Elements of Style: Fly Fishing Writers' Edition

Photo not by Tosh Brown

Considering becoming a published fly fishing writer?

It might seem to hard to break into the scene, but after spending significant time reading various fly fishing magazines & books, I think I've developed a sure-fire formula for success.

It goes a little something like this:

1. Opening (choose one):

• a) Fishing was epic, with grins/laughs/high-fives after every fish (which are released unharmed, of course).
• b) The fish were elusive, with long, tense moments of self-reflection obviously required to ensure fishing success.

2. Setting (choose one):

• a) Well-known location, using new techniques (e.g., Henry's Fork, using the new Swedish-Croatian nymph rig from a paddle board while casting between your legs).
• b) Top-secret location in own backyard. Props for it being in or near a major urban centre. Extra style points if it's New York City, Denver or Miami.
• c) DIY trip, with only a loincloth-wearing native guide emotionlessly leading you on into the unknown in pursuit of legendary fish.
• d) Exclusive trip with semi-famous ______ (insert one or more of: angler / writer / artist / conservationist / guide / business tycoon / actor) to a very remote and expensive luxury lodge.

3. Background (choose one or more, where appropriate):

• a) Brought back from brink of extinction (e.g. blackened redfish, striped bass collapse of 80's, etc)
• b) New species for the fly rod, made popular by one or more anglers who couldn't afford ______ (insert one of: gas / airfare / guide fees / spending winter bored / rent)
• c) Stu Apte
• d) Ted Williams (baseball player)
• e) Lefty Kreh
• f) Lani Waller
• g) Thomas McGuane
• h) Billy Pate
• i) Izaak Walton
• j) Homer Rhodes

4. Use a Latin name once:
Examples may include: Salmo salar (Atlantic salmon), Morone saxatilis (striped bass), Megalops atlanticus (tarpon), Hexagenia limbata (the 'Hex Hatch') and Baetis (BWOs, mayflies, whatever).

5. Consider using colloquialisms (a.k.a. good ol' boy speak) for fish, where appropriate:
Examples may include: bull-reds, poons, 'bows, smallies, bucket-mouths, hawgs, cows, stripahs, etc.

6. Name-drop some of the equipment used:
Examples may include: a high-end rod/reel company, a boutique bamboo rod builder, and/or the creator and name of a hot fly pattern.

7. Food:
Always mention the _______ (insert one of: curiosity /  flavour explosion / extravagance) of experiencing the locally-prepared dish for the _____ (insert one of: first time / nightly meal / fiftieth time).

8. Conclusion (choose one):
If using Opening a):

• i) More grins/laughs/high-fives in the satisfaction of having continued epic fishing throughout the day.
• ii) Contentedness as the sun sets, enjoying the conversation & companionship of anglers after a great day of fishing over _____ (include one of: great food, cold beer, scotch & cigar, tropical cocktails).

If using Opening b):

• i) After long-periods of ______ (insert one of: self-reflection, patience, dealing with adversity), a fish is landed, and the angler-writer is all the wiser for the time spent not catching fish.
• ii) Contentedness* as the sun sets, enjoying the conversation & companionship of anglers after a tough day of fishing over _____ (include one of: great food, cold beer, scotch & cigar, tropical cocktails), and the angler-writer is all the wiser for the time spent not catching fish

* - This contentedness is not real but the angler-writer must portray contentedness in his/her writing. Feel free to swear, drink & smash things over getting skunked in private settings.

9. Photography (choose one of the following options. No substitutions permitted*):

• a) Brian O'Keefe
• b) Tosh Brown
• c) Barry & Cathy Beck

* - Exception: Art by Bob White may be considered

10) Submit to (choose one or all):

• a) Mainstream fly fishing magazine.
• b) Mainstream hunting/fishing magazine.
• c) Independent publishing house.
• d) Independent-looking/acting division of a major publishing house.

Following the preceding steps seemingly ensures long-running success in the fly fishing literary world.

You can thank me later.

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My roommate is tougher than you

loyalistrugby.com

A bold statement in the title, yes, but I can say it confidently with regards to probably the majority of people reading this (no offence intended).

He's been playing at a high-level of rugby for 16 years. Sixteen years. He shows no sign of slowing down, and he remains one of the best in the province, no matter what position he's been slotted into.

After a heartbreaking loss in the Maritime Championship in 2010, he proceeded to acquire commercial-grade gym equipment for the basement to "take things up a notch" for the 2011 season.

I should note the 2011 season took place at age 35 for him.

This past offseason, he took up a challenge that is 180° from bone-crushing tackles on (& occasionally from) his opponents on the rugby field: adventure racing.

Starting line, Race The Planet Jordan 2012
(click the image to go to the race's homepage)

He's currently in the Jordanian Desert, just finished day one of a 250km self-supported race.

