I believe in the power of prayer, and most appropriately, in the most dire of circumstances. As they say, there are no atheists in foxholes.
As Zach has mentioned on his site, tragedy doesn't take a holiday for the summer. He's asked for prayers for his neighbor, a 17 year old fighting a tough fight against her own body, and also lost a brother-in-law recently.
Likewise, at the Fishing Musician household, I lost an aunt last month and my father-in-law unexpectedly passed a few days later. Today, I received news from a good Houston lawyer friend of mine that one of our collegues, now a judge himself, who we call Homer (after Homer Simpson), underwent surgery for a brain tumor at M.D. Anderson in Houston today. A shocker.
Another much older judge passed on earlier this week, dying of a heart attack at the ripe old age of 83. He was an early role model to me and I spent quite some time in his court as a young prosecutor learning to try cases. I tried a bunch a bunch a bunch of cases in that court, some against some pretty famous (as well as infamous) Houston lawyers. He mentored me, and tens if not hundreds of young prosecutors and defense attorneys in his more than 20 years on the bench, and all this after a long career as a private practice attorney and the mayor of a then-small city.
We just called him The Judge. The Judge had served in Germany at some point after WWII, freshly discharged from college and an officer for I believe the Army. His mission was supervising a team of bomb demo and dismantling specialists, and it's easy to see why he was such a calm guy later in life. Nothing like a little HIGH STRESS HIGH DANGER military work as a young man to put things in perspective for the rest of your life.
He took an interest in me early on in my career, and when not in trial or around too many other people, would address me by my first and middle name. When growing up, my mother would address me by my first and middle name, but only when I was in trouble. When The Judge said my name, it rolled off his tongue with a joyful lilt, that made me smile before we went any further.
The Judge was one of the most honest men I ever knew, alongside my father. I went through several situations with him where "ex parte" contact was attempted by "powerful" political people who had kin in big trouble in his court and were seeking to smooze with The Judge and work out some secret deal.
It didn't happen, because as soon as these high powered politicos started talking about the kinfolks case,
The Judge figured out their improper motive, told them off and immediately came to my office and reported it to me. I was impressed. Some judges I know would do the right thing as he did, but others are too political and would just try to keep the whole thing quiet. After all, who other than the judge in question would know but the politicos and they wouldn't be telling anyone about being spurned.
The Judge read the law, as some of us lawyers actually do, and many a day I encountered him in our law library reading case law. He was always threatening to take me up to his family place near Brenham to fish in his pond there, and I knew from talking to his kids who are my age that the fishing was good up there. We never got around to running up there one Saturday, and if I have one regret about my relationship with him, it was that I never made the time for that fishing trip. I'm trying to keep from making that same mistake with others these days, so I did learn a lesson.
So I'll miss The Judge greatly.
The other friend, known as Homer, not because he is a dullard like Homer Simpson but because he kinda looks like old Homer. Our families have known each other since before he and I were born. I never knew him as a kid, and we didn't actually meet until our young thirties, both working as prosecutors in the same office.
My uncle, another Houston attorney, was big buddies with Homer's late dad for many years, and by virtue of that, my parents knew his parents. Houston was a much smaller town socially back in the 60's and 70's. In fact, as a teen, Homer used to mow my Uncle's yard in Memorial in Houston. I might have seen him once then when visiting my Uncle's home. When we finally did meet, we found we both had a rabid interest in fishing farm ponds and small lakes. He had a small 12 footer boat with an electric motor and for several years we spent many an early Saturday morning out on various lakes in Houston and surrounding counties, and we were pretty much the kings of the 2 to 3 pound farm pound largemouth bass.
It was funny the first time we went fishing, we had some of the same gear. Same reels (Garcia, Abu and Mitchell reels from the 70's) and many of the same lures common to Texas Coastal Plains and Piney Woods bass fishing. A ton of the same lures. Topwater and diving plugs. Extensive plastic worm setups. Same colors. Spinnerbaits. Plastic weedless lures. We had mostly all the same stuff in our tackle boxes. We did pretty good fishing together, and as apart from some of my other frequent fishing friends, I can't remember a time out of 20 or 30 trips where we didn't catch at least one largemouth bass each.
Like me, he was into fly fishing, but so many of our trips where when it was HOT HOT HOT and HUMID as a SAUNA that we were usually not fishing topwater but deeper down around structure and such. I remember one fishing expedition our host insisted on driving us around his 5 acre lake in an RV in very bad shape. So bad of a shape that the ceiling was collapsing on top of us in small pieces with every bump.
And there were many bumps. It was an endless rain of who knows what kind of toxic materials used in those ceiling panel deals. The whole thing featured way stinkin' shag carpeting and the mechanical condition of the RV was no better than the interior. Bad shocks, bad tires, a messed up transmission, and engine that needed a ring job and some of that burning oil smell leaked into the passenger cabin so that all the windows had to be open. The AC was not working, and it didn't matter because he had to run the heater to keep the engine from overheating.
And of course, the "trail", and I use that term loosely, that surrounded the lake had not been graded in decades. Huge holes threatened to swallow the axles of the RV, and several times it sounded like parts were being torn off as he powered through the bad parts as fast as his slipping auto trans would let him.
You get the idea.
So there we were, trapped for a 30 minute tour in this horrid excuse for an RV. We looked like we had been through an earthquake when we exited this fine ride, which our host told us he was in the process of "fixing up", as we were covered from head to toe in dust and ceiling particles of unknown manmade composition.
Another time we headed out to another real big farm lake of about 5 acres that had not been fished in decades. It had once been stocked with Florida Bass. They were still there, and much bigger. We got some four and five pounders out of there, knowing there were some bigger ones there. It was just one of those days when fish were jumping into the boat, no matter what lure or technique was used and no matter whether fly or spinning or baitcasting was the method, them there bass were a biting. They were obviously bored as hell with years of solitude and went after these seemingly new food sources we call lures with a vengence, hitting hard hard hard. It was a day of days.
So when I heard that Homer had surgery today, I figure I'll run down to Houston this weekend or next and go see him when he's up to visitors. Our mutual friend the legal magnate Mikey Ray II (not to be confused with the guitar playing Mikey Ray who is a different Mikey Ray altogether) called to inform me of all this bad news about The Judge and Homer. We don't know many details, other than that a large mass was removed from a lobe of his brain and that they are planning chemo and radiation as follow up to surgery. Regardless of the specifics, he and his family need your prayers, like the freinds and relatives of Zach, not forgetting Zach and I and our families.
And I know the Judge is doing quite well in Heaven right now, getting fitted no doubt for Angel's Wings and keeping an eye on earthly loved ones. I know his children and wife need our prayers to help get them through this rough time.
So yeah, like the song says (not to minimize the nature of these horrid events), it's been a cold cruel summer so far.
El Fisho Jr. just finished a daily seven week strength and workout camp for his sports next year. We're both overworked and been working hard at our regular gigs plus this whole remodeing thing we've been doing fairly full force since May. Mrs. El Fisho just jet setted to the West Coast, where I enviously report that it's much cooler and much less humid than here in Texas.
So El Fisho Jr. and I will have to head to the Hill Country to some sparkling cool spring water to get some relaxation. At least when you get hot hot hot fishing in the Llano or the James or the Guadalupe or any other numbers of rivers or creeks you can plunge yourself down in the crystal clear water and enjoy it's cool, springfed nature.
Let the waters wash away the blues.
El Fisho Jr. and I are going out tomorow and do some outdoors fishing and shooting with his good friend and good friend's dad. I might be able to talk old friend Billy Ray into hooking up with us in the Hill Country, up past Johnson City, where our friend's families place is. Out to their deer lease with some fishing holes in tanks and ponds and an air-conditioned vehicle to hide in when the heat gets too much. I'd like to stay the evening over in Kerrville or Fredericksburg and get some fishing in on that part of the Guadalupe starting befroe sunrise before heading home Sunday. It's gotten so dang hot that you have to go hide in the shade by 10 a.m. Besides, that's a good time to hit one of the good German restaurants in those cities before heading back home.
We'll celebreate the life of The Judge with a good meal, and pray for our good friend Homer. Mikey Ray and I are organizing a fishing trip for him when he recovers enough from surgery and if he doesn't start chemo or radiation right away. Homer and I have a great mutual lawyer friend who has a swankienda horse ranch in Central Texas, replete with about a 2 acre lake brimming with HUGE channel cats and the afore-mentioned 2-3 pound bass.
Brimming I say.
It's one of those places I never strike out. Even Billy Ray caught a fish there years ago, and El Fisho jr caught his first fish, a channel cat about 40" long there, which was taller than he was at his then age of 4 years old.
