Saltwater Fly Retrieves - with Angelo Peluso

One of the perks of my business is that I get to meet and work with the most interesting and accomplished folks in the industry. And, through these varied relationships I also get to grow professionally and personally. Each collaboration takes me and my associates down some challenging, fascinating, and very rewarding roads.

Angelo Peluso is a highly regarded fisherman and expert fly-tier. He's also a successful author, contributor, and talented photographer. His books include Tia, The Story of a Mouse and an Eagle, Flyfishing Long Island, and most recently, Saltwater Flies of the Northeast. He and I will collaborate on his next flyfishing book in the coming months.

While my enthusiasm for fishing far exceeds my ability, Angelo's ability has been honed and perfected through years of experience. He recently posted the below video. Simple, clear, and concise instruction. The fly he's using is one of his variations (of which there are many) of a large Lefty's Deceiver. He said he's had some really good luck with it on larger bass both on Long Island and in New England.



If you'd like to visit Angelo's site, Click Here. If you'd like to check out his books, check out the link below.

PS: I suspect his handwriting is a bit like mine (see below)... but I'll let you know :)

Kayak Fishing

(Cory reading A Field Guide to Coastal Fishes during a lull in the fishing :)

Disclosure: I may be a talented artist, but my handwriting makes me look like a serial killer. It's illegible. Horrible. Scribble. It's jerky, heavy, loopy and sloppy. You'd never know by looking at my writing that I can paint accurately, precisely, and beautifully. So when I'm at book signings, I pray that I'm not asked to write anything more than my name on the title page of my book. Because even penning my own name leaves me panicked.

Last summer my cousin asked me to personalize his copy. Before I did, I warned him my handwriting was awful. Not surprisingly, when I handed him the signed book, he read my inscription, laughed, and said, "Stick to painting, 'cuz!"
About four months ago. I'd just wrapped up a presentation and book signing which my wonderful niece had attended. Afterward, I lamented how bad my handwriting was, and how embarrassed I was by it. Bless her heart, Georgia told me, "Don't worry about it. All authors have horrible handwriting."

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I don't remember how I became Facebook friends with Cory Routh. Doesn't matter. He's a fishing fanatic, as am I. He's also an environmental specialist, conservationist, hunter, writer, and photographer. Recently, he published Kayak Fishing: The Complete Guide. Great book! Expertly written, chocked full of images, and designed for both the novice and experienced kayak fisherman. Cory is a pro who's passion for kayak angling and the outdoors shines through. His book covers everything from rigging and gear to launching and safety. It is particularly helpful for the beginner, but it would also make a great addition to any angler's library.

Anyway, he suggested we swap books. I said, Sure! But, this meant I had to personalize my book for him. Oh no...not handwriting! But I did my best and sent off my book to him. A few days later, his book arrived at my office. And like I'd inscribed my title page for him, he'd inscribed his title page for me. And ya know what??? His handwriting was as scribbly as mine!

Georgia was right.
And...turns out, I'm in good company.

Click here for Cory's website.
Click on link below to check out Cory's book. Have fun, and Go Fish!

Sharing with Sharks - Preview!

When I was a little girl, I spent summers in Connecticut with my grandparents at their country home. Every evening, Grandpa would sit by the fireplace and read to us from their collection of National Geographic magazines that lined the walls. We'd sit in his lap, snuggle tight, and listen intently. Good memories.

I still subscribe to National Geographic -- one of the few paper products I'll allow myself to purchase! I think they're worth the trees. I'll save and revisit special issues, particularly those about the ocean.

My how times have changed! Now, NG is on the web, and articles are free. Or, you can get the e-version on your Ipad or other digital toy. But, no matter how you get your NG, it's remains one of the best magazines around. Click here to read the latest, coolest news on Whale Sharks, and here to go to the fantastic photos. Can't wait for my copy to arrive the old fashioned way!

Photo Credit: (c)Michael Aw/National Geographic, October 2011 issue.
"Vying for position under a bagan, male whale sharks—two of about twenty that visit this spot—scramble for a snack. Typically an adult shark might cruise night and day at a sedate one to three miles an hour, sucking in enough seawater to feed itself. This group likely spends a lot of time in Papua's Cenderawasih Bay, making it one of a few places where the species gathers year-round. Scientists hope to cooperate with locals to launch studies of the giants."

You Might Be A Fish Nerd If...

Oh Yeah...! Finally! The definitive Fish Nerd List. Sadly (or perhaps happily?), I qualify. I laughed my way through this list, while nodding my head, 'Yeah, that's me. Yep, me again. And, again...and again..." Too funny. I actually knew the lyrics to "Fish Heads", and the video cracked me up. Alas.... Fish Nerds. We are a pathetic, yet deliriously giddy bunch.


FISHNERD.COM

Dog Eats Four Fish

Bodie. Guilty as charged.

This is not what you may think. My (our) dog did not actually eat four fishes. He ate the book, 'Four Fish' by Paul Greenberg. I did not kill the dog. But boy was I mad! OK, OK, he's a dog, a Labrador, and he got bored, and I left the book on the counter. He is well known to counter-cruise for any interesting item left on the counter. I should have known better. But, lordy! 'Four Fish'??!!

