Some Flies & Jigs

Just trying to get through Winter, and Fall isn't even over yet. Here are some flies and jigs I've been tying in anticipation of next Spring.

Damsel Fly Nymph


Baby Perch


Orange Blossom Special


Wanna Be Crappie Fly


Crappie Jig


Wanna Be Crappie Jigs


Black Nose Dace


With any luck at all, we ought to have some Crappie Filets next Summer.

Putting The Garden to Bed

Winter is on the way and it's time to put the garden to bed. After weeding each bed, I covered the ground with grass trimmings to help keep the weeds down.

Then I cover each bed with a screen to keep the cats out.

Every bed is done with the exception of the parsnips. I remember dad digging parsnips out of the garden with a couple of feet of snow on the ground, so I left them in.

The Five Leaf Grape Ivy is heavy with fruit.

And the Mountain Ash is also heavy with berries. I'm afraid it's going to be a heavier than normal winter.

We had lettuce, carrots, parsnips, zucchini, acorn squash, string beans, cucumbers, Swiss chard, tomatoes, peppers and herbs this year. It's been a good harvest.

Great Day At The Lake

My partner Sean and I decided to give Clear Lake a try and see what happens.

We were on the water about 7:30 and fished till close to noon. The water temp had cooled some, but I didn't get a reading. I started with a White Magic with red spot and red border, and Sean started with a Perch Scale F7 Flatfish.
SEAN

I got a strike right off, but didn't hook up, and Sean had no action for about an hour. I switched to a Red Magic and Sean put on a brass colored Highland Fling. I hooked and landed 1 fish while Sean kept getting strikes and no hookups. After a while Sean landed a fish, then another, so I switched to a brass Highland Fling also.
ME

We managed to come off the lake with a limit of fish, and most were caught on the Highland Fling. They are a very small spoon that's cut from a flat piece of brass in the shape of a fish. Then it's bent in 2 places and carries a single hook. We drug those behind a Cowbell for me and a Giant Cowbell for Sean. We each caught 5 fish with Sean landing 2 Rainbows and 3 Browns. I caught all Browns, one of which looked a lot like a Tiger Trout. Great day on the water and trout for dinner. How can you beat that?

1st Haircut & Grooming

Today, our "Lads" had their first professional bath and haircut. We thought that Dexter (the black & white) would be the most difficult. But, it turned out to be that Oliver (the black) raised the biggest Hoop-La. We took them to Pet Smart and Dexter went right in, but Oliver needed some prodding. When we dropped them off, they both suffered some separation anxiety, but Oliver voiced his concern the loudest. During their baths, neither liked it much and the same thing was true about their drying and grooming, but Dexter voiced his dismay more prominently and was the most difficult. When we picked them up, they both were excited to get back home and be with Mom & Dad. The previous pictures are "Before & After" pictures.

Almost 9 Months Old Now

Our great granddaughter is almost 9 months old now and I hope she never loses her dimples. Her name is Kaiya.


What a charmer!


When did "Happy Hour" end?