So maybe we can take Homer out for a day to hopefully have some fun and forget the present. That particular lake has a nice boathouse and partly covered pier with boat slips adjacent to it, and it would be easy to throw a spare window unit ac in the truck and take over there to cool that building down so Homer wouldn't get overheated. We could fish all day and night on the lighted pier if we were so inclined, with several houses and abodes on the property just a few feet away to crash in once we get tired.
Good luck to all and to all a good night.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Sunday, July 22, 2012
HEAT WAVES, WINDOW AC UNITS AND LINDA RONSTADT
Here in nebulous part of Texas where I live, it's back to being hot hot hot again. Up in the 100's today, with high high high humidity and nolo in the wind department. It's down in the 80's now, with a slight breeze blowing that is actually on the cooler side. This past week, we had several inchs of rain, and although it needs to keep-a-coming for the rest of the foreseeable future, we're happy with the rain we've been getting this year compared to the drought last year.
I always liked the song HEAT WAVE , first done (afaik) by Martha and the Vandellas in a swinging style with "that" snare drum that I can hear in my head anytime I think of their version. Some years later, Linda Ronstadt did an excellent rockin' version as well. Even the Phil Collins version is tolerable, although I guess after more than forty years I'm used to a female belting it out. Because this song HAS to be belted out to rock.
Of course, on Ronstadt's version, you've got the super talented...the late, great multi-instrumentalist Andrew Gold, and an "A" list of stars in their own right, some notorious and highly talented Hollywood session men and members of various top bands and their touring groups, like Personnel: Linda Ronstadt (vocals); Emmylou Harris (vocals, guitar); Andrew Gold (acoustic & electric guitars, musette, piano, organ, drums, percussion, background vocals); Peter Asher (acoustic guitar, musette, percussion, background vocals); J.D. Souther (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Eddie Black, Danny Kortchmar (electric guitars); Lowell George (slide guitar); Dan Dugmore (steel guitar); Herb Pedersen (banjo, background vocals); David Lindley (fiddle); David Grisman (mandolin); Jim Connor (harmonica); Glen D. Hardin (piano); Kenny Edwards (bass, background vocals); Nigel Olsson, David Kemper, Russell Kunkel (drums); Maria Muldaur, Don Francisco, Pat Henderson (background vocals).
I don't know which of the above-personnel from that album that Heat Wave appears on played on the song with Linda, but it hardly matters with the class of folks on that disc. I'm a big fan of more than one of the above artists, guys like David Lindley, the late Lowell George, David Grisman, Nigel Osson, Russ Kunkel, Maria Muldaur, J.D. Souther and Danny Kortchmar. I'm sure the other musicians are of similar caliber to the ones I'm familiar with, but the ones I've named are ones that I've often tracked down obscure releases of over the years.
For example, Kunkle played a time for Jimmy Buffett, and Believe produced or co-produced some of JB's work. Muldaur's first album containing the hit "Midnight at the Oasis" was played by a another laundry list of fine session, touring and band members. David Lindley and El Rayo X has always been great, and he's great to see as an acoustic act as well. Who doesn't know the drumming of Nigel Olssen from Elton John's glory days? Last but not least, the session work of Kortchmar, the many bands of Souther, the jazz stylings of Grisman and the amazing catalog of work with Little Feat with the late Lowell George crooning.
So I was outside early this morning painting a HUGE new shelving unit and by 8 a.m. it was sweat and swelter, as my friend and former roommate California Bob used to say about Houston, before he fled Houston forever for the West and later East Coasts and cooler climes.
The humidity made the paint take forever to dry, despite the wood virtually sucking up nearly 2 gallons of paint and taking three HEAVY coats to get the kind of good shiny coverage I wanted, including using a heavy coverage primer as the first coat.
Then came assembling some large IKEA bookcases, which got much easier after the first one. We have a lot of books. Four bookcases later, with one to go in the morning and another vertical DVD case for the wall, it'll be time to paint the trip and cabinetry after recent housewide remodeling. Painting the trim throughout the house after repainting the kitchen, laundry room, hallways, and entry, we've still got bedrooms to go,new ceiling fans to install and a plethora of other projects for the office and baths as well. And some cabinetry on the back patio.
The tough stuff is done, and since it's indoors at least we have the AC going, but that doesn't mean you're not sweating profusely because you're working hard, like my home AC unit's are working hard.
I have one HUGE AC or HVAC or whatever it is unit for the house. Athough 85% of the year it is more than adequate, when the heat waves hit it can struggle as we have a lot of windows and live in a historic house. Insulation is good but not great.
Last summer, I took a friend's advice and since we were the benefactor of a pretty huge window unit AC from the Maid of Honor at our wedding who had just replaced it with a more powerful unit, we added it to the bedroom in the back of the house. It can't be seen from the street because of fencing and it really helps keep the house cool. It gives us one super cool room to hide in at the heat of the day and helps cool the rest of the house meaning the house stays cooler and the main AC doesn't have to work as hard or as much or as often as it does when going solo.
So the end result is that our electricity bills went down about $100 a month with the window unit added and some judicious use of floor fans to get hot air from the living room and hallway to the AC returns. I'm thinking of adding some of the higher tech window units to several parts of the home, as although it is vented via the attic for modern AC and that's what we have, there are a couple of rooms that just are hot rooms in the summer.
These higher tech units apparently go outside under the window and are very low profile not sticking out like a window unit at all. Either a hose or the top of the unit pokes in through a window opened 6" or 8" or so providing AC. Mrs. El Fisho saw a "in-room" unit for about $300, that is, an AC that resides completely inside the home, and that might be getting got tomorrow for our newly remodeled living room.
The key I think is that the window unit and these other units run on 110 instead of 220, thus the energy usage is less because of the lesser voltage draw. All I know is, I like a temperate house in a heat wave. We've put in new, more energy efficient ceiling fans that crank out and move some serious air, so we've really increased the comfort factor in our home the past year of working on it.
I know the same kind of heat wave is gripping large parts of the country like it did us here in Texas last year. My sympathies to those coping with heat waves and/or droughts and/or wildfires. We had all three last year. It's tragic. God Speed a return to healthy and safe living and condolences for those who passed on in the Colorado fires.
If I had my way, I'd be like the fellow who has the cool house in California called Rimrock Ranch and have a steel roof built over my house to shade it. He's in the desert, and yet his home stays about 70 year round with little or no assistance from an AC unit in the daytime heat. I'm not sure what kind of heating he uses, but has a sub-roof under a huge heavy duty metal roof covering that shades the entire house.
They do this in West Texas on trailers, and perhaps on houses, to keep the unrelenting sun and winds at bay. I'm sure they have a name for it but I don't know what it is. It would be a tremendous platform for not only a huge rainwater water collection system but also solar cells and a solar water heating system.
We had a solar hot water heating system for a long while at our last home, and it worked well. Our neighbor has a two tiered rain collection system. One tank collects water that is first filtered fairly well, then run through a purification system for storage in sterile tank in the home. The other larger amount of runoff collected goes in a huge outside tank where it automatically waters the urban farmer garden yard of my neighbor and keeps her place fairly green and lush without having to use a water well.
I've got one large shaded area in my backyard next to the shed/workshop that just won't grow grass. For many years, we've tried carpet san augustine, seeds, plugs and all kinds of other grasses guaranteed to grow in the mostly shade in this area and the only one remotely successful has been some spotty growth of bermuda grass. So I'd like to dig it up all that, put down a liner, fill it in with some nice crushed pink granite gravel for trim and sidewalks and some big white Texas limestone as a flooring, put up a simple roofed, screened shelter replete with ventilation for a good BBQ pit, smoker, a woodburning stove for the colder times and whatever else I might want to have out there. A nice table and comfortable chairs with a couple of HUGE old school ceiling fans would make a nice outdoor lounging spot. While building the shelter, a nice table with a big umbrella would get the job done.
Finally, the other idea I've been entertaining is another one I saw in the LA TIMES (where I spotted the Rimrock Ranch feature a few years ago). An above ground swimming pool made from a large metal cattle tank. About 4 foot deep, maybe 5 foot. You have a conventional pool pump and all that, but instead of paying $30k to have some guy dig a hole in your yard and drop a preformed pool in said hole, you spend much less for an arguably cool pool.
I always liked the song HEAT WAVE , first done (afaik) by Martha and the Vandellas in a swinging style with "that" snare drum that I can hear in my head anytime I think of their version. Some years later, Linda Ronstadt did an excellent rockin' version as well. Even the Phil Collins version is tolerable, although I guess after more than forty years I'm used to a female belting it out. Because this song HAS to be belted out to rock.
