthday Whiskey and Snoopy. I miss you boys. (I don't even have a good picture. What an ass.)

RIP Maddie, greatest dog I knew and mother to the two boys and their 6 siblings, as well as Aunt Sadie. You'll both be missed by many.

UPDATE:

Thanks to Wendy and Janis for forwarding me a picture.

Maddie, Snoopy, and Whiskey, a few years back

Elk Hunting Saturday, September 27 Recap

2008-10-01T12:46:00.002-06:00

Saturday was completely exhilarating from the totally opposite end of the spectrum of our hunt Friday night. The scenery was no less breathtaking. But the anticipation was different. The hunt would be different. Sid and two of the guys in had headed to the same draw earlier that morning and saw and heard a bunch of elk. Since this was the last evening the guys would be hunting, they prepared for an all out assault. Each of the five guys spread out along the creek flowing through the draw. One hundred yards between each of them so that each could cover the 50 yd range of their compound bows to either side. An elk wasn’t going to get between them.

I was stationed on a hill behind them where I could see the entire tree line and meadow. I was armed that night with the video camera, prepared to hopefully get some good shots of the approaching elk and a soundtrack full of bugles if they cooperated. Sid and I sat between 5:30 and 6, and we waited. Sid expected prime time to be right at about 6:45 or 7.

6:15 was the first bugle we heard. Sid said it was early, but a good sign. After a while we’d hear another, and then another. They sounded “big” and like they were right on top of one of the guys that Sid had stationed just out of sight into the pine trees. I decided that at 7 pm I’d turn the camera on and let it run through dark.

Right on cue, just as I was turning on the camera, another big bugle. It was incredibly exciting. The first time I’d been in a canyon to hear the elk really sounding off, and Sid was right there telling me how large it was, where it was, and which way it was likely moving, just by the sounds and tones. Crazy wild experience.

At 7:05, well, that’s when I learned that just because the battery display on the camera says 90 minutes, doesn’t mean it’s actually going to hold out and work for more than 5 minutes. Of course I said to myself earlier in the day, might as well give it a full charge. Of course, I had about 4 back up batteries that I conveniently had sitting on my bed as well. Yup, bad case of the dumb ass extraordinaire.

Oh well. Fortunately for me, no elk came out into the open, so I didn’t actually miss any video, but unfortunately for the hunters, all the 25-30 bugles we heard did nothing more than tease them, as none of the big bulls moved into a position to be seen or shot at.

The bugling continued as dusk faded to dark, and when it became apparent it would be too dark to shoot, Sid and I stood and started to head down to meet the guys. Just then, after we’d moved about 5 feet we heard a rustling in the trees in the draw just down to our left. We hear a big bugle, and Sid can make out the outline of an elk just bounding out of the Aspens.

We hear trampling in the sage brush, another big bugle, and then a hollow gurgling type sound that Sid explain the bulls make with their stomachs when a bull wants to “get to know” one of the cows a bit better. The cow kept moving forward towards us. The bull would give chase, bugle, make the stomach gurgle. You could hear the bull try to get up behind the cow, but she would continue to move forward. We could hear them moving up the hill straight at us.

Another bugle, more stomach gurgling, and more rustling in the sagebrush. The bull was getting mad that the cow wasn’t being more cooperative. And then continued to get closer and closer to us. Just then, the cow appeared just on the other side of the knob we were standing on. We could see her outline 15 yds away from us in the darkness. She immediately stopped, and the bull appeared just behind her.

The cow stood for a second trying to figure out what we were, and when she realized that there weren’t supposed to be two pine trees on that part of the hill, she took off and was almost instantly 75 yds away back into the Aspen trees that she’d originally emerged from. The bull wasn’t long to follow her.

What a cool experience, though. The sounds of those majestic animals were just incredible. Totally exhilarating, and very cool to be able to have that happen while I was standing next to Sid.

Elk Hunting Friday, September 26 Recap

2008-10-01T12:15:00.001-06:00

Well, I’m on the airplane to Chicago. Was actually a breeze through security and check-in, very few people the terminal I was flying out of Salt Lake, but a full flight, and I’m quickly reminded how spoiled I’ve been the past few months. At any given time, when I looked around the streams, or where I was hunting, there may have been a dozen people within 10 square miles of me. Now, there’s 12 people within spitting distance. Maybe 15 with good trajectory. It’s a means to an end, and certainly faster than driving, but boy, space is nice. And seriously, $7 for a beer? Really? And you take credit cards in flight now? Good thing I heard a rumor about a Hooters near the airport so I could stop for lunch and a beer before I flew.

Now that I’m done complaining, we can focus on the cool stuff. Friday and Saturday’s evening hunts. Each really made an impression on me for two totally different reason.

Friday, I headed out to a different stand than I’d ever walked to before. As remote as many of the others seem, this just seemed to be so perfectly secluded. I emerged from a stand of pine trees to see a large hill covered in sagebrush that descended into a small babbling stream. Across the stream was an open meadow surrounded by pine and aspen trees on either side.

When I entered the meadow, there were cattle cows watering at the stream that immediately trampled into the woods upwind of me, which I feared meant that any shot at seeing another animal that night would be over. Two small foxes did move through. Their rustling in the grass actually woke me from one of those eyes half open eyes half closed sleeps that I used to fall into during economics class.

After my little startled awakening, the meadow was phenomenally peaceful. A slight breeze rolled our of the pines from the northwest. I wondered how many other people may have sat in that spot before me? Maybe two dozen? Fifty at the most? Breathing air that has likely passed the nostrils of less than fifty other people.

Everything else was still. Every now and again a squirrel might walk across a downed tree and let out it squeaks. They sound like those chew toys that you’d give your dog, whistling each time they chew it. And the more they realized they can make the noise, the faster they chew to make the sound over and over and over until you want to just stick a knife through it so that it’ll never make that annoying sound again. But other than those few moments, everything was so still and peaceful.

The sun slowly fell over the ridge to the west. The last few rays of sunlight climbed the hills to the east with the sagebrush and the aspen trees. The orange and yellow fall leaves glowed in the final moments before the darkness overtook them. The sky, completely cloudless, fell from a crystal clear sky blue, past every Crayola color in the box, until a deep navy engulfed the tops of the trees.

It was incredibly scenic. Incredibly peaceful. And during the entire time, an incredible sense of excitement and anticipation was bursting inside of what may have emerged from the woods to join me.

Home Again...

2008-09-30T12:19:00.003-06:00

Definitely wonderful to be back in Chicago. Well, outside of my cab ride from the airport, that is. But, nearly running another car off the road, and stopping in the middle of one highway and then again in a four lane road due to missed turns is to be expected.

Sat on the couch and watched some TV and chatted with my dad last night. Was really nice. Hook up with some old friends later in the week, and then up to Madison on Saturday.

I did write a recap of the hunting last week on the plane, or at least a good portion of it, but I'm having trouble connecting my computer at my parent's condo, so I'm going to have to find WiFi somewhere, so it'll be updated more then.

A Much Needed Break

2008-09-28T21:33:00.003-06:00

After three straight months of fishing and hunting (yes, I know, very lucky), we're all some tired folks here and are ready for a much needed break between Archery season and Rifle season. It's been a tough week especially this past week with a group that's never been out to Idaho before. In addition, Sid's mom suffered a slight stroke and has been battling pneumonia, and of course our thoughts and prayers have been with her all week. We're all hoping Grams makes a full and speedy recovery.

I'm really excited to be going home. With all of the excitement and run of emotions of the summer, as well as looking forward to the upcoming adventure this winter, one of the hardest things is not getting to see my parents and sisters as often as I'd like. I'm very fortunate to have been adopted into a number of surrogate families in my life, and I'm extremely grateful for all of their love and support, but there's still nothing like the love of your immediate family. I'm really looking forward to getting to Chicago to spend some time with them.

I know Little Ricky is especially looking forward to the catch up on the last couple of nights of archery season, and I'll definitely do some writing on the plane tomorrow. But now, it's time to get my dirty clothes into a bag so I get get home and do some laundry tomorrow. Hopefully I'll get the downloading problem with my camera squared away as well and share some more images soon. Maybe even a shot of the bull moose walking right up the hill behind the lodge tonight.

Talk to you all from sweet home Chicago tomorrow.

Two Very Cool Nights

2008-09-27T22:52:00.002-06:00

Two great nights for different reasons. Friday, just because because sometimes you're reminded how cool nature is, and tonight, well, because sometimes nature is just phenomenally unreal. The bugling we heard tonight, a close encounter with some elk, just way too spectacular.

Of course, I slipped in a minor case of the dumb ass along the way. But, I get a reprieve because it only turned out to be minor.

I'm going to expound, I promise, but long day today, and up early for an airport run tomorrow, and then I head out myself to Chicago on Monday to see my parents. I'm really excited for that. I was kind of excited for the Wisconsin-Ohio State football game next Saturday night, but that's dissipated a bit, I'm afraid. Still looking forward to spending some time with Ryan and Megan in Madison, though.

Hope every one is well.

A Blog Post I Can Be Proud Of

2008-09-25T14:47:00.001-06:00

I slowly wandered out of the woods just before sunset on Tuesday. It had rained most of the previous day. The ground was still wet. I was sitting near water, but it wasn’t that warm, no real reason for an animal to come drink, and I wasn’t really hearing anything. My brain just wasn’t there, either.

It was a pretty sunset, though. It’s a shame I think my camera might have crapped out on me and I can’t share it.

I’d been thinking a lot about Wednesday for the previous two days. It had been kind of a “drop dead” date for me. The absolute last date that I should have been back east. A celebration, so to speak, that it turns out I was uninvited to.

But Wednesday morning came, and I headed into town to the Chevy dealership.

WE INTERRUPT THIS BLOG FOR A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:

If you own a 2008 Chevy Suburban, if you intend to leave the keys in the ignition, do not remove the key slightly to stop the dinging that indicates the driver’s side door is open. If you do that, and then close all the doors, the car may lock itself automatically, and subsequently lock the keys inside.

Should you happen to do this with a rental car, after a 15 minutes on the phone with them, advising that no, you have neither the rental agreement number or your driver’s license number because both are locked in the car with the keys, they’ll politely tell you there’s not much you can do. “Maybe the Sheriff’s Department can help you out.”

Ah, but before you call the Sheriff’s Department, or a lock smith, call your local Chevrolet dealership with the VIN number. There’s a chance they’ll cut you a key to open the door.

BACK TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOG:

So, I got the key for Sid, got back to the lodge, and the guys in hunting this week decided they wanted to go fishing for a couple of hours between hunts. I put on my quick dry nylon pants, my long sleeve t-shirt and sweatshirt, threw on my polarized glasses, and boy, I was like a new man.

