Father's Day Morning

......found me on the Tulpehocken, waving a fly rod. I haven't fly fished
for any species since April, due to a combination of vile conspiracies,
including massive flooding, family obligations and work schedule. I was
greeted by pleasant conditions....not too warm, water
levels clear(well, that sort of green-clear PA streams get) and with a
fair flow to them. Water temps in the mid to upper 60's. The stream at
shortly after dawn brought forth a range of bugs. There were cream and
grey midges, smallish mayflies, tan and grey caddis in about 6 varieties
and a few large cream mayflies. After much trial and error, most success
came with #18 Adams midges and parachutes, although I took fish with a
cream palmered gnat, a tan CDC caddis and two on #14 Light Cahills. Most
of the fun was over by 10 am, and just to punctuate that fact, a couple
of Great Blue Herons mounted their lookout spots to start the
professional fishing day.
A nice start to Fathers Day, it was. The morning and casual pace led to
pleasant ruminations about Fatherhood, now Grandfatherhood, life and all
it's remembrances. My choice of tackle reflected that spirit as well, as
I had chosen to use a 4 weight from Kettle Creek Tackle that I've owned
for 22 years,roughly as old as my daughter. The reel was an Orvis
Battenkill that previously belonged to the late Joel Axelrad, one of the
truest old-school fly anglers I've known. I would hope he would have
approved of a leisurely morning, on familiar waters, lobbing traditional
dry flies with a drag-free drift to rising brown trout. For my part, I
found it restorative. Happy Father's Day, all!

Tom

On 06/19/2011 11:37 AM, Tom Littleton wrote:
.....found me on the Tulpehocken, waving a fly rod. I haven't fly fished
for any species since April, due to a combination of vile conspiracies,
including massive flooding, family obligations and work schedule. I was
greeted by pleasant conditions....not too warm, water
levels clear(well, that sort of green-clear PA streams get) and with a
fair flow to them. Water temps in the mid to upper 60's. The stream at
shortly after dawn brought forth a range of bugs. There were cream and
grey midges, smallish mayflies, tan and grey caddis in about 6 varieties
and a few large cream mayflies. After much trial and error, most success
came with #18 Adams midges and parachutes, although I took fish with a
cream palmered gnat, a tan CDC caddis and two on #14 Light Cahills. Most
of the fun was over by 10 am, and just to punctuate that fact, a couple
of Great Blue Herons mounted their lookout spots to start the
professional fishing day.
A nice start to Fathers Day, it was. The morning and casual pace led to
pleasant ruminations about Fatherhood, now Grandfatherhood, life and all
it's remembrances. My choice of tackle reflected that spirit as well, as
I had chosen to use a 4 weight from Kettle Creek Tackle that I've owned
for 22 years,roughly as old as my daughter. The reel was an Orvis
Battenkill that previously belonged to the late Joel Axelrad, one of the
truest old-school fly anglers I've known. I would hope he would have
approved of a leisurely morning, on familiar waters, lobbing traditional
dry flies with a drag-free drift to rising brown trout. For my part, I
found it restorative. Happy Father's Day, all!

Tom

Nice. Thanks. To you as well.

Russell

On Jun 19, 12:37*pm, Tom Littleton wrote:
.....found me on the Tulpehocken, waving a fly rod. I haven't fly fished
for any species since April, due to a combination of vile conspiracies,
including massive flooding, family obligations and work schedule. I was
greeted by pleasant conditions....not too warm, water
levels clear(well, that sort of green-clear PA streams get) and with a
fair flow to them. Water temps in the mid to upper 60's. The stream at
shortly after dawn brought forth a range of bugs. There were cream and
grey midges, smallish mayflies, tan and grey caddis in about 6 varieties
and a few large cream mayflies. After much trial and error, most success
came with #18 Adams midges and parachutes, although I took fish with a
cream palmered gnat, a tan CDC caddis and two on #14 Light Cahills. Most
of the fun was over by 10 am, and just to punctuate that fact, a couple
of Great Blue Herons mounted their lookout spots to start the
professional fishing day.
A nice start to Fathers Day, it was. The morning and casual pace led to
pleasant ruminations about Fatherhood, now Grandfatherhood, life and all
it's remembrances. My choice of tackle reflected that spirit as well, asGo
I had chosen to use a 4 weight from Kettle Creek Tackle that I've owned
for 22 years,roughly as old as my daughter. The reel was an Orvis
Battenkill that previously belonged to the late Joel Axelrad, one of the
truest old-school fly anglers I've known. I would hope he would have
approved of a leisurely morning, on familiar waters, lobbing traditional
dry flies with a drag-free drift to rising brown trout. For my part, I
found it restorative. Happy Father's Day, all!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Tom

Got one of those reels. Think I'll take it out tomorrow night. Great
TR. Enjoy my friend.
Frank Reid
(has that new one decided to make a showing yet?)

