don’t knock it; “I’ve caught several large largemouth”

The Report from Spotted Tail 1/2/11

in this issue:
resolutions
tree huggers
Fishing Report
Fly Tying Contest Addendum

Resolutions
Happy New Year! It’s 2011. Many resolutions were made over the past few days. Most will be discarded before February first.

I’m going to learn to use Excel this year. I’m going to learn to type, actual typing, not the hunting and pecking that’s served me for the past thirty years. I’m going keep my weight below 175, by running and exercising at least three times weekly. And I should keep working on that most elusive of goals, universal enlightenment.

I also want to get my facebook business page up and running. Frankly, I need help with the static FBML. If any readers have expertise with this I would love to hear from you. Let’s make a deal!

How about you? Any readers have extraordinary goals for the coming year, something most of us should borrow? If you’ve got a juicy goal, please share it by posting a comment to the blog, or by emailing me at john@spottedtail.com. I’ll send a free book to those responders posting a particularly noteworthy goal.

Tree Huggers
When I was an active member of Florida Outdoor Writers Association, the term “tree hugger” was freely used by the hook and bullet types as a disparaging, almost insulting, term to describe someone’s approach to the outdoors. As someone who has actually started to hug trees lately, I say, don’t knock it if you ain’t tried it.

Let’s say you’re standing next to a big, fat tree that’s 100 years old. That tree has seen more than 36,000 sunrises and sunsets. It has stood there stoically, uncomplaining, through some of the worst weather imaginable. It has shaded weary travelers with fur and feathers, and provided some with food and shelter, for decades. It has worked hard producing carbohydrates and oxygen for a century. If it wasn’t for plants producing carbohydrates and oxygen, you wouldn’t be here. Don’t you think that tree deserves a hug?

I was lying under the snook tree today, an aging live oak that is absolutely magnificent. How many leaves does it have? I wondered. How many acorns did it drop this year? How many creatures live on it? It’s its own ecosystem, the entire universe for some creatures.

My botany professor believed that a tree could stand there spiritless, simply photosynthesizing, for centuries. Native Americans thought trees had spirits. I don’t know how we could measure something like that. We can’t communicate with dolphins in a meaningful way, and most researchers think they’re pretty darned intelligent. A dolphin has a brain. A tree does not. So trees are a bit more alien to our way of thinking. Still, I’m inclined to agree with the natives.

As a species, humans don’t seem to think much of trees. We use big violent machines to cut them down, knock them down, at our whim. I wish we all had more respect for them.

Wrap your arms around a fat old tree. Put your head against its bark. Spend a few minutes trying to feel its spirit.

The tree probably will not talk to you. On the other hand, if you’re perceptive it just might.

Fishing Report
I’m sure there was some outstanding fishing this week. I didn’t find it.

Wednesday afternoon I put a sleeping bag and fly rod in the Ocean Kayak and paddled off looking for fish. The water temperature was in the 40s, but it was almost windless and the air was warming. I saw one pair of redfish, one catfish. No trout, no rays, and darned few mullet. I didn’t make a cast.

Near sunset I found a lovely spot on which to lie down. I took a sparse supper and celebrated the sunset. Took some photos. Watched it get dark. Heard it get dark. Felt it get dark.

I felt it get dark.

Jupiter showed up first, then Vega. One by one the stars winked on until the heavens were full of them, old friends I just don’t visit with often enough. There’s Aldebaran! The Pleides! Alnitak, Almirak, Mintaka! Sirius and Procyon!

One of the mysteries I’ve never solved about how my brain works is why I can remember the names of those stars but can’t remember the names of people. There it is. If anyone can offer insight I’d love to hear it.

I woke up and Orion was straight up. Castor and Pollux were now visible, and the great bear pointed at Polaris as it always does. There’s a satellite, and another. A meteor! Cool! That must be Mars up there, it doesn’t belong in that spot.

Consider that until a hundred or so years ago watching stars was what people usually did for entertainment after the sun set. Now we have TV, and movies, and computers, and in a lot of places you can hardly see any stars at night. I’m not sure we made a smart trade there.

I woke up again and the moon was barely visible through a veil of clouds. I woke up again and it was getting light. I got up and had a spare breakfast. Took some photos. Packed my stuff and went looking for fish.

The morning was exquisite, birds everywhere, not a breath of wind. I paddled for miles. Did not see a fish.

When I loaded the kayak on the roof of the chariot the no fish part didn’t bother me at all. I had experienced nightfall and daybreak. Lived it. Loved it.
I have another resolution, to go camping more often in 2011.

The Fly Contest, Addendum
Last week this contest was officially cancelled. However, going back through my emails I found another submission. I would be a cad to not share.

It’s again from Texan Gary Griffin. He says, “The attached slider(s) photo is FYI if you have an application for sliders. I’ve been pretty successful with it.

“The basics are:
-#4 Gamakatsu B10 Stinger (important to use this hook for proper overall weight/buoyancy. See comments below.)
-Rainey’s Pee Wee Pop head (http://www.rainysflies.com/foamheads.php ) reversed. I put a couple coats of Hard As Nails on the finished head for durability.
-Skin on bunny tail should be no longer than 1.5 inches. Minimizes fouling on hook. (Don’t use looped mono to hold bunny tail up to prevent fouling. It screws up the weight and action)
“I think you can figure the rest out. What’s interesting is that the thing is just positively buoyant, so that while being stripped the sloped head produces enough negative/downward lift to cause the fly to ‘dive’ to about 6-8 inches below the surface. At the end of the strip it then slowly rises back to the surface with the bunny tail moving ‘enticingly’ during the ascent. Obviously you can play with the stripping to get the action you want.

“I’ve caught several large (6 – 10 lb.) largemouth on the Chartruese & White here in Texas, and when we were in Vero this past summer, several decent trout in the River down near Wabasso while wade fishing.”

I’d like to again thank Gary for sharing this with us. I sent him a book last week.

If anyone out there would like to share a hot fly (I can only put the redfish worm and bunny booger in so many times) please send a photo and tying instructions. I will still send you a book

Please- Embrace simplicity.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- go camping!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2010. All rights are reserved.