tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83094256784671946392024-03-05T05:39:35.366-08:00Outfitted for LifeBrucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.comBlogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-54186186451824952462014-02-10T19:45:00.000-08:002014-02-10T19:45:40.073-08:0032 pounder!
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So a few months back, Bruce asked my brother Brian and I to
contribute to his blog this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Bruce was going to focus his blog on catching striped bass and seeing as
how we accompany him on a lot of his fishing trips (and we’re wicked funny), he
wanted us to join in the blogging fun. Well, since I like Bruce, I like
fishing, and I like making up fishing stories, I agreed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So here goes……</div>
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Back in the mid 80’s, my family lived a few miles from the
Cape Cod Canal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During those days,
I was commuting to Bridgewater State College during the day and tending bar at
night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Occasionally, Brian and I
would head down to the canal to cast out a plug.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would park at the railroad bridge and walk down the
service road a ways, passing the same fishermen most nights, all camped out in
their regular spots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would
spend a couple of hours casting out and reeling our plugs back in not really
knowing much about when or where or how to catch stripers. The striper
population was in a big decline back then so the size limit had been increased
to 32 inches. I had never caught striper up to that point, but I enjoyed
sitting along the edge of the water, smelling the salty air and tossing back a
few cold ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boy, life was a bit different then, with
my only concerns being which class I should skip the next day and wondering if
we had enough beer for the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Well one night, I was standing out on a rock by myself as
Brian had to work late and was going to met up with me later that evening. I
was reeling in a swimming plug when suddenly something hit my line and pulled
like crazy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well my heart just
about stopped and my brain started to panic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fish on the end of the line started to pull out line and
I didn’t know what to do. I had caught plenty of largemouth bass in freshwater,
but nothing that ever took out this much line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rod bent over way more than I thought possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was my father’s old 8 foot surf
casting rod that I thought was overkill, but enjoyed using because it could
cast some heavy plugs way out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
used to have casting contests to see who could go the farthest across the
canal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, here I am with my
rod doubled over, line peeling off each time the fish made a run, and I’m
standing in the dark on wet rock afraid to move for fear of failing onto the
water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seemed like every time I
started to reel up some line, that fish would take off again and take out more
and more line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After five or six
strong runs, I started gaining on the fish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept pulling up on the rod and reeling in slack as I let
it back down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unexpectedly, the
fish turned around and started swimming towards me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The line started to go slack and a wave of disappointment
swept over me as I realize that no one was even there to have seen me fight this
fish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But suddenly, I realize that
he was still on, so I cranked that reel as fast as I could go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The line tightened again and the battle
continued.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the fish came closer
to shore, he gave a huge swirl as he made one last turn to run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just about peed my pants when I saw
the size of his tail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually, he
tired out and I dragged him towards the rocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No longer worried about getting wet or slipping on the
rocks, I jumped down and pounced on him. Not really sure how to hold him, I
grabbed him with both arms in a bear hug and climbed up to the service road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My rod was still down by the water, the
plug somehow now hooked to my shirt, and my foot was soaking wet from
apparently stepping in the water, but there laying on the ground in front of me
was my first striped bass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Now when I say this bass was huge, I of course am
exaggerating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He measured out to
32 inches (well maybe I had to squish him down a little for that last half
inch) and weight at least25 pounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now I know what you’re thinking, no way a 32 inch fish weights 25
pounds. Well, you’re probable right, but this is my story so that’s the number
I’m using.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since my previous
biggest fish was probably an 18 inch largemouth, this fish was impressive. I
had never had a fish almost pull the rod out of my hands, never caught one that
I couldn’t lift with one hand, and never been so excited after catching a
fish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It probable took a good 5
minutes for me to catch my breath and for my heart to slow down to normal after
landing this beast.</div>
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Well Brian had not yet shown up, so I decided to head
home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to show someone this
fish before I exploded. I packed up my equipment and headed back to the
car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the regulars saw me walk
by with the fish and asked how big.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I proudly said it was 32 and I was going home to eat it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And boy was it good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My father showed me how to filet it and
within 30 minutes of pulling it out of the water, it was on a grill, topped
with salt, pepper, and lemon and tasting better than any fish I have previously
eaten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was the night that I
feel in love with striped bass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not
just the taste, but the thrill of catching it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I now spend the winter months planning fishing trips and
anxiously waiting for spring and the bass migration to arrive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_kU9ltwSY605oKEtchrmFoIYBb5rUfYSWhKUJQXQldZEedvz7ge8rm0dL8-thS7gsrIT6xHG9qr02M9VGZMZNyOrvgnp8Q08rlZwRm_6JPEPc8Kqd8fcU_7DMHqZd7PyiwIG7uVhMoaE/s1600/fish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_kU9ltwSY605oKEtchrmFoIYBb5rUfYSWhKUJQXQldZEedvz7ge8rm0dL8-thS7gsrIT6xHG9qr02M9VGZMZNyOrvgnp8Q08rlZwRm_6JPEPc8Kqd8fcU_7DMHqZd7PyiwIG7uVhMoaE/s1600/fish.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></div>
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P.S. The next evening, Brian went down to try his luck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he asked a local how was the
fishing, he was told, “You should have been here last night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some kid pulled in a 32 pounder!”</div>