Got licenses for everyone, headed out to the stream, laced up my wading boots, grabbed my fly rod, and we headed out. It was a bit of a cluster----, as only one of the five had fly fished before. Everyone went straight to a different spot. Fished downstream. Just cruised the bank looking for fish. Basically, buggered a whole stretch out of excitement.

A couple of fish were caught, though. As for me, I realized that I’m certainly more comfortable as an angler than a hunter. I think I’ll still carry a bow out a few times, as sticking an Elk or a Deer with a traditional archery rig still seems like it would be quite an accomplishment, and the process is fascinating to me. I also realize that I don’t share the passion for it that Sid or others I’ve met harbor. I’m definitely more comfortable with a fly rod or a camera in my hands.

But, that didn’t stop me from getting back in the woods last night after dropping everyone else off where they needed to be. I had to go back to the lodge and change, and probably missed out on some of the excitement because of it. Sid and Joe, who by the way is the first cow inseminator that I’ve ever met, got out of the car, and found themselves right in the thick of elk less than 200 yds from where I dropped them off. They spooked one big bull that ran right past where I was to be sitting when I got back in 45 minutes.

The rest of the time, Sid basically just sat and talked with the elk, from all reports. He’d cow call, a “meeewwwww” type sound, and then they’d “meeewwwww” back. He’d even rustle some branches to try to get some of the cows to move out who were making some warning type sounds, but to no avail. They just wanted to stay and talk to Sid.

About 45 minutes after I got back, unknowingly about 500 yds from Sid and Joe, if that. I heard a few cow calls, and then a big “AOOOOOOFFFFFFFF.” I proceeded to hear that same sound, in different levels of volume and force at the rate of about 1 every 30 seconds for the next 15-18 minutes. I had thought it might be a big bull, and when the sound suddenly stopped, I was hoping it might have been because Joe shot it.

About 15 minutes later, just before dark, Sid called on the radio to tell me they were heading back to the car. I was concerned that I may not have been hearing what I thought. Maybe it was just a big sheep dog somewhere, so I decided I’d try to feel out where they were and what they’d seen before I relayed my experience for the evening.

As I got down to the car, they were both there already which surprised me. They each stood with their hands in their pockets and sheepish grins. I looked in back of the truck to see if an Elk was loaded, or just their gear. Just gear.

“You guys see anything?”

“Bunch of Elk.”

“No shots?” I asked.

“Nope. Saw a big bull, though, and some cows.”

“Was it making a big AOOOOOOFFFFFFFF type sound?”

They both bursted out laughing. Apparently, it was a big cow who was basically barking out warning, because she couldn’t figure out what Sid was as she couldn’t see him, but all the other cows in the area were basically having a conversation with him. They even had a small calf come up to them so close that when she went “mew” they could see her lips moving.

Pretty neat. I only wish that I’d been standing beside them with a video camera. But it was a great evening of stories and recounting the experiences and sounds we had surrounding us.

And as I reflected on my day, it turned out to be great. Just as the last three months have been. There’s still some ache and disappointment in the way things turned out, and wondering what I’m missing, but at the same token, you realize that everyone comes into your life for a different purpose. Some might take you all the way to your final destination. Others might just help guide you onto the right path.

In this case, what I thought the original purpose ended up not being the case. But as it turned out, it was an important contributing factor in my having the courage to leave the life that I knew, and take the leap to get where I needed to be. I wake up each morning, and step into my shoes more confident and comfortable with myself and where I’m headed than I have been in a long time.

I don’t know if you still read the blog anymore, but I thank you for the tremendous role you’ve played in my life. I hope your day turned out to be a special one. No hard feelings.

Hope everyone else is doing well, too.

Elk Hunting Catch Up

2008-09-23T19:28:00.001-06:00

The better part of the my last week has been a bit of a feeling out session with the woods. There's a lot to learn, and it seems that there's a little something different each day. Picking up on this different aspects can make everything a bit easier, from simple navigating to hunting.

Visual cues are clearly important. Taking stock of fallen trees, game paths, or other unique brush will definitely help in navigation. Tracks, dung, and bark rubbed off trees can indicate who or what else may have been moving through as well. As you see those things over and over, you can pretty quickly begin to distinguish and learn what you're looking at.

Audible cues, however, definitely are important, as you can't always see through the brush and forest. Without paying close attention to what you hear around you, you often won't be prepared, especially as it relates to hunting.

That said, most of last week I got to the point where I was convinced that there weren't Elk or Deer around, but rather that there were actually 50 pound flying horned squirrels hopping from branch to branch and banging their horns against the trees.

Fortunately, as Jeff proved in the picture in the previous blog, that's not really the case, but I'm still fine tuning my ears each day to get a better understanding of my surroundings.

Last week was fun, though, especially to see the excitement of the pursuit, as well as the accomplishment of taking the animal down. Wednesday afternoon I walked Sid and Jeff up to the water that I'd stumbled on the afternoon prior. When Sid got there, he just stopped and stared. It was like an 11-year-old boy finding free porn on the internet for the first time.

He was literally giddy four hours later, and all day Thursday and Friday morning he was confident that something had to happen in that water hole, as it was the most beaten up water he'd seen by elk all summer.

Fortunately he was correct, and as a reward for helping find the water hole, I got to carry the right rear quarter, weighing roughly 75 pounds out of the woods about 1/2 mile, and then got to assist in carrying out a severed Elk head with antlers. Nope, never thought I'd write that about myself in a million years, either.

A Nice Elk with a Compound Bow and Arrow

2008-09-21T22:48:00.003-06:00

Congratulations to Jeff Bowles, pictured below, who shot this nice 5 x 5 Elk on Friday with a compound bow and arrow.

We spent Friday afternoon hauling this beast out of the woods, Friday night celebrating the feat, and Saturday recovering from the celebration, which turned out to be perfect to accommodate the rainy conditions that rolled in. Most of today was consumed with the airport runs to Jackson Hole to take Jeff out and bring a group of new people in to the lodge.

Hopefully I'll get caught up with details about Jeff's accomplishment, and more of my own nature walks in the next couple of days.

Hope every one's doing well.

Bow Hunting--Day 2--morning

2008-09-18T12:43:00.003-06:00

Tuesday started out a bit earlier for our long hike in to an old favorite spot of the lodge. It was probably only in the high 30s when we left the vehicle, and no matter how much hiking I'd done for fishing this summer, the cold air seemed like a 20 pound weight against my chest.

Fortunately the hike wasn't as steep as it was long, so it turned out not to be too bad once my body adjusted to the air. We spotted a doe on the way up, but it was looking straight at us by the time we saw it, and off it went.

It was a very quiet morning for me. I didn't see or hear anything. Jeff saw a few deer and an elk bull, but wasn't in shooting range. Sid turned out to be the closest to having a shot. He was sitting between Jeff and I, and was watching Jeff's bull when he felt some eyes on him. He turned and saw a spike elk that had nearly walked right up on him, straight up the trail that we'd used to get in.

He wasn't holding his bow, and when he shifted just slightly to turn to pick it up, the elk turned and walked out the same way it had entered.

Sid recalled the story as we were all walking out, and seemed generally perplexed that of all the routes the spike could have followed to get to where he was intending to go bed for the day, he walked right up the same path we'd just walked over. Jeff was in moderate disbelief as we were walking when Sid said, "Well, look, these are his tracks."

"How can you know that for sure?" Jeff asked.

"Well, there's an elk print right on top of that boot print. And that's your boot print, so that means it came in right behind us."

"Shit, that is my boot print. How can you know that?" Jeff responded.

"I know what my and Jeffrey's boots look like, which means that has to be yours, and since the elk print it inside it, that means it came after us."

And there you have it. Sid notices everything that's going on. It's really amazing to behold.

Sid sent Jeff and I on a "shortcut" back to the lodge while he went back to where he left the car. Jeff and I were cursing him most of the way. If that was a shortcut, he must have been going through some heavy shit. When we got back to the lodge, of course well after Sid, we told him that in the future, shortcuts shouldn't involve anywhere that us mere mortals might break an ankle.

After some breakfast and relaxation, I decided to head into the woods at about 1pm to see if I could find the GPS radio that I'd lost the day before. I had a decent idea where it might be, and one of the other GPS radios that hopefully I could use to track where the one I lost might be. I figured I could get in and out and be back by about 3 so that I could rest an hour before we went back out for the evening.

I decided that I'd carry my bow with me just in case I could scare a grouse or something up, and hopefully avoid any more encounters with bees. I worked my way up past where I'd thought that I'd lost the radio while running from the bees, but no luck.

As I got a bit further up, I followed the path that we'd taken down to the best of my ability, and of course, not exactly on track, ended up walking right into the water hole that we thought we were looking for the day before. We must have been within 30 yds of it, but just never saw it through all the thick timber.

Even to my novice eye, I could tell that the water hole had been trampled by all sorts of deer and elk. There were fresh muddy prints all around, and 4 or 5 well defined paths in and out towards all directions.

The last point on the GPS radio that I was carrying that showed the radio I'd lost was further up the mountain, so I continued on. I climbed about 20 more minutes, but when I arrived, realized it was essentially the spot where my last transmission was to Sid the day before, so it had locked on that point, and not the actual current location of that GPS radio. No luck.

I headed back down, made sure I came across the water hole one more time so I'd have a decent bearing on it, and then went back and reported the good and bad news. Oh, I did manage to scare up a grouse, but when I did, it actually scared me more than I scared it I think, and never had a chance at a shot.

When I got back, I told Sid the good and bad news, and his eyes lit up at the report of the water hole. He'd had a different spot picked out for that afternoon, but we'd definitely head back that direction the following afternoon, since I'd already trekked through there and had made a bunch of noise looking for the radio.

to be continued.....

Hunting--Day 1--Afternoon

2008-09-17T22:25:00.004-06:00

The afternoon session of my first hunting experience was eventful, but not for the reasons that we'd have hoped. I was out with another Jeff who is staying at the lodge this week. He was here last year, and we were hiking up to a water hole that Sid had sent him to last year.

It was a spot that we can basically see from the landing where we have a bunch of our cookouts, but seeing it from a distance and trying to navigate to it while walking through thick brush amongst Pine and Aspen trees is another story.

We set out early so that we could slowly climb the hill to avoid sweating as much as possible, since you don't want a lot of scent in the air while hunting, as well as try to get there a bit earlier than normal since it was hot, and we knew the elk and deer would need to get to water at some point.

On our way up we saw a grouse, and since I had an arrow with a "judo point" with me (a head used for practice and small game, and not the traditional broad head arrow for larger game) I decided I'd try to shoot.

