Deadman’s Cast with dieFische
Fly troopers on your feet! Let me direct your attention to Eric Feldkamp, aka diefische, comrade and participant in this edition of Deadman’s Cast. While maybe not his style- I like to think of dieFische as the Fonz of fly fishing. Just that cool. Ayyy. So let’s get started.
AirborneAngler (AA): I hope you don’t mind me pairing you with Fonzie of Happy Days (reference for any whippersnappers following along). Is there another/different TV persona you see yourself better compared to?
Eric Feldkamp (EF): I guess I would have to say that I always felt like a cross between Chris and Fleischman off of Northern Exposure. One part of me is an artistic, adventurous spirit looking for the meaning of the universe while wrapped in my own ego and the other half is a practical, self stressed worrier that seems to find fault in everything. It makes for a rather manic life.
AA: On your website dieFische.org you explain one, not only how to pronounce dee-fish-uhh, but also how it means all the fish. Where did you get your passion for all the fish and be honest- which fish is your favorite?
EF: I’ve been lucky enough to live in a lot of places in my 40 years on this giant spinning orb. Some places have been amazingly blessed with nature and adventure, and others…not so much. When I moved to Austin a while back, I quickly realized that one thing that set it apart from many towns is it’s amazing abundance of creeks and rivers. They are clean enough you can actually step in them without exposing yourself to immediate medical danger. Once the joy of the water was there it didn’t take long to notice the fish and the excuses they provided to get wet, cool off, and get a little leisurely exercise.
After I started fishing religiously, I couldn’t believe how in the course of a conversation people would always ask if there was REALLY fishing around Austin. The fact that there was so much of it EVERYWHERE around here, and that people who loved to fish, but only thought they could do it on the coast or in Colorado were clueless to the treasures in places as close as Barton Springs. THAT was why I started “die Fische” and the passion to experience every option around here.
As far as fish go, I really have a special spot in my heart for the natives. When I pull a Guadalupe out of the water and see those diamond markings, it just feels right. The Rio Grandes (while technically not native around here) have always been special to me as well, when you pull them close they look like glowing star charts with deep hidden meanings. Plus, the sections of river you find them both on can hold their own against any of the big “Fly Fishing Waters”.
AA: While taking a photo of Rio Grande a glaring beam of light bounces off the water blinding you momentarily- but enough to throw you off your balance. In your disarray you slip. Choose your most likely fate:
a) you knock your noggin’ into an eternal deep sleep
b) you fight your way to your feet only to be choked out by tangled fly line
c) choke on a minnow you near swallow submerged
d) or other?
EF: D: Two Gar grab my pant legs, one on each side. They drag me down into the deep pocket of water I’ve fished 100 times. It always looked like it was ten, maybe twelve feet deep, but they take me much deeper than that. Suddenly Rio’s start swirling around my head like phosphorescent ravers on an Ectasy binge. Shortly thereafter I find myself face to face with the King of the Deep, the mighty Channel Cat, he speaks in a heavy, deep voice that sounds like a strange combination of James Earl Jones and Louis Armstrong, suffice to say it’s deep, much like the water that is seeping in every pore. The words are non-descript but comforting and full of love. The lack of oxygen and the relaxed state I’m drifting into take hold, and before slipping away into the darkness, I confess my unbridaled love for my wife, and my son before being entertained for eternity in the after life by the Dance of the Lizard King.
AA: Wow, that is quite a vivid response. Add one more detail for us- which body of water do you meet your demise on?
EF: Pedernales. EVERY time I fish there alone I feel a strange death and rebirth, so dying there wouldn’t really be much of a shock.
AA: Ok, I can understand that. So then, name two rivers- one is heaven, the other is hell.
EF: Heaven? Barton Creek. Every time I go there (when there is water) it blows my mind that this oasis is right here in the epicenter of this crazy urban forest.
Hell? Any major river that has been written off as a sewer pipe for progress. The one that immediately comes to mind is Missouri River in Omaha, Nebraska. In all the years i lived there i would stare at that river and feel some magnetic pull that i was never able to realize because of the immense lack of respect it saw. Floating cow corpses were not uncommon to see washing downstream in the endless stream of muck. It wasn’t until i lived in Oregon, Colorado and Austin later in life that i saw clear water and realized what power flowing water has over me.
AA: Please elaborate.
EF: Pollution, arrogance and greed have ruined many a things, but waterways are the most obvious. Just glance at these waters and you can feel it. Killing an environment for short term gains is in my mind the true definition of hell (or evil for that matter).
