Monthly Archives: March 2013

Spring Journal: Zoaring

In western New York, March 28th was more winter-like than spring. I left the house in a steady snowfall. The anti-lock brakes on the car struck metal and sprang a fear in my gut as I came off the Ridge … Continue reading

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Slate Run Survey: The Shocking Results

During the summer of 2012, the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission conducted an electro-shocking survey on Slate Run.  It was the first survey of this sort in eight years. The electro-team was led by Jason Detar, Fisheries Manager for Area … Continue reading

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A Tough Day on the River

Anything worth doing in life has its challenges if undertaken correctly. Sunday morning dawned bright and cold. The calendar declared that winter was over, so an outing with the fly rod seemed a worthy task, indeed. Stepping into the river at midday … Continue reading

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The North Country Spiders

The wet fly patterns known as “North Country Spiders” came to prominence in England around 1885 with the publication of Yorkshire Trout Flies written by T. E. Pritt.  But some of the patterns had been around for a long while … Continue reading

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The Walking Stick Considered

There’s a fair amount of literature pertaining to walking sticks, and a whole lot more information pertaining to commercially available walking instruments. I’ll confess to having read very little of “Walking Stick Notes” so far, and have been deficient in boosting … Continue reading

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Scottish Ramble #6

In our previous outing of the series, Scottish Ramble #5, daughter Alyssa visited the “Golden Fringe” along Scotland’s eastern coast. More recently she’s traveled to the southeast out of Glasgow and sent some photos from “Edinburgh and Beyond.” Her route … Continue reading

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Brightness

1.   Small black stoneflies skittered across the pool. Trout began to rise and gulp the stoneflies that attempted to finish their journey from the water to the land. Standing under a bright midday sun, I began to curse myself for … Continue reading

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A Sweet Farewell

“A sap-run is the sweet good-by of winter, the fruit of an equal marriage of sun and frost,” declared the writer/naturalist John Burroughs. I think back several decades to my introduction to this home place and to my first taste … Continue reading

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Tree Talk

Many cultures throughout history have worshiped trees and viewed them as a symbol of life. Forests once covered great portions of the world’s land mass and provided natural environments for communion. Concepts of good and evil arose from a tree in … Continue reading

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Meditation on an Early Stonefly

I wait for its initial appearance on the rivertops as if it was the season’s first robin or woodcock. A hatch of the Little Black Stonefly is assured to make me feel younger than I felt the day before. This … Continue reading

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