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<o:p>John</o:p></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-87995648477783140062014-01-07T21:02:00.002-08:002014-01-07T21:02:54.070-08:00A Not-So New Year's ResolutionWell this is not a new years resolution because I came to this conclusion back in the beginning of December. I've decided to go back to blogging more regularly. It kinda went to the way side due to my crazy life and work schedules. Well my work schedule has changed a little and that actually helped everything else be less crazy. That alone did not made the decision for me it was coupled with the fact that I came up with a theme for the year and have a couple co-writers agree to help me stay consistent. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnj06Ghw4KiTPYlUWKQd8T60YX4a8NycbTW35ZG7gCsWGx4lsHlxkkVltvEOuE1go491g6ZVLImRNvY7vC3RfgQLHVTQkBEB8pWNH625p67nQzX46HWWdvtZNpuEuuVJ9gyHbO46IPs7s/s1600/Cast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnj06Ghw4KiTPYlUWKQd8T60YX4a8NycbTW35ZG7gCsWGx4lsHlxkkVltvEOuE1go491g6ZVLImRNvY7vC3RfgQLHVTQkBEB8pWNH625p67nQzX46HWWdvtZNpuEuuVJ9gyHbO46IPs7s/s1600/Cast.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
First the theme: A year of chasing Striped Bass<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8d_gN7FMyZt_tPHEEc4Tb71xV6ynyXPL_hJqBKIzlhjeuDDtkkQnYRfZVgOdMkwVq1sgJuNP3JoEz3q8VT7_5YJGroBRyd2nUq75k-tHjF4ZEUcR0QRa7d8v2iHxUgknncaRe_hoIUk4/s1600/Striper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8d_gN7FMyZt_tPHEEc4Tb71xV6ynyXPL_hJqBKIzlhjeuDDtkkQnYRfZVgOdMkwVq1sgJuNP3JoEz3q8VT7_5YJGroBRyd2nUq75k-tHjF4ZEUcR0QRa7d8v2iHxUgknncaRe_hoIUk4/s1600/Striper.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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Coming to the theme was brought on by many things. One goes back to a work schedule that will allow for more fishing, especially fishing with friends. Also I have acquired more saltwater gear, which will make fishing less about what I can piece together and more about just going and doing it. Also I have found and been shown spots to go fishing (this was an issue when we first moved to Massachusetts). The problem of fishing spots is not completely solved, but is much better then two years ago. Lastly I am starting to figure tides, baits, seasons and tactics.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4a3i_dZm3SZGR4vSeghwjBn_CSw-SK_WZd81fYHj6R8Qy4H09vbJ45TfNHPOgpTI2Z_Df38vbL8OQySXvQonshvuTjU3XS64Po4sUGiIZt79qgepdqD2LCtaRlVFA8-NMi3DHr8vUOQQ/s1600/fall+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4a3i_dZm3SZGR4vSeghwjBn_CSw-SK_WZd81fYHj6R8Qy4H09vbJ45TfNHPOgpTI2Z_Df38vbL8OQySXvQonshvuTjU3XS64Po4sUGiIZt79qgepdqD2LCtaRlVFA8-NMi3DHr8vUOQQ/s1600/fall+me.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
This brings be too some co-writers. They will write bios for themselves soon but here is my take on them.<br />
<br />
John and Brian<br />
They are brothers and we all fish together a lot. I can say they are both good fishermen and even if the fishing stinks they bring some fun. John is a very good largemouth bass fisherman and has been bringing that skill to the salt a lot more in the past couple years. He also has picked up a fly rod in the past couple years and last year stuck his first striper on the fly. We caught many bass in the fall and also had a ton of fun with shad.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAoxRwOuN6sI7Usih1gYyvXBbRbo9rbxo5PDFPcHMS-3nc7mng9Nro8XqDN2X9tppj57FzNX15VizsaBsN26MTqh_GAwB_hnnEtsCUMXV_HVul4ilp664M5oy1BI2KzdEWt5ABvon-QY/s1600/Woody+two.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAoxRwOuN6sI7Usih1gYyvXBbRbo9rbxo5PDFPcHMS-3nc7mng9Nro8XqDN2X9tppj57FzNX15VizsaBsN26MTqh_GAwB_hnnEtsCUMXV_HVul4ilp664M5oy1BI2KzdEWt5ABvon-QY/s1600/Woody+two.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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Brian brings a lot to the table, including dinner and drinks. Brian has a house on a very popular (not to mention productive) river that stripers are in at least 3 seasons a year. Along with living on one of the waters we fish, Brian has two boats. He also is a good chef and though I release 80-90% of the fish I catch Brian and John like to keep stripers more then I do so he will be cooking up our catches this year. <br />
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Hopefully this next year will be fun and full of learning, teaching and excitement we can somehow convey to anyone willing to read. Here we go again thanks for reading. <br />
<br />
BruceBrucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-4421074388504370862012-07-12T19:37:00.000-07:002014-01-04T06:52:11.452-08:00A little bass action.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So I have slowed my fishing obsession down a little in the last couple weeks. There is no one reason for it but a bunch of them. Even with this pull back I have had a chance to go do my favorite fishing of all, small mouth bass on the Housatonic river with a fly rod. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9H7J8AlLrVqzfo9rY75gcZ6JijJ5xhPv0j8z8bSUkf-dFNkhGguhoNUNqeyfgDX10VnpwEZLelXokRJta7caycmvRDjQx5Giix1mJlh5n4hdraYW_qoDTr0n1Sz8xEZWrAA0Hkwa1Lc/s1600/securedownload-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9H7J8AlLrVqzfo9rY75gcZ6JijJ5xhPv0j8z8bSUkf-dFNkhGguhoNUNqeyfgDX10VnpwEZLelXokRJta7caycmvRDjQx5Giix1mJlh5n4hdraYW_qoDTr0n1Sz8xEZWrAA0Hkwa1Lc/s640/securedownload-1.jpeg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First fish that was bigger then 8 inches (with a gurgler variation in its jaw)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLv060UNoG1_xO5fjIlrInxD_ASXfdfgdshuh5jTNQOb5f_ioUsw2eVOjZtx0Jz2wya3Jy4nkcOq1gfcoY8ynPMUq65dfFKFCnVummF57c4FRCKXuWdIcQ_uOcql7n4egvl3KU29cDtgQ/s1600/securedownload.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLv060UNoG1_xO5fjIlrInxD_ASXfdfgdshuh5jTNQOb5f_ioUsw2eVOjZtx0Jz2wya3Jy4nkcOq1gfcoY8ynPMUq65dfFKFCnVummF57c4FRCKXuWdIcQ_uOcql7n4egvl3KU29cDtgQ/s640/securedownload.jpeg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A nice 13 inch fish weighing in at about a one pound.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkiX7ViKOrmn15-dWYowqvAvk2b-49b7RwYZ2ru42dSES9eGxDaMf5xa0qOV39PjnuCEsHUct58wRAJ-sR9PFp2Q-aPYcM_FU91aPJMWMmnhoL5pTqyq-FnJbdtAFSKvb0rRevVCSvCk/s1600/securedownload-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkiX7ViKOrmn15-dWYowqvAvk2b-49b7RwYZ2ru42dSES9eGxDaMf5xa0qOV39PjnuCEsHUct58wRAJ-sR9PFp2Q-aPYcM_FU91aPJMWMmnhoL5pTqyq-FnJbdtAFSKvb0rRevVCSvCk/s320/securedownload-2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was me after that trip to the river. Catching bass takes it out of ya.</td></tr>
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I have been fishing one time since then (the 4th of July week). Yesterday I spend an entire day fishing and I haven't done that in a long time. I fished a weed choked pond in town and had a blast. Stuck mainly with the bait cast rod and a frog but made a few casts with the fly rod as well. After the first dozen fish or so I stopped counting but kept having fun. Most of these large mouth weighed in at a pound or two with one hitting the two and a half mark. There were no lunkers but man was it fun and a funny thing happened I actually stopped fishing. I hit that point where I was either tired enough, dehydrated enough, or just plan done fishing for a couple hours. It was refreshing to fish like this. No time constants, no other people around (it was Wednesday after all), and no weather to worry about. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cooky cutter bass but tons for fun on a frog</td></tr>
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Thanks for reading and hopefully I'll have a new adventure soon.<br />
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Bruce<br />
<br />Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-30696926432454912562012-06-20T11:27:00.000-07:002012-06-20T11:27:20.127-07:00Hints from my wife.<div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;">
Sarah recently told me I'm not a good blogger. </div>
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Well she's right - I'd rather be out on my adventures then writing about them. To add to my issues as a blogger, I don't have a computer I can relay on. This means I have to type my posts on my iPhone and that, my friends, is time consuming and annoying. Add 40 hours at bass pro and driving back and forth and I'm left splitting the rest of my time with my beautiful wife, house work and fishing. Some would say, "blog at night" and that's a great idea but around here you can striper fish at night.</div>
