Friday, July 31, 2009

Photography..........A Bonus to Fishing

I must say that as much as I love fishing and guiding others I also have a deep affinity for photography. I take tons of photos. And the great thing is that many of the places I go regularly are so strikingly beautiful in some way that taking a good picture.....well...you could say.....anyone could do it. I mean lets face it, a place like the Grand Tetons is pretty amazing even if you take a bad picture of it. I am not sure you could take a bad one of that place.

Photography for me is such a bonus to being outdoors, enough so that I like it enough to do it alone even if I am not fishing or the fishing is slow. I am not alone in that sentiment. Well known fly anglers and authors Lefty Kreh and Bob Clouser, the latter whom I know personally, both love to take pictures. So much so that if the fishing is off or slow, then so be it......its off for a photo shoot. Its that good.

So take a camera and add to your experience...........and I promise it won't keep you from catching a large fish-----just like taking a landing net won't do that either.........I promise

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Its that Time again......


One of my favorite things is catching fish on top...nothing beats a moment when any fish, and especially a large fish decides to eat on top. I don't know if its the surprise factor of the unexpected strike, the commotion and noise that breaks an often early morning, late evening, or moonlight silence....or seeing a large fish come to the top with the express purpose of annihilating your fly. Personally, all of the details matter not, I'll take a surface take over them all.....whether the fish is large or small. Large though is what I prefer....how about you?

We are entering one of my favorite times, I know , you've heard me say it before about 'favorite times'- - -they are all my favorite times. My favorite time is whenever I can go. But there's something about topwater, whether largemouth bass smashing a bug from beneath a layer of green muck and salad the way they do at our pond here - - - and let me tell you get a bass of 2-3 lbs or more and it will scare the daylights out of you and cause you to mess up your britches-- - - a panfish softly kissing a popper or black ant, or a tiger with fins- - - a smallmouth- - that breaks the early morning foggy silence with a surface shattering strike so swift, precise, and quick that you never even saw the fish- - - at all. I love them. Actually I love them all