"Tom Littleton" wrote

Most
of the fun was over by 10 am, and just to punctuate that fact, a couple of
Great Blue Herons mounted their lookout spots to start the professional
fishing day.
A nice start to Fathers Day, it was. The morning and casual pace led to
pleasant ruminations about Fatherhood, now Grandfatherhood, life and all
it's remembrances.

you know, i can't help making the observation that you lead a pretty damn
fine life.

way to go, slim.

yfitons
wayno

On 6/19/2011 10:45 PM, Frank Reid © 2010 wrote:

(has that new one decided to make a showing yet?)


um,no,and the mother-to-be is getting, shall we say, a bit testy.
Revised due date is tomorrow, with induced labor by the 30th. This one
is going to be a whopper, I fear.....
Tom

Tom Littleton typed:
On 6/19/2011 10:45 PM, Frank Reid © 2010 wrote:

(has that new one decided to make a showing yet?)


um,no,and the mother-to-be is getting, shall we say, a bit testy.
Revised due date is tomorrow, with induced labor by the 30th. This one
is going to be a whopper, I fear.....
Tom

So if we hear anything like "It was T-H-I-S big!" with outstretched arms, we
can presume a fish tale?
--
TL,
Tim

On Jun 20, 4:19*pm, Tom Littleton wrote:
On 6/19/2011 10:45 PM, Frank Reid © 2010 wrote:

(has that new one decided to make a showing yet?)

um,no,and the mother-to-be is getting, shall we say, a bit testy.
Revised due date is tomorrow, with induced labor by the 30th. This one
is going to be a whopper, I fear.....
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Tom

Yeah, and you're the runt of the litter?
Frank Reid

On 6/20/2011 6:30 PM, Frank Reid © 2010 wrote:

Yeah, and you're the runt of the litter?
Frank Reid

exactly the genetic issue. Jeanine is 5'10", and while baby Matthew
arrived smallish, he grew quickly, to the point where his pediatrician
says things like, "he's going to be a tall one". It's just that the
impending child, a girl, seems destined to be the child which forever
limits my count of grandchildren to two(alas, I have no chance of
catching up with Handyman on the total count of grandkids). Jeanine has
been sick at times throughout the pregnancy, it looks as if this one
will wait til she's about 10 pounds to emerge. All in all, my wife and I
are quite satisfied that this child will prove to be the revenge for
what Jeanine put us through in childhood.
Tom

On 2011-06-21 17:07:30 -0400, Tom Littleton said:

On 6/20/2011 6:30 PM, Frank Reid © 2010 wrote:

Yeah, and you're the runt of the litter?
Frank Reid

exactly the genetic issue. Jeanine is 5'10", and while baby Matthew
arrived smallish, he grew quickly, to the point where his pediatrician
says things like, "he's going to be a tall one". It's just that the
impending child, a girl, seems destined to be the child which forever
limits my count of grandchildren to two(alas, I have no chance of
catching up with Handyman on the total count of grandkids). Jeanine has
been sick at times throughout the pregnancy, it looks as if this one
will wait til she's about 10 pounds to emerge. All in all, my wife and
I are quite satisfied that this child will prove to be the revenge for
what Jeanine put us through in childhood.
Tom

Yeah! Ain't grandchild revenge wonderful?!? d;o)

Dave

On 6/21/2011 5:59 PM, D. LaCourse wrote:

Yeah! Ain't grandchild revenge wonderful?!? d;o)

Dave


truly wonderful......oh, and to all my ROFFian friends:
Baby Gia Elizabeth was born about an hour ago, at 5:15AM.
She was nearly 8 pounds, happy and healthy. Likewise for her
tired but relieved mother.

Tom