Well, I learned a couple of good lessons from this first shot at a live creature. First, don't pull back 1/2 way and quick shoot. Better to get yourself fully set, and if need be, wait a second for the animal to be still if they're not fully spooked. The second is patience, which is really the same as the first lesson, just fewer words, and it was worth reiterating.

Either way, I shot about 2 inches low and bounced the arrow up between the grouse's legs, effectively neutering the grouse if it were male, and sending it on it's way. Either way, though, I had good "towards," so all wasn't lost for a first effort.

By the way, for those who are curious, I'm hunting with a beautiful stick bow, long bow style, that Craig left with me, which was given to him by a dear friend of his. It's a Kim Sha Mattawoman II. A beautifully handcrafted bow. I think the arrows are also handcrafted from Cedar with Steel broad head tips which we hand sharpen with a file. I've been practicing and can shoot fairly accurately from 15-18 yards, and am still working on my accuracy from about 18-25 yards, if that gives you any idea how close we need to get to the animals. I'm not sure that I'd ever want to hunt with a compound bow or rifle, but that can be another ramble for another time.

Anyhow, we continued up the mountain and reached it's peak, at which point, we were at a loss for where the water was supposed to be. We saw a couple of dry spots where there may have been water, but it has since dried out. Sid tried to direct us via walkie-talkie, but no luck.

At that point, Sid was off scouting other areas, and time was passing before we'd totally ruin the afternoon. We couldn't get Sid back on the radio, and no water hole, so Jeff and I evaluated the wind and adopted a Plan B to head where we knew there was water, and thought we wouldn't bugger ourselves too badly.

As we headed down, Sid contacted us, I told him our plan, and he was in agreement. Little did I know that would be the last I'd see of the GPS Radio I was carrying. About 15 minutes later, a few steps ahead, I hear Jeff yelp "Ouch."

"What happened, a tree stick you?"

"No," he responded, "a bee."

"Ow, ah, shit," was my response, as I felt myself starting to get stung. Jeff started running and I followed until it seemed we were clear. I don't know what he stepped on, or what got them agitated, but those bees weren't happy to see us. When the dust cleared, I'd been stung twice on my right hand, and once each on my left elbow, side, and stomach. (Most of them are still irritating the crap out of me two days later) Jeff somehow only ended up getting stung twice, which I guess is an endorsement for having someone slower and beefier following you in the woods at all times.

After that little jog was when I realized that the radio was gone. I went back up 30-50 yds to look for it, but after our long hike up and down, and the threat of seeing the bees again, I decided I'd grab one of the other GPS radios the next day and see if I could track it back.

We made it down to our Plan B spot, and after all of that......well, nothing. About 15 minutes before it was dark, Jeff said "that was the funnest miserable hunt I've ever had." I asked him if that was a compliment, and he said it was. I'm sure I said some pretty funny shit over the course of that adventure, and I remember getting him laughing pretty good a few times, but for the life of me I don't remember what I said. Well, except when Jeff then followed up with, "And heck, you're not supposed to kill anything the first day anyway. It's bad luck."

"Shit, if I'd have know that, I'd have just sat my bow next to me by the car with some beer and a lawn chair and skipped that hike."

Sure is beautiful country, though, and boy the beer tasted good when we finally did make it back to the lodge.

Hunting--Day 1--morning

2008-09-16T22:04:00.002-06:00

Yesterday morning began with a 5:15 wake up. Dressed, enjoyed a Diet Pepsi to kick start the day, and then got ready to head out. Was a relatively simple trip, straight into Sid's back yard. Not really that far, but pretty well straight up hill. Despite all of the fishing hikes this summer, the straight uphill coupled with the cold mornings still sent a shock through the system.

Chest ached. Legs ached. And trying to keep up with Sid as well as be quiet while moving is a complete contradiction.

As we got closer to the top of the hill, you could see Sid switch gears. His pace slowed. He'd move measured distances at a time. He seemed to sense something was ready to happen. Just then, he noticed a forked-horn mule deer about 80 yds ahead of us. It was watching us, and would move when we moved, and stop when we stopped. It kept itself just safely out of shooting range each time.

At that point, it was just starting to get light, and I was pointed to a spot just off the trail to settle in to and wait for deer to work through. I quickly heard some snorting and huffing behind me, which I've understood to generally be an elk trying to announce it's presence and push something else out of the area that it smells. A few minutes later, I saw another forked-horn mule deer pop out of the trees near where I heard the noise, and bound up the hill over the ridge.

I was worried that maybe I'd spooked it out, but Sid later told me that he wouldn't have moved to my side of the tree line had it been me that scared him. The rest of the morning was very quiet, and we returned to the lodge around 9:00.

Hunting--Day 1

2008-09-15T22:00:00.003-06:00

Yes, I said hunting. I was a bit surprised too, but sometimes you just get sucked in.

I'm exhausted from the hikes today, and we've got a long early hike in the morning, but needless to say, it's going to be a learning process. Fortunately, I've spent two weeks absorbing many conversations between numerous talented hunters, and feel like I'm starting to get a grasp of the basic concepts.

That said, Day 1 summary:

Morning-- saw 2 fork-horn Mule Deer bucks, but both well beyond shooting range with a bow.

Afternoon--5 bee stings, 1 lost GPS walkie-talkie, and a neutered grouse.

Yep, tomorrow's blog will be a good one.

But for now, good night.

Fun at the Ticket Counter

2008-09-14T21:38:00.003-06:00

Picking up a guest at the lodge from the Jackson Hole airport today, I go to the counter to inquire about an updated arrival time for the delayed flight....

Delta Ticket Agent (DTA): Twenty minutes late.
JD: Pardon me?
DTA: The question you're about to ask me. It's 20 minutes late.
JD: Um, I was going to ask about the flight due in from Salt Lake City.

The DTA gives me that, "Do you not speak English, or are you just stupid" look.

DTA: 20 minutes late.
JD: Yes ma'am. Thank you, but it was supposed to arrive at 12:45, and it's not 1:25, so if it's 20 minutes late, then it should have arrived 20 minutes ago.
DTA: Uh.....hmmmm.....let me check....(little fingers pecking away at the keyboard)....ah, here it it....Estimated time of Departure, 1 pm, estimated time of arrival 2 pm.
JD: So there's no way to know if it left Salt Lake yet?
DTA (giving me that look again): Estimated time of departure, 1 pm, estimated time of arrival 2 pm.
JD: Yes ma'am, I understand, but since it's nearly 1:30, it seems like they wouldn't have to estimate 1pm any more. It either left or it didn't.

DTA consults with a fellow ticket agent, and they decide that's all they can confirm for me at that time.

Was a nice day, so I just sat in the car enjoying watching the beautiful private jets swoop in and out in front of the Grand Tetons and listened to some football on the radio. A shame that my ignorance caused that wonderfully pleasant lady at the counter so much strife, though.....

Cultivating Votes

2008-09-11T19:02:00.005-06:00

How do you garner votes for Homecoming Court in Soda Springs? Ride out front in the parade on a combine, of course.

Sid's son Alex (top right) recently moved to Fullback riding in the parade getting ready for the Homecoming game of his Junior season on Friday night.

Fall is in the Air....

2008-09-10T23:17:00.002-06:00

...and on the trees as well. Sure, football has started, but not even officially fall on the calender and the crimson and orange is starting to burst amongst the pines.

First Elk of 2008 at Trail Creek Lodge

2008-09-09T20:15:00.003-06:00

Shot last night by Bruce Holt, pictured here with Sid and the spike he shot directly through the heart with a compound bow. (photo by Bruce's son Rob)

Turns out it was the same Spike Elk in the same draw that was chronicled here in Craig's Blog. Definitely check it out. As if you were sitting right next to Craig as it unfolded.

Back in the Saddle Corralling Cutthroat

2008-09-08T22:47:00.004-06:00

"What's been happening? Got any pics?"

When I got that e-mail from a one of my new and well respected friends yesterday, I quickly came to the realization that I was losing focus. I was feeling a bit sorry for myself for a few reasons, but I've spent a wonderful summer in Idaho, I'm getting ready to go fish in paradise for 8 months and actually get paid....it was the kick in the butt in needed to help me refocus.

Heck, everyone for three counties is Elk hunting right now, which means I've got hundreds of miles of streams all to myself.

Crisp fall mornings lead to beautiful clear skies and 73 degree sunny afternoons. How can I waste this wonderful opportunity? Shame on me.

Fortunately, as soon as my waders broke the surface of the crystal clear river water, I quickly remembered why I'm so lucky to be here. Sure, the fishing started slow, and I felt a bit rusty and complacent as I started making my way upstream, but I soon found a groove.

Caught a few beautiful Cutthroat trout, including this beauty from Kirby Korner....

...and his big brother just up in the next bend.

Rumors of another Elk down. Hopefully stay tuned for good news.

I Love it When a Plan Comes Together!!!

2008-09-06T18:31:00.004-06:00

I found myself saying that a lot while I was on the stream this summer.

See a rise, or a really nice cut bank that undoubtedly would be holding a fish.

Turn to whoever you're out fishing with....point your rod to identify a spot for them to see....

"Hey, drop a cast right over there."

The fly lands on the water, slowly starts to drift just down from where it landed....

POW! Fish on!

"I love it when a plan comes together!" I'd exalt.

But plans come in all shapes and sizes. Some are momentary, like casting to a fish. Others are five or ten year plans for one's life. Some work, some don't, but it's all a matter of how you adapt. At least that's what I'm telling myself.

Last year around Christmas, Craig gave a number of us a book that really resonated with him called Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales. Fortunately, I haven't fallen into any grave life or death survival situations, but there's still a number of parts that have seemed timely to me as I've read portions of the book throughout the summer.

The author notes:

The human brain is particularly well suited to making complex plans that have an emotional component to drive motivation and behavior... The difficulty begins when reality doesn't match the plan.

Well, my plan was to be leaving Idaho this weekend and moving across country, but as I sit here typing this blog, anyone whose read the previous blog knows that's not the case. My reality has changed from where I expected it to be when I started this blog back in April.

But, I came to the realization that I could either wallow in heartache, or I could forge ahead. Renew my focus on the spirit of the journey which I'd set out on, and continue towards the ultimate happiness and fulfillment that I planned to create for myself.

The author's father was a pilot, and as a pilot myself, the lesson his father instilled in him seems an important one.

Plan the flight and fly the plan. But don't fall in love with the plan. Be open to a changing world and let go of the plan when necessary so that you can make a new plan. Then, as the world and the plan both go through their book of changes, you will always be ready to do the next right thing.

Ironically, a lot of my plan for myself revolved around being in love, but as that has unexpectedly unraveled, I've had to work to formulate new plans to keep myself motivated towards the ultimate goal.

