HOME INFORMATIONAL VIDEOS FLY FISHING CENTERPIN & FLOAT FISHING SPEY INFORMATION FLY TYING OUR BLOG SPOT RECENT FISHING REPORTS GEAR REVIEWS JIM'S CHRONICLES PHOTO GALLERIES PODCASTS LOCAL GUIDES CONSERVATION & ENVIRONMENT LINK TO FISHING CLUBS RETAIL SHOP INFORMATION FLY & FLOAT'S CHARITY EVENTS WEB STORE CLASSIFIEDS - USED EQUIPMENT FOR SALE USGS STREAM FLOWS WEATHER FORUM EMAIL US

 

 

 

 

 


 

"Fl-iTunes"   by Jim Lampros

 

It is 6:00 AM and I am headed east, racing the sun (and anyone else with the same idea) to the access parking lot. Ahead of me the horizon is beginning to take form, cloaked in a shawl of blue and purple. At 70 MPH the old four-cylinder is purring like an alley cat with emphysema. I’m halfway through my second cup of black coffee and with 30 miles to go, my bladder is screaming for mercy. I crank up the classic rock to drown out the noise.

 

About the time the Jimmy Paige solo picks up in “Stairway to Heaven,” I start musing. If steelhead were swimming around with little iPods, what kind of tunes would they be jamming to? You’ve got to assume that, given the nickname “metal heads,” their music libraries would include complete collections of AC/DC, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. I see it now: A slew of snaggers stand atop the ford as “Highway to Hell” blasts amidst the chaos below. Then again, perhaps their musical tastes are seasonal. I bet if you listen closely in March and April, you’ll hear the voices of Marvin Gaye and Barry White coming from the gravel beds.

 

Of course this gives way to more theories on piscatorial music preference. I’m certain that, despite their differences, both largemouth and smallmouth bass perk up anytime Mungo Jerry’s “In the Summertime” can be heard. And it seems only natural that carp and catfish would be old-time blues aficionados, tailing around to the likes of BB King and Mississippi Muddy Waters. A life spent sucking detritus and the occasional chicken liver just can’t be that exciting.

 

Tailwater and spring creek trout must be the yuppies of the bunch. Their days are spent basking in a blanket of sun, plucking midges daintily from the surface in rhythm with Beethoven’s 5th.  Their mountain-dwelling brethren really get movin’ to a good bluegrass fiddle. Be mindful though; even a half note out of tune and they’ll be put down for hours. Just up the road, the tie-dye clad brook trout groove to the psychedelic sounds of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead, munching on anything that looks like it might be food.

Eventually, I cross the river and pull into the parking lot on the left. The rising sun has made her presence known, and the air outside my car is warmer than I expected. I try to box up my seemingly trivial ideas in a useful package. In the quest to become the complete angler, we all seek the day when we can suddenly think like a fish. Perhaps nailing down their musical tastes would be to move one step closer to that point. Maybe listening to the right song while gearing up can somehow make the fish a little more inclined to the fly. Maybe, but I doubt it.

I pull my waders on with the car still running. The sound of “Hells Bells” breaks the morning silence.

 

 

Hey, I’ve been wrong before...

-Jim Lampros

February 12, 2008

Click Here To Email The Author

 


 

 

 

 

© 2006 FlyAndFloatFishing.Com      Fly And Float™        All Rights Reserved.


Advertising Available

Click Here

Support our Sponsors!


 

Jeffs fly fishing center

 

 

Infinity Rod Creations

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

steelhead alley, ohio steelhead, centerpin, float fishing, steelheading, steelheading ohio, flyfishing steelhead, fly fishing steelhead, trout fishing, flyfishing for trout,  steelhead alley, ohio steelheader, fly tying, steelhead patterns, fly tying videos, fly tying lessons, online fly tying lessons, custom rod building, hand crafter rods, custom float rod, flyfish, flyfishing, fly fishing, trotting, float fishing, ohio float fishing, spey fishing, steelhead basics, steelhead for beginners, steelhead guides, great lakes guides, steelhead alley guide, ohio steelhead river, centerpin with flies, centerpinner, pinning, centerpin reel, flyandfloatfishing.com, pennsylvania steelhead, Pennsylvania steelheading, elk creek flyfishing, grand river, ashtabula river, chagrin river, rockery river, vermillion river, tying flies,  centrepin, centre pin, centrepinning, fly fishing ohio, ohio fly fishing, fly fishing, cleveland steelhead, steelheading, centerpin for steelhead, centerpinning steelhead, trotting, float fishing, floatfishing, float fishing steelhead, fly swaps, fly patterns, great lakes patterns, great lake tributaries, great lake tribs, fly fishing gear reviews, cleveland area steelhead, smallmouth, Cleveland smallmouth, fly fishing smallmouth, swich rod, triple f switch rod, infinity rod creations, irs, sean swatsky, domenic federico, swatskee, defjam, steelhead patterns, trout fly fishing, centerpin for trout, salmon fly fishing, centerpin for salmon, salmon fishing, fly fishing salmon, trout patterns, flies, fly patterns,  fly fishing video, fly casting video, fly fishing basics, centerpin basics, ohio fly fishing, the backpackers shop, chagrin river outfitters, ohio guide service, steelhead guide, fly fishing steelhead, centerpinning steelhead, float fishing steelhead, float fishing smallmouth, smallmouth guide, trout guide, fly fishing great lakes steelhead, steelheading, ohio steelhead, vermillion steelhead, grand river tackle, ohio fly shops, steelhead alley, steelhead flies, steelhead patterns, ohio fly patterns, centerpinning western streams, wyoming centerpin, float fishing idaho, float fishing wyoming, centerpin video, centerpin casting, how to cast a centerpin, float fishing video, learn how to centerpin, centerpin articles, videos of centerpinning, fly fishing video, fly fishing terminal tackle, how to fly fish, fly fishing basics, fly casting instructional video, how to cast a pin, float fishing terminal tackle, shotting patterns, float fishing shot patterns, split shot patterns for centerpinning, proper shot pattern, fly tying videos, how to tie flies, fly tying basics, whip finish video,