Of course, on Ronstadt's version, you've got the super talented...the late, great multi-instrumentalist Andrew Gold, and an "A" list of stars in their own right, some notorious and highly talented Hollywood session men and members of various top bands and their touring groups, like Personnel: Linda Ronstadt (vocals); Emmylou Harris (vocals, guitar); Andrew Gold (acoustic & electric guitars, musette, piano, organ, drums, percussion, background vocals); Peter Asher (acoustic guitar, musette, percussion, background vocals); J.D. Souther (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Eddie Black, Danny Kortchmar (electric guitars); Lowell George (slide guitar); Dan Dugmore (steel guitar); Herb Pedersen (banjo, background vocals); David Lindley (fiddle); David Grisman (mandolin); Jim Connor (harmonica); Glen D. Hardin (piano); Kenny Edwards (bass, background vocals); Nigel Olsson, David Kemper, Russell Kunkel (drums); Maria Muldaur, Don Francisco, Pat Henderson (background vocals).
I don't know which of the above-personnel from that album that Heat Wave appears on played on the song with Linda, but it hardly matters with the class of folks on that disc. I'm a big fan of more than one of the above artists, guys like David Lindley, the late Lowell George, David Grisman, Nigel Osson, Russ Kunkel, Maria Muldaur, J.D. Souther and Danny Kortchmar. I'm sure the other musicians are of similar caliber to the ones I'm familiar with, but the ones I've named are ones that I've often tracked down obscure releases of over the years.
For example, Kunkle played a time for Jimmy Buffett, and Believe produced or co-produced some of JB's work. Muldaur's first album containing the hit "Midnight at the Oasis" was played by a another laundry list of fine session, touring and band members. David Lindley and El Rayo X has always been great, and he's great to see as an acoustic act as well. Who doesn't know the drumming of Nigel Olssen from Elton John's glory days? Last but not least, the session work of Kortchmar, the many bands of Souther, the jazz stylings of Grisman and the amazing catalog of work with Little Feat with the late Lowell George crooning.
So I was outside early this morning painting a HUGE new shelving unit and by 8 a.m. it was sweat and swelter, as my friend and former roommate California Bob used to say about Houston, before he fled Houston forever for the West and later East Coasts and cooler climes.
The humidity made the paint take forever to dry, despite the wood virtually sucking up nearly 2 gallons of paint and taking three HEAVY coats to get the kind of good shiny coverage I wanted, including using a heavy coverage primer as the first coat.
Then came assembling some large IKEA bookcases, which got much easier after the first one. We have a lot of books. Four bookcases later, with one to go in the morning and another vertical DVD case for the wall, it'll be time to paint the trip and cabinetry after recent housewide remodeling. Painting the trim throughout the house after repainting the kitchen, laundry room, hallways, and entry, we've still got bedrooms to go,new ceiling fans to install and a plethora of other projects for the office and baths as well. And some cabinetry on the back patio.
The tough stuff is done, and since it's indoors at least we have the AC going, but that doesn't mean you're not sweating profusely because you're working hard, like my home AC unit's are working hard.
I have one HUGE AC or HVAC or whatever it is unit for the house. Athough 85% of the year it is more than adequate, when the heat waves hit it can struggle as we have a lot of windows and live in a historic house. Insulation is good but not great.
Last summer, I took a friend's advice and since we were the benefactor of a pretty huge window unit AC from the Maid of Honor at our wedding who had just replaced it with a more powerful unit, we added it to the bedroom in the back of the house. It can't be seen from the street because of fencing and it really helps keep the house cool. It gives us one super cool room to hide in at the heat of the day and helps cool the rest of the house meaning the house stays cooler and the main AC doesn't have to work as hard or as much or as often as it does when going solo.
So the end result is that our electricity bills went down about $100 a month with the window unit added and some judicious use of floor fans to get hot air from the living room and hallway to the AC returns. I'm thinking of adding some of the higher tech window units to several parts of the home, as although it is vented via the attic for modern AC and that's what we have, there are a couple of rooms that just are hot rooms in the summer.
These higher tech units apparently go outside under the window and are very low profile not sticking out like a window unit at all. Either a hose or the top of the unit pokes in through a window opened 6" or 8" or so providing AC. Mrs. El Fisho saw a "in-room" unit for about $300, that is, an AC that resides completely inside the home, and that might be getting got tomorrow for our newly remodeled living room.
The key I think is that the window unit and these other units run on 110 instead of 220, thus the energy usage is less because of the lesser voltage draw. All I know is, I like a temperate house in a heat wave. We've put in new, more energy efficient ceiling fans that crank out and move some serious air, so we've really increased the comfort factor in our home the past year of working on it.
I know the same kind of heat wave is gripping large parts of the country like it did us here in Texas last year. My sympathies to those coping with heat waves and/or droughts and/or wildfires. We had all three last year. It's tragic. God Speed a return to healthy and safe living and condolences for those who passed on in the Colorado fires.
If I had my way, I'd be like the fellow who has the cool house in California called Rimrock Ranch and have a steel roof built over my house to shade it. He's in the desert, and yet his home stays about 70 year round with little or no assistance from an AC unit in the daytime heat. I'm not sure what kind of heating he uses, but has a sub-roof under a huge heavy duty metal roof covering that shades the entire house.
They do this in West Texas on trailers, and perhaps on houses, to keep the unrelenting sun and winds at bay. I'm sure they have a name for it but I don't know what it is. It would be a tremendous platform for not only a huge rainwater water collection system but also solar cells and a solar water heating system.
We had a solar hot water heating system for a long while at our last home, and it worked well. Our neighbor has a two tiered rain collection system. One tank collects water that is first filtered fairly well, then run through a purification system for storage in sterile tank in the home. The other larger amount of runoff collected goes in a huge outside tank where it automatically waters the urban farmer garden yard of my neighbor and keeps her place fairly green and lush without having to use a water well.
I've got one large shaded area in my backyard next to the shed/workshop that just won't grow grass. For many years, we've tried carpet san augustine, seeds, plugs and all kinds of other grasses guaranteed to grow in the mostly shade in this area and the only one remotely successful has been some spotty growth of bermuda grass. So I'd like to dig it up all that, put down a liner, fill it in with some nice crushed pink granite gravel for trim and sidewalks and some big white Texas limestone as a flooring, put up a simple roofed, screened shelter replete with ventilation for a good BBQ pit, smoker, a woodburning stove for the colder times and whatever else I might want to have out there. A nice table and comfortable chairs with a couple of HUGE old school ceiling fans would make a nice outdoor lounging spot. While building the shelter, a nice table with a big umbrella would get the job done.
Finally, the other idea I've been entertaining is another one I saw in the LA TIMES (where I spotted the Rimrock Ranch feature a few years ago). An above ground swimming pool made from a large metal cattle tank. About 4 foot deep, maybe 5 foot. You have a conventional pool pump and all that, but instead of paying $30k to have some guy dig a hole in your yard and drop a preformed pool in said hole, you spend much less for an arguably cool pool.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
THE OBREZ AND OTHER BOUNTY HUNTER PISTOLS
I was gonna title this post more on the Mosin Nagant rifle/pistol conversion but did as I did because an anonymous commenter on the thread I wrote on this weapon back in *a shortened and converted Mosin Nagant rifle and the history thereof* , well, that Anonymous commentator pointed out that I made an erroneous catagorization of what would be (as modified) a short barreled rifle vs. a rifle converted to a pistol. The result in terms of what the firearm actually is remains the same, but I suppose I miscatagorized "legally speaking" what the weapon would be called.
But I will persist in calling the converted Obrez, as it was called in the old country, a pistol. Although legally speaking, it is a short barreled rifle if made or possessed in this country and if converted into what the Russians called "a pistol", back in the day.
So all of that got me to thinking about the extra cool and ultra affordable real pistols made from rifle receivers that were manufactured legally as pistols because the receiver has never been part of a rifle, it's a "virgin" receiver.
Of course, there's the Henry Mare's Leg pistol (it is legally a pistol since the receiver had never been attached to a rifle) and Taurus/Rossi Ranch Hand series (which are also legally pistols too, and it says so right on the box).
Then there are the eastern bloc pistols derived from and modified from "new" AK-47 rifle receivers called the Draco and the Draco Mini. There may be others who make these types of pistols. Again, virgin receivers attached to pistol length barrels and a pistol grip instead of a shoulder stock of any kind and BAM, you have a pistol.
Then there are the multitude of AR-15 derivative pistols on the market, and Smith and Wesson was making a dandy .22 assault rifle receiver pistol, as is Sig with their 522 pistol.