As my book has changed, so has the plan. I'm doing my darnedest to continue on the best path, and keep my sights open to all available options, while still staying true to myself and loyal to those who have been so generous and supportive along my journey.

I outlined my general plan for the next year in the previous blog, and slowly but surely, I'm formulating my short term plan as I finish my summer in Idaho and prepare to head to Islamorada.

Bought a ticket today to Chicago for September 29 to October 6. Planning to take in the Ohio State vs Wisconsin game in Madison on Saturday night the 4th. (GO BUCKY!!!) The trip is during the week hunting in Idaho is closed between Archery and Rifle seasons for Elk and Deer. I'm not hunting at all, but doing my best to help Sid shuttle people wherever needed and work on a few other projects we've been discussing.

I'm also working on scheduling a couple days of fishing in up in Montana, which I'll hopefully have worked out in the next couple of weeks so that I can go after I get back in October.

Then, at the end of October, I'm looking forward to shooting some birds with Little Ricky from Little Rock, and then I'll head to Islamorada. The current plan would route me through Denver, Albuquerque, Oklahoma City, and then to North Carolina for a few days to make arrangements to get what I have in storage south.

Certainly, nothing is set in stone (well the ticket to Chicago is non-refundable), but it's certainly nice when a plan looks to be coming together.

Deep Thoughts, By Jack Handy

2008-09-05T08:48:00.002-06:00

You know when you roll over, and you see water rolling off the roof, but it's bright, and sunny, and hasn't recently rained? Yes, that's the frost melting. You quickly come to the realization that you'll be here for two more months, and you'll either need to a) learn to use your nipples as weapons to fend of wildlife, or b) buy some warmer clothes.

It's Like I've Graduated College All Over Again....

2008-09-03T23:27:00.002-06:00

Well, after working for ten years, I feel as though I graduated again when I left my job in June, I've had a bit of a summer break while working some, and now I'm about to head into the real world.

Instead of repaying tuition loans like the first time around, now I've got some travel and excitement debt to contend with, but I feel like I'm starting fresh again, only with an opportunity to really pursue one of my passions.

I'm staying with Sid to work at the Lodge through hunting season at the end of October, then I've been invited to hunt Huns, Chuckar, and Quail with Little Ricky from Little Rock (glad to hear you're doing well, Cindy), at which point I'll head east to see my parents in Chicago for a few days, and then down to Islamorada in the beautiful Florida Keys to start my new job as a mate on the Cloud Nine with Capt. Greg Eklund. I'm pretty excited to say the least.

Sailfish in the winter, Cobia, Snapper and bottom fish in the spring, and then April and May fishing out of the Bahamas. Fishing fishing June back in Islamorada mostly for Dolphin, and then back out to Idaho to work at the Lodge with Sid again for the summer. I don't know if I could write it up any better.

I feel as though I'm getting a second chance, and my goal is not to waste it. Hopefully I'll get to stop and see some friends as I drive across country, and though I don't think I'll be able to keep Whiskey and Snoopy along with me on my journey, there's a chance that I've already found a perfect home for them, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Oh, and I fished today with a wonderful family, the Jennings. They caught a bunch of fish and had a blast, and then I actually left them a bit early to go with the hunters and watch for a bit. I'd planned to go with Sid and watch Craig's stand since today will be his last day before he heads east to try to beat Hanna to Ponte Vedra Beach, but I was then recruited by Greg to watch a second stand in the canyon he'd been hunting.

If you'd have told me 5 years ago that one day I'd be sitting suspended 18 feet up in a pine tree in Idaho just watching squirrels and birds go by I'd have thought you were crazy, but there I was for about 4 hours, just keeping an ear and eye out for anything the slightest noise or movement.

Pretty neat. All of it. With the exception of a little heartache along the way, this has been a very fortunate summer for me.

Mom's hoping that she'll be out of her rehab facility by the weekend, as she can almost fully transfer herself from her bed to her scooter, and she's been standing during therapy as well. We hear from Little Ricky that Cindy's recovering well, too.

Hope everyone else that I haven't been able to speak to is doing well also.

Brrrrrrr!!!!

2008-09-02T21:03:00.003-06:00

Cold and rain was the theme of the past few days. Unfortunately for the guys out elk hunting, it basically just left them cold and wet, and the elk weren't moving much.

It was chilly again when we woke up this morning, but fortunately the sun shone through and it got a bit warmer. Hopefully, they're out cutting up an elk right now.

The fishing today seemed a bit slow. Not sure if the fish were sluggish due to the drastic temperature change, or if the waters were just a bit overfished after the holiday weekend. It was actually the first time that I've worn waders since I've been here due to the chill in the water. We've been wet wading the entire rest of the summer. I fished with some wonderful people, though, and had a great time. I'd show you some pictures, but unfortunately, my camera wasn't wearing waders when I half dunked it into the water. I'm really hoping that it still works after it dries out. I'm not excited about buying a new camera.

I'd also have a pretty sweet picture of a large moose drinking out of the river, not far from where my friend Rob did his best moose imitation to get us out of the willows, if I hadn't dunked the camera, but I don't have that either, so you'll just have to take my word for it that it was pretty cool.

In a strange twist of irony, it looks like I'm going to end up in Florida after all, just a bit later in the fall, and about 450 miles further south. I'm pretty excited for the opportunity, though, and I'll elaborate in a few days when I'm sure every thing's finalized.

What Would the Moose Do?

2008-08-30T23:21:00.003-06:00

When our friend Rob was here, and we needed to clear a path through the willows, Rob blurted out, "What would the moose do?" and then steamrolled his way straight through the heavy brush.

Well, today, on the first day of hunting season, one of the guys here from Florida checked a camera he'd put near one of his hunting spots and found out that the moose likes to lie in the wallow where he expected to see elk.

Unfortunately, though, a moose tag is pretty rare in these parts, so he can't hunt the moose, and likely needs to move a bit to find a better elk spot with the moose taking up residence in that hole.

I spent the afternoon going around with Sid after he'd set up the hunters. At one point we ascended to a point that seemed like it was the top of the earth. There was a spectacular view of one of the valleys we fish. I'd love to share it with you, but I left my camera battery at the lodge so you'll have to take my word for it.

I've been really fascinated by the preparation that goes into the hunts and the little nuances I'm learning about are really pretty incredible. It really is amazing how your senses can become so attuned to your surroundings, especially in an effort to understand all the conversations that take place around the lodge on a daily basis. I find myself noticing wind direction and sounds more consistently now after continually hearing what an important role both play in the hunt.

Fishing the last few days has been great. Lots of big fish. I caught a few nice ones today in the hour or two I was out. The gentleman I fished with had his best day since he arrived, including this great fish.

Yesterday I felt like I'd never been on the water before and though I only fished for about an hour, managed to miss about 8 different strikes from some nice fish, but it was a beautiful day and the fellas I was with had very nice days in one of our favorite and most picturesque spots.

The day before, after catching a bunch of large fish, one of the lodge guests fed a hungry horse that was hanging out by our truck some Sour Cream and Cheddar Potato Chips.

How do you think the horse responded?

MMMMMMMMM!!! CHEESE!!!

Blowin in the Wind

2008-08-27T22:25:00.002-06:00

Well, it's been awfully windy the past few days, but if the answers to life's questions are in that wind, I haven't caught up with them yet.

Fortunately, though, despite the super breezy conditions that often make casting such light tackle more difficult, the fishing the past two days has been pretty good, and everyone seems to be having a great time. The couple I fished with yesterday enjoyed themselves very much, and caught a couple of nice fish. We also had a pool to remember with a few big bites that left us all laughing and smiling at the end, despite not landing "the big one."

Fortunately, the two guys I was out with today not only landed "the big one" but they each landed multiple great fish in at two separate parts of the river. I on the other hand missed it all as I was back and forth with lunches and trying to spend a little time in each spot. The tales were great though, and each reiterated a number of times what a great day they had, and we only fished about 4 hours, so that was very exciting.

Other than that, I'm just trying to keep busy. I've gotten back to working out in the mornings, and am trying get myself in a continuous rhythm of getting up and going to the gym. Played softball yesterday, racquetball today, and there's another softball game tomorrow.

As for which way the wind will blow me at the end of the summer.....it definitely seems to be swirling.

Continued good wishes to our friends in the ATL. Sounds like the surgery couldn't have gone any better, and hopefully the recovery will be the same. My mom's rehab is continuing slowly but surely. She'll likely be there for a while longer than she'd hope to be, but she and the physical therapist both feel like she's making progress.

Be well, all.

Calm Before the Storm....

2008-08-25T00:22:00.003-06:00

...but I can't wait. The past couple of days have been slow as some expected guests aren't arriving until the beginning of the week, and the other guests had already left, but it was a nice breather before the last big fishing week and the first two weeks of hunting season come. There'll actually a few fisherman here during hunting season for the first time, so that'll be fun, too.

Yesterday morning I had to run and get more of our magic flies from the shop in Pocatello. They only had 18 total, so Sid and I split them up and we'll hopefully use them carefully over the next week. Sid fished in the morning with a guest, and then I swapped with him and fished the last two hours of the day. I ended up watching the guest catch 8 two-pound or better fish in that 2 hours. It was an awesome afternoon.

Saw "Mummy 3" last night, and left convinced that 15 yr old girls must breathe through their eyelids, because I know the two down the row from me didn't stop talking long enough for a breath.

Then, stopped at the bar next door, and have never been more scared in my life. There was an 80's party, with very large women dressed like "Material Girl" Madonna, and a heavy set guy wearing a Member's Only jacket zipped down to the belly button with no shirt and a "Flock of Seagulls" hairdo. I drank my drink in about 3 minutes and left as I thought I could handle it, but really got pretty freaked out by it.

Spent today cooking chili, and chopped most of the ingredients for a soup that I'll make tomorrow and freeze a good portion of each so that there'll be some ready made meals around for hunters who get back late.

Picked Craig up in Jackson Hole after that, and arrived back to the lodge about midnight. Time to get some shut eye and get ready for a great week of fishing.

I do want to report that my mom has gotten over to the rehab facility from the hospital and sounds stronger every day, which is great.

I'd like to also wish the very best to Cindy and Little Rickey. Good luck tomorrow. Our thoughts and prayers are with you both.

What to Do on a Day Off?

2008-08-23T07:21:00.002-06:00

Chop wood, of course.

I got to hone my wood splitting skills with an axe yesterday as Sid skilfully wielded the chainsaw to replenish the firewood stock for both the lodge and upper landing. Should be some good cookouts and campfires in the next couple of weeks.

I also looked at a fixer-upper type house down in town. It's an older house, and certainly has some quirks, but I also think it could turn out very cool if remodeled correctly. Fortunately, if I do pull the trigger, I know the guy who knows how to do it all, and hopefully we can work something out that would be beneficial for both of us.

