Yuba-sonnet-ku 1-16-2015

Yuba Rock of Power ode to Howard and Jim

Siphlonurus surface skate.

Crouching leopard, rainbows porppus.

subtle emergence.

Cast and mend,

fureld leader spider's web.

Flossed in the jaw,

palmerd hackle hooked tight.

A great day casting drys in my favorite riffle we all know about, there are no secrets, just spots we all love to share. Along the hike up river I ran into two new friends Howard and Jim, who after comparing the days notes told me they had seen fish rising were that rock is up there. Well all I can say is thanks for the tip! luckily I had plenty of size 16 gray drakes to feed the fish. Earlyier in the day I was quite content landing fish on Skwala drys along the bank up river from the boat launch. But the afternoon was silly crazy fun. Lets keep in touch maybe we can meet up and share the Rock of Power soon!

Halloween, Upper Sac 10-31-2014

Into the flow
dogwood and maple turn and churn.
Even the moon quakes tonight.

Rumbling thunder behind me.
From my zen march I awake!
The engineer's horn.

Behind the veil,
Casting caddis adrift in current,
to no avail.

Between the corduroy,
rising to the caddis beat.
I cast.
Fish rise.
Cane bent.
Released in solitude's wholeness.

Yuba-Ku 8-2-2014 Dawn Patrol

Walking cobbles twilight
dog days of Sirius spinner fall.
Pink Alberts dominate.

No waxing Grain moon.
Along rivers edge, cast, land,
on Dawn Patrol.

Yuba-Sonnet April-2014

drawing by Mary Marsh

photo by Roger Williams

photo by Roger Williams

From Rose Bar to Blue Point,
cobbled path friends hike,
along a river rainbow,
Isoperla incite.

Yuba knows no ego,
flowing to sea,
its only desire to go.
I see,

Rises in view.
Rises to my fly,
trout feed true.
My Princess reel screams to cry.

This river on fire.
While Osprey kite,
trout feed without tire.
Into my net, trout with kype.

We all find bounty,
casting to rises.
Landing and releasing.
We revel in our prizes.

photo by Roger Williams

photo by Roger Williams

Alpenglow on Celluloid

Yep thats right, I've found myself being the subject of a low budget film. It's being deveolped by a couple of guys about West Coast Fly Fishing. Today was the third day shooting, but not out on one of my favorite streams. This time its in my rod shop in Oakland. I thought being a film "actor" playing myself was going to be easy. i was wrong.... i'm totally whipped. A little of this... plane some rod strips... bla bla, and Bobs your uncle! WRONG! try CUT! Can you do that slower? CUT! Can you do that twisted this way? Cut! We really want the sound the plane makes as it goes across the cane! OMG! but its cool they're really cool guys really excited and that makes me excited. Here are some film stills that they just gave me.

Emigrant Wilderness 2013

9-10-2013

The trail,
Forested white fir.
Inner laced of roots and earth exposed,
Like fingers of an ancient wizard.

Split in two but not.
Nearly identical from germination,
Limbs, bark and trunk.

Hot cider, carefully stirred,
Up to my fingers tips.
This spoons handle,
cut off.

9-11-2013

Serenaded by cowbells.
All,
night,
long.

9-12-2013

Majestic twins,
Together above us, hovering.
Reaching arms, lobed.
This limbed canopy,
Like the river systems we’re traveling.

Traverse, up sloping benches.
Contour south, now west.
Dark dihedrals of Granite Dome,
Finally in view.

9-13-2013

Willows and meadow,
lakes fringed with snags,
A study in patient line untangling.

High rocky cirque, lakes,
Emerald blue and green.
They’re magnetic to my feet.

From Corral Canyon,
a ribbon of Foxtail pines and fir,
as if they were guides,
we follow to camp.

9-14-2013

With confident feet,
along granite slabs.
Higher we clamber,
steeply,
steadily,
finally,
a spectacular perch.

In this tidy bowl,
Frequent breeze blowing.
We’re grateful for our,
cozy hats.

Along the border,
Granite sidewalks, undulate into
sky blue water.

Casting along,
Looped into silver snags.
Another lost fly.

Above me cliffs brood.
Scampering and climbing.
A fish I chase,
for dinner.

Forks of the Stanislaus

August 2013

Big trees and sour grass,
We hike under giants of old.
Towering cathedral,
shade and light filtered.

In this rivers flow,
Swirls and bubbles,
then babble.

Like a brook.
ancient voices.
stories told.

Even tiny stones can erode big stones.

Granite speckled.
Silver and black with iridescent shades,
as does its fish.

Upper Sac, 6-18-2013

Under the bright heart of Scorpio,
standing farthest north.
With the wavering wild rhubarb,
Rainbows porpoise.
While Calineuria Californica lumber about.

Watching from my circle,
but far from Nabta.
Flower
Strawberry
Rose or
Honey,
This moon, under Jupiter together
with Antares rising.

One of four guardians,
like me,
withen Castle Crags I cast,
into the Sacramento.

Boo on da'Beaver

Discomoecus, creep.
Granite stones swept and polished,
spotted friends hover.

Like this Honey Moon,
precious trout agresivly rise.
Each pool I hopscotch.




meat and potaoes:

Beaver Creek, 5N02 near Calaveras Big Trees State Park
weather, sunny warm,
Water temp 48 degrees, air temp 70 degrees
Flows 30cfs
water visability, gin clear
Hours fished, 10:30am til 4:30pm
bug activity; sporadic caddis
5wt single handed bamboo rod 7'6"
25+ trout landed, size; 12-6 inches

No Scales, Just Bamboo.

I haven't gone fishing for a bit. the weather has just been too good, but sometimes thats kinda bad for fishing. My home river has been in that summer stretch when the fishing is best super early or early evening. With the temperature hitting easy 90's on the river i just as well as stay home and focus on my rod building. Last year a good friend retired from building rods and gave me all of his equipment as well as three bundles of bamboo. since January i've finished three rods. one is a short spey,switch rod, another is a medium fast single handed dry fly rod thats a taper from Wayne Cattnach, and finally a Paul Young parabolic para14. not sure if i like this para 14 its very soft and one of my rod R&D casters thinks its crap. Where as he thought the Cattnach sir D taper streched out to 7'6" 5wt was nice.
I think tomorrow ill try the para 14 out as a nymphing rod rod, next to the Cattnach with dry flys up on Beaver Creek for the day
Theres some basic issues in the building process that i haven't been able to figure out as of yet. I'm getting some twisting in the tips from the binder. a number good of friends suggest using a lighter weight on the feed cord when binding the tips. But also a number of friends said they always get some twisting and need to do some straightening after the glues dried. all in all however i feel pretty good about these first three prototypes.
heres some pics of them and work in progress in my shop.