fricker66

garlic is starting to grow, as are the chives. Hmmm.

I am Catholic, but instead of sacrificing, I try to do something positive. I re-started an exercise program about 2 weeks ago, so that doesn't really count. I'm thinking that this year, I will make sure that I tell somebody every day how much they mean to me.

Since posting this thread in September 2020, I have now caught at least one trout on the fly in New Jersey in 30 consecutive months. A warmer January/February made it pretty easy this year, as I actually caught multiple trout on dry flies during several outings. This is unusual because trout typically do not actively feed on dry flies as the water temp goes down in January and February, and there are fewer flies hatching in the colder months. Most of a trout's diet is taken sub-surface once the water temp gets below 45. Toughest months have been September 2021, when water temps were warm, which limited where and when I could fish (I don't fish for trout if water temps are higher than 70). I caught a single trout that month, on 9/30 late in the afternoon in the only local stream that was running below 70. February 2022 was also a one-trout month because the stream where I normally fish was frozen for about 20 days of the month. Barring injury/illness, I should have pretty clear sailing until August.

Rumor at the watercooler is that Kelce will be joined by Mahomes as a co-host. We shall see.

Gordon Lightfoot

I can honestly say that I do not have a favorite. Wegmans and H-Mart (Asian Supermarket) are both great for produce when the local farmers markets do not have fresh-from-the-field veggies. Shop Rite is best for day-to-day shopping such as proteins, canned goods, dairy and deli, but the Shop Rite in my town is new and is SOOOO much better than some of the other ones in the county, so I could see where someone might say that Shop Rite sucks. Whole Foods is good for special occasion food shopping. Stop and Shop has the best prices. I've also been to most of the stores in posts above and agree that Harris Teeter and H-E-B are usually very nice. I would say the same thing for Publix, but I went to a Publix in inland central Florida that was a sh!thole. Agree that Acme ad Walmart both suck. Kroger is also not so great. Genuardi's in Philly and NJ is another good store. Also, I still miss A&P.

You would have loved it. Because the water was so clear, it was easy to sight-fish...you could see the trout hovering in the current and rising from depth when they hit. Some of the smaller ones hit with tremendous velocity...one actually went fully airborne as he hit my fly. The big fish actually gave the least fight. That said, the fish were initially picky, so it took a few fly changes to figure out what the trout were looking for. In the end, small dries with orange/red in the coloring seemed to be drawing their attention. While I got some action landing dries softly in the correct spot in swift current, most of my success was slowly pulling soft hackle dry flies cross-current just under the surface in slower, deeper pools. Once I changed to that look/technique/location, I caught a lot of fish. I have this river pretty well-scouted for where the fish tend to go when water conditions are low, so I know 6 really good spots within a mile walk that are usually productive. I caught fish in all 6 locations on Monday which means I had the right strategy going, which is not always the case. Sorry to hear about your drought. I had a frustrating spring, but it has been a lot of fun since late May. I hope you get more variety your next time out.

Went fishing on July 4th. It was a cool morning, so water temps dropped to a safe zone for catch-and-release trout in the conservation zone where I like to fish. When I arrived at the stream just after dawn, water temp was at 59 degrees and waters were crystal clear. Water levels are very low right now, and the trout are all huddling in various pools. I fished exclusively dry flies and landed about 12-15 trout in the first two hours, including a 23-inch beast caught on a size 18 Royal Wulff fly. Along with that very small hook, I was using a 3-wt rod and 6x tippet (superlight tackle for that sized fish), so I had to give that fish some room, but I did get it to net. If I had caught that fish in swifter water, it would have certainly broken off. The fish had a heron or eagle bite on its shoulder, so once I got it back into the stream, I saw it several more times swiftly moving about the pool where I caught it. This gave me some comfort that I had not worn it out during our fight. The pool where I caught it was stuffed with trout, and with the clear water, I would estimate that I could see up to 100 trout swimming in that pool at any given moment on Monday. There were other guys trying to nymph that hole, and they were not having near as much success as I was having with the dries. As the day progressed, I caught another 10-12 trout in various locations and then decided to head home once the water temp had reached 68. Most of the trout were anywhere between 12-15 inches. All fish were safely released.

