The Dog Ate My Drake

I meant to post this gripe the other week, but I've just had a lot going on.

I subscribed to the Drake when the Borders next to my office closed.  I always enjoy reading the Drake and yes, I keep them in a safe place and guess you could say I collect them.

So when my latest copy showed up in the mail the other week, I was not pleased.

Thanks, Mr. Postman.

The Old Man and the Sea

It was Saturday and I had to work. I'm walking down K street in DC when my phone rings. It was my father in law. You could see the grin on his face from the White House.

It seems Capt. Willy set out on his boat, the Sweet Sandra, around 5 AM in search of the big one. In the Chesapeake Bay, that means a rock fish (striped bass everywhere else).

He put out his lines and ran a trolling rig. Not long after getting his lines in the water it was fish on. He cut the engine and fought the fish which turned out to be a beauty. Home by 7:30, it was an epic day for Bill on the Bay.




Capt. Bill and a whopper Rock fish

41 inches and 23 lbs. Not bad, Capt. Bill. Next time we're gonna get a fly rod in your hand!




Apparently he bent the net

Relax, It's Friday

It's been a long two weeks and I'm tired.  In the last five days I've gone to Oregon and back and Dallas and back and I'm ready for the weekend.  Looks like more work in store, but I'm taking solace in the fact that the boys in Key West are catching Tarpon and my shot at a big poon is right around the corner.




Here's a little end of the week video for you from Bob Marley to help you get the weekend started a little early.  Nothing says summertime better to me than putting the windows down in the truck and turning up the Bob Marley. Sit back, relax and enjoy.

Salty Shores Review of Long Island Bonefish Lodge

My friend Sam Root of the Web site Salty Shores was one of the writers on my Long Island, Bahamas adventure.  He just shared his review of the trip which can be found here.  Sam is a photographer so sit back and enjoy some of the pictures he took.  As you might remember from my report, the weather on this trip kind of stunk, but Sam was still able to make the place look beautiful.

Photo Courtesy of Sam Root and Salty Shores

And speaking of Sam, I happened to notice that there is a story about him and his saltwater fly fishing tournament, the Salty Fly, in the latest copy of Fly Fishing in Saltwater.  Be sure to check it out on page 18.  It's a great story for what really is a neat event.

Check out Sam Root in the latest FFSW and learn about the Salty Fly.

The Silver King

I came across this video courtesy of Tosh Brown on twitter.  Later this summer I'm headed to Key West for the tail end of tarpon season.  That's when the big one I'm going to catch will be swimming through.

Seriously, though, I'm getting super excited.  I've read a lot about how tarpon are crazy addictive and can really take your game to a new level. Think about the world famous Andy Mill and Chasing Silver.  Plus, the fact that these fish can get to be 200 lbs., and it's going to be an intense experience.

I've got a feeling this trip is going to be off the hook.

This video is a little long, but it's a really cool history of the silver king in Florida.  Enjoy!

Microskiff Podcast

There is a really great podcast up over on Zach Matthew's site, The Itinerant Angler, where Zach interviews Tom Dyll who runs the Web site Microskiff.com.  It's a great site that has everything you'd ever want to know about small skiffs and then some.  Hopefully at some point there will be a small skiff  in my future and this site gives you a lot of insight into the skiff buying, maintenance, possibilities process.

Courtesy of The Itinerant Angler

The podcast is a fantastic interview and really gets into the nitty gritty of these boats.  Check it out!

Southern Culture on the Fly

Take a moment and imagine what would happen if you combined the southern feel of Garden & Gun Magazine with a mayfly hatch of the Drake...and then stuck it, greasy fingers and all, on your iPad.  This southern fried treat would be Southern Culture on the Fly.  

Most e-zine's lose me because the writing isn't always up to par and the photography can be so-so.  Also, if the articles drone on and on they can get boring.  Not so with SCOF.

As a good southern boy, I appreciate how the focus is on the south and the great fishery we have.   Plenty of pics and enough story to hold my interest throughout the read. 

Louis Cahill is a photographer I really admire and has quite a few pics throughout the issue. In addition, my friend Cameron Mortenson of The Fiberglass Manifesto has a gear review that is well thought out.

Finally, they have some super cool videos.  Check out this one.