All posts by saltbum

Adventure, Explore, History, National Parks, Travel

Explore – Learn – Protect

At the end of 2014 the family and I packed up and headed west in order to give my son his first experience seeing snow.  By all measures the trip was a wild success.  Truly a spur of the moment idea, we threw together an itinerary on the fly and let the adventure unfold on its own terms.

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Despite being billed as a family trip I found enough time to sneak off and  stepped out for an afternoon session that quickly had me longing for a saltier environment.  Say what you will about trout guys having trouble with the double haul, fishing with gloves is harder!

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The greatest part of the journey was the discovery of the National Park Service’s Junior Ranger Program.  It has sparked an insatiable appetite in my child for spending time outdoors learning about history, wildlife and conservation.

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Since our return we’ve dedicated time to visiting a few National Memorial sites that we likely wouldn’t have in order to complete the Junior Ranger programs there.  As an unintended consequence, our family is now more actively engaged in finding new places to visit and learn about.

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If you have little ones, check out the program and get out there, you’ll spend amazing quality time with them and they’ll soak up knowledge at an alarming rate.  Their program’s motto sums it up nicely; Explore – Learn – Protect

 

Thats Life, Updates

Change of Pace

The new year is now a little over a month old yet it seems like a lifetime has past since I’ve been on the water.  Truth be told, I’ve slipped out a couple of times in the past couple of weeks, but it just doesn’t seem like it.

Cold fronts continue their march south on a regular basis, bringing with them a howling wind that has forced me to realign priorities. Days spent with a chainsaw running or shovel in hand will pay dividends once the weather begins to settle.

Life marches on, but at least the chore list is getting shorter.

One bright spot that has me looking beyond the horizon is a new fly rod that is on its way shortly.  A 12 wt. prototype will land shortly and it will bring purpose with it.  It has to be bent in real world conditions.

Until that happens, its back to trimming and straightening up the yard…

Aviation, History, Mosquito Lagoon, Space Coast, Stories

Watching History Pass Over & Reprise

A stiff north breeze was blowing a couple of days ago, so I opted to pond hop for bass in the neighborhood rather than launch the skiff and contend with wind.

It was a decent bite, but thats not unusual for our little utopia of interconnected retention ponds.

While taking a break, perched on the (pond hopping assault vehicle) golf cart & talking to a friend on the phone, I heard the joyful sounds of multiple radial engines approaching.

There she was, a B-24 Liberator, bearing down on me from the north at around 1600 feet.

I mentioned it to my friend as he too appreciates such things & held the phone skyward as it passed overhead in an attempt to share the sweet sounds of WWII heavy iron passing by on wing.

The aircraft is part of the Collings Foundation collection.  It is the only flying example of its exact type, the J model.

Check Here to view a schedule of where you can see it up close over the next couple of months.

As luck would have it, they had James Stafford aboard filming the flight from New Smyrna Beach to Stuart, FL.

Seeing the fly-by from their perspective was a cool reprise.

I wonder if they noticed me standing there, mouth agape, phone held high?

DIY, fly fishing, gear, Instruction, Rio Fly Lines, Tactics

Welding A Loop from Rio

Everyone finds a time in their angling pursuits when they want a shorter sinking head or needs to repair one.  Rio provides a great, easy to follow tutorial on how to get the job done.

 

Rio Fly Lines

If you have a question on which Rio Fly Line is best for your application, they have a Mobile App for that.  Download it by clicking here.

Adventure, DIY, Everglades, Film, fly fishing, gear, Safety 1st, Tactics, Tiller

PSA & Killer Tiller Video Hatch

I recently completed a wonderful multi-day trip in Florida Bay, staying a few nights under the clouds and stars atop a Chickee in Everglades National Park.

The weather was a bit chilly and the wind was blowing near a gale for a good portion of the trip, but the fish didn’t seem to mind too much.

Everglades Redfish on Clouser

I’m no trailblazer in this regard.  Lots of folks have been there & done that, as will many more to follow.

