There’s been a lot going on, but little time to write… If I were a smart blogger, I’d probably turn these multiple entries into individual posts, but instead, I’ll vomit them all out at once. As I do. So, here it goes…
Halloween 👻
First off, Halloween came and went. With Lilly off at school and K.C. in New York City for a few days, I fielded trick or treaters solo this year. Not gonna lie, I had the lamest table setup in the driveway, but it’s pretty much how I roll. No pumpkins, no special effects, not even a tablecloth. The kids don’t care, they just want the candy.
Here are a few of some of the better decorated houses in my neighborhood that took the occasion far more seriously.
Seemed like Spiderman was the most popular costume this year, with a few Taylor Swifts & Donald Trumps mixed in to go along with the normal assortment of witches, ghosts, devils, and princesses. Oh, and the usual dose of high schoolers that tossed on a football or soccer jersey at the last minute and claimed to be “dressed up.”
As for me, I was Roy (or maybe Darryl) from The Office. Somebody from the warehouse anyway.
A New Podcast Episode
The guys at Tenkara Angler & I recorded a new podcast last week. The main topic was reviewing the different types of tenkara lines, but we also had a bit of a meandering conversation about other things ranging from barbless hooks to Halloween candy to 15 years of tenkara in the United States. It was fun to record.
And That Bamboo Rod…
I’m sure you saw that teaser photo of the bamboo rod I just got.
Long story short, way back when I opined about bamboo rods here on the blog I had a certain friend reach out to me with an intriguing offer. He offered to acquire a few from China in bulk and sell one to me. It was a somewhat shady, backdoor transaction reminiscent of what I’d imagine a drug deal might be scripted in a bad, straight-to-video movie. The only difference is this exchange took place over on the social network formerly known as Twitter.
The rod’s actually pretty, but it’s “new and cheap”, straight outta China. Not “vintage and expensive” at all. It’s supposedly a 7’6″ 4-weight Payne 100 taper. I’ve always wanted to fish a bamboo rod, so I’m looking forward to giving this one a few casts. Gonna try to sneak off to north Georgia in a few weeks to break it in… or just break it. At least it came with a second tip section. We’ll see…
What Else?
First, I set up the Troutrageous! print-on-demand gear store again. I don’t really know why, other than I stumbled upon the original art files when deleting some stuff off my computer. So, if any of the three of you that still read this blog really want a T! Party shirt or hoodie or something like that, check them out HERE.
I’ve got work trips scheduled for Dallas and New York City in November all before Thanksgiving. Each should be interesting for their own reasons that I won’t really get into here. Dallas will be a turn and burn, but I’ll be in NYC for a little bit longer. Hopefully, there will be some nice Autumn (or maybe even Winter) weather waiting for me. Even though I’ve been in Florida for over a decade, it’s still weird that it’s in the temperatures are in the 80s in November.
There’s also a few new “Catching Up With…” irons in the fire that I hope I’m able to bring to Troutrageous! before the end of the year. I love doing these, but folks can just be hard to pin down sometimes! Like I seriously can’t believe answering my interview questions aren’t at the top of their “to do” lists.
Finally, I’m starting to plot some fishing trips for 2025. I feel like I need to get ahead on some commitments for this upcoming year. 2024 might have been the lamest year in terms of fishing I’ve had. I figure if I book the trips well in advance, I have to go. No more of this last minute planning stuff that always fall through for some reason or another.
The Wisconsin Driftless is a given, but beyond that, who knows… So tell me where I need to visit in 2025 in the comments!