The flip side of the coin is Barton Creek. It means so much to so many people that it remains clean and healthy in spite of the development around it. Many people I talk to say that when Barton Creek goes to crap from development, that is the day they will sign the death warrant for Austin. I happen to agree, it helps keep so many people (including me) centered that it truly deserves the amazing reputation it has developed. It’s freakin unreal, i just wish the party goers passing through town would realize that and give it the respect it deserves before they kill it (or at least access to it).
AA: When you pass your readers ban together for a dieFische monument. What is your crowning achievement they recognize and where do they place it?
EF: I don’t want to sound like a Oprah Winfrey Do Gooder, but if anything, I want to be remembered for getting people to wake up and realize that the dream is all around them. If you believe everything you see in fly fishing videos, websites, and magazines, then it’s all about the biggest fish and the most remote, exotic locations. It sells reels, rods, and plane trips with guides, but it also stokes the fire that seems to be raging across this country, the dissatisfaction with what you DO have and the hopes to achieve what you DON’T. Die Fische is a movement more than anything else, one of embracing what you have and enjoying it to the max. So you have an Eagle Claw 2WT rod and are catching 6” Bluegill? Do you have the capacity to enjoy that and make the most of it? If so, the joy you feel suddenly equates to that of a dude on a flats boat with a 10WT catching tarpon. It’s all about perspective and appreciation, unfortunately that doesn’t sell DVD’s or magazines so it’s not what you read or hear about.
Don’t get me wrong, I love going to Colorado to visit for family and fish for trout on Eleven Mile or the Dream Stream, but when I’m here at home I don’t pine after those waters, I head to Barton Creek and immerse myself in everything it has too offer.
It can be magical here, and I just want people to see (and experience) that. Those that get it, get it. Those that don’t? I just feel sad for them.
It’s all around you people.
AA: I hear you. I’ve stopped trying to explain at the office that the 10″ Rio I got over the weekend really is a helluva catch. Although I will admit I will never look at another Rio in the same way again. (Normally, I just sing the song in my head when one is on line, “Her name is Rio and she”- never mind). In closing I’ve prepare the following award for you… “Attention to orders! The Department of Fly Anglers hereby presents dieFische of the Texas Hill Country Regiment the Humanitarian Angling Award for his dedication to Barton Creek and all Texas Hill Country Rivers. Your steadfast devotion is inspirational and the epitome of the heart of true fly angler. Your actions bring great credit upon yourself, the Texas Hill Country, and Fly Anglers World Wide. Signed this 5th day of July 2012.”
There you have it folks- the man, the myth, the legend dieFische.
See you on the high ground,
AirborneAngler
D-Day plus 26 (D+26)
Conservation shift fire! Shift fire! We’re shifting fire again from today’s Everyday in May topic prompt- standby for a Texas Hill Country Mixed Bag tourney battle tracking update.
Confirm or Deny was the name of the game today.
The weather forecast was 40% chance of rain.
-Deny. There was no chance of rain. It was guaranteed at 100%.
I was skunked on the Guadalupe River hunting trout, yet again.
-Confirm. No comment.
Shifting to the Blanco is a good plan b to avoid the skunk.
-Confirm. This worked a second time. Even in crummy conditions I still hooked up with good size fish. This river is quickly becoming my favorite. When you know what you know- it’s a good feeling. Confidence is always a game changer.
70 plus degree weather in Texas isn’t cold enough to make your hands go numb.
-Deny. I knew it was time to go and was keenly aware of hypothermia settling in when I started insistently laughing at the fact that fishing today was probably a dumb idea. Not ideal conditions to say the least.
You can troll flying cats and hook up with good sized fish.
-Confirm. This was the only method that caught me fish today. With a drop from recent temperatures, a rise in the water table from decent amounts of rain, and a dropping barometer meant the fishing techniques/tactics had to be switched up. I had no idea how to mitigate these conditions but I was determined.
At first I was trying to hit the banks to no avail. Then something odd thing happened. While transitioning from one spot to the next in my float tube I didn’t bother to strip in my line. Feeling lazy I threw a good cast out and let it drag as I flutter kicked away. But, that’s not what was odd. In route I felt a tug.
Its a good idea to get into a float tube the day after an Army Physical Fitness Test. You won’t be sore form head to toe from the day before.
-Deny. Everything hurt! The APFT isn’t that grueling- but when you give your best, as any good trooper will, you’re going to feel it the next day.
Crying in not authorized.
-Confirm. I’ll stop whining now.