4 trout early this morning today at a stream 10 minutes from my house. I didn't even know trout lived in this stream. I was fishing for sunnies with a dry fly and boom! -- 4 trout within about 20 casts. All were caught on a size 18 blue wing olive. I figure that they must have traveled about a mile upstream from a local lake that was stocked back in April. I was not carrying a net (figuring that I would just catch sunnies) and the last trout deposited the hook into my thumb as I took out the fly. I am not a pu$$y, so I took my foreceps, pulled the hook out of my thumb, and started casting again. All trout were safely released back into the stream.

Unusual foods that I have eaten include: Gator, Rattlesnake, frog's legs, Kangaroo, Rabbit (not very unusual, frankly), Wild boar, ostrich, yak, elk, bison, pigeon, squirrel (in a stew called "burgoo"), caribou sausage, mountain lion, zebra, brain, sweetbreads, tripe, bull testicles, pig's liver, haggus and durian. The only one that I spit out was durian, although the pig's liver was not so great. Everything else, I would eat again (and in fact, have eaten most of the others more than once). I also have cooked most of the proteins listed. Also, I may have forgotten a few things.

Yes. (I skipped 5 pages of posts)

I have seen both series twice, and enjoyed the Wire more the second time through. But both are great re-watches.

My Tutor

Are they defending themselves from Greenland, Alaska, North Dakota or the Arctic Circle?

Technically 1978, but I'll add Animal House to the list.

After a battle with COVID and a few weekend obligations, I finally got out on a designated conservation stream yesterday and caught about 3 dozen trout in fast, cool waters on dry flies. It doesn't get much better. I had several fish go airborne taking my fly, and all the fish were super-aggressive. The area I fished holds a lot of wild trout, and the State supplements the population periodically. It is all catch and release, so the population remains pretty strong absent poachers. I caught several brook trout and 1 brown trout, neither of which has been stocked in NJ in years. The remainder were rainbows, and I'd say more than half were probably native. The air temp was in the upper 80s, but water temps are still in the upper 50s, so it was prime yesterday. Also, my onions are growing like mad.

This is a really tough question. My gut was Thanksgiving, but day that has come with a series of bad memories over the last few years. We host a party every December for our good friends. It started as a cocktail party for 60, grew to a party for 90, and is now dinner for 10. I cook everything, and typically do a cajun/creole menu. If it wasn't for the fact that my kids do not have a part in the day, I think that would overtake Thanksgiving as my favorite day of the year. .

Several really good points here. My wife's family had a beach house when she was growing up, and as a result, she had only spent time in a handful of states until she and I married and started traveling. . Whether you have a ton of maintenance is dependent on how much you rent it out, and the level of exposure to salt air. The latter is obviously less of a consideration in a lake house than it would be for a beach house.

I bowled in a college league. We got drunk every week during the regular season, and then didn't drink during the playoffs. The result? League champions 2 of the 3 years we were in the league. I've thought about getting back into it but was looking for a friend to join. I've not found anyone who is interested.

I think my favorite is Foo Fighters Times Like These, already posted. Also worth mentioning is Nora Jones version of Black Hole Sun played live in Detroit 5 days after Chris Cornell died.

Hunters and Collectors, a band out of New Zealand from the 80s/90s. Check out When the River Runs Dry Throw Your Arms Around Me

I have never caught a tiger trout in my life. Most of the tiger trout around us are stocked to private clubs and they occasionally sneak out of the bounds of the private waters. There is one stream that I occasionally go to that is not stocked, but supports the grand slam. In September, I went there and caught a brookie, a brown and a rainbow. Sadly, no tiger. I'll go back this summer.

Pretty cool looking place. At this point, I almost exclusively fly fish, all on smaller rivers and streams. I do not fish lakes, and I fly fish year-round. I really enjoy wading, even if the water is 40 degrees. I have a 21-month streak going -- have caught at least one trout on the fly in every month since September of 2020. I am confident that if I remain healthy, I will run that streak a few more months. I won't fish if the water temp is over 67 degrees, so I am at the mercy of that rule for July and August. Fortunately, I have found some spring creeks that run cold year round. Also, last year, we had a nice cold spell around July 4th and towards the end of August that helped me to keep my string going. Most of July and August is spent catching bluegill on superlight fly gear. Are you a fly guy or spin? The only time I spin fish is at the beach.

Why does this make you angry? Brook trout are C&R near me as well, and NJ only stocks rainbows. Browns are wild and are only sustained in certain rivers/streams in the northern part of the state.

Probably untrue. Kobe came from a fair amount of money, and was a smart guy. I think he would have been successful even if he did not play in the NBA.