For Mom, on Mother's Day

I fish because of my Mom.  She first exposed me to trout, tackle, boats, and beautiful places when I was really little.  She has had to deal with both the positive and negative aspects of that exposure ever since.

When I was a kid, going fishing with my mom and sister was my absolute favorite thing in the world.  We fished all over NY state and for anything that swam.  In those days, we were plunkers.  Most of our nightcrawlers were harvested late-night, after we watered the lawn, with flashlights and pajamas.  That's some fun shit when your a little kid!

When I was little, my mom seemed to have a magical ability to out-fish everyone all the time.  The great equalizer has been her initial learning curve for fly fishing.  I've got a feeling my advantage is dwindling and I couldn't be happier about it.

So, to my fishing mom, and all the other women who've shown children the beauty of fishing and nature, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Mom on the Mo

Mom on flats boat in Boca Grande

Fly Casting Phenom Stuns Crowd at Orvis Down the Hatch Festival

A complete report on the festival is in the making but this story needed to be separated out.

One of the events held at the 2014 Down the Hatch Festival was a target casting competition.  The target used was really cool. It is called the CasTarget. It is made out of that soft Velcro material.  The flies are colorful and made out of the sticky Velcro material.  The target is the official one used for the Fishing in Schools Program and was being showcased in the competition.

The contestants were all adults and they were all competent fly casters.  The first guy took a minute to figure out the right distance and then started to rack up points.  The second guy did better, and the third about the same.  They may have collectively scored 2 or 3 bull's eyes during constant casting over the allotted time.

When the competition ended, the announcer put in another plug for the target system and then said, "if there are any kids that want to try it out..."  Before he could even finish, this little boy and girl came running up.  The announcer handed over the $800 rod/reel combo to the anxious little boy without even the slightest hesitation.

While I, and everyone around me were still mentally digesting the developing situation and starting to form words...

      

He nails it on the second try!! Then, after letting another little boy and girl try...

He hit the bull's eye on the first cast and the crowd went nuts!!