I don't know what the Obrez would weigh, but most of the other guns I've mentioned weigh in at from 4 to 5 pounds, plus accessories, unloaded.
So a modern day Steve McQueen wanting to rig up with a powerful rifle cartridge in a big pistol could put the modern twist on it with a Draco or an AR-15 pistol. A quality red dot or holographic scope, green laser and flashlight would turn it into an unbeatable defense weapon. A big rig to be sure, but a holster of stiff cordura or leather could be made for it. Or a shoulder rig not unlike the Feds use for submachineguns. It would be fun to go trapsing through the woods with a Draco or M&P 15-22 pistol in a quasi-bounty hunter rig, with some extra mags instead of bullet loops.
I'd like to have one of the Smith and Wesson M&P 15-22 pistols. I think it would be a hoot to have that in a homemade bounty hunter rig. And cheap to shoot.
But back to the Obrez. What a cool weapon. Big. Unweildy. Undoubtedly loud. A handful recoil wise. Cheap to shoot. A nice holographic sight up top with a green co-trained laser would make this a formitable weapon for hogs. And you could have bullet loops on your Obrez gunbelt.
But I will persist in calling the converted Obrez, as it was called in the old country, a pistol. Although legally speaking, it is a short barreled rifle if made or possessed in this country and if converted into what the Russians called "a pistol", back in the day.
So all of that got me to thinking about the extra cool and ultra affordable real pistols made from rifle receivers that were manufactured legally as pistols because the receiver has never been part of a rifle, it's a "virgin" receiver.
Of course, there's the Henry Mare's Leg pistol (it is legally a pistol since the receiver had never been attached to a rifle) and Taurus/Rossi Ranch Hand series (which are also legally pistols too, and it says so right on the box).
Then there are the eastern bloc pistols derived from and modified from "new" AK-47 rifle receivers called the Draco and the Draco Mini. There may be others who make these types of pistols. Again, virgin receivers attached to pistol length barrels and a pistol grip instead of a shoulder stock of any kind and BAM, you have a pistol.
Then there are the multitude of AR-15 derivative pistols on the market, and Smith and Wesson was making a dandy .22 assault rifle receiver pistol, as is Sig with their 522 pistol.
I don't know what the Obrez would weigh, but most of the other guns I've mentioned weigh in at from 4 to 5 pounds, plus accessories, unloaded.
So a modern day Steve McQueen wanting to rig up with a powerful rifle cartridge in a big pistol could put the modern twist on it with a Draco or an AR-15 pistol. A quality red dot or holographic scope, green laser and flashlight would turn it into an unbeatable defense weapon. A big rig to be sure, but a holster of stiff cordura or leather could be made for it. Or a shoulder rig not unlike the Feds use for submachineguns. It would be fun to go trapsing through the woods with a Draco or M&P 15-22 pistol in a quasi-bounty hunter rig, with some extra mags instead of bullet loops.
I'd like to have one of the Smith and Wesson M&P 15-22 pistols. I think it would be a hoot to have that in a homemade bounty hunter rig. And cheap to shoot.
But back to the Obrez. What a cool weapon. Big. Unweildy. Undoubtedly loud. A handful recoil wise. Cheap to shoot. A nice holographic sight up top with a green co-trained laser would make this a formitable weapon for hogs. And you could have bullet loops on your Obrez gunbelt.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
EASTBOUND AND DOWN
I love that song, the theme song to the first Smokey and the Bandit movie, when things in my life were still hot rods and high school. Jerry Reed did a man right on that song, as he did singing and playing on many country hits of the sixties and seventies, many his own.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
COULD THIS MEAN HOPE FOR A .22 LR PPK OR PPK/S?
Over at GUNS HOLSTERS AND GEAR, there's a post about an interview with the Smith and Wesson CEO and some explanations of the various contracts that S&W have with Walther and what the status of those contracts is.
The one thing that interests me is, if you read to the end of that post, is that Walther will be able to sell their German made guns here. I'd sure like to see a revamping of the .22 PPK or PPK/S or even a PP. It's been too long since these were imported new by Interarms and I sold the .22 Interarms PPK/S I had in a foolish deed years ago. I've never understood why S&W didn't seek that share of the market and make a .22 LR alongside the .32 and .380 versions. I mean, it's not like they'd be reinventing the wheel here. And I think it would be a huge seller, if it sold at the same price that that centerfire versions sell for new. Even if there was a premium attached, I'd be paying it, and so would many others.
One day I'll stumble onto a Interarms PP/PPK/PPK/S in .22 LR that is in good enough shape to buy. The examples that I've seen that were "affordable" (using that term lightly) were too beat for me and the better condition ones begin in the $1,200 range that I've found. One day soon I know I'll stumble onto the perfect balance of condition and price.
So my simple wish is for Walther and/or Smith and Wesson to realize that there is a market share out here who would buy a .22 version of a gun they already make in centerfire, and that they could have that "profit margin" they are so concerned with even more. If the parts are not available to bring from Europe to knock this gun out in .22 caliber, then show some initiative and make the parts here. I suspect the barrel and firing mechanism differs in rimfire vs. centerfire but again, it's been made before for many years and it should be no mystery how to make it again.
The one thing that interests me is, if you read to the end of that post, is that Walther will be able to sell their German made guns here. I'd sure like to see a revamping of the .22 PPK or PPK/S or even a PP. It's been too long since these were imported new by Interarms and I sold the .22 Interarms PPK/S I had in a foolish deed years ago. I've never understood why S&W didn't seek that share of the market and make a .22 LR alongside the .32 and .380 versions. I mean, it's not like they'd be reinventing the wheel here. And I think it would be a huge seller, if it sold at the same price that that centerfire versions sell for new. Even if there was a premium attached, I'd be paying it, and so would many others.
One day I'll stumble onto a Interarms PP/PPK/PPK/S in .22 LR that is in good enough shape to buy. The examples that I've seen that were "affordable" (using that term lightly) were too beat for me and the better condition ones begin in the $1,200 range that I've found. One day soon I know I'll stumble onto the perfect balance of condition and price.
So my simple wish is for Walther and/or Smith and Wesson to realize that there is a market share out here who would buy a .22 version of a gun they already make in centerfire, and that they could have that "profit margin" they are so concerned with even more. If the parts are not available to bring from Europe to knock this gun out in .22 caliber, then show some initiative and make the parts here. I suspect the barrel and firing mechanism differs in rimfire vs. centerfire but again, it's been made before for many years and it should be no mystery how to make it again.
Monday, June 25, 2012
FISHING LEGEND HOMER CIRCLE PASSES AT AGE 97
The longtime fishing editor of Sports Afield magazine, from 1968 to 2002, has passed at the age of 97. Apparently, he turned in two stories the week before he passed as well as took a fishing trip and caught variously between 3 and 6 bass with his longtime fishing buddy Glen Lau.
You can read a nice fairly detailed story here and at least one other interview has the same quote from Mr. Lau except with a different number of fish mentioned.
Homer Circle, I found by reading these articles, had a full career as a VP with Heddon Fishing Tackle Company prior to signing on to Sports Afield. I read him monthly for many formative fishing years of my life. He convinced me of the virtue of the green foam rubber spider fly for fly fishing for panfish and of using inner tubes for small lake fishing. and his writings on various types of fishing techniques formed the core of what kind of fisherman I am. I'm sure there are thousands if not hundreds of thousands just like me, young folks coming up during his tenure with Sports Afield who took a lot of learning from him.
I kept and still have a number of special issues of Sports Afield where an entire issue was devoted to a subject such as fly fishing or bass fishing. Homer did much of the writing and probably some editing as well. There were other great writers to be sure but Homer's articles were the ones that were read several times each month.
Another topic I remember him mentioning often was the use of various devices smaller than a boat for fishing. In the 1970's, as mentioned above, he wrote about using inner tubes as a fishing vehicle. Companies had begun making coverings for the tubes that had seats built in the bottom and pockets and rod holders on the the tops of the sides of the inner tubes. I'm pretty sure this was about the time the precurser to the sit-on-top fishing kayak, which was a Texas product known as the Water Wagon. It was a styrofoam deal, later covered in some kind of plastic coating for increasing durability, and the angler sat above the water on the block of foam as his feet dangled in the water and wearing flippers, propelled the craft in protected waters.
It seemed Mr. Circle was a man for the working man. His tips didn't require that I flew to South America or some other exotic locale to catch fish. He was doing it in my own backyard, and the backyards of thousands of Americans who read his writings.
