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

Saturday, October 4, 2014

What I did This Summer


It started on Memorial Day weekend with a well-intentioned trip to the North Platte River in Wyoming. I had a business meeting in Colorado the following week so I thought I would stop in on my brother-in-low in Casper and spend a pleasant few days on the Miracle Mile. We met up and spent an enjoyable afternoon near the Mile and caught a fish or two. On the way home the smell of hot brakes and the telltale pulse of warped rotors signaled trouble. Suffice to say that I was lucky to find a brake shop open on a Memorial weekend Sunday but unlucky in having to spend $1300 on brakes, rear axle seals, etc. Anyway, after the repairs I was able to spend another day fishing on the mile and at Gray Reef.

 
North Platte River, Wyoming
 
A second opportunity presented itself in July with a business trip to Billings. I had read of the Boulder river south of Big Timber from tales of Wade Rivers so I booked a cheap motel in Big Timber, MT for a mid-July weekend. Unfortunately, my early summer luck followed me. Heavy summer rains had made for an extended runoff period and the Boulder was boiling cauldron of churning waters at most places. And, the Yellowstone was the color of a chocolate malt from Meyer’s Dairy in State College. I was able to find a couple of relatively calm area in the Boulder where I did not have to risk life and limb to wade or catch a fish. It’s a beautiful valley, but I did not run into Tom McGuane.

Boulder River, Montana
 
 
Lions Head, Boulder River Valley
 
Boulder Bow
 
Boulder Valley Eatery
 
 
Lastly, the better half, Cricket the flyfishing beagle, and I were able to spend an enjoyable vacation during the first week of September in Paradise Valley south of Livingston at the Yellowstone Valley Lodge. Incredibly, the Yellowstone was still running high and off color from recent rains. However, DePuy and Armstrong spring creeks were in perfect condition.

Yellowstone and Depuy Confluence
 
We also spent enjoyable days on the Gardiner, Lamar, and Soda Butte in the Park. It was hard to wade out of Soda Butte on the last afternoon after fishing brown drakes to willing Yellowstone cutts.

Armstrong Spring Creek

Lake on Beartooth Plateau, 10,500 feet

Gardiner River

Better Half and Cricket the Flyfishing Beagle on the Lamar YNP

Soda Butte


Soda Butte Yellowstone Cutt

Absarokee Sunset

 Well, that was my summer (or most of it). Now its just waiting for that white stuff to fall from the sky and the temps to fall into the negative region.

The road goes on forever and the party never ends!!
Best to all
Matt

Sunday, April 20, 2014

BWS - Fishing Creel Contest

 
Big Woods Summit  May 21st-26th.
 
 
This year we will be introducing a new contest to run along with the one fly contest on Saturday.
This will be a homemade fishing creel.  It may NOT be a purchased creel.  The creel must be multi-functional.  It must be capable of keeping beer cold and hold fish. 
Mike and Mike will judge and determine the winner of this new event….  
Take notice of the Gold Fish and beer cans.
 

Tuesday, March 18, 2014



Saturday, March 22.  Looks like we voted for a good weekend…cloudy, 40% chance of showers, 540.  Hope the fish cooperate.  See you at Rony’s in Pleasant Gap at 9:30 am.  Find Rony’s along RT 26 just south of town.  Those not making breakfast can call me at 570-295-6878 to find out where we will be fishing and gathering.  Got the RBF Mobile Command Unit running.  Got the RBF Mobile Command Unit running and will have smoke salmon to share.  I'll attempt to have coffee and hot chocolate available.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Over 30 Years Ago


December 1983, Joe Fisher, owner of J. Kennedy Fisher Co., Carson City, NV visited the Chief's rod shop.  In the early 80's I was building and selling over 100 rods per year using Joe's blanks.  The very same blanks used by the R. L. Winston Co.  Joe brought me some of his experimental boron blanks for being a good customer. My high school baseball coach and I went in business together to buy the blanks at distributor prices.  We were selling the blanks and Fisher rods to other shops.  I showed my rods at TU spring shows for a couple of years.  After that my customers brought me more orders than I could handle.  I was very proud to be asked by TU for a rod that they could raffle off at the TU National Convention in 1984.

I still have a few J. Kennedy Fisher blanks including the brown fiberglass used by Winston.  After some research, I believe that I am the only one owning these blanks.  I recently sold one on the Internet for an obscene price.

Father's Day and Christmas orders kept me away from the stream and the woods.  I debated quitting my full-time job and opening a complete fly shop.  The Fair Maiden set me straight.  I continued my job as a safety engineer and only built rods in my spare time.  Around 1985, I bought a large supply of bamboo blanks sold by Herter's.  I sold most of them but still have a few to complete for myself.  I continued to repair and refinish good bamboo rods, working on Leonards and Paynes, to name a few.

