There's No Place Like Home

Back on the job, but not all there yet.

After 8 days in WA, We returned to this...

JUNEAU BOROUGH AND NORTHERN ADMIRALTY ISLAND-
INCLUDING...JUNEAU
400 PM AST FRI FEB 8 2008

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 12 PM
AST MONDAY...
.TONIGHT...INCREASING CLOUDS. BREEZY. LOWS 5 BELOW TO 3 ABOVE
ZERO...EXCEPT AROUND 9 BELOW IN WIND SHELTERED AREAS. EAST WIND
25 MPH...WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH LATE. NEAR DOWNTOWN JUNEAU AND
DOUGLAS...NORTH WIND 35 MPH INCREASING TO 50 MPH LATE WITH WIND
GUSTS UP TO 65 MPH. WIND CHILL TO 35 BELOW ZERO.
.SATURDAY...SNOW...WINDY. SNOW ACCUMULATION 8 TO 12 INCHES. HIGHS
12 TO 18. EAST WIND 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 40 MPH...EXCEPT
NORTH 50 MPH WITH GUSTS AROUND 65 MPH NEAR DOWNTOWN JUNEAU AND
DOUGLAS. WIND CHILL TO 35 BELOW ZERO IN THE MORNING. CHANCE OF
SNOW 100 PERCENT.
.SATURDAY NIGHT...SNOW...WINDY. SNOW ACCUMULATION 6 TO 12 INCHES.
LOWS 9 TO 19. EAST WIND 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 40 MPH.
CHANCE OF SNOW 100 PERCENT.

Sweet, no?

At any rate, the Fly Fishing Show was a blast. We did our part to get the word out about the Pebble Mine, with a lot of help from Whitey and KC. A few of the folks that came by the Sportsman's Alliance booth were even Neil Creek readers - wow, all three of you in the same place - and it was good to meet you folks. Jab, if you still want the Echo, email me...

Thanks again to Timbo and Hed for letting me do the show, Señor Rajeff for the Fine Indian Cuisine, Jay J for the line advice, and the Yakima Fly guys for a humorous night. If We forgot to thank you, it means you need to do more next year...ok, just kidding.

Post-Bellevue, the Traveling Roadshow and Beer Fountain teamed up with the Chief Angler for the Inaugural Semi-Annual Piscine Biathlon, an event so controversial that we had to stage the first one in a rainforest far, far away.

We are not quite through editing the footage, but let's just say that fish were hooked, firsts were achieved, beer was consumed, rivers were caressed, deals were made, and formerly long-haired guides yelled epithets at such high volume that local folks will be flockin' to churches come Sunday. When we get everything sorted, we will post a travelogue, but for now, we think this image sums it up nicely.



Stay tuned.

On the Road Again

Off again, this time for 3 days in an 8'x12' booth in the Meydenbauer center, for the Bellevue, WA version of The Flyfishing Show, where for the 2nd year in a row we will be donating our time and tongue to the Sportsman's Alliance for Alaska, fighting the good fight to save Bristol Bay from silly Canadians and their mining companies. Just because you screwed up your country is no excuse to mess up the greatest rainbow trout fishery in the world, eh?

After the flyshow, it's off to the OP for some fishin' time with Rathbun...word around the campfire is that he's a fishy kid, so we're doubly stoked - Steel, and a predatory partner to chase them with. Things just haven't been the same since the Fanz went to Thailand and Sri Lanka for the winter...

At any rate, if y'all can remember to feed the fish for us, and maybe let the dog out once or twice, that would be good. We'll be back in no time.

Later, Baiters.

Apologies all 'Round

Things have been hectic around the Neil Creek Compound as of late...

With travel plans finalized and fishing schedules being worked out, we came to the realization that the "play and travel" days far outnumber the "work and toil" days for the next 2 months. A good thing if the 9 to 5 grind is your scene, but bad news if deadlines are to be met, as ours are.

Writing is best accomplished in a minimal-stress, relaxed environment. Ideal settings include after a day of summer fishing, or a lazy afternoon spent daydreaming and typing.