I should be happy, I suppose, that he ate the book instead of his other option: fly-tying materials and a box of wet and dry flies. I'd also left these on the counter... next to the book. So I should be relieved, perhaps, that he ate a book instead of hooks. I can hear it now, "I mistook it for a branch! It is a branch, kind of... in another form, maybe... Please don't be mad, Mommy!" But I'm still a little mad.

See, I was taking particularly good care of this book. Normally, books go all over with me and suffer the fate of being in hot tubs, on beaches, in boats, and wind up shredded if they survive at all. Also, I'm a very, very slow reader. I started reading this amazing book some four-five months ago. It's thoroughly researched and well-written, but I need my whole brain to absorb all of the information. The topics are complicated, interwoven, and acutely important: fisheries are collapsing. 'Four Fish' explains some of the complex reasons why.

I'd just finished the 'Sea Bass' chapters and had started 'Cod', which put me approximately one-half of my way through 'Four Fish.' This passage stood out:

"...by catching all the big cod, fishermen have in a sense selected for small cod. The genes for small cod may now be more frequent in the overall genome than they were before fishing pressure was applied. Even if cod on the Grand Banks were left alone, it might take decades for the population to recover its previous genetic potential and reclaim the average size required for dominance."

WOW! What a simple yet powerful and insightful rationale. Perhaps by ingesting some of this book my dog will aquire some higher intellegence and choose his marks more carefully? Just kidding. The dog is dumber than a post and happier for it. I won't stay mad long.

Read this book. It will be worth your time if you can keep it safe :)

Surf Fishing, by Joe Malat

How do I begin? "Well, begin in the beginning, and tell it from your heart," Mom would say...

I've known Joe Malat for - I'm only guessing - going on 15, 20 years. We go waaaayyyy back. Joe was the Exhibits Curator at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, and I was (always have been) a Marine Science Illustrator. When it came time for the state to finally renovate the facility, I landed the job to illustrate all of the graphic panels, including hundreds of IDs. It was a massive task. The blueprints alone weighed ten pounds...

Joe and I worked closely for well over two years on the project, often calling, faxing, mailing (those days were prior to email!) every day. He was detail oriented, exceptionally diplomatic and easy to work with. He is as nice as the day is long. He appreciated my dedication, and in return, I would turn cart-wheels to make him happy. We both wanted the same thing: the best exhibits we were capable of.

When the renovated aquarium opened, he invited me and my family to a personal behind-the-scenes tour. The boys were very young, but they still remember being above the big tank and watching the green sea turtle surface, breathe, dive. In the galleries, the boys ran from tank to tank, while I watched the visitors point to the fishes, then to my paintings, then back to the fishes. I knew I (we) had made an impact. On the way out, I counted the many different license plates in the parking lot.... Folks from dozens of states had come to visit, to learn, to marvel.

Joe and I stayed in touch over the years and I continued to work with him on an as-needed basis. He went on to become the aquarium director - a much deserved assignment. All the while, he honed his surf fishing skills, photographed and wrote about his passion, and ran an Outer Banks surf fishing school.

Last year, he retired, left the aquarium and moved to Florida (JEALOUS!!). Recently, he published his second edition of Surf Fishing. Last week, a signed copy of this book arrived in my mailbox. (It won't be long before a copy of my book arives in HIS mailbox!)

Anyway, for a book of 44 pages, it is chocked full of information about how to successfully catch commonly targeted surf fishes: Where, When, How, Tips, Size. From Florida pompano to Striped bass. Joe also discusses tides, currents, beach formations, gear, rigs, baits... The book is accurate, up to date, compact, and full of personal insights.

If you like to surf fish, buy this book. Joe knows his stuff.
So there!

(The below link is to his older book. The above is to his latest version. Happy reading!)

Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea

Like many busy people, with spare time at a minimum, reading can be a luxury. The only time I have to read is usually in the evenings, or on the weekends. When I'm under the gun trying to meet deadline, reading takes the back-seat altogether. At those times, reading is saved up for vacation. Books are carefully chosen, stored, and giddily transported to the beach. Then, if I'm not fishing, sleeping, or eating, I'm reading. "Mom, come on!" "Just one more chapter." "That's what you said two chapters ago..."

The SS Central America went down in a hurricane off the coast of NC in 1857. Over four hundred lives, three tons of California gold, and massive amounts of coal sank in over 1000 meters of offshore water. Tommy Thompson, a maverick inventor and marine engineer from Ohio methodically located the wreck. In the process of recovering the gold, he fended off interlopers, set legal precident, and took deep-sea exploration to new depths.

Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea is well written and researched. Gary Kinder wove history, science, and human determination into a true story that had me hooked to the very end. He painted a clear picture of the ship, the sinking, the rescues, and the subsequent recovery of the remains some 130 years later by one very determined scientist, his supporting crew and backers.

A very good read. I promise.