Gerald Hickman's Blog, page 3
January 11, 2017
tying Trout Flies
Winter is the time to get some trout gear ready for spring or late winter fishing. I have had fun of late trying to tie some new patterns and here are some thoughts for anyone new fly fishing and tying. I have been making my own trout flies since I was in Junior high, in Clarkston, WA. This is good fishing country, you might say the Snake River Ran Through It. Many of my group got our start fishing the River for steelhead and bass and Asotin Creek for trout.
I think anyone would enjoy learning to tie up some flies as a craft if not to use them for fishing.
But it is not my aim to start teaching you how to tie flies. On the internet you can type in any trout fly by name and it will give you several U-tube or other webpages that will show better than I can write how to tie any flies or make your own fishing gear. I wish I had had the net to help me learn because most of my skills were taken
and learned from books, and outdoor magazines.
I think anyone would enjoy learning to tie up some flies as a craft if not to use them for fishing.
But it is not my aim to start teaching you how to tie flies. On the internet you can type in any trout fly by name and it will give you several U-tube or other webpages that will show better than I can write how to tie any flies or make your own fishing gear. I wish I had had the net to help me learn because most of my skills were taken
and learned from books, and outdoor magazines.
November 2, 2016
Folk Art, Crafts, or Nostalgia?
A distant relative in Maine got me started when I saw his collection. Eric had saved fishing lures from his work and friend's gifts. He often took walks along the stream near his home and found plugs and spinners lost to the streamside bushes by local anglers.
My offer to sell some of these lures online earned Eric and myself a few bucks. A couple of Eric's plugs were from very early in the last century. One was made by the Atlantic Lure Co. of New Jersey in about 1905 and another was red with a white belly and even had a belly weight imbedded in its ventral surface to be fished under water. If the lure was made of wood and had no belly weights it was a floating surface lure.
But the upshot was that while selling a few fishing items for Eric, I found another hobby in the collecting of specific types of plugs/baits/lures. I find that I tend to spend more than I make selling fishing lures.
My main challenge is to collect Heddon fishing products and currently have just under one hundred specimens from that company which has been making and selling angling gear since the late 1890's. There are a few large, long-lived companies that over the years have been successful and are referred to as the Big Three in fishing lures. These three, in my opinion, are Heddon, Creek Chub and Shakespeare.
The question is: do these companies and their products represent nostalgic items, folk art or early American Crafts. They have all been referred to as such. And the Upshot must be that whatever they represent is determined by the interest of the collector. Who knew that these work a day purchases would be so valuable as antiques in our times?
My offer to sell some of these lures online earned Eric and myself a few bucks. A couple of Eric's plugs were from very early in the last century. One was made by the Atlantic Lure Co. of New Jersey in about 1905 and another was red with a white belly and even had a belly weight imbedded in its ventral surface to be fished under water. If the lure was made of wood and had no belly weights it was a floating surface lure.
But the upshot was that while selling a few fishing items for Eric, I found another hobby in the collecting of specific types of plugs/baits/lures. I find that I tend to spend more than I make selling fishing lures.
My main challenge is to collect Heddon fishing products and currently have just under one hundred specimens from that company which has been making and selling angling gear since the late 1890's. There are a few large, long-lived companies that over the years have been successful and are referred to as the Big Three in fishing lures. These three, in my opinion, are Heddon, Creek Chub and Shakespeare.
The question is: do these companies and their products represent nostalgic items, folk art or early American Crafts. They have all been referred to as such. And the Upshot must be that whatever they represent is determined by the interest of the collector. Who knew that these work a day purchases would be so valuable as antiques in our times?
Our Tree
The centerpiece of the front yard is a Wheeping Cherry Tree. Talk about curb appeal. Twice a year this tree is in its' glory.
All summer it is a glowing green that releases oxygen and provides us with shade. Chickadees and tree squirrels hide and find their food in the tree all year round. A great variety of insects hunt in the tree and live in the bark, on the outside of the leaves, limbs and twigs. It is really a pretty nice organism and we enjoy living near it.