The high school library became a respository for various magazines of the sporting world that interested me. I don't know if modern high school libraries carry outdoors, guns, fishing, hunting and other types of subjects in their periodical stacks, but they used to when I was in school. Guns and Ammo. The big three of the multi-sportsman world: Sports Afield, Field and Stream and Outdoor Life, and all these magazines had hunting and gun articles in them. Our library even had magazines like Skin Diver, Car and Driver, Road and Track, Hot Rod, Dirt Bike and other titles I was usually stuck reading in the grocery store racks.
The point is that authors like Mr. Circle were available at my school library for me to read and there were other fishermen and hunters and campers who sought out the same magazines I did. No telling how many, or how many generations of fishermen that Mr. Circle either directly or indirectly has influenced and will continue to do so.
I'm certain Mr. Circle got to fish a whole heck of a lot more than I do. Likewise, I'm sure he never complained about the amount of fishing he did, as if someone could utter the words that they'd been fishing too much lately.
I've made a concerted effort the past few months and have been going fishing nearly every two weeks. They way I figure it, Mr. Circle was about my age when he retired from a long career at Heddon, and then launched into another hugely successful career as a writer and editor when he was in his mid-50's. That's pretty inspiring to a fellow nearing that age bracket, and it's been a while since I was inspired or impressed this much.
When I read about how being the Fishing Editor of Sports Afield was really a second career for Mr. Circle, that was pretty cool. I was absolutely unaware of his long career with Heddon, of his inventions of lures and such and some of the other writing he did.
I'd love to know what kind of rigs Mr. Circle used the last 20 years or so, or really, a rundown of the gear that he boated bass with in Florida. Baits and tactics would be nice to know, but I'd especially enjoy knowing the rods and reels he considered best for bassing for him.
And was he still fly fishing?
It sounds as if Mr. Circle lived enough life for several lesser men. Rest in peace, Mr. Circle.
You can read a nice fairly detailed story here and at least one other interview has the same quote from Mr. Lau except with a different number of fish mentioned.
Homer Circle, I found by reading these articles, had a full career as a VP with Heddon Fishing Tackle Company prior to signing on to Sports Afield. I read him monthly for many formative fishing years of my life. He convinced me of the virtue of the green foam rubber spider fly for fly fishing for panfish and of using inner tubes for small lake fishing. and his writings on various types of fishing techniques formed the core of what kind of fisherman I am. I'm sure there are thousands if not hundreds of thousands just like me, young folks coming up during his tenure with Sports Afield who took a lot of learning from him.
I kept and still have a number of special issues of Sports Afield where an entire issue was devoted to a subject such as fly fishing or bass fishing. Homer did much of the writing and probably some editing as well. There were other great writers to be sure but Homer's articles were the ones that were read several times each month.
Another topic I remember him mentioning often was the use of various devices smaller than a boat for fishing. In the 1970's, as mentioned above, he wrote about using inner tubes as a fishing vehicle. Companies had begun making coverings for the tubes that had seats built in the bottom and pockets and rod holders on the the tops of the sides of the inner tubes. I'm pretty sure this was about the time the precurser to the sit-on-top fishing kayak, which was a Texas product known as the Water Wagon. It was a styrofoam deal, later covered in some kind of plastic coating for increasing durability, and the angler sat above the water on the block of foam as his feet dangled in the water and wearing flippers, propelled the craft in protected waters.
It seemed Mr. Circle was a man for the working man. His tips didn't require that I flew to South America or some other exotic locale to catch fish. He was doing it in my own backyard, and the backyards of thousands of Americans who read his writings.
The high school library became a respository for various magazines of the sporting world that interested me. I don't know if modern high school libraries carry outdoors, guns, fishing, hunting and other types of subjects in their periodical stacks, but they used to when I was in school. Guns and Ammo. The big three of the multi-sportsman world: Sports Afield, Field and Stream and Outdoor Life, and all these magazines had hunting and gun articles in them. Our library even had magazines like Skin Diver, Car and Driver, Road and Track, Hot Rod, Dirt Bike and other titles I was usually stuck reading in the grocery store racks.
The point is that authors like Mr. Circle were available at my school library for me to read and there were other fishermen and hunters and campers who sought out the same magazines I did. No telling how many, or how many generations of fishermen that Mr. Circle either directly or indirectly has influenced and will continue to do so.
I'm certain Mr. Circle got to fish a whole heck of a lot more than I do. Likewise, I'm sure he never complained about the amount of fishing he did, as if someone could utter the words that they'd been fishing too much lately.
I've made a concerted effort the past few months and have been going fishing nearly every two weeks. They way I figure it, Mr. Circle was about my age when he retired from a long career at Heddon, and then launched into another hugely successful career as a writer and editor when he was in his mid-50's. That's pretty inspiring to a fellow nearing that age bracket, and it's been a while since I was inspired or impressed this much.
When I read about how being the Fishing Editor of Sports Afield was really a second career for Mr. Circle, that was pretty cool. I was absolutely unaware of his long career with Heddon, of his inventions of lures and such and some of the other writing he did.
I'd love to know what kind of rigs Mr. Circle used the last 20 years or so, or really, a rundown of the gear that he boated bass with in Florida. Baits and tactics would be nice to know, but I'd especially enjoy knowing the rods and reels he considered best for bassing for him.
And was he still fly fishing?
It sounds as if Mr. Circle lived enough life for several lesser men. Rest in peace, Mr. Circle.
Monday, June 11, 2012
A TEXAS HILL COUNTRY FISHING CRUISE JUNE 2012
My old fishing buddy Billy Ray and I wanted to do some fishing this past weekend, and we wanted to do it in the Hill Country of Texas. We hooked up in San Marcos, and took off from there on a Ranch Road that led us to US 290, and that was one of the few major roads we'd travel that day.
This is one of those no plans road trips. We made no pre-plan, other than to meet and set aside the weekend for a fishing cruise. We aimed to hit various streams, creeks and rivers that we'd fished before, or seen before and wanted to fish, or heard about or seen on a map.
We each have our own tackle boxes and fly rods set up to go in the back of the SUV. I also bring a mini-arsenal of spinning, ultra light spinning and spincasting and spin/bait casting rods that get set up the the SUV. These rods are ready to go with surface, mid-running and live bait rigs. That way, we can each grab a handful of rods and not have to re-rig so often when we change tactics. Just pick up a different rod and go.
I always like to bring one heavy duty saltwater pier rod on these trips, set up for catfishing. Sometimes with a ZEBCO 888 for simplicity (night fishing) or a Penn reel. Particularly, I like big catfishing. I either tie the rod to a tree or to my trailer hitch on my SUV and put a bottom leader down with chicken livers and whatnot. I like to do some chumming with various kinds of feed in a coffee can with a rope attached. If we're near a deep hole, we're going to use this rig for some bottom fishing not unlike a one line trot line.
The drought from last summer is still reeking havoc on many of our favorite creeks. Many formerly large, robust and year round creeks were not flowing much, and some not at all. The ones that had some flow had some itinerent spring action going on, and it was interesting to trace the path of one creek that feeds the small James River as a few springs popped up along the way.
We went from San Marcos to the tourist town of Fredericksburg, famous for being the birthplace of Admiral Nimitz and home to the Museum of the War of the Pacific. It's an excellent museum if you're ever visiting in Texas, and although we didn't stop there this time, Billy Ray and I and our families have been on previous and recent occasions.
On the way to F-burg we crossed the San Marcos, the Blanco and the Little Blanco rivers. The San Marcos is doing great right now, the Blanco a little low but still far more robust and strong than I expected it to be after last summers drought. The Little Blanco was doing well at the part we looked at, and had lots of swimming action going on, thereby foreclosing any fishing plans for the Little Blanco. This was our second try in as many weeks to fish the Little Blanco and we're not giving up. We just need to hit it during the weekday workday hours.
We made a quick stop in F-burg at the very cool Texas Jack's, a store that sells a lot of western stuff but the part that I go there for is the guns and the handgun leather. They feature, in stock no less, most of the popular designs of western single action revolver holsters. They also have a very good selection of cowboy shooting arms as well as various more modern self defense handguns. Sometimes they even have some interesting used guns.
We stopped there solely because the last time I was there they had a small barrel full of "seconds" holsters. I bought several pancake style holsters for various single action revolvers that they had in their cutout barrel, priced at $15 bucks each, which is a screamin' deal for a nice holster. Alas, they had no holsters in the cut out barrel this time.
We broused the weapons and I noticed a Smith and Wesson tapered barrel DA revolver, maybe from the 1940's or 1950's, with some stag (possibly real, possibly not) grips. I'd seen this gun a couple of years before on a run through their store, I'm almost sure of it. Priced very reasonably. I don't have a need for it, but would like it, so it's a good thing it's located some miles away from my primary gun buying stomping ground.
