高いドラマ

テンカラ
春の釣りの狂乱のためだけのもの

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ライスヌードル

How It's Made

Bamboo Rods
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Graphic Rods
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Baseballs
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Baseball Gloves
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Baseball Bats
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Flies
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Fly Lines
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Fly Reels
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A Different Opener

AMERICA'S PASTIME

American's Couch-time

the boys of summer

WALLPAPER: THE DUKE OF FLATBUSH

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.. Although it's just about Spring in this neck of the woods, it's Summer elsewhere.
.. The boys of summer are now officially earning their multi million dollar salaries by chewing and farting and scratching and digging in their crotch.

THE PILL

.. Baseball is here and our nation is ready. Or so we would be led to believe.
.. Not so very long ago baseball was played on the radio.
.. It's hard to envision slouching on a couch with the neighborhood toughs gobbling nachos and guacamole while listening to a ball game on the radio.
.. Baseball is a different game on the radio than it is on the television. It's a different game in the year 2016 than it was in 1949 as well.

.. Fly fishers in 1949 had a different social millieu to operate within than does the fly fisher today. So too the baseball fan.
.. Today our heroes are ridged fly lines, designer reels, and spouse beating adolescents in adult bodies.
.. Today we can fish the all over the world and torment  foreign fish as easily as we can ignore a soft walk in the woods.
.. Pedal to the metal fly fishing. It's a grand slam sort of deal. Someone is making money. Someone is spending money. Catching is always better where the grass is greener.
.. Today neither fly fishing nor baseball is a pastime. Both are in high gear and dashing headlong into the worlds of lucre and fame.
.. Fame from the radio, (then or now.) is a different sort of beast. Lucre in terms of real dollars or perquisites is different now than then. We're beyond radio.
.. We, ourselves, still enjoy the humor of both contemporary baseball and fly fishing. The play by play re-analysis of an electric image that was available to all from all different angles, is mandatory for the color commentators. Our eyes are just not good enough.
.. This allows time for a commercial break, and extends the air time, - umpires be damned: the game be damned.

NOT RADIO

.. Fly fishers allowing that a fish's eating habits and behaviors can be analyzed ad nauseam from streamside to the abandonment of flicking a fly on the water as an empirical test are  missing the "radio" of the pastime. We must need the 'color' commentators of fishing to validate it.
.. Watching fish is hardly sport but it is certainly an enjoyable pastime. Waste of time?
.. Radio has gone out of baseball. Radio has left fly fishing. Baseball is about to leave television for the "mobile device."
.. Fly fishing has already embraced the cell phone. It's radio days expired with the 'American Sportsman' and celebrity fishers. OOPS! Celebrities who got paid to fish.
.. There never was much radio about the fly fishing pastime on these shores. There was some in Great Britain and Canada right after WWII.
.. For some interesting reasons the way to fame and fortune in the world of fly fishing is through publication and product huckstering.
.. George Kelson taught us how. We've been doing it ever since. Some are good at it. Some are great at it. It's akin to selling autographed baseballs. In fly fishing it's autographed reels or rods or books or flies.
.. Goodby radio, so long television, adios publications: hello adventures, hello internet sales, hello twitter, hello 'Electric Horseman' and Steve Able and Perk Perkins.

Perk Perkins has led Orvis as CEO since November 1992. Under his guidance, the company has grown from $88 million in sales in 1992 to nearly $300 million in 2006. The company simultaneously refined and expanded its product line and sales channels. Perk has built a strong business culture of quality and brand integrity throughout the multi-channel retailer. Orvis has prospered and earned the industry’s highest awards in both catalog and Internet marketing.{{LINK}}

.. So, it's opening day for some. It's not for others.

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.. We're headed over the hill to the lowland Madison River. The fishing is proceeding apace with the gentle lowland weather and there are little bitty teeny weeny blueish flies down there.

