the brownline 2011.02.01

Some reading materials to fight the long, cold winter blues:

• the shooting head
• Marinated in Awesomeness, from the folks at Idylwilde
• Adventures in Squirreling, from Another Year On The Fly
• The musings of SwittersB.
• The latest in fashion from the Hopper Juan.
• Gratuitous fly porn from Pat Cohen of the Warm Water Journal.

the brownline 2010.04.22

Earth Day edition:

• Why you should care: an environmental introspective by Alex of 40 Rivers to Freedom. Speaking his mind and the truth.

• Controversy abounds: Two northern Ojibwe bands say it's their turn on treaty rights. The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and White Earth Band of Chippewa both have announced their intentions to fish before the legal Minnesota fishing opener, in a plan to reassert hunting and fishing rights they believe are protected by federal treaties from the 1800s. Obviously, there is some opposition expressed by Sportsman's groups. This is going to be a hot-button issue across the state.

• The Nuge calls it like he see's it: gut piles and self sustainability. Thanks to Switters B for the reference. The original transcript can be found over at *gasp* GlennBeck.com.

• Man butt, Fat Guy Fly Fishing style. Pinup Simon Graham in a full layout sporting his finest Jägermeister wearable. You'll need to a few shots down the ice luge after viewing this one.

the brownline 2010.04.01

A couple of items worth checking out:

• Issue Dos of Sleeping in the Dirt has been released. 'Nuff said.
  

• Patagonia launches its first-ever Fish e-Catalog – an online, interactive, 52-page flipbook. By eliminating the paper catalog, Patagonia saves about 74,826 gallons of wastewater, 8,279 pounds of solid waste, 176 trees and almost 16,300 pounds of Co2.

• Jay Nichols explains the finer points of DIY dubbing. Courtesy of The Caddis Fly.
  

the brownline 2010.02.01

Reading Edition:

• Brand spanking new online mag from Sleeping In The Dirt. As the opening statement reads, "No Sponsors, No Advertisements, No Limits..... No shit", the magazine follows true to course. Solid. The bar has been raised.

• More fly porn courtesy of Simon Graham. Check out Issue 3, due out 2010.02.02, for some half chickens and meaty tube flies. Simon always ties up the nastiest esocid patterns. Well done mate.

• Blood Knot Magazine. Close-to-the-bone articles from real anglers. No bullshit.
  

  "Designed to give fly anglers a fresh, unrestricted avenue to pursue their passion, these candid articles, photos and videos are for the enjoyment of other addicts."

  Keep your eyes out for the first digital issue due out this spring. Subscription is free.

the brownline 2010.01.27

• VHS found in Lake Superior fish. Cornell University reported they had found trace amounts of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) in organ samples taken from a small number of healthy fish in four sites in Lake Superior.

  “VHS remains a threat to all the Great Lakes, and we will increase our efforts to slow the spread through public awareness of the simple things boaters and anglers can do to help,” says Michigan DNRE Director Rebecca Humphries.

  Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said the recent finding of VHS in Lake Superior would not lead to any immediate regulation changes for anglers or boaters. Because complacency always works...

• Congress to seek more money to fight Asian carp. Members of Congress say they'll seek $20 million to study using poisons to prevent Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes. Just what we need, more studies. Time to quit fucking around and actually get down to doing something, now!

• More asian carp drama: asian carp DNA found in Lake Michigan, yet Feds reject closure of Chicago Canal. More fallout from the Detroit Free Press. Stop by stopasiancarp.com to get the low down and all the latest news on the spread of asian carp. Please remember to sign the petition.

Our environment is going to hell in a bucket.

the brownline 2010.01.17

• Fish Can't Read Sold! The fledgling e-zine has been sold off to a large media conglomerate. Unfortunately, part of the terms of the deal means that the magazine is done for and will no longer be published. Where does this leave fellow brownliners Alex and Keith and hottie Camille? I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if another underground magazine rose to the surface in the coming months.

