On two Saturdays in February I will be teaching an Intro to Fly Tying Class. To be honest I’m not sure that I can teach. Sure I have given pointers to people at open tying nights and I have got a couple of friends and family started in their pursuit of fly tying. The question is can I teach a total newbie to tie? Will I be able to get my point across. Will I be able to hold their attention for the length of the class? Well, a preformed a bit of an experiment. I ask my wife Marylynn to allow me to teach her to tie a fly. She really had no interest, so I thought this would be a good test. We sat down and tied a Woolly Bugger. She picked up on it quite well even after getting over the hurdle of her being left-handed. We tied two flies. They did not come out bad at all. Well, this proved to me that I can teach. Thanks, Hon!
We took a little walk
Marylynn and I took a little walk today. We went out to a little park in Jefferson, NJ. Prospect Point Preserve is a small park on the shore of Lake Hopatcong. The trail-head is located on Brady Rd by the basketball and tennis courts. The trail is well marked and it brings you to a new wooden bridge that brings you over to Liffy Island. We had the treat of seeing a bald eagle perched in a tree on the island side of the bridge. The trail is a little muddled once you get onto the island, but the island is small and easy to explore. This is a cool little hike for a Sunday afternoon.
Winter
Winter is the time to check your equipment, tie flies and brew some beer.
Every little bit helps!
I consider myself an outdoors man and therefore I consider myself an environmentalist. I need to preserve the venue in which I pursue my past times. When I am out fishing, I pick up trash along the way. When I clean up a campsite, I usually end up leaving with more trash than I brought in.
However, I know that some of the products I need to use in my outdoor pursuits are not the best for the environment. This is often the case when it is time to dispose of the old stuff. This came to my attention when I received a Christmas gift from my daughter. It was a gift pack from a company called “Flyvines” https://flyvines.com . The gift included a sun glass retainer strap, a tool lanyard and a really cool bracelet. These were all made from recycled fly line. This is a great idea! From now on, I will be sending all my used fly lines to this company for recycling. Hopefully, this will keep a little bit more plastic out of the landfills.
Winter Beer
It is cold and dark out. A crackling fire is burning in the fireplace. To me, that means enjoying a nice dark porter in a snifter while reading a Keith McCafferty novel with my dog at my feet.
The porter style of beer is probably my favorite. It is a dark, rich beer with a thick feel . Depending on the brewer, there are notes of dark breads, chocolate and/or coffee . Not much hoppy bitterness should be present . I serve it in a snifter on the warm side with a nice creamy head. This way I can smell as well as taste this robust style of beer.
Put on your favorite slippers, stoke up the fire and enjoy a glass of this wonderful treat.
Am I lost?
My wife and I went for a short hike or long walk, depending on who you talk to. We walked about 5 miles out and back on a local rail trail. I used my cell phone to track and map our trip. I think a lot of people do this, which I think is great. I use a phone app called ” BackCountry Navigator”. The free version allows you to plot your trip on a topo map and save it. It gives you stats like Total time, distance and speed. The paid version gives you the ability to download different map layers and many more features. I don’t believe that Marylynn and I could have got lost on this particular trip. I really don’t believe that you could get lost on most hikes you might take in New Jersey, but you can certainly end up really far away from your car!
As I said, most of us count on our cell phones for navigation. This works great where we have cell coverage. What if the damn thing goes dead? Do you carry a paper map? A compass? Can you read a map? Do you know how to use a compass?
I recommend that we all carry a paper map and a compass. You don’t need the skill to make a trip to the north pole, but you should be able to find north. Use the map and compass to get you the the nearest road if you get turned around in the woods. At the very least, pick up a trail map at the trail head if available. These can usually help you navigate by landmarks to get you back to your car in a pinch. Maybe seek out a class on map and compass use at you local library, hiking club or outdoor store. You could use that cell phone to find online instructions. Oh wait, your phone crapped out, that’s why you need the map in the first place.
Beer lovers you all need this!
I just got my New Jersey Craft beer membership renewal. For $25 you get tons of discounts, a phone app that will help you find the best beer bargains around and a newsletter with a list of beer events. All beer lovers should jump on this it’s a great deal!
newjerseycraftbeer.com
Organize
Today is my day off from the shop. It is a bluebird sky day, with the high temperature only predicted to break the 30-degree mark. Fly fishing today would be a slow cold affair. I pride myself on being a year-round angler, but I am just not feeling it today. So what to do? I think I will use today to get organized. Fill my fly boxes, clean out my sling bag, and get all my stuff set in my equipment bin. All for my next day off when the spirit does move me to hit the river I can just grab the bin and go.
Winter Fly Fishing 2019
Bridget was in from Montana. We did a little fly tying and fishing.
Spring 2019
Ryan stopped by on his way to Idaho to do a little fly fishing. Water was high , but we got into some fish.
Tap 'n' Trout 