It's a big decision, though, and I think not being on the river yesterday where I tend to focus on where I'm at I had a lot of time for my mind to wander. Outside of my relationship heartbreak, I think I'm genuinely happy for the first time in a while. The heartbreak doesn't go away quickly or easily, but it's been aided by the support of my parents via phone, and I'm very fortunate to have good friends surrounding me here.

I think I'm 1/2 looking to stay because I enjoy it and there may be some potential opportunities for me here, and the other half to prolong rejoining the 9-5 grind. I'm a little intimidated when I think about the winters, and wonder what kind of social life I may find outside of the group of "married friends" I've met here, but I guess we'll see. One step in the time.

Outside of the one major negative of being here, losing Kari, I feel like I've accomplished a lot of what I'd hoped by coming to Idaho. I've relaxed. I'm happy. I'm more confident in my abilities, whether business, fishing, or learning new skills as well.

So while my family is very important to me, and I'd very much like a family of my own one day, I wonder if I've been shifted to another path at the moment. I'm not sure why it turned out that way, but I'm trying to stay confident that the direction my gut is pushing me is the path I'm supposed to take. I may not be sure why, but I'm supposed to trust myself to following that winding road, and it will work out for the best in the end.

If there's one thing I've learned out here, things are better when they don't run in a straight line, and you never know what magic will be in store for you around the next bend.

Glad to report that my mom is leaving the hospital today and is being moved to a rehab facility. She needs to continue rehabbing and doing physical therapy until she can move herself from a bed to her scooter on her own. Hopefully she'll continue to recover well and she'll be able to get back to home soon.

The Fruits of our Labors...

2008-08-21T23:45:00.005-06:00

...well, I guess maybe fishing for three days wouldn't be considered labor to most, but the hiking and practice casting and fighting strong winds today paid off for Ryan and I.

We started today by hiking into one of Sid and Craig's favorite "Dark and Foggy" spots. "It never dissapoints" they always remark, and they were correct today. We actually took "the road less traveled," and hiked in over some large hills, just so we could get some landscape photos from a different angle than we'd normally see the river.

Once we arrived to our put in point, we had a stretch to remember, where we caught 5 fish in about 1/2 hour, only because Ryan had to work to land one of the feistiest fish I've met out here. Ryan's casting improved about 1000% since he arrived and casted for the first time on Tuesday which was great. He caught two nice fish right away in the stretch.

While he'd been casting, I saw a rise up ahead, so I left him where he'd caught his first two, and had him continue up the bank, and I moved up to the next bend where I'd seen the rise and caught this beauty:

After landing that fish, I saw another great rise from the same pool, and Ryan proceeded to step in and catch this gorgeous fish, which he had to very smartly fight to keep from breaking him off on the bank:

After that, we traded off turns and I came up on this monster:

I was especially excited because I caught it on the 3wt rod that my friend Mike had repaired for me after I brought it back from Idaho last year in two pieces. Great job, Mike. It held up well to the brusier.

We caught a couple of other fish after that, and Ryan had a bunch hooked, but suffered some of the growing pains we all go through when we first start. Too much pressure...pop off...try to over compensate, and then lose the fish for not applying enough pressure. But, all comes with practice, and if it weren't for good casting and timing to set the hook at all, Ryan wouldn't have had the chance to lose them.

I've always been told, you catch the ones you're meant to catch, so those weren't meant to be for Ryan. But hopefully, he had a great week, and if he was 1/2 as excited to catch the fish as I was to watch him bring them to hand, then I'm sure he must have had a great time. I'm especially grateful to his girlfriend Megan, as it was her idea and prodding that got Ryan out here at the last minute.

I'm also glad to report that my Mom had her best day yet since her surgery, so fortunately, it turned out to be a great day for all of us. All in all, a really special day.

Ryan's First Two Fish on a Fly....

2008-08-20T01:30:00.003-06:00

I'm glad to report Ryan caught his first two fish ever on fly today, a pretty cutthroat and a cutbow, otherwise, the headline might have been my swinging strike out in slow pitch chickball.

His first take was so perfect, since I spotted a bird, said "Hey, do you think that's an eagle or a hawk?" and then here the wonderful "blub blub" sound of a take and hook set. For a first ever outing, Ryan did great, and I'm glad to report that I think he really enjoyed the experience, as well as the progress he made in his first day fly fishing ever.

And yes, I might have found some time to catch a nice fish or two myself.

Looking forward to another great day tomorrow.

Post 100....

2008-08-18T23:32:00.004-06:00

...won't be as nearly monumental or special as I built it up to be, but as I've come to learn, all fly fisherman lie to some extent, so I guess this was mine. I would like to say, though, that I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read and keep up with my adventures. I hope you're enjoying reading as much as I've enjoyed chronicling the wonderful journey I've been on to date.

I really do have some things on my mind that I'd like to just let flow. Things I've learned on my trip out here, questions that I still have about life, and how all of that relates to where I go or don't go from here. But, as it turns out, it was a long day of fishing today, and due to a late cancellation, my best buddy Ryan just drove into town, so we shot the shit by the fire for a bit, and now it's bed time.

I did play racquetball today with Kim, the best gardener in Soda Springs (her husband Todd fished with Sid and I the other day, and she's the boat driver from hell at the lake). Was a great workout. I'd play racquetball any day as opposed to standing on a treadmill, so it was a lot of fun.

Had some tough fishing prior to that because, well, the cows were grazing too close to the creek, but the guest I was fishing with, Steve, did manage to snag a beauty of a Brook Trout and a really gorgeous Cutthroat. I was marveling at the colors on the fins and gills of the Cutthroat all through the time he was fighting it.

Looking forward to Ryan getting his first fish on a fly rod tomorrow. I'm excited to share my passion for fly fishing with him, and hopefully he'll find it as rewarding as I did when Craig was generous enough to "ruin my life" by sharing his passion for fly fishing with me.

Witness Protection Program

2008-08-17T21:42:00.007-06:00

Well, this is the 99th, post of my blog.

Yes, it surprises me too, and I appreciate all those that keep tuning in. I've had a lot of time to think on the water these past few days, and I actually have a lot I'd like to post, but I figure I might was well save that to celebrate post 100.

More importantly, though, my mom continues to improve in recovery, and is back on clear liquids today. I told her Vodka is a clear liquid, and she immediately informed her nurse. Hopefully they're taking good care of her. Thanks to everyone who continues to forward their good wishes.

That said, I had an enjoyable morning. I'm continually amazed that I was only 1/4 mile from where I fished yesterday, yet totally different water, and a number of nice fish 2 lbs or better all in the same general vicinity, and I know there's still a bunch more out there that I saw and didn't get, and I know some good water that I left behind just because I want to share with friends in the coming week. What a special place.

I'm getting a little better at the self-photography dilemma I've been facing, but the fish weren't as photogenic as I am. In fact, I think some were part of the Fish Witness Protection Program. (Good thing the guest delays officially end tomorrow)

Protecting the identity of the innocent...

..but have you seen a bluer sky?

Ah, there we go..

We're still working out the official sponsorship deal with Waffle House, so the fish asked to be blurred out until we could finalize the royalty agreement. But thanks to Little Ricky and his bride Cindy for the sweet T-Shirt. We're thinking and praying for you both each day. (Heck, we'd be praying for Cindy no matter what. She must be a saint to put up with Little Ricky)

And just in case you thought I was totally inept, here's the culprit of my photo woes today, an attempted under water shot (though the sun was coming from the wrong direction, so there's more of a silhouette, but still a neat photo). This resulted in the drop of water that you see so prominently displayed. Oh well. A great day when that's the worst thing that happens to you.

Still Can't Master Self Photo

2008-08-16T22:43:00.002-06:00

The guest who was supposed to arrive yesterday didn't come until this evening, so I was fishing on my own today while Sid was with his friend Todd. He and his wife Kim provided the boat while we were at the lake yesterday. Kim also made breakfast this morning, Stuffed French Toast with Huckleberry and Raspberry filling. Very tasty.

Anyhow, I was at a very peaceful spot. Slow moving, nearly stagnant water with very large pools. A bit different than all of the other water that I've fished since I've arrived. Rather than floating the fly in a normal drift, I was casting the fly to a spot, and then trying to skate it across the water similar to the way a grasshopper would.

I ended up catching 15 fish today. A few nice ones, but it was certainly different. I saw a lot of neat takes, though, as there was pretty good visibility, and the water was glassy calm. I found that in these conditions, you get very attuned to every little "plop" sound and every flash or subtle push in the water, let alone a full blown rise.

No pictures, unfortunately, as I couldn't get any by myself, but overall, a pretty enjoyable day.

Good Thing my Dogs are at the Kennel.....

2008-08-16T01:01:00.005-06:00

At least they're protected from being kicked along with me.

Anyway, Sid and I ended up at the lake on Friday. We not only saw another Bald Eagle...

but a Golden Eagle too.....side by side.

And of course, the usual shennanigans when men are being men around women in bikinis....

And somehow, Sid still managed to catch a fish today....

Tetons, Hawks, and an Eagle

2008-08-15T10:44:00.007-06:00

Took Craig to Jackson Hole this morning to catch a flight back east for a few days. We saw a couple of large elk along the way. Sid really is "Elk Boy" as from about 10 seconds and 30 yds with only Craig's headlights he could tell you how old, how large their rack was, that they'd already rubbed the velvet off their antlers, and what kind of tree they rubbed their antlers against. It was pretty impressive.

And speaking of large racks, Craig snapped this photo of Sid and I outside of the Jackson Hole airport, in front of the Grand Tetons.

Yes, Craig thought we ought to point just in case anyone was confused by who the big boobs were in the photo.

Sid's keen eyesight was put to service on the way home, and we were able to snap some great photos of some red tail hawks and a bald eagle. (I'd hoped for better focus, but I'm still in training)

On the rocky slope in the shade...

Taking off...

Back a perch in the sun...

Taking off again...

Soaring...

...and soaring....

One I actually spotted first down the road.... (a triumphant feat for me with Sid in the car)

The Bald Eagle...

An old ranch-hand camp that I've always liked....

A pretty neat ride to say the least.

Some Things that Bug Us

2008-08-14T19:29:00.005-06:00

First and foremost, I got a chance to speak to my mom in ICU today and she sounded pretty good. It seems the most discomfort she's feeling right now is from the tube that was in her nose and throat during the surgery, but that was removed this morning, much to every one's relief. She still can't swallow at all, and they won't move her out of ICU until she can eat on her own, so hopefully tomorrow, but outside of that, everything else looks as good as it can from doctors' reports, so that's great. Thanks again to all for the continued thoughts and wishes.