Winter, however free of distractions it may seem, is NOT the stress-free, ideal setting for undamming the flow of creative juices. Especially if someone else is paying you for your knowledge, experience, and perceived writing ability. Winter is a small, dark place of indeterminate length, a cramped, cold environment that limits the flow of the juices, so to speak.

With the Wife off to another "seal-squeezer" conference and the dog installed in front of the pellet stove, this last week was as distraction-free as any we were going to see in the near future, and in order to vacation and play with a clear conscience, we did what was necessary. We wrote, often feverishly, and often into the wee hours of the morning. Final tally...on the level of 10,000 finished words since last sunday. Not to mention the attendant research. The rewriting, the reprhasing, the final editing...

We're worded out.

Sorry. We didn't leave any time for you.

But we strive to make things right again. All this writing is not going to waste, really. It will be part of an Alaska Fly Fishing site that will launch around April...more details to come.

At any rate, We are back from our self-imposed exile. It is still only 8° outside, and there ain't any fish to catch, but dammit, only 64 days and counting.



Word.

Breakfast of Champions, v2.0

While Wings and a Latte might be the most satisfying breakfast duo since Bugs and Elmer, these fine noshables have waaay too much fat for the average fella to eat on a routine basis unless engaged in strenuous activity for at least, say, 15 hours a day. Every day.

Being that it IS winter, and the only thing we do strenuously for 15 hours a day is sleep, there really isn't any justification for the Wing Thang. Sure, a fella needs protein...Yeah, that latte tastes good, too... But not being able to fit into our waders come spring would sorta suck, you know?

So what's the solution, you ask?

Top Ramen. It's not just for poor college kids anymore.

Long the butt of many dorm jokes, Top Ramen shines in the post-academic arena as the versatile base layer for all sorts of culinary wizardry. Our personal breakfast favorite is Chicken base with an egg, some cilantro, a little ginger, a smattering of scallions, a few Thai Chiles and a skosh of nước mắm (that's fish sauce for you white devils)...Instant phở.

Noodles, you say? Uh-huh. For breakfast, even? Yup. Couple hundred calories, a little fat and some sodium, and just the right amount of protein all swimming happily in a hot spicy broth. Who needs a latte when you have capsaicin? All of this in only 5 minutes, too.

Gaze upon the Breakfast of Champions, mortals, and let it be known...

7 for a Dollar at A&P.

Places You Haven't Been #477

SouthEast AK is a pretty big place, geographically speaking. 8 really big islands, 20 or so just plain big islands, and about 1,000 other, smaller islands make for a lot of fishing area. Toss in the accompanying mainland coastline, and that fishable area gets a whole lot bigger. There is so much water to fish, so many flows to explore, that we seriously doubt a person could fish them all in a single lifetime.

While we would certainly relish the challenge, there are some flows that are so epic that a fella can't help but return year after year. We ain't exactly sure why we are drawn back to these places, as some are an enormous logistical bitch to get in and out of, but whatever the reason we return like a fool to folly.

Last year we got the chance to return to one of the epic flows of Southeast, this time in the company of Big B, Cap'n K, and BeeGee. 4 guys with flyrods, a lot of beer, some cigars, and 9 hours on a Mainland stream makes for a pretty good time. Toss in some hefty fish and a beer-fueled game of rod tube baseball, and you have all of the trappings of a hell of a fun trip.

Capn K and a dance partner.



One of many.



An unexpected guest.



Ever since we saw that German dude with the Seychelles bone, we been wantin' to do a parody of that shot...some might get it, others not.



Did we mention Beer?



Waitin' for the Plane.




Waiting for the spring...75 days and counting.

Fish Widget

It's gonna be a long winter, so don't let the damn fish die.
Feed 'em by mousing over and clicking.



Thanks. Can you let the dog out too?

Now if someone could just come up with a widget like this that would allow us to practice our E-casting, that would be sweet...

Waiting...

82 days.

82 days to ready the gear, the mind, and the soul.

82 days of waiting for the snow and ice to retreat for another year.

82 days until we can celebrate the return of the spring Dollies.

82 days.

Soon.