Underground Entertainment

You’re Not Crazy Until The LA Times Says You Are…

January 29, 2012, by Tom Chandler 10 comments

A half-dozen Alert Underground Readers forwarded this LA Times article about all the odd people living up here, and while I’m forced to point out we’re pretty accepting of crazy up here (witness the County Board of Supervisors), I have to admit the surge in Bigfoot sightings mentioned in the article is probably my fault.

The mothership is docking...

From the article:

The mountain has been touted as the site of an energy vortex that allows passage into the metaphysical dimension; the birthplace of a spiritual foundation whose adherents believe they can ascend to the eternal realm; and a hot spot for UFOs that hide in the clouds and enter the mountain’s core through mystery “portals.”

Newer to the repertoire are sightings of Bigfoot (the word serves as both singular and plural, like fish and sheep), believed by some to conceal themselves by passing into a fifth dimension.

“Mt. Shasta has always had a spiritual drawing, but it’s getting more and more popular,” said Karen Anderson, a supervisor in the town’s visitors bureau, who estimated that a fourth of the area’s tourists come for that reason.

To assist seekers from around the globe, the bureau’s website includes a list of energy healers. Shops carry crystals for the “spiritual pilgrim.” Drop-in channeling sessions are held each Sunday at a spiritual center. Guides lead soul-cleansing treks up the mountain in all seasons.

I can’t speak to the UFOs (locals believe the Lemurians’ giant space ships are docking with the mountain when the summit is obscured by lenticular clouds), but the recent Bigfoot frenzy can probably be blamed on… Singlebarbed.

I twice took Singlebarbed fly fishing on the east side of the mountain.

I should have expected someone would make the inevitable mistake. (Not that I’m suggesting he needs a shave or anything.)

See you on the mothership, Tom Chandler.

Another John Gierach Interview Floats To The Surface

January 27, 2012, by Tom Chandler 3 comments

Fly fishing uber-writer John Gierach has always given the appearance of a reclusive nature, but the last couple years have found interviews popping up like mushrooms (including mine).

It’s just possible we’ve learned almost as much about him via other people’s writing as we have his own.

This interview (found via Moldy Chum) was conducted by a Colorado writer, and it’s long and detailed and while the writer occasionally heads a little far afield into gonzo journalism territory, he does a nice job of profiling John Gierach’s conservation work, which we don’t read about much in Gierach’s own essays:

“I have no idea if anything I’ve done will make a difference in the long run, but you have to try. Every generation has to try. Because if you give up, the bastards win.”

There are other engagingly candid moments (he quit working with the New York Times because “they were all assholes”), and frankly, quotes like this make it worth the read:

“I wouldn’t over-analyze it too much,” Gierach said when I asked if his philosophy degree influenced his passion for the sport. “I think it’s trendy to link fly fishing with spirituality these days. There might be something like that involved, but most of it’s crap. In the end, it comes down to this: I like catching fish.”

(This dovetails nicely with one of the Underground’s Absolute Rules Of Fly Fishing Writing: the sport is special and all, but descriptions of fly fishing should not include the word “soul.”)

Keep writing, Tom Chandler.

Today’s Fake Fish Painting Post

January 26, 2012, by Tom Chandler 5 comments

These aren’t real goldfish — they’re handcrafted by a Japanese artist who painstakingly builds them up layer by layer.

I’d love to see what he could do with a small pod of Brookies.

(Click here to see more pictures and watch a pretty fascinating video.)

Save The Baby Electrons: The Underground’s Short Casts Go Weekly

January 25, 2012, by Tom Chandler No comments yet

I’ll admit I’m ready to be reversed if the Undergrounders form an Occupy The Underground movement, but I just transformed the daily Short Cast posts into a single, awe-inspiring digest post set to appear once a week (it’s set for Thursday).

It seemed like the daily Short Casts were starting to clutter up the place a little, and yes, when I see a string of them I’m reminded I haven’t written anything for days.