• US Carp Pro Magazine. David Smith, owner of USCP mag, has a great thing going here. Styled after This is Fly, this is an edgy magazine with great photography and full of relevant information. Most magazines are stuffed heavy with ads and sponsor influenced articles, with little on the content side. Not the case here. Check out the latest issue with a great article featuring Lee Baermann and a few of his go to fly patterns. I've got some exciting news to share on this front in the coming month.

• The dreaded asian carp. Stop on over at Hatchless and sign up for the petition to help stop the spread of asian carps into the Great Lakes. Please.

the brownline 2010.01.07

• Drowning the Beaver. Another AMFF/Cheneyesque type controversy? The boys over at Buster's discover that Donny Beaver's Spring Ridge Club was selected by an independent panel of judges as a finalist in the Investing in Nature program in the Ecotourism category from The Nature Conservancy. In another move of brilliance, Cathy Beck pimps some chrome on their newsletter, then gets thrown under the bus.


• More bullshit news from the home front: The Obama administration Tuesday opposed Michigan and other states that want to close shipping locks near Chicago to prevent ravenous Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes.

"In a host of ways, the federal government has demonstrated its commitment to protecting the Great Lakes from the expansion of Asian carp," she said in a written memo. "Nothing in federal law warrants second-guessing its expert judgment that the best information available today does not yet justify the dramatic steps Michigan demands."

Except for the fact that you've dropped the ball with your head up your ass for the last decade, preventing the spread of these fish from downstream. Different regime in the White House, same bullshit policies. It's obvious that the Feds and the State of Illinois both don't care about the devastation of the Great Lakes' native fish populations and the region's $7 billion fishing and tourism industries.


• More anti-coal sentiment hits the blogosphere over at The FlyFish Journal. Good to see my brothers in arms not afraid to speak their minds on the ravages of coal generated electricity. Thanks for joining the fight. It's apparent the "clean" coal lobby won't rest until we and our children and our children's children are all dead from the ingestion of toxins and heavy metals and lung disease.


• Major flooding possible in the Red River Valley this spring, AGAIN. The most recent forecast issued by the National Weather Service gives the Fargo/Moorhead area of the Red River of the North a 49 percent chance of major flooding and an 80 percent chance of moderate flooding, with near-certainty of minor flooding. I think the solutions to this problem are more ditches, more dams, more tiling and wetland draining, unsustainable development and new construction in a floodplain, and a massive pork barrel proposal to construct a huge non-eco friendly river diversion complex to bypass the cities of Fargo and Moorhead. Oh wait, that's what they've already been doing, and you can see how well that's been treating them the past few years. #FAIL

If the fish are gone, burn the country.

the brownline 2010.01.05

• Singlebarbed's fume fueled DIY tutorial on dying your own tying materials. A must read for any hardcore tying enthusiast.


• The Winona Fly Factory is tying some impressive Starling soft hackled midge patterns in preparation for the winter catch and release trout season in Southeast Minnesota. WFF kicks off the cobwebs and icicles and lands a few fish on a frigid New Year's day. Looks like a mid winter trip to points SE is in order.


• Fat of the Land relishes his Christmas Contraband from his Holiday visit to Cheeseheadland. Frankly, I want a sample of his homemade sausage.


• SwittersB reminds us how to properly store and manage self harvested and purchased fly tying materials.

the brownline 2009.10.12

• Mrs. Creek Addict calls out Fishing Jones. Fighting words over fly rod carp. Brother Pete needs to represent.


• Winona Fly Factory rolls their own. J-dawg over at WFF is using Bics to custom color his deadly fly patterns. Nasty!


• Invasive Species Alert! Erin and the bitch Snyder over at team Primalfly are moving to FL. Looks like I got some new ditch fishing hook ups in Dixieland.


• Zebra mussels found downstream of Pelican Lake, now in Lake Lizzie, Otter Tail County, MN. It's only a matter of time before more are discovered downstream, eventually making their way to the Red River and points North.