I find it somewhat satisfying when I can buy a fishing product made from anything that is recycled, especially recycled nylon fishing nets. The Patagonia Swift current wading pants are one of those products.. Made in Vietnam and Fair Trade Certified, meaning workers were paid a premium wage for their work. These pants are simply amazing. I have tried to destroy them over the past few months and they are like new today. They don’t hold stains, they repel water, they breathe well, and they are dryer friendly. I tried to shrink them by running a pair through the dryer and failed. They are very true to fit and come in three inseams, which is not the norm these days, 30,32, and for us tall folks a 34 inch.

I must mention that a lot of companies fly the sustainability flag but fail the final test. That test being how they get me the product. Patagonia sends your gear in 100% recyclable packaging, down to the tags and the device attaching the tag to the product. They have become the bar for sustainability that all companies should strive to reach.

• Made of 100% recycled nylon with a PFC-free DWR finish (durable water repellent coating that does not contain perfluorinated chemicals) to shed moisture and 50+ UPF sun protection.
• Two change-safe front pockets; back pocket and right-thigh cargo pocket with hook-and-loop closures; trash-keeper pocket for tippet scraps and other debris.
• Durable ripstop utility pocket at right thigh accommodates pliers and multi-tools; double-layer front pockets with knife wedges; articulated knees.
• Alpha Stretch Waistband for comfort and a great fit.
•  Sturdy belt loops with bartack reinforcements.
• Fair Trade Certified™ sewn, which means the people who made it earned a premium for their labor

To this day I am not sure how I got there or exactly why. All I do know is at the lowest, and most devastating, point in my life I found peace at a gravesite of my first canine friend.

The funeral was finally over, and everyone had shed their tears, said their goodbyes, wiped their cheeks and walked away. That is everyone except me.  Dad fought his battle against cancer for several years and the results were simply extended suffering. When he finally made his choice to stop fighting, I understood. The problem is that understanding and being ready for his decision were two vastly different things.

 I had that same hollow and empty feeling as when we buried Sam, our last bird dog. Something was missing and I couldn’t shake that feeling. On one hand, I thought “hell I am a soldier and not supposed to get emotional”. On the other, I yearned to be able to cry and express my loss like a normal human being. 

After the funeral, and between all the “I am sorry for your losses” and the plethora of covered dishes, I managed to sneak in and hold his 16-gauge Ithaca featherweight for a while. That shotgun was the upper end of upland bird guns when he bought it. However today it was all I had left to connect me to the past. I closed my eyes and tried to recall the last time I saw him carry it.

 I caressed the dings in the stock, the worn places in the forearm, and the small pits in the bluing, Nothing! No emotions, no tears, and not many memories.

That didn’t help at all. 

At this point I was out of both patience and cigarettes, so I politely excused myself so I could resupply and head back to Fort Campbell. I finally found a convenience store that was open, but the clerk knew my father and proceeded to tell me what a great man he was. I truly wanted to just say “No kidding I grew up with the man”, but I smiled and said yes sir he certainly was. 

The next few days were and remain a blur. I couldn’t get my head out of my ass and figure out what was missing…

“Was I going crazy?”

“Had I turned into an emotionless jerk?”

So, I left the post on a Friday on a collision course with a bar and some high-octane tequila. I never made it to the bar, nor did I get that tequila-induced haze I was looking for.

I don’t know how I got there, or why I ended up there. The next real thought that went through my head was 8 hours later at a farm gate in Michigan. At first, I thought perhaps I was dreaming and closed my eyes, after all, I had not slept for days. I visualized the farm where my father and I first hunted upland birds together. It was Friday’s farm. I sat there half-asleep wondering why I couldn’t seem to cry.  Then I opened my eyes and realized I was not dreaming; I was sitting at the gate to that very farm!

I couldn’t figure out why I was even there. We left Michigan over a decade earlier and up until that week, I have only had passing thoughts about this place.

As the sun warmed up the horizon, and the realization that I was at Friday’s farm sunk in; I recalled the day we laid our German Shorthaired Pointer to rest under a tree on that very farm.

I thought to myself, we buried Sam in 1978. I vaguely remembered the tree and the pile of rocks we used for a marker. I had to try to find her, so I searched for what seemed like an eternity. Unfortunately, things change, and the memories of a young boy on his saddest day, were not exactly clear.

