Selective Bluegill

Recently I went down to my neighborhood ponds and stayed into the last 30 minutes of daylight. I started noticing fish breaking the surface, obviously feeding on something hatching. I was trying typical bream killers and poppers but the bream would have nothing to do with my offerings. Mosquitoes were biting me so I naturally … More Selective Bluegill

The Far Side

The Far Side comic strip by Gary Larson was always my favorite. The strip had a really unique sense of humor and I miss it to this day. Well, recently I learned how to get to the “far side” too, with a cast. Jeff Ferguson, an MCI and FFI Casting Board of Governors member gave … More The Far Side

Jackson County Now in the One-mile Exclusion Zone

I just saw this blurb in an “Advocacy Update” email from the Coastal Conservation Association, MENHADEN REDUCTION FISHERY OPERATIONS LIMITED TO ONE-MILE FROM COASTAL SHORELINES, EFFECTIVE MAY 1, 2022.  I think we still have a long way to go in protecting our Mississippi coastal fisheries, but this update is near and dear to my heart. … More Jackson County Now in the One-mile Exclusion Zone

“Blind” Casting

I have become obsessive about maintaining the casting plane. For me, to be truly obsessive about something, is unusual. I like to poke fun at OCD folks (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) by saying “There’s a fine line between OCD and ODD”. When people then ask, “What’s ODD?”, I say, “you know, odd!”. Probably the only joke … More “Blind” Casting

A Tale of Two Mules

My Dad told me a story that revolved around the untimely death of my grandfather. When Dad was eleven years old, my grandfather passed away while still a relatively young man, leaving my grandmother in pretty dire straits. It so happened the state was building a highway in front of the house at the time. … More A Tale of Two Mules

De Plane, De Plane!

Hopefully everyone is familiar with the casting “plane” which is probably more often referred to as “tracking” by casting instructors. If you can imagine a plexiglass sheet next to your casting arm and during each cast your arm and hand all line up exactly and maintain contact during the stroke. The wall prevents any twisting … More De Plane, De Plane!

Poke’n Fun

I’ve become interested in single-hand spey casting. The Spey casts are just more arrows in the quiver of a single-hander. There’s always some situation of minimal back cast room or need for an efficient change of direction, for example. To help understand the casts better I’ve started watching two-handed Spey casting videos. I found a … More Poke’n Fun