What Keeps Me Blogging...

Some questions from the Outdoor Blogger Network in their writing prompt...The prompt this week is, "Why do you blog"??  Simple!!  Because I don't want to write in a journal...typing 80 wpm is much easier!!! HAHA.  "What got you started with that first blog entry?"  Rather, Who...not What!  Rebecca Garlock, "The Outdooress"...yep, we can blame her...or give her credit...whichever you choose.  "Are the reasons you started blogging the same now as when you started?"  No Way! Now How!  I started the blog thinking that I could post up once a week and it wouldn't take too much time.  Haha...I kind of got a "blogger's addiction" and I'm now posting three or more times a week!  Not that it is a bad thing...I am immensely enjoying every minute of it.  "Has blogging changed anything for you?"  Definitely!!  My little fly fishing world has now evolved into a "sharing time" rather than me and my kind of secret passion no one knew about.  And it's actually more fun that way!  What keeps me blogging?  YOU!!  Bottom line.
  

Always looking for adventure...

 So, there are the hard questions with a few simple answers.  What I would like to elaborate on is that Rebecca joined up with me last fall of 2010 to fish for some Big Brown Trout and we started talking about the OBN that she had just started up with Wolfy.  I thought that it sounded like a fun idea, but not for me.  No...I could never find enough stuff to write about!  I told her this and she seemed to think that I was underestimating myself.  I do spend a lot of my free time outdoors and she thought that I should give it a whirl....whoa...that whirl turned into a roller coaster!!  Ha.  My question is...do you ever get off the ride?  LOL.  This blogging has picked up a pace that is beyond my wildest dreams...I was originally going to do one post a week.  That was it!  After a few weeks, I had made a few new contacts and people seemed interested in what I was writing about...imagine that!  I actually held an outdoor audience with my trivial experiences.  I mean, I was now entering a field where other fishing bloggers knew a lot more about fishing than me!  What could I bring to the table???  Well, I just put out my experiences with my crazy unplanned debacles and you listened!  And...responded!!!  For that, I am grateful...because it has been a total joy and so much fun to put these experiences on paper...errr...the big white screen in front of me!  :) 

Through outdoor blogging, I have met such wonderful, funny people that give back so much...more than what I probably give out there.  So, for that...THANK YOU!!!  This has to be one of the craziest hobbies if that is what you call it.  You know, it is something more though...it is a forum for expression.  And that is why I do it.  You understand about this passion for fly fishing, where others around me don't as much... I can connect with those other outdoor enthusiasts that share the passion of the outdoors and understand why I spend so much time with nature and varmints like big brown trout, bears, mice, bison, snakes, etc. etc...And on the flip side...I have enjoyed other talented bloggers share their newly made flies to reading about different areas of the world to go visit and fish someday!  So, I thank the OBN for getting me involved and hopefully I can continue to give a smile here and there from my ramblings of everyday craziness to my passion of fly fishing!

Footnote:  I am going to have a little contest when I reach 100 followers...which looks like it will be pretty soon!!  Also, I passed the 10,000 visits or hits to this blog since it's humble beginning on Nov. 24, 2010...So, in appreciation of your visits and following along with me, we will have something to give away very soon!!!  Stay tuned...

Last "Ski Tuesday" For The Season

It was a hard decision, as I got up this morning...8 new inches of powder at Snowbasin Ski Resort and a perfect "Blue Bird" day for skiing or a beautiful day for a little fly fishing!  Well, skiing won out, as probably the last of the good powder storms couldn't be denied!  In 1995, Salt Lake City was awarded the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and Snowbasin was chosen as the venue for the men's and women's downhill, super G and combined races.  It's a great resort.  So, I called up my friend, Melanie and we headed north to work out our quads and thighs in the deep powder.  Whew!  I had a good workout, that's for sure.  And it couldn't have been a more beautiful day...37 degrees and sunny...Seemed like 50 degrees as we were going at a pretty good pace today!  Covered a lot of terrain...The ridge where I am standing is about 9300 ft. and overlooks a huge Ogden Valley down below on the other side.  You can see Antelope Island smack in the middle of the Great Salt Lake.   A fun day...sure feeling my quads right now!