In the spring, April specifically, the first bloom is the amazing pink/reddish flowers that attract pollinators and for most of that month a source of endless wonder to us. The color may be different as the month advances. And year to year the blossoms may be a little darker or lighter depending on the fertility of the soil and/or intensity of precipitation.
Each autumn, the trees leaves turn a bright yellow much like the intense yellow of the fall cottonwoods. This colorful period is shorter than the spring blossom time and is dependant on wind storms, rain and early freezing for the duration of color. The tree's leaves are not only spectacular when hanging on the tree but may be at their best when carpeting the lawn before the snow arrives.
Whether it is spring, summer or fall the Cherry Tree is our homes' centerpiece. And come winter it is our weather vane and helps us through the cold season when we spend our time hoping for an early spring.
All summer it is a glowing green that releases oxygen and provides us with shade. Chickadees and tree squirrels hide and find their food in the tree all year round. A great variety of insects hunt in the tree and live in the bark, on the outside of the leaves, limbs and twigs. It is really a pretty nice organism and we enjoy living near it.
In the spring, April specifically, the first bloom is the amazing pink/reddish flowers that attract pollinators and for most of that month a source of endless wonder to us. The color may be different as the month advances. And year to year the blossoms may be a little darker or lighter depending on the fertility of the soil and/or intensity of precipitation.
Each autumn, the trees leaves turn a bright yellow much like the intense yellow of the fall cottonwoods. This colorful period is shorter than the spring blossom time and is dependant on wind storms, rain and early freezing for the duration of color. The tree's leaves are not only spectacular when hanging on the tree but may be at their best when carpeting the lawn before the snow arrives.
Whether it is spring, summer or fall the Cherry Tree is our homes' centerpiece. And come winter it is our weather vane and helps us through the cold season when we spend our time hoping for an early spring.
November 1, 2016
My Unique Bird Dog
Spot and I took a short walk today. It was just around the block though the pheasant season is open now in this area of the state, I knew that the dog was ready to go in-spite of the record rainfall we have enjoyed of late (more rain in October than any year since 1950). The question that really settled the decision about busting brush and wheat stubblefields was mostly about me and not the pup.
Spot really enjoys the freedom of the field and he hunts very well in-spite of the amateur dog training he received from me, try as I might.
My wife says that Spot just mopes around the place when I am gone. He just wants to go and use his fantastic nose on the plethora of odors in the great outdoors.
Well when we returned from our short walk today, Spot immediately urinated in the back yard. With other dogs and their humans the dogs go when the mood strikes them and the human part of each team cleans up before moving on. But not Spot, he has refused to be like other dogs in this regard.
On a longer hike he will "hold it" till we return home and do his business in familiar surroundings. He often becomes anxious if we are too far from home and drags me along behind the leash to get us home in good time.
Out in the field it is a different story and Spot seems to enjoy peeing and pooping with little regard to land ownership. But I don't complain because he has never made a mistake by going in the car or truck. This is just one example of the Unique nature of my dog Spot.
Spot really enjoys the freedom of the field and he hunts very well in-spite of the amateur dog training he received from me, try as I might.
My wife says that Spot just mopes around the place when I am gone. He just wants to go and use his fantastic nose on the plethora of odors in the great outdoors.
Well when we returned from our short walk today, Spot immediately urinated in the back yard. With other dogs and their humans the dogs go when the mood strikes them and the human part of each team cleans up before moving on. But not Spot, he has refused to be like other dogs in this regard.
On a longer hike he will "hold it" till we return home and do his business in familiar surroundings. He often becomes anxious if we are too far from home and drags me along behind the leash to get us home in good time.
Out in the field it is a different story and Spot seems to enjoy peeing and pooping with little regard to land ownership. But I don't complain because he has never made a mistake by going in the car or truck. This is just one example of the Unique nature of my dog Spot.
