by Joe Cermele

Not long ago I posted a trailer for a film called "Reverb" that follows the die-hard flyfishermen members of legendary Chicago punk band Pegboy from the dirty clubs of the city to the majestic Driftless area of Wisconsin. Well, not only can Pegboy's lead singer, Larry Damore, work a crowd into a frenzy by night and make a perfect cast to a sipping brown by day, he also builds his own rods under the brand name Flying Pig. I recently got the chance to take one of his sticks for a test drive, and I must say it impressed me more than some rods from companies that have been in the game a long time. 

by John Merwin

Wow, another year is almost over. It seems now as if 2011 went by awfully fast. I’m convinced that the passage of time accelerates as one grows older. At least it seems that way.

So as usual, at this season I’m thinking about the fishing I did in the recent past, and the fishing I hope to do in the coming 12 months. Oddly enough, perhaps, and despite various trips to far-off places, the most plain fun I’ve had in fishing lately has been close to home.

Simpler is better, or so it seems in retrospect. For one thing, fishing close to home is pretty much free of hassles. Whether it’s bass (as in the photo) or trout, pike or panfish, the fishing nearby is generally productive and easy to get to. Airline travel, whether to a fishing destination or for any other reason, has become complex, daunting and expensive. I put my head down when I have to and put up with all the aggravation, but it’s always an ordeal.

by Joe Cermele

Over the years I've made an observation about trout fishermen, particularly those that chase a lot of stocked fish. By and large, they remain loyal to the first lure their dads or grandpas gave them at a young age. For me that lure is a Panther Martin spinner. Is a Panther really better than other spinners? Probably not, but that's what dad used. Friends of mine are loyal to the Mepps or the C.P. Swing or the Phoebe. I usually have some combo of those other spinners in my box, but I always tied up a Panther first. One lure I never carried growing up, however, was a stickbait. Dad never used them, so I never used them. I reserved such lures for smallmouth. It's taken a while for me to come around, but I realize now what a mistake I was making.

By John Merwin

I got to thinking about falling in this morning. That is, taking an accidental dunking while fishing. This photo reminded me, being the time my good wife took a tumble as we fished a North Country trout river.

She saw me grab my camera as she was changing into dry clothes at streamside. Already annoyed at getting soaked, she was furious at the prospect of pictures. So she hid chastely behind the door of our truck to finish the job.

All of which reminds me of another falling-in yarn, this time while bass fishing in Florida.

Once in a great while, I or another staff member has to go fishing or hunting to schmooze with advertising clients. This particular trip was at Bienville Plantation in northwest Florida, a private-lake nirvana (think phosphate pits). Anyway, the prospective client was in the front of the bass boat, ahead of our guide--while I sat in the back--dutifully hoping the client would catch a big one.