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WALLPAPER:   SPRINGTIME WEST YELLOWSTONE

The Hogwash Factor {{If you fly fish don't read this.}}

MORAL IMPERATIVE ?

Pure Marketing Hype ?

peerage vocabulary ?

TENKARA INVENTOR

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.. It seems appropriate on this day to vent just a little. After all, for instance, we all know that "Tenkara" was really invented by Izaak Walton.
.. Or was it those  Macedonian fishers that were recorded by Ælean at about A.D. 230? This is not just an April Foolishness.
.. Single piece rods, (of about the same lengths 6' to 18',) self or spliced string as well as self or spliced rods were used by all those fishers.
.. It's just a stick and a string with a hook and feather attached to the business end. It's been done wherever there are fish to catch, (catfish, sunfish, trout, perch, - hell even tuna!)

click for 8 seconds of Tenkara catch and release

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.. We are constantly bombarded by the hogwash perpetrated by fellow fishers, blogsters, marketing geniuses, and the industry fishing experts who are busy peddling the latest and greatest - of whatever! (To gullible folks upon whom our society is built.)
.. We've heard it said that fly fishing is about 1/3 facts, 1/3 mysticism, and 1/3 fascination with the exotic. We now know why all fishers are liars: it's not by choice, rather, it's from ignorance and self aggrandizement.
.. We, on the other hand, tend to believe that it's more like 1/5 factoids, 1/5 hearsay, 1/5 belief, 1/5 commercial allegiance, 1/5 "truth" with a capital "T".
.. It's not that there are no facts to be had, it's rather that most non-commercial fishers would rather accept hearsay, or marketing hype. Soulful prose rather than history or science is the preferred reading material. The best buddy knows more than anyone else.
.. It is way more soulful and poetic to believe that the gear, hearsay traditions, mystical behaviors, lofty terminology, and flies are the key to self fulfillment as a fisher rather than just catching fish. Why should we believe that new gear will make us a better fisher. Hells bells can any gear make one a better fisher?
.. Not so long ago it was just fishing. Then manufacturers and elitists and joiners, and cults began the verbosity ploy. This is often called the "Name it and nail it syndrome."
.. When spinning reels were invented there suddenly became "spin fishing." Aha, got that one down!
.. Of course the reel for the fishing string was only invented around the 4th century A.D., in China apparently.
.. Western reels were first called a "wind." They didn't appear until the 1600's - give or take a little.They were hung on the belt and used to wind up the line when fishing was completed - or you tripped on the excess around your feet. Soon thereafter they were nailed, glued, strapped, or otherwise affixed to the stick in the first two feet or thereabouts.
.. Soon there were Nottingham reels, fly reels, bait reels, bait casting reels, center pin reels, multiplying reels, fresh water reels, salt water reels, trout reels, big game reels, etc.
.. Of course you were obliged to believe that each succeeding reel was better at fishing in a particular venue with a particular style, with a particular ethos and mystique, and canonized behavior.
.. This, most certainly, demands verbiage to set one apart from the other. And, by inference, makes one a better catcher of fish.
.. Gadzooks: marketeers glommed on to this very early on in our Western tradition. England did itself proud and the industry, (centered in London and Reddich,) became very creative in their sales techniques.
.. The House of Hardy even got itself appointed to the crown as official supplier - wow that still carries weight today.
.. Fishing rods large enough to require two hands have been around since Izaak's day, (think of a 20' greenheart stick with attendant string.)
.. Of course since it was imported from South America it was highly desired. Folks that used these sticks were "Greenheart Fishermen", (not women.) They practiced 'greenheart casting.' Zowie !!! Something new to sell.
.. For years fishers used what was available. Bamboo poles, greenheart sticks, maple sticks, ash sticks, etc. Someone decided to split up some bamboo and then stick it back together again. It was cheap. It was strong enough. It was plentiful. And, by gum, it was imported from the exotic Far East.
.. Hundreds of thousands of them were sold by Sears Roebuck & Co., Montgomery Ward, and tackle shops across the nation and elsewhere. Each and every one of them made better fishers of the folks that bought them.

