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Make that list man
Started writing this morning without a title, without a blog topic, without a direction for my day, without the fly shop open, without a purpose.
And that is bad. Awful. Dangerous!
No direction is like being a drifter. And one of the boat companies slogans reads “All who drift, are not lost.” Or something like that.
No direction, no purpose, in this period of time may be trouble. Why not view this time off in a positive light. Why not seize the moments that you don’t generally get because of job, spouses, kids, grandkids, etc. Get ahead on a few of those projects that have been languishing for months or even years.
My professional suggestion is that you make yourself a short list today. Not one of those lists that you cannot finish. But one of those lists that you can accomplish and feel good about.
And here is a way to put smiles on your face and joy in your heart while getting a few of those things done you told your wife you did last fall.
Practice casting. Yep. You have the time to do this man. Those who are great casters practice. A lot.
And you don’t have to practice for 30 minutes at a whack. 10 minutes or less. Frequently.
That is all it takes. Short, efficient, casting sessions.
I practice often, as my goal this winter was to improve my casting stroke. I think I have. But, the most important part of the game is getting those miles.
Yep. The most important part is just handling the rod and getting the miles in. The normal false casting stroke is what you need to do. Over and over and over and over.
Then switch to your left hand for the last two minutes of your session.
How long? Ohh, a couple minutes per session will do the trick. Ten on the outside. 30 minutes is way toooo long! 20 is way tooo long. 10 minutes is probably too much for most. 5 is a great period. With some practice of stopping that rod tip high, not parallel to the ground. Stopping the rod tip high. Anytime you fishing with the rod tip matching the slope of the ground, you are doing it wrong.
Go ahead and watch some killer fishing videos of great dry fly casters. You will see the rod tip stop high, then fall to the ground as the line falls to the ground. The rod tip does not stop parallel to the ground. Honest.
Miles my fishy friends. That is what a goal for you should and can be.
View this time period as a time to make positive strides in your casting stroke. Capitalize on many short casting sessions and raises the bar man!
String up that 5 wt and get after it. Leave it strung up. Tie off a piece of yarn or a fly with the hook cut off. Put a hula hoop in your back your and practice accuracy. Try out some distance casts. Cast in the wind. With the wind. Into the wind. Across the wind.
If you have that practice rod employ it daily.
Miles man, miles.
Headhunters Fly Shop Current Status
- Headhunters Fly Shop storefront closed today thru at least April 10th.
- Headhunters Online Shopping Services available.
- We will not be answering the phones at the shop in Craig. If you do have any questions about lodging, guide trips ad the like, call Julie at 406-868-5473
- Communication daily through our web services. The blog, FaceBook, Instagram, and Twitter. The E-Newsletter is live as well. Sign up for the E-Newsletter on the front page near the bottom right.
- The river is open. Practice all of the safety measures of the day.
- Practice casting at home. Or, on the river.
- Thanks a ton for those who are supporting Headhunters of Craig. We truly appreciate the online commerce, the love, economic support from you the Headhunters Fly Shop Blog readers, shop fans, and guide trip takers. We notice it, feel it, and cannot thank you enough. Thanks for reading our daily blog and thank you for understanding our transparency and hard work to keep it all going.
- FWP State Lands Open News
- Be well. Be safe. Be courteous. You be you, safely.
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Here is a little sumpin, sumpin. My list included reading some poetry today.
Just wanted to let you know that we are all out here dreaming about are own personal return to Craiglandia. We will make it through! And so will Headhunters!
Mayflies
By Richard Wilbur
In somber forest, when the sun was low,
I saw from unseen pools a mist of flies,
In their quadrillions rise,
And animate a ragged patch of glow,
With sudden glittering – as when a crowd
Of stars appear,
Through a brief gap in black and driven cloud
One arc of their great round-dance showing clear.
It was no muddled swarm I witnessed, for
In entrechats each fluttering insect there
Rose two steep yards in air,
Then slowly floated down to climb once more,
So that they all composed a manifold
And figured scene,
And seemed the weavers of some cloth of gold,
Or the fine pistons of some bright machine.
Watching those lifelong dancers of a day
As night closed in, I felt myself alone
In a life too much my own,
More mortal in my separateness than they –
Unless, I thought, I had been called to be
Not fly or star
But one whose task is joyfully to see
How fair the fiats of the caller are.
Enjoy, breathe, and dream.
Scott
I never was a “list guy” till I started loosing my “minds lists,” well only bits & pieces of, but enough to start me on making paper lists – food lists, fly fishing ordering lists, wine selection lists, (newest) shopping for food online lists (saved in my computers “reading list” ! Its become an endless list of lists I fear.
And NOW I just learned, reading a list of WA. State Covid-19 Closures, that as of Wednesday (of last) that ALL FISHING is Closed — mama-mea, now what? My plan was to hit the Upper Columbia next sunny Spring like day – up & back one day or car camp over night. SO, instead of another list, I’ll just have to open up my fly fishing book case . . . ramble through ALL my JOHN GIERACH books . . . and enjoy reading them AGAIN. Old fishing magazines, a few fly fishing videos. Oooh, ‘A River Runs Through It’ – forgot I had that. Things are looking up !?. Maybe I can create my own “fight scene” with myself (like in the movie) ? Nah. Twiddle Dee Twiddle Dum, gonna start sucking my thumb . . I’m SOOOO Bored.
Kidding guys . . . just a poor attempt at some “lockdown Humor” !?. Why “they” gotta use that word? Makes me feel like I’ve been sent to Prison for a crime I didn’t commit. Ok I’m done trying to be funny . . . you ALL stay safe & healthy, me too.
I was told I’d feel better if I finished things I started so I finished a bottle of bourbon, then a bottle of scotch, then a . . . .