We left F-Burg without eating any of the fine german food offered at several restaurants in town, and although we looked we did not see the rumored Denny's that had supposedly opened in town. We briefly discussed fishing in a creek that runs through town and runs through a city park that allows fishing access. I'd read some posts last week and knew that there was some fishing action going on in that creek. Again, as far as I know, it was dang near dry last summer, so it's good that apparently the rivers that these creeks feed into (and ultimately the lakes the rivers feed into) can repopulate upstream areas of some distance rather quickly.
While enroute that morning, we decided that the Llano River in Mason County should be our main focus. We've both fished it together and separately on several occasions. Actually, i've fished the Llano from Mason to the Llano area to the Castel area and from towards Junction way. It's a very interesting river with several different kinds of terrain in different areas, but it's clear water with lots of fish in it.
The Llano holds a lot of a bass species called the Guadalupe or Llano bass. It's a slimmer, trimmer fish than the black bass also found in the river, but it's often a friskier fight than the black bass. Besides these two types of bass, there are lots of catfish and various panfish that inhabit the waters. I've almost always caught something when I fish in the Llano, and when you consider that a college roommate's family owned a huge place there for years, I've fished there quite a bit over the last quarter century.
So it's a favorite spot for both of us. We headed on into Mason from F-burg and that was about the time we got off of major roads. We ate at a great Mason tex-mex spot we've eaten at before, and then visited a gun shop in town that had an excellent selection, one of the best all round selections of guns in a small store. They had plenty of AR/M4 and AK assault rifles, assault shotguns based on AR and AK designs, a TON of various types of new and used bolt action scoped hunting rifles, a fairly robust shotgun section with new and used guns, an HK 93 as well as a handful of Mini-14's.
They had a great pistol selection, including your standard Glocks and Springfield Armory poly pistols, as well as a couple of Browning Hi Powers and Walther PP's, some SA Colts and a bunch of other good new and used guns. Their prices were mostly fair if not a bit on the high side, but the used guns were priced appropriate to condition.
A Savage .22/.410 in very good condition was priced at a very fair $275, and I'd a bought it if I didn't already have that very gun. They had a nice selection of grips and magazines but I didn't see any new holsters there. They had a bin of highly overpriced used holsters, mostly for guns I didn't have, like a used Fobus paddle for $30. Way too high. I can buy three fobus holsters on ebay for $30 with shipping on a good day.
Overall, Billy Ray was ga-ga with the shops selection, especially the used HK and the multitude of AR and AK based shotguns they had. It's not often you see Browning Hi Powers in stores, despite being an amazing firearm. Likewise with German made PP series pistols. This fellow had a PP in .32 and a PPK in .380. What I was wanting was an Interarms import PPK or PPK/S in .22, and I had some trading fodder in the truck.
I can't recall the name of this gun shop in Mason, but I'll find out and amend this post. It's one of those places that if you wanted to build a battery of new and used firearms for a reasonable price, it'd be the ideal place to go. By battery, in previous postings I and many others have suggested owning a variety of self-defense and food harvesting guns like a Glock 19 pistol in 9mm, a Smith and Wesson revolver in .38 Special, a 12 or 20 gauge pump shotgun, an assault rifle like an AK-47, a scoped hunting rifle like a .30-30 or a .30-06, and a .22 rifle like a Ruger 10/22. I saw fine examples of each of the above in this gun store in Mason, and there were some used options for the shotguns and hunting rifles.
They had the new takedown Ruger 10/22 rifle that continues to impress me, as well as a nice selection of Colt Single Action Army current or recent production guns. I wasn't ready to trade for that expensive of a gun the other day, but they definately got my attention with the nice SAA's they had for sale. Of course, they had a strong selection of some of the various .22 clone assault rifles available. In other words, just a pretty rocking selection of guns. Much better than most of the big city gun shops around these days.
Mason was BOOMING last Saturday compared to my last visit on a Saturday in April of 2009. We stayed a fishing cabin in 2009, and hit town to get a couple of new tires due to some contact with some sharp rocks and some slick low water crossings. I got a great deal on some tires, and I mean a screaming deal on high end tires that day. And the next time I need tires I'm going to see that tire fellow in Mason right next to the Mexican Restaurant because he cut me, a nobody to him, a screaming deal even the big Discount Tire chains couldn't beat.
Three years ago the local Mason paper was bemoaning the loss of the town's only nursing home. I don't know if they got another one but I know there were LOTS of new businesses that had popped up since my last visit. The town had changed from sorta dowdy and sedate to vibrant and happening, but not too touristy. It looks like good things are happening in Mason. Another college roommate of mine hailed from there, and so it's not the first time I've visited or passed through.
We headed out of Mason about 15 miles to a county road that crosses numerous creeks and the Llano River. The Llano was in fine form but all of our fishing spots were full of families swimming and beating the 100 degree or so heat. We continued down this one certain road that runs more or less east to west. We took it unti the road was flooded and we could go no more, unless we had a 4x4 that was snorkel equipped.
That stretch of road was great. A large number of feeder creeks were dry but several had good water and some very decent pools that could be accessed from the low water crossings. HUGE private ranches line the several area rivers and the creeks that feed them but most of the big landowners don't fence off every inch of their land near the low water crossings nor do they post trespass signs there. The state right of way is respected and thus a small perch from which to fish or to enter the water and wade fish exists for the visiting fisherman.
Many landowners in this area are amenable to a small fee for access for fishing or hiking and sometimes camping on their land. One of the ranches we drove through for 3.8 miles, through which a public county road runs through thus allowing public access to some very remote canyon and river valley areas. That's at least a 4 section ranch, and with a section being 640 acres, that's a mighty large spread. It's probably much larger than 4 sections.
Following one of what would have been a creek had it been full of water, we came across and interesting structure comprised of several poured concrete bases or stands of some sort. Right there was what also appeared to be a capped water well. I'll post some pictures later because we couldn't figure out what these structures were.
Further down, several more springs joined the trickle that was this waterway and after getting up to a dry 7 foot waterfall, we spied a pool of deep green collected water up ahead. Pure fishing nirvana. And completely legally accessible via the streambed. In a state like Texas without a lot of public lands, following the law of private land ownership is very important. More than one landowner will enforce their anti-trespassing feelings with a firearm or with actual gunplay.
Actual gunplay has happened in the recent past in isolated areas on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande near Big Bend and the Devil's River, where both sides are firmly rooted in the US of A in South Texas. It just always pays to leave other peoples property alone and stay off of it. Many Texas rivers and creeks have gravel bars or rock islands if one needs to go ashore while traversing a waterway by boat, and I've never met a landowner who objected to nice boaters using a brief part of their land to portage around a dangerous rapid or falls. Nobody wants dead and injured people on or near their land.
We haven't ever had any problems. We always ask permission from landowners and are willing to pay an access fee if they want one, although lots of times they let you in free. They just want to be asked. In the old days, they'd appreciate a mess of fish to eat after you fished their creek or river frontage, but nowadays everyone is conservation minded and also concerned about what chemicals might be in those fish. Such is modern life. So we always advise that we will catch and release unless they want us to catch them some fish.
We spent the better part of the afternoon going from creek to creek and crossing the Llano on several occasions. We did all this on mostly unpaved county roads. We saw a bunch of does, and one very cool young buck whose antlers were still covered in thick velvet. He jumped a fence and danced around in a road for a moment as if he was playing chicken with us, then sprang back into his wooded cover across the fence. I'd swear there was a big teenage grin on his face the entire time.
There's a lot of exotics ranches in this area, and had we been around at sunrise or sunset we would have seen a lot more of the very cool exotics that get raised all over the Hill Country. If I had a farm with a game fence, I'd like to have some exotics, not for hunting just for watching. There are many species of great animals from Africa that do very well in the Hill Country of Texas.
Tons of mating grasshoppers were present, and although I tried to take several pictures of them, none turned out well at all. They were some big suckers, about the size of large locusts. I'd forgotten how big Hill Country grasshoppers can get. Where I've always lived, grasshoppers are an inch or two long when grown, not 6 or 7 inches long and several inches around.
Huge gargantuan grasshoppers. Mating everywhere. We remarked that we need to learn the gestation time of these grasshoppers to time our next fishing visit to their hatch. Frankly, I've never seen a grasshopper plug nor fly that was as huge as these suckas. I might have to make one out of something, maybe a chunk off a flip-flop like I read about a guide doing in an article in the Austin American Statesman yesterday. The big moncher grasshoppers we saw this weekend bore no resemblance to the "Dave's Hopper" fly I've used for so many years. So I might have to try to tie a few big grasshopper poppers and streamers for the next trip out, unless I can find some locust sized flies/poppers/streamers at some store.
