An Oldie but a Goodie

Cleaning out some old files and came across this one. Oh BOY!

Every year I make a special trip to Colorado to fish with these guys. We've known each other since we were little and this is usually the only time we're able to get together during the year since they both live in the Denver area. Matthew (the subject of the video - AKA "Big Daddy", "The Nube", "The Nuber", "BOOM!" and a few others) was just starting fly-fishing (obviously) when this video was shot.

That year we fished several streams in the upper South Platte drainage; Tarryall Creek, Four Mile Creek, the Middle Fork of the S. Platte, and a few others. Our base of operations during the expedition was Fairplay, CO. Unknown to us, we picked a weekend in early September when Fairplay was hosting an Alternative Music festival (the town was HOPPIN').

Anyway, after four days of hard fishing and a rough learning curve for the Nube, we decided it was time for him to spend some "not-so-quality" time with a bent rod. It was Kirb's idea (I think - might have been the PBR) to hit the trout pond on 285 outside of Bailey on the way home. For $20 bucks they'll let you fish in their "trophy pond" which is full of big brood fish from a hatchery. Kirb caught a big rainbow, I caught a BIG rainbow, and Matthew . . . well, you'll see. Make it fun - see how many things he does wrong while fighting the fish (and notice Kirb and I TRY to offer assistance).

The Mad Hatter

or "What to get the angler that has everything!"

We all know that fly-fishing gives anglers chronic cases of the "I-wants." There's that new rod that you just HAVE to get for your quiver of rods - and OF COURSE, it would need a new reel. What about a new vest, you know, the one just out for 2009 with the magnetnic closures instead of zippers? How could we have even functioned on the water without that?!?!? The list could go on for sometime (and mine does), but here's something that any angler could actually say they NEED with a straight face . . .

Anglers have a thing for hats; we all have our favorites and it's just not going to be a great day on the water without your GOOD HAT. Like most anglers, I love having a billed cap when I fish to keep glare to minimum. The problem comes when it gets cold, and you have to go for a warmer hat. Think of how many times the day has started off below freezing only to hit 60 by lunch. OR, it's bright and warm - "shirt-sleeve" weather and then you get slammed by a cold front. Going to a warmer hat usually meant losing your bill (and the magnifiers or light that might be clipped to it). Even when it's cloudy and cold, a bill helps you to spot more fish and reduces the eye strain of hours on the water.

Enter the Cimarrona Anglers Cap! This ingenius hat is designed to fit over your favorite billed cap or visor and still cover your ears and neck (without "bunching up" like the usual watch cap will do). It's designed and made by Leslie Kregel of Denton and can be found in shops around the area, including Tailwaters flyshop in Dallas.

Another cool thing about the cap is that it is made of 100% recycled materials; sweaters, blankets, vests - Leslie collects materials from garage sales and vintage clothing stores. My cap has a fleece liner and a wool outer layer. A perfect combination for fishing (or duck hunting given the colors) in cold and even wet weather. I always prefer to have a billed cap on under a hood (the bill helps to move the hood when I turn my head for better vision) - with the new Cimarrona cap, I can keep the bill AND have a toasty noggin. LIFE IS GOOD!

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful

WOW - what a difference 24 hours makes! The old saying of "if you don't like the weather in ______, just wait a few hours" really applies to north Texas in the winter. Yesterday afternoon I was finishing some outside Christmas decorations in shorts and a T-shirt; this evening - it was a jacket, scarf, hat, gloves, etc. Drizzle is currently freezing on the window sill and a stray snowflake can be seen periodically if you stare just right at the streetlight. The grocery store was full of panic as Texans "rushed for supplies" in case a millimeter of ice brings brings the area to a screeching (and sliding) halt.
I have a WeatherBug weather station in my classroom at school and this morning it proudly displayed the windchill as "9" - and this thing is VERY accurate. Most of the morning, the windchill hovered around 10-15 degrees - it added a sense of "realia" as I gave my students an impromptu lesson on evaporative cooling (have I ever mentioned that my "real" job is as a high school chemistry teacher?).
Anyway, I believe the folks at the National Weather Service are just as confused about the weather as everyone else. Check out the following part of the Detailed Forecast Discussion released this evening:
SIDE NOTE - CONFIDENCE IN THE MODEL SOLUTIONS (GFS...ECMWF...CANADIAN AND THE GFS ENSEMBLES) REMAINS LOW BEYOND (DAY 4) AS CHANGES CONTINUE TO OCCUR DAILY. CURRENTLY...THE HEMISPHERIC PATTERN FAVORS A DEEP HUDSON BAY VORTEX AS THE SEPARATE SIBERIAN VORTEX DRIFTS CLOSER TO THE NORTH POLE BY DAY 10. NEGATIVE ANOMALIES FAVOR THE WESTERN U.S COAST NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS CANADA AND INTO THE DAVIS STRAIT WHILE POSITIVE ANOMALIES FAVOR THE SOUTHERN STATES INCLUDING TEXAS.
I'm sure this means "We don't have a clue - but you should go fishing anyway!"