I only owned one factory fly rod.  My dad bought me a Shakespeare Wonder Rod that I used for many years.  I built my first rod in 1968. Today, I have several rods in various stages of readiness.  I should get busy as I now have the time.

I have enjoyed my rod building experience.  Once in awhile, I will meet someone on the stream that is still using my of my rods....and loving it.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

91.609 million miles

That's how far the sun is away from my position on the earth today. It rose at 8:07 a.m. and set at 5:47 p.m. and reached an altitude of 26.3 degrees above the horizon. What do all these numbers mean? It means that winter is slowly (very slowly) receding from this icebox on the 100th meridian and 46.1833 degrees longitude. High temps for next week will be around 5 above zero to 5 below zero. Interestingly, the sun will slowly move farther away from my little spot on the frozen prairies until sometime later this year. For example, tomorrow the sun will be 91.622 million miles away. Soon, we will hit the rapidly accelerating and exponential part of the daylength curve and I will be able to drive back and forth to work without using the headlights on my vehicle.

I'll ask the question again: what do all these numbers mean? It means that I've got cabin fever and am sick of this f***ing cold weather. Nuff said

Matt S.

Friday, January 31, 2014

RBF Pro Staff Cookbook "Recipes for a Good Day" Progresses


Everything from Bowhunter's Buffalo Meatloaf to Roast Raccoon and most things in between.  200 pages and counting.  It will debut as a PDF file possibly by the time of the Baetis Summit.  Still trying to find a reasonable quote on printing. 

There Goes the Chief


Truita - Catalan translates to "trout" or "omelet".  The Chief has a recipe in "Recipes for a Good Day" for Truita de Truita.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Western Summit 2014?

Fellow Prostaffers:
I've been tying various flies for the last 2 hours with visions of rising trout sipping dry flies as the sun sets on a placid stream. No doubt this has been facilitated by the several Black Butte porters (Deschuttes Brewery, OR) I have quaffed during the same time. Perhaps even further lubed by the Narwhal stout (10% ETOH by the same brewery) that I imbibed.

Anyway, as I daydreamed of said trout, I thought about the last western summit we held in Montana in 2008. Seems to me it is time to reacquaint western trout with the skills of the eastern angler. Including the sight of a lone flyfisher at evening hatch with a Richardson chest box and a George Harvey dry fly leader stalking risers in the dusk.

Sorry for the faux fishing writing and hyperbole. What I mean to say is, is anyone interested in meeting up in Montana this summer for some good fishing and a good time? If so, please let me know. I'd be willing to help make arrangements and even meet some folks at airports and drive. If there is interest in fishing on the Missouri River, I can prevail on my nephew (guide with the Trout Shop in Craig, MT) for help in setting up a  great time in the Missouri and surrounding waters.

Just wanted to start the discussion.

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Shutdown Blues


Agrontrutta is currently idled by the ill advised (and inconsistent) shutdown of the federal government. I’ll not go into my opinions of the current situation (at least not until after I get my next paycheck); howver, I’ll share a few pics from my late summer vacation with the better half and Cricket the Flyfishing Beagle in the Black Hills of South Dakota in early September. We spent about four days at the Spearfish Canyon Resort near Spearfish SD in early September and yours truly fished Spearfish Creek and Little Spearfish Creek in Spearfish Canyon. It is very scenic and great small stream fishing.

 Matt searching for fish along Spearfish Canyon.

 The Better Half and Cricket the Flyfishing Beagle at the petrified wood park near Lemmon, SD. A real off-the beaten-path attraction (sort of like the town with the largest ball of twine).
And the icon Mt. Rushmore.
The Better Half and Cricket the Flyfishing Beagle on Little Spearfish Creek

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Log jams.......... deep pools......... bolder gardens.........

With this summer drawing towards its 2/3 mark beckons the question of this falls activities. Last fall there was a small deployment sent to Erie, Pa for some steelhead. The Pro Staffers were faced with some arduous conditions on the streams but,  dumb fish were still caught.
I am contemplating on making another run up there again in October for some early season steelhead. I've got a friend, Brandon Nolan, that has the 'desire bug' to go and lose his steelhead v-card. Slinging big streamers for big fish in little water.

I am curious as to if there is anyone else that would be considering a trip to the north? I wouldn't consider it a full blown gathering or make the recommendation for an Erie Gathering. However, it would be nice to get some Officer support there from a Ranger.... Either way the enlisted have always been able to get the mission accomplished. As of right now there's my buddy and I that are planning a trip. Anyone else is welcome to go.