left field

Tough day. Major storm last night and a lot of wind today. Managed a few hookups and one tarpon to the boat, but the wind was too strong on the open water. We decided to try deep in the mangroves. After pulling ourselves through the trees into a tiny channel we came out to a 10’x15’ pool filled with rolling tarpon. This was “trout water” and my casting shone as I was hitting the pockets perfectly. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get a strike despite trying a half dozen flies. I would drag a fly across a tarpon’s nose and he would ignore it. I was facing forward on the bow thinking about changing flies again when there was a great crash behind me. I thought a jaguar had taken Ismael and I quickly turned with the dull mango knife in my hand. A tarpon had jumped into the boat and was thrashing at Ismael’s feet. There was another huge thump as a tarpon smashed into the side of the boat. I don’t think we spooked them as much as they just wanted to screw with us. The boated fish flipped back into the water and we decided to call the morning and try for a sneak of snook this afternoon. Still …

The link I posted helps explain all this. It's complicated. "Race" is reference to Jews is a touchy subject as that is how the nazis referred to them.

Day Two of fishing. Call him Ismael, as that is his name. Hard guy to find. No real internet info and it was only through another guide fiend that Ish and I fished together for tarpon. And we fished. We spent six hours searching the mangroves and the open bay for tarpon and only managed to hook and lose a few small ones. We searched, bullshitted and worked on my double haul. Finally, at 2:00 we saw a triumph of tarpon rolling in the middle of the bay. 30 or so were exposing their backs as they chased shrimp. We circled around to take advantage of the wind and bang, we were on. Fifteen hookups and five landed in an hour. Back at it tomorrow.

It's complicated. For example, races don't accept converts. https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-695351

I’m still interested as my 30/30 fell through. But I think politics got in the way. Oh well.

And yet you respond. I don’t think you quite understand the meaning of “insignificance”. Or “unlimited”. You shouldn’t swing at every pitch. That’s not how you win ballgames.

No one is trying to cancel you. Most think you're too delicate to withstand that. Like a flower. Or a snowflake.

Good point except that I wasn't talking about Sewell's article but Rattler's incessant whining about the strawman du jour.

Did I watch a random Rattler video whose title is so stupid that it is actually summed up by this: No.

Campeche in the Yucatan. Heading north to Rio Lagartos tomorrow. I hadn't planned to fish there, but the outfitters were kind enough to comp me a day. First class operation and I am stunned with how beautiful Campeche is. I wish I could post the video to show how insanely dense the mangroves are. I caught a tarpon the lept into a dead tree and hung there as we scrambled to get to him. He got off just before we got there.

whining /ˈ(h)wīniNG/ the making of a long, high-pitched cry or sound. "dogs may exhibit signs of anxiety, such as whining, chewing, and excessive barking" adjective making or characterized by a long, high-pitched cry or sound. "a whining voice"

I feel safer already. Congratulations!

Can't link the video but you can check out my first tarpon in the mangroves on instagram @campechetarpon latest post. https://www.instagram.com/challenge/?next=/campechetarpon/%3Fhl%3Den Gives you a sense of how tight everything is.

Damn, dude. Now you're whining about the lefttards having a bigger vocabulary than you do? Articulate words? Heavens to Betsy!

I had forgotten about that. Yeah, dumb move. As I said, intellectual lightweight. But what is the relationship between that and the trucker protest? Or perhaps, where does it come out against displaying swastikas and desecrating national war memorials? Because he wore brownface 20 years ago, he shouldn't comment on overt racist acts? To be fair, there were probably only a few swastikas flown, but it's an easy target for a politician.

I missed the racist part. Was it this comment? On this behavior? He's not wrong. Trudeau is a lightweight and a pale impression of his father who was a brilliant politician and intellectual powerhouse - equally loved and hated - across the country. He was also a playboy, outdoorsman and judo black belt. The only similarity between Justin and Pierre is a way with the ladies.

After a month in town, it's time for some tarpon fishing. Went out for the afternoon, mostly to blow the shit out of my system. I haven't fished for months and I never throw an 8wt. First thing I saw in the boat: Gotta love that. We hit the deep mangroves. Tight to the sides and overhead with almost no place to cast. The guide pointed to a hole and told me to cast in there. I'm pretty good short and tight so that wasn't a problem. Third cast, tarpon exploded and I set badly. We had a setting lesson. Next cast, I hooked another but he shook me. Next cast, a snook in the boat. Three more casts, and another snook. Then the crocodile showed up. Two metres long. The guide and the owner of the company (who was with us to ensure I had a good time) pulled up their sleeves and showed their scars from crocodile bites. It was like that scene on Jaws. No way I was pulling down my pants to show my vasectomy scar. We left the mangroves and poled along the edges casting back to them. Damn, my cast was bad. Couldn't load the rod or get a decent haul. I was using my Sage salmon rod with a new Orvis line but it wasn't right. Thankfully, I borrowed a friend's Winston and with another line it was much better. Though I cast for another three hours we didn't see a fish. Oh well, good to get out there and see the sun on the water. Even if it didn't see me.

One of those things is not like the other.

Meanwhile in the land of screw your mandates, freedom, follow the science, I have an immunity system and kiss my ass.

Your biggest fear is being yelled at by a college girl, isn't it? Some guys pay good money for that and it seems to help them live a satisfied life. You may want to look into it lest your agoraphobia turn you into someone who stays home all day and scours the internet for more reasons to be afraid. As a bonus, I think if the college girls use props you can claim the "sessions" as a medical expense.

It's just a joke.

In a pure sense, yes, a trophy is a memento of an event. But I think when it comes to hunted animals it seems to now mean an exceptional example of that species. Put another way, would you call yourself a "trophy hunter"? I had a discussion with my young niece who said that everyone is beautiful. I replied that while everyone should certainly be treated that way, if everyone is beautiful, then no one is. Apply it wholesale to every person and the word ceases to have meaning. (Don't ask about the conversation we had on "slut shaming".) I have to think that trophy is the same way. You can argue (and should) about whether a successfully hunted animal is a trophy to you, but objectively they can't all be as we now define the word.

Let's say you're a Jeep dealer ...

DP