As it is in the House of Representatives, the victory here will go to those who make the most noise.

If you want to experience my Short Casts in realtime, just subscribe to my Twitter feed.

See you being all geeky and shit, Tom Chandler.

Finally — Hope For Fly Fishing’s Helplessly Addicted…

January 24, 2012, by Tom Chandler 12 comments

Never let it be said that the Underground turns a blind eye to the plight of steelheaders those struggling with addiction, which is why we’ve chosen to courageously publicize perhaps the Most Important Press Release We’ve Ever Received:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 24th, 2012 – Doron Ofir Casting, (Millionaire Matchmaker, My Strange Addiction, Jersey Shore) officially confirms and announces for the first time ever, real people struggling with addiction will have the opportunity to take part in a revolutionary and groundbreaking documentary series chronicling the emotional and physical struggles of addiction—“REHAB with DR. DREW”.

Participants will be given a once in a lifetime opportunity to enroll in a no-cost, 30-day treatment program to begin the process of breaking free from the bonds of addiction and take their first steps down the road to recovery.

VH1, in association with Irwin Entertainment and Doron Ofir Casting, is currently searching for those struggling with substance addiction but not ready to give up hope.

“If you are ready to fight to take your life back into your own hands, I’m hoping to find you! Instead of giving in, make a change and seek the help you need. I want your story and why you need the help. Your story can be someone else’s hope.” Doron Ofir, Executive Casting Director

Realize that recovery can become your reality.

Please apply online at http://www.rehabcasting.com

Wow. Who knew there existed a reality tv-based cure for addiction?

Of course, we’re 100% sure the casting of this wholly non-sensationalistic show won’t be biased towards those with the ability to fill a C-cup, so all you fly fishermen — who as a group tend to peg the rattiness meter — should apply right away.

Make sure to tell them you’re not only addicted to fly fishing, but have developed a Spey craving that has cost you several relationships.

With the coastal rivers running either dry or muddy brown as of late, you can also truthfully say you’re hitting rock bottom.

Even as I write this, I am dabbing at the tears forming in the corner of my eyes (just like I would were I chosen for this reality series [hint, hint]).

At the Underground, we can’t help but give. You know that about us.

See you in reality TV rehab, Tom Chandler.

We’re Working Hard For You During This Snowstorm (And Why I Still Love Fly Fishing Small Streams)

January 19, 2012, by Tom Chandler 14 comments

While those other bloggers are satisfied simply posting useful information, witty writing and pretty photographs, the Underground does more for its readers.

The last two days have found me working hard, stacking next year’s trout water (in the form of snow) in neat piles alongside the driveway, keeping it away from filthy things like dirt and grease until it finds it way into a trout stream near you.

I know.

At the Underground, the giving never stops.

Today's experimental snow picture...

And those nice, neat piles? They’re growing rapidly. Yesterday the Underground/Man Cave World Headquarters — located above the alpine town of Mt. Shasta — got ten inches of snow; last night was another 3″, and today’s it’s going gangbusters, and a foot is likely.

In fact, I’ll be out there again with Mr. Snowblower as soon as this is posted.

(In a reminder that I need new friends, Raine accused me of not putting fuel stabilizer in the gas tank of the Honda snowblower after it took three pulls to get it started.)

With lesser amounts of snow predicted to fall through the weekend, it’s clear the high-pressure system keeping California snow-free is gone. Whether we reach our “normal” snowpack after one of the slowest starts to winter in recorded history remains to be seen.

At least we’ll have some water to throw at next year’s trout, and while I’m probably happier when I don’t face an hour or two of snowblowing duty per day, I will say this about the snow: It’s About Goddamned Freakin’ Time

The Media Thing

If you haven’t stumbled across the Underground’s Catch Magazine discussion — where one of the ezines announced a $12 annual subscription fee, and readers and content creators reacted — then stop by.

I’m amazed by the depth of the comments, which are covering a lot of ground, both philosophically and practically.

