Details about how to enter here (though you simply Like them on Facebook, Follow them on Twitter, or join their email list).

(Hate to take chances? You can buy your own copy of Rivers Of A Lost Coast.)

KQED Broadcast Schedule

September 24 @ 2:30 pm: KQED (Channel 9)
September 25 @ 8:00 pm: KQED WORLD (Comcast Channel 190)
September 26 @ 2:00 am: KQED WORLD (Comcast Channel 190)

It’s clearly a West-Coast heavy list, and while we’re happy to see Undergrounder Ralph Cutter’s “California School of Fly Fishing” make the list, our stringent editorial guidelines force us to point out that the casting ponds don’t so much worship fly fishing as fly casting, and that the StoneFly Vineyards are probably designed to furnish an elegant, high-class (and impressive) cover for getting drunk:

1. The Casting Ponds, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
2. StoneFly Vineyards, Yountville
3. California School of Flyfishing, Nevada City/Truckee
4. RiverStone Gallery, Ennis, Montana
5. The Last Chance Bar and Grill at Trouthunter, Island Park, Idaho

Naturally, no “Top Anything” list is complete with the input of the Undergrounders, and because I’ve got a stack of review books a mile high, I’m going to give away a copy of a recent fly fishing book to the best suggestion (your choice of several).

See you in the list, Tom Chandler.

Some kind of valuable prize awaits the winner.

bikini, fish, fish in bikini, caption contest

From Angling Trade:

According to Hutch Hutchinson, host of the Orvis/Angling Trade Helios Challenge “we’ll have an assortment of casting challenges and obstacles to simulate natural conditions and increase the challenge element.  This unique event isn’t just a great time, it also gives industry conservation efforts a significant boost of exposure.”

It sounds like fun – and yes, it’s an ideal venue for Orvis to introduce their rumoured new line of Helios “Ion” small stream fly rods (the “Ion” series wouldn’t be our first choice for a name, but it’s theirs, and they make way more money than we do, so…)

Like the Bend, OR course, the FFR installation is supposed to feature true-to-life casting problems, though frankly, the Underground wonders how “real” any indoor casting course could be.

After all, how do you simulate “real-life” stream moments like:

• In mid-cast, you realize you didn’t turn off the stove after heating that can of soup
• At dusk, hordes of bloodthirsty mosquitoes descend like the tiny winged hounds of hell, forcing you to cast with one hand while trying to prevent a reverse blood transfusion with the other
• You stayed up late the night before and drank too much; how do you simulate casting with a hangov… wait, it’s FFR, this one’s covered
• With a crowd watching from the far bank, you hook yourself on your own backcast in a part of your back you can’t reach; you have 20 seconds to solve the problem without anyone noticing

Of course, these are just a few real-life conditions I encounter every day, but I’m sure the Underground’s tail-looping hordes can add a few of their own.

How about it Undergrounders: what it would take to develop a truly realistic casting course?

Best suggestion wins a copy of Craig Ballenger’s not-lauded-nearly enough book: “Shasta’s Headwaters – an Angler’s Guide to the Upper Sacramento and McCloud Rivers.”

Undergrounders, the contest floor is yours.

fly fishing, fly casting, casting competition, ffr, orvis, angling trade, booke giveaway

The lucky bastard winner is Roland Meehan of Milton, NH, and I’d like to take this opportunity to point out that free fly tying vise is rightfully mine those who didn’t win will still be on the receiving end of HMH’s e-newsletter, which should prove interesting.

I’m putting together a little essay for the next issue, and even if you hate reading email, HMH just fired up their own forum.

The Underground thanks them for their support, and as for you Roland, I’m going to hunt you down happy to congratulate you on your win.

See you at the fly tying bench, Tom Chandler.

I finally freed up a few minutes to fire up the random.org random number generator (which generates truly random numbers based on atmospheric noise), and who should win but… Salty (of BWTF fame).

To be blunt, his winning comment lacked a little of the Pulitzer-esque gravitas we’ve come to associate with him on the BWTF blog, but damnit, numbers don’t lie. He said:

always reel right; dominant hand

So Salty — despite your slacker-level effort — it’s your choice: AEG Fish Bums 1: Mongolia DVD or Kerplunk by Patrick McManus?