Frustration and the cold set in simultaneously. Then at the very moment, I was ready to give up, a grouse flushed and sat, for just a moment, on the limb of a big tree. Could that was the tree I was searching for? The big oak that split about 4 feet off the ground.  After that I found the rocks and sat down. Finally finding both tears and peace in the company of a canine friend from long ago

Anyone who says all flip flops are created equal has never worn them for a week straight in the summer heat! Flip flops, or sandals, are a part of my wardrobe at least 10 months a year, all three ex-wives had colorful things to say about that. So a quality product is paramount to comfort. The Grundens “deck boss” is simply the best I have ever purchased. I ended up with a pair by accident while on a trip to south Florida last year. I had forgotten by flip flops back in Tennessee. I had stopped at Whites Tackle in Stuart Florida and they had my brand, just not my size. The only other brand that did have my size was Grundens so that’s what I ended up with. Honestly I have not even considered another brand since that day.

The insole. or footbed , is what sold me. Its made of Seadek and after a day it molds itself to the bottom for your foot for the perfect amount of arch support, a thing many flip flops just don’t have. The outsoles are made of razor-siped natural gum rubber which I credit for the all day comfort, even on hard surfaces. Lastly is the antimicrobial properties that keep them from smelling like sweat and fish slime all the time.

Overall these Sandals, or flip flops, get a 10 out of 10 after a long year of abuse,

Seems like every year I yearn for warm days and large bass eating bass poppers. The reality of the situation is that if we wait in warm days, we are missing some of the more aggressive fishing of the year. Going though pictures of years long gone shows lots of good fish but, we are wearing sock hats and coats in most of them, the trees have no leaves either. So even though we want those 70-degree days the facts are the fish start the pre spawn when the days are still cold and miserable.

Today was that day as it was cold and windy. I couldn’t pass on the invite from a friend to fish his lake in southern Louisiana. The first hour was pretty much a casting exercise but, then the sun came out. It wasn’t 15 minutes before I started seeing wakes in the shallowest areas of the lake. Another 15 minutes and I started catching fish. First it was a 2-pound crappie that ate my Double-Barreled popper. Then a few smallish bass decided to give me a little love.

Right before the sun set the bigger fish decided it was time to play. The evening ended with a couple more bass at 3+ pounds and a few more lost in structure. A couple key take away were that the fish were holding very tight to shallow water cover. Also, to get into the bigger fish I had to swap to a noisier fly. They were not interested in anything that was not both moving and making some noise. The fly that cracked the code was a “Basso’s Blockhead Popper” in yellow with a chartreuse tail.

The moral of the story is, don’t wait for “Nice weather” get out now and enjoy the early spring weather. The other moral of the story is to never leave home with a fly rod and a box of flies!

After a bakers dozen trips to the Treasure Coast and Everglades I felt like its time to talk about the Temple Fork Outfitters Mangrove coast 9-wt rod. The Rod has become a staple in my rod box for all things inshore related, I have landed Redfish, Sea Trout, jacks and some very good snook on this rod. It has handled like a much higher priced rod and has never made me feel tired, even after some 6-hour days throwing big flies at heavy cover. Over all this rod is my favorite in the Mangrove Coast Series. The 7 & 8 are both wonderful rods but the 9 is where the proverbial sweet spot is.

Fit and Finish– The Mangrove Coast series has the fit and finish of a much higher end rod. Its beautiful straight out of the box and does not loose any of its appearance attributes after 100’s of hours in the salt.

Weight–Considering its a 9-wt the rod is very light. I fished it for several trips to the Treasure Coast of Florida and never found it laborious to cast, even on full day excursions.

Accuracy– I found the Mangrove Coast series to be extremely accurate to 70-feet and moderately accurate out to 85-feet. I used the Rio outbound lines on this rod. I also tested the Rio Flats Pro and it handled equally as well inside 50 feet but exceled at longer casts.

Action– The action was a solid medium with just enough softness to make it deadly accurate on short cast to laid up fish. This was paramount fishing docks at night because the ability to feel every step of the cast made for some truly glorious moments in the dark. After landing some 34+ inch fish I can say the power and lift of the rod make handling larger fish a dream.

Price point– I don’t know why this rod isn’t much more but, thankfully it retails around 329.95. I have always been a champion of good mid priced equipment and the Mangrove Coast truly sets the bar in that regard.

If there was one thing i would like to see on this entire series of rods it would be a little larger fighting butt.