Mike Gould’s Power Bar
This is the Mike Gould power bar, as described in this article by Bill Tarrant.
Active Nymphing (book review 2/5**)
Rick Osthoff, Stackpole Books, 2006 In this comprehensive book on nymph fishing, the author challenges the long-held notion that nymphing involves little more than dead drifting with the current. Osthoff advocates an active strategy of moving the nymph, applying effective casting and creative presentation techniques this book exhausts the techniques of nymphing. However, it fails to consider the previous works on the subject of active nymphing, such as those by Sawyer, Kite and others. It is good general overview of all of the methods of fishing below the surface with files. It probably is well received for trout fisherman in the Midwest, but for our selective trout on mostly tailwaters in the Rocky Mountain streams, I felt that the information to be of limited practical application and failed to even catch the depth of what was already written by Sawyer and Kite, among others.
The Blackberry Farm Cookbook (book review 5/5*****)
Sam Beall, 2009 Clarkson Potter One reviewer said, "Farm-to-table is one of those irritating culinary trends that is hard to really stay irritated by. Fundamentally, it's just so darn right: we should be eating seasonally and locally, we should be supporting sustainable agriculture and the preservation of heirloom vegetables. The most delicious food is the stuff that's been harvested (butchered, cultivated, fished) as close as possible to the kitchen that's cooking it." I find this review troubling. Why is the idea of farm to table irritating to anyone? It makes sense. I believe, it makes sense to everyone, even vegans. This book is separated into seasons, the seasons of our life--the seasons of our food. It is about food from Knoxville, Tennessee, a bit dressed up, as the author is the son of the Ruby Tuesday's restaurant founder. Not exactly what you would call a hunter-gatherer tradition, but one he seems to now claim. Anyway, the recipes are separated into seasons, starting with summer's Blackberry Cobbler and a diatribe on smoking at the Barbie. But the first one I found interesting was infusing peaches into his BBQ sauce or blackberries. And I like the southern sweet tea infused with various things from raspberries to blue berries to strawberries, all set to cure in canning jars with the old French lids. First a discussion on smoke, which is "almost a sacrament below the Mason-Dixon Line." Cherokee fires in a pit banked by river rock topped with large joint meat and buried, to wood-fired clay ovens, brick ovens, fireplaces and smokehouses. From pig cookers welded by locals to kettle grills, the Kamado ( a clay and ceramic style tandoori cooker), to wood cookers and it goes on. And the explanation of the two kinds of Tennessee fried chicken. The Kreis's Tennessee Fire Fried Chicken is worth repeating,
At the Grave of the Unknown Fisherman (book review 5/5*****)
John Gierach, Simon & Schuster, NY 2003 This book is classic Gierach and good reading. It features his BFF, Mike Clark, who is a self-taught bamboo rod maker, now living in Lyons, Colorado, near Gierach, who meets Walt Carpenter, who worked for two of the greats in bamboo, Leonard and Payne, and then built his own rods using the old F.E. Thomas Milling machine. He mentions his favorite light bamboo rods: a 7’9” Legacy by John Bradford, a 7’9” by Mike Clark, and an old 7 ½-foot F.E. Thomas Special, circa 1940—all two-piece 5 weights, which is not what I would consider light, but he is a dyed in wool dry fly fisher with larger favorite flies than mine. And there are stories about his other buddy, A.K. Best, who talks about his mentoring under Koke Winter. And an old guy, who said to Gierach, “Boy, I’ve forgotten more about fishing than you’ll ever know.” Or the retort that “Fly-fishing can be upscale and exotic if you want it to be and can afford that, but at base it’s homegrown, backyard stuff: something people used to do when the chores were done; a way of goofing off that was barely justified by a couple of fresh fish for supper.” There is more than great characters and quotes, such as discussion of Muriel Foster’s Fishing Diary and videos on fly fishing which “seems a little like movie sex: fun to watch, but a long way from the real thing” wand which can amount to “information without proper instruction.” I like the comment of the fly shop customer who asks how long to get really good at this and Gierach responds, “Ten years, if you fish three or four times
The World of Polo (book review, 1/5 *)
The World of Polo, Past & Present by J.N.P. Watson, Salem House Publishers, 1992 This book is the pictorial history of Polo, but it ends in 1992, so few of the current players are featured. Most of the photographs are dated and it's really more of "who's who" of has-beens in polo. Not that this is bad idea, it's just it reads more like the society page than it does a real history of places, players, or ponies.