.. Suddenly there was spring steel, forged steel. iron, tubular steel, aluminum, fiberglass, graphite, boron and exotic mixes of miscellaneous synthetics. Bamboo was relegated to the shelf, the attic, the pawn shop, or the garden as tomato stakes. Meanwhile fishers kept getting better and better. The clothes make the man.
.. Cane rods were out: then back in when it became fashionable and the other sorts got real expensive. We wonder if folks are now better fishers because of their modern stick and string.
.. Today a two handed rod is a Spey rod and is used for Spey casting - but not Spey fishing. Why is that?
.. Of course it's a good gimmick to hang sales upon. Few fishers believe that Spey casting can be done without a Spey rod.
.. Fewer have been to the River Spey. But fly fishers being the sort of species that they are have jumped on the "Spey Rod" bandwagon. Marketing wins out over any sort of rationality. Just like Izaak Walton's Tenkara fishing.

.. Fishers on the River Test don't have "Test Rods."
.. Now there's an idea! Why not have Orvis start marketing the Test rod Should be a sales boon! Then we can all learn to Test cast.
.. It could be expanded to fishing in the "TEST WAY." A clipped brogue should accompany it as well.
.. Diction lessons could accompany certified fly casting instruction by the Federation Of Fly Fishers. There's a marketing opportunity here somewhere. Think of the mythology. Think of the hearsay. Think of the possible factoids that can be generated.
.. Perhaps there is Madison Casting, Henry's Forking, Gallatin Grabbing, Missouri Mending, etc. Think of the marketing and blogging that could be enjoined. Words aplenty just waiting for exploitation. Soon we will all be better at catching.
.. Unlike the Tenkara tradition which was originally a solitary commercial venture the Spey casters around here are joiners. They are elitist back slappers and proselytizers: just as are the recent Tenkaristas in the Americas. Is it 'my rod's better than your rod' or is it 'my rod makes me a better fisher' or is it 'us against all the other fools'? We're obviously missing something here.
.. Most specialized fly fishing gear is better than 90% of the fishers that buy it and extol it's virtues. For instance the drags on many  contemporary trout reels are superb pieces of engineering. Far better than the 14" trout that are caught with them. Far better than the fishers that listen to them buzz and click and whir - to the exhaustion of the fish. It's a wonder that folks just 20 years ago caught any fish.
.. Of course we miss the point. Fly fishing is not about catching fish. It's not about selecting appropriate tools to the task.
.. It's way more about drinking, telling stories, hanging out together, buying the latest gear, believing the marketeers, believing the truth so freely dispensed by counter help, and "belonging." Our peerage is too important to seek facts or ignore fashion.
.. No longer can one just go fishing. One must go fly fishing. One must go bass fishing. One must spin fish. One must deep sea fish. One must belong: even if it means adopting a foolish and romantic belief structure propagated by the wizards of Wall Street and the corner fly shop.
.. This is not to say that fishers of  Pseudosasa amabilis, (Arundinaria amabilis) are different than the rest of us. They are just easy and popular  targets.
.. This pastime is a target rich environment by it's very nature. Spey casters using Spey rods have a belief structure and vocabulary no more unthinking than the rest of us.
.. The Tenkara advocate and practitioner is no more shallow in his beliefs than the dry fly purist, the generalist, the nymph fisher, the ice fisher or the spin fisher.
.. We have allowed the hype of marketing and joining and of belonging to mythologize a very simple pastime, (not, however, - more or less, -  the commercial fisher.)
.. What is it that demands of us that we seek to believe in that which is built upon the sand?
.. We certainly don't know.

