Holy shit, lehigh valley local topical shit and what not.

Them there local TU types along with some sort of artsy shit thing here in the Valley are bringing one of them there fancy fly fishin' kinda movies in for the townies.

The fine people at Monocacy TU have a full article here, but the short of it is on December 17th, they'll be presenting "Kiss the Water," a documentary (I guess) about reknowned (I guess) salmon fly tier Megan Boyd.

OK, so there's not much I can go on there... Deal with it. How about I parrot more copy from the PR campaign for the film, itself?

....

Oh fuck that, I don't know. I saw shit about movie festivals I never heard of, and all sorts of nonsense. It doesn't matter. You know what does matter... The fact that someone is doing something of note about our little sport in the third largest metropolitan area of Pennsylvania that somehow has no fucking presence or note at all in the larger fishing community. I mean, seriously, how much of that sort of thing actually happens here? None. None at all. We live in a fucking black hole of that sort of thing despite the fact that you'd think those fly fishing film tours should swing right the fuck through here.. I'm not sure I ever need to see the latest and greatest gopro'd hero shots of someone's fishing trip in Timbuktu, but fuckall if I wouldn't at least like the option to say "no" to that nonsense.

So how about you take $10 out of your wallet and head down to the Artsquest building on the 17th and watch this shit? Think of it, you'll get 80 minutes or so of entertainment in the middle of an otherwise shitty cold season of little to no fishing and a lot of holiday assholery.. Furthermore, the more of us who show up at this, the more likely someone will do this again, and furthermore, the money they raise goes to shore up the shitty state of our local streams.

Its win all around. You win. Our blasted landscape wins. The people putting this on win. Winning!

Shit starts at 6pm; a pre-game warmup if you will, with the local fry frishing champions out in force doing what we do best (presumably standing around, orating and issuing grandiose statements on the superiority of fly fishing over gear; you know there's gonna be some tweed up in that bitch).


More info at www.monocacytu.org and www.artsquest.org.

Fucking off the CWA, historians, and a select population of stringer janglers.

Now you see it...

...Now you don't.

Thanks in no small part to the efforts of the Monocacy Creek TU Chapter, the City of Bethlehem, and the many people who are responsible for the festering sore of shit known as Musikfest (coz flooding is bad for business, and you know they cried about it endlessly, lost revenue, etc etc etc; Money is our God), the dam in Johnson Park along Monocacy Creek is now gone.

Actually, it has been for awhile now. I just don't care to do updates because, honestly, this is pretty lame and I realize now. Not "this" the dam removal, "this" a ridiculous egocentric blog wherein I tell you all about whatever shit I've done gone and bought (that'll be the next few installments).

Anyways, let's get on with the good bits. I tried to be useful, and tried to take some before/after pictures, and figure we'll just post them because that is interesting.

That said, lemme specify when I say "I tried," I sort of forgot to take more corresponding pictures of further up the damed section, which was basically a long, slow, flat and shitty pool unsuitable for anything other than the poor bastard stockies which hadn't been slaughtered, some fat carp, and more ducks than you'd know what to do with.

No more frog water.

Now, however, about two weeks after the breaching, and after the work crews have completed and moved on there's some great riffles, some holding water, and the newfound ability of fish to move further up the creek rather than be stuck at a lowhead dam and able to be murdered easily by the creeling masses of the greater Bethlehem area. Ha ha, fuck you and work for it, assholes.

So, after the cut, way more fucking pictures of things that aren't very important to most people, including alot of very-nearly-the-same perspective pictures.

fuck yeah, sea king.

http://www.lehighvalleyramblings.blogspot.com/2012/03/perrucci-pulls-plug-on-luxury.html

November?! Waaagh.

New activities for winter.

Damn, there she goes, too. Fuckin eh,  WH40K: Space Marine seems to have consumed my nights, and any free weekend time when I was able to go fishing, but it was just slightly too cold to want to go out when I could stay home and exterminate asshole 13 year old kids in online games.

Twilight ruined vampires.
I mean, sparkly vampires?
Fuck that noise. Fuck your
Mormon vampires. Anne
Rice sucks, too, btw.

Yep, shit's reached that point. However, if you haven't shouted and some jackhole kid who stabs you in the face repeatedly in some lame ass online game, I suggest giving it  go just once. Its oddly invigorating.