October 26, 2016
autumn colors
New England for the fall show of colors, it was a great trip. We rode the RR from Spokane to St Paul, MN and then went to Boston and then Portland, Maine and rented a car. The trees they were a changin. But it rained buckets of cats and dogs. The trip back got us home in time to enjoy the cottonwoods and Western Larch show near home.
The Western Larch or tamarack is the only deciduous conifer. They lose the tiny leaves/needles each fall to save moisture over the winter. The golden needles are not only beautiful on the tree each fall but when they fall from the trees a golden carpet is spread on the ground for all to enjoy until the arrival of the white stuff.
Many folks look forward to the golden cottonwoods along our western streams each year and the mountain ridges lined with larch trees shedding their needles. Maybe this is why the call it the Golden West. Not everyone can find a strike in the western mountains but with less effort and more success you can strike it rich every autumn in the West.
The Western Larch or tamarack is the only deciduous conifer. They lose the tiny leaves/needles each fall to save moisture over the winter. The golden needles are not only beautiful on the tree each fall but when they fall from the trees a golden carpet is spread on the ground for all to enjoy until the arrival of the white stuff.
Many folks look forward to the golden cottonwoods along our western streams each year and the mountain ridges lined with larch trees shedding their needles. Maybe this is why the call it the Golden West. Not everyone can find a strike in the western mountains but with less effort and more success you can strike it rich every autumn in the West.
October 5, 2016
fly fishing
When a Game Biologist goes fishin’
Angling is a very old activity for humans. There are even rock art specimens and paintings showing Egyptians fly fishing. The earliest anglers probably caught more fish in nets and traps than by rod and line fishing. Yes, that is rod and line fishing not rod and reel. It took years of fishing to appreciate the line holding qualities of a fishing reel.
So our earliest ancestor anglers used a long tree branch and fish line about the same length as the rod.
Hooks were made from wood, bone and sometimes knapped out of flint. Some hooks looked like the standard hooks used today and others were pointed wedge shaped to lodge in the throat of the fish.
Other types of fishing gear from Archaeological investigations are the weights used with nets and to sink the line and bait down to the level of the fish and rocks used to trap fish in lake or stream.
In the United States since the Revolutionary War, anglers used rod, reel and fly line for catching many fish both native and imported. The lines, rods and reels have improved dramatically over the last couple hundred years for fly fishing anglers but some types of angling required a simple bait fishing reel. And of course, especially where catfish were plentiful, the trot line was a favorite way to fish.
When I was an aspiring young angler, I used to fish using a simple winding reel on a steel telescoping rod. We fished with bait, mostly worms and caught sunfish, perch and such prey. But living on a dry land ranch it was seldom that we could go out in a boat on a lake to fish, thus I did the next best thing and spent my fishing time reading the literature of angling. Trout fishing caught my attention and never let go. The stories in Outdoor Life and Sports Afield taught me the basics about fishing for trout, bass and panfish that lived in our part of the country- North Idaho. I asked for fishing books and magazines for presents on special occasions. And saved my cash to buy angling books through the mail.
I purchased a copy of Ray Bergman’s tome, TROUT and then got a used copy of Just Fishing. Later I found a copy of How to Fish from Top to Bottom by Sid Gordon and these became my library and university in my goal to become an Angler.
My Uncle, Don Manderfeld, took me fishing and gave me my first level-wind reel a left handed Pflueger and then I bought a steel bait casting rod from the Sears Roebuck mail order catalog for $1.52. I fished with that rod until it got wound in the spokes of my bicycle tire.
Dad took brother and I to Millers Star Hardware Store and he out-fitted each of us with a fiberglass spinning rod, Waltco spinning reel and six pound monofilament lines. We fished Asotin Creek near Clarkston, WA and struck out more than we succeeded. We did catch some small rainbow trout and eventually learned to fish with bait in Charlie Lakes. There were two lakes on Charlie Creek , upper and lower, we fished with wedding rings and bait, until we learned to tie and use trout flies. The Flies worked better than the natural bait.