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WALLPAPER: A NEW PLACE FOR YOUR MONEY

Currently

SLOW MELT

Slow Breakup

neighbors to neighbors

WALLPAPER:  GREAT SPRINGS BAY

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.. It's a bit odd for this time of year. Yellowstone Lake is breaking up nicely and the outlet is full of icebergs chugging down the Yellowstone River.
.. Quake Lake has some clear and fishable water at both the inlet and outlet. The boulder field above the debauchery is still a bit treacherous for aged legs to navigate. The inlet is seeing some heavy visitation clear down to Beaver Creek which is finally flowing nicely.
.. The surprise is that only bits of the inflow estuaries at Hebgen Reservoir are clear enough to legally fish. All of the major tributaries to the reservoir are flowing nicely. There is a good, (read dangerous,) slushy layer across most of the water BUT, the shoreline is being stingy about giving up open water.
.. The fishing neighbors among us are busy renewing congenial relations with other neighbors for access to those small bits of the reservoir that need ingress through private property.
.. There are, (not so secret - but seldom exploited.) warm springs that debauch along the shoreline of the reservoir. All but one, (that we know of,) require the traversing of private property. It's usually quite a long trek through mushy and messy snow.
.. The open water at the Great Springs Embayment is concentrating both fish and waterfowl in a glorious Spring extravaganza. Catching is spectacular as this is the largest non-estuary chunk of open water on the reservoir and, the birds and fish are gorging themselves. Know thy neighbor.

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WALLPAPER:   HEBGEN RESERVOIR

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.. There are some early bison on the roads around town and along the north side of the reservoir - one dead so far, (car totaled but no human causalities - please drive carefully.)
.. Some of the neighbors are making a morning pilgrimage to the culvert on the highway at Duck Creek. There is a good run of fish in the air as they enter the culvert on their way to Yellowstone National Park. The fish ladder is on private property and the stream is closed for another month or so but the entertainment value is fairly high.
.. The flats at the east end of the reservoir and along Duck Creek are still untrammeled snow. The bison will mess it up soon but for now the kite skiers and kite boarders are having a grand time in the clear and warm days.

YEE  HAW  !!!

.. Catching in the Hebgen Tailwater is better than acceptable for those folks willing to torment the fish during their annual orgy.
.. There are even some folks that believe that they can see all the redds as they slosh through the crystal bedroom of the trout. Our eyes are not that good- neither is our egomaniacal need to disturb those fish.
.. We're about to exercise our cheap gas and head down the canyon. Snowflake Springs and the Taylor Fork are prime locations on the Gallatin River at the moment.

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WALLPAPER: GRAYLING CREEK

Curious Iterations

MELDING OF TRADITIONS

Strange Bedfellows

we enjoy them now

WALLPAPER: WEST YELLOWSTONE SPRING TOAST

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..We've been told that the curious breakfast behavior of some of our neighbors at this time of year is a West Yellowstone original invention.
.. Given the idiosyncratic nature of our neighbors we are inclined to believe it.
.. This behavior, (unbeknownst to most,) is a melding of British seafaring cultural practices with the Christian incorporation of Pagan calendric dates and some American excess in revelry that combines to provide what some of the neighbors describe as "Our Easter."
.. The unique historical background of "WEST YELLOWSTONE SPRING TOAST" is a bit of fun.
.. We've put off revealing this  tradition until now, (after Easter Sunday, and Easter Monday,) in the hopes that the collective memory of our readers will forget it during the coming year. {{ A condition imposed upon us by the revelers around the village.}}

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.. So then: The earliest mention of "French Toast" is from the 5th or 6th century and is bread soaked in milk and, by the middle ages it was in use with eggs to "reclaim" bread. So far so good.
.. Contemporary French toast is similar to early recipes with milk, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla and various other regional or cultural additions.
.. At Easter time eggs are prominent in the annual celebration of the day by both Christian and non Christian celebrants. So lets use some eggs with the milk.

