Saturday, December 5, 2015

JUDGMENT DAY

3/17/2008

Judgment Day by the Chief


Saint Peter stood, at Heaven's gate,

Where all souls come to learn their fate.

Saying to some souls, "Enter in!""Go to Hell," to others, "you are steeped in sin.

"When up from earth, with a great riffraff

Came all the members of the RBF Pro Staff.

The angel Gabriel, peering out,Said, "What, the devil, is that ungodly noise about?"

"Gabe," said Pete, "There's always lots of ungodly noise,

At any get-together of the Pro Staff boys --

Those are anglers and they all tell lies.

About the trout that got away, their fierceness and their size --

They want to have a summit here, for our brooks are full of ungodly trout,

But I won't have any liars, and I'll keep those characters out;

No liars enter Heaven, and I'll most distinctly tell

The whole danged Pro Staff, to go to Hell."

Then, at a little distance from the precious pearly gate,

The Pro Staff fellows paused to talk and cogitate;

The gang just back from a western horseback fishin trip

Let a few choice words rip.

But Goose said, "This is the only way --

"You'd best leave this to me boys," he said.

"Just let me handle Pete and in a flash we'll be inside upon that Golden Beat;

I'll show him that he's one of us, because he used to be,

Himself, a brother fisher, in the Sea of Galilee--

Goose proclaimed with a hardy laugh

That Pete would be an honorary member of the Pro Staff.”

"Agreed! Agreed!" the Pro Staff cried, but the Chief said, "Wait!

"Amend it thus provided that he doesn’t fish with bait."

Saint Peter observed the Pro Staffers and he waved his hand at them.

"Come in! Come in!" he shouted, for he was now a Pro Staffer, too,

And he knew that they, as a whole, were a most harmless crew.

Saint Pete declared that “fishin requires sufficient libation.”

So they passed the pretty blue bottle in celebration.

So all the Pro Staffers got to heaven, thanks to the Ambassator of Good Will and Pete

And their last field testing report reads, "Fishing here is neat."

-----------------------

The Chief

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Follow Up

Bowhunter asked for more pics. Here you go. Without commentary.
Currently listening to Tom Waitts and "Saturday Nightt"







Saturday, November 28, 2015

Miscellaneous

Just realized that I had not followed up from the last post about our trip to Montana in September. We had a great time at my nephew's wedding near Craig, MT. After that, the better half, Cricket the Flysfishing beagle and I spent some time around Bozeman and the Gallatin river (mainly Gallatin Canyon) and YNP. Here are a few pics of the trip without the annoying self referential comments by me.
Hope you enjoy the pics.

Matt (Agrontrutta)

Gallatin River near the park entrance at West Yellowstone


Carnivorous consequences near the Gallatin.



The Better Half passing time along Gallatin Canyon


The Better half and Cricket the FlyFishing Beagle along the Gibbon River, YNP.



Gibbon River, YNP


Madison River, YNP
The barn at Armstrong Spring Creek

 Huckleberry, the resident hound at Armstrong Spring Creek




A prize Yellowstone Cutt from Soda Butte Creek

Moonrise on the Yellowstone River as viewed from our cabin at Yellowstone Valley Lodge. The better half and I had chills (followed by hot flashes!!) viewing this.

Saturday, September 19, 2015

A Guide's Wedding


A highlight of our recent 2-week excursion into Montana was my nephew’s wedding on the banks of the Missouri at Flatwater Lodge about half way between Great Falls and Helena. For those familiar with the locale, Flatwater Lodge is halfway between Cascade and Craig.
 
 It was a very low key affair with the bride wearing white, the groom in the traditional tux, and all of the wedding party in black and white converse tennies. All of my family was there, the groom’s mother (my sister) from Bozeman, my next oldest sister from Beech Island, South Carolina, my oldest brother from Tucson, Arizona, and my baby brother (and his lovely wife) from Fargo, North Dakota. My baby brother was kind enough to stop by home and pick up my dad and bring him along. Dad is 96 years old and doesn’t look a day over 85.

Dad
The groom (Mike) is a flyfishing guide on the Missouri River and operates out of Craig, MT. Thus, most of the attendees were either guides, flyshop owners/workers or clients. His lovely bride is a local caterer and a lot of her clientele were in attendance. The day turned out to be a fantastic late summer Montana day. Luckily, a cool front came through and changed the wind direction, which took the smoke from western fires to the north and away from us.
Mr and Mrs

The Happy Couple



 


 







The highlight of the wedding feast was the whole hog cooked over buried coals. That, combined with the smoked brisket, salsa, chicken, and assorted beers, spirits, etc. made for an enjoyable evening.
Whole Hog

Wedding Cake

So, where does a newly wed guide take his betrothed for a honeymoon? Well, Argentina, of course, to visit friends and flyfish! The lucky couple will spend most of November in Argentina with friends.

Next up: Gallatin Canyon and the value of Airbnb

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Yeats on Trout and Fishing

You know it’s been a long winter when you end up reading the collected poems of William Butler Yeats. Although most of his poems are inscrutable to me, there are a few lines that resonate with my inner fisherperson. A selection:

“In pools among the rushes
That scarce could bathe a star
We seek for slumbering trout
And whispering in their ears
Give them unquiet dreams”


From “The Stolen Child’

 “And when the white moths were on the wind
And moth-like stars were flickering out,
I dropped the berry in a stream
And caught a little silver trout.”

From “The Song of Wandering Aengus”

 “I’ve stood as I were made of stone
And seen the rubbish run about,
It’s certain there are trout somewhere
And maybe I shall take a trout
If but I do not seem to care.”

From “The Three Beggars”

“I choose upstanding men
That climb the streams until
The fountain leap, and at dawn
Drop their cast at the side
Of dripping stone”


“To young upstanding men
Climbing the mountain side
That under bursting dawn
They may drop a fly”


From “The Tower”

I hope soon to seek slumbering trout and give them unquiet dreams.
Matt