So Long, We Hardly Knew Ya'

REQUIESCAT IN PACE

It Once Was Green & With Typos

we loved it then and will miss it now

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.. There is a hole in the noosphere that shall not be filled. EVER.
.. Pretenders have come and gone. They keep coming and going.
.. They are filled with self aggrandizement and piddling profundities. Bless their pretense.
.. The real world has finally caught up with Tom Chandler and he's succumbed to the exigencies of the important things, like family and the future. Good for you Tom.
.. THE TROUT UNDERGROUND is fading very fast. We will miss it. For now, it will stay on our masthead - it's become a part of us. Click on over and watch the future unfold.

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Sneak To California

IT'S WAY EARLY
FOR STEELHEAD

It's Just Right For Salmon

good bye Chetco / hello Smith

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.. Just a brief note: gone south of the border for a couple of days. The 30# salmon of the Chetco River are interesting - BUT; how 'bout some from the main-stem Smith River? (READ THE LATEST CHETCO REPORT HERE!)
.. Shameless plug: GET YOUR GUIDE HERE!
.. It's such an easy drive from Brookings, Oregon to Crescent City, California that we decided to spend some money on a ticket for the Bear Flag Republic.
.. Reports to follow.

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Snails Attacking California

THEY'RE MOVING NORTH
they are spreading
like wildfire in montana
the infestation has begun to take it's toll

YES, MABLE, THE ANNUAL MUD SNAIL POST

.. The Golden State, named after a beautiful black queen, and filled with Audi fish-cars is experiencing a resurgence of the New Zealand Mud Snail.
.. The little mollusks are marching, (with just one foot each,) up the coast at a rapid rate and have infiltrated the rivers beyond the Oregon border. They eat the food that the bugs your fish need eat. How cruel is that?
.. The Malibu Creek Watershed Council posted a Public Service Announcement on YouTube in 2007 (Spanish version HERE,) for all to see..

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.. The friendly NPS Ranger in the English version seems almost delighted at the prospects of more snails stealing more food from the streams and rivers of Califia's Realm. The Spanish version seems a bit more urgent.
.. Mud snails have spread rapidly since their discovery near Hagerman, Idaho in 1995. They are in Yellowstone National Park and are a growing threat to our fisheries throughout the west.

.. There are now two morphs in the western United States and fisher folk should be able to identify both forms. They should also be able to distinguish them from other resident and native snails. It's far easier than mayfly identification and better for your rivers as well.
.. Montana State University has a research program and maintains a website for information about the crusty critter. It is the best online source for information about the mollusk.
.. The maps are most interesting and suggest that this threat will continue despite our best efforts. There are now over 1500 recorded locations - and the data base hasn't been updated since January.
.. The Greater Montana "dot map" is interesting: the watershed map is frightening - but only if you fish in the indicated areas.
.. The areal spread of snails in Calfia's Queendom is a bit more sobering. How long before there's no food for the queen's fishes?
.. If you are planning a trout fishing trip in the western United States, chances are you will be in mud snail territory. It might be useful to ask your guide or outfitter about the precautions they take to avoid the spread of these little gobblers.
.. A kind gesture might be to help clean the gear: boat, oars, nets, boots, waders, trailer, etc. Consider it a part of the tip you give them. Will they accept your offer? What is the guide's schedule like? What is your schedule? How much time do you spend each day inspecting? How much time do you spend fishing in infected waters? Food for thought - food for snails!
.. In the time honored flurry of finding the hatch and then fishing it do you change foot gear when you change streams? Do you have gear for each stream? Do you dash to the pub and hope the mud dries overnight? Are you too busy to take the precautions? What will your grandchildren say? Have none - don't care!.. Why talk about Califia's Queendom on a Yellowstone Blog? Because the California Department of Fish & Game still has the best research and guidelines for controlling the spread of mud snails on fishing and wading gear. Read about it HERE (PDF). And, Martha, because the file is hosted on the MSU computers. And, of course, because the 'mudsnail' pages on the California sites refer us to the MSU site, [ #1, #2.]
.. Mud snails are crafty critters and hide very well. Just because you've given up felt soles is no reason to believe that you are "clean." There are several methods of cleaning mentioned in the California PDF - some will destroy your gear along with the snails. Choose your cleaning method carefully.
.. Ask your guide, before you book your trip, what cleaning method is preferred for snail abatement. Ask about why the chosen method was chosen. Ask about the other methods not used.
.. Ask the local fly shops how they store their cleaning solutions and if they are fresh. Ask them where the cleaning stations are on the rivers in the area. Ask them where you can procure the ingredients for making your own cleaning solutions locally.
.. If you give a damn read the PDF from California and see if the methods you are using are successful or just for show. If you need additional information check out the California Mud Snail Warning Site.

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.. Time for a late breakfast and journey into wonderland. A little snow is present but so are the very moderate spring temperatures.
.. Digestion of S.O.S. is aided by a gentle drive along some of our glory waters - and vistas without snail spreading fisher folk.
.. We use wheat bread because the neighbors say it's healthy. We use butter and buttermilk because the flavor is better. We use two jars of dried beef because then you can see it. We add just a bit of nutmeg and Worcestershire sauce for the papillae on the sides of our tongue. We made it yesterday and heated it up today because that's the way they served it to us in the old days. Maybe there will be some left for tomorrow.

