PATAGONIA - Parenting: Disaster Style

Even though our children are closer to being adults than kids, I can see parallels in how we brought up Hadley and Finn, though we weren't familiar with the term "Disaster Style".  I do know that when we talk about things that we did together as family, the best memories seared into all of us are when it was tough and we had to work for the fun.  

Check out this series from Patagonia and maybe apply some of the ideas to your own parenting...







Not only does Patagonia make some of the best adventure gear and apparel, they support creative projects like this, which I really dig.

JOEL DEJONG ART - Flies on The Compleat Angler Series

It's been awhile since I've shared the artwork of Joel DeJong but his recent series of watercolors painted on the pages of a beat up copy of The Compleat Angler are certainly worth a post.  Enjoy...

Joel wrote...  "I found the this copy of The Compleat Angler in a used bookshop in Boston on one of my many travels up there.  It was cheap, not a very desirable copy, but the paper was good.  As I paged through it, I was reminded of a time nearly sixteen or seventeen years ago when I set a challenge for myself of painting a fly a day for an entire year.

In that year, I learned a lot about fly fishing, fly tying, and the use of watercolor as an artist.  Since then I've improved both as a fly fisherman and as an artist but that year was pivotal point of my growth.

Although my interests and subjects vary, I am still am drawn to painting things associated with trout and sporting activities. These flies were a nostalgic throwback and fun to sketch out on such a historic piece of angling literature."

Check out more of Joel's work on Etsy, see step by step videos on YouTube, and follow along on Instagram to see the latest project that he's working on.

Fly Fishing for Carp with Lefty Kreh & Flip Pallot

Here's a fun one with Lefty and Flip to ease you into your weekend.  Press PLAY...

You can find some other classics like this on the AMFF Vimeo channel.

Scenes from the Island

I've been home from my annual junket to Beaver Island for two months now and finally had some time to sort through the images on my camera.  What started as a one-day "Smallmouth Experience" to the island has sparked off fifteen years returning each summer to spend a week with Captain Kevin Morlock of Indigo Guide Service and Captain Steve Martinez of STM Outfitters.  It's been a stellar run and this island continues to be one of my favorite places to spend time.  It's one of the few places that I can fully unwind and I've had a good time sharing this place with so many friends over the years.

This trip was marked by a spring that never really wanted to warm up and even though we found smallmouth quite easily, the carp just weren't in the mood to poke around on the flats just yet.  Lake Michigan was still in the low 40's in open water and the shallow coves and flats weren't too much warmer.  The weather that we had for most of the trip didn't allow us to do much exploring but on the last day, Kevin and I went on a big boat ride to the outer islands where we saw three carp uninterested in flies, found two shipwrecks, watched birds, and more or less did what I call "Morlock Things".

What we did have through the week was good times with friends, reconnected with those we know on the island, Friday morning cold plunge with the Beaver Island Swim Club, afternoons at the brewery, a few dinners out and a cooked and grilled at the house the other nights, went on walks, day drank, napped, read books, slept on the couch with the porch door and windows wide open, and took in the many different views of the St. James harbor.  It's never a bad way to spend a few days on the island.

Thanks for slow scrolling the images.  I'll admit it's weird to not have some golden scales in there.  It just wasn't the trip for that.  Not that it mattered much.  Maybe we'll try again next summer...

Two Tales from the Same Trip

This is fun.  Matt from FishBeerBBQ and Ben from Huge Fly Fisherman go on a trip somewhere out west with friends and their videos couldn't be more different in such great ways.  Push PLAY twice...





Want more?  Subscribe to the FishBeerBBQ and Huge Fly Fisherman channels on YouTube.

The Golden Ticket Sweepstakes

Bolivia?  Golden Dorado?  You?  It could happen.  Somebody has to win and it's easy to play along.

Enter The Golden Ticket Sweepstakes that has been put together by Rep Your Water and a long list of industry friends.  Someone is going to win over $12,000 worth of gear and the trip of a lifetime.

ENTER HERE.

FINE TACKLE - Three Builds for Lars-Åke Olsson

It's been awhile since I've shared the work of Christian Hörgren of Fine Tackle and recently he posted several custom fiberglass fly rod builds that were destined for the river shop of Lars-Åke Olsson.  Slow scroll through these build photos and take a moment to read the narrative that Christian shared.

 

 Christian wrote...  "Lars-Åke Olsson is a legend in Swedish fly fishing. He is an author, guide, river keeper, and runs Idsjöströmmen in Gimdalen, Sweden. He was captivated by fly fishing early on and even visited the legendary Frank Sawyer in England in his youth. For 30 years, he split his time between Sweden and Montana, but has now moved back home to Gimdalen. Lars-Åke has always been obsessed with American bamboo rods, but in recent years he has developed an interest in fiberglass. I’ve fished for grayling with Lars-Åke at Idsjöströmmen for many years, and our shared passion for fly rods has made us good friends. The last time I was there, I tried his Per Brandin rod in the stream—what an experience…

Last year, he asked me to build a couple of rods for his river shop. They quickly sold to international customers, and this year I’ve built a few more. Together, we agreed on the design, action, and length. We share a vision of how a rod should feel and perform: crisp, with a progressive action and solid backbone. Great attention to detail, handle, and reel seat. These rods are available for demo in his shop, and interested customers can contact me to place an order.

If you’re ever in the area, I highly recommend a visit to Idsjöströmmen—one of Sweden’s finest spots for large and spirited grayling. Lars-Åke will guide you with his deep experience and warm personality."

Follow on Instagram for the latest shop news and you can check out years of builds on Christian's website.  To inquire about a custom build, send an email to finetackle@gmail.com.