Yesterday, I forgot to write about my little misadventure while trying to do my good deed for the day. I wasn't having a great morning and was very nervous about my mom's surgery and in a generally sour mood. As I'm casting into a creek, I start flailing my rod and slapping my neck as I felt bugs crawling over me. I let out a little yell as I swatted an ant from my neck. I told Craig and Sid about the ants and they said, "No, must be gnats. Relax. Look around. Remember where you are."

I take a deep breath, look at the mountain ranges on either side, and I try to begin casting again, but now I feel like even more are crawling on me. I swat my neck again and kill 3. "I'm serious, these really are ants, what could I have walked through?" I walk towards Sid and Craig and sure enough, they both start swatting me when they see me as there are ants all over me. I tossed my pack to the ground, took off my shirt and shook it out as Craig and Sid continued to swat ants off me.

When I was finally clear, Sid says "Holy cow, look at them, they're all over your pack." As it turns out, a few minutes earlier, I'd picked up an empty beer can that I'd found on the side of the stream, and I latched it to my pack to throw away later. It must have been a pretty fresh empty, as the ants seemed to have made a home in there until they found me.

So much for trying to help the environment.

But as it turned out, I'm not the only one who seems to attract insects. As we were making a fuel/grocery/phone call run into town this afternoon, we hear Craig shout as he's driving "ah, shit, some thing's trying to sting me."

We look all over his back, but don't see a thing. Sid rubbed the back of the shirt and said he didn't feel anything underneath, either. A few minutes later, we hear "Ah...zeh....Got it." We look over to see Craig pinching his shirt together at his side. He had a bug in there, and when he was able to next stop the truck, he lifted his shirt to find that he'd squashed a bee that had flown into the truck and under his shirt. Luckily for Sid, only grasshoppers seem to attack him.

Though Sid isn't totally immune to amusing stories. Sid said yesterday that the can of chew he had would be his last one. Only, after just one or two pouches from his can, he lost his chew while he was on the river. He vowed that he wouldn't buy another tin, and, well, that lasted until about 5 this afternoon.

When Craig saw it, he gave Sid hell. They finally came to an agreement that "Cold Turkey" was tough, so they'd use the 20 pouches in the new tin, and Sid would ween off the nicotine during the next week. At that point, Craig offered Sid one, and Sid said, "No thanks, I'm good."

Craig responded that he'd been so fidgety in the back seat, he might as well have one. At that point, Sid confessed he's already popped one in prior to even leaving the store. Craig called him a dirty rotten something or other, grabbed the tin, and proceeded to throw it out of the car window. It was hilarious watching it fly across the turn lane, and then the other two lanes of oncoming traffic (traffic in Soda Springs means a car was approaching 1/2 mile down the road).

Craig did pull over to the center turn lane, but Sid said he was too embarrassed to go run back down the road to get it. Craig finally turned around and drove back to get the tin. As he eased up next to it, he tried to scare Sid as if he were running it over. It turns out, Craig did actually clip the tin, flipped in onto it's side, and as Sid was about to get out of the truck, he saw it slowly start rolling, catch a gust of wind, and then fall directly into the storm drain.

Sid took that as an omen and we headed back to the lodge, but I was laughing at the whole sequence as hard as I've laughed in a few days, and it certainly felt good.

Oh, and did I mention we fished a little today, too? I was still a bit off overall, mentally and physically, but I came around towards the end with a couple of nice fish. Sid got the photos of me and my fish, as well as my fish under water. The fin is a shot I took of one of Sid's fish. Next is Sid photographing me photographing Craig, and finally, the landscape is Craig bird-dogging on the stream.

At Least the Bloody Mary Worked Out!

2008-08-13T21:38:00.003-06:00

Mom's resting comfortably, except for the tube up her nose and down her throat, but other than that, everything's still sounding as good as it can.

The fast food cheeseburger and even Angelina left a bit to be desired. In fact, what we really need is grill up a whole bunch of Trail Creek Lodge Burgers and have Angelina over to eat about a dozen and gain ten or so pounds. At least the Bloody Mary did not disappoint.

No matter, I'm still counting on tomorrow being a beautiful day.

So Far, So Good...

2008-08-13T16:45:00.002-06:00

The doctor's advised my dad that my mom's surgery went as well as it could have today. The fact that the doctor walked out at 3 hours and 15 minutes to tell him this after initially advising that the surgery would be a minimum of four hours freaked everyone out a bit, but fortunately it was all good news. They're expecting a day or two in ICU, and then 10 days to two weeks in the hospital to recover.

Thanks again to everyone who has sent thoughts and prayers. It means a lot.

Craig, Sid and I fished today for a bit, and I can say that all of my thoughts, along with my luck, were with my mom (for which I'm not complaining at all). Was a tough day of fishing. I stepped on my line at every turn, had a hard time casting all morning, and then when I finally got a little casting rhythm, seemed to pull the hook on every fish that tried to take my fly. I ended up catching a couple of little guys, but overall, pretty slow.

As for the rest of life, well, I figure it's only rained about 4 of the 40 or so days that I've been out here, and each time it's rained, it was needed, and I woke up the next day to a bright and shiny morning. Right now, I'm drinking a Bloody Mary, we're about to head to town for cheeseburgers and an "Angelina Jolie dodges bullets in a skin tight suit flick," so really, how can I not have a bright outlook.

And "Cheers" to a bright and sunny morning tomorrow.

Be well all.

Lazy Day

2008-08-12T21:57:00.003-06:00

Which was probably pretty good for me, because my nerves are a bit shot with thoughts of my mom and a few other things rattling around in my brain.

Craig, Sid and I headed to Pocatello today to run some errands. I hit one of the fly shops and refilled my flybox.

Hoppers are usually the "go to" pattern in this area, but we're getting into the heart of hopper season now, so my fly box is loaded with nearly all terrestrial patterns, mostly hoppers, some ants and crickets for a change of pace (I think the black can be very effective most any time) and a few stimulators.

I've had most of my success this year with the lower profile patterns that are on the right side of my fly box, which is pictured above, but often, we'll find that the bigger fish will jump on the bigger meals, so I've started to keep more of the "big uglies" that are pictured on the left side.

Had a coed softball double header tonight, where we took the first game, and then proceeded to get worked 24-3 in a 3 inning mercy rule by a team that hadn't won a game this year. Such is life, I guess. At least the sunset over the mountains was pretty to watch as we were getting smoked.

Thanks to all who have expressed well wishes for my mom. I know that we'll be heading out to the water early to check out a few spots tomorrow, and I'm definitely looking forward to it, but I know my focus will be elsewhere tomorrow.

Everything Happens for a Reason.....

2008-08-11T22:24:00.004-06:00

....at least that's what I keep telling myself.

Health, life, love, happiness, finance....I'd like to think that everything that comes along and how we react is meant to be for the best in the long term, but sometimes I think that takes a lot of faith, since it's awfully hard to understand or reason some of the challenges in the immediate moment.

My mom is having a relatively major surgery on Wednesday and will enter the hospital tomorrow in preparation. It's going to be a difficult recovery time for both her and my dad, but hopefully it will reap long term benefit as planned. I hope everyone will keep both of my parents in their thoughts in the near future.

Our friend and fishing partner, "Little Ricky from Little Rock," just headed home today after ten days of fishing. When he arrived, he'd told us that he almost didn't make the trip because his bride had been diagnosed with Breast Cancer. They have important meetings with doctors this week, and are thoughts are with them as well, as we wish her a successful recovery in her battle to come.

During Rick's stay, Craig received an e-mail from a fly shop telling him that Ross Reel Co. was issuing a commemorative reel, with all of the proceeds going to the fight against breast cancer. Why it came this week is beyond us, but obviously with the news we'd heard from Rick on his arrival, it seemed the only thing to do was order the reel.

Craig had it shipped express and presented him the reel at dinner on Friday night. We took some photos of it on Sunday morning, and then Rick fished it on Sunday and caught a fish from a hole that had been tormenting him for a couple of days during the week. It wasn't the largest fish we'd seen from that hole all week, but it was certainly a great conclusion to some unfinished business for Rick, and a great hole to catch his first fish on the new reel.

I caught a few nice fish that day as well, including catching a fish where we'd seen numerous rises each time that we'd passed a pool in the exact same spot, but hadn't successfully caught the fish until that day.

All in all, it was a rewarding way to end a good week of fishing, with a feeling of accomplishment and exceptional company. Even the clouds gave us a wry smile of approval as we headed back to the lodge.

Last night we were invited to a fish fry at some of Sid and Sherri's friends in town, and it was phenomenal, fresh greens and vegetables from their garden to start, fried walleye and perch that was recently caught in a local lake, and of course an adult beverage or two. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hoping we might be invited back for one more before we go.

My house closed today, which I guess officially ends a chapter in my life. I guess once the summer finishes, I'll just have to see where the wind takes me. The day in general was pretty lazy though, as Craig and Sid took Rick to the airport very early in the morning, and with some more rain last night, we decided today might be a good day to take a day off of fishing. Considering I've probably never fished more than 15 days in a year, I guess I'll just have to make do with having fished probably 28 of the last thirty.

Something tells me we may get back to it tomorrow, at least for a few hours.

Good luck, Mom. I love you.

How Do You Fuel Up for Fishing???

2008-08-10T09:33:00.003-06:00

With fresh Huckleberry Pancakes, of course, prepared by Sherri, along with an egg scramble with smoked sausage, cheddar cheese and onions.

Mmmm, mmmm! Yummy, yummy!

The Rains Came

2008-08-09T07:29:00.003-06:00

For the first time since I've been here we got hit hard with rain on Thursday night, and I can confirm this because I ended up having to play a softball game as the rain just began to fall harder and harder. Apparently, they take their softball very seriously in Idaho since they didn't even seem to want to consider calling the game until our 7 run rally in the bottom of the 4th or 5th to tie the game at 8-8 with two outs. I was coming to the plate just after the run scored to tie the game, and I could see the up starting to discuss calling the game with the scorekeeper (the jackass who'd been watching from his Suburban the entire time). I told them there's no way I stood in the rain for 45 minutes so they could call it at that moment. I roped the first pitch up the middle to plate the runner for third to complete our comeback and 9-8 victory.

Interestingly enough, though, for the last half hour of the game, my only real concern was whether or not it was raining out by the river, and what it would do to the water out there. If it muddied up the water, giving fish less visibility, dry fly fishing wouldn't be as productive as it's been lately.

Rick and I headed out to the spot in the river we'd exited the day before, hoping to recreate our glory. We had a nice day, though not as productive as we'd hoped. Rick caught easily the best fish of the day in the afternoon, but in attempting to help him land the fish, I accidentally bumped him off the leader and popped the hook, so I ruined his chance at a good photo, after all of the spectacular photos he'd snapped of me. I felt horrible, and like a true friend, he told me not to worry about it, and then harassed me mercilessly at every chance the rest of the day. Rick's got two days left out here, so hopefully we'll get another shot at a good picture with a big fish.

