Tailwater Tribe

To say this summer didn't go as planned would be an understatement.  Reflecting back to the spring I had visions of guide school on the Bighorn in my sights.  My buddy Randy Berndt from Wisconsin, a classmate from Montana State University and I were supposed to attend a well-known guide school on the Big Horn River.  To make a long story short; Randy got to go, and I didn't.  For me, life got in the way.  I am in the midst of yet another job change, a great opportunity that doesn't come around very often.  This threw my summer into a loop as it was a late development and by the time I got my ducks in a row, I ran out of time.  This forced me to live my life vicariously through Randy.  I kept up with his exploits through his blog "On The Fly" and it sounds as if he had a demanding, yet unforgettable experience.  Depending on my new schedule on my job, maybe next summer will be my time.  So for now, I will practice my nail knots, improved clinch knots, surgeons lo

After mysteriously losing my old Kodak waterproof video camera, a loyal friend that had accompanied me from Key West to Idaho, I started looking around for a replacement.  I settled on the GoPro Hero2.  This is one serious bulletproof, shockproof, and waterproof camera, built like a tank and attachable to anything that moves including my kayak, my head (via headstrap), or the optional chest strap.  I took the new toy out yesterday wade fishing in the gulf and shot some practice footage using the chest strap.  I didn't catch any fish but I think I like the results.  Can't wait to try her out for real!

  As noted in one of my original posts, I am a HUGE Widespread Panic fan.  Although I've never seen them in concert (they're on my list) I do have every studio album they have recorded to date on my iPod.  I recently went browsing at Peaches Record Store in New Orleans and found a Panic CD I didn't have.  "Ain't Life Grand" was recorded and released by the little ol' band from Athens, GA in 1994.  Of course, I had the title cut, "Ain't Life Grand" on another WP album entitled "Choice Cuts." "Ain't Life Grand" is a Panic staple, but another song on the CD drew my attention, partially due to its title: "Fishwater."  This is a kick-ass song with a great bassline and New Orleans roots as well; even more appropo as I bought the CD in New Orleans.  On my Tailwater Tribe adventures, long roadtrips that involve many hours of travel, I now have enough Widespread Panic on my iPod to spend days on the

 Unloading the gear at the Town and Country (Nice Yeti!!!) The elusive sulfur hatch on the White and North Fork Rivers turned out to be just that...elusive.  I left the beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast with visions of PMDs spinning in my head.  After ten hours I finally arrived in Mountain Home, AR, a place I hadn't been to in quite a while due to the inconsistent generation at Bull Shoals and Norfork Dams.  I unloaded the gear and checked into the Town and Country Inn, a fine establishment and a true hardcore fly-fisherman's hole in the wall.  A few hours earlier, I had stopped off in Marion, AR for gas and beer and was anxious to see how cold my beverages were in my new Yeti cooler, a father's day gift from my lovely wife, Laurie!  She couldn't make the trip but was living vicariously through me.  Not only did the Yeti do well in 90+ degrees during the trip, but still had ice in it eight days later.  Kudos to @Yeticoolers!  New Patagonia Rock Grip Aluminum B