 

Area Boundary...Yeah, no kidding!!!



Yeah, I made kind a mess of the mountain!!  (There is a figure 8 in there somewhere) Heehee



Melanie and Mrs. Claus!! (From last year...didn't get a pic today)



My favorite side of the resort with the Weber River in the distance...BIG Browns!



And back to the REGULARLY SCHEDULED "Fish Tuesday" until December 2011...next week!



How Far Will This Road Be Traveled?

I am a traveler...I love to find new places to fish.  So, naturally, the gas prices are going to start putting a crimp in my plans for this summer.  How high is high?  I don't know if I can answer that anymore...It might be time to curtail some of my adventures this year though...I know that I will have to be more choosy on which out of state trips I take for sure.  More local waters and maybe not as often.  No, I couldn't go less often.  Hmmm...time to get out the household budget book and see what else can be trimmed a little...yep, that's it.  : )  And the time is NOW to save up for the Colorado OBN get-together in August!



Yeah, not quite accurate...





Yeah, more like it!



I'm sure we all have had fathers and grandfathers with this story...



Is It About Something Else? Sunday Tippets, Damsel Style

"You can fish all your life never knowing - it's not fish you're after..." The River Why"

Is it all about fishing, or is it about something else?   



Upper Mesa Falls, Idaho

 I must thank Cofisher, over at Windknots and Tangled Lines, for giving me reason to ponder tonight.  He reviewed a book called "The River Why"...Check it out.  Often times, I find myself fly fishing and really not looking for fish.  I know that sounds funny, but it's true.  Part of the reason is that I take a "Fish Tuesday" as a break in my week to find some quiet time...some solitude.  I will admit that there are definitely those days that I go to the river, totally focused on catching fish and nothing else.  My adrenaline pumps full blast when that rod is doubled over and the drag is ripping!  I won't lie. 

But, there are those times of reflection of what's going on in my life...decisions that need to be made, budgets that need some tweaking, and just things that I need to work on inside myself.  Contemplating and re-evaluating life's goals.  Funny, that I would have one of those days not too long ago that was just like that.  I had been walking the river for about an hour and there just wasn't too much activity...no sign of bugs or fish!  It was rather brisk outside (20 degrees) and I could have been just happy to go on home.  But, something just kept pulling me to stay and sit it out for awhile.  I had been having a pretty stressful work week and it felt good just to sit on a large rock and listen to the water...there's just nothing like that sound, is there?   Yes, as much as I love to fish, there are many more  important things in this life for me...And fishing helps me put it all into perspective.  Just being out with nature helps me focus on those that matter most...When I get home after my day out to the river or lake, I usually have a better perspective on things at home...So, I guess that you could say it's not the fish that I'm after...It's the answers to life that sometimes I receive as I am sitting on a large rock next to a river...

My wonderful children...

My Parent's 50th Anniversay



I don't know who this is!!!...HA!
David and I...Where do the years go???



Diagnosis: F.P.D.

Well, it only took me two years of many office visits, labs, MRI's, and Ultrasounds (and thousands of dollars to boot) to find out what ails me...And guess what?  It wasn't a doctor who gave me the diagnosis...no, it was a fellow blogger, Mark @ flyfishsc !!   Doctors have not been able to come up with an answer...does that sound familiar?  So, what is this diagnosis?  F.P.D..."Fly Poler Disorder".  All I had to do was to say the word, "FLYPOLE" in my last post!  I have to give partial credit to Quill Gordon for noticing that I've been saying this word quite often.  I'm thinking that this goes back aways in my ancestry...now that I think about it.  You see, when my aunt and uncle went to Germany and Russia about 15 years ago, my aunt was way into genealogy...She wanted to dig around a bit for missing pieces of information.  My aunt through marriage, she is Polish.  My uncle, (my dad's brother) had always loved to rip out the Polish jokes throughout their marriage.  So, one day, she finds some old journals in a part of Russia that used to be Prussia.  And Prussia was part of Poland at one time. Oh, she was so excited...a great find!!  At last, she could tell my uncle more about his ancestors.  Quote unquote..."Glenn, you are such a dumb Polack, you don't even know you are one!"  Haha...we all had such a good time with that story.  He could no longer make cracks at her. 