After this, he switches gears to prep for the 2012 rugby season.

He does all this while working 50 hours per week as an engineer for a local firm (and managing my affairs while I'm off galavanting around the planet in search of fish and/or paycheques).

So yeah.

My roommate is tougher than you.

And I wish him & his teammates the best of luck in this challenge.


(Edit: I should note he's tougher than me, too...)

You can follow Team Fredericton Loyalists' progress by clicking the image below.

Random Nunavut post, S01E02

NOTE: I'm trying out a new layout on this, via Blogger's Dynamic Views. I'd really appreciate your input on how it looks/acts/feels/etc. 


Some of you who follow along on my Instagram & Twitter feeds (both '@mattrevors') or tumblr page (or even the dreaded Facebook) may have seen these pics already, but I thought I'd post a few here.

As I frequently make public, I'm an ardent anti-winter person. Hate cold, hate ice, wish to live in Florida with white pants pulled up to my armpits & fish all the time, and so on & so forth.

Needless to say, I was completely horrified a little apprehensive about coming within a degree or so of the Arctic Circle in mid-April.

Surprisingly, the project location wasn't all that nightmarish. I missed home (as usual) and its mild weather (as expected), but food was good, accommodations ok, and people onsite were extremely pleasant & friendly...unlike other jobs I've been on (*cough* Saskatchewan *cough*).

I'm hoping to get back in the summer at some point, with fly rods in tow. I fly through Yellowknife, which is situated on a decent-sized lake and apparently has some pike that need introducing to my Redington 10wt. And there are grayling, trout & char present in the vicinity of this project site.

Hopefully the company I'm contracted to doesn't mind me being seconded to the client as official fishing guide/gear-lender for VIP tours of the property. Conveniently, one of the helicopter pilots has just started fly fishing & tying, too. A few flies and casting & tying lessons might be bartered for flight time.

Here are some pics...

This thing is almost cool enough to make winter enjoyable

Ample fly tying materials available, should I run low

C-130 Hercules on landing strip if lake ice, unloading bulldozers at sunrise

Any fans of the show 'Ice Pilots' will recognize this bird

Feel free to check out lots more travel & fishing pics on The Angler's Android and look me up on twitter.

You can also subscribe to this feed via the Feedburner subscription box on the pop-out sidebar on the right.

Fishing, writing, and writing about fishing

Time/Date: 1330, 07-May-12

Location: Latitude 67°, Nunavut

I don't know how exactly to put this without looking like I'm bragging, but here goes: my first article in print has just been published.

No, it's not in The Drake, The Flyfish Journal or Fly Rod & Reel...yet.

It's in our local monthly entertainment magazine called Faces Fredericton. It's published by my very good friends, and when they asked me to write a column on fishing in and around Fredericton, I gladly accepted. 

I just hope the arts & entertainment crowd of the Fredericton scene welcome the column as much as the regular readers I get visiting here seemingly approve of my usual fly fishing dribble.

As most people know, I do like writing and I consider myself somewhat competent at it. This is more due to my background writing technical reports in my past life more than any natural ability at writing. 

And that's the thing: as much as I enjoy writing, I'm fairly reluctant to venture outside my typical comfort zones of writing about fly fishing, travel, gear reviews, or fishing-related issues. In fact, I still catch myself proofreading (and re-reading again & again) every post to make sure I don't sound 'too technical' in my writing, like some nameless drone in a cubicle, spewing out tech reports.

Back in 2010, when I conceived this whole thing, I figured my writing topics be split evenly between fishing & travel tales, stories & drink recipes from my time behind the bar at Lava Vodka Lounge and the music shows I attend & artists I listen to. And let's not forget the forays into photography, too.

(There was also that whole minimalism phase; while I still practice & preach simple living in order to do the things you love, it's not brought up very much here on this site. You want minimalism stuff? Go visit Leo at Zen Habits.)

So let's review where this has gone since that fateful evening in Ouagadougou when I first hit 'publish:'

• While I still maintain Lava was the most fun I've ever had on a "project," I haven't bartended regularly since early January of 2011, so the drink recipes have dropped off the map.
• I gave up the photography and gave my D-SLR to my dad after seeing too much of Brian O'Keefe & Bryan Gregson. I just focus on Instagram on my iPod/Android, now (you can see that stuff here).
• With withdrawing from the bar scene, my visits to music venues has dropped considerably, too; though I still frequently post what I'm listening to in the form of youtube vids.
• Most of my travel is work-related, so while I might snap quite a few pics (or grumble about -33°C temps in May or brag about +35°C temps in February), I really don't think my readers would enjoy me writing about the fascinating world of geotechnical drilling programs and Intact Rock Strength.
• My pursuit of trout on a 3wt has given way to smallmouth bass and saltwater pursuits, but my current home address in New Brunswick leaves me with the better part of six months as fish-less during the winter.
• I have started fly tying and I do like sharing the products of the new fishing side-hobby. But I am currently an amateur and I'm occasionally reluctant to share the monstrosities that leave my vise. 

