In Praise of Mysteries Internal

Taking a much needed break from the planning for Yellowstone today.  Like being on a carnival ride to long, your head can only take so much before you are in a state of displaced overload.  So, to get myself back on track, I turned to work on my novel. 

Writing a novel is much like invading someones life.  You must be so in tune and in touch with those who are walking through the story.  I have outlined and meditated on these folks and their story to the point that I sometimes feel as though I am intruding.  Though that sounds rude, it is actually a good sign.  If means that these people have life which makes for a good story.  Lets hope it continues in this direction.

Good writing is something that I have always respected.  Since the day 41 years ago when, as a six year old, I wrote my first story, I have been facinated by words and how they can be placed together.  It is this idea that started me thinking about Erin Block.

Erin is the Author of Mysteries Internal, which is in my opinion, the best fly fishing blog from a writers view that is on the world wide web.  Each post by Erin is just beautiful. The arrangement of words, the pictures she conveys, the ideas she interjects all make for work that is simply art.

I have often said, and I maintain, that writing is at its greatest form when it has defined flow and tempo- much like poetry.  Erin obviously has a profound gift when it comes to putting all the parts together in a manner that flows like a mountain stream.  I told a friend of mine about her blog the other day and commented that if Erins blog were about asphalt, it would still hold my undivided attention.  Her work has a spirit about it that jumps off the page.

I have praised this lady and her work many times, and will continue to do so, because as I walk boldly into what is my third novel, reading her work sets my mind into a pace that inspires me to write.  And from me, far beyond the fly fishing, that is the highest compliment I can offer.

If her work were published and not online, I would own everything she had to offer.  You need to do yourself a favor and visit her site.

http://mysteriesinternal.blogspot.com/

And now, I will turn my creative focus on a woman who through an amazing series of events escaped an abusive husband, headed north, and found her soul again amongst apple orchards, a historic river, and two friends who revealed to her the truth of destiny and freedom.

Help comes from the familiar

I got this friend, and he is great at tying flies. As a matter of fact, he taught me how to tie.  Gary is his name and he is one of the smoothest anglers I know, and he catches much trout, all on flies he ties.  The thing about Gary is...none of his flies have names.  They all look good, and buggy, and they are all productive.  He doesn't tie small flies either.  His flies are size 12 or greater.  Hmmmmmm......

So I get in touch with my buddy Gary....

"Hey Gary ol buddy ol pal....Ya know that trip thingy I am taking in July? Welllllllllll........"

He knows that my forte is the small stuff (insert snide comment here), and as of this writing, Gary is working on an arsenal of no name bugs.....

So then I am online last night and get an I.M. from my friend Brian in Michigan.  He likes to fish with big streamers.

"Hey Marc...I hear you are headed to Yellowstone.  The bugs you tie won't cut it out there man.  Unless each one comes with a magnifying glass, you ain't even gonna be in the hunt.  What is your mailing address?"

I don't tie big bugs...but thank God...I have a couple of friends who do.

Coming up on 30 Days

I have been losing sleep lately.  Waking up in the middle of the night with one thing on my mind...Yellowstone.

This is still so unreal to me.  To think that in a month I will be in the place I have dreamed about for so long.  It just doesn't seem possible....yet it is.

I have been in touch with Steve quite a bit over the past few weeks.  We have kept somewhat regular communication in the past, but now it is with a huge purpose.  One week of solid awe that we are going to share.  We are talking logistics, what bug puppets to create, and sharing a giddy camaraderie that is infectious.

The bug puppets have me in a quandary.  I never...and I do mean never, fish with anything bigger than a size 16 and have probably spent less that 15 hours total casting streamers.  Down here in the land of The Perfect Drift, bugs are small...like down to a size 30 small...and never larger than a 16.  That makes for a major change in my thought process.

I went to the vice and struggled to tie a big wulff...epic fail.  If this attempt is any indication, I will be buying some flies.  I mean....really....who would want to go to the Valhalla of flyfishing and throw something that looks like road kill wrapped around a hook?

The Hog Johnson Conundrum

My friend and soon to be Yellowstone fishing buddy Steve had an excellent post on Sipping Emergers today.  He expounded on the issue of pellet fed private trout waters and just who holds the golden ticket to these locations.  He also touched on the potential to carry the hypocrite card when visiting these waters.

I would like to steal borrow the thought from Steve and carry it south for a few minutes.

So here's the deal.  I live roughly one hour and fifteen minutes or so from Cherokee, North Carolina.  A tribal town that thrives on tourism and gambling.  Running through this town is a river that would be virtually devoid of trout were it not for the tribal hatchery that insures the rainbows and browns are stacked in so tight you need a shoe horn to get them all in.  The even have some trout marked for cash prizes if you catch one...I guess this ties in nicely with the casino.

On the outskirts of town, right near the border of the National Park, in the land reserved for the reintroduced elk community is a stream called Ravens Fork.  Within this medium sized mountain stream, it is not unusual to catch a trout that would be a beast in Lake Michigan.  Browns, brooks, bows, and the unusual golden trout and stocked liberally....and all of them fall into the Hog Johnson category.  Huge.  Freakin beasts.

My buddy Brad with a mountain Hog Johnson at the infamous Nancy-n-Justin hole.