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To add to my lack of blogging, I've been largemouth fishing with some friends almost every Friday night. This group has re-ignited some of the fire I had for spin fishing, but has also oddly enough been my inspiration to learn bait casting. I gave up on bait casting years ago after making backlashes that could have been homes for squirrels. Now that it's mid June the bait caster and the fly rod are the only two rods I need on a bass pond. </div>
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My spring was full of trips to the trout stream. Before work, after work, morning, noon, evenings, trout fishing even happened during social hour of church one day(might have been a bad idea). There was a addition to my trout fishing set up this year. I put new line on my old Orvid Battenkill and retired my old Orvis Clear water and bought a TFO Finesse (I'll try to review the line and the rod at some point).</div>
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The last two last two thing that have consumed me lately have been my new kayak, and surf fishing for striped bass! That's right we bought two kayaks in April and I have used mine at least once a week ever since! Sarah, being the great wife she is, said it only made sense that I buy one already set up for fishing. These kayaks are a lot of fun, not only to fish from but it's also nice to just bob along in sometimes too.</div>
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Stripers - I thought I wouldn't fall to them this fast, but I did. It's a sickness it really is. I caught fish with Skinny Water Charters captain Jim Barr on cinder worm flies. Then started fishing with a coworker using both surf gear and fly rod. With my coworker Marc we mainly night fish. We have fished both rivers and beaches. We have used plugs, flies, and live bait and have had success with all three. A couple of all nighters getting skunked and a couple nights chasing the wrong tide, paid off two weeks ago when we caught close to twenty fish. They were not monsters and we had a blast. Never having eaten striper I took two home to grill, but probably left 8 keeper sized fish go. Most of the time he and I catch and release but just like with trout I will keep a fish every now and then especially if it isnt going to live. Needless to say I'm hooked on striper fishing now and really hope to get into them again soon. </div>
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I've thought about shutting my blog down lately but I think I just need to focus and force myself to write. Maybe I'll get my lovely wife to guest post soon. I think that will inspire me to write. Speaking of inspiration, Sarah caught her first fish ever the other night. Dropped the bait to the bottom felt the strike, set the hook and reeled it in all on her own! This is very exciting folks, very exciting.</div>
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Till next post <br /><br /><br />Bruce </div>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-81643677270842455862012-05-15T19:31:00.000-07:002012-05-15T19:46:28.566-07:00Bad blogger <p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>I have been a bad blogger lately. Not really a bad fishermen but a bad blogger. I haven't been taking pictures on the water and I haven't been posting on here obviously. I haven't been dreaming and scheming of how to sell flies or make a buck to write a blog. I have been working, trying to see my wife in the midst of our conflicting schedules and fishing a lot. Try everyday last week for as little as 30 minutes and as much at 9 hours. <br><br><br>I have found time to clean the house and do some yard work but just enough so it's not too ugly. That being said with all my successes on the water I don't ever want to do yard work. Here are some photos of catches in the past two weeks. </p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV4JtMCf7XiecOqfdppJ-HqZ4sv4uAEkD6PRuUu1yKGORPZBkiRjGKYtQL86fQhCn4fW5kZLJ1QzLKQGL5kT6V19p41Kshypkz2Fu7uaG4WhtpgnVS6Gv5szeLw0pzFXGPoS_D34LJXDQ/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsreEHMDJyvDlVfvNw9xbP0DbAQe7fgB2_6xcMS3-UlMxh-wr5LVCBBO4H6jih1ZJ_6CBig86ad92wQcxjqG2WA0im4vnWB17tlMdhNz9rWQV2ftZTn8ZZtB_GqO3f-7Rd4lUFiMaoMs/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAGssc92ZNhNziuMyhQh2-6PhFJcoznFgEJvhQR6DL5PUr025TI5IFYADoLomT6y-SFOtd_NbS4PMZdbYwvB1QlPklNKRMOBNdhbc_4fqBmst0anjpdlWnhJfa6FKeuqXJwYD1OQeVsE/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8nVB7Di8T7cRJMNg35ZYuRAYEdQKhyEvcnRu_DV0RQxq294C5ZlrQ0SMKudvGPbvFEY599JGvpwl-PzVLrm1bxl9c5T-Dl07LFT0oe_A_2sJp89jiXh7Z0ppLX7xsk6IE-ic8LzMVXSo/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ0u8iEjOcYPpCIoY49EwdtUI3us2h8_uJMJ-3cUmfbXLSyyzoFMNx4-UH5Z85sNyoR3DbNgnaxtBHYZsm0Pohk2nVsERtwkaeTjE-x8IXai28K7N8mmX3LZbK3AFa9H11G3TZa_-N4Kk/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCLjhZUfLKmQ2ZMTXL9-TNdtvT-NQmlAESSgbdqIUYUnm_gNiE4yYlYklm8k5HXOaSd51oiCHw833tYDA8rjAts0kqbGKExfP7yw0drn7w067E5c-nSSdUKQq1fTCUW3cOlxBoryp1YQ/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Xk8I2uZx4tbNAUiYh3zh-152aKC_Xokj7URzoS7SUHpKrx8iLUSAn0ts2RJ5B5k75hU2559VSS2pil56ogd0jLuh_0uauAbETw248Agx1TVi306hZLmpK04bQ4AlXfkDqb8EUjepesI/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYv1Cz6owv4vNqZgW3cDKNOW2tduY1Q7zsbM5tWaIyNShbRgjCmeN9cCuEy0hgwF4lvcRE0DGAHQJKpao4BFNuyiyAAsZDZnym20yvoAwg3mWrTAmWenccSAYlRKyvYQ49WlDmkhf71D0/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR0NlT-UabaNTBF6dYNRuXCaJcYfbn1tovEHApybJaUh4vjDnwN-vBghMvtLy5sBWO_cgNZV8q1bqmlXDH4K-JTeBOTfE6WymtKMaQT8lyiUroUlbEJkNi7oS8p3RLqvIhMnITOUpZH1Q/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>I promise I will write a full story on the fish in the last two photos before Sunday!!!</p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>Bruce</p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqecGqFZUBFajT3IZyvxN_-bCGNJkVVuYCxeXkoVFtbsnpmVfuFsyZH0kCdqqJcof58wCB_iTrT3HkkOfp1w8PX5E1JYUzt3voD_goPwqnM5oSw0Zz4yV6tBLxAxIhlVx1dK9TxvNjcp4/'></div></p>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-29341647297579271832012-04-17T12:08:00.001-07:002012-04-17T12:08:13.238-07:00Lots of excitement! <p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>This is a quick photo preview of some up coming blog posts!</p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgti7AkvA3B9vR-oZrmPlqCovqJ7O6TzY1RBuJXz8kGyzU_N97JERPwc1MnbTtD12LUO3yqovV0KixJbsGGjcd84bsxEozBGosjT42-zB5wnwlkq5E6snwoeIfwPPpoAXzNsUQ9xAHGE08/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNYVCgf5qPPtPeQQqQDUHWjbuYKg_UuYh-s7JZCoY6fR8OESyrOWX6aCWwRn0cwntsyVKiRzaMI55J4J7GUKOKpq0yIBZHgtCqH2a_PqP59KYTHi1O0DxunScdFI2EAYDJBkVqq_2DRc/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_e4t-mOQQtFeXtnm68yLIF9cnWKsXBmUGHPvTOIBB1DLSlq13C2zbXLmsBUVv-cHh8rqHyVExllmMX-pKJSwMqG6INsa6O8SSAkxSAOsiieqwGFSh_ix7BSN2lBL7vOH4DDTZpzTsUO4/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0N2f8TWwRzlf-2bxQHVNvMsgb64eC3VV4mzkWZVCprC7ddsEctq-DCG6BmsvrY2Nev3qr6I7TxfmKThgrY3gn-9gLQzaM-0Fqh-Jj7TozaebzhoDg7wo-GZHOO7JzO_a7DabTuho6nF4/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoJymRegzuhHbwAiIH7dLpEmQvqyYJYbNLFYZOQZDDmBiu8E4kJPUYn2H83hRNw9oFVRRb9yc5wTIzJuePIHMLCMXXPRHT-6OvGzeaWOEXs8jpU5zcGySt5v8d0NS1dj__nJmOQfalfg/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MEkS5SuKvH3ETGKmTGQUpd-t28JduSQGC2t2vkmrAKyeW7taNM38ZaGIFa92Eesh_Lc5B50BVvrQzF7SjJ6kzeBWNR6fmP-LpEKhhGLcTZgbcT2o8dq8x9428v4Ff6roILctWLOcFH4/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB5PPXo5SHpljqe3OplC3fGuhN2uZhLqPzem_0Jx13Nggf0y5a59Cggx5jbhyB5qUsrhv7ui66-jVQryYWLihpD4hL5xlhvrHv6nAY0photQTSSFE0z-KTx05yIKcc0r4XOb6DzjSQbqU/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhczMwKJgYteabPrbctyWAIuXsG7o4vkUofbCSis-Q-PI2Tr9NLQ6mEB-IgbIQDykRxc5MgFKbq9vWzmpxYKLTG8vjuDQ6tcjfIHhHYyF6QvyEHNVOqO13Z-Uy2N3BunEl4zGL74RdEM/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>Stay toned for some full stories.</p>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-67573013232693468622012-04-06T08:06:00.002-07:002012-04-06T08:06:19.029-07:00A Gift<div class="bloggerplus_image_section">
