ness

What fly shop?

If you don't get those bottom leaves out of the dirt, it's not gonna matter if you pinched or not

Rooting through the freezer and pulled out some frozen raviolis. Made a quick sauce with olive oil, garlic, white wine, red pepper, garden oregano and ground tomatoes. Made some sourdough last weekend and used the rest for garlic bread tonight.

Most of what I grow are indeterminate varieties so they can keep producing until frost. Fall tomatoes are nice, but we’re usually getting tired of them by then. Thanks to @BilletHead we learned to dry them last year. Do love to pull some green ones for frying too. Not afraid to hit them with a copper fungicide, BT or Sevin. Also not afraid to declare defeat and hit the farmer’s market.

Chemicals, baby!

I may rinse some off and try that sometime.

What a renegade!

Masks keep a lot of nasty stuff out of my nose and mouth, including my fingers. Masks also keep nasty stuff that comes out of my nose and mouth from getting on other people. Win win.

I think, in general, people get a little too hung up on matching the hatch, especially in MO. By the calendar/by the clock hatches are rare in MO. And the hatches we do see aren't the clouds of flies that get written so much about in the literature and instructional books. I'll have a selection of dry flies from pretty small up to medium, say 20 to around 12. Smaller dries are going to be Elk Hair Caddis, Light Cahill, Adams, and parachute varieties so I can see them better. I always have larger Stimulators on hand -- for terrestrial fishing and for dry/dropper rigs. Nymphs are generally small too, say 20 to 14. Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear, Pheasant Tail, Copper John, and Prince. Other wet flies would be Kruse Leech in olive and Wooly Buggers in olive, brown and black. I just never latched on to soft hackle fishing. When I first started hacking away at this I'd drive myself nuts buying and tying everything I'd seen or heard worked for somebody else. I spent more time jacking with my flies than showing them to fish. I also spent a lot of time in the trees. Over time I learned that the presentation of the fly was so much more important than the 'right' fly. And you can't present the right fly as often if they're in the trees behind you or you're changing flies every couple minutes. So I'd recommend working hard on good presentation of flies. Learn where to place them and how to keep them drag-free: with your line up and off the water, and by perfecting mending. The tippet should match the fly size but it should also match the conditions: smaller tippet for calmer water. It's good to know how to do roll, bow and arrow, sidearm and steeple casts for small streams. Practice those at home or on a local pond -- before you get to the pool full of fish. On a small stream it's a lot easier to spook the fish and you won't catch spooked fish. Keep low, watch your shadow, make your casts count, and don't rip the fly off the water. Stay out of the water as much as possible. If you come crashing in and spook some little fish in the riffles below a nice pool they're gonna shoot on ahead and spook all the rest. When you approach a decent spot, plan your approach well in advance. Sometimes you've got to backtrack, cross over and re-approach from the other side to have the best chance of success. And, sometimes you just won't be able to fish a spot. Like Dionne Warwick said, 'Walk on by.' I fish two flies a lot of the time. Not just a dry and nymph dropper but a dry/dry with a smaller, harder to see fly below a larger one. This helps when I want to present a small dry but can't see it due to the size, glare, old age, or whatever. I'll also fish a small, unweighted nymph below a dry when they're feeding at or near the surface but there aren't visible flies. As for wet flies I'm using an indicator less and less. I figure a stimulator that looks like a grasshopper is less likely to spook a fish than a chunk of chartreuse styrofoam will. But I'll still use them in deep or changing-depth water since they're easier to adjust. Use what works for you. Anyhow -- sounds like you've got pretty easy access to a sweet little stream. You're a lucky guy. Hope this helps.

I’m just doing it until they’re established well. Maybe another couple weeks?

I'm pinching off blooms right now. Want the energy going into the plants at this point. Also put down grass clipping mulch around the maters and peppers today.

I have replaced several tomatoes with store bought. Mine started getting the plague while still in the pots. Planted the best -- none left for my uncles this year. Only a couple left in the garden that are home started at this point. Oh well, at least I got the varieties I wanted.

I'm tired of this cool weather! Had a second frost warning night before last -- covered everything up, didn't get it. High yesterday was about 56, but it was colder than that. Cold outside now -- about 48 right now (around noon) and overcast again. My maters and peppers are just sitting there doing nothing. Hail warning for tomorrow. Won't hit the 70s until this weekend. I don't think I'd try to start tomato seeds this late in the season. Just too late to get them going IMO. If you can swing it, get out and get some plants, though the stock is dwindling.

One of my co-workers is from Jamaica originally and that's very common there. He eats it here too, but not sure where he gets it. He loves it. Talks about curried goat usually.

Way to hot spot!

See updated post😀

Good ol’ pot roast with mushrooms, mashed taters, gravy. and strawberry shortcake but wait... there’s more

Here's a book I recommend: Curtis Creek Manifesto. It's a good, concise primer on how to fish streams. It's written in a comic book style which sounds weird but don't let it scare you off. Really good info without beating the topic to death .

I’m hurt. The last time you posted I suggested a small, light colored fly...😁

Got everything covered last night and we did get a frost last night.

Fajitas. Marinated flank steak grilled, red onion, red and orange bell pepper on grilled flour tortillas with sour cream and green sauce.

You still on the pain meds? May need a chauffeur!

Got me looking at old photos. Here's a pretty good one from my driveway May 2015: Cell phone shot of some more August 2019: Hope you guys get to see them.