Yesterday, Terri and I went north about five miles to Olalla for a couple of hours of fly fishing. Down the stairs near Al’s Market (now closed – hopefully only temporarily) and then along the beach. We hoped to catch the outgoing tide so we arrived near the lower high…

Marabou is a feather used in fly-tying. Primarily used as wings or tails – and around here it’s the most common tail for saltwater streamers , its soft consistency gives it lifelike movement when the fly is retrieved through the water. Marabou originally came from an African stork of the…

Reading an essay by Tom McGuane is always a pleasure. This one, from The Longest Silence (published 2001), is about how people choose fly rods. What should seem to be a logical process mostly isn’t. EVERY FLY FISHERMAN has an unreasoning view of fly rods; and I am no different….

The COVID-19 virus has shattered the health and wealth of the American people. Over 30 million have filed for unemployment benefits, 70,000 of our citizens are dead, and there is no end in sight. And ominously, a Trump administration model estimates 3,000 daily dead by June. The majority of people…

It’s been a while since I’ve made a post related to fly fishing. The reason is simple: there is no fly fishing in Washington right now. Recreational fishing is closed until May 4th. I’m watching videos about fly fishing in tropical locations and tying flies. Working on some new flies…

I’ve watched a number of news reports on the challenges people face while living under stay-at-home directives. It is indeed difficult to live in close proximity to other people (even loved family members) for extended periods. But after serving in the US submarine force, I believe there are rules to…

(*Daniel Defoe’s A Journal of the Plague Year was published in 1722. It recounts the experiences of one man during the Bubonic Plague in London in the year 1665). If nothing else, the COVID-19 pandemic highlights how we perceive the dynamic nature of time and events. And it will certainly…

Harry Smith, formerly of CBS News and currently with NBC News, reported on a trip to Alaska where he covered the controversy of the Pebble Mine. This was no puff piece or a screed. His reporting demonstrated clearly the costs to the land, waters, and fish that would result if…

Last night while driving to an appointment I heard Rachel Maddow on Sirius satellite radio discuss a November 2016 article by Masha Gessen related to the forthcoming Trump presidency. Gessen is a Russian-American journalist who has written extensively about Russia under Vladimir Putin. She took both Hillary Clinton and Barack…

I came across this post on fish scales (rigid plates that provide protection for the fish). While that may sound like a topic of interest only to an ichthyologist, this is about the aesthetic of fish scales. They are absolutely beautiful. In a world of climate change and climate-change denial…