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So my brother is in the coast guard and was at "A" school for the past couple months. He has since graduated and moved back to work on the same ship he was on before. This time he has a new job on the boat and won't be the low man on the totumpole. I wasn't able to make it to his graduation this time and that really bummed my out. So I started tying flies. </div>
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You see my brother has done something I have been dreaming and reading about now for a couple years. He did it with a spinning rod I think (correct me of I'm wrong there Jay)? I never got all the details but I've seen the pictures and I'm jealous. </div>
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He has caught a lake run steelhead in the skinny waters of a woodland stream. He has since bought an 8wt fly rod and an Allen reel to try and catch one with.</div>
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So I gave him a box of flies to try and catch a couple of these monsters with. Nothing too special, some egg patterns, some loop eggs, a couple jumbo johns, and some streamers. This coming fall I hope to get out to NY and chase these big fish myself. Hopefully this spring my bro can tell me what patterns work best. <br /><br />So formally congrats Jason and put these flies to good use bud!<br /><br />Bruce</div>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-39981309308693958442012-04-03T16:36:00.001-07:002012-04-03T17:04:49.477-07:00Brookies<div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;">
Brook trout from the stream in town. They are all really healthy looking and I think a couple of them might even be native. Okay I'm keeping this short so enjoy the pictures and I'll post again soon. </div>
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Bruce</div>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-83633118192477292052012-03-22T21:12:00.000-07:002012-03-22T21:12:39.454-07:00Pond Fishin<div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;">So in southeast Massachusetts we do not have a lot of stream and river trout fishing. This, for me, was (and is) somewhat of a let down. I love stream and river fishing for trout. It makes sense to me and it is what I grew up with. All that being said I have decided to go with it and learn to pond fish for trout and also look to the salt for some completely new fishing experiences.<br />
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The ponds are all being stocked now and with the unseasonably warm weather the local pond fish are waking up as well. So in the past week I have landed 6 different kinds of fish. About a week ago I caught some bass, bluegill and trout one evening after work. <br />
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</div><div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;">The next four days after that I landed close to a hundred bluegill and pumpkinseed sunnies, a pickerel, a couple more bass and just last night caught about 6 crappies.</div><div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;"><br />
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</div><div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;">So, all in all, pond fishing is okay and I really love catching lots of different fish. I guess that means pond fishing will work out for me.<br />
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</div><div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;">Bruce</div>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-54249696073879569502012-03-15T20:40:00.000-07:002012-03-15T20:40:19.980-07:00Catch Up PostThis is a short update on the status of me and my outdoor adventures. With this nice weather I have been eating lunch fast so I can walk around the cranberry bog for fresh air and exercise. Also I have been going to the gym a couple times a week. Thats my life these days fast pace and not a lot of time at the end of the week. <br />
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Oh and there is the fishing and fly tying obsession. Let me tell ya it is only getting worse. On the fly fishing front I have been getting out more and more these days. I caught my first couple bluegills last week and a baby bass as well. The state has started stocking the waters and I am impatiently waiting for either the local streams to be stocked or the stripers to come in. Also I plan to go west on Monday and fish the states' only tailwater (there will be a full post on that trip Tuesday or Wednesday). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjOY5UeuKOSLeEEa__OzGkMNy7UHABzLrRt8eK05ZBLMeIf372Xa4pdq7Wy2WV4lwS01VJlh_DuwwvBQB3npGkSXY576Wz1hTCVi9WiyOGQlNSZLWvzlaBFK9jaoL8ntlcV4MWby2ij9I/s1600/securedownload-3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjOY5UeuKOSLeEEa__OzGkMNy7UHABzLrRt8eK05ZBLMeIf372Xa4pdq7Wy2WV4lwS01VJlh_DuwwvBQB3npGkSXY576Wz1hTCVi9WiyOGQlNSZLWvzlaBFK9jaoL8ntlcV4MWby2ij9I/s640/securedownload-3.jpeg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby bass</td></tr>
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Now on to the fly tying end of the world. So along with doing a lot of tying these days I have been trying to organize my tying area. I had some organization before but felt the need to really do an overhaul. With some day dreaming and help from Jesse (a church member and friend with a full wood shop in his basement) I made a couple blocks to organize tools, threads, and adhesives.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This if the before picture of my desk.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXIZ3irazdgtYrf7GbOTvxYKtiwCb0Xi9diEAaV38icwlzRacfC8fVw4xW631RAIsOl_EBK8mLUZKagQeGE2_RpcL8coHwquSFEnHhib3dLFaQINkK2W_b8XUfrPmFCeq37AXd5_fR4No/s1600/securedownload-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXIZ3irazdgtYrf7GbOTvxYKtiwCb0Xi9diEAaV38icwlzRacfC8fVw4xW631RAIsOl_EBK8mLUZKagQeGE2_RpcL8coHwquSFEnHhib3dLFaQINkK2W_b8XUfrPmFCeq37AXd5_fR4No/s640/securedownload-4.jpeg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A couple caddis for the season</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have been tying salmon and steelhead flies lately most of them for my brother who will be returning to WI just in time for the spring steelhead run. Also I am going to be trying my hand at landlocked salmon this week. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the after shot of the same desk</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQ2Yl67hIiUkqW8ggghZa4yvbBHqxnZ-s4_m4mHA3J7bLuKx-9ObX-X2f2gspHEhrN3Z08dmOmbuOYFUKbBlXlR0RbCvUEc_4r0yVNcNb8HfDelpP5Go8E6-5ZKQN1Acc6PTyxBDl5OI/s1600/securedownload-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQ2Yl67hIiUkqW8ggghZa4yvbBHqxnZ-s4_m4mHA3J7bLuKx-9ObX-X2f2gspHEhrN3Z08dmOmbuOYFUKbBlXlR0RbCvUEc_4r0yVNcNb8HfDelpP5Go8E6-5ZKQN1Acc6PTyxBDl5OI/s640/securedownload-2.jpeg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up shot of my new organization, note the threads. </td></tr>
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So to keep it short, I'm closing the laptop and going to sleep.<br />
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Keep a look out, with the nicer weather I will be having more and more adventures which will mean more and more blog posts.<br />
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BruceBrucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-88659675137081485442012-02-10T07:25:00.000-08:002012-02-10T07:25:53.671-08:00First trout of the year.<div class="bloggerplus_image_section"></div><div align="center" class="bloggerplus_image_section" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.troutrageous.com/"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN_E5GCnnQrPslr2TkYWHrgO2zjizfH6J7Va9OphgLYKBFF_JHNrNTWus-3qBPU1sO0P4W28F-3ZDmNHr6If-wx5NWBhiYq8mFZwpZKiGMqU3pchoxqSZDG27Jo2Jls0omNMhggTulpsk/" /></a></div><div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;">This past weekend Sarah and I went to Connecticut to watch the Super Bowl. I really had little interest in the game this year and even though it was a good one I was distracted. I was on the computer reading stream reports for the local waters. Aside from visiting, this trip was about fishing (I even think Sarah admitted that in the end).<br />
