VagabondFly Craft beer 100 shot fly tying challenge

Who's up for the "challenge"?  We could modify it from craft beers to PBR...

Found this video via Moldy Chum:



VagabondFly: Craft beer 100 shot fly tying challenge: behind the scenes from VagabondFly on Vimeo

Fortunate

I have been very fortunate.  

I am fortunate to have a wife who tolerates my need to fish.  

I am fortunate to have met some great friends who share my passion and show me new places to fish.  

I am fortunate that life has put us in a beautiful place.

I am fortunate that God made trout such awesome creatures.

Orvis Web Belts

So I got the new Orvis fly fishing catalog in the mail over the weekend and saw something that caught my eye.  This may or may not be a new product, but I hadn't seen it before, and my collection of Orvis clothing is rather small due to the cost associated with said gear.  I had been looking for a nylon web belt with some awesome trout motifs to wear pretty much all the time.  So they are offering these belts and they are just okay.  But look at the awesome collars offered for dogs in trout prints.  I'd much rather wear this print on my belt

 

than this print

I emailed Orvis and let them know how I feel and was told that my comments would be passed along to the Product Team.  Hopefully that means soon I can be wearing a belt that even non-fisherman would recognize as a trout print versus one that looks like some sort of digitized camo.  If you feel the same way, contact Orvis and let them know how you feel.

Breaking the "O" Skunk

Saturday I fished the Owyhee with two friends.  While we didn't have a record breaking day on the increased flows, I caught my first fish on the Owyhee and added two more to the tally before the day was over.  I had six on the line, but was only able to land three of them (I need to work on landing these Western trout).  I landed one trout while nymphing and two fishing a caddis on top.

Since this a catch-n-release stream, here are some videos of the brown trout being released.  I need some work on my video skills, but it's a start.

 

Snake River Tributary

On Saturday I fished a tributary of the Snake River with a friend and a few of his friends.  We did well, catching rainbow trout in beautiful scenery.  It doesn't get much better than that!

Wish I hadn't covered this fish with my fat fingers.  It was really pretty and most likely the fish of the day.

A fisher prowling the bank.

 I think I need a new fishing hat.  My Penn State Fly Fishing hat has shrunk (or my noggin has grown) and doesn't really fit anymore.  Any great ideas for a new hat?

Sweet Vid from The Connecticut Yankee

Check out this video The Connecticut Yankee put together from a pretty epic salt day last fall.  Days like this are the reason we keep fishing.

Go check out his blog, some really great stuff on there!

Christmas Wish List

Dear Santa,

I've been a very good man somewhat good man aw shit, I've tried really hard all year to be good.  Santa, I hope you can find me since I've changed addresses and been really bad at updating my blog.  If you have any space on your sleigh, maybe you could find the time to drop me off a few things.  I'd very much like to fish some off the beaten path places, you know, high country alpine lakes,

small mountain streams, 

and I've also been doing a lot of hiking.  In order to find these gems nature has to offer, I'd really like a handheld GPS unit so I can get "there" and back.

I'd also really like a GoPro (is there something better? comments welcome!) so I can record my awesome outdoor accidents and make all you laugh at my expense (it's ok, I'm probably the one who laughs at me the most).

So Santa, I'll be looking for a lump of coal in my stocking since I know that's what I really deserve this year.  Next year I'll try harder.