Reeling in the Years Rolling Back the Tide
I am always amazed at how our english language borrows from one culture and uses it to capitalize in another one.
Good Monday Morning and welcome once again to the longest running fly fishing column about (okay, mostly about) fly fishing in the giant State of Texas. If you found me here, I appreciate your follow through – taking that next step to actually read the digital word as I pound it out of my little fingers into these worn little keys.
I am pretty excited, to the point of quietly cautious, about the North Texas spring 2024 menu of fly fishing opportunities that seem to be lining up before not just me, BUT US! While I have been under the weather for nearly a week now, it feels like I am getting my juju back and all I need is a little Sun vitamin supplement. What about you?
Honestly, I am a little shocked that I got my ticket punched for a head cold of epic proportions because I have been adhering to a strict vitamin regimen for almost two years now. But some viruses are still stronger than vitamins. Obviously. Doing nothing for hours on end, is still a difficult thing, one that makes ME question my own long-haul durability. Everything shut down for an eternity – videos in the can, shoots and any prospecting for fish – last week. But this week’s weather trend? We are headed off the charts into fantastic weather this week, and the extended as un reliable as it is, shows more good weather for what remains of the leap month.
Speaking of months, I was listening to the BBC overnight, and they took note of the fact the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations had ended and that “China is going back to work.” I have often claimed the solar calendar we use has gone askew over the hundreds of years it has been in use, so I plan to take a look at the Chinese calendar and see if it makes more sense – stay tuned!
The Denton Greenbelt Debacle MEETS Reddit Debacle
Last week would not be complete without mentioning the fact that during my downtime last week, I took a deep dive into a shallow cesspool called Reddit. My thought was to recruit more volunteers for the Greenbelt problem, gather more brain power, and find other opinions and knowledge about the levers of government and the attitudes of Denton Citizens at large.
What I got was disheartening, disturbing and sick. Essentially, the first responses were childish attempts to make me run away and hide. Well … that didn’t work – at first. But after responding to so many childish assaults, scientific, engineering and biological inaccuracies – presented as BOLD FACE facts? I declared victory for them, and cleared that off my menu of possible venues for organizing. Worthless. Whatever you do, beware that there are truly some good people who are a part of Reddit /rDenton but the vast majority are racist, ageist, uninformed and poorly educated authorities on every topic known to Denton, Texas. Hit that link and dig in, if you doubt me. If you participate? WARNING: You will come out smelling like that cesspool though!
ONE PERSON
One Reddit person had one good recommendation, and it is one that is obvious and I should have already done before my sick week. GO TO the USACE office and find a spokesperson for this situation. It is obvious the Colonel doesn’t respond, so I guess we I need to follow the chain, and/or be satisfied with anyone who will speak ON THE RECORD. The idea of “following the chain” of command means actually starting in the Lewisville, Texas, office. There is a USACE office there that I have purchased TOPO maps from in the distant past, and I vaguely remember where it is. ONCE these sniffles are gone, I am hitting the road to Lewisville USACE.
The entire Reddit episode was extremely demoralizing and frightening on a certain level.
HOT WATER
No, we don’t have hot water yet, and no I don’t even think it is warming. That didn’t stop a trip to Amon G. a couple weeks ago, and I may have the juice in the tank by midweek, this week, to putz around the west side Sanger Marina on Ray Roberts, absorb some vitamin D, and throw my new Sawgrass Fly Rod at the docks. North Texas has had snow storms in March, but I don’t see it in any trends … so this may be a cold as the water gets before the warmup.
VISES and FLY TYING
Based on some possible volunteer work I will be undertaking this year, I am sampling fly tying vises – on my own dime – so that I can form an EDUCATED opinion on what vise to recommend to procure in larger quantities. It does feel good to be back on the vise, and as I was cleaning up my SteamPunk Dyna-King Barracuda, I realized how old it has gotten and the jaws have actually worn down over the last sixteen years. My taste in vises may be changing after all these years – and I will explain that in future YouTube videos. A choice of a vise, the right vise for you, is now more critical than ever. Prices are off the charts.
If you have not seen the video series I am starting on fly tying (for this potential non-profit group tie) – check out Parts of a Fly Tying Hook on YouTube. For many of you, I’m sure you’d rather watch paint dry.
Category: Body-Mind-Soul, Culture on the Skids, Fly Fisher Health and Wellness, Fly Tying, Fly Tying Vises
