-
Join 699 other subscribers
Books by W Franklin
Blogroll
- A Family Affair
- Appalachian Mountain Brookies
- Bridging the Gap
- Call of the Stream
- Costa Rica Living and Birding
- Handstands Around the World
- Hanna's Walk
- Jet Eliot
- Landing in the PNW
- OldPlaidCamper
- Slate Run Sportsmen
- The Jordan-Mills Rod Co.
- The Outside Bend
- Wild Trout Streams
- Wood Thrush Books
- Yeah, Another Blogger
Monthly Archives: March 2012
A Small Stream Repair Kit
Whether on public or on private land, many of our nation’s streams have been hurt by the push of civilization. The hand that hurt the small stream in the past can assist it in the healing process of the present. Since … Continue reading
Rainbows in the Rain
I had planned to head out this morning and fish for steelhead, but a mess of things intervened early on and I decided to give the local Allegheny River one more shot instead. First of all, it was raining– lightly but intermittently enough … Continue reading
Bridges, Browns, and Rainbows
For better or worse, New York and Pennsylvania, like many states, had less than an honest northern winter this past season. The previous year was a different story– basically cold and snowy right through March. In both cases, the trout … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Alleghany River, brown trout, rainbows, Robert Traver, stoneflies, Trout Madness, warming weather
4 Comments
A Spring-Driven Thing
The warbling sound had the shape of a falling leaf. I could still hear the sound despite its being 39 or 40 years old. Lacking a better mentor at the time, I was under the influence of, shall we say, a … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged A Rivertop Journal, A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold, sky dance, spring rituals, woodcock
2 Comments
Black Creek Alternative
The season felt “alternative” all winter long. The winter was one of the warmest on record and already by March 17, St. Patrick’s Day, the signs of spring were well developed. We visited the Maple Tree Inn near Birdsall, New … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Audubon IBA, balsam fir, Black Creek, brown trout, Keeney Swamp, Maple Tree Inn, St. Pat's, strange times, woodcock
4 Comments
A Wild Beginning
Nothing ever became of H.D. Thoreau’s suggestion that every town or large watershed in the country preserve a piece of wild nature, especially near our population centers. A designated wild place, whether it be something as simple as a city … Continue reading
Speckled Trout: More Views From the Hill
“The streams were full of speckled trout until they built the saw mills.”– Dennis McGraw, Pioneer Life in Greenwood, 1888 The term “speckled trout,” in this report, does not refer to the saltwater species of that name, but refers to Salvelinus fontinalis, … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged brook trout, Dennis McGraw, Dryden Hill, Greenwood, Marcellus Shale, NY, pioneer life, speckled trout
6 Comments
A Myth of Trailing Arbutus
Trailing arbutus is a prostrate flower of the uplands famous for its tubular pink or white blossoms that exude a spicy fragrance. Leaves of arbutus are oval, leathery, and covered with rust-colored hairs. The five-lobed flowers can be found in … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged arbutus maiden, Epigaea, Mother Earth, myths of winter/spring, Seneca Indians, trailing arbutus
Leave a comment
Connecticut River Wash-Out
There was so much rain the week I spent on the upper Connecticut River that even my photos of the time got washed away… Not really… Two summers ago my wife and kids dropped me off at Lake Francis State … Continue reading
from The Wild Trout
In anticipation of the coming fly fishing season I looked back to a 24-page chapbook I wrote on the subject back in 1987. I was finally settling down to a serious interest in fishing for wild trout with a fly, … Continue reading
Rivertop Rambles 