February 24, 1969

JOHNNY IN PRISON

It Seems Like Yesterday

my how time flies
( hi to Alice & Dave )

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1. Johnny Cash - Big River
2. Johnny Cash - I Still Miss Someone
3. Johnny Cash - Wreck Of The Old 97
4. Johnny Cash - I Walk The Line
5. Johnny Cash and June Carter - Darlin' Companion
6. Johnny Cash - I Don't Know Where I'm Bound
7. Johnny Cash - Starkville City Jail
8. Johnny Cash - San Quentin
9. Johnny Cash - San Quentin
10. Johnny Cash - Wanted Man
11. Johnny Cash - A Boy Named Sue
12. Johnny Cash - (There'll Be) Peace In The Valley
13. Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues
14. Johnny Cash with the Carter Family - Ring Of Fire
15. Johnny Cash with the Carter Family, the Statler Bros. and Carl Perkins - He Turned The Water Into Wine
16. Johnny Cash with the Carter Family, the Statler Bros. and Carl Perkins Daddy Sang Bass
17. Johnny Cash with the Carter Family, the Statler Bros. and Carl Perkins The Old Account
18. CLOSING MEDLEY: Folsom Prison Blues/I Walk The Line/Ring Of Fire/The Rebel-Johnny Yuma

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.. Hey guys: Them were the days.

All New Is Old

FROM DESERT TO OCEAN

From Redwoods To Chaparral

From The Trinity To Pauma Creek

trout are everywhere on the island of Cali Fornia

.. We've not had much keyboard time of late, (fish // don'tchknow,) so here's our annual post for the island folks in the "QUEENDOM" of CALIFIA.
.. After "THE BIG ONE," The left coast is supposed to become an island.
.. The Maps below are for Joe at THE HORSE'S MOUTH. Que Tal Hombre? Es possible? Es Del Sud?
..Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo seems to be responsible for the island concept in his 1510 novel Las sergas de Esplandián. It sounds like a great place to be. All inhabitants are tall gorgeous black women. Strong, noble, warrior goddesses ruled in the land of Queen Califia: the most noble of all.
.. There's no specific mention of fishing or trout, in the work, but the trout was known in Spain, and there are some spectacular places there to fish.
.. Although contemporary Californios have taken their cue from the British tradition, they could have easily become fly fishers in the Spanish tradition.
.. The Spanish fly fishing tradition can be traced, (in literature,) to a retired Aragonese soldier's 1539 work,"The Little Treatise on Fishing", by Fernando Basurto.
.. The early Spanish flies were densely tied of multiple hackles, and fished with a long rod and no reel. Today 'dapping' is returning. Andrew Herd suggests that the Spanish patterns may have been intended to float. Ahhh, old is new.
.. From Seville and Granada come some of the earliest examples of fish hooks, and despite the extensive "press" given the Anglophillic point of view it seems that fly fishing is a Mediterranean, (nee, even Macedonian,) tradition.
.. As California becomes reclaimed by Hispanic culture and people, one would wish that the fly fishing heritage of Spain would also return.
.. Jeff Kennedy is grinding along over at Drawing Flies 365. Just a couple of days left. This blog is a tough act to follow and we eagerly anticipate the encore.
.. His flies and the blog itself are both informative and entertaining. We hope it remains in an archival state for many years to come.

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.. There is a group of folks known as the "Prolific Daily Painters." These artists are committed to one work per day. Ann Elizabeth Schlegel is one who has practiced the discipline since August, 2006.
.. Her blog "Painting Each Day," has an extraordinary array of images, and includes a few flies as well, (#1, #2, #3.) The paintings of the flies are for sale, if you'd like to add to your collection.

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.. HDW MOBILE has the new masthead in place and is, of course, is on the road. SHEBOYGAN? MENOMINEE? YEEE HA! The slick of the road in the upper Midwest. Happy Holidays.

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.. Those of you following the march of invasive species should click on over to the INVASIVE SPECIES WEBLOG for a glimpse of our current biota; native and otherwise. (Last night's post is about the frog invasion in Montana.) Jennifer Orth has been busy cataloging the visitors since 2002.
.. The site is searchable, informative, definitive, current, and extensive. The 2009 invasive species calendar is available and all profits are donated to groups doing work in the arena of invasive species.
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-------FISH HERE

.. Don't get shot. Use protective coloration, (borrow a near-dead truck if you have to.) Take a local along. Knowing some Pauma & speaking a simple greeting is useful. Grunt up the steep and treacherous canyon from the bottom.
.. Catch 7" trout that are 11 years old. Don't touch them. Don't take them from the water. If you fish here you may capture one of the most rare trout on the face of the earth.
.. Puff down the hill. Avoid the local felines. Avoid the poison everything. Admire the fire-blackened trees and browning new growth. Drive a bit and have dinner at Baci Restorante. You did make reservations the week before? You did tip Tony the day before - right?
.. May we suggest: Calamari Fritti, followed by Insalata Capricciosa, then Rack Of Lamb Napolentana, and all accompanied by Colli Di Conegliano. A bit of vanilla ice cream, Galliano, and coffee should settle the meal.

Off Center Santa

ONLY IN THE SOUTHLAND
See Santa Cruise

Have a Merry Fishy Christmas