So, what's the deal? Monocacy Trout Unlimited is back in action for their winter sessions, and some new and invigorated participation leaves me hope that they'll start to pick up steam and go back to full time and pursing a complete agenda. Thousand miles, one step, zen bullshit. Et. Cetera. November 22nd is an open meeting and fly tying night, come out and don't be an asshole.

Hit and run topic: Online petions suck, but sign it anyways. Pennsylvania House Bill 1950 and Senate Bill 1100 to supercede local enviromental regs for lesser state regs on Marcellus shale drilling. Read more.

Fly of the whatever, because I meant to do it weeks ago but, y'know, lazy and shit. Lafontaine Emergent Sparkle Pupa. Y'know, read more and all that. You've done this, you understand. Read more is go!

Why Bethlehem Township Hates Mrs Housenick and the Monocacy Creek, oh and other non watery shit.

Nerd fight!

Fluff piece first, eh? I engage in an entire spectrum of dumb nerdy shit. Oh, and don't kid yourselves, people, tying little flies out of dead animal bits then obsessively chuckin' em to fish so you can put the fish back is pretty fucking nerdy. Amongst other shit I do, I play role playing games. The real kind, with paper and dice and shit, not that lame computer based shit. My friend, he writes them, which is either more nerdy or more creative, don't give a fuck... He blogs that shit up, and has once asked me to write up a review for a minis game. I did that right here. Am I rad, or what?

However, there's more stuff afoot. Dare I say actual, important stuff for once. The Bethlehem Township commissioners evidently hate open spaces, joy, and life. They do love money, though. So, that pits Bethlehem Township directly against the Archibald Johnson Housenick Estate.

There's a little tract of land that's set aside as a nature preserve or some shit in what's now Bethlehem Township. Seems some lady named Housenick died and left huge tracts of land to the County, the Township, and her church. Seems that there's a movement afoot to take part of that land, build some shitty apartments, and wreck the lovely little patch of unspoilt land by filthing it up.

Sprotsmen Alliance for Marcellus Conservation, 6/22/11

SPORTSMEN ALLIANCE FOR MARCELLUS CONSERVATION

Straight from the super secret desk to Trout Unlimited leadership, to your eyes only...Well, your eyes and anyone who reads this crap, or was on the mailing list, or...well, whatever. Shut up and read:

Please join the Sportsmen Alliance for Marcellus Conservation for a day of meetings (gfen: woo, fun, meetings!) in Harrisburg to tell your legislators about the importance of preserving the Commonwealth's sporting heritage - and fish, wildlife and water - as Marcellus Shale gas is developed. The Sportsmen Alliance is an affiliation of sportsmen and women and conservation organizations working together across northern Appalachia to identify and mitigate the impacts of Marcellus Shale gas drilling on hunting, fishing,trapping and other outdoor sporting activities.

As a Pennsylvanian, you know that Marcellus Shale gas is being developed at a rapid scale and pace across the Commonwealth. It is imperative that our decision-makers understand what is at stke and take action to protect important sporting traditions and fish, wildlife and water resources as Marcellus Shale development occurs.

The day will kick off at 9:00am with a brief update of current legislative items and Marcelus Shale related issues of concern to sportsmen and women. THen join your fellow hunters, anglers, trappers ad outdoorsmen and women to voice your support to legislators for protection of your sporting interests and the natural resources you enjoy.

Please RSVP to (gfen removed this part, just show up, k?)  by June 17th, go join the Sportsmen Alliance in a day of action and make sure that you have an opportunity to tell legilsators to protect your interests.

Trout Unlimited, still not just coffee and doughnuts; also Cabela's CGR review.

People are slobs.

I think we've exhausted the not just TU thing? No? Good. Because there was official TU coffee and doughnuts provided yesterday.

Well, munchkins, at least. Although I'm pro-munchkin, I'd have clubbed baby seals for a boston cream, dig?

Anyways. Monocacy Chapter sponsered their stream clean up yesterday, and the weather was rather uncooperative starting our day with torrential downpour... didn't stop multiple TU members from stepping up, along with a host of community service minded folks. We split up into sub groups, then were dispatched out by our fearless leader to various portions from rt512 down to, I think, Union Boulevard. Once the rain broke, it wasn't bad. I had one of the community services guys fall into place beside me, and we had a nice time walking, talking, and cleaning up.

