Slowdown, Relax, And FISH!

Slowdown, Relax, and FISH!  That's my advice to all you.  I know that you didn't as for my advice but I'm giving it to you anyway.  Step away from the everything that crowds your day and find time to fish.

The other day I got home from a trip I took my own advice.  I dropped my stuff right inside the front door, grabbed my fly rod, and hit the pond. This is only the second such trip for me in as many months due to the heat and the snakes and it has been far to long.
Now with the kids back at school and the temperatures coming back to levels more tolerable I feel the tug of a gill on the line bringing me back.  Even the snakes have started to come out of their aggressive mood and retreat back into the tall grass.

For my trip to the pond on this overcast day, I started off like I usually do with a few fancy flies and buck tail streamers.  Unable to hook into any of the still lethargic fish I again grab one of my Junkyard Wood Dowel bass bug and gave it a few casts.  Once again this little bug strikes hard.

I don't know what it is about this little bug but the bass really love it.  I have caught big bass and small bass, bream, sunfish and crappy on this little guy and it is now my go-to little bug.  Today the big boys stayed away down deep in the cool waters of the pond but I did manage to hook some young bass that where cruising the grass beds.
After the bass I decided to have a little fun with the small sunfish that were darting back and forth, probably dodging the same bass that had took my wooden dowel.  I tied on a #14 caddis and gave a flick of the fly out to the edge of a small grass bed.  The result was possible the smallest sunfish I have ever got on a fly.  The tinny catch might be considered bait in most circles, and the truth is I have cast larger flies than this guy, but for me it was the most memorable of the day.

The Smallest Sunfish I Have Ever Caught

After a few hours, a few fish, and the falling of a few raindrops, I pack it in and head home happy and my hand smelling life fish.  My wife might not like the smell but for me there is no better proof of a good day on the water than the sweet smell of fish on your hands.  You can get beat down by hassles at work and the endless amount of chores that always need to be done at home but if you take the time to hook into a few fish on a solitary stretch of water, all those stresses seem to disappear for a little while.   My advice: Go out and get that fishy smell on your fingers and enjoy yourself!

Back With A Brown

    After a lengthy absence from the worlds of fishing, blogging, and painting I am back.  When I started this blog I did so with the idea that it would get me out on the water more as well as drive me to do more painting.  It has accomplished both of those key goals better than I could have hoped.  In fact it has done it so well that when the hot weather rolled in and the summer began to fill with one family activity after another, I began to feel that this blog was more of an obligation than a hobby.  I began to resent the fact that I had to do a post or do another painting.  I began to get the feeling that the whole thing was becoming a little less fun.  For a guy that has always enjoyed fishing and painting, this feeling was a sure sign that I had to step back and get some time away from the internet and the self induced pressure of producing fodder for the blog.

    So for all of you that noticed my absence or missed checking out my new paintings on a weekly basis, I have returned.  Hopefully with the temperatures starting to decline I can even get a few fish on the line.
    As for this painting, you can no doubt tell its a fall colored Brown chasing a Caddis nymph.  I painted this the other day for a charity auction being held early next year.  Its a 8x10 watercolor and gouache on cold press paper.  I am told it will be paired with a guided fishing trip down here in the South East.

    As a reminder to those that would like a wall hanger of your own, I am actively looking for new painting projects.  The number one question I am asked when people talk to me about doing a painting for them is 'How much will it set me back?'  As with most art, the price is rarely fixed before a work is created but I can tell you that I try hard to keep it affordable for the average joe.  Its not a Walmart price but things of quality usually don't come at their prices.

    Typically my original works range in price from $110 upwards to around $230 depending on size and subject.  A few larger painting have been priced higher but most of the works I have created for this blog fall between those two prices.
    Now I'm off to the local bass pond for a little flicking of the fly.  Hopefully those big bucket mouths will be eager to test me leader.