I plan to try a double drop combo on one fly rod when the grasshoppers do come out. Maybe a Dave's Hopper, which is a dry fly, with about an 18" piece of tippet going to a nymph that is following the Hopper underwater. It's been a deadly combination at one time on the Guadalupe for trout many years ago, and if I top the hook of each lure with a bit of Berkley GULP! then I think I could have a winner there.
Of course, the Guadalupe below Canyon Dam is one of the few places Rainbow and Brown trout can live year round in Texas, since the water from Canyon Lake goes through the Dam from the bottom of the spring fed lake.
We took about 6 hours to work our way from the area outside of Mason over to the Kerrville area, where we were at the mighy Guadalupe above Canyon Lake. This is also a favorite part of the river for fishing. Several stops later, we ended up at the most cool gunshop I've been to in a while. All new stuff, but a very diverse and well priced selection of guns. I'll be going back to Kerrville soon to this store, a sporting goods emporium of sorts.
From Kerrville, we took back and smaller roads to the towns of Comfort and Waring down to Sisterdale, from which we headed east back to San Marcos. We crossed many creeks, and noted which had water and access and which did not. Often times, I have found, that in the Hill Country county and FM roads, especially if unpaved, often offer far better fishing access than more major roads.
I could spend a year or two studying and cataloging the various fishable creeks in the Hill Country. I wish I could make the time to do it. Put the family in an RV and spend weekends roaming and writing about some of these great and relaxing and picturesque locales.
When I was a kid, about El Fisho's age, every year we'd take a real vacation and a spring break, but also a mini-vacation of 4 or 5 days spend meandering with no set plans through all kinds of Central and Hill Country and West Texas towns and rural areas. I remember one certain trip where we were down south of San Antonio. It must have been a wet year, because all the creeks we crossed had tons of spring water in them. Clear Spring Water, from the country of 1,100 springs, as Pearl Beer used to say. We'd fish those creeks and low water crossings and always catch perch and small bass and lots of catfish.
So this trip last weekend brought back lots of good memories of fishing small creeks and rivers in the Hill Country in my youth. There's still lots of the middle part of Texas where there is no cell phone coverage. That's getting out in the middle of nowhere for me, and that's where I like to be every now and then.
I'll write more later about this area. A little over a hundred years ago, the indians and white man were still battling hard on these very grounds in the Hill Country. It was dangerous country. Black bears. Mountain lions. Big BIG snakes of several different poisonous persuasions. Wild hogs. Highwaymen and other ruffians and highjackers. It was sort of a no man's land and a good place for an outlaw to hide amongst the hardworking mostly German and Scotch settlers in the Hill Country.
This is one of those no plans road trips. We made no pre-plan, other than to meet and set aside the weekend for a fishing cruise. We aimed to hit various streams, creeks and rivers that we'd fished before, or seen before and wanted to fish, or heard about or seen on a map.
We each have our own tackle boxes and fly rods set up to go in the back of the SUV. I also bring a mini-arsenal of spinning, ultra light spinning and spincasting and spin/bait casting rods that get set up the the SUV. These rods are ready to go with surface, mid-running and live bait rigs. That way, we can each grab a handful of rods and not have to re-rig so often when we change tactics. Just pick up a different rod and go.
I always like to bring one heavy duty saltwater pier rod on these trips, set up for catfishing. Sometimes with a ZEBCO 888 for simplicity (night fishing) or a Penn reel. Particularly, I like big catfishing. I either tie the rod to a tree or to my trailer hitch on my SUV and put a bottom leader down with chicken livers and whatnot. I like to do some chumming with various kinds of feed in a coffee can with a rope attached. If we're near a deep hole, we're going to use this rig for some bottom fishing not unlike a one line trot line.
The drought from last summer is still reeking havoc on many of our favorite creeks. Many formerly large, robust and year round creeks were not flowing much, and some not at all. The ones that had some flow had some itinerent spring action going on, and it was interesting to trace the path of one creek that feeds the small James River as a few springs popped up along the way.
We went from San Marcos to the tourist town of Fredericksburg, famous for being the birthplace of Admiral Nimitz and home to the Museum of the War of the Pacific. It's an excellent museum if you're ever visiting in Texas, and although we didn't stop there this time, Billy Ray and I and our families have been on previous and recent occasions.
On the way to F-burg we crossed the San Marcos, the Blanco and the Little Blanco rivers. The San Marcos is doing great right now, the Blanco a little low but still far more robust and strong than I expected it to be after last summers drought. The Little Blanco was doing well at the part we looked at, and had lots of swimming action going on, thereby foreclosing any fishing plans for the Little Blanco. This was our second try in as many weeks to fish the Little Blanco and we're not giving up. We just need to hit it during the weekday workday hours.
We made a quick stop in F-burg at the very cool Texas Jack's, a store that sells a lot of western stuff but the part that I go there for is the guns and the handgun leather. They feature, in stock no less, most of the popular designs of western single action revolver holsters. They also have a very good selection of cowboy shooting arms as well as various more modern self defense handguns. Sometimes they even have some interesting used guns.
We stopped there solely because the last time I was there they had a small barrel full of "seconds" holsters. I bought several pancake style holsters for various single action revolvers that they had in their cutout barrel, priced at $15 bucks each, which is a screamin' deal for a nice holster. Alas, they had no holsters in the cut out barrel this time.
We broused the weapons and I noticed a Smith and Wesson tapered barrel DA revolver, maybe from the 1940's or 1950's, with some stag (possibly real, possibly not) grips. I'd seen this gun a couple of years before on a run through their store, I'm almost sure of it. Priced very reasonably. I don't have a need for it, but would like it, so it's a good thing it's located some miles away from my primary gun buying stomping ground.
We left F-Burg without eating any of the fine german food offered at several restaurants in town, and although we looked we did not see the rumored Denny's that had supposedly opened in town. We briefly discussed fishing in a creek that runs through town and runs through a city park that allows fishing access. I'd read some posts last week and knew that there was some fishing action going on in that creek. Again, as far as I know, it was dang near dry last summer, so it's good that apparently the rivers that these creeks feed into (and ultimately the lakes the rivers feed into) can repopulate upstream areas of some distance rather quickly.
While enroute that morning, we decided that the Llano River in Mason County should be our main focus. We've both fished it together and separately on several occasions. Actually, i've fished the Llano from Mason to the Llano area to the Castel area and from towards Junction way. It's a very interesting river with several different kinds of terrain in different areas, but it's clear water with lots of fish in it.
The Llano holds a lot of a bass species called the Guadalupe or Llano bass. It's a slimmer, trimmer fish than the black bass also found in the river, but it's often a friskier fight than the black bass. Besides these two types of bass, there are lots of catfish and various panfish that inhabit the waters. I've almost always caught something when I fish in the Llano, and when you consider that a college roommate's family owned a huge place there for years, I've fished there quite a bit over the last quarter century.
So it's a favorite spot for both of us. We headed on into Mason from F-burg and that was about the time we got off of major roads. We ate at a great Mason tex-mex spot we've eaten at before, and then visited a gun shop in town that had an excellent selection, one of the best all round selections of guns in a small store. They had plenty of AR/M4 and AK assault rifles, assault shotguns based on AR and AK designs, a TON of various types of new and used bolt action scoped hunting rifles, a fairly robust shotgun section with new and used guns, an HK 93 as well as a handful of Mini-14's.
They had a great pistol selection, including your standard Glocks and Springfield Armory poly pistols, as well as a couple of Browning Hi Powers and Walther PP's, some SA Colts and a bunch of other good new and used guns. Their prices were mostly fair if not a bit on the high side, but the used guns were priced appropriate to condition.
A Savage .22/.410 in very good condition was priced at a very fair $275, and I'd a bought it if I didn't already have that very gun. They had a nice selection of grips and magazines but I didn't see any new holsters there. They had a bin of highly overpriced used holsters, mostly for guns I didn't have, like a used Fobus paddle for $30. Way too high. I can buy three fobus holsters on ebay for $30 with shipping on a good day.
Overall, Billy Ray was ga-ga with the shops selection, especially the used HK and the multitude of AR and AK based shotguns they had. It's not often you see Browning Hi Powers in stores, despite being an amazing firearm. Likewise with German made PP series pistols. This fellow had a PP in .32 and a PPK in .380. What I was wanting was an Interarms import PPK or PPK/S in .22, and I had some trading fodder in the truck.