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I decided I would fish the Farmington River. There were many reasons for the Farmington over the Housatonic or one of the small streams but I can't pin down which one sold me on it. </div><div class="bloggerplus_image_section"></div><div align="center" class="bloggerplus_image_section" style="clear: both;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXU_Od23vWJgD-7ph51Z1muQ9KR8rlwPUKBX3LoEOr50KyRR_tvI5zOcfvzGxDJVIFaVE_jhdJ0JTMibv0L736-Lyu-XGnrpL97fpyThjplhsH5lGMnRG9syv1CQi6fd1BI6NTH7ZL5g/" /></div><div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;">Well, for what ever reason, the Farmington was the choice. I did not get up early because, as Sarah put it, this was a mini vacation (and the trout aren't going at the crack of dawn like they are in summer). Now for a trip in the beginning of February on a Monday afternoon, you would think I would have had the river to myself right? Well that's not the case at this stretch of the river! When I pulled in the parking lot was half full. <br />
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Once I was suited up and lined up I talked to an older fella who was smoking a pipe next to his car. He had a fly rod so I asked how the fishing was hoping he'd hint as to any action. He smiled and said they are ONLY hitting micro stone flies. I had no clue what a micro stone fly was but I said okay and hit the water. After briefly fishing a midge larva I spotted a couple fish rolling in the film. <br />
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After fishing the smallest wet fly I had thought I'd try a dry. So I grabbed the trusty rusty Griffith gnat. Had a raise but no take. After adding a little 6x to my leader I tried again and wouldn't you know they were eating gnats too.</div><div class="bloggerplus_image_section"></div><div align="center" class="bloggerplus_image_section" style="clear: both;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKadXi5tIq8TDdxpleVwAM6XRHLgS6TAjTPSZzK9KdGpagMuA7K6h33YHiQfNXBH518DCUd1yxtP9PG9uG0xnglxrv_-11vusQ_A-2WZA-a27_6166qIGt7kD7orhh-jrf0QvpG1BtPOY/" /></div><div class="bloggerplus_image_section"></div><div align="center" class="bloggerplus_image_section" style="clear: both;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2XKGJbjVcTMIIdn5dhoWFjJIKqLVHCROI6IT6tDtBqP_Z5jV1sbC4U5BmzkpU_2CtTXDfMSz-eI-LOkLmAIcYYXdy3UBSA5PUZ_4BnQZ-vD-86vYJpLEA4XPBkCNCxK6kPcFQNLyO-Zw/" /></div><div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;">Dry flies in February - what a great way to start the year. Maybe I was too quick to claim this coming year 'the year of the bass'. This trip really got me excited about spring fishing. </div><div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;">Well - back to the tying vise for now. I'll try to post soon on some of my new tying adventures. </div><div class="bloggerplus_image_section"></div><div align="center" class="bloggerplus_image_section" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.owljones.com/2012/02/01/ojdc-fly-tying-contest/"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQMeKfHHCv0pXDXwhT5jIZLai-CZObj5jdhjOfjS0fd8XurXBhQMupt_gqqKJAR_cCyTSnNWyqU4Qrk-x5VEu5Yx6inYaWxTeO5zAGvSk5EXqhpoVVbo3SqiT-ZHkM6cOVpfCPzT8Moo/" /></a></div><div class="bloggerplus_image_section"></div><div align="center" class="bloggerplus_image_section" style="clear: both;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_But1j7AqN7U0MOAxr3fZFwq0eK7a17EyRor9y5Tfud0JcMBxPv3MYNSSlyxOmQ70hSZVH5Nm0n7RItZlm5oh92GzE-XaWQxwFb8A1wkgVdH08VLWyOEiNfgCmDCqFlc7rtSo-hxPPk/" /></div><div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;">Bruce </div>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-64897958240767763032012-02-02T21:10:00.001-08:002012-02-02T21:10:22.988-08:00Owl Jones's tying contest <p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7VQCCwWh7wBjAv3IsibM1W8NYBlVhPcJm_C8ajMMnjbYHWbWT8kQZ1MeGL899dCfWDepAnnMQOis1iCKpTgMj2kQnwijrM-thYQpTNmRqRK5y6nnKPIWkrnRAVe4U9X8we8rSHKG0Fk/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>I don't often do this but I think I'm going to enter the first ever Owl Jones fly tying contest. For those of you who don't run in the outdoor blogging circles or don't read fishing blogs you probably do not know Owl Jones. He is the writer of the blog <a href='http://www.owljones.com/' target='_self'>OwlJones.com</a> and yesterday posted this post <a href='http://www.owljones.com/2012/01/20/fly-contest/' target='_self'>OJDC’s First Annual Fly Tying Competition</a>. The honest truth is I don't read every post he puts up (Owl seems to have more time to blog then the average bear) but yesterday I finished my lunch early and read his contest announcement. <br><br>At first I shrugged it off and thought I don't have anything to offer, but tonight while I was at the vise I decided to go for it. I have two very different flies I'm going to send. So now I need to sit down and make them. Look out Owl here they come!<br> <br><br>-Bruce </p>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-71461709841921917542012-01-28T17:09:00.001-08:002012-01-28T17:09:43.896-08:00I have been tying! <p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiei_zhydoMWzR9o9R4jOuqzuvIIwKol8RefRbHjNXOJ6Sj0fGHWDikdSqlrakzm_I5S3R2IhODJ-ib1sFsVFBaVZ2ReI9_5wlKywWhWnmtr1MijDA2IWGzjfgy2QeecFP_tF6Qno8sO40/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAxiIrFp2M7SxC8Nor3_1WOBdcmQphkYxVUK7WZnYUSDGiTFOKZftVFUnLc2_Ac0cjulPsRPKLStTGpP5gABQb39Tx6A-SYuQp52GVe2DTd5B6B40rNLqkvLRJzwmtyHDBU9nzGgVHzhA/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLv9HKEK4eCeIF8gIG8MyfZzStPqZXMozD1sOUWD9DFCT0JztuZQEOVXfaFmfwlfWEVpIFvcGNwQ1X4ctMzoGtfwgJgIMzBEmlRFuZpzk-IT2p5Ca-NZZAvU7oTDHpAZWRU_eaMg1las/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Swhf_i84KPUOc-ZRMMOUyH882GxrdW35WXx-XQrJH-pBAH6bvLFI0mYGajl55BT7arE3SbXHYPN-ay8SqOWGJQkbZhwUwsXYqm51h_ETS_jMR72K1rhQyUZ_ULU_P8nrJCzc1rXqR18/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDhF0E5OW-VAyLpJNggCtoiKiKo9h6NdbPnfUGk0iiqCKxGnKPuEy148Mdtnco503EmytxAHv4WWkX8PfxbyyaLK4EEJ4WOIzQZOcvEEXzDga7h5E1cSKzkYyeY-rZxGQIF75rfwo4nI/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDYmS42h5FcHv2Rnxp7renoR6kj8Yl6XJJzS1jMSTTxTbVtGi3ApkampNXA2C6gQvyXUNg-p4OGqiEjn_fSV4WiVNY_0d4l1ftpZGIzYtNUTZz4QAmhVqrmBo3q21oE2fApTgHafPnhMI/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbhFt_wG1cLSLMx28bDhMhU7okGfKy6JUiGF1E8zkctbJAyvEthP-WFt7YQwVSLzR-3d5nYW2QXYZoCOTB0VKqJKKxzKf879o021YihrvLl2G6tadU7hXFSYtB2snZ-ar8sawWbwU-yg/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3E0Zv1DnLxVt-37cSdNgBgVK7dLJ68R-OAPbw_Mblj8hcqxWrhdfOdQ6-HgayIWoZR3_TKDTUI92KjHuJq4VuTID9joB8j5XN6gBSC6y8glLP5m0h6_llhhrdhSR4ZBle17jXAvY_QGw/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghe2-y9A5hwhXiBhLlL5UCwAVdEHQMRorAnBNpr1P1BEzkGxHYLS4fIDjlbROBl8Y8CPPly6_17SOI3a_eP6xmBL6FP5kkkZpNVr15EWdzkHwzbvlcxgWB9hKwAKKrj_fPL_nhHxFLmIY/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPVeW64RFl8RPH6y3rrkjF10kimtBL0X1VZ9HCpkGzsKk0DhTfeKywqUpDrsNu6koLTaOqaB1_TokFGUNPcMnR9dfnKeA93qGxUl5VQ7Yuo_6Doo_3Abc_74DK-J-9FXWixJuSJ-3IwE/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>So this is a very small sample of what I've been working on lately. I have not has a ton of time to blog, but I'll post about some new adventures at the vise real soon.<br><br><br><br><br>Bruce</p>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-58689612542175615322012-01-18T16:48:00.000-08:002012-01-18T16:48:44.940-08:00Visit PA<div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;">Over the weekend (Sunday through Tuesday) I traveled to PA to visit family and friends. Sarah was sick and had to stay home so this was a solo mission. Visiting with my family was a lot of fun and hopefully in spring I will get down again and maybe even do some fishing. My sister and I hung out Monday. We shopped, visited family and relaxed.</div><div class="bloggerplus_image_section"></div><div align="center" class="bloggerplus_image_section" style="clear: both;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiqABVzfjyPH87YqceWnXfFcEpRkPBZq3eMHXp90dxOihLCcYIo2pheL6P7VKOLeKyKbpXDEPaB2D2Lzk_cDINQtV5afCVVeDPgJaaKpIpfqi9MXkGJKA7HrjThuTLN8cg0Jfz0jBqhg/" /></div><div class="bloggerplus_image_section"></div><div align="center" class="bloggerplus_image_section" style="clear: both;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVRluBn1ys_D62Me-yxT6oTyVYN0Lmi0d_SoL3pJVGV-gUZNqw_4sLVYBirr9TqsTk6shHmZlmyWYF6TtV2JAdenpDpcYAn4199NOZvlUTmGee8zvCesfgPGKkomvDYT7T1Y3HekKqnYY/" /></div><div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;">I saw some friends Brian and Chris. Chris helped me with my big "project" and I am very grateful for all his help. We also stopped at Cabelas and can you believe they did not have a fly box I wanted to see. They also did not have the holster Chris was looking for - this, my friends, is funny.<br />