The world is changing, and while pundits are fond of throwing around terms like “disruptive technologies” and all, it’s far from an abstract concept if you’re a writer or photographer or other person whose professional life has been upended.

And given the pace of the change (ebooks now represent more than 20% of the book market, tablet PC sales are going through the roof, everything “streams”, etc.), things aren’t slowing down. In fact, the change is probably only beginning.

Where It All Relates To Fly Fishing

Maybe all this change explains my recent small stream fly fishing kick. Extremely high-modulus marketing jargon, prohibitively expensive foreign lodges, and two-handed fly rods are not needed to catch 8″ backcountry trout, which, it turns out, are largely immune to the latest trends.

On small streams, the tips printed in the musty books I read as a kid still work, the fish are still impossibly gorgeous, and the primal “me catch fish” jolt to the brain still fires, which is precisely why someone facing dramatic change in his professional and family lives would tend to find it all pretty comforting.

See you caretaking next year’s trout water, Tom Chandler

Wally the Wonderdog: Clearly A Leg Man

January 10, 2012, by Tom Chandler 5 comments

On today’s walk, the always-up-for-something-stinky Underdog found a deer’s leg in the forest. He’s one proud, happy dude (being as the smell would gag a hyena with a head cold).

The Modern Steelheader?

January 7, 2012, by Tom Chandler 2 comments

A sign of the Coming Postcard Apocalypse?

This comes courtesy the Bad Postcards site, which posts the cheesiest vintage postcards ever created by man (and on a daily basis).

“I Better Call You Back. The Hatch Is Starting.”

January 5, 2012, by Tom Chandler 3 comments

Mobile phones are pretty much killing off the phone booth, and at the Underground, we’re always alert for cool new uses for obsolete technology — especially those offering you the potential to fly fish your way through your next conference call:

Uhh, hold on a second. The hatch is starting...

Phone booths are disappearing. Might as well make the best of it...

See you on the line, Tom Chandler.

Why This Isn’t A Fishing Report

January 5, 2012, by Tom Chandler 8 comments

Sickness and disease plague the Underground

2012 isn’t exactly off to a rousing start; less than twelve hours after our Monday, 2:30 a.m. arrival, I came down with a head cold, and because Little M caught a stomach bug, I spent Tuesday instructing her on the fine art of throwing up (incline the torso to make as straight a path as possible — and keep an old toothbrush around to get rid of the taste).

And yes, every time I get sick I’m amazed at how quickly I’m transformed from Writer/Consultant/Fly Fisherman Brimming With Ideas to Cranky Old Man Muttering Under His Breath About Crazy Shit.

It may not be one of my stellar attributes.

Why This Isn’t A Fishing Report

Today’s (and yesterday’s) planned fishing trips — rewards to myself for a December jammed with things that were definitely not fly fishing trips — are now dead and gone.

As any parent will tell you, three year-olds aren’t bombs that detonate in the middle of your life; they’re a series of them, and looking forward to 2012, one thing the L&T are going to fix is the uncertain state of our child care.

This time, Little M is sick, but when anyone in her daycare provider’s family gets sick, she’s home, which means I probably am too, which means I’m not out fishing.

Or getting much done on the work front.

I’m all for looking forward at the turn of the year, I’m also a believer in looking back and fixing what didn’t work.

That didn’t, and sometimes for weeks at a stretch.

OK, So What’s Next?

I was recently interviewed by California Fly Fisher about traditional vs digital media (I’ll let you know when the issue appears), and the basis for the interview was a 2006 post about fly fishing magazines.

A lot has changed since then, and I’d suggest the first wave of the digital revolution is settling out, but that some truly disruptive stuff is about to move within knife-fighting distance of the fly fishing industry, which — despite a lot of whining to the contrary — has enjoyed a certain immunity (I go into the reasons for this in the interview).

That can change in a hurry, and I’ve got some thoughts about that, and you’ll get a chance to accept or reject them in a post.

See you on the river (tomorrow!), Tom Chandler.