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Into the Outdoors: An Now for Some Fly Fishing Talk

As promise, we are going to take a little look at fly fishing, something I enjoy, but at which I am far, far from being an expert. First of all, I would like to dispel some myths surrounding the sport.

Some folks see fly fishing as a sport only for rich gentlemen. Not true. I don’t know how this myth came to be. It is a sport which can be enjoyed by everyone. Most of us will never be another Lee Wulff or Joe Humphries, but we can still have a lot of fun. Another myth is that fly fishing is extremely difficult to learn. It does, however, help a lot if you can find a good teacher. I was fortunate in this regard, as two of my fellow teachers, one for dry flies and one for wet, took me under their wings. And finally, there is the mistaken that equipment is outlandishly expensive. While some top of the line stuff like Sage and St. Croix, carry a hefty price tag, serviceable rods and reels, like Eagle Claw and Martin are very affordable.

In the near future, we’ll look at using fly tackle to fish with bait. Don’t scoff. It’s fun.

On another front, it’s time to repeat a warning I have often repeated over the years. That is to never, ever, attempt to handle wild animals. With a lot of babies at this time of year, it can be rather tempting. This also applies to feral cats, which are nothing short of wild animals. Remember, even babies have teeth and claws, along with a willingness to use them. Several years ago, a neighbor and dear friend learned this lesson the hard way. When she attempted to pet a feral cat, which is nothing less than a wild animal, it bit her severely on the hand. It then took off, not to be seen again. The bite became almost instantly infected. She is a little lady, but her hand looked like Popeye’s right after devouring a particularly large portion of spinach. To make matters even worse, she then had to undergo a series of shots to protect her from rabies. The cat probably didn’t have the dread disease, but, in the case of rabies, probably is not good enough. Remember, whether it is a raccoon, squirrel, feral cat or whatever, it is still a wild animal, and very likely to display aggression.

It seems that bears are now fully out and about. For that reason, we always take our bird feeders inside at night. That goes for suet cakes, too, as bears seem to find them especially enticing.

On another front, the wild chives are up. Some call them wild onions, but they are more related to chives. All you have to do to enjoy them is to clip them off next to the ground. Just leave the bulbs where they are. You can also dry them and grind them in a spice grinder for later use. It’s a great opportunity. Don’t miss out.

It won’t be long until the dandelions are out in full force. Here’s another chance at some really great eating. The greens present the best opportunities. They resemble endive, and can be used in much the same way. My mother used to wilt them, with a mixture of hot bacon grease, vinegar and sugar. They were just as good as endive or leaf lettuce. There are also numerous recipes for the blossoms. These include wine, which I have always thought was kind of gross, and batter fried blossoms, which don’t sound all that bad. You can also make tea from the roots. In other words, the dandelion is not as totally worthless as you may have thought. Give them a try.

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