Halloween 2009

Lilly as Cinderella

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Fear & Loathing In Packing For Fishing

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I hate packing for fishing trips.

Headed to Wisconsin this weekend to do a little Driftless trout fishing, and I figured that I probably should try to get some stuff together for the trip. Did I mention I hate packing for fishing trips? F'n blows.


In the summer, it's not so bad. Wet wading is rad, and cuts down the number of things that take up space in your bag, suitcase, whatever...  However this early in the year... in the upper Midwest... well, waders and the such are coming along.

But actually, that's the easy part. I only own one pair of waders, so I know what to bring. But they do take up space, along with that jacket, hoodie, or whatever else I need to bring to keep my thin Florida blood from freezing cheese curd semi-solid. I hate being cold more than I hate packing.


But really, it's all the other stuff that gets to me. See... I'll admit it, I like a hot shower, I like to feel clean, and wear clean clothes. And while it would make my packing more economica…
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The Blessing of the Driftless

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Fishing in the Driftless is a unique experience. 

Wonderfully cold spring creeks run past your feet, carved deep into the ground. Sharp, undercut banks scream for a fly to drift past. Feisty brookies and belligerent browns sit waiting to attack. And the intoxicating aroma of cow shit. 
But none of that is what makes the Driftless blessed.

One of the creeks that I enjoy fishing, or should I use the appropriate local term, "coulee," runs through a pasture right behind a church. The easement is located in the fence bordering the small gravel parking lot parishioners use to attend weekly service. I wonder how many of them are distracted by the trout right outside the window while praising the Lord. I sure know I'd be. That afternoon, my "Sunday Best" was a pair of waders.

It was eighty-five degrees around high noon. In Wisconsin? I was told it snowed ten days prior. There was no reason to expect that change of events. The weather service assuredly stated highs wer…
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Gear Review: Greenerways Organic Bug Spray

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I know, I've been doing a lot of whining complaining about the mosquitoes in Florida.  They're big, they're bad, and they're mean.  But what should I expect for literally living in a swamp?

I was contacted by JD from Greenerways back in February about testing an Organic bug spray. Organic...really?  If a bug spray doesn't melt your fly line, how good can it be?  But I agreed anyway.

Unfortunately, being February and freezing in Philadelphia at the time, bug spray testing would have to wait.  Lucky for me, with the perfect combination of the summer and a recent move South, everything fell into place for the long awated testing opportunity...


First the details of the Greenerways Organic Bug Spray, directly from their marketing materials...

The first 100% certi fied organic insect repellent available in the United States.
Provides peace of mind for safe use with young children, adults, pets, and around the home.Made from a DEET-free, non-toxic blend of organic plant-ba…
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The Driftless Photo Dump

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Took quite a few photos while in Wisconsin.  But first a bit of backstory.

I usually take most of the photos on this blog with my smartphone, which has (what I think) is a pretty good camera. Well, as I was headed to the airport to start my long weekend in the Midwest, I heard this "thud" while getting some stuff from the trunk of my SUV and looked down to see that I had obliterated my cell phone screen... to the point that it started leaking purple LCD juice all over the inside of the display, rendering the phone pretty much unusable for the weekend. Ugh.

When I landed in Wisconsin, I ran over to the Walmart and picked up an inexpensive, unlocked Android phone to use for the weekend. The new phone works just fine, the major tradeoff being that the camera wasn't quite as good, although it took photos that were generally okay in the full-on sun.
The reason why I tell you this is some of the photos below are from the cell phone, while others are from my waterproof point an…
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The 5 Best Tenkara Rods?

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There's a blog post out there that's been circulating for a little bit longer than a year with a very similar title to this one that I don't really care for. It's not so much the rods or companies that are recognized, it's the article's questionable evaluation of them, including calling them "American Made." Since that post seems to have good SEO qualities, it never quite fades into oblivion, resurfacing on social media every few months.

Rearing its head yet again on the Appalachian Tenkara Anglers Facebook pagelast week, I decided to turn the tables and ask the group members what they think the five best tenkara rods are. You know, real feedback from real tenkara anglers. A few models (not exactly five) were mentioned, which I'll highlight below.

I would like to note that it appeared as if many people replied with a lean towards value or "beginner" rods. Not that there's anything wrong with that, just thought that context may be he…
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