But fly fishing was a real challenge for me. I took my fiberglass spinning rod, fitted it with a cheap fly reel and a level size C flyline and tried to teach myself to fly cast. After some time of practicing, I managed to catch a beautiful rainbow trout on a size 10 Royal Coachman dry fly. People who know about such things say that 90 percent of a trout’s food is eaten under water. But it was some time before I learned to fish with wet flies. As we explored the forest streams in the Blue Mountains, we caught Bull Trout on dry flies (Yellow Sally was a good one), Royal Coachman and the “bug” which was a peacock herl body fly with a mule deer hair over body which made it float and was nearly unsinkable like Molly Brown of the Colorado Gold Rush.
Many other flies ended up in my vest over the years. Here are a few of the keepers that I used time and time again: Black Wooly Worm, a standby wet pattern. Muddler Minnow, this one imitates a minnow, grasshopper, salmon fly and probably it just looks tasty to the fish, I use it for many species of trout and bass. White Bucktail, this one is easy to tie and seems to look edible to the fish, bass or brown trout really like this one. The Bug, a 2x long shank hook with a peacock feather body and deer hair tied on top of the hook for tail, wings and upper body. I mostly use this fly in size 8 through 14.
Streamers: Black Wooly Bugger, a good one for lake or stillwater fishing. Many colors work as a Wooly bugger, light green chenille bodies represent damselfly larvae. The various Wooly Bugger flies work well year round and especially in lakes.
Black Leech fly, black or mohair colors are great for lakes. Sizes 2 through 10 have worked for me. Micky Finn buck tail is a good one especially in autumn fishing.
Dry flies: My go to dry fly from June through September is the Elk Hair Caddis in sizes 10 through 14. This fly floats very well because of the hollow elk hair and since so many trout streams have a large caddis population, it is a good standard for summer angling on most streams.
My first trout a rainbow taken on a dry fly was in Asotin Creek in Washington state, and the fly is one of the all time favorites the Royal Coachman good in sizes 10 through 18.
Now days I enjoy the foam flies that resemble salmon fly adults and grasshoppers. They really float well and dry easily with a backcast or two.
Any questions? contact me at : gjhickman@hotmail.com
And Thank You for reading my blog. Gerald
Angling is a very old activity for humans. There are even rock art specimens and paintings showing Egyptians fly fishing. The earliest anglers probably caught more fish in nets and traps than by rod and line fishing. Yes, that is rod and line fishing not rod and reel. It took years of fishing to appreciate the line holding qualities of a fishing reel.
So our earliest ancestor anglers used a long tree branch and fish line about the same length as the rod.
Hooks were made from wood, bone and sometimes knapped out of flint. Some hooks looked like the standard hooks used today and others were pointed wedge shaped to lodge in the throat of the fish.
Other types of fishing gear from Archaeological investigations are the weights used with nets and to sink the line and bait down to the level of the fish and rocks used to trap fish in lake or stream.
In the United States since the Revolutionary War, anglers used rod, reel and fly line for catching many fish both native and imported. The lines, rods and reels have improved dramatically over the last couple hundred years for fly fishing anglers but some types of angling required a simple bait fishing reel. And of course, especially where catfish were plentiful, the trot line was a favorite way to fish.
When I was an aspiring young angler, I used to fish using a simple winding reel on a steel telescoping rod. We fished with bait, mostly worms and caught sunfish, perch and such prey. But living on a dry land ranch it was seldom that we could go out in a boat on a lake to fish, thus I did the next best thing and spent my fishing time reading the literature of angling. Trout fishing caught my attention and never let go. The stories in Outdoor Life and Sports Afield taught me the basics about fishing for trout, bass and panfish that lived in our part of the country- North Idaho. I asked for fishing books and magazines for presents on special occasions. And saved my cash to buy angling books through the mail.