I can't recall the name of this gun shop in Mason, but I'll find out and amend this post. It's one of those places that if you wanted to build a battery of new and used firearms for a reasonable price, it'd be the ideal place to go. By battery, in previous postings I and many others have suggested owning a variety of self-defense and food harvesting guns like a Glock 19 pistol in 9mm, a Smith and Wesson revolver in .38 Special, a 12 or 20 gauge pump shotgun, an assault rifle like an AK-47, a scoped hunting rifle like a .30-30 or a .30-06, and a .22 rifle like a Ruger 10/22. I saw fine examples of each of the above in this gun store in Mason, and there were some used options for the shotguns and hunting rifles.
They had the new takedown Ruger 10/22 rifle that continues to impress me, as well as a nice selection of Colt Single Action Army current or recent production guns. I wasn't ready to trade for that expensive of a gun the other day, but they definately got my attention with the nice SAA's they had for sale. Of course, they had a strong selection of some of the various .22 clone assault rifles available. In other words, just a pretty rocking selection of guns. Much better than most of the big city gun shops around these days.
Mason was BOOMING last Saturday compared to my last visit on a Saturday in April of 2009. We stayed a fishing cabin in 2009, and hit town to get a couple of new tires due to some contact with some sharp rocks and some slick low water crossings. I got a great deal on some tires, and I mean a screaming deal on high end tires that day. And the next time I need tires I'm going to see that tire fellow in Mason right next to the Mexican Restaurant because he cut me, a nobody to him, a screaming deal even the big Discount Tire chains couldn't beat.
Three years ago the local Mason paper was bemoaning the loss of the town's only nursing home. I don't know if they got another one but I know there were LOTS of new businesses that had popped up since my last visit. The town had changed from sorta dowdy and sedate to vibrant and happening, but not too touristy. It looks like good things are happening in Mason. Another college roommate of mine hailed from there, and so it's not the first time I've visited or passed through.
We headed out of Mason about 15 miles to a county road that crosses numerous creeks and the Llano River. The Llano was in fine form but all of our fishing spots were full of families swimming and beating the 100 degree or so heat. We continued down this one certain road that runs more or less east to west. We took it unti the road was flooded and we could go no more, unless we had a 4x4 that was snorkel equipped.
That stretch of road was great. A large number of feeder creeks were dry but several had good water and some very decent pools that could be accessed from the low water crossings. HUGE private ranches line the several area rivers and the creeks that feed them but most of the big landowners don't fence off every inch of their land near the low water crossings nor do they post trespass signs there. The state right of way is respected and thus a small perch from which to fish or to enter the water and wade fish exists for the visiting fisherman.
Many landowners in this area are amenable to a small fee for access for fishing or hiking and sometimes camping on their land. One of the ranches we drove through for 3.8 miles, through which a public county road runs through thus allowing public access to some very remote canyon and river valley areas. That's at least a 4 section ranch, and with a section being 640 acres, that's a mighty large spread. It's probably much larger than 4 sections.
Following one of what would have been a creek had it been full of water, we came across and interesting structure comprised of several poured concrete bases or stands of some sort. Right there was what also appeared to be a capped water well. I'll post some pictures later because we couldn't figure out what these structures were.
Further down, several more springs joined the trickle that was this waterway and after getting up to a dry 7 foot waterfall, we spied a pool of deep green collected water up ahead. Pure fishing nirvana. And completely legally accessible via the streambed. In a state like Texas without a lot of public lands, following the law of private land ownership is very important. More than one landowner will enforce their anti-trespassing feelings with a firearm or with actual gunplay.
Actual gunplay has happened in the recent past in isolated areas on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande near Big Bend and the Devil's River, where both sides are firmly rooted in the US of A in South Texas. It just always pays to leave other peoples property alone and stay off of it. Many Texas rivers and creeks have gravel bars or rock islands if one needs to go ashore while traversing a waterway by boat, and I've never met a landowner who objected to nice boaters using a brief part of their land to portage around a dangerous rapid or falls. Nobody wants dead and injured people on or near their land.
We haven't ever had any problems. We always ask permission from landowners and are willing to pay an access fee if they want one, although lots of times they let you in free. They just want to be asked. In the old days, they'd appreciate a mess of fish to eat after you fished their creek or river frontage, but nowadays everyone is conservation minded and also concerned about what chemicals might be in those fish. Such is modern life. So we always advise that we will catch and release unless they want us to catch them some fish.
We spent the better part of the afternoon going from creek to creek and crossing the Llano on several occasions. We did all this on mostly unpaved county roads. We saw a bunch of does, and one very cool young buck whose antlers were still covered in thick velvet. He jumped a fence and danced around in a road for a moment as if he was playing chicken with us, then sprang back into his wooded cover across the fence. I'd swear there was a big teenage grin on his face the entire time.
There's a lot of exotics ranches in this area, and had we been around at sunrise or sunset we would have seen a lot more of the very cool exotics that get raised all over the Hill Country. If I had a farm with a game fence, I'd like to have some exotics, not for hunting just for watching. There are many species of great animals from Africa that do very well in the Hill Country of Texas.
Tons of mating grasshoppers were present, and although I tried to take several pictures of them, none turned out well at all. They were some big suckers, about the size of large locusts. I'd forgotten how big Hill Country grasshoppers can get. Where I've always lived, grasshoppers are an inch or two long when grown, not 6 or 7 inches long and several inches around.
Huge gargantuan grasshoppers. Mating everywhere. We remarked that we need to learn the gestation time of these grasshoppers to time our next fishing visit to their hatch. Frankly, I've never seen a grasshopper plug nor fly that was as huge as these suckas. I might have to make one out of something, maybe a chunk off a flip-flop like I read about a guide doing in an article in the Austin American Statesman yesterday. The big moncher grasshoppers we saw this weekend bore no resemblance to the "Dave's Hopper" fly I've used for so many years. So I might have to try to tie a few big grasshopper poppers and streamers for the next trip out, unless I can find some locust sized flies/poppers/streamers at some store.
I plan to try a double drop combo on one fly rod when the grasshoppers do come out. Maybe a Dave's Hopper, which is a dry fly, with about an 18" piece of tippet going to a nymph that is following the Hopper underwater. It's been a deadly combination at one time on the Guadalupe for trout many years ago, and if I top the hook of each lure with a bit of Berkley GULP! then I think I could have a winner there.
Of course, the Guadalupe below Canyon Dam is one of the few places Rainbow and Brown trout can live year round in Texas, since the water from Canyon Lake goes through the Dam from the bottom of the spring fed lake.
We took about 6 hours to work our way from the area outside of Mason over to the Kerrville area, where we were at the mighy Guadalupe above Canyon Lake. This is also a favorite part of the river for fishing. Several stops later, we ended up at the most cool gunshop I've been to in a while. All new stuff, but a very diverse and well priced selection of guns. I'll be going back to Kerrville soon to this store, a sporting goods emporium of sorts.
From Kerrville, we took back and smaller roads to the towns of Comfort and Waring down to Sisterdale, from which we headed east back to San Marcos. We crossed many creeks, and noted which had water and access and which did not. Often times, I have found, that in the Hill Country county and FM roads, especially if unpaved, often offer far better fishing access than more major roads.
I could spend a year or two studying and cataloging the various fishable creeks in the Hill Country. I wish I could make the time to do it. Put the family in an RV and spend weekends roaming and writing about some of these great and relaxing and picturesque locales.
When I was a kid, about El Fisho's age, every year we'd take a real vacation and a spring break, but also a mini-vacation of 4 or 5 days spend meandering with no set plans through all kinds of Central and Hill Country and West Texas towns and rural areas. I remember one certain trip where we were down south of San Antonio. It must have been a wet year, because all the creeks we crossed had tons of spring water in them. Clear Spring Water, from the country of 1,100 springs, as Pearl Beer used to say. We'd fish those creeks and low water crossings and always catch perch and small bass and lots of catfish.
So this trip last weekend brought back lots of good memories of fishing small creeks and rivers in the Hill Country in my youth. There's still lots of the middle part of Texas where there is no cell phone coverage. That's getting out in the middle of nowhere for me, and that's where I like to be every now and then.
I'll write more later about this area. A little over a hundred years ago, the indians and white man were still battling hard on these very grounds in the Hill Country. It was dangerous country. Black bears. Mountain lions. Big BIG snakes of several different poisonous persuasions. Wild hogs. Highwaymen and other ruffians and highjackers. It was sort of a no man's land and a good place for an outlaw to hide amongst the hardworking mostly German and Scotch settlers in the Hill Country.
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