Allergy Relief

I really didn’t plan to go fishing. Well, I did, but something out there in the natural world has recently added it’s pollen to the spring-time allergy inducing haze and it’s been kicking my butt.

I was pretty miserable last night before bed and then slept terribly, awaking at 2:30am and tossing and turning on the couch until dawn so as not to bother Mary. I figured staying inside as much as possible for a day or two while the offending pollination passed would be a smart thing. But dawn arrived, and I have never been accused of being particularly smart, so, since I was up early……

Getting Back To Normal

It was the best fish of the day, easily 16 inches and full of fight. He had smashed the gully fish fly that I had cast from the rapids below his small pool and he was now turning cartwheels across the surface of the water. As I stepped upstream to get better leverage and to be in a position to bring the acrobat to hand, he decided that his best defense was a good offense and, quick as a wink, turned and shot straight at me. Before I could react (though I’m not sure what I would have done) he flew between my legs, took a hard right, and left the gully stuck in my pants leg as he continued, unfettered, downstream. In soccer terms, I’d been megged.

My River is Back!!!

I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever see it again. For what seems like forever, the Haw has been a raging, muddy monster, nothing like the charming, manageable stream I have come to know. You can see by the water level chart, measured just upstream near the Bynum mill, how unruly the river has been over the past 60 days.

Personally, I prefer the Haw to be measured between 3 and 4 feet at Bynum as those levels translate to easy wading and good fishing on my favorite stretches. You can see how I have been teased time and time again this year and some of those spikes have been downright deadly. Like the little girl on the salt box says, when it’s rained, it’s poured. In addition, a few days of consistent levels mean clearer, settled water; something we’ve not seen in a while.

Roanoke Striped Bass

They say fishing takes patience and perseverance. As I have neither, mule-headed stubbornness will simply have to do. Without it, Tim (who does have the right stuff) and I would have missed one of the most exciting 30 minutes of fishing I have had in a long time.

Penny's Bend on the Eno

Friday night. The phone rings. It’s my fishing buddy Mike P. “What are you doing tomorrow?” he asks. I tell him about Mary’s and my plans to wash the cars, move some plants around, and do a little spring-cleaning. “I was thinking we should go fish the Eno” he says. “Where and when do I meet you?” I reply.

Okay. Full disclosure. I skipped a step. You know, the pitiful, groveling one.

Easter Birds

Our leucistic goldfinch friend payed us a holiday visit today


and the flock below ravaged my feeders.


My neighbor, the naturalist, identifies the flock as easter peepus americanas and warns me to keep them away from the microwave.

Happy Holiday to all!!!!

Haw River Cleanup

Just a quick thanks and job well done to the guys (and gal) from the Triangle Fly Fishers who carted out 425 pounds of trash from the Haw riverbank this morning, around the Robeson Creek area. Keep up the good work, folks.

Let's all strive to keep our waterways clean.

Still Chasing White Bass

Yeah, I know it's not a white. Keep reading...

It’s been over two weeks since I first started chasing the Haw's white bass and the river has been unfishable since. It has been incredibly frustrating thinking that we were missing the annual run due to high conditions. Last evening, finally, the water began to settle to semi-reasonable levels, and my friend Dave and I were on it first thing this morning. Sad to say, the whites were not as ready as we were.

Geezer's Pond

This past January at the Charlotte fly fishing show I had the pleasure of meeting Bob Fulton, an avid North Carolina fisherman and outdoor writer, well known around the state by his nom de plum, the River Geezer. Oddly enough, a few days later I was watching North Carolina Outdoorsman, a PBS fishing show, and who should I see fly fishing for mullet (something few know is even possible) but the Geezer himself. As this blog has gotten me interested in outdoors writing, I contacted the Geezer and requested the opportunity to pick his brain about fishing, and writing about fishing.

White Bass on the Haw

I’m always excited about a new fishing experience. I fished my home Haw waters again today, but this time I went downstream about three miles from my usual haunts and fished not too far from where the river empties into the Lake Jordan. There the river is wider and more open than my cozy, braided section, and a good bit more rugged. It would prove to be an interesting afternoon.