CHRISTIAN EGG

.. Decorated eggs are as old as the carved ostrich eggs of antiquity and at least 60,000 years old.
.. The Christian, (and Jewish,) use of the egg stems from the earliest times of those particular belief systems and, was influenced by cultures in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Crete. The association of a Springtime rebirth and 'Eastertide' with eggs is a simple connection to envision.
.. Less well know is the early Christian connection between the empty egg shell and a risen god figure.
.. Colored eggs in Christianity stem from the association of red color on the eggs for Eastertide and sacrificial blood.  My my how it goes.
.. The Christian adoption of the mid winter celebrations, (thanks to Pope Gregory 1st,) such as the Christmas transformation is pretty well known,  It mirrors the Roman feast of Saturnalia, and the Roman 'birth day of the unconquered sun.'
.. Other Pagan influences such as the yule, trees, beards, elves, and several other Germanic and Scandinavian rituals come into play as well.
.. It was easy for the early missionaries to expropriate local celebrations and incorporate them with their own dogma, (the strategy of Interpretatio Christiana.)

Y'ALL COME

..What is not so well known is the association of eggnog with the midwinter celebrations.
.. Simple facts point the way: cows and chickens lived indoors with families in the northern European Pagan cultures.
.. Pigs and chickens and the occasional cow lived with folks in Ireland and Scotland.
.. Many of these early cultures were incipient agriculturalists. Surplus grain storage was in a primitive state and alcohol was plentiful - both as a byproduct of in situ fermentation and as purpose made libations.

A FAMILY AFFAIR

.. The middle of Winter provided a time of less physical labor in the field and also provided several celebrations to pass the time, (yule, etc.)
.. Cows + Chickens + Alcohol = Warm Winter Pick-Me-Up and, loosening-up for festivities.
.. Of course as Christianity spread to the northern reaches of the continent expropriation of the indigenous customs made acceptance of Christianity easier.
.. But the name of eggnog is used by most contemporary Americans for the "Traditional Beverage." Why should that be?
.. The United States can trace it's invasive settlement to Europeans, (British and French primarily in the North and Spanish and French in the South.) The invasion of the North brought agriculture and mid winter sloth to the continent. It's traditions and vocabulary were adapted to the new place and time.

INGREDIENTS

.. The old vocabulary included eggnog. The entomology is fairly well known. 'NOG' derives from such backgrounds as the cup that grog was served in and the Gaelic 'noggin' - your head of course.
.. The British seafaring words 'grog' and 'nog' and 'noggin' are easily associated with the condition of revelers on the morning after, (groggy!)

BEST CRYSTAL

.. Eggnog in one form or another is at least as old as the British "Butterbeer," or "Lambswool," or "Egg'n'grog." It's not hard to get from "Egg'n'grog" to eggnog. But why is it served cold instead of warm like so many other midwinter libations?
.. Do you want scrambled eggs in your rum

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.. Now: about the neighbors! Being midwinter revelers of the first water, they explore beverages in the same manner that a friendly Labrador Retrivit explores new crotches.
.. Eggnog is high on the list of preferred evening beverages during the midwinter sloth. French toast is very easy, tasty, decadent and preferred to many other breakfast choices on the morning after.
.. Darest we say it: there is may be left over eggnog on the morning after. It makes the French toast that much easier for the muddled mind and aching body. Hence the birth of West Yellowstone Spring Toast for our Eastertide. Just soak and fry some bread - simple!
.. Of course none of the neighbors have quit drinking the popular libation after New Year's Eve. Certainly not!
.. [[ The question of why the Easter Bunny brings eggs and children's presents is addressed by a Germanic judgement tale initially adopted by the Lutheran Sect of Christianity and carries overtones of the Jolly Old Elf in red at Christmas time. It does not seem to influence many, (if any,) of the French Toast recipes or traditions - certainly not in this village.]]
..  There is, however, the lingering question of how do bunnies lay the eggs? Perfect fodder for a morning after discussion.

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WALLPAPER:   LOCAL BARN/HOUSE - empty

Toyota In Yellowstone

THE BATTERY PARK

Where To Next ?

we could use some

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