It’s Monday. We’re talking Scotch, slaw dogs, October Caddis and Heidi Klum. Ready?

It’s cold outside, the sky is clear, the fall colors persist, and the Wonderdog is moving around more than yesterday.

That he’s moving at all is a bit of miracle, so overall, things aren’t too bad for a Monday. Still, due to looming deadlines I’m running 50% adrenaline and writing whatever hits the ganglia.

Enjoy the ride….

I Fish, Therefore I’m Home Early.

It’s the time of year when the non-local anglers clear off the river seemingly overnight. The time change means you’re pretty much done fishing by 5:15, the mornings are fishing slow due to the cold, and those who have to drive and get a hotel room decide it’s not worth the expense.

It’s still pretty up here in Mt. Shasta. Oy.

Many will leave with puzzled looks on their faces, wondering how the trout could ignore so many of the huge October Caddis in favor of smaller bugs, but I’ve seen it happen every year.

Saturday night I caught more and bigger fish on a #16 yellow stonefly pattern, though I’m told a #18 PED was the ticket last night on a different stretch. We warned you.

What makes my heart pump faster this time of the year (outside of the L&T Nancy) are the cloudy, drippy days that sometimes lead to good BWO hatches. When the weather is right, some of us will agonize at length over what stretch of water offers the best chance of success.

Such days are forecast for later this week, and I’m carefully going over the rods and reels and leaders dedicated to this Fall/Winter’s BWO chases.

Life is hard in the mountains…

Speaking of a Hard Life

We finally heard from Ian Rutter, who - as we snidely noted - has been battling a jam-packed guiding schedule and a move to a new house with a November 1 deadline.

To make matters worse, the people moving into his old house had to do so early, and I can’t imagine the chaos that would result from that *little* complication.

Turning to the bottle for solace, Ian even managed to fry his computer keyboard, though at least he did so with impeccable, Underground-esque style: he spilled good scotch all over it.

Bravo Ian! Still, his hastily typed report leads me to wonder if I shouldn’t try to schedule a second trip to the Smokies around this time of year as the hatches have been good and the fish easy. Life is hard in the Smokies…

Slaw Dog Heretic. Burn Him!

The Tennessee Valley Angler posts a nice trip report, filled with humor, and then absolutely throws the whole thing away in the final paragraph when he suggests that anglers avoid the footlong slaw dog from the Dairy Queen because it’s too messy.

Oh yes, you can bet I fired a little invective his way, casting doubt on his credentials as a southerner and as a living, breathing human. Advising someone to avoid a slaw dog due to the mess is like advising you to avoid sex with Heidi Klum (or Brad Pitt) because you’d get kinda sweaty and out of breath.

In both cases, the condition described is sorta the point. Life is hard in the junk food world…

Capitalism Unleashed

I’ve got lots to do today (and I’m still harboring a small amount of fishing related hope for this afternoon), but I did want to thank those who clicked through my Sierra Trading Post link and ordered stuff. There are other vendors who could be added to the gig, and I’ll discuss it with you folks as it happens.

In the meantime, I may list a few of the cooler products from STP (the Underground’s hip new acronym for Sierra Trading Post) tonight or tomorrow.

See you eating messy, scotch-soaked slaw dogs on the river, Tom Chandler.

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