Was that a Concert?

Well, my wife sure enjoyed it, and the guy/gal does put on a good show, but the music is way too sappy for my tastes.  They did do a Doors cover - Roadhouse Blues - and that was the best tune of the night by me.  I did have a good time though, the bunch of us had a nice dinner beforehand at a fancy Italian place in Carlstadt, and I always enjoy seeing Karen happy.  Oh, and the fireworks display at the end kicked butt...............that said, I'm looking forward to seeing Joe Bonamassa, Mark Knopfler and some other real bands!

As one would expect, the concert was full of roving middle-aged, 50-ish women, desperately trying look like they were 19 again by stuffing their sagging flesh into clothes much too small for the contents, with chemically dependent hair, and wearing heels a hooker would be abashed to be seen in....how the hell do they walk in those things????  And the tattoos - any teenage girl that thinks their tattoo tramp stamp is going to look good in 20-30 years, should come to an over-the-hill guy/gal concert before it gets dark and check out the wrinkled, fading ink stains on the wannabe cougars in attendance.  Okay, so there were some many attractive ladies there as well, but if I described them here, I may be tagged for inappropriate material/content, not to mention having to explain it to my wife.

The new stadium is pretty awesome.  No fish though...........

Two weeks later......and you all thought I disappeared into thin air.

That's right, I'm back, but onyl for a short one.  Although I try to post here as much as I can, I always think about it when there is no way I can post something.  It's kind of like when you're in the shower in the morning and you think of stuff you need or want to do, but always forget after you dry yourself off.  Since my lasty post there has been lots of traveling, some fishing and even a morning on the golf course.

Last weekend I spent a couple of days in paradise with Bruce and JB after a long week on the road..  Here's a photo to tease you with:

The fishing out there was nothing short of great, although there was little surface activity, so we had to resort to subsurface flies and tactics. 

After returning Monday night, it was back to the grindstone last week. I finally got out again Sunday evening, and enjoyed a moderate Sulphur hatch on the South Branch of the Raritan.  At dusk my snowshoe rabbit foot sulphur tied to a 6X tippet, managed to entice a nice 20"+ rainbow.  On my 2 weight, it was an epic battle, with me finally landing the beast thanks to my newly acquired habit of bringing my landing net.  The fish won in the end though, flipping me the tail upon it's release.

Last night, again I was on the SBR with my 2 weight, and the Sulphur hatch and spinner fall was nothing short of amazing.  Bugs everywhere, and trout rising everywhere like it was going to be their last meal.  There were fish cruising the surface with their mouths agape, taking in fly after fly before sounding to swallow them.  I caught a good number of fish, but as is usually the case when the hatch is this heavy, the trout had so many flies to choose from, my fly often got lost in the mess.  The hot fly was my soft-hackle emerger fished right in the surface film.  

That's it for now.  Got to get finished here so I can take my bride with a bunch of friends to the opening of the new Giants Stadium tonight - it's New Jersey's own Bon Jovi doing the honors.  I'm not a big fan, but Karen is, and I hear he's pretty good live.  We'll see.  It'll be fun either way since we'll be in the front row.  I may report on it tomorrow, or not..................stay tuned.

Get out and fish..............and sharpen your hooks!

The Fishing Musician - Dark Blue Sedge Hatch

Check out this video of dark blue sedge pupae as they hatch in an aquarium.  There's all kinds of great stuff you can learn with respect to the insects behavior and physical characteristics.  Note the number of false ascents - this illustrates why pupa and emergent imitations are so effective.  Although, I suspect the still water environment of the tank may have something to do with it.  In a river there is current, and like the wind in a sail, I would think that helps them ascend with greater ease. There's more, but I'll leave it to you to enjoy and draw your own conclusions.

Sharpen your hooks!!!

And the wind blew............

Friday evening was calm, warm and the river didn't give up it's secrets easily.  Bugs were everywhere, tiny little caddisflies, tiny blue-winged olives and a few larger early suphurs.  A fish rose here and there, but they generally stayed put.  I know, I saw them.   Lots of them just hovering in place, low in the water column like suspended kites on a fixed line.

Saturday morning the sun rose behind a thick blanket of clouds.  A short while later, the clouds darkened further and then sent forth bright flashes of lightening accompanied by roaring, rolling thunder.  Large, heavy raindrops then fell briefly as if there was a law that thunder and lightening must be followed by rain.

By noon the clouds had broken up, the sun shone brightly, and the wind blew like a madman.  Limbs fell from the trees,  leaves broke free, and the seeds of spring were being scattered everywhere.  You could fish, but only with great patience, and some did.  I chose to catch up on stuff around the house.

Sunday, took care of mom.....................and the wind blew.          

They Sell Them That Way, Really!

I just returned from spending a few work filled days in the wilds of Boston.  Love that city, had a ball, but why in the hell do they sell cars that don't have turn signals???  Thank, God, I was driving a company vehicle when I rammed (touched the side of) a car that decided to turn right from the left lane of Commonwealth while I was holding tight on their right, minding my own business.  No harm he said, just go, your car is okay, and mine just has some more charactor.........The guy was an idiot...."I never use a turn signal, what for?"

I swear, only one in four cars in Boston even have turn signals in them.  The ones that do only get used on occassion, like when the driver needs to do something other than text.  I made it in and about the city, had a great time, and made it out in one piece.  The miracle of Boston..............getting out alive and without a dent in the armor.

I did have dinner with my daugther who lives there, and does use her turn signal.  And her friend Jon, who may or may not use his turn signal depending on the date and time, and whose car he is driving (or not).  Dinner was great.  Raw fish and beer.  Stories, lots of stories, catching up and laughing.  Listen to your kids, they see things we are blind to.......................beautiful stuff.