Vol. 13 No. 36

THE WORLD IS AMAZING!

The Discovery Channel in Canada has a catchy commercial. It shows a couple of astronauts up in space looking down on the Earth. Spontaneously, they break out in song. (Google: I love the whole world to see what I’m talking about).

Anyway, this week I did an end run from Home out to Goose Bay for the day job. As I was making my way out from Southern Quebec, through Quebec City, transiting the Charlevoix Region, along the Quebec North Shore, turn Left North for 400 km then Right for another 10 hours, I just couldn’t get the darn song out of my head.

UNDERSTANDING EMERGERS AND SELECTIVE TROUT

I love the challenge of working selectively feeding trout. The problem solving aspect of this type of fishing is something that I personally find very enjoyable. Not that I am always successful. Even when I am beaten by the trout I can still learn so very much. Such is the case with the story I am about to relate involving emergers and selectively feeding trout.

I HAVE SEEN THE FUTURE

In the recent issue of Arizona Highways I think I saw the future for the fly fisher of the 21st century. It was a small item on the editorial page that mentioned a new feature in the magazine, 2D bar codes. They are using these in conjunction with their articles on hiking opportunities in Arizona. The 2D bar code does not look anything like the conventional bar code that we see on products in the store. It does not contain any numbers or letters just a series of squiggly lines and some rectangles.

THE REST OF THE STORY

I can’t find the original email from the Bahamian Tourist Ministry so the date is a little fuzzy. I believe it was just after New Years when Earl Miller from the Ministry first contacted me and asked if I would like to come down to the Bahamas and do some fishing on the “out islands.”

Considering the “out islands” had been and were Sponsors on Fly Anglers OnLine (FAOL) I thought it was a terrific idea. My late husband Jim (Castwell) was in town doing errands when that call came in, so I had big news to tell him when he got home.

His first question was, “Is the invitation for both of us?”  I had to tell him it wasn’t, I was invited.

RAINED AGAIN

On Monday we got over 2 inches of rain. It is Tuesday and I have the itch to get out to a pond. There is always an itch to do this, but sometimes the weather conditions are better to do it. It is too wet to try to get the canoe into any place. I head for a pond that is near town that does not get much fishing pressure. I tossed about 30 bass in this pond a year ago and wondered what might be happening with it. Going to the pond is the way to find out.

FISHING MONTANA

Ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh maaaaaaaaan, my arms are soooooooo sore. I had to drive all the way to Helena yesterday for a seminar, and then I was FORCED to fish on the way home.

I almost got lost finding the first place, it was really scary, but I got there without too much trouble. The scary part was driving on a rather intimidating one lane dirt road that skirted the edge of a breathtakingly beautiful mountain lake (Hauser Lake on the Missouri River).

SPRING PIE (Rhubarb Cream Pie)

Here’s a seasonal dessert which makes spring worth waiting for. The first time I had this pie was in Michigan years ago - and I was told it was German in origin. We have a small patch of rhubarb at our Montana home, and since my recipe box was still packed up in the storage unit waiting its turn to be freed, I checked through Neil’s late wife Bonnie’s red and white Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and amazingly the recipe is there.

RUBBER LEGS STONEFLY NYMPH

This fly is probably one of the best known and most fished stonefly nymphs in the Intermountain West in different sizes and colors for Salmonflies, Golden Stones, and Skwalas.  It goes by any number of names – Bob’s, Pat’s, Bennet’s, etc. The most common reference is simply a “rubber legs.” Say that anywhere in the Intermountain West and most fly fishers will know what you are referring to.