lowbrowangler.com

April

lowbrow1 — Thu, 10 May 2012 02:46:18 +0000

My typical approach to introducing a blog post is to apologize for the long delay and follow with lame excuses and empty promises. This is not required of April. Almost every kind of good fishing thing can happen in April, and serious anglers should be out fishing . Spare moments off the water should be devoted to work (or “work”), sleep, bathing the children, and the myriad other little niggling details that get in the way of proper spring fishing. Of course, this year April came in February and March. That caught me by surprise and by the time I cottoned on, much was lost. But I did my best to give the month its proper due.

April stripers were not quite a bust, but were sub-standard. A few were had, though.

late

Walleye were oddly consistent, of all things, and I was able to catch a couple on every trip. No real sport should have much praise for walleye as a recreational quarry. Fortunately, I eat them every one, so I’m happy.

eye

baked

We observed the spring trout camping ritual with full trappings. We got drunk in the woods and caught a few small trout. That’s all it is really, but it must be done.

under

fire

small

culvert

Mike took me to a secret striper spot and caught a big fish. I caught a big turtle.

hero

snapper

April is out of the way, and hopefully we can all relax.

For Real

lowbrow1 — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 03:54:29 +0000

When there’s nothing to bitch about, I hardly know what to say. As a diehard pessimist I’m nonplussed, frankly, by the good times the gods have showered down on me these last few weeks. (Nonplussed, but, ahem, ever so grateful and thankful and reverent and just downright groveling and lacking in hubris.)

I had been contemplating writing a serious essay to Advance The Sport Of Fly Fishing–perhaps bashing buffs, ridiculing steelhead anglers, a gear shootout with side-by-side comparisons of the best types of empty containers to piss in during long winter kayak trips upon the lake, etc. But alas, spring sprang upon me unawares, boisterously pinning me to the moist, verdant earth, and with heavy passionate breaths…uh, let us abandon silly metaphors for now and get on with the fishing.

Mike and I went out to the river and caught some nice fish. In a fit of nervous excitement, I went over there again “after” work on a weekday and caught some more nice fish. No boats full of bubbas and coolers were seen. No raging floods of muddy water were endured. It was good.

mike

bent

first

second

I thought to do some early season scouting of the morel grounds, in preparation for the first flushes in a couple weeks. So I took the kids to the woods and was astounded to find abundant fungi. We bagged up 21 nice “yellows” that were matured almost past their prime.

yellow

Spring is here for real.

Leap Day

lowbrow1 — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 01:30:24 +0000

It’s leap day so I get to put this up before the end of month deadline. Of course, that’s a self-imposed deadline and so is what I call a “happy deadline”. Generally speaking, I hate deadlines. Apparently, many of you like them. At least that is the impression I get by looking at online examples of cover letters. “I work well under a deadline” the authors invariably lie. My cover letter is direct and disarmingly honest: “I am six feet tall and know a lot of words. I won’t drink or surf porn on the job. Please consider me for the position of Director of Operations. Find attached a picture of me with a 10 lb striper.”

Speaking of stripers I caught some in February. That’s right. Through a new spiritual regime of formalized prayers, curses, and human sacrifice, I achieved this awesome feat. So instead of the usual February drivel where I post about going forth hopelessly to enjoy the solitude of nature, blah, blah, blah…what you get is this: after a fishing hiatus of six weeks, I went down to the river and caught some nice stripers and a fat channel catfish. Bam.

tilted

early

second

catfish