and a strong cup of coffee

How do you create outdoor kids?  You have them grow up experiencing outdoor adventures like it is a normal part of life. Over the summer, as I was on maternity leave, I was determined not to let the nice weather slip away without getting some fun, outdoor adventures in.  Staci from MyMainelyGirlAdventures took me to one of her favorite fishing spots.  I loaded up the baby, my waders (which I fit back into!) and into the water we went. We didn't catch any fish, but we did have a few bites.  I had the most action on my fly line that I have ever had!  Could have been the flies we put on or, maybe, this baby will be my good luck charm! The weather was perfect and we got to enjoy a few hours in the water wetting our lines and catching up.  What better way to enjoy my maternity leave?

My friend Staci and I went fishing recently.  The water was down, the air wasn't too hot and the fish were jumping! It was the third time we had attempted to fish this spot and we arrived early enough to be the first in. We had the luxury of being able to enjoy the nature around us and try out a few different flies to see what the fish were biting.  A pair of Mergansers flew overhead and then swam past us while we stood waist-deep in the current. We would cast, change flies and then change spots on the stream.  It was great.  Eventually, a man parked on the edge of the road and started walking down to the stream to fish as well.  I wasn't the least bit concerned because I had just had a great experience in GLS with Greg . I stopped watching him when Staci yelled to point to the fish jumping in front of her and then we watched as her fly rod created an arc back into the water and she started fighting the fish at the other end. I left my sp...

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...

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...

Staci and I headed out again for our second fishing adventure! For the second time, the water levels where we wanted to go were too high so we headed to my hometown to try our lines in the river. The Kennebec River The Kennebec River It was fantastic to be fishing there since I had never done it but I quickly learned that my lures were way too heavy for the water and the grass and slim covering the rocks.  I would get caught on every two or three casts while Staci was using a fly rod and was able to cast out and relax for a few minutes before casting again. We walked about a mile down the river closer to town and tried again to get a bite.  Seeing town from this angle was great! And the weather was perfect. My lure sunk worst at this spot then the first one and I only cast a few times before I reeled in my line and walked over to watch Staci. The Kennebec River The Kennebec Rive Soon, we decided that we needed lunch and to try a third spot.  One ...

My friend Staci is a fisherwoman.  She had the gear, knows her stuff and has years of experience.  Somehow, someway, I convinced her to take me fishing. We were watching the water height and strength online and it looked promising so that is where we headed.  An hour later we arrived to this:  the water had been released from the dam above and was raging.  I snapped a couple of pictures and we headed to a different spot to try out luck. Staci said this was a little high compared to what it was a few days before when she was there with her husband but it seemed doable and we wanted to be able to cast a few times just to say that we did it.  I had received two pairs of waders from a retiring coworker so I was eager to try them out and hoped that they would hold up. The bridge swung a little as we drove over it We geared up, Staci put some ties on both of our fly rods (I watched her and tried to adjust the waders).  And we headed into ...