I someday wish to explore new challenges for both fishing and writing, but I find myself more willing to take on the new fishing challenges and translate them into words. That seems to be my 'winning' formula, but does it get stale?

The kicker is, if I try new writing directions, will the current readers stick around? Will new readers show up?

One thing for sure: I plan on fishing A LOT in 2012 in multiple locales for numerous species, and I will continue to write about that here. That format seems to work well enough for everybody.

I think right now the most important question is this:

Will Fredericton's arts & entertainment community skewer my ode to smallmouth bass on the fly rod?

Thanks for reading.

Mat

You can click the image below to view the digital version of Faces Fredericton. My column is on page 10.

Book Review - Chasing Records

Chasing Records - An Angler's Quest by Robert Cunningham

I was browsing through the website of Florida Sportsman last week to get a little mid-workday fishing fix and came across a little blurb about this book.

Always on the lookout for some reading material for the Kobo e-reader my lovely girlfriend gave me for my birthday, I downloaded it & gave it a read.

To be totally honest, I have mixed feelings about people targeting fish for IGFA records; on one hand, it's kinda cool to have the wherewithal and the ability to pursue trophy fish on light tackle.

On the other hand, it seems slightly selfish to fight a fish for 7 hours and kill it for the sole purpose of getting your name on a certificate from the IGFA. It's that type of behaviour that gets the hardcore angry lefties' panties in a bunch. As in the types that are way more angry and left than me.

It should be noted, however, the IGFA is starting to recognize its place in the current world, and has started accepting submissions for all-tackle length records, enabling the fish to be released. Just be prepared to swallow the $50 for the IGFA-approved length measuring device...

Is there any other industry that charges $50 for a damn ruler?

Back to the book, however... It is a good & entertaining read, and provided an adequate amount of fishiness on these cold & fishless Nunavut nights. The fact Cunningham started chasing his records on redfish & wrote pretty extensively about them won me over, too.

In fact, he won me over sufficiently that I didn't even start to hate him when he described going out and buying his own sea-plane and getting a custom-designed boat built...just so he could chase IGFA records.

(Meanwhile, back in the land of realistic finances, I hope my rustic $3800 aluminum-hull fishing boat doesn't get seized by Revenue Canada before I can go fishing with it...)

Keep Calm and Don't Trout-Set...(Updated)

...is now available in t-shirt form, as an uber-classy retro 3/4 sleeve.

The 3/4 sleeve shirt is priced at $20.95. Be part of a movement* and get one today!

Click the image above or here for more info!

* - I don't know what this movement is...

Note: 50% of my "commission" from any sales will be donated to a fish conservation/advocacy group to be determined later. I welcome suggestions for worthwhile causes deserving these funds...if they ever manifest...

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Saltwater Fly Fishing Lessons for the Anxiety-Prone

A quick pop onto Facebook this morning resulted me seeing this, made by local techno-wizard Robb Clarke (@robbclarke).

Intrigued, amused, but not being a huge fan of dubstep (and always having fly fishing on my mind), a quick FB chat with Robb resulted in the following.

I call them the Four Tenets Of Saltwater Fly Fishing.

(Or perhaps saltwater fly fishing lessons for the anxiety-prone)

Following these Four Tenets will ensure saltwater fly fishing glory. Just trust me on this.

(Note: It'd be super-cool if these things got passed around the internet like a doobie in a 70s dorm room, but at the very least, throw some props to Robb in the form of some link-love or his twitter handle).

Random Nunavut Post

So yeah..I'm in Nunavut. Within 1° of the Arctic Circle.

It's cold. It's snow- & ice-covered. It's treeless.

And Arctic foxes keep mocking me by not giving me an opportunity to take off my gloves, rummage through various pockets in my four layers of clothing to find my iPod or phone to snap an Instagram pic of them.

If one of them gets run over by the Hercules aircraft that keeps landing in the middle of the night on the ice runway, you better believe I'll do my best to give it a haircut for my tying supplies...

...if there's anything left of it.

Enjoy a tune:

The Land of the Ice and Snow

I managed to make it out on opening day for a couple hours, didn't catch anything, then, just as quickly, emptied my truck of all my gear for the next few weeks.

I'm in the midst of packing for a project site that's within a degree or so of the Arctic Circle in Nunavut. It was -23°C there yesterday.

I guess I'll break my rule of never traveling without a fly rod for this trip.

On the bright side, this is probably the farthest north anyone has ever tied tarpon & bonefish flies...

Faces Fredericton April Issue is now live!

My friends at Faces Fredericton just released Issue #2. 

Click the image below to view a digital version of the magazine.