Friday, January 4, 2019

Top Ten Albums of 2018

Every year I talk about wanting to make a list of my favorite albums of the year, but I never do.  I kept this simple, didn't actually write any reviews, just the artist, the album, and tried to find a video of  my favorite track.  If there wasn't a video, I used the YouTube audio.  I also made a Spotify playlist if you would like to listen to these albums, there will be a link at the end of this post.

10. Deafheaven, Ordinary Corrupt Human Love




9. Yob, Our Raw Heart




8. Behemoth, I Loved You At Your Darkest




7. Sumac, Love in Shadow




6. Hate Eternal, Upon Desolate Sands




5. Infernal Coil, Within a World Forgotten




4. Scientist, Barbelith




3. Sleep, The Sciences




2. Pig Destroyer, Head Cage




1. Hamferð, Támsins Likam





May 2019 bring you plenty of fish!

2018 best albums playlist!

Sunday, August 19, 2018

For The Fish, or For The Angler

Who do you tie for?

Listen to this episode of  This American Life about some Ocean's Eleven level heist of  fly tying feathers!

Friday, February 10, 2017

Cancer Sucks

I have been working on this Top Ten Albums of 2016 post since December, but that took a back burner.  Within the past month I have lost two fishing buddies to cancer. January 20, my Uncle Paul was taken, then February 4, my good friend David.

Paul was always at the cottage we rented annually.  The man loved his Old Style beer, and his cigarettes. He was an avid fisherman, usually outfishing all of us while so tipsy, his boat would just be blowing in circles out in the lake. He was a character like none other. I never met anyone that was anything like Uncle Paul, truly one of a kind.  He'd always find something to criticize me about, whether it was some "fancy beer" I was drinking (you know, like Fat Tire) or that I was using fly fishing gear, or just that I was wearing all black.  One time, he tried to get a rise out of me by asking if I was wearing black underwear too.  I revealed to him that I was in fact wearing black underwear! Laughs all around!  There was a time I caught a massive rock bass off the dock on fly gear.  Uncle Paul said, "you caught it on that?" like he was in disbelief that fish could actually be caught on fly gear.  I think the photos below are from 2013
Uncle Paul, my brother Kyle, and Aunt Lolly

Nice bass, Uncle Paul


David lived right up the street from Hubbard Park.  Hubbard park is one of my favorite places in the world.  A beautiful park on the often overlooked Milwaukee River.  I fish there often, and any time I'd be fishing there over the past couple years I'd send Dave a message.  He'd usually come down and we'd hang out for hours.  Dave was not a fisherman, but we spent a lot of time together while I was fishing.  The fishing would take a back seat, becoming an afterthought when Dave was around.  I think I only caught one fish in his presence.  I'd often have one, or both my kids. Olive wrapped up in a Moby Wrap on my chest, while Cleo ran free and terrorized geese.  He loved my kids and was great with them.  He was one of those people that I had an instant connection with. We listened to the same kind of obscure music, watched the same kind of movies and TV shows, enjoyed an occasional shot of whiskey. I had some great times with him and his wife at Cards Against Humanity parties or bonfires, or at their house where we'd talk until the sun started to rise.  Life got in the way over the course of the last year, I never even knew he was sick.  I moved out of town and found myself spending less time with those I was closest to.  It's easy to think that your friends will always be there.  It was just last Thursday we learned the cancer in his brain was not treatable. he left us two days later.

Don't take those who are special to you for granted.

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Hello!

 It's been over a year since I have written a post. I'm sorry to my few regular followers for my long absence, it has been such a busy year.
I live in West Bend now, which is about 30 miles north of Milwaukee, and haven't found quite as much time to fish as I'd have liked, but the Milwaukee River flows through town and offers plenty of opportunity.



 I have a new little girl, she's just over a year old, I will call her Olive.  She's been fishing with me since she was less than a month old.  Her and Cleo get along so well most of the time and Cleo has been such a good big sister.  I love these girls so much!




I also met a girl that I have been dating since April.  I helped her catch her first fish this summer, and I hope to catch many more with her.  She currently lives in Michigan, which makes things hard, but Michigan isn't that far. We had many great times over the summer. I call her Panda.


I have been wanting to post more for quite some time now, and hopefully I'll be able to find more time to update in the near future.  I'm going to post some of my favorite pictures from the end of 2015 to the present.  Thanks for following!































Friday, October 16, 2015

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Fishing Is Temporarily On Hold

Last Sunday, I experienced one of the scariest things in my life.  I did something stupid, something I've done dozens of times before.  I ventured into an alley after dark, by myself to look for firewood for a backyard bonfire I was attending at a friend's house.  I had just turned around to begin to head back when I saw three kids behind me all wearing black sweatshirts with their faces covered with bandanas.  It was one of the warmest weekends all summer in Milwaukee, not sweatshirt weather.  I knew I was in trouble-and about three seconds later, one of the kids pulled a gun from his waistband.  I tried to run, but I was tripped, or shoved, or I just tripped over my own feet, still not sure.  What I am sure of is that I quickly had three kids surrounding me and pounding my face in and taking everything I had on me, which wasn't a lot.  They took my wallet and my keys, and beat me until I told them where my car was parked, then they let me go.  I think the police picked the kids up before my friend even had a chance to call 911 because they had robbed someone right before me. 

how i looked after getting mugged

I had been pistol whipped above the right eye, kicked in the face while I was on my knees, and punched and kicked many times. 

Somewhere in the attack, my right wrist sustained an injury, my casting wrist.  I can hardly turn a doorknob, or start my car (I got my keys back right away).  I have been just waiting for it to get better on its own, but it's been slow to heal.  I think I may need to seek medical attention before I try to cast a fly or play out a salmon.  I've been told I'm having PTSD too, some sleepless nights for sure.  I thought I was going to die in that alley.