I purchased a copy of Ray Bergman’s tome, TROUT and then got a used copy of Just Fishing. Later I found a copy of How to Fish from Top to Bottom by Sid Gordon and these became my library and university in my goal to become an Angler.
My Uncle, Don Manderfeld, took me fishing and gave me my first level-wind reel a left handed Pflueger and then I bought a steel bait casting rod from the Sears Roebuck mail order catalog for $1.52. I fished with that rod until it got wound in the spokes of my bicycle tire.
Dad took brother and I to Millers Star Hardware Store and he out-fitted each of us with a fiberglass spinning rod, Waltco spinning reel and six pound monofilament lines. We fished Asotin Creek near Clarkston, WA and struck out more than we succeeded. We did catch some small rainbow trout and eventually learned to fish with bait in Charlie Lakes. There were two lakes on Charlie Creek , upper and lower, we fished with wedding rings and bait, until we learned to tie and use trout flies. The Flies worked better than the natural bait.
But fly fishing was a real challenge for me. I took my fiberglass spinning rod, fitted it with a cheap fly reel and a level size C flyline and tried to teach myself to fly cast. After some time of practicing, I managed to catch a beautiful rainbow trout on a size 10 Royal Coachman dry fly. People who know about such things say that 90 percent of a trout’s food is eaten under water. But it was some time before I learned to fish with wet flies. As we explored the forest streams in the Blue Mountains, we caught Bull Trout on dry flies (Yellow Sally was a good one), Royal Coachman and the “bug” which was a peacock herl body fly with a mule deer hair over body which made it float and was nearly unsinkable like Molly Brown of the Colorado Gold Rush.
Many other flies ended up in my vest over the years. Here are a few of the keepers that I used time and time again: Black Wooly Worm, a standby wet pattern. Muddler Minnow, this one imitates a minnow, grasshopper, salmon fly and probably it just looks tasty to the fish, I use it for many species of trout and bass. White Bucktail, this one is easy to tie and seems to look edible to the fish, bass or brown trout really like this one. The Bug, a 2x long shank hook with a peacock feather body and deer hair tied on top of the hook for tail, wings and upper body. I mostly use this fly in size 8 through 14.
Streamers: Black Wooly Bugger, a good one for lake or stillwater fishing. Many colors work as a Wooly bugger, light green chenille bodies represent damselfly larvae. The various Wooly Bugger flies work well year round and especially in lakes.
Black Leech fly, black or mohair colors are great for lakes. Sizes 2 through 10 have worked for me. Micky Finn buck tail is a good one especially in autumn fishing.
Dry flies: My go to dry fly from June through September is the Elk Hair Caddis in sizes 10 through 14. This fly floats very well because of the hollow elk hair and since so many trout streams have a large caddis population, it is a good standard for summer angling on most streams.
My first trout a rainbow taken on a dry fly was in Asotin Creek in Washington state, and the fly is one of the all time favorites the Royal Coachman good in sizes 10 through 18.
Now days I enjoy the foam flies that resemble salmon fly adults and grasshoppers. They really float well and dry easily with a backcast or two.
Any questions? contact me at : gjhickman@hotmail.com
And Thank You for reading my blog. Gerald
October 4, 2016
movies
Recently I watched the movie Young Frankenstein and enjoyed it as before. Then the first weekend of October, there was a Frankenstein marathon and I watched the U S A versions of Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein and The Son of Frankenstein in one sitting. The quality of the 3 older films improved with each production in my opinion.
The Son of Frankenstein was a good sequel to the original story and was probably a very good film for its time. However, the point of my essay here is how different my appreciation for Young Frankenstein has become since comparing the older three movies and the more recent version of Young Frankenstein.
I had enjoyed the newer film for years, but now I can see how cleverly the characters from the older films and the book were presented and contributed to YF.