 So, you see, I am 1/4 Polish and maybe that is why I tend to call my "Fly Rod" a  "Fly Pole" ...simple. Now, for the "Fly Poler Disorder" that Mark speaks of...that could very well be something that a lot of us have...If you want to use it as an excuse, go right ahead.  So, next time you are told that you fly fish too often...just tell them that you have F.P.D...  And you hear that it is contagious, but cureable by only one type of treatment...MORE Fly Fishing!!!  And FYI...if you fish once a week, it keeps the disorder dormant... I've done my homework on that one. Heehee.  I might have a little more of this F.P.D. than the Average Joe because of my heritage, but I think that I can learn to deal with it.  Ya know, I'm also thinking that maybe because I have some Polish blood, this might also be why I have leaned towards Polish/Czech nymphing too...Things that make you go "hmmmm...."!!

 

 Oh, by the way...I'm not going to let my F.P.D. affect me in any way...See...I just got a new "Whatever"!!  And it's going to be the perfect remedy...I know it is...no more doctors, no more tests...and you know...it just might turn into my "Fly Rod" someday after I get my first 200 hrs in...Me and my gorgeous "blue ribbon" beauty will do our best!! : )

Footnote:  Close-outs are my weakness...
Mental Note:: I spin cast with my fishing pole. I fly fish with my fly rod. LOL, who really cares anyway tho? ... as long as their is a fish at the end of it!!!

I Don't Want No Stinkin' Fish! (Not 'til now)

Ok, that is not proper English, but it totally defines this picture.  You see, my first outing to the lake to fish was a question in my mind.  I had never fished before and actually thought, "What the heck am I doing here?"  By the picture you can see how I don't even want to touch this fish!  I'm sticking it out as far away from me as I can and barely hanging on to it's tail!  Ha.  How times change...Now, I fish for hours to have a slight moment with my friend, the trout.  Who would have thought.  The OBN photo prompt wanted us to "post the photo that most likely will never find itself in a photo frame in your house."  It would have to be this one, because it is so embarrassing that I ever acted this way!  The River Damsel was afraid of a little fish...There's the sad story.  But, once put on the river, everything changed for me.  I was introduced to a fly pole, bugs and fish rising to the top to get a nibble.   I now found the world that I loved and was in my comfort zone.  It just took a city slicker to slow down and breath a little and enjoy the beauty around me.  And boy, did I ever find out that I was wrong...Fishing is Fun!!!  ;) A girl is entitled to change her mind...right?

Y'All...Try Some!!

"In The South, it’s sweet, deep-fried...and there’s no lack of fat or sugar in the foods we cook, sell and eat" A quote from a GA. newspaper article

If you have tried any of these foods of the South,  please give me your honest critique...I'm fascinated on how each part of the U.S. has a different palate and flair for cuisine or just snack time! 

Signed,

Curious



FRIED GREEN BEANS



 Fried Fruit Pies

Tasty Grits! ???

Deep Fried Peanuts

Fried Chicken & Waffles?

Fried Green Tomatoes

Fried Dill Pickles

A Southern Staple

Another Staple... : )

Calling "Foul", Sunday Tippets, Damsel Style

Let's start the week by stirring things up, shall we?  Heehee... Simple question:  Is it fair game or dirty pool to take a grip n' grin photograph with a fish you landed, but was foul-hooked?  I was recently on a trip to one of my favorite fisheries to catch those one of a kind, big, brown trout!  The large brownie that I fair hooked, got away right before reaching my net.  The smaller brownie was foul hooked, but I didn't know it until it was reeled in and I promptly released it.  I presented the fly well enough to fool the trout, but I must have been a little slow on the set, foul hooking him just outside the mouth.  Not quite fair, but that is how some days go... It happens.  Oh, how I wanted a picture, but wouldn't that just be adding insult to injury? 

