LIVING IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER

Ever wonder who lives in the van down by the river? Unlike Matt Foley, it is not a Troutbum. A Troutbum would only be found in a truck or suv down by the river. A Troutbums vehicle is something of a showcase of his or her love for fish. It is usually decorated with vinyl decals of their favorite sayings like; FEAR NO FISH, Set'em & Net'em, Catch and Release, and my personal favorite, LIVE and DIE by the FLY. Troutbums are not hard to find while driving down the road, they are often seen tipping hats to each other or flagging one another down to find out the lastest news on their favorite river. Sometimes Troutbums can be seen pulling drift boats or their pontoons for days just in case their day to day activities bring them to the one place they can actually use it.
Troutbums are some of the most interesting people on this earth. Imagine if you will a family gathered around a table filled with a glistening turkey, steamy stuffing, the sweetest candied yams, and the most savory mashed potatoes and gravy you have ever tasted; and there is a family ready to partake of this wonderful meal and someone leans over and asks, "Where is your husband" to which the wife sighes and responds, "He went fishing". Now do not get me wrong, Troutbums do have priorities, just not in the order the rest of society has. Spouses who are married to Troutbums, there is help. Not for your spouse, but for you. You cannot change this person we call a Troutbum, but you can cope.
So the next time you see a van down by the river, you will know it is not a Troutbum.

Stimulating the Economy - Troutbumz Style

President Elect Obama has just made known some of his plans to stimulate the economy. In case you haven't heard, President Elect Obama is bringing before congress a $850 billion stimulus package, which is bigger than the bank bailout program. Now rest assured, that $850 billion in large will be going to programs such as medicaid and other welfare programs, but to the middle class, expect about $500 per person. For those of us in the middle class, here is your chance to help stimulate the economy.

I am sure we all have that one rod or reel that we have been eyeing for sometime now and with a possible tax return and this supposed stimulus package, this could be the year for that prized possession. Just about every fly rod and fly reel company have the "last years" models that are now discounted and of course the newest model that will be the envy for the next few years. Why not use this year as an opportunity to treat yourself Troutbumz style and get that rod and or reel that has been on the back of your mind for the last year or so.

For those of us with a spouse, well...be creative. Compromise is a good thing, but keep in mind if this stimulus passes, then your spouse will be entitled to $500 as well, so this maybe one of the easiest sells of 2009. Wherever you buy your new stimulus prize, be sure to make sure of a couple things like look for a good warranty and also see if the shop offers any free service (like free backing or loading the backing and fly line to the reel). You may be surprised what service you may find just to keep you coming back. In any case take this year as an opportunity to reflect on the important things; I call them the four F's; Faith, Family, Fishing w/ Friends.

Winter Fishing Workout

If most of you are like me, winter can be a time when those holiday pounds start to add up. I have recently discovered some interesting findings on fitness magazine.com. Fly-fishing in a stream (including walking in the water wearing waders) burns as much as 420 calories an hour. Okay that is not much but if you fish an average of 4 hours per session you will be burning as much as 1680 calories. (this is not including fishing in the winter time which burns more calories as your body is trying to stay warm) Now I am not expecting this to be the next big exercise craze, but for those of us that are stuck behind a desk all day long, a good fishing trip maybe just what the doctor ordered.
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/weight-loss/expert-advice/diet-detective/alternative-calorie-burning-activities/?page=2