We only really had one or two pools that were too deep and slow moving to clear the muddy water yesterday, but it rained again last night, so we're "sleeping in" today to hopefully give the waters time to clear. Either way, I can already see the sun bursting through my window, so as long as we get onto the water at sometime, it's bound to be a beautiful day.

News Flash....

2008-08-07T19:57:00.005-06:00

We unfortunately still cannot bring you tales and stories of the past couple of days, because today was way too phenomenal a day not to have a post of it's own.

"Boy it's a beautiful day," Rick told me as we headed toward the stream. That's been our mantra the past week, as no matter what bad cast or bit of bad luck came our way, we reminded ourselves where we were, and what a treat it was to be here.

Rick and I started out back at his corner where a giant fish tormented him this past Saturday when we were out. He worked a "special" fly through that he'd had a lot of look with the other day. Unfortunately, it didn't even receive a passing glance, so I handed him my fly rod and let him cast the fly through the pool that I'd been using. On his second cast he had an enormous hit that he just missed.

He tried another fly with no luck, and told to me to step in. I proceeded to miss two strikes myself, and after a few more fly changes, we decided that we were defeated and moved on. We continued to fish a few more stretches with not much more success. When we reached a big pool and both missed a take or two, we decided that we'd head back to the car for a sandwich and try to hit that pool on the way back out as we continued up stream.

Apparently, 1/2 a chicken sandwich with mustard and a cold beer must be the ticket, as when we hit the pool on the way through after lunch, we immediately saw some rises. A few casts later, I was hooked to a monster.

A few minutes of fighting and delicate maneuvering to make sure that I didn't pop the fish off my line, and I had him to hand.

And Rick took a bunch of exceptional photographs of the fish.

It was a really great feeling. My second exceptionally large fish since I've been out here, where it's rare to see fish this size at all. An absolutely spectacular pure Cutthroat. Deep green and gold on it's sides, with beautifully bright orange gills and fins. It was such a special feeling to get that fish to hand, and Rick seemed to be as excited as I was which made it all the more enjoyable.

We proceeded up stream and Rick was able to land two nice fish himself. Each time he saw a rise ahead of him, executed a nice cast ahead of the rise, and the fly drifted perfectly into place each time for the fish to eat. I know Rick was pleased with his execution in landing both of those fish.

We fished side by side for a bit as we hit a wide stretch of water, but as we neared a bend in the river, Rick told me he was ready for a break, and was going to hop onto the bank for a few minutes and I should keep going, and he'd join me ahead. Well, as he was getting out of the water, I made a cast or two to the side he was fishing, and missed a monster take.

I sent the fly adrift over the same area a couple more times, but no luck, so I decided to tie on a new fly and give him one shot at a different look. Sure enough, he hit the next offering. I knew it was a nice fish when it struck the fly, but as I got him closer, I was again astounded. Another giant Cutthroat. WHAT A DAY!!!

And if catching the fish weren't enough, check out this magnificent photo that Rick snapped. Could you imagine a more perfect backdrop?

As I released the fish and shook Rick's hand, I had to admit, "Man, I feel a little bad. I feel like I got your fish." After Rick said not to worry, I had to confess, "Well, not all that bad, but a little."

Rick got back into the water, and continued to fish a few more rises that we saw. I think he nearly got two really nice fish himself, as one nice one I saw roll on the fly but Rick just missed the hook set, but it wasn't meant to be. We had to head back as I was already late for softball games, and Rick was cooking dinner tonight.

Beautiful lighting and scenery on the ride home. Boy it was a beautiful day.

I'd also like to say a special thank you to Rick for all of the outstanding photos he took, and the genuine excitement he shared with my catching these fish. It really was a team sport today. Thanks Rick.

Tales Wil be Told.....

2008-08-05T22:08:00.005-06:00

...because there are tales to tell, but once again, I'm wonderfully exhausted from another day of hiking and fishing. So, since pictures are worth a thousand words, here you go:

Sid, Rob, and Rick over "The Pass"

A nice fish Craig caught just after being released.

Fish food.

A shot Craig snapped of me....

...in what feels like "our own little Idaho" to quote the Bodeans. (And yes, that's me on the stream lower left)

"Wow, What a Great Day!"

2008-08-04T22:00:00.004-06:00

A sentiment echoed by all....tales to come tomorrow after a good night's rest....

Also, photos added to yesterday's blog.

Fun, Fun and More Fun

2008-08-03T23:41:00.005-06:00

My day got started as I headed down to breakfast and saw Rob was gonna have Cheerios instead of eggs and ham. I of course had to grab him the Cheerios Children's Book that Wendy brought Sid's daughter so that Rob could have some mental stimulation during breakfast.

Kids' games, breakfast, and somehow countless dirty jokes later we were getting our gear into the car and set to go fishing. I get all my stuff and the lunch loaded, and as Rick's loading his stuff, I look up just in time to see him shudder and hear him mumble "Man that was a big fish."

Clearly we were ready for another beautiful day.

We ended the day with more jokes, laughter, and a night of stargazing. Rob and Craig were seemingly challenging each other as to who could spot the next satellite moving across the sky. Yes, it's so clear and dark out here you can see satellites in orbit. I saw two shooting stars in the matter of about thirty seconds that were spectacular as well.

Sandwiched in between our nonsense we managed to catch some fish as well. I caught one that might rival the smallest fish of the summer that I posted yesterday, and a few nices ones as well. I think there are a number of pictures of each of them, but they weren't taken with my camera, so hopefully I'll get them and maybe post one or two tomorrow.

Photo Updates:

How Does a Grasshopper Practice Safe Sex?

2008-08-03T23:21:00.005-06:00

"Get your F---ing camera! NOW!!!"

I'd be excited too if I were Rob. Sure, the flies he ties might catch a fish or two, but how many can tie Hopper Fly and fool Hoppers as well?

It's All About the Potential

2008-08-02T22:21:00.002-06:00

Took a ride to Jackson Hole, WY today with Rick and Rob, who I've fished with the past couple of days, as well as Craig and Wendy, as Wendy heads home tomorrow. Stopped at a couple of fly shops and then had an early dinner at the Merry Piglets, a good little Mexican restaurant that Craig and Wendy found on their last stay in Jackson.

The ride was a nice little breather. I caught up on some rest in the back seat, and it also gave us all some time to reflect on the past few days fishing. Rob mentioned that he had been keeping notes from the trip so he could recount his tales from the trip to friends and family, and his starting note for Thursday was "The potential to have been the best day of my life." All the while, Rick was riding shotgun, and every half our or so, you'd hear him mumble, "Man that was a big fish."

This was the extent of our picture taking from Thursday....

Yes, I caught this little beauty, and it was a riot. When we got to the next pool, there was an absolute monster that Rob hooked, but it immediately popped off. I stepped in and threw a different fly at it, and he came back and hit again, but I missed as well. Rob then decided that he'd swing a Wooly Bugger through the pool, and the fish hit that as well, but as quickly as Rob's line came tight on the fish, it went slack again, and after three strikes, we were out.

We fished a bit longer in the same stretch, but it was high noon, and though we saw a lot of fish, it seemed like no one was at the buffet line, because we weren't even getting refusals. The fish weren't even looking at what we threw. I think we'll head back there next week either earlier in the morning or later in the evening when it's not so hot.

We headed up the road to a different area, and had some better luck there, each landing a few nice fish. I caught a great one near the end of the day after we'd seen a nice rise by the bank, but no picture as when I got the fish to hand, he'd inhaled the fly so deep into his mouth that it took some time to get the fly out and the fish was bleeding, so rather than photo, we spent the time resuscitating the fish and making sure he was good to go and swim strongly back to his hole.

Just up the bank, though, Rob and I were at it again, as we saw another huge rise. It was like deja vu to the earlier session, as Rob got a hit and missed, then it was my turn, and then Rob again. Three strikes by a very large fish, but no luck. In the end, it was a great day....memorable more so for the misses, but incredibly exciting nonetheless...and we'll of course be back to try to settle our unfinished business.

Friday we went to one of my favorite spots from last year, as we fished and hiked up a canyon in a tiny little mountain stream, which is different from most of the other water we fish here. Mostly small fish in this stream, but a lot of fun, a lot of action, and magnificent scenery.

And every time some does this hike for the first time, their photo gets taken at the top of the pass, which is the highest point we hit on the hike. Here's Rob:

Once we hit the pools in the upper meadow above the canyon, I caught a really nice fish that Rob got the end of the fight on video, and I'll hopefully download that and get a snapshot off of it to post later.

This morning before the trip to Jackson, Rick and I went out for a couple of hours. It was a beautiful morning, but the fishing was slow, we only had one bite, but boy was it a doozie.

We hit a part of the stream that was shallow and the water was moving quickly, and it seemed like we were making a lot of noise. There was a nice deep pool ahead and a reasonably clear bank on the right side of the river, so I suggested we get out of the water to hopefully make a more stealth approach. Once we got up onto the bank, I saw a very large rise from a feeding fish up at the head of the pool.

Rick began casting, and made a few casts to the back and middle of the pool with no luck. When he made his next cast to the head of the pool, the fly floated no more than a few feet before it was hammered, and the fight was on. You could instantly tell the size of the fish by the fight without having even seen it.

Rick got into the water and started backing up to move the fish towards shallow water. As Rick gained ground on the fish and the fish came shallow, you could see the tremendous broadside of the fish, an absolute monster. I dropped my bag to grab my camera, and no sooner did I have it ready and take a few steps towards the water when I saw Rick's shoulders slump, the international angler sign language for "Damn I broke him off."

But Rick quickly gathered himself, and as he turned to me, smiled and said, "What a beautiful morning, huh?" We had a good laugh and enjoyed the fact that Rick got a chance to play such a wonderful specimen on his rod. But all afternoon, just thinking about that fish, you'd get some goose bumps and chills and just have to shake them off as you said to yourself "Man, what a fish."

I think Rick's plan is to catch some live grasshoppers, go back to the pool and drop them in each day to feed that fish, hoping that the fish will get comfortable again and forget today's experience, so that maybe one day next week he'll let his guard down and give Rick another chance.

So as we headed back from Jackson and happily remembered our nice catches and near misses, I think Rob said it best when he noted that even though Thursday was the potential for the best day ever, really, every day on the water starts with that same potential. I know I'm excited for the potential and promise that tomorrow will bring.

Woo Hoo Buckaroo!!!

2008-08-02T07:12:00.003-06:00

Scenes from the Little Buckaroo Rodeo, Caribou County, in Grace, Idaho. Give the kids credit, they really laid it on the line for our entertainment.

