Thursday, December 31, 2009

2009 Highlights

I'm no photographer but I have fun taking pictures and making images. Here are a dozen highlight angling photos from 2009. Thanks to all of you for making this past year's fishing season so enjoyable. I'm looking forward to doing it all over again in 2010.


Music by Seahorse Track: All Over Again

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Freeze Up

The 7th Annual Freeze Up will be held on January 3rd, 2010 at the Mousam River in Kennebunk, ME. Fish Stalker Guide Service, maineflyfish.com and Eldredge Brothers Fly Shop host this event. The Freeze Up is a gathering of fly fisherfolk who get together to celebrate the new fishing year. Jim Bernstein and Kevin McKay will be there setting up. The coffee will be on and they'll be cooking breakfast sandwiches for anyone who wants one. Many of the other participants will be offering all types of delicious home cooked grub. There will be a casting competition and the lucky winner will bring home a Scott A2 fly Rod. The Mousam River is a stones throw away from the event pavilion and is full of brown trout and some fat rainbows. This event offers you the chance to catch your first trout of the new year. Bring your gear and some food to share or just show up and enjoy the festivities with this years tribe of participants.

Location - Rogers Pond in Kennebunk, just off Water Street.

Directions - Get off at the I95 Kennebunk exit (North or South) and go into Kennebunk. As you come into town, Water Street runs down the east side of the river. Rogers Pond is on the right just before the road ends. Visit maineflyfish.com for more details.

Photos courtesy of maineflyfish.com and Henry Barber

Monday, December 21, 2009

AVATAR



Avatar is a film that the Way Upstream community might find entertaining this holiday season. James Cameron and a talented team of humans developed an intricately detailed story that takes place on a planet called Pandora which is inhabited by the Navi. The Navi are humanoid with their own language, culture and they posses a deep connection to everything around them. In this story the Navi are being steam rolled by a huge mining operation from Earth that wants a "valuable" mineral deposit sitting right under the land that sustains them. Extraction of this mineral will devastate their way of life forever. Sound familiar? Have a look at this 4 minute film trailer focused on the planet Pandora. Maybe they'll work some of the fish on Pandora into the Avatar sequel.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

A World Without Fish?



Founded by conservation-minded anglers in 1973, the National Coalition for Marine Conservation (NCMC) has been a catalyst for fishery policy change, from a narrow single-species focus on fisheries yields to an ecosystem-based approach that reflects their expanding circle of concern for all marine life. In their efforts to Bring Back the Big Fish, they have evolved their programs to include protecting the prey base. NCMC has just released a two part video series that highlights this predator and prey relationship. These two videos contain some amazing footage of top of the food chain ocean predators (swordfish, billfish, tuna and sharks). They also focus the spotlight on the other end of the food chain (menhaden, herring, sardine, mackerel, squid and krill). To learn more about NCMC visit www.savethefish.org or call (703) 777-0037.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Surf & Inshore Fishing 2009 - I, II & III

Surf & Inshore Fishing 2009 - Part 1 by Peter Laurelli on Vimeo.

Peter Laurelli put together the surf and inshore fly fishing season into a three part series that I think you'll find entertaining. He portrays a host of facets that blend well into a good representation of the coastal fly fishing experience (birds, deer, rocks, docks, boat decks, marsh, flats, channel markers, wave sets and more). I found these short films to be well composed and well edited with a healthy dose of humor (short strikes, missed casts and lost footing). The underwater footage adds a dimension that you don't often see when it comes to inshore cold water fishing in the salt. Have a look tell Peter what you think.

Surf & Inshore Fishing 2009 - Part 2 by Peter Laurelli on Vimeo.


Surf & Inshore Fishing 2009 - Part 3 from Peter Laurelli on Vimeo.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Jack Gartside 1942 - 2009

Thank you for the years of inspiration Jack. Your creativity and unconventional, way upstream nature were unique. You did not follow the school. You found your own special path and opened many minds along the way. I wish you all the best on this next journey. Keep the line in the water and believe in every cast.

Words by El Pescador Photo by Dave Skok

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Tenkara

Tenkara is the traditional Japanese method of fly fishing where only a rod, line and fly are used. It was perfected over centuries on the mountain streams of Japan where it originated. It is considered an ideal method of fly fishing small streams but it can also be effective on bigger water. Tenkara is about fly fishing simplicity. Enthusiasts say that this kind of angling eliminates complexities and lets you focus on the experience. The ultra-light, portable gear seems well suited for backpacking and travel. The rods are typically 11-13 feet long and collapse down to under 2 feet. Check out this 5 minute intro video and visit Tenkara USA to learn more about this ancient angling method.

Tenkara intro video from Tenkara USA on Vimeo.

Illustration by Steve Stracqualursi

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Magnets

I was organizing some tool boxes and came across this magnet collection attached to one end of a red metal drawer stack. This fishing inspired set ranges in age from about 10 to 15 years old. They are beautifully detailed little objects. I don't quite think these creations qualify as relics yet but they will in a few more years.

Photos and arrangement by Il Pescatore