Fishing for Solace

You owe it to yourself to read this excerpt from David Kinney's The Big One.

Wendy Jenkinson always let her husband, Patrick, join the Vineyard's big fishing derby. But then she got sick. Could it ever be the same for him? LINK (Via:The Boston Globe)

For those of you not familiar with Kinney's book, it is a behind the scenes look at the annual Martha's Vineyard Stiriper and Bluefish Derby. The book's cover shot is Patagonia Fly Fishing Ambassador Dave Skok's. who is a two time winner and the only fly fisheman in the sixty year history to win the grand prize.

Grown men have cried over the derby. They have ignored their wives for week after week, sleepwalked through work day after day, stayed up all night long, skipped out on their jobs altogether, drawn unemployment, burned through every last day of their vacation time, downed NoDoz and Red Bull and God knows what else. They have spied on their rivals and lied to their friends. They have told off strangers and cheated like lowlife bums. If you believe the conspiracy theorists, they have prosecuted bogus charges of rules breaking to get their adversaries tossed from the competition. People have died fishing the thing.

Martha’s Vineyard is renowned for its exclusive shoreline and celebrity inhabitants, but each September, after the tourists clear out, thousands of fishermen take back the beaches to compete in the island’s annual striped bass and bluefish derby, a madcap contest that pits plumbers against investment bankers, schoolkids against senior citizens, and natives against newcomers in a round-the-clock hunt for a great fish.

Island immortality is at stake, and history has proven that anyone can win it: teenage girls, dozing fishermen, complete amateurs.

LINK

Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks Studios has picked up the film rights to The Big One, and is working with producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (the duo behind Transformers) to bring it to the screen.

LINK

Learning from The Masters

 

From yesterday's inbox.

The Fly Shop is excited to announce that we will again be hosting Dec Hogan’s Spey Casting and Fishing Clinics on the Sacramento River in Redding in April.

Each daily clinic is held on-the-water on the Sacramento River near Redding, and will be split into a morning and an afternoon session, with lunch provided in between. The morning session will focus on the fundamentals of two-handed casting techniques, while the afternoon session is dedicated to actual fishing applications that anglers encounter when fishing with Spey rods. This is a great opportunity for any student of spey casting, or anglers interested in targeting steelhead, sea-trout, or Atlantic Salmon on the fly, to learn from one of the true masters of fly fishing with the two-handed rod.

The cost for the full-day casting and fishing clinic is $250 per person, which includes lunch. The clinics will be held on Saturday, April 4, and Sunday, April 5. There will be a maximum of 6 rods per class, so sign up now to guarantee yourself a spot.

If you are interested in signing up for either of the two full-day casting and fishing clinics, contact Michael Caranci at The Fly Shop at 800-669-3474, or michael@theflyshop.com.

A Steelheader's Way

 “Lani Waller has
drawn on long experience and a deep love of steelhead to write a book
that few steelheaders will want to be without.” --Thomas McGuane

“Lani Waller has
a passion for these beautiful creatures that comes across on every page.
And Bob Hooton brings a thorough approach to the science.” ---Yvon
Chouinard, Patagonia, Inc.

“Waller . . . sees,
feels, and writes about [steelhead] more deeply and colorfully than
any person I know. Beginner or expert, you will not be able to put this
book down until you’ve read every single word.” --Dave Whitlock

Steelhead legend Lani
Waller covers the essential elements of fishing for trophy steelhead
with prose as beautiful and surprising as the fish themselves. The blend
of how-to and why-to not only captures the essence of these elusive
fish but also uncovers what it takes to consistently bring them to hand.
Waller shares his techniques for swinging wets and waking dry flies,
including proper approach, presentation, and his favorite fly patterns,
both classic and contemporary. Chapters on hunting trophies, equipment,
casting, and conservation provide readers with a life’s worth of wisdom
learned from his time on the water.

  Waller
brings along some of his friends to help contribute to the book. Steelhead
expert Bob Hooton’s chapter on steelhead biology is a concise overview
of the steelhead’s life cycle, biology, and behavior; artist Dave
Hall illustrates Waller’s swinging techniques; and photographer Ken
Morrish’s stunning images capture the magic of the fish and the rivers
they ascend each year. This all-star cast of steelhead fanatics has
created a classic book that honors the fish as well as those who chase
them, whether in the Pacific Northwest of United States, the wilderness
streams of British Columbia, or the hundreds of tributaries that run
into the Great Lakes.

LINK

A Trout Bum's Guide to Patagonia

Although Patagonia is becoming an increasingly popular world
destination for fly-fishermen, there is a conspicuous lack of
information available to anglers on this remote area. Until now.

Barrett Mattison and Evan Jones have spent several seasons
independently fishing and exploring the entirety of Argentine Patagonia
(an area roughly the size of Montana and California combined), and in
this book they share everything you need to know before embarking on
the adventure of a lifetime.

LINK (Via: Far Away Fly Fishing)

Maybe Barrett and Evan should apply for the Trout Bum Seal of Approval from the tweed bag police?