</div><div class="bloggerplus_image_section"></div><div align="center" class="bloggerplus_image_section" style="clear: both;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUExu9EtgfiqLRW4LRtHv_07dzTx-zMb2BixWfDGtJ-t-Q5RsmsOyM1bfUA6-1Bz1d03BGgIV2iHch23O_8c-uUJS4i2NLlZEHXONswG_RN0Zn0CshPDfaKzHqbpiUzNb3eVZKyN4Bbmw/" /></div><div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;">I got to see and spend time with my parents, which is always good. Mom cooked too much (I'm still full - thanks mom) and dad and I talked work, house projects, weather and life. They both filled me in on town stuff. These visits are a lot of fun because there is no real plan just visit and relax. Oh - and play with their dog Charlie! He is a fun little (big now) black Cocker Spaniel.</div><div class="bloggerplus_image_section"></div><div align="center" class="bloggerplus_image_section" style="clear: both;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Pn2f0DxAbNG9H8bmKJiBKp1Gu5p25b9EIyD5gtIogUfATaaBXK-lOZDZEYSn0uZMbc8YeIkhoCQWWVuiyrAL1gMj7Ux_BIaFB9f0u72WekVdSYIjSJhB6lN6AUfK7oZbIfxW2Qe6b2k/" /></div><div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;">On my way out of town, along with the normal cases of beer (we can't get Yuengling in MA), shoofly pie, eggs, childhood pictures and fishing gear, there was one last thing to pick up - Sarah's grandparents bedroom set. The I hauled the car and the set home!</div><div class="bloggerplus_image_section"></div><div align="center" class="bloggerplus_image_section" style="clear: both;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp3DiU_6lKm1vybTPE-BEuOsVAnqg8cLOpkLbxapAwDvTZHKT7V_Wstqwb-sNqJaL1qtvPG8pfoux6_M32O7jBpRNsj155bXr24B0AB7MEjEqmhTpbCCM5onj4alHS8JJNOB6uUOxTI4s/" /></div><div class="bloggerplus_image_section"></div><div align="center" class="bloggerplus_image_section" style="clear: both;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdlUFf2hOV2LRb1e2l6wYn8bigP6hrJ_DigogA2__5Eab9TlshFqhiNWEkFmWdUr_2xJZ_vXvVibh7qjP5-CEdS5pbX190dxCdsUfqzS9kWp5sp77_ZwY8NHsbz7nbsc3xwZdyA5Yvyw/" /></div><div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;">So all in all it was a full trip. Guess what I forgot to buy? My PA fishing license. This is my reason to get back again. Thanks for reading and there will be more info on that reel in a later post (remember it's the year of the bass)<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;">Bruce</div>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-57374245717379670842012-01-17T11:29:00.000-08:002012-01-17T11:30:15.345-08:00Paused.Regularly scheduled programming has been put on hold ...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUCgDoJQAXCusfKIXK_MNsUuy0NVVjLjDZolAdDJa0SO0CkqZfrtMa1xKPenqdcO_UBvI7oNHSK0iVriPM3qJS5y4M1mBmftroNZ1i_Gj1O1-UrfqOqrpv8bdbzO1WGK1nRgJSf2qUoWO/s1600/-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUCgDoJQAXCusfKIXK_MNsUuy0NVVjLjDZolAdDJa0SO0CkqZfrtMa1xKPenqdcO_UBvI7oNHSK0iVriPM3qJS5y4M1mBmftroNZ1i_Gj1O1-UrfqOqrpv8bdbzO1WGK1nRgJSf2qUoWO/s640/-1.jpg" width="477" /></a></div><br />
... because Bruce is currently busy. :)<br />
<br />
He'll explain later.<br />
<br />
xo<br />
sarahSarah @ Preaching In Pumpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17692318075255368895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-87306445463703162262012-01-04T20:24:00.001-08:002012-01-04T20:24:22.055-08:00Saltwater tying <p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>I don't have much to say in this post, but wanted to show some of the patterns I have been working on for the upcoming striped bass season. Trout flies offer their own challenges but my core group of trout flies are simple. At this point I can quickly restock boxes for spring trout, but saltwater flies are new and exciting! Unlike trout I have no idea what will work for me in the salt so I am relying recommendations from others, fly shops and even a local guide. So enough talk here is a sample of my most recent work.</p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFVWptS8wAzkzlUBc0e4FE-GNWTuurQr4Itarga35Yq_raEHC0CToWp0b86WW6ByeTvP6g9xP3GFGjdhOEgiuslblnlvA9ZeimxiD_zgCjVxZJivkPAKiO7-rHLJR3po7vy0Qt0jgShw/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6l04qnPkq7Yf7Zy36TWyFT82up7z_kayCvDxh0WxVWcZ68Z5gofhCb53J0a_t2a_ZhpY1hyYiJEdcHuHUYTORcTJyg0o4Y1SbqSqXu04xQJnTtldIN4J5bcmukrKmPAN0wyA5NpgYq7k/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcGDj8Gb8lLU1Rof6xc2oErZ76Q9-pZjkvp7rQvuxmvrlz-u8OZhZAWarMUlVAj4ezJvxEkV-vMWm572fc-0kFz0zZwTUfZjdUTBbBD3kC_0jBXZTmXa7v_DzuhSTNqH4D8znjr8vpxC0/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiXqNE9S_6eSLsBSXc_UXTf1vlST_fsRoQQaZuk_b79NMzOSiXu871YLakSCteGiT3t42t72mzjkcGco4CPMkMRbYXevnThNKNp_M5wOxhaXyUkssRlKEFUCkeYCwWuL60S-MY-XKRQtU/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyYC47ES781Vai8i5g1R0YJeLOc9d1JeVj3Ltge8KELlOn_jis-x9rb_jEZlWMppQQR3Btm2Wi8tGL6NSJLXAUDryzT_bifeXoXN-MSWOjYoeipwRBcEK36QfYQRi-Fe7cGDiHOOZvknY/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATs2wAaHaJlKyUmbmsm78FFROrLI5EgAWq3mhfoYNkk5ejdxwiQMeMb5GsAJfpVXYeX21-QThMYKzZ9PEhyphenhyphenx09P7zbl8uSb48U-cQzkI9B-dPFU4BC2kPWQ99fXV-Jm_By4BbOthDxjw/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_sectionset_section'><div class='default_setctionset_2' style='clear:both;'><div style='clear:both;'><div>Bruce</div></div></div></p>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-12902049951979301122011-12-31T14:38:00.001-08:002011-12-31T20:54:17.664-08:002012 the year of the bass?<div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;">
So I'm not giving up on trout in the new year. Trout fishing around here is just not as abundant as some of the other local fisheries, but I do think I'll do more trout fishing in 2012 then I did last year.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJf9d2z4k3Oa-wYoDy0uUSieBJShLi_ZIDJnohYUlbKBZtoABbj6mvS8oAiVEYg3vKCkw0foiwtGv410RQiX1vtOBvwHgOJo633WMmC4GJ0reBH_iiAQusty6AWsWSOWiYErWQJD5jdSk/s1600/Video+26+0+00+00-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJf9d2z4k3Oa-wYoDy0uUSieBJShLi_ZIDJnohYUlbKBZtoABbj6mvS8oAiVEYg3vKCkw0foiwtGv410RQiX1vtOBvwHgOJo633WMmC4GJ0reBH_iiAQusty6AWsWSOWiYErWQJD5jdSk/s640/Video+26+0+00+00-14.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The biggest fish of 2011 and she was a porker brown. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;">
That being said, I have found a new love for catching bass - bass of all shapes and sizes. This year I will be targeting them even more with the fly rod then I did last year. Sarah and I are already saving up for kayaks and with them should come even more reasons to take a fly rod or two. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUbJTtrLxVyG9ghKnzt_SVjt1IjV9jKJ-saND3_sA6QiNGVSRLuJ11XVnNBsqsOyk4ZIV9DubSlRiJKJhWSMHHBDKI_h0vynhk0DeQDl7lHeYifjI4E8kzt1jWCu-HmpQcuUsYn20tT8/s1600/Video+13+0+00+01-20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUbJTtrLxVyG9ghKnzt_SVjt1IjV9jKJ-saND3_sA6QiNGVSRLuJ11XVnNBsqsOyk4ZIV9DubSlRiJKJhWSMHHBDKI_h0vynhk0DeQDl7lHeYifjI4E8kzt1jWCu-HmpQcuUsYn20tT8/s640/Video+13+0+00+01-20.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With a little help from this guy and some of the my co-workers I hope to make 2012 full of fish like that.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
Bass fishing is also opening up some new doors in the fly tying world as well. From foam and cork poppers to five minute epoxies and deer hair bugs - these big and exciting flies pose new challenges in tying, casting and fishing. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A small sample of the new flies I'm tying.</td></tr>
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Last - and most importantly - bass are readily available everywhere. They are available where we are located near a couple ponds, as well as multiple brackish water ponds and rivers. This means large mouth and stripped bass are right out my back door! So with the challenges these fish bring both on the water and at the vise I am simply going to fish to them more. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not to mention the occasional boat trip on the bay.</td></tr>