What Is A Fair Hooked Fish?
A Fair hooked fish is hooked in the mouth of the fish only. In the mouth means in the upper or lower gums of the fish. It also means inside the mouth. That is it. Anywhere else in the body of the fish is a foul hooked fish.

What Is A Foul Hooked Fish?
A foul hooked fish is anywhere in the body of the fish that is not the mouth or gums. For example, if you hook a fish in the gill plate it is a foul hooked fish... so is the tail dorsal, side, top of the head , fins or anywhere else that is not in the mouth of the fish.

This is a picture that I found.  Was this brown trout foul-hooked or just testing the nymph between its jaws? The nymph was embedded in the mandible on the opposite side to the direction of pull, with the point of the hook pointing toward the center of the mouth. The question is academic as the fish was released.

"Tippet" of the day... If the foul hooked fish is not controllable, simply break the line off and start fishing again. It makes no sense to play out a foul hooked fish, when you could be fighting a fair hooked fish.  If the fish is controllable, play the fish quickly, avoid handling the fish, revive and release the fish as soon as possible.  Let everyone know you had a great fight, a beautiful fish, but the punch line is...it was foul hooked so I kissed it and set it free.  Foul hooks happen...So isn't honesty the best policy??

The Next Best Thing To Fishing...

What is that, you ask? Making COOKIES!!!!  Ok, who's kidding who?  It's eating them, of course!  For those not getting out this weekend, here is something scrumpiously delicious to bake in the oven while you are watching the NCAA March Madness B-Ball Tourney! : )



             RD'S FAMOUS
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:

Large Recipe...(You can half it using 2 large eggs)  And you can freeze dough and use later too...

2 C. Butter Flavor Crisco                                 

2 C. Sugar

1 1/2 C. Brown Sugar

5 eggs

2 C. Oatmeal

4 C. Flour

2 tsp. Baking soda

1 tsp. Salt

2 TB. Vanilla

1 C. Pecans or Macadamias chopped (opt.)

1  Bag Milk Chocolate Chips

1 Bag White Chocolate Chips


INSTRUCTIONS:

Cream Crisco and sugars, add eggs & vanilla.  Combing flour, oats, soda, and salt, and add to sugar mixture.  Add choc. chips and pecans or chopped macadamia nuts.  Bake at 375 for 8-10 mins.  Take out just as cookies start to turn golden brown and allow to sit on pan for a few min. to finish baking.  (You can resist, just a few more minutes!)  This keeps them soft!

Enjoy!!  : )   

Taking Idaho By Storm (and then some)!!



"NEMO"

What a journey I just got back from!...Sometimes I wonder why I don't add an extra day at the end of my trips just to wind down and recoup...yeah, it doesn't work that way.  My trips always are action packed from start to finish and I try to cram everything that I can into that time frame.  I guess that I will have to count the "travel" time as my down time...ha.  I sure did see some beautiful country in the northwest part of Idaho.  From my favorite brown trout fishery to the Clearwater River to the Little Salmon River to the Boise River...Rebecca and I took Idaho by storm...We even found "Nemo"!!!

Here is the home of Steelies and Salmon..The LSR.  

Rebecca with an "incoming" big, brown trout!

We found some really happy brown trout like this one...





And once again...we had some real good cookin'...sausage & potatoes!!

We found friends along the way...what is the big attraction anyway?  STEELHEAD!

                          Oh, and the "Unaccomplished Angler" was there too...

Yes, it was an awesome weekend and the storm that was supposed to happen, held off for us.  So, we  stormed ahead instead, searching for fish far and wide...

A nice rainbow for RD

All in all, it was a great time outdoors...and a lot of fun!  Thanks, Rebecca.

And a special thanks to our "Chauffeur and Cook"!!



Blowin' In The Wind!

