Blog Season

WHEW! Lots to catch up on now that the rat race is over. Highlights a many from a tough year with mother nature (still) . I know it's cliche but the more I am around this the more I enjoy the experience and the people over the fishing anyways.

It's always watching, I'm always watching it.....you are usually looking at your hands.
Sweatshirts with the Dark Bobber logo coming soon, probably to a fly shop near Minturn.

America Cup continues to be one of my favorite events of the year. The after hour activities involved 3 women instead of machetes,  Sando and Zim. Things were clearer to me after that night or at least my head felt great the next day.  Mikey D from that green island giving me a world class lesson on how to row a boat on a loch over shadowed winning a net as FN Volunteer Man. Re gifted that gorgeous net to the most interesting man in fishing ...Bond.

There was the MA Teequeelay, Mohawks  Redfish, 4am starts, Rudy and the One this year. A very special thanks to Wonder bread, Skittles, JuJu anything, Chi Wulff, Monahan, Mr J and my best friend...Kitty. Rader slayed a good one down low, that's one I will remember, and Fieldsy (Faldo) definitely shot under par. LaChance met a good one while the cameras were running and sweet justice came to breakfast for Eddie as he claimed my Public water fish of the Year....14 strokes into my day. There were gentleman hats, A trip with Kit to the Juan, Sam's first Eagle float, largemouth in GA and our first 8 min Heli trip.

 "Don't worry ladies, I'll handle the netting today"

 Bravely I faced the Lord of the Dark Aura and avoided drunken rattlesnakes while kindly teaching the "art" to new friends with a smile, no matter how impossible the situation. For one magical 10 day period this summer the average age of my new friends was either dying or just getting pubes, success involved blow pops and a nap, not 18" fish. Sell, sell, sell and book it back fired a few times this year, just ask the 11 year old girl who thought she was going to crush clay pigeons all afternoon (keep growin Katie) or the "scenic" horse back trip through down town Wolcott. I transported one dog and 2 ankle biters under 4 in the boat this year...sell, sell, sell, starts to sound like hell, hell, hell, don't get me started on lunches. How about the 3 China men chain smoking in front of the shop during a fire ban, half our state was on fire and these lads considered cancelling the trip if they couldn't choke down butts. No one understood a word I said that day, not even "fire" and apparently "No smoking" does not translate to Mandarin but "$50 dollar fine" does . My Olympus waterproof, shock proof camera was not sink proof, if it was I swear I have a picture of Jackie Chan puffing a Winston.

Happily I finish every busy season to the reality check that is Reel Recovery. Big thanks to Paul and the Reeder Creek Ranch for the chance to help Gary forget for a bit and for me to remember. That is a gentleman, a fish and a series of events that highlighted my summer. My friend Mark Shaw, a graduate of sorts has finally begun to fill the hole in his brain with fishing junk instead of cancer...Be Well, Fish On.

So there, I'm back for another season of writing about nonsense instead of living it.