1) First off, THFF is still alive! Yours truly has been caught up in the binds of everyday life, and blogging, while I love it, has eluded me (play me a sad violin song why don't ya?). If there are periods in which THFF seems to be inactive, don't worry about reaching for the defibrillator. Hiatuses will come and go. I can already tell you next weekend will be busy on the blog with the WNC Fly Fishing Expo. Look for plenty of pictures/reports/maybe some video over the course of the weekend. Brad Sprinkle, who is well known for his trash flies (made from trash, but they're masterpieces) will be tying at various times all weekend. Last year I had the privilege of tying alongside Brad. Top notch angler, tyer, and person. You owe it to yourself to sit down and watch him work his magic.

I will be there Saturday from 1-5pm tying several of my patterns. Extended Body Inchworms, Vinyl Rib Stones, and some realistic patterns are on the menu. Looking forward to it!

2) Textbook fall fishing out there! The browns and brookies are in spawning mode. Cast to the lone fish that are not guarding a redd or mating. Always look where you're wading, to avoid wading over a redd. Nymphs in the morning with dries in the afternoon is the way to go. Try a #12-16 Pheasant Tail, Prince, Copper John, Zug Bug, or a Lightning Bug (feel free to broaden your selection, this is just a few suggestions). Once the sun warms the water a bit in the afternoon, try a dry. #18-22 BWOs, Black Caddis, #16-24 Para Adams, are working well. Although terrestrial season is behind us, there are some ants crawling around. Wouldn't hurt to try a small ant pattern under the overhanging vegetation. Other than that, save the vest space and leave your terrestrial box in the car.

3) I broke down and got contacts yesterday. Glasses, while they have their advantages, were just not practical for my lifestyle. This morning, I checked out polarized sunglasses. My previous pair were not polarized, so I wasn't able to ultimately "slice" through the water and detect fish hiding beneath the glare (check out the picture for a comparison). The previous pair were OK for driving and general use, but bad for fishing. So I settled on a pair of Costa Del Mar 400 glass Fantails. I'm absolutely blown away. Oh yeah, and the lifetime warranty Costa offers made it MUCH less painful to buy them. Highly recommend Costa if you're looking for a new pair of shades.