Where In The World Is...

... Flying Ties?

Ok, so it doesn't quite ring like "Carmen San Diego" but I'm not in a clever state of mind right now.

It has been raining non-stop for nearly a week now. Today was beautiful but the water is still dangerously high. Fishing isn't really on my mind right now, strangly enough. Neither is tying, for those who assume that is what I'm focusing on. The rains have kicked in the fall chore side of me and I've been busting my tail for the past week to try to get stuff done out side while we still have daylight to work in. I got most of what I needed to get done, done... the rest involves the garage, a free snowblower, and plenty of grease.

I also sold my big red truck and bought a small white SUVCar. Yes, thats right, its an SUVCar. Like several other anglers I know, I now drive a Subaru Forester. Subaru's have long run with me as this is my 3rd officially, but 4th (I drove my grandmothers 98 Outback for a year or a little over). This is a 98 Forester that needs some work and has roughly 3.5 million miles but it was cheap and runs like a sewing machine. That has kept me busy as I make it mine and begin the repairs (the most major being a new clutch/transmission/center diff, but the price of the car made it worth it... especially since its drivable right now).

I've been thinking of picking up a dedicated small stream/dry fly rod. Something that is about as fast as molassis in January and is light and short enough that I can pack it in without putting together 25 6" pieces of fragile graphite or bamboo. I've settled on the 6'6 or 7' length. I am borrowing a friends extremely nice 30 year old Fenwick HMG. It has a low module count compared to new rods and is close to full flex, so it delivers small flies up to size 10 delicately and accurately. Its paired with a beautiful little Hardy Flylight reel of about the same age. I haven't been able to fish with it, really, but I casted it over some water last weekend and it is pretty much exactly what I'm looking for. I hope to get out for some panfish soon... maybe this weekend... but it doesn't seem likely. The weather will cooperate but the chores probably wont. Right when the crappie are up shallow and the bluegill are trying to fatten up for winter. Damnit. I had actually planned on keeping some crappie for dinner if I caught them... if they're legal of course. It would be my first time eating a fish I caught.

Speaking of, fish has been a big staple of my diet. I'm trying for the Lake George Triathalon 2009 so my diet is strict and the exercise hard. High protein/complex fat meals are important and fish is the ticket. I'm typing this through shaky arms and jelly-like legs sort of worried about driving my stick shift car to pick up my wife in a few minutes.


I know, suck it up, pansy, but to quote Tom Chandler, my trainer said "Here's your ass".

This was a bit too much about me and not enough about fishing so expect a fishing post... sometime. Maybe after I fix that snowblower. Right.