MONDAY BATTLE ROYALE

Now that we are past Thanksgiving week, it seems almost guaranteed that we are headed toward the darkest of the dark times brought to us care of the 2019-20 COVID Virus. By all accounts, and by mine own ears, the traffic over the weekend was stupendous, as people went about their merry ways like blood through the veins of Texas highways and byways. From my front porch last night, I heard the constant whir of rubber on concrete a mile away. Texas’ famous I-35E and baby brother I-35W merge and diverge here in Denton, and they told the toll last night.

Like I have been telling my friends, and potential traveling buds: “It’s not the being there, it’s the getting there that can get you.” So we remain at home during a perfect time to travel and fly fish just about anywhere in Texas – anywhere but right here. Self regulating is uniquely un-American it seems, and I am not unique in that department. I have yet to know which is more jelled – my body or my brain, but I did get away last week to the end of the rope – the Blue River for the traditional Blue-on-Black … 

EPIC FAIL

To those of you who missed the chartering of this website in 2007, if you’re new here in other words, I always swore to include the truth about any fly fishing that I do – not as an afterthought, but as the core of how to get better, and many times let fly fishers know what NOT to do. The truth, and fly fishing, can sometimes take a detour from each other. That’s especially true if you have a vested interest in your own Instagram “likes” or other analytics that tell you what they have told me over the decade-plus; fish porn ranks, now flat-brimmed-beardos with fish really rank, and female-flat-brimmed-fly-fishing-chicks? They are straight off the charts – to the top ranks! 

The truth is the Blue River sucked last Friday, Black Friday 2020, and I probably should’ve stayed home, but this faithful reporter wants to report. It was the worst Blue on Black since I created the Blue on Black way, way back. We landed on the catch-and-kill area at a reasonable time, found the water to be somewhat lower flow over the low bridge, and the clarity was excellent. In fact, the combination of SMITH OPTICS sunglasses and clarity gave me more visibility than I have ever had there. I have to believe it is due to the SMITHs in large part, because I have never had these lenses at this location, and it was a perfect match.

The hole below the road was almost perfectly cleaned out, and above the road people were catching (and killing) the few remaining synthetic fish from the stocking done so far. They have some kind of strange tradition there, to clean their fish on the edge of the submerged road, and there was cleaning going on. More power to them is all I can say. These fish were made to catch and eat, and if you can stand the taste? have at it.

Rather than waste your Monday Morning on my sour grapes, I do know that at some point Danny Scarborough and his SO showed up, and she proceeded to catch the largest fish I saw that day. I am further convinced, by the hard evidence, that Danny is one of those rare “fish whisperers” who can catch something in a tire-tread-puddle on the edge of an interstate anywhere anytime. 

SO there’s a grudge match coming soon – ME vs. BLUE RIVER II – and I will add this grudge match to what I didn’t get from Black Friday, and spill those beans in a later post and maybe even a video.

STAY POSITIVE

You realize and feel the strains of this year, right? To be free to go – fly fish virtually anywhere and do anything, and be wearing a dog-choker-chain that only has a three-foot lead on it at the same time? Let’s just say we’ve tied enough flies for the rest of this decade already, and the skiff is being tweaked toward perfection … the Airstream waits for the SO’s next step (before I can burn more clock on that) … what else can we do?

UPDATES

I have more information on the Denton Greenbelt Alliance, and will bring that to readers later this week.

The motivation to stay sharp (above) will have its day – I hope in January – when we can all congregate (at a distance) at a brand new outdoor casting field here in Denton, Texas. If we can get the weather to cooperate, I will have some casting clinics that are free to attend, and will be for SHARING the casting communion with anyone who is interested. Now that’s bleeding edge! (CONTACT ME IN THE MEANTIME if you are interested in personalized casting lessons.)

THANKS for reading and be sure to check out the Texas Fly Caster YouTube Channel and follow on Instagram! I can guarantee you no flat brims, and thanks to cancer no beardos of my own, but … I am looking to feature a sidekick-chick (or tranny) in future adventures! (If you can’t beat ‘em, join em.) My mind spins at the thought of a fly fishing flat-brimmed-beardo-chick!!

If all this COVID is taking a toll on you, be sure to talk to someone about it! Take a walk, practice casting and keep limber, because this too shall pass. We’re not there yet though. If I have anything to do with it; we have a damn long road ahead.

Tags: #COVID-19, #texasflycaster, #texasflyfishing, Blue on Black, blue river, blue river oklahoma fly fishing, casting, fly fishing conditioning, guide danny scarborough

Category: Adventure, Blue River, Body-Mind-Soul, Culture on the Skids, Fishing Reports, Oklahoma Report