Notice the boots, bracelet, and the priceless look on the sheep's face.

"I can fly!"

"Or not...."

"Just hold on....."

"Oops"

NOW We're Making Some Progress...

2008-07-30T23:24:00.002-06:00

I've learned that my 10 weeks in Idaho is equivalent to 18 months of "Kari time" (though it's gone from 386 days a few weeks ago to 18 months, so I'm sure I can extrapolate what it'll be by the time I leave with some fancy equations).

In exchange for those 18 months "Kari time" she'd like a small puppy and a kitten. My friend Ryan has cats, and of course they're precious... but outside of field goal practice and bait (great top water action when you get them in the water) I'm not really sure what the purpose of cats are. But in the end, I'm allergic to cats, and I think we've since discovered that Kari's would likely be allergic to litter boxes, so I've countered with a medium sized puppy.

Kari's come back with a medium sized puppy and 1/2 a kitten.

At least we're negotiating now.

Worked out yesterday morning and then fished with Craig and Rob in a stretch of water we hadn't fished before. Great fishing. Large, fat, healthy fish. And the grasshoppers are now out in full force, so those big fish really love the large grasshopper patterns.

Craig had a run in with a barbed wire fence, and fortunately only his pants were left worse for wear, but the barbed wire fence won this round. Since we're trying to keep this a G rated blog, this is all I can show you...

Cooked out on the upper landing around the fire pit last night....steaks, asparagus, baked potatoes, smoked sausage, fresh salad and of course an adult beverage or two. When it got dark enough Craig had a telescope and you could see Jupiter along with 4 of it's 5 moons. Pretty cool. Incredibly peaceful spot.

If You Can't Work with Them...

2008-07-29T05:22:00.003-06:00

...Do it when they're not looking.

With the satellite connection problems we've experienced, the Internet seems to work best at early and odd hours of the morning, probably when anyone else who's on our same satellite is sleeping.

It seems my buddy Craig was taking advantage of that this morning, and really got his blog going in full force. Lots of photos, snippets, and stories.

Craig is witty, travels extensively, an artist, and an excellent photographer. He'll have a lot of neat stuff on his blog, so check it out at www.smokescreen.tumblr.com.

Hooked a Beast....

2008-07-28T22:13:00.004-06:00

Our friend Rob arrived this afternoon and we whisked him off to one of our favorite creeks as quickly as he could grab his gear out of his car.

A pair of pants torn on the way over a barbed wire fence....a waist deep bog....nothing was going to stop us from getting to our destination. Even when I realized that I'd left my lanyard with all of my flies and tippet and other tools in the car....nothing was going to slow us down.

I came up along side Sid as he found a pool with a huge fish in it, though it had refused his offerings a couple of times. I had a different fly rigged, so he had me go ahead and give it a whirl. I cast once or twice and was met with a great strike. I took a couple of steps away from the bank to get my line tight on the fish as Sid shouted, "Wow, have you seen the size of this fish?"

I indeed did, as it turns out it was chasing the brook trout that had eaten my fly. I got the brook trout to shore and safety before the very large cutthroat trout had a chance to take a bite. The cutthroat was definitely large enough to eat the brook trout, and yes, fish do eat other fish. Sid snapped a shot of me and the fish before I walked him to another stretch of the stream for a successful release.

I caught this beauty a bit later on as well. You can see all of the magnificent yellow, red and blue spots indicative of the brook trout.

But little did I know that I'd hook my largest beast of the day right before we were going to leave......

Myself!

Normally, we fish hooks with the barbs mashed down so that it's easier to release the fish. In fact, on this stretch of water, it's actually a regulation, but as I mentioned, I'd left all of my tools in the car, and while I'd borrowed a couple of flies from Sid, I didn't think about mashing the barbs down, or didn't realize until others were far away from me.

Of course, that's karma that I'd stick myself like that today. I tried to remove it myself unsuccessfully, so Craig came over and used the method of wrapping some monofilament around the hook, and then applying pressure parallel with the shank to pull the hook from my finger.

I didn't keep my finger straight enough on the first yank, but fortunately, the second effort removed the hook from my finger. Later, as we were walking back to the truck, Craig retorted, "Well, I'm sure I loosened it up real good on that first pull."

But despite impaling myself with the fly, and the fishing not turning out quite up to the level we'd hoped, it's really too much like our own little, well, actually, pretty darn expansive "Field of Dreams" to let any of that put a damper on our day.

from left to right: Rob, Craig, and I

Back on the Water

2008-07-27T09:09:00.005-06:00

Sid and I got the 1:30 am call yesterday that they'd need us back at the field at 5 am, but they'd have replacements for us after that. When we arrived, we found we were playing an oil drilling family from Wyoming.

If you'd told me that the tournament director had gone down to the local truck stop, asked 11 guys if they'd wanted to play ball in a tournament, and put together a team I'd have believed you. All were wearing jeans or Dickies type work pants, t-shirt or button down work shirt and trucker cap. Not typical ball field attire, though I guess I've never been on a ball field at 5 am.

Turns out we probably could have won with only 8 players, as we won 31-10 on mercy rule after the 4th inning. Hopefully the first and last time I watch the sun come up over the mountains during a softball game.

But, when you realize that a 5 am softball game on 2 hours sleep is the worst part of the day, you realize that life is awfully nice.

While Sid took some first time fly-fishing guests out to the stream, Craig and I went to one of our favorite spots. Wendy and Sherri came along as well, and hiked with us for a bit, and then we left them to meander while we wet our flies.

It took me a little time to wake up, though, once we hit the stream. I cast once and a small fish came up and hit the fly. I didn't react at all. Craig said, "Wasn't that a hit?" I responded, "Probably, but I just figured it was a riffle." Either way, I just didn't move.

A few casts later, I hear Craig shout, "Oh, jeez, Jeffrey, Isn...Wha...Hey..."

I finally lift my rod and end up with a very nice fish on the end. Fortunately, Craig was there as a seeing-eye-dog since I apparently was standing there and not seeing much of anything. Fortunately, after I got my feet into the water to release the fish, I finally started feeling a little more refreshed.

We caught a few nice fish as we made our way towards a hole where Craig has some history with a very large fish that has tormented him and he's yet to bring to hand. On the way to the hole, Craig looked around, didn't see anyone and commented that the girls must have walked back to the car.

I actually stepped up and fished the back of the pool first, and caught a good little fish, and then Craig took his turn at the front of the pool. His first few casts yielded a rise from a monster fish, but Craig just missed setting the hook. The fishing wasn't coming back for a second try on the same fly, though, so Craig switched to a different fly.

Craig tied on a new special fly for the occasion as I moved to the other side of the bank to try to capture some video. As Craig is working the pool, I look over and spot Wendy walking our direction. When Craig's fly finished it's drift, I told Craig, "I see your bride coming over the hill."

Craig turns to look over his shoulder, says "Where at?" when an enormous "WHOOOOOSH" erupted behind us. It was so loud it was as if someone had dunked a pail into the stream to fetch water.

We both just looked at each other and couldn't help but have a laugh for a good minute as we knew that fish would have to remain a quest for another day.

We continued up stream and hit a nice stretch of water that produced five or six fish, including a couple of nice "Cutbows" which are a cross between a cutthroat and a rainbow trout.

In the picture, you can see the distinctive orange cut below the mouth of the trout, which is the defining mark of a cutthroat, but you can also see the deep vertical lines on the fish, which aren't typically on a cutthroat, and are more indicative of a rainbow. Those lines appear almost as if you dipped your finger in ink, and lightly drew them down the side of the fish.

As we hit our last stretch, I caught my largest of the day, and Craig captured this great photo of the fish in the water just after I released it.

A nice cookout to end our long weary day, and the to bed to rest up for the next outing.

Bad Case of the Dumb Ass

2008-07-25T23:38:00.003-06:00

For those that aren't aware, a "Bad Case of the Dumbass" is an acute disease that often strikes at inopportune or obscure times. It occurs in varied degrees, with a range of symptoms from minor emotional distress, to cuts and bruises, to extremely fatal.

I've fortunately avoided the latter, but I've had two cases in the past two days, and Dr. Craig has quickly diagnosed both occurrences. One with hopefully only slightly minimal emotional consequence which will hopefully subside and pass (no, not you, Kari), thought it's a pretty funny story that I'll share in a week or so, so as not to further aggravate any anxiety.

The second was tonight. It manifested itself in the form of this pretty little number on my shin...

This case of the dumbass was caused by lackadaisically rounding second base on a ball to left field, watching the throw coming perfectly to the cutoff while I was still standing between second and third base. I found myself in a rundown, and then, in an effort to try to redeem myself with hustle, slid into third while wearing shorts on a field made of crushed pumice. I don't think I've slid on a ball field in 12 years. It was just flat muscle memory in the competitive moment. Oh, yeah, I was out.

Oh well. Blood on your uni makes you look tough, right?

No?

Does it at least maybe mitigate the stupidity some?

No?

Well, at least hopefully the cool water of a trout stream will sooth it tomorrow.

This is actually a post game update, as we're back from our first two games of the softball tournament, as Sid needed to greet some guests who arrived while we were gone. We're now on call and expect to have to be back at the field between 2 am and 4 am for the double elimination portion of the "All Night" softball tournament we got wrangled into playing.

We won our first seeding game handily, and then got annihilated in our second game. That leaves us in the precarious position of either being a bottom seed in the top tier of the tourney, which means we'll probably go lose two games and be back in time for 8am breakfast and then taking clients fishing, or we'll be a top seed in the bottom tier, have a chance to win that tier, and totally screws up our Saturday. They're hopefully finding replacements for us though. The softball is fun, but I think we'd both rather be back and fishing tomorrow.

I'll update the outcome tomorrow.

Last night we had a small "Anniversary Cookout" around the fire pit for Craig and Wendy. Salad with fresh lettuce grown in a friend of Sid and Sherri's garden in town, chicken, smoked sausage, some cake, and the most breathtaking sky you could imagine. The stars here are incredible. You don't see skies like this unless you're somewhere with basically zero ambient light, which we're fortunate to be able to enjoy here.

I know Craig and Wendy wished their girls could have been there, and I know there's some people that I'd have enjoyed sharing it with as well, but I think we were all grateful to have been able to share it with the people that were here.

This morning was down to the gym, and then back to the lodge to work on the yard, deck, and digging up a pipe to flush out to keep the fresh spring water flowing properly. We didn't get to fish in the evening like we'd hoped because they couldn't find softball replacements, but hopefully that will be rectified in short order.

Gonna get ready to head back out to the fields. We'll see if I'm smart enough to either put on some long pants, or just not slide.