Rate My Hawg

No matter who you are, it's nice to get a compliment every now and then, right? Now I'm sure you've all had the same experience I have: You show your friends a picture from your last fishing trip, and get responses like "Gross" or even "Is that a big one?" Well wouldn't it be nice to show off our pictures to people who know what they're talking about? Fear not, my fellow angler. There's an app for that. Now available on the App Store, "Rate My Catch". All you have to do is make an account (takes about 30 seconds) and upload your photos. They will automatically be sent to the front page, where other viewers can rate them on a scale of 1 to 5 and add comments. Pretty sweet, if I do say so myself. The app is very new, so it currently doesn't have a monstrous amount of members, but it will soon. And if you stop by, be sure to check me out.

Disclaimer: I was not payed or compensated in any way by the creators of "Rate My Catch". Merely, I found it today on my phone and thought it was a great idea. The review is just (hopefully) dishing out some more folks to the app. 


P.S: I am thinking of setting up a deal with a fish related (THEY DON'T TASTE LIKE FISH) drink company and selling them on the blog. Would there be any interest in that? I'll definitely be doing a more detailed post within the next couple weeks, but just comment your thoughts.

MY NEW BOAT (FOR REAL THIS TIME)

Well, my family has made a decision. The choice was either spending another $250 on building another duct tape yak, or spending the same $250 on buying a real kayak. So we decided to get the real one. My plan is to order a Spitfire kayak, and then use the extra PVC to spiff(?) it up for my fishing adventures. I can move faster in a kayak, get some better angles on fish, and not worry about snapping turtles biting off my toes in the belly boat. Just kidding! But still, it will be nice to have a kayak. My question to all of you is: What additions should I make to the kayak? Rod holders? Foam Fly Patch? Cover the whole thing in duct tape... wait, sorry. So what should I add? Give me some ideas!

The Kayak Before My Additions

MY NEW BOAT!!!! Thanks Troutrageous

Thanks Troutrageous. Like I didn't have enough to do already. No, really. Thanks! I had nothing to do, and with runoff this high the fishing looks bleak. When I saw your post about building a duct tape kayak, my first thought was, "No one would ever do this". Then it went to, "How does this work?" And then finally to, "Mom, I need to go to the hardware store". Yes, I'm actually building the duct tape kayak. As JGR might say, I'm being "That guy". So I have no idea if this will work. Do I have a drill? I do now. Do I have a bone saw? I do now. Do I have a welding torch? My parents were crazy enough to get me one. And now, I have the top of my kayak complete. The first piece of welding PVC took a little effort, but the electrician taught me well. I added an extra T-Bar piece for support, And Made some oar posts to stick on at the last minute. I have to wait until my next order of PVC comes in before I can start working more. The only thing I didn't like about the project is the materials list. It doesn't include a welding torch in the list, and says you need 50 feet of PVC instead of 70. I just made lots of mistakes that needed an extra 20 feet of fixing. So again, thanks for the great idea. For anyone who trusts my welding and building skills enough (65 final in Wood Working), feel free to come and test it out when I'm finished. I'll keep you updated on my progress.

Starting A Lifetime (My Beginnings On Fishing)

Blogger isn't letting me add pictures! Anybody else having this problem? How can I prove my Tales now? Well, you'll just have to believe me until the stupid loader works again.

      

           This is the story of how I first got into fishing. I was 5 years old, and living in Los Angeles. I had never done much outdoor stuff, and no one in my family did much either. Still, my Grandma had decided every boy needed to go fishing once. Once. Once. Once. Echo...  We arrived at the little stocked trout pond, paid our entrance fee, and started fishing. The gear setup? A bamboo stick with some corn and line and a hook. After fishing for a few minutes, my grandparents decided to go sit in the car. I continued fishing, trying to find a movement that would entice a fish. As I was slowly walking my stick up and down the bank, my rod went heavy. "I got one, I got one!" I called. But my grandparents could not hear me. I yanked the fish in, Proud and excited as could be, and looked at my prize. A beautiful 14 inch rainbow. I managed to unhook the fish, and since this was a catch and keep pond, euthanized it. To an adult, that means leave it in a bucket. To a five year old boy, that means beat it senseless with a large rock. Once that was all done, I walked over and showed my grandparents the fish. I then put the fish in the bucket and went right back to fishing. I managed to catch seven fish that day, using corn and my walking the bank technique. I made sure to fight it, unhook it, and beat it to death each time. After a couple hours of fishing, my grandma took me home and cooked the fish for me to eat. So I had the whole experience. Now remember, once, once, once......   Fast forward

     I fish hundreds of days a year, have spent countless amounts of money and effort in fishing, and will never ever stop. Once? No such thing.

Hey, the Photo Uploader works again!!!!

My New Carp Fly

So two weeks ago at the fly-shop, I was bored out of my mind. Things were slow, I had been there long enough to start getting bored, and my primary source of entertainment (my iPhone) was at the bottom of a lake. So what else could I do, I asked myself while sitting at the tying desk. The answer was right in front of me, literally. I was staring at the vice, wondering what to do, and then it came to me. I should tie some flies! But which? Everything I knew how to tie was too repetitive and boring for this moment. So I decided I would tie something new. After a few awful attempts at tying crap on a hook, I came upon something that was only terrible, not awful. To a normal person, that's the same thing. But to a fly designer, that's the beginning of brilliance. So I tied it again, a little neater this time, and showed it to my good friend Jay Zimmerman. Jay is a guide at the shop I help out at and a professional fly designer for Umpqua Feather Merchants. He gave me some advice, and I went after it again. And again and again and again. I would change one little thing, ask Jay what he thought, and then tie another. After a week of sitting in my room, tying flies over and over, I finally had one fly that I thought would catch fish. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I would show this to anyone. But I did believe it would get some good looks from fish. I had a very hectic schedule with my schoolwork, so I dropped some flies off for Jay. A week or so later when I saw him again, he told me he had something for me. He plugged a flash drive into my computer, and up popped some photos. Photos of carp. But wait, there was something else! The carp had MY fly in it's mouth! Amazing! It's been a while since that day, and I've kept working on my fly. I tie it in colors for Spring, Summer, and Fall. I feel confident in my fly, and I'm glad I have something to put my name under. Good fishin' to ya, and tight lines!

When Will Fractions Catch My Fish?

As I sat in math class today, that's what ran through my mind. We were learning about something called "absolute value inequalities", which was beyond me. I was totally zoned out, thinking about the fact that ten days from now I would be standing in the middle of the Colorado river, catching brown trout dawn 'till dusk. Summer break is almost here, and I'm excited! Fishing, fishing, and more fishing for 90 days! We might even take a trip to Hawaii to catch Marlin. As I forced my mind to drift back to math, I thought again, "When will fractions catch my fish?"


Me: Hey, where's the nearest bass pond from here?
Farmer Joe: Well, you take this old dirt road down about 40 meters. Then, you'll get to two roads that are perpendicular on around a 30 degree plane. Take the 75 degree split, than travel another 4 kilometers and you're at the pond.


Hmm, I guess fractions will actually catch my fish