by Tony Bishop on August 9, 2011
Just hooked into 5 new pithy pronouncements from the pens of perceptive people – numbers 1041 – 1045.
Two picks from the catch of this day:
“The public at large have little understanding of the importance of healthy river fly populations. But it is those populations, close to the bottom of the food chain, that provide sustenance for a wide range of fish and birds, and serve as a "miner’s canaries", warning of deterioration in water quality. In addition, and no less importantly they form the bedrock of our sport.”
– Peter Lapsley in Fly-Fishing and Fly-Tying magazine (UK) April 2011
“…there are few things deader than a dead brown trout stream.”
– Ed Zern writing about mid-summer, daylight, brown trout fishing.
And haven’t we all been there!
by Tony Bishop on August 8, 2011
Flymage, an excellent European on-line magazine is celebrating its first year by featuring some of the great photographs they have published over that 12 months . Some great work.
In addition there is a good article on the threat of Didymo, and the havoc it causes where it takes hold.
Read it here.
by Tony Bishop on August 8, 2011
The mercury continues to rise as the days of summer are in full swing (well in the Northern Hemisphere anyway – Ed.). While you wait for Fall (Autumn) (or Spring in the Southern H) you can fantasize about giant brook trout while reading Scott Muelrath’s story.
Barry Clarke will explain the steps of the Melt glue Wood Ant and Rolf Nylinder will tell the tale of The Week of the Owl.
Explore images through the lens of Barry Clarke and learn to adapt to the life of Michigan fishing with Jonathan Fleezanis.
Rock out to the food of Bon Chovie of Brooklyn while observing the affect of pop culture on society layered on the canvases created by Greg Gossel.
Read it here
by Tony Bishop on July 9, 2011
Five more pinches of wisdom and truth from the world of fishing for your delectation – numbers 1036-1040.
Two picks from this batch:
“I truly believe fishing is like a washing machine for your brain”
- Henry Winkler on Salon.com
“Frustrouting: A term used to describe an outing for trout that results in utter and complete unaccomplishment.”
- Kirk Werner on midcurrent.com
by Tony Bishop on July 8, 2011
Unfortunately, dairy farms in some areas of new Zealand, have become dairy factories. Very large herds of cows, on huge farms borne out of the amalgamations of many smaller farms. Make no mistake these ‘factories’ are now the province of big corporations, many overseas owned or have a large overseas ownership content.
Again, unfortunately, these factory farms are run on big business type principles where profit over-rides all other considerations. Where factory farm owners can skirt or ignore existing legislation protecting the environment, they do – where they can oppose legislation to make them clean up their act they do – all in the name of increased profit.
Now the immediate past Chairman of Federated Farmers, the biggest and strongest farmers association in NZ has described trout as the major contributor to declining freshwater quality. There in his own words is the biggest indictment of the true self-serving nature of factory farming.
Let there be no mistake, dairy factory farming is without doubt the biggest and too often the only threat to the waterways near where they exist.
There is an upside to these words by this rather silly man – media uptake is rising rapidly and it is all pretty much negative as far as factory farming is concerned. If Lachlan McKenzie thought for one moment he could divert attention away from factory farming as a destructive force in NZ ecology it got it very wrong – now even more attention is being focused on the bad practices and soon factory farmers will be faced with the true costs of being clean and green.
Radio New Zealand : News : National : Trout blamed for waterway damage
by Tony Bishop on July 7, 2011
It is something I do not do regularly enough, and so too regularly I get to moan about decreasing distance when casting, and floating lines beginning to sink.
The Moldy Chum site has two excellent videos from the makers of Rio fly lines on cleaning and ‘re-surfacing’ your lines to regain maximum performance and maximise line life. It is a job that takes very few minutes and your line will be much better for it.
While all lines need regular cleaning, Rio recommends after 2 or 3 fishing trips, and ‘re-finishing’ after 7 or 8 trips, those of us who fish the volcanic Central Plateau of New Zealand’s North Island should think about cleaning the line after each trip. Pumice and pumice sand is a proven line killer.
Cleaning and re-surfacing a fly-line
by Tony Bishop on July 2, 2011
Catch Magazine’s 18th issue is seriously good, and yet again sets new high standards of fishing photography and other content.
The ‘T Motion’ video in this issue is truly excellent, and really captures the real highs, and some lows, of fly-fishing. Must see.
by Tony Bishop on July 1, 2011
O.K. this is where things get a tad philosophical and poet-ish. Five new quotes and saying are up now, numbers 1031-1035, and all have a philosophical bent and ‘literary style’, stuff to roll around the back rooms of the mind for a bit.
My pick:
“When I was a young girl salmon fishing with my father in the Straits of Juan de Fuca in Washington State I used to lean out over the water and try to look past my own face, past the reflection of the boat, past the sun and darkness, down to where the fish were surely swimming. I made up charm songs and word-hopes to tempt the fish, to cause them to mean biting my hook. I believed they would do it if I asked them well and patiently and with the right hope. I am writing my poems like this. I have used the fabric and the people of my life as the bait.”
– Tess Gallagher b. 1944 U.S. poet
by Tony Bishop on July 1, 2011