After toolboxing around on the Blanco I hit my favorite pool. Tired of working the banks with no luck I decided to try trolling again. This worked! I lined up with the center of the river, cast out and kicked away. Repeatedly, I got hits on my fly. The best catch that up’ed my point standing was the Red Breast sunfish shown above.
Getting skunked on the Guad twice in a row indicated a big fail!
-Deny! I worked hard both times after having my fly reel handed back to me by the Guad. I am not done yet and will come back until I get it right. What it did do for me was make me push hard to figure something out- on both days in very different conditions. It made me exercise what I know and learn to rely on it. It was all about knowing what you know, and knowing what you don’t know. It was all about playing confirm or deny.
I can catch fish. I can win this contest.
-Confirm. I can. Win or lose I’ll do my best and I’m having fun doing it. What games do you play on the water? How do you push yourself when fishing?
Today’s topic of D-Day plus 26 (D+26) is a deviation of the Everyday in May challenge. For more info click here. For all AirborneAngler Everyday in May posts click here.
Home Waters
Home waters says or implies a lot. When I interpret the term it says to me- this is where I grew up, this is where I was born. However looking deeper into the meaning I ask, so what? What does that mean?
It means to me more than a physical association between your house and and the closest river, creek, or stream. Home waters are where we learn part of our life lessons- part of where we learn who we are. It’s an emotional connection too. It’s where we get the phrase home is where the heart is and why people say the water is in their blood.
I’m lucky enough to call the Texas Hill Country rivers my home waters. They are not the closest body of water to me and where I live. But it’s a special place that has my heart where solitude and reflection combine to sanctuary. A hidden place where I can speak to God as he intended.
Plus, the fishing is great.
See you on the high ground,
AirborneAngler
Today’s topic of Home Waters is prompted by the Everyday in May challenge. For more info click here. For all AirborneAngler Everyday in May posts click here.
Line Side Big Mouth
I almost named this Fish Art post “Southern Largemouth Trout”. However, it was a misread of largemouth bass nicknames that were separated by a comma which I missed. The list that I found is located online here. Additionally, I figure it’s not fair to the sturdy holdover trout here in the Texas Hill Country that get stocked annually in the Guadalupe River. Line side and big mouth just happened to be the next two in line I liked the most. So, I decided to combine them. Who knows, maybe Southern Bigmouth Trout will stick though?
In lack of being able to fly fish the past several days- I submit this Autodesk Sketchbook Pro generated art I made as the background for the device of your choosing. Bass- Largemouth, Smallmouth, coveted Guadie, or any bass for that matter are my preferred game fish here in Tejas. Recent competition in a Hill Country tourney have me chunking flies at any and everything. But since I haven’t been doing any of that lately, my routine iPad Terminal Angler Syndrome (TAS) therapy is helping the symptoms abate. Enjoy!
See you on the high ground,
AirborneAngler
Deadman’s Cast with OneBugIsFake
Welcome everyone to the first AirborneAngler series: “Deadman’s Cast” interview. The premise is simple- what if today you cast your last? My first interview is with angler and FlyStock organizer Brandon Robinson, @OneBugIsFake on the twitter.
AA (AirborneAngler): Hey Brandon, thank you for joining me today for Deadman’s Cast- your last day on the water. So, let’ s start, what is your favorite fly color and pattern?
BR (Brandon Robinson): Thanks for having me. Well, olive streamers are generally my go-to choice, but it depends on the fish. Big Guads eat small, so I fish small. Highly aggressive trout eat big, so I like to chunk articulated to them. Rainey’s Carp Tease in olive is a good search pattern though. There, we will just go with that. This was not the opening question I was expecting, seems weak. Ope, nope, I got it. I see what you did there. You’re gathering contest intel. If you are sweating it that bad, I’ll buy you a handful. Pobre niño.
AA: You’re sharp and volunteer excess information readily. We’re off to a great start. No- this is not an intel search into the Texas Hill Country Mixed Bag tourney. That implies you have intel to being with. So, a fatal wind knot loops your false cast and olive Rainey Carp Teaser straight into your eye. When you try to remove it you bleed out and die. What body of water did you die on?
BR: I wear safety glasses when fishing for that exact reason. Therefore I reject your scenario, and propose a new one. Keeping with the “Death and Fly Fishing” theme, If I knew I had a few hours left and wanted to fish: What river would I choose?
Damn, that is a tough one. It won’t be a Texas river, but I would have to say I would head for the South Toe River in Western North Carolina.
AA: Interesting. Well, while fishing the South Toe River you stub your toe are unable to walk out drowning in the water. You just die. Feeling sorry for your mishap the local fly shop erects a monument on the bank in your memory. What is it a statue of and what does the inscription say?