Whichever one you don’t choose will be summarily awarded to the commenter whose post I deem most worthy.

Of course, we’re also the Fly Fishing Blogosphere’s Leader in Giving Stuff Away (which frankly isn’t saying much).

Today, we’ve got a twofer going — the winner gets to chose between an AEG Fish Bum 1: Mongolia DVD, or a copy of Patrick McManus’ Kerplunk (outdoor humor essays).

     
Win an AEG DVD or McManus’ latest humor book (Kerplunk)

"How can I win one of these incredibly valuable prizes" you ask?

Simple. Post a comment stating — in your own, incredibly lucid prose — whether you reel left or right (if you reel neither, then pick one and pretend).

We’ll award bonus points for those comments that hint at the deviancy of the other camp, and then chuck ‘em all and pick a winner based on a random number generated by atmospheric noise.

See — at the Underground, the giving never stops. Never.

See you at the random number generator, Tom Chandler.

After all, my slacker overemployed readers are too lazy busy to go to the Creek Company Web site and register to win the thing, so the final drawing will simply be a contest between me and a few other layabouts.

Still, in case you’ve got a few minutes, the Creek Company is running an email list building exercise — which could generate a little upside for you (a $2K boat).

Win it, and hell, you could chuck your job and become a bitter, underpaid, unloved successful fly fishing guide. Winner!

While You’re At It

Don’t forget to enter in HMH’s drawing for a free Spartan fly tying vise and tube fly converter. It’s a killer vise and no, you’ll never, ever beat the price.

At the Underground, the insatiable greed well-being of our readers is foremost in our thoughts each and every day. Every day.

See you stuffing freebies down your pants, Tom Chandler.

After I put an extremely valuable well, free copy of Patrick McManus’ Kerplunk! on the line, we spared no expense in our search for a cheap and easy unimpeachably fair method of determining a winner.

Once again, I ended up at Random.org — the free online random number generator which costs nothing uses atmospheric noise to generate truly random integers (a rarity in the computer world).

I carefully removed the duplicate posts, fired up Random.org, and picked the comment posted by Alert Underground Freeloader Reader Mad Dog.

[sfx: crowd going wild, confetti being thrown, Hooters Girls running on stage, ballons popping, yadda yadda...]

And that’s not all:

Final “Has the Recession/Gas Prices Affected Your Fishing Plans” Poll Numbers:

Yes – 77
No – 111

There you are. Free literature and quality public polling data. Clearly, it’s Pulitzer Year at the Underground, baby. A Pulitzer.

Tags: fly fishing, kerplunk, fishing, patrick mcmanus, contest

In the late 90s, I wrote a series of ads for the ill-fated Cope & McPhetres fly shop, which closed after the owners realized they could make a bazillion percent more profit selling boat parts instead of tippet material.

The above ad was particularly popular (the customers kept repeating the headline to the staff), but it reminded me we’re facing some pretty turbulent times right now.

The economy’s slowing. By summer, gas will soar over $4/gallon. Houses aren’t selling, investment banks are collapsing, consumer credit is tightening, and yes, we’re facing a few other things I won’t bother to mention.

Has All the Turmoil Affected Your Fishing Plans?

Are you reconsidering your fly fishing travel plans?

Staying closer to home? Buying less gear?  Trying to make your own tippet with a pasta maker and a double boiler?

In January, I asked the Undergrounders to discuss their 2008 fly fishing plans. Now I’m asking you to take a deep breath, and think for a second.

Has the bad news changed those plans?

My answer is (surprisingly) "Yes" — though I’ll save the explanation for later. What’s yours?

Yes, You Win Something Just For Playing

The poll below is just to tally the big picture; I really would like you to also add your thoughts in the comment section.

And to make it worth your while, I’ll randomly select a winner from the comment section below (using atmospheric scattering to generate a random number) and send you a FREE copy of Kerplunk by outdoor humorist Patrick McManus.

It won’t help you find a job, sell your house, or make gas more affordable, but while you’re reading it, you may just forget about all that crap.

See you in the cheap seats, Tom Chandler.