Jeez, time flies

I had not put up any new posts for about a year, and had sort of lost interest in blogging. But then I went to the Midwest Fly Fishing Expo, and actually ran into 1) someone who had read my blog and liked it, and 2) encouraged me get the thing up and running again. Wow. Pretty pathetic that all it takes is one positive comment and I am again typing away, but hope springs eternal in the human heart.

The past year has been busy with the following events:

My first Montana trip in years, with the most uneven fishing I have ever experienced. There were good days, and poor days, and even one close to skunk day when I caught nothing. About 15 minutes before total darkness I tied on the biggest wooly bugger in the box and started swinging it aimlessly. Caught a nice rainbow as the sun set. On the other hand, on another day I hooked a Chinook sized brown on a size 18 BWO nymph presented with a cane rod. It didn't last long, but it was glorious. And I did land a huge rainbow that rocketed up from the depths of a tiny pool up in the Gallatin headwaters to take a dry fly. So going back for more.

A night where I stood on a rock and caught over 30 large smallmouth from a single spot. After it finally died down I made a cast back to the rock itself and hooked the largest fish I have taken from that river. Nineteen inches, but rather slim and only a few pounds.

Answered a craigslist ad for large lot of fly tying material, and when I picked it up the guy said "there was more stuff under the steps than I thought, so there are some extra boxes of junk". The extra boxes were filled with unopened Metz saddles in their original bags. I recouped the cost by selling 2 of the 3 vises I found in the stash, and most of the nylon rod winding thread.

Did a wonderful hunt with two friends from grad school in the big woods country of Pennsylvania. No deer were harmed, but I saw more in one day than in several years of hunting in Michigan. That along with all sorts of wildlife sightings.

My lovely and adorable wife got me a Dyna King vise for Christmas. They are worth every penny she paid.

Started making cane rods again after a long stretch of not making them.

Waited patiently for Orvis to call me with an offer of a Helios2 and Mirage reel if they could include the smiling minnow in their catalog. Still hopeful, but I might have to send them some. Seriously, I have gotten a lot of feedback on the pattern. Everyone says the exact same thing:" I thought you were nuts, but that thing really works!" You heard it here first. New readers, check out the older posts.

Watched my beloved Michigan Department of Natural resources be transformed from a resource management agency into an arm of Michigan's agriculture, logging, and mining industries via the worst legislature in the history of this state.