Schooling Your Horse (book review, rated 5/5 *****)
by Captain Vladimir S. Littauer, Arco Publishing 1956 DeNemethy, Museler, Podhajsky certainly hit the high points of the classics. The one thing I'd add in that vein would be Harry Chamberlin's "Training Hunters Jumpers and Hacks" and everything by Gordon Wright. Next was would be Captain Vladimir S. Littauer's Commonsense Horsemanship and Schooling Your Horse. Then, everything by George Morris and perhaps, the three-volume 1935 Cavalry Manual--Horsemanship and Horsemastership. Simply put, Schooling Your Horse, is a classic and if you could learn everything in this easy to read book, you would be a master showjumper or field hunter. There are chapters on Hunters, and he doesn’t mean show hunters, which is a tribute to the fact the book was written in 1956. It is as relevant today as it was then. Simple, informative and a no-nonsense method which works.
Hunting with Hounds in North America (book review rated 1/5 *)
By Andreas F. von Recum, Pelican publishing company, 2002 I was initially excited to receive this book in the mail, which is out-of-print and collectible, but after reading it, I cannot figure out who the intended reader might be. The mention of foxhounds is given 2 pages and all of the other hounds from sight hounds to deer hounds are summaries, at best. I would have liked to see a more in-depth coverage of these great hounds which have been imported and bred in North America. This is more like a school report on the subject of hounds and their quarry, although the one interest chart, aside from some of the photos which were pleasant from old art to modern hounds, showed that: Coyotes travel at 40 mph, weigh 20-50 lbs, and are 32-37 inches in length Red fox travel at 30 mph, weigh 10-15 lbs, and are 22-25 inches in length Gray fox travel at 28 mph, weight 7-13 lbs, and are 21-29 inches in length Most Thoroughbred horses have been clocked at just under 40 mph on the track and weigh 1100-1200 lbs and the English Foxhound, while it may reach 65 lbs, is also said to travel at around 40 mph.
Fool’s Paradise (book review, rated 2/5 **)
By John Gierach, Simon & Schuster, 2008 I confess I am not really a John Gierach fan, yet I have met him a few times and have read all of his books. I even had an a date one time to fish with Gierach and A.K. Best, but then our calendars didn't align at the last minute, due a book tour. I haven't attempted to reschedule yet, but should, but maybe he wouldn't if he read this review. This one was just typical Gierach for me, a bit bland, although I did like the chapters entitled “Nebraska” and “Umpqua.” And, I made a few notes from the “Rods” chapter, as I enjoyed the comments on so-called production bamboo rods that were once bargains and his forte, and have now become very collectible, such as Heddon, Granger and Phillipson. He writes there are a few bargains left, such as, “I can tell you from experience that, for instance, a model 208 Payne and a 9050 Wright & McGill Grangers—both versatile 9-foot, 5/6-weights—are virtually identical except for the huge discrepancy in price.” Gierach writes, “Most date that resurgence [for what some would call those old-fashioned production rods and even some of the more elite rods such as the vintage Leonard] to the publication of A Master’s Guide to Building a Bamboo Fly Rod…” which was co-written by fellow Fario Club member, Hoagy Carmichael in 1977, I began to wonder if he broke up his bro-mance with A.K. Best and Mike Clark, but then A.K. appeared in a chapter or two, but Mike Clark and his rods were absent. Mike was also absent in the 2011 book. His rods weren’t my favorite either, although he had two very special rods at his shop over the years that were to my unique
No Shortage of Good Days (book review, rated 3/5 ***)
By John Gierach, Simon & Schuster, 2011 I confess I am not really a John Gierach fan, yet I have read all of his books. I enjoy his style of writing well enough, I just can’t get into all of his stories. I guess that is his strategy, it’s like Reader’s Digest for bathroom reading for all those who fish, you aren’t supposed to read it cover to cover and there is always something for everyone. But, I enjoyed this book more than most of his others and a few of the chapters were very good, including, “Third-Rate Trout Streams,”“Deckers,” and “Cheating.” I laughed out loud upon reading the comment from a guide at a private stretch with well-stocked fat fish who told him something to the effect that, “Catching fish here is like getting laid in a whore-house.” I have had the same feeling which is why I stick to wild, public waters.