FoulHooked...(how'd that get there?)

Long time, no see...couple reports and "articles" just waiting to be typed...but those will have to wait for now...much more important things to do for the time being, such as pretend to work, fill out a timesheet, pick up a secret santa gift...and commence holiday festivities (read: revert to college-style binge drinking across a multitude of locations...no DWIs though, safety first). Theyre calling for almost 50 degrees on Sunday. Hopefully snowmelt and rain won't raise the water too much...with some luck I might get to fish the Battenkill, winter style. Been too long since I've donned the waders. Wonder if I can still cast while standing.

Everything is in flux right now. Some things are moving faster than others. Thanks to Joe for the time and effort programming the "random quote" application. I've got a feeling I owe him something a little more tangible as a thank you, I'll come up with something. Right now it is displaying a variety of "inside joke" quotes and movie lines...I know, inside jokes don't translate well. In general the database needs some overhauling. Many will be added, some deleted, a few simply shortened (there is a scroll feature for anything that is a little bit long right now). In the (hopefully) near future, FoulHooked will be going through some additional evolution. It will become pretty before your eyes. Additional browse/search functionality may be added to the quote application. And FoulHooked will discover it's very own "logo"...still working out ideas for that one. Eventually, once everything is more or less established and satisfactory, ...

Spent the weekend in Newcomb . Nobody bagged anything, but everyone agreed it was a much needed break, relaxing and whatnot. That's whats important. I spent a total of about 1 hour on the river (Indian River, below the dam), and about 20 minutes of it fishing. It was a bit cold (mid- to high-20's), but with the sun, that really didn't bother me, I was prepared. The wind was irritating though, and combined with an inability to keep my feet warm, casting difficulties from the wind were what forced me to head back to the warmth of the woodstove and the comfort of some John Updike short stories. It was still a gorgeous day, and I got to scout a few spots and just generally enjoy the scenery. While I wasn't in the river much, I did get a chance to check out my waders. Last time out I made a couple pinhole leaks via walking through thorns. I couldn't locate them so I slathered the most suspect looking area with some AquaSeal , and when I got out of the river, my ...

Shakin' like the Devil when she lets me go Got a new place, and how it's so much better Falling over myself, the televisions' on, I turn it off and smile Oh, Jennifer, you know I always tried Before you say goodbye Leave the bourbon on the shelf And I'll drink it by myself And I love you endlessly, Darling don't you see I'm not satisfied Until I hold you tight Give me one more chance tonight And I swear I'll make it right But you ain't got time for this And that wreckin' bell is ringin' And I'm not satisfied Until I hold you Jennifer, tell me where I stand And who's that boy holdin' your hand? Oh, Jennifer, you know I always tried Before you say goodbye Leave the bourbon on the shelf And I'll drink it by myself And I never liked your hair or those people that you lie with But I'm not satisfied Until I hold you tight And I love you endlessly, Darling don't you see I can't be satisfied Until I hold you tight Leave the bo...

To my knowledge, I have yet to catch a wild trout on the fly. Being only a season deep, this doesn't bother me just yet. But it has gotten me thinking about some goals; some "pinnacles" of flyfishing that I hope to achieve. Perhaps the most commonly sought-after "purist" fly fishing experience is fooling a wary, wily, wild brown of trophy proportions. Fair enough. It's a goal I seek and one I intend to accomplish, but as far as an ultimate experience, it ranks pretty low for me. Other big ones on the list might be the blazing runs of a bonefish on the flats or the sheer power of a tarpon, perhaps taking a 50 lb king salmon in the PacNW or a similar sized musky from the northern continental lakes, maybe it's mountain cutthroats or amazon peacock bass. All very respectable, and to each his own. My top 3 are as follows: 3. Backwoods brook trout. I bought my setup (LLBean Streamlight 3wt, 6'6") with the intention of packing it into overgrow...

With a name this good, there has to be a story behind FoulHooked. Well, there is...I couldnt think of anything and I thought it sounded cool. The more I think about it, the more I like it, and what it may very well represent. Hopefully, I'll figure out what exactly that is. FoulHooked does remind me of a story though. I think it's one of those stories everyone has, but each one is distinctly special. Throughout the years, my attitude and approach towards fishing has been inextricably linked to my relationship with an individual...let's call him "Dad"...and have evolved over the years as has the relationship. The two issues aren't really very related, other than fishing has always been a passtime we enjoyed together...that and my thinly veiled assertion that fishing parallels and can symbolize life's trials. Our excursions began as seeking out stocked and wild browns, brookies and the occasional rainbow with hook and worm, and slowly progressed through...

OK, maybe that's not strictly true. Maybe Lazy would be a better moniker. I've already succeeded to fail (what?) at my goals for this page...oh well. Made it out 3 times in the last week (hooray!). This weekend I hit up the local lake twice, trolling for rainbows and such. Saturday was a bit hairy (hence the danger) what with the wind and 1' chop (may not sound bad...but when your esteemed vessel is 10' long and 3' wide at the center support...and you have a split paddle shaft repaired with packing tape and a plastic bottle...well, you get the idea). But the wind and recent chill must have put the bite on. I only brought in 1 raibow...about a 12-incher...but had at least a dozen near misses (time to sharpen the hooks?), plus two nice pickeral and one ever-agressive sunfish. Unfortunately, yesterday was not quite the same. The clouds had dissappeared, the wind was down, and the fish just werent enjoying the hardware. However, there was plenty of surface actio...

Who cares, another blog about subjects of interest to nobody, right? Well, in that case..."Jog On!" I have no particular goal for this, my first foray into blogging (well, other than the random "Mysapace" post...that already bodes poorly for this endeavor doesn't it...). What DO I expect this to be? -Loosely focused on fly-fishing, related environmental issues and philosophy, and my experiences as I (hopefully) morph from a novice fluff chucker (this has been my first serious season) into a competent beginner -The occasional bit of humor (everybody's a comedian in their own mind) mixed in -At a minimum, weekly posts, with trip reports accounting for at least half of them (i know, strange time of year to start a fishing blog...) -Personal relaxation and a reason to pursue FF related interests...as i do not (competently) tie flies, this seems as good a medium as any to expand my relationship with the sport in the offseason, as well as in season -Additional sub...