If you haven’t, drop it in the proverbial bucket and make sure you reach in and fish it out before you die.

Sitting in the dark over the clear briny water watching the bioluminescent algae flash in pulses reminiscent of lightning bugs on a cool August evening in Appalachia will enlighten you and draw you closer to nature in a way that is hard to explain.  Its no wonder ancient tribes had such respect and viewed their environment in such reverent awe.

Below is a great example of an Over Night from Livit Films.

 

As you can see the opportunities in the Everglades are vast and friendships simply grow stronger there.

Now for the Public Service Announcement portion of this entry:

I run a tiller skiff.  Its my preference when it comes to how to operate a vessel.  I feel in touch with the water in a way that is hard to reduce to words.  I respect it too.

Years ago, I was running a tiller skiff across a deep basin in an estuary in Central Florida when the lower unit collided with a marine mammal of greater mass.  In the blink of an eye, I was sent headlong into the water as the skiff turned a sharp 45-90 degrees and was suddenly no longer beneath me.

When I emerged from below the surface, I was met with silence, but for the rhythmic splashing of my wake lapping the waterline of the skiff where she sat a few dozen yards away.

A great friend had always demanded the kill switch be worn when we duck hunted and the habit had stuck.

If it had not been for that switch and lanyard, I may have been in for a long swim or worse.

In a nut shell; if you’re operating a vessel, especially a tiller steering equipped skiff. ALWAYS WEAR YOUR KILL SWITCH LANYARD.

That concludes this PSA, brought to you by the wet guy dragging himself across the gunnel to fish another day.

Adventure, fly fishing, Travel

In The Spirit of Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Wrapping paper litters the floor here at Casa de Salt Bum along the shores of Lost Lake and we’re happy to report that Santa found his way here.

My thoughts for 2015 are simmering as a plan for the next year of travel begins to develop.

When I steal away from the salt, I prefer the remote, the less familiar and unique.  Someday I will visit Christmas Tree Lake, AZ

 

Thanks to Ginger Snap on Vimeo for the inspiration.

Learn more about Arizona’s State Fish: Apache Trout

 

fly fishing, traditions

Christmas Cheer, A Redfish & Beer

As jolly St. Nick prepares his sleigh and team of tiny reindeer, my thoughts move to the weather.  Just like Santa, I too plan to be active on Christmas Eve.  Now going on nine years, my tradition of spending the day outdoors on the water looks to be a tough one.

The forecast is filled with a stiff breeze and showers, but my hopes are not dashed.  I’ll be out there despite the weather.  Its going to be my last salty outing of the year, and I’m not about to pass just because its a little less than ideal in the weather department.

My Christmas Eve tradition is a day of reflection on the year past, its successes and failures (plenty of those), as well as a time to look forward to the coming year and what it might bring.

The cleansing I receive at the hands of the great outdoors and its beauty is why I fly fish, it is who I’ve become.  Just like the gifts brought by three wise men, the water delivers me a bounty that is hard to measure.

Less than a week ago, I spent the afternoon with my young son, chasing redfish in small creeks and ponds hoping to sow the same seed in him that my father nurtured in me.

On Christmas Eve I’ll be thankful for all that I’ve been able to do in the year past and look forward to more good times that will surely come.

 

art, fly fishing

Zane Porter Art

Zane Porter is an angler, artist, guide and generally all around good guy.  I’ve followed him on Instagram for a long while and always find his feed to be chock full of great images and examples of his unique style of art.

Recently he contacted me to ask if I would mind if he used a few of the images in my Instagram feed to create a piece of art.

I was flattered and of course said yes.

To my surprise, I found out this afternoon that he had also created a piece especially for me.

 

Tailer Park by Zane Porter

I have a serious art habit, so the addition of another original from a new up and coming artist to my collection is simply amazing.

If you are interested in acquiring a piece for yourself, I suggest you move quickly.  You can find his contact information by clicking here.

His subjects vary as well as the medium used to create the work.