Today's writing prompt from the Outdoor Blogger Network is asking us to write about an experience with "damaged goods" regarding our outdoor gear.  Now, I could write about many things, unfortunately.  Falling on ice and breaking my rod, dropping my reel and bending the handle, breaking my zipper of my wading pants and not being able to get them off...(stop laughing, it really wasn't very funny!) ...the list goes on and on!  But, the experience with "damaged goods" that effected me the most happened on my pontoon. It was a summer day that was one of my better catching days on the Strawberry Reservoir near Heber City, Ut.  We started early at 6 a.m. like usual.  There was a slight breeze, but ever so slight.  A partly cloudy day that seemed like a good fishing day.  After I put my pontoon together with my equipment on board and put my motor on the back, I added the oars to the sides.  Then, came my fish finder.  And I was off! (It's a bit of work!)  I had gone with a friend, since I don't believe in ever going to a lake alone.  Too many factors out there that can play into an accident on the water.  I had been out for about three hours and noticed that my friend wasn't so close by anymore.  That didn't give me a great feeling, but I didn't panic either.  As I trolled around the bay where I was at, I came across some very high weeds which got into my motor.  I have a Minolta 38 lb. thrust and it was only maybe the third or fourth time that I had taken it out.   The blades were absolutely stuck and I couldn't raise it out of the water to work on it.  I finally turned it off as I thought it would be better to row out of the weeds and then start it again and flush it out. 

As I struggled to break free of all the extra greenery...the wind started to pick up.  Oh, that was not a good thing at all!  You see, Strawberry is a very large lake. It has 17,000 surface acres...And if the wind picks up and you aren't close to shore, well it will pick up your watercraft and blow it farther away into the middle of the lake...My attempts of trying to free the weeds were in vain.  It had been tangled up too badly.  It was dead.  So, I decided to take the oars and try to head to the closest piece of ground and walk back to camp which was quite aways now.  But, the wind was too strong and whipped across like a vengeance!  Any progress that I had made, the wind pushed me back again.  My only hope was that my friend (wherever they were) would get some help for me.  I was out on the water trying to get back to land for two more hours.  Finally, by some miracle and that is excactly what it was...a small speed boat saw my orange flag that I did have with me.  I flagged him down, he threw me a rope, and brought me back to shore.  That was the quickest trip I ever had in my 'toon!!  I know that I could have rowed back in any smaller lake here in Utah.  But, the Strawberry is one that you just don't fool with in any type of bad weather and especially the wind.  All ended well, with my motor cleared of any obnoxious weeds.  I now go to smaller lakes where I have a chance of getting back more quickly if bad weather happens to arrive unexpectedly...And I fish the Strawberry onshore or in smaller bays that I can't get blown out of!!   It still gives me a smile on most days as it has tremendous cutthroats, rainbows and kokanee salmon...And most of the time, the fish are between 16 and 28 inches...So, yes, I do go back! : )  Just under a new set of rules.

I'm....Back!!!

Ahhh...Home Sweet Home!  Did you miss me??!  Well, I found out that there are some really beautiful places almost as awesome as my living room view of the Wasatch Mountains...Yes, back from Idaho and a great adventure, it was.  I can't go into details about it though...you will have to wait until RG puts up her post on it (update!! It's up) on the Outdooress page...so, be sure to check that out the next little while (NOW!).  What I can tell you is that I stopped somewhere on my way home and it was an incredible sight...The Shoshone Falls out of Twin Falls, ID.

The falls are known as the Niagara Falls of the west and is one the most impressive views along the famous Snake River.  With the waterfalls being nearly 1500 feet wide with water dropping a staggering 212 feet it is even a longer drop than the Niagara Falls which drops 176 feet.  The Snake River Canyon is also the canyon that Evil Knievel tried to jump in 1974 with his Sky-Cycle.  Since he couldn’t get permission to jump part of the Grand Canyon he bought land next to the Snake River and set the jump up at that location.    The jump was totally unsuccessful but not fatal.  His shoot opened right after take off, the wind caught it and slammed his bike to the ground next to the river, 600 feet below.  Although it could have been tragic, Evil Knievel walked away with jut minor injuries.  Just looking at the terrain...you can see that this would be a pretty crazy, ugh...insane stunt to try to pull off!!!

Well, back to work this week...got to get caught up and all of that good stuff...catch you on the flip side!  And hopefully, I can post some more pictures of the trip very shortly...stay tuned.