The genteel trout anglers take aim at one another in this PDF of a New York Times book review from 1914: An Expert’s Reply to a Criticism of the Dry-Fly Method With Some Pertinent Comments
A lot of so called necessary accouterments can be shed when getting down to the core simplicities of fishing. Not the shades. All the shit we’re going to get under the tree next week to help us in our pursuits, exchange it back and get the proper eye coverage. Through your eyes is how you want it all to go down, burned into your occipital lobe for recall when you’re doing something mundane at a later date. I find donning the polarized helps me in all facets of life–driving in the rain, walking, glancing askew. I prop them up on the hat or head indoors and forget they’re there, leading to exchanges like the following: You got your sunglasses on your head, man… Yeah…
Beer is good for the recreational activities depending on the hand eye. When engaged in darts or pool at the local establishment, calibrating the right amount of beverage can lead the recreationalist into a zone where the table’s geometry unlocks its code or the dart flies freely from the hand into the triple 20. It works in fly fishing as well, to a point. In cleaning out the detritus from the last season, I came across the broken rod from above. I used it to land the pictured bass over the summer. With the help of tall boys, I had the patience to endure the nonchalance of this fish as it repeatedly ignored my offerings. And, when it finally made a move, I had…
The picture above is grainy but it illustrates the reason why grown men leave home at 3:30 in the morning to be on the water at first light when it’s a cutting 36 degrees, with no respite on an open boat. Had the photographer (me) not sucked, he would have captured more elegantly the 80 pound bluefin busting the surface right in front of the boat. Instead he got a small bit of fin. I am not the hardcore one here. That distinction belongs to Capt. Chris Hessert and his buddy Squid Vicious, who took me along on one of their Quixotic quests to hook a bluefin on spinning gear. I experienced it a week ago with Capt. Dave Azar and had to try…
Tagged: bluefin tuna, Manhattan Fly, winter fishing
