and a strong cup of coffee

We need choppy water Steve told me when we had first started fishing together last year. The breeze off of the lake wasnt as bad as we had thought but it was enough to get a little chop going and keep the temperatures cool.  We were the only ones at the boat landing that morning. I was ready to redeem myself after last year's trip resulted in a salmon throwing the hook and swimming away. We set up the three streamer lines and headed to the honeyhole to see if we could get a bite.  We didn't spend too much time trolling before Steve yelled, "fish on!' and I jumped up to grab the rod and started reeling the line in, making sure to keep the line tight and the tip up. The water was cold  but I was surprised by the lack of fight that I had expected and remembered from last year.  Maybe it's the fact that I routinely lift a 30+lb toddler.  As the line changed and the leader ran through the first eye hole, I could see the fish coming to the surface.  For a...

There is something so wonderful about not living in a city; wildlife!  The deer are looking fantastic this spring since we had such a mild winter.  They are in the process of shedding but if all goes well, they will be big, fat and healthy once fall comes. Yearling deer steps into the driveway Doe eating grass on the edge of the driveway

After a good rain in the early spring months, you can usually find some great animal tracks.  Here, a yearling and cow moose ran down the edge of the road.  This is the yearlings track, its the same size as my hand!

The above average temps and lack of snow this winter had resulted in the fishing season kicking off two weeks ahead of schedule so Robin and I scoped out the stream the day before we were set to go fishing to see how high the water was and how many fellow fishermen were there. We went back to her house where Taylor joined us and got our fly rods ready with leaders and new flies. The next morning, the three of us ate a delicious breakfast (duck eggs and bear sausage!) and headed to the stream.  Our second year being in the stream on April 1.  I looked like I knew what I was doing which was a vast improvement from  last year.   It was also 30 degrees warmer that it had been so the extra layers were not needed. We had an idea of where we wanted to be and made our way across the dam.  Being outdoor bloggers, we needed to get a picture of us (my idea, not Robin's).  I asked the one person out of the water, a guy who clearly knew what he was doing, to take o...

You can learn a lot by what animals leave behind.  In this case, a bear was able to get a nice chunk of venison.  The size and the amount of hair (you can see the white and tan hairs closest to my foot) tells you that this bear took more than just a nibble at the deer.   Bear are one of the biggest predators of deer; especially deer fawns in the spring.  Clearly there is one less deer in this area then there was before winter started!