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Hopefully 2012 will be full of these colors!<br />
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Happy New Year<br />
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Bruce</div>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-61834482058926877092011-12-25T20:09:00.001-08:002011-12-25T20:09:16.374-08:00Merry Christmas <p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>So I have not been the best blogger lately. Maybe my new years resolution should be to blog more. Well this post is to show I am alive and I will be posting some of what I have been tying lately. <br><br>As for tonight I just wanted to say Merry Christmas and I promise to post before new year.<br><br>Oh lastly look at what my wonderful wife got me for Christmas. It has been on my wish list for a while now.</p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4hNYMKOS6tKH6AUNe8bhtbdii0OzWTY_EIUmtrw9TIJAuWQtaBkRvbZhrTCu-8NMIoAXCl8IW5V_3iyj87KO6Kyb_6Fu7FZWWjRw32OOWAM-ViQAakgV4YL2fcJuoMBrHx42lC47vI8A/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_sectionset_section'><div class='default_setctionset_2' style='clear:both;'><div style='clear:both;'><div>Bruce</div></div></div></p>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-30866301913868155052011-11-17T15:10:00.001-08:002011-11-17T15:10:01.975-08:00A good start. <p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' ><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYY7VSIbb_T0RAjR8M_Ni0bEqtj5CTO4os3pfp0i6AWDFvogNXY4h1tvCZaR1II5G3IE4nU27_O17M-73qRVVdX_TXhGXsl6gJsb3HmiBJGsqljXrgmRNMtfv4bMrQ-8I10hy97BCs6js/' ></img></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left'>I have a few minutes for a quick post so here we go. I am on my lunch break but felt the urge to share this mornings action with my fellow fishing addicts. Knowing I had to work at 10 I dragged myself out of bed early to hit my trout pond. <br><br>As I pulled up to the pond and slid into my waders I noticed the water looked disturbed. There were trout just under the surface and they were feeding. I set up a midge larva just like last week and got fishing. <br><br>It was not long before I landed two trout. I had a couple blue gills take the fly as well. After making my 4 or 5 last casts I packed it up and headed to work. It makes the day go by a little faster knowing I caught fish that same day. I feel luck having a pond on my way to work and hope to use it till it freezes!<br><br>Bruce</p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' ><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIZsiD0y5zeSB8TjZUJTfzCHpN6UMwtC9MXHj5dEdOcoIvwKdZyDkIkifkPB3a0DNa4yrm-1ddXCZdnKk13FNJLMrFK2WqKwOXYRhkWDHgPhW8MwKPrvG3qL3WyZmSbNgSvv5eTvSnSo/' ></img></div></p>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-58023705488711200062011-11-15T20:35:00.001-08:002011-11-16T06:28:55.278-08:00A Productive Week<div class="bloggerplus_image_section"></div><div align="center" class="bloggerplus_image_section"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEify4QCqnhoudc9A1-GkkZy2jNab4zO29cExPrr5nf3aql8pEPRR441IMUKQT1kREsw8BfwkvRMkQyE_uDBEo96xPM6a6sgF7sB-cMz0evoFgqCrEetj9-cToIrc85beQtf0RMH-XiYpmg/" /></div><div class="bloggerplus_image_section"></div><div align="center" class="bloggerplus_image_section"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeBo2zxT4ZJPK0HZRb290GDQ18cnR0U1lAcNf1ndU9dMRIbBNg3vcAxfsM3MmUxx_rrwT0Gpbu5mh-Jrw_Xv1pyaEQnisul7gKFsElei4aSsAsU4yhQunwSfUDg99yU0Oe5MerTW6_mjs/" /></div><div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section">Last week was a big week for me on the water. The local pond(that's right pond I'll explain that in a later post) I had been fishing finally produced some fish. I brought two nice rain bows to hand and helped two friends with theirs. My bows came on midge larva along with one other my friend/coworker Dan caught.<br />
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Then there was Sunday I met Bob(he is also a coworker and works in the fly shop with me) in Plymouth at a kettle pond. I have never fished in an ecosystem like this before. It is a really unique and intriguing kind of fishing. These ponds have light or white sand bottoms and are spring fed. The edged can be wades and that makes it a little easier to fly fish. The stocked ones have good trout fishing in spring and fall.<br />
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So Bob and I decided to meet up and fish. The problem we were faced with was the windiest day of the week. I hooked up with one but it shook me lose. So as the sun was setting I thought we'd be skunked, when I noticed Bobs' rod was doubled over. He was hooked up and it looked like a good fish. As it was getting dark Bob reached down and pulled up a large male rainbow. It was a beautiful fish and I was content to let the night end with this guy. </div><div class="bloggerplus_image_section"></div><div align="center" class="bloggerplus_image_section"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpHBfE8q3kw_tqFaHgC2Wnmr7JFsb21qwbywHbbpOPueCGnaDENsnY6E7TFEkZUwKpP6yyngnLEuVtk5LtsOlsomL6YFYeVeibXHx-NIVGkBMK4SU1egammX5Z4VywFebDg_-prpTl-Y/" /></div>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-9614752897435721432011-11-11T18:49:00.001-08:002011-11-11T18:49:47.651-08:00Results are in! <p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left'>This was my first give away of what I think will be many (it might be monthly or bimonthly) but it was not perfect. I was not specific as to which post to comment on and people commented on two. This is okay because I just looked at the time and date stamps on the comments to make my list. <br><br>This is the list:<br>1) <a href='http://fishing-catchingchronicles-troutmagee.blogspot.com/?m=1' target='_self'>Trout Magee</a><br>2) <a href='http://www.unluckyhunter.com/?m=1' target='_self'>Tim</a><br>3) <a href='http://fishwithkev.blogspot.com/' target='_self'>Kev2380</a><br>4) <a href='http://azwanderings.com/' target='_self'>AZWanderings</a><br>5) <a href='http://smallstreamreflections.blogspot.com/' target='_self'>Brk Trt</a><br>6) <a href='http://finfollower.com/' target='_self'>Fin Follower</a><br>7) Manual of Man<br>8) <a href='http://shesamaniyak.com/' target='_self'>Shes a maniyak</a><br>9) <a href='http://www.outdooress.com/' target='_self'>Rebecca</a><br><br>Thanks all of you for reading and commenting on my blog. Much like <a href='http://www.outdoorbloggernetwork.com/' target='_self'>OBN</a> I used Random.org to pick my winner for me. Also I like how they posted pictures of the results. So here you go. <br><br>The winner is number four <a href='http://azwanderings.com/' target='_self'>AZWanderings.</a> Sorry the results were not at 7 when I said they would be but there was a service I needed to attend tonight. </p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' ><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZbFS5rNUL20_XckHAoKtg_R0hAzDSZzdy-SwqFR3pk_DVN_uhgrkGnCaGkhIIGuYcF21J7ZcvR3FBRI13DxJh9vAuL5soGv_a2JB5D_pDDgATXyH0Fx-7oBBv43azSuVn8Mb00gTOa8/' ></img></div></p>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-7215496582430732582011-11-10T06:04:00.001-08:002011-11-10T06:04:04.882-08:00Last Chances <p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left'>So there is only a little time left to get your name in for the fly box give away. I will pick a winner tomorrow at 7pm. The box has gotten a few additions this weeks as it has been sitting next to me vise. I have made a couple muddler minnows, some midge larva, and a couple buggers. At this point this box is stream ready so if you have not commented please do so. <br><br>Thanks for reading along. <br><br>Bruce</p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' ><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOBOBsA1HGHMKUIv2VBm0_9kQzVu55cuTDtsOnX3QJirgC3ZD5NdsYpGF66U5yfkXG8Cv83kC33pr-NJkd99ie6srxJZZH-TBaJZxWnH5PHs6VnaUnJ4r_Zj9x8yvhJyiJ39so4LyJD1M/' ></img></div></p>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-69453552931496877552011-11-07T19:39:00.000-08:002011-11-07T19:39:19.837-08:00Monday Off<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been lucky enough to have Sundays and Mondays off since starting my job. Sarah works a lot including Sunday but has been trying to take Mondays off. So we try to do something on Mondays weather it is cleaning the house, going to Plymouth, getting up early to watch the sunrise or any number of other things. Well today we were both shot from a long week and a long weekend so we slept in and then relaxed all morning. I starting getting antsy around 11 or so I made lunch and with Sarah reading I decided to go hit the water for a little while. I thought maybe I could find a late season bass or two but with only a couple light hits I decided to go to the shallows and look for pickerel. <div>
