Fishing

First of all, sorry to not update in so long. So much of what I do in life could fit into this blog or the other blog and I instinctively blog there instead.

The biggest development in my life lately is that I've been really pursuing a fishing hobby lately. This is the perfect activity for an Urban Cottager. It makes you get out into the wild and gives you an opportunity to acquire your own food.

Not that I've caught anything yet. I've been fishing twice so far and the first time was a learning experience of sorts and the second time was sort of an afterthought.

I've fished before, of course. A decent amount as a kid and once recently at Glacier. But this new round of interest started because of the Father's Day dream weekend Nikki planned for me. She took me on a fishing weekend to Shenandoah. She had even gotten me a license and a full complement of trout lures to go with the beautiful spinner reel and rod set she picked out.

Our actually fishing experience was a little frustrating. We chose to hike along the Rose River to find a fishing spot. I guess I've been biased by my past fishing experiences at Canyon Lake in Texas, on Michigan lakes, or on the Texas coasts. I expected to find a large, deep, open area to fish at. We hiked the entire length of the Rose that had trails and never found what my pre-conceived notions would define as a 'good spot.'

It was still a nice outing with Georgie and Nikki in the woods, but as a fishing expedition was a bit of a failure. (And kind of an exhausting hike.) Then we got back to the parking lot and I talked to another fisherman. He asked if I caught anything and I told him only tree branches. He said he was there last week and was 'knocking them dead.' I couldn't believe it. I asked him where exactly he was casting and he named the two areas where we had been.

Since that time, I've come to understand the trout a little better. These are shallow, cool mountain streams and I guess trout actually thrive in them. The streams have brook, brown, and rainbow trout, and with a little more patience I think I could catch something for sure. I'm hoping we can head back soon, maybe with waders on.

The other thing I've realized lately is that I just have to learn to fly fish. Trout eat flies and such so it makes sense to present to them that way. Mr. Successful Rose River Fisher was fishing with a fly rod. And, as I can count on regular trips to Montana for the foreseeable future, it just makes sense to learn.

I should mention that my current bible of fishing knowledge is a book called Freshwater Fishing Tips and Techniques. It's an incredible book full of wisdom about natural conditions and settings and tackle and presentation. It's not too gear-focused though. It's a lot more focused on what the fisherman needs to know about his or her natural environment and how he or she is interacting with the fish. Highly recommended.

Oh, and the other fishing experience of late was at Ft. Washington, just south of town on the Potomac. Georgie and I had a little hike and then cast off for only about 15 minutes from the shore. Didn't catch anything and our water was interrupted every few minutes by a passing speedboat's wake.

Which brings me to something I've already realized. I'm a trout guy, not a bass guy. Put differently, I like the idea of fishing in a cold stream a whole lot more that fishing in warm water for big ole trophy fish. I think the natural setting is better, and my early impression is that the fish will put up more of a challenge to find. We'll see if that gets old.

Plans

These are subject to change I suppose but here is what I have on tap for the coming months:

• Hops. I am going to order rhizomes in a few weeks. I bought a really large planter at Costco and I think it will more than adequately accommodate the roots. I am going to run twine up to the second floor to let them vine. I am thinking I will use Willamette, though when I last grew them I had the most success with Cascade. I am assuming Cascade will be hard to come by though.
• Herbs. Going in window boxes on our balcony will be herbs. Sweet basil, cilantro, chives, marjoram...not sure what else.
• Garden plot. I am hoping to get a 20x20 (or possibly 10x20) plot at one of several nearby community gardens run by the county. A community garden near Adam has a community chicken coop. I'm jealous of that. If I can get it I'll grow tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, beans, and some kind of salad green.
• Hunting. I am hoping to go hunting this year. Not sure when, where, with whom, or for what quarry. I don't know anyone here who hunts. I am thinking rabbits would good. A deer would be good too. I'd like to make sausages and venison stew.
• Meat. I am hoping to branch out a little this year. I guess we've already started by buying goat meat from time to time. I'd also like to experiment a little with offal, especially liver.
• Fishing. This is a tricky one. Our waterways seem fairly untrustable. And I'm not the throw-it-back type. Last fall my father-in-law offered to take me out for a deer and now I feel kind of like an idiot for not taking him up on it.
  
• Husbandry. I'm not sure how this can happen. I'm not interested in getting a gerbil. :) I think some farmers might take a fee in exchange for pasturing an animal for you. If so, I'd like to find a bottle baby lamb and pasture is somewhere nearby where it would be with other sheep and we could visit it. Then we can take it to slaughter at the end of the year, maybe for Christmas lamb.