George, if you should ever read this, I'm up to take you out for your intro to fly fishing, duder.

Pointless gear reviews!

So then, it ended up being a pretty nice day, with a fresh burst of rain to the stream to bring it up, only so it could fall back again. The rain broke, the sky was gently overcast and I bet fishin'' would've kicked ass.

So I went shopping, instead.

I'm being forced to visit FL in a few days, and my luggage won't accomodate my chosen lighter rod, and I needed a new one. Enter the Cabela's CGR, the Custom Glass Rod, a nice, and weird, thing to show up in a big box store. I like glass, I don't like Cabela's branded gear, but fuck it, sometimes you make your choices and pay your money.

But, is it really a custom rod if its off an assembly line like everyone else's?

And the Oscar goes to...

NIMBY!

...something that wasn't Gasland.

Not surprised, whatever it is that won, it was abotu the financial meltdown, and people are more actively worried, plus, you can blame that on Republican leadership with ease, this is Hollywood we're talkin' about.

Marcellus Shale isn't nearly as scary, I guess, unless you live with it. Its why you might want to watch Gasland at some point, coz like, it has bearing on you. Directly on many of us who might read this stupid blog.  There's a good chance you might be, too. If not now, soon enough. That article claims "Saudi Arabia of natural gas." I'll remember that when we start seeing sheiks in Rollses rollin' down PA191.

So, for what its worth, Gasland available via streaming on Netflix and Amazon.

And then, there's wading in the Little Lehigh Heritage Angling section, which is allowed now, BTW.

But why...?

Government working for you: Flow gages.

Good 'ole 01452500.

Didja know when you're not beating your official Tea Party rabble rousin' drum that the Government occasionally does something useful?

Oh, don't be silly, they don't intend this to be of service to you, its just a helpful bonus, and that's the crux of the problem.

The US Geological Survey maintains a series of stream flow gages, established in 1888, continually collecting and collating data. If you've never looked at one, its a remarkably helpful resource for all anglers. Its also very helpful to the sorts of eggheads who calculate sciencey stuff and plan about disasters, and all the sorts of things that massive, and epic, flooding from rain can cause. This, of course, is its intentional goal, not to help you determine if you're going to be fishing dainty little flies in low flows or slinging meat to fish in high waters.

The downside is that many of these are in danger of shutdown due to budget cuts. All those bombs cost cash, and we just can't print more (well, we could, but it generally goes to buy more bombs and staff cars), so as we all many of us look to tighten our belts, there will be cuts.

Like, the nearly 40 in danger of being shut down in the coming year.

Trout Unlimited, not just old men and hippies.

Alaska: Cold, and expensive to get to.

Actually, nary a hippy to be found. I'm sure they're there, but they don't attend meetings, I guess.

You should, though. I mean, its like $35 for a year, and they use it to do something useful, unlike you, to try and help that stream you fish when you're too lazy to drive to Spring Creek. You know, that one you don't think is very good (although, I'm quite fond of my local waterways, thank you very much) and that doesn't get the press the big waters might do so.

Auction prizes, for $1, why
wouldn't you? 

So, go ahead. Throw 'em $35. Then, find a local chapter and attend their meeting. Or, skip the $35, and just attend a meeting to see what's up, they're generally nice enough people, and chances are, you share the same interests.

Last night some guy told me about Alaska, and the "budget" lodge (the budget lodge, FWIW, still cost him on the order of $4k for a week, in case you were wondering). Now, I admit, I have zero interest in Alaskan lodges (or Montana lodges, last month's discussion), but its nice seeing what one could get up to if they had money, eh?

If you're in the Lehigh Valley, the combined valley chapters, Monocacy #491, Forks of the Delaware #482, and  Hagendaas #535 hold their combined "spring event" on March 26th. The Monocacy guys sure would like to have you come help clean up the stream, too. I'd post details, but it appears they've borked their calendar.

And now, for something completely different on the same subject, but mildly different...

I'm going to just reprint a TU email, because I can, and why waste the time re-writing it?