BR: I just die? I am not that easy to kill off, buddy. That seems like you might be projecting your own fears, Mr. Over-the-waders… Fine, I’m dead and Chris or Matt raise money to erect a monument in my memory… Due to lack of funding, they would probably just put one of those roadside wooden crosses. That would be kind of funny actually, everybody that shows up after would wonder how a car wrecked that far from the highway. I like it.
AA: Not all of your fellow anglers could make the memorial dedication but your favorite fly blogger did attend your funeral. Who was it and what did he/she say passing your eye patched corpse in closed or open casket?
BR: Now you’re just trying to get me in trouble. Doesn’t matter, my favorite bloggers don’t even know me. Wait, where did the eye-patch come from? Am I a pirate? Can I be a pirate? A kick-ass fly fishing pirate. I bet I look freaking sexy in a pair of breeches, dead sexy — get it? HA! Screw you, that was punny.
AA: Right. Well, I forgot to mention that when you stubbed your toe and fell- you still foul hooked your eye. Now it has a patch so it can be open casket. Anyways, you are a proud Air Force vet and also creator of the recent famed “FlyStock” Fly Fishing event supporting Project Healing Waters. That’s totally awesome and thank you for your service. But which branch of service would you rather have joined?
BR: I wouldn’t say FlyStock is famous, maybe next year. Thank you for your service as well. Coast Guard. Totally should have been in the brown-water navy. I’m kidding. If my Dad hadn’t of talked some sense into me, I probably would have joined the Corps. Dad made a valid point though, pick something that would provide you with a life afterwards. I chose to learn a trade and I am glad for it, no regrets. I love the Air Force and thanks to a handful of great friends, I love the Corps. I still call them all on November 10th too.
AA: That’s very patriotic of you. Well, because of your Coast Guard comment I radio St. Peter to deny you access beyond the pearly gates. He owes me for saving his bacon back in ’03 during the invasion and agrees you should be punished. Sentenced to hell you are:
a) fly fishing a skunk for eternity
b) spinner reel fishing forever
c) still fly fishing but being out classed by me
d) all of the above, or
e) other
BR: A) At least I’m fishing. B) Close, but still fishing. C) Wake up sport, you’re dreaming. D) Huh? E) Hell is a place where I catch every fish, every time; without even trying. It would be great at first, but it would lose its novelty quickly when nothing presents a challenge anymore.
AA: I can agree with that. Ok, well now you have 5 seconds to list 3 words your fellow anglers will remember you by forever, what are they?
BR: Atypical, funny, cheap. Atypical is just a nicer way of saying, “not normal” and I don’t think there is a soul that will argue that one. I like to think I am funny, at least funny enough for people to enjoy my company. Cheap, as in I didn’t always have to have the nice things.
AA: Thank you Brandon, in closing I’ve generated a final Fly Fishing Award citation for you. It reads: “Attention to orders! The Department of Fly Anglers posthumously awards the Penny-wise Atypical Humorous award to: Brandon Robinson of OneBugIsFake. Brandon has brought humor into the lives of those around him constantly displaying the fortitude to fly fish in any futile condition on to victory. Despite the number of broken fly rods at his own expense he never ceased to bring a smile. His dedication and perseverance bring great credit upon himself, the flies he flung, and the fly fishing community. Awarded this 11th Day of April, in the Great State if Texas. Signed by my hand, AirborneAngler, Fly Angler of the Texas Hill Country.”
Cue taps folks and that’s a wrap. So there you have it everyone, Deadman’s cast with Brandon Robinson. Our buddy OneBug is not gone yet but I do recommend he get some steel toed wadding boots. Keep wearing those safety glasses too. You can follow Brandon before the afterlife on Twitter at @OneBugIsFake and/or catch up with him on his blog, onebugisfake.com. Until next time- I am signing off.
See you on the high ground,
AirborneAngler
03/16/12 Follow Friday @TexasRiverBum
Hey there fish fans! I am supporting an idea Jason Puris @The_Fin had last Friday on Twitter. For those unfamiliar with the Twitter-verse, there is a practice to Follow Friday (#FF) a list of your friends who you’d like to promote or prompt others to follow as you do. In short order a simple shout-out. What happens is Fridays become a list of #FF this guy or that gal etc. and the ensuing barrage is all those people (standing on the unspoken rule to #FF back or reply all) reply back with a thanks. Before you know it you’ve seen all your friend’s friends like you did the week before and before. But I digress… this new idea I fully support from Jason is this- #FF just one person. I like it. It keeps it real and honest. And because really if you wanted to see everyone I follow you could look that up yourself.