Now...don't let my prudish side fool you.  I have cast upon these waters as well, with just as much success.  I call this kind of fishing Bordello fishing.  If you have the money, the fish will be there.  It is not without challenge, but the game is gratuitous.  Big hungry fish will eat, just like employees at a bordello will....well....I think you get the picture.

So what is the fee for this spot?  Last I heard it was 25 bucks a day or 75 for the year.

Don't get me wrong.  I like catching big fish just as much as the next guy, and I probably catch much more than my fair share of stocked fish throughout the year- some of which are in the H.J. category, but to pay to play or to join a club just doesn't set well with me.  Personally, I would rather catch a bunch of real sized trout that I worked for than catch a bunch of overgrown brutes in water they could not survive in by throwing down my fee.  A hooker and pig farm fishing...if you've got the money...you can get what you want.

I just hope you can live with yourself the next morning..............

Here is a link to Steves post.....
http://www.sippingemergers.com/2012/06/pot-meet-kettle.html

The Logistics of Victory

Reality has reached out from its lofty perch and nailed my feet to the floor.  Having spent several days telling everyone (including complete strangers) that I had won the contest, I am now in the planning stage which is proving to be a much more daunting task than writing the piece that got me the trip in the first place.

Now don't get me wrong.  I am not complaining AT ALL.  It is just trying to plan the unknown.  A bazzillion questions race through my mind daily.  Here are just a few.  Do they allow felt? Should I fly into Salt Lake and drive or just drop into Jackson Hole (that one is settled....Jackson Hole), what will the weather be like, how many bags will I need to take.....

As you can see the task is an endless march into the labyrinth of OCD.....

Chris contacted Steve and I to let us know that the itinerary is forthcoming and I am sure that he and Rebecca will provide a lot of these answers in the coming weeks.

On a lighter and much happier note....

Tomorrow will mark my 47th trip around the sun, and this past Saturday my friends and I slipped off for a little morning fishing on the Holston.  Three and a half hours on the water.  At least 15 nice sized trout brought to hand (all rainbows for those who are keeping count).  Caught them on a variety of flies.  The spot we fish is tricky.  You can tie on a pattern and catch a couple, then they get wise and you have to switch.  It will probably be my last outing until Yellowstone, but I am not gonna bellyache to much about it.  I mean, c'mon, I will be fishing Yellowstone in about six weeks.  I think the trout here in East Tennessee will understand.....

My wife is working her usual magic in that she is seeking out my flight info for me.  I still look, in search of a great deal, but in the end it will be she who lands the booking.  Let me just say that there is no cheap or short way to get from here to there.  But the price will be worth it.  She is so happy for me because she knows how much that place has captivated me and how fulfilling it is to win something with my writing.  My Jill rocks....

Seredipity and Honor

With a HUGE sigh, I want to start this edition of The Perfect Drift by saying thank you to The Outdoor Blogger Network, Trout Unlimited, Simms, and The Yellowstone Park Foundation for selecting me as one of the Grand Prize winners in this years Blogger Tour.  The hope to win was weakened when I read the other submissions and when it came down to the last two, I had honestly conceded defeat.  To see my name in bold letters was one of the most shocking events in recent history.

And of course to make it even better, I see that Steve Zakur won as well.  To that sight I offered up a hearty belly laugh.  Steve is one of my favorite bloggers and we have developed a friendship over time that just puts a little more icing on the cake.  For those of you that read this blog and hopefully read Sipping Emergers, you might remember that Steve and I have had two long distance fishing trips together-he on his water, me on mine with the only thing putting the two together being fly selection.  We have tried in vain for months to find a place to meet up and fish.  I don't think either of us dreamed it would be Yellowstone.

This major victory in the life of yours truly also reaped some lasting benefits at home.  You might remember that my kids prayed that I would win.  For them to see this come to pass will further solidify their belief in something much greater and wondrous than they can fully comprehend, and will hopefully strengthen their faith.

I am so looking forward to this trip.  It is honestly a dream come true.

I am sure the adventures/misadventures that Steve and I will share will tie us together for a very long time and I am looking forward to reporting to you my preparations as well as the trip reports...of which I am sure there will be many.

Life has a funny way of working out just as it is supposed to even when we don't think it will.  That is the lesson I have learned through this process.  To see the craft of writing which I hold so close to my heart be fruitful is humbling, and just furthers my desire to see it grow and flourish.

Once again, thanks to all involved.  I truly am grateful, blessed, humbled, and excited.

And now we wait

With the Yellowstone contest closed to new submissions, I nervously await the results which will be announced on Monday.

Do I think I will win?  That is a difficult question.  If the selections were made on desire to make the trip I think I would be running pretty high on the list, but having read all the other posts...I honestly have more doubts than high hopes.

If I were to pick...it would be tough.  On an entirely personal level, I would straight up choose my friend Steve over at Sipping Emergers.  Why? I will tell you why...I think he is a cool guy, and I envy his writing style very much.  He far outranks me in his craft (both on and off the water) and having read his blog for some time now, the guy knows how to fish.

And so...I will await the results.

Last night, during our family prayer time, each one of my kids asked God to let me win.  If the hand of Providence has anything to do with it- I am a shoe in after hearing those little ones pleading the old man's case with the Heavens.

And on that note I will wish my buddy Steve good luck in the contest with a glimmer of hope that it would be the two of us chosen so we could finally fish together.

And as for those prayers?  Well, here is a glimpse of the those little ones playing with Daddy.

See ya'll Monday.