The Inspector with the wooden right arm and the scene where he and Dr. Frankenstein Jr are playing darts is a good example of how the same elements of the scene appear in YF.
What impressed me was that all elements of the books and the three earlier films from 1939 and the 1940's are covered so handily in YF.
Exploring or researching the 3 older films has given me even greater pleasure in watching Young Frankenstein the movie for the future.
The history of films just as books helps us expand our ideas and enjoyment in all genres and makes life more fun if we make an effort to compare different elements of our favorite venues of entertainment.
The Son of Frankenstein was a good sequel to the original story and was probably a very good film for its time. However, the point of my essay here is how different my appreciation for Young Frankenstein has become since comparing the older three movies and the more recent version of Young Frankenstein.
I had enjoyed the newer film for years, but now I can see how cleverly the characters from the older films and the book were presented and contributed to YF.
The Inspector with the wooden right arm and the scene where he and Dr. Frankenstein Jr are playing darts is a good example of how the same elements of the scene appear in YF.
What impressed me was that all elements of the books and the three earlier films from 1939 and the 1940's are covered so handily in YF.
Exploring or researching the 3 older films has given me even greater pleasure in watching Young Frankenstein the movie for the future.
The history of films just as books helps us expand our ideas and enjoyment in all genres and makes life more fun if we make an effort to compare different elements of our favorite venues of entertainment.
June 12, 2016
Thorn Creek or Crick
Thorn Creek is in northern Idaho between Moscow and Genesee. My Granps was born there on the family ranch and grew up there working on the ranch. He was a cow hand driving stock from Thorn Creek to eastern Oregon for sale on a couple of occasions. There was a POST OFFICE there and then later Gpa moved to Genesee and married Anna Kambitch and settled down there to raise a family which included my Mother, Irene Manderfeld.
I was at Genesee Community Days yesterday and then on my way home to Cheney drove the Thorne Creek Road. There are not many thorn bushes and thorn trees on the drainage now a-days. It is all clean farming and few trees remain for wildlife habitat. The area was a much better place for wildlife when my Gpa Manderfeld lived there. I long for the old days of 1890's when wildlife had a place to live.
I was at Genesee Community Days yesterday and then on my way home to Cheney drove the Thorne Creek Road. There are not many thorn bushes and thorn trees on the drainage now a-days. It is all clean farming and few trees remain for wildlife habitat. The area was a much better place for wildlife when my Gpa Manderfeld lived there. I long for the old days of 1890's when wildlife had a place to live.
June 9, 2016
My Next Book
It is time to let those of you who are interested in my next book know about its current status.
My progression to have appropriate photos, maps and illustrations has hit a snag. Also, the title is still under consideration at this time.
This is the book about the Indian Wars in the Pacific Northwest between 1847 and early 1860's.
My granddaughter will return from Florida soon to help with the computer work and photos and so I hope the book can be to the Printer in August.
Writing seems to be a great way to spend time until I run into a brush fire. Thanks for your support and hope to hear from you all as soon as possible.
My progression to have appropriate photos, maps and illustrations has hit a snag. Also, the title is still under consideration at this time.
This is the book about the Indian Wars in the Pacific Northwest between 1847 and early 1860's.
My granddaughter will return from Florida soon to help with the computer work and photos and so I hope the book can be to the Printer in August.
Writing seems to be a great way to spend time until I run into a brush fire. Thanks for your support and hope to hear from you all as soon as possible.
June 2, 2016
Book Signing
On June 11, a Saturday, Gerald Hickman will be at the celebration of Community Days in Genesee, Idaho. Community Days is an annual event to honor the pioneers and the current residents in this colorful town between Lewiston and Moscow, Idaho. In co-operation with the event's Board of Directors, Hickman will be there to sign his books, Good Times in Old Genesee and Medal of Honor. Hope you can be there to visit and learn about Genesee his boyhood home town.