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They were near the top soaking up the sun but that made them spooky. So with lots of frustration after scaring a bunch of pickerel and the fact that at 3:30 pm the sun was starting to set I headed to one last cove near the road. I set up and started to look for places that a pick could sit and wait to ambush a bait fish. After making a good cast with a light landing I gave a couple strips and saw the wake moving toward my muddler minnow. I kept my retrieve cadence the same and then it happened. Pickerel have one of the fastest takes in fresh water. When someone says lightening fast I do not think of lightening because you can see lightning, I think of a pickerel finishing a strike. The strike happened and I set the hook hard after a head shake I knew I was hooked up. </div>
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Pickerel have a fast, aggressive and often times violent attack followed by a big head shake. I am told the bigger fish will continue to fight hard but the smaller guys tend to give in after the head shake. Today I took an old fiber glass rod (its like a wet noodle) and an old Martin reel so that added to the fun of the fight. This fish was about 13 or 14 inches but it too gave in pretty quick. Once I got it on the canoe I understood why. It had a hook in its mouth where it had taken someone rig from earlier this summer. The hook was pretty rusted but did not snap when I gave it a light tug. So I trimmed the extra mono back as far as I could and told this little guy to be careful as I released him back to his weeds. To put a great end to the night before Sarah had to go to work she read me a section of her book that had us both crying in laughter on the couch. So not a bad Monday off if I do say so myself. </div>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-84021657513831685632011-11-04T21:18:00.001-07:002011-11-04T21:18:20.496-07:00Give Away <p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left'>This is a friendly reminder that a week from today I will be picking a winner for my first give away. Another fun fact is that I will continue to put tried and true patterns in the box until I ship it out. <br><br>Last post I did not have many pictures or a good description of the box the winner will receive. This box is straight from work and it is a really nice looking box. This box is a White River Raise (Bass Pro Fly brand). It has the slit foam so you are not ripping it when you remove flies. Along with the slit foam this box has a built in threading system as well. It is olive or forest green and has room for close to 200 flies if you use every slit plus the threaders.<br><br>Okay well depending on how this give away goes I might buy something else from work and give it away as well. Here are some pictures and let's keep those comments coming!</p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' ><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfArtlOk-2gI_VjLzpNdNiUaIMsYQ_MDJD-WDrLZb2brdM_54OpjHCbXILRBMFjji3nD6qiQyURrob1ctLMQnkeAZECqtMtzMcC19OM8psnyqe_SPoHNKz2OOokAhglF-luKrfSXf9pwk/' ></img></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' ><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfJGX0i_Cqld2UaUeP4qXRE2hwSZRqdwOWtifDyajxXkIgDKM6kMAQZs47jI8HIJZIkBp6Ia-BNTD-oNCc3BWpkTsMUHMkUXlNID8YhAXmdwsesRjUBbxcP2Q9f2nzNQERTTQOzSYpZo/' ></img></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' ><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKiIVTUcAyDdDNx8OopsHO0nRRx_7y4VoXRwwz3rpOLRVmrLte75IHBfGlsKpIU105lCIUVdExYHULn8fD_fG_3roxGJtDR4KgC2omnX7OVaqy9Q7WLOKQm3B1QGgdcHp51-QEi_hzTCc/' ></img></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' ><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9jN5AxnULh4g2PPR9bH6KO6oyCHKbqTVEG7iSQrziIcrirM5FNrXfVtYCF8dH3-xRwbkWpBxX0YHdgNBJSDyKujD7qiFOCjea9ht1cVYTVu5Zuaa480Ao_WOi3D4m94mmdeeQ0pOGFM/' ></img></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' ><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9pdKIHAwXWF3rE-oCVD4segO1X6XGbYvrIUbH4lij4p_iw0Clt8tQ9CT0XvbAgelLRAQIkulcE1pbKA0AbHw_sQQ8GkES2iaO55BChJmcCQv5wqK9x1LBWBYXJf71dEcEZuMxxdOoZI/' ></img></div></p>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309425678467194639.post-14269058027268136052011-11-02T10:30:00.001-07:002011-11-02T10:30:17.067-07:00Fly Tying and a Give Away! <p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' ><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5_cfzdwy1c4D0aXprNdCEWo1_3yc_bAgGbQ0NsFMxwsTEK7nrooLxIEClJhTnAXOEjkSonnkvES4btkYa-dkYUQiftSDnOrVlVrmWAaWhd8lVDeNU1LMluEHnvyPr4xZdLzr5pK5zo8/' ></img></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' ><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Ufq34Npu6DjFRI5_gLyJeOkSw-fRlvu7obFnNQh4UsVByERCdgPwW3YOCDN43uPtzfyOacFL5ZbcnG3BvbvjLKENXcNiBP1y_nS9L7DJP5ScY1k-xO8d38ujXs-rbb-HHLyK5gPjfP4/' ></img></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' ><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxcllEZzgbdx84kzpQJpl8hkkQeAbWQU_Mz-X4cjno1QzhP1KhlulVeOj2MjW7x8-HLwFJCdDHRYvIhzqAJSFjTHS-b6BIsmKlPHZETYOzMwGZ4ZTThOWkINzcqEUxiOmcYwdB0pahW4k/' ></img></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left'>Fly tying has been this evolving thing for me over the years and just like fly fishing I am learning that the learning never ends. Lately I have been more and more confident in my tying abilities. On the same note I am working on and improving in the skills I still have troubles with.<br><br>This never ending evolution of skills paired with new materials, new waters and new species are the reasons fly tying is just as addicting to me as the fishing can be sometimes. This past summer I really targeted bass on my fly rod. The hard core trout guys might wrinkle their noses at it but I had a blast starting to learn what makes these large and small jaws tick. With the new fish came bigger hooks and in turn bigger flies. I am now spinning and stacking deer hair bugs. Also with these fish came new streamers and a higher love and respect for bunny strips.<br><br>That is just one example of new and exciting things happening at my tying desk. I am also starting to fish for stripped bass and still would love to land that first carp. All this excitement about fly tying has been pushed further lately with bad weather and cold mornings and nights. <br><br>So this long winded post is leading to something. I am thinking of tying some flies for people but first I am going go give some away. I have been putting some flies in a box all summer and it will be the prize of my first ever give away. The plan is to put is few more flies in it but not fill it. To get in on the give away action just leave a comment and I will use one of those random draw sites to pick a winner from the bunch. The winner will be picked next Friday and the box will be in the mail Saturday morning (if the winner is prompt about getting his or her address to me). <br><br>If it seems like an odd time to get a box of flies think of this. WINTER is coming and a half full box could be a great tying project to get you to spring.<br><br>Lastly I am willing to tie flies for anyone who does not tie their own or sees something on my blog they would like to have in their box. So if you want me to tie some flies for you feel free to send me an email and we will start a conversation about want you want.<br><br>Bruce</p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='center' ><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1apLgshyIspHgGCMeR1-dX-xBR0r43NmWt5A1tMw4nfUC3G9P8uyrBSB_C98b7HPZjP0gaKpmSLnDLNwHIPvej0j4DTNySFPW39LswUbSjVbLkk_BMNjAo3Z4mngS8I63WMOpcjZxI8/' ></img></div></p>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01116074493995969796noreply@blogger.com7