Foulhooking Carpsicles

Thought about getting out today. I think about it all the time, really. I didn't get out fishing enough this past year. Never do, but this year was worse. Considered it today. But windchill must have been below zero and there's anchor ice on all the rivers. Ohwell....

Forget It - We'll Go Get Some Real Bonefish...

Taj, Ryan and I had a gig shooting/videoing in Honduras that fell through so we kept the tickets which were through Belize and went fishing for real bonefish...

Got into fish on our own the first day and hired a great guide the next who taught us more how to do it.

By the end we were stalking and catching bonefish on our own. I even think I might have a better idea now about how to catch the impostors up here...

I Keep Snagging My Double Haul on the Empties

No carp yet. The Housatonic looks like the Mississippi and there's no way to even think about fishing it even if all the fish have not been washed to the Atlantic. So we've been hitting the lakes for bass. I'm not much of a bass fisher (you can tell by my belly). This is the biggest I've caught. 5wt and 4x at least...

Strung Out, Deep Into the Backing

Got this email from a friend today:

From: Hal Clifford

Subject: Your future as a carp angler

Date: July 17, 2009 4:23:41 PM EDT

To: Jason Houston

You know how marijuana is a gateway drug? Well, Berkshire bonefish are the marijuana of carp. And this is the skid row:



http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/sports/27fishing.html?_r=2&ref=sports


Bass, Pale Ale & a little Yoda action (classic Berkshires)

Yesterday we fished the Glendale Catch and Release section of the Housatonic—where they allege all the big car-eh-Berkshire Bones live when it gets warmer. I think every time I looked up Hal had a nice trout in the net. Better fishing there than I've seen before. Said it was just coming naturally. James and I had less luck, but it was a good day of classic fly fishing on a pretty (if polluted - PCBs) section of trouty water. One of the first around here that felt right this year. Yes it's May. Yes, it's grim here. That, and salt's been getting in the way a little lately too.

Today, on a shallow private lake (thanks, Phil), with cans and a canoe, Hal thought he hooked an alligator at one point. I suppose one never knows in these weird little shallow warm water impoundments. We know we at least had a number of larger bass than we usually catch, the largest bluegill I've ever seen, the aforementioned possible alligator, good sized pickerel, and Dale's Pale Ale in a can (which was pretty darn good). 

The fish again just came naturally, when we weren't thinking about it. Jedi style. Once when Hal was watching an osprey. Twice when I told them I was 'reeling in the fly to change it'. Always when resting the popper for much longer than you think you should.

Perfect Kid?

She said, "Let's ride our bikes over and go fishing...".

"Lake or river?" I asked. "River," she said.

First Striper of the Season

Hal's at the mouth of the Housatonic.

Fish in Borneo

Trying for Real Bonefish in Belize

Poaching a Few Days from the Work Schedule with Taj in NM