Living near a great trout river isn’t the utopia some would like to believe.

Well, OK, it actually is, but it’s not as if I get to spend all my time on the river, drinking fine scotch served by former Victoria’s-Secret-models-turned rod caddies or anything (though it would make for a hell of a blog post).


Big Empty River: The Upper Sac rolled on without me, which I find intolerable.

Sadly, there’s that whole little matter of putting bread on the table, which in my case means putting words on paper, getting others to read them, and hoping they’re moved enough to buy multi-million dollar software products.

It’s not always an easy way to go.

Off the Water. On the Internet.

This week has been a hornet’s nest of obligations and last minute deadlines, but then, if I was going to be tied up off the water, this might have been the time.

After a run of spring weather, a cold front moved through, and while I didn’t get to fish, I missed a largely cold, windy river.

Another front is heading my way, so today might be my best, last chance to fish for a couple days. No matter what happens, you’ll hear it second.

Nestle Makes the Very Best…

I owe my readers two “Part Two” posts: follow-ons to my more misinformation from Nestle and the Bill Phillipson story.

At this point, I’d much rather finish the Bill Phillipson piece, so instead of another long, painful Nestle post, I’m going to simply outline the details of their deal with the tiny McCloud Services District and let you decide if the company’s preying on small communities.

Phillipson’s post will be considerably more fun. Look for both this weekend.

Your Friday Fifteen Minute Fun Break

How many states can you name in ten minutes? (The United States, that is.)

It’s a test of the Undergrounder’s geographic skills.

I tried to name all fifty states, but left seven behind, and Kim — one of the smartest people I know — got a nine, though both of us claim we were sabotaged by a poorly timed phone call.

Take the 50 States in 10 Minutes test and report the results back here (no cheating).

It’s harder than it sounds, but any Undergrounder who forgets a state with a significant, world-famous trout population will be moved back to the Trout Underground’s Elementary School site, where we teach kids to tie Bimini Twists using fingerpaints.

My own fingers are messing up my keyboard as I worked my way West to East (damn you North and South Dakota!) but somehow left out Colorado. Oy.

Fishing’s not that good there anyway.

See you on the big, empty river, Tom Chandler.

[tags]fly fishing, nestle, bill phillipson[/tags]

Posted in Underground Entertainment.