Friends… Film Festivals…. and Free Time

I’ll take “Three Things I Can Never Get Enough of” for $500 Alex.

Yes, last night was the Fly Fishing Film Festival in Pittsburgh sponsored by my good friends at International Angler.  As most of you know, I have been in a state of cryogenic suspension for roughly six long months.  As much as I am itching to be on the water, I am not itching for a second divorce so for now I will just have to settle for a night out to watch other people fish.  (which does fall under the category of “fishsturbation” in the truest sense of the word)  I have been trying to work with the twins on their casting mechanics, but at six months old they are having a fairly tough time with the pause on their back cast….. things we will have to work on.

So how was the film fest you ask?  I enjoyed it thoroughly.  Then again that is like asking a starving man lost in the desert how he enjoyed the luke warm tap water and stale Twinkie you just gave to him.  The productions were for the most part entertaining and of really good quality. 

I always find it very interesting to see the reactions of the crowd to different genres.  For example, the opening film was a salt water production on tarpon with some amazing footage including a dog that jumps off the skiff to chase poon.  The hardcore trout guys in the audience didn’t have much of a reaction, but the salt water anglers were totally oohing and ahhhing.   Conversely the production on traditional English chalk streams kinda lost many of us that are more about chasing larger fish.

The best part of the night for me (aside from the box of Raisinets) was hanging with my boy CW and talking about…..

• Trips we have in the works
• Trips we wish we had in the works but are not that big of a stretch
• Trips that there is no way in hell will ever happen but it never hurts to pretend

For those of us that live and breathe this stuff, fly fishing is not just a hobby.  It is an obsession, a passion, and part of the fabric of what makes us who we are.  Sitting in a theater full of junkies last night was a pretty cool feeling.  Regardless whether you were fantasizing about a trico hatch, worm hatch, or toilet paper hatch the vibe was there.  Getting to drop a warm hello to fishing friends or friends I have yet to actually fish with just put a smile on my face that let me forget how long it has been since my waders have seen water.

Hopefully the water and I will become re-acquainted soon but for one evening it was nice to see some great takes, amazing fights, and some pretty cool fish porn.

See you on the water! (hopefully)

Good Luck and Tight Lines,

MBL

 

Trophy Cat Fish, New Years Resolutions, and Amazing Gifts

So as most of you know, the newly born Brownliner twins have dominated the landscape of my life for the past three months leaving very little time for fishing.  Much to my surprise I almost landed the big one at my company holiday white elephant gift exchange.

Sadly it was taken from me by one of the last people to open their gift and I ended up with a cake spatula that sings “Happy Birthday”…. just my luck.

So today being New Years, I figured there is no better time to put some of my angling/life resolutions for 2012 down in writing…

1. I will learn to tie and fish one new pattern per month
2. I will explore and fish six new areas or bodies of water
3. I will make a point to “pay it forward” once per month and help another (friends or strangers… doesn’t matter!)
4. I will take my two oldest son’s fishing with a level of patience that I have not given to them to date
5. I will finally give up the ghost and acknowledge the fact that my wife does not and will not grasp the appeal of fly fishing!
6. CW and I will navigate our local creek via pontoon from it’s beginning to it’s termination
7. With pending new video equipment I will commit to more video content on this blog!
8. I will figure out how to strike a balance between being a good father, good employee, and committed blogger/angler
9. I will smile more
10. I will wake up every day being prepared for the worst, hoping for the best, and soaking up each moment because you just never know when it will be your last

On a completely different note, I was once again completely blown away by CW.  He showed up at my house with his lovely girlfriend at our home for a bit of holiday celebration.  I had bought him a cheesy little wall sign for his fly tying man cave that I saw at Hobby Lobby.  (Twins make for a tight budget!)  He walks in with a huge honking box that weighed about 30lbs.  He told me that he doesn’t believe in traditional “baby gifts” but rather adult gifts in celebration of baby arrivals.  So I open the behemoth to find a beautiful fly tying cabinet engraved with my name.  He said since I couldn’t be out on the river as much this year at least I could finally get all of my tying supplies out of tupperware containers and ziplock bags…. truly amazing gift.  This is of course from a man that understands fishsturbation as much as I do!

Well it’s time to sit down with Mrs. Brownliner and watch a movie and try and get two future fly fisher kids to sleep.

Good Luck, Tight Lines, and have a happy and safe New Years!

MBL

Alive!

Hey folks… under a mountain of dirty diapers and sleep deprivation, I am alive. I have not forgotten about you but for now slinging flies has taken a back seat to feeding babies.

Hoping to hit the water soon with some good chatter to follow.

Thanks!

MBL

Mrs. Brownliner Lands the Best Double Ever!

Monday afternoon Mrs. Brownliner hooked, played, and landed the best double I have ever seen!  They gave her a good fight but they were no match for her angling prowess.  I wish I could tell you that I taught her everything she knows, but all I could do was stand and watch in awe….

Welcome to the world Hannah and Zachary!  We will have you throwing tight loops before you know it. 

New Camera

So I just bought a new camera this week.  I have had a digital SLR for a while, but this was a pretty big step up on quality when it comes to processor and Megapixel count….  Needless to say, I am pretty geeked about it!