So, my new practice and one Follow Friday this week is David Ellzey @TexasRiverBum. Don’t sweat it if you don’t do the twitter. David has a great site at www.TexasRiverBum.com (TRB) and you can catch up with him there. So why Dave and why is he so special? There’s lots of reasons to blab on about so I’ve just made a list here:
-Takes time in real life to help others learn the joys of fly fishing (like me).
-Patron of the precious Texas Hill Country, his site is dedicated to promoting it.
-Aside from his regular work, thru TRB he is hosting a sweet summer long Fly Trouney.
-He allows freelance blogging. One day I decide I wanted to write and he made room on TRB for me to start. So I have him in part to blame for my blog. Thanks Dave!
Bottom line- the man lives the proverbial “teach a man how to fish” quote. Friends like that are hard to find and worth the follow.
Until next time- I’ll see you on the high ground,
AirborneAngler
Follow David Ellzey on Twitter: @TexasRiverBum
More than Fish to Hand
Originally posted at TexasRiverBum.com on 15 August 2011.
0315 – This is going to be rough.
I hate mornings because I am such a slow starter. But my brain slowly goes to recovery mode and recalls the plan to meet my new found friend Dave at his house by o’dark-thirty, (that’s Army translation for anything before sun-up) and in this case is 4:30 in the a.m.
What was I thinking when I signed up for this?
Oh yeah, he is going to teach me fly fishing and apparently fishing universally means the early the better. Well, anything worth doing usually comes at a cost like this so I’ve eagerly agreed to the price of admission.
Dave for some reason has taken up teaching this infantry grunt out of some unknown and unearned kindness. For this I am grateful. I jotted down the mental note of the angler I want to be and assume the debt of “pay it forward”, by the example set before me. There is more than fish in this river today.
We’re heading to the Colorado River to a spot Dave did a recon on the week before. It’s above Lake Travis where the recent dry spell – going on for some time now, has areas of the man-made lake back to its river roots. The water level is nearing 30′ lower than average so our trip has a rediscovery allure to it.
We rig up in the dark. The morning air is already humid and I cannot wait to be waist deep in the cool water. Before I step off the bank I’ve already been taught a new knot and handed newly minted flies. They’re like gold nuggets in my hand, their mettle soon to be tested in battle.
Freshwater Drum (click to enlarge)
My first fish is a drum. He’s a little guy and after a quick photo he’s set free. Either he didn’t learn his lesson, likes me a whole heck of a lot, or has a twin – but my second fish to hand bears a striking resemblance to the first. I’m slowly becoming addicted and am dying to catch a bass. Too many images of the fishing channel trophy bass on cable television flicker in my head. Here fishy, fishy, fishy. Here fishy, fishy, fishy. I’m suddenly 7 years old again and nothing is cooler on earth.
Dave has caught a few small bass and lost a large one before he catches the bass of the day. He does this effortlessly. Literally – he didn’t even try. Frustrated about losing the big bass, he targets gar and eventually lands one on his ultralight outfit after a good fight. I didn’t know gar could dance or that their leaps could span the water’s surface by 20′. Dave coins the term ‘Rocket Fish’ and for me, thus shall gar ever be G.A.R. – Guided Aquatic Rockets.
As he wrangles the 30″ FUGLY-flopping fish into his 24″ net, he patiently wades and closer to the bank so I can close in for the picture-op. He’s removed the hook and flung it to the side. Well, at some point a nosey Largemouth Bass has inquired on the ruckus and found a quick meal; Dave’s hook.
Seriously?
I’m false casting my arm to the point of falling off and still bass-less and with a flick of the fly he finds one. Lesson learned: Murphy’s Law of Texas Fly Casting number 9, don’t care, don’t target- just fish. So, gar fish half in hand – half in net, Dave uses the “3 Stooges” technique to pull in fishy number two of a one cast series.
Longnose Gar and Largemouth Bass (click to enlarge)
Mid-day and we are out of time, the demands of the real world beckon us, so with me still bass-less we have to retreat from these waters. Today was but a small skirmish, to prepare me for the more serious fly fishing engagements I’ll soon face. For me though, I’ve caught more than fish to hand. I’ve caught a fever; hot air, cool water, and I’ve become consumed with casting flies on the water.
Remember your first fish when you caught the fever?
Now days later, every nearby stream beckons me. The current calls to me in the ripples of every brook. The craving for the simple serenity of fly casting soothes my soul when in the water – ironically, the hook is set.
More than fish has come to hand.
See you on the high ground,
AirborneAngler
The AirborneAngler 