It's like I'm Harry Potter

The Owl Post (mail) came today. I feel like Harry Potter.

Had I the time or skill,
I would have changed the name and address to my own.

Owl Jones held a video contest for an Orvis Sling Pack. Did I need another pack of any sort? Of course not. My justification was that my current favorite pack is a blaze orange Lowe Alpine fanny pack. I use it like a sling pack. I figured this might be a nice opportunity to acquire something more official and less blaze orange. 

So yesterday, the mail arrived. Stuffing my box was a happy package. I'm not sure how the Owl opened the mailbox with its talons, but I assume it took some tricky foot work. They must do karaoke (the foot work drill, not the drunken bar entertainment... though I suppose a drunk walk could look like the drill, but I digress.)

Here is what I found in the package:

Zazzy Poppers! These are, honestly, quite awesome.

See, it looks pretty snazzy, eh?

The "Day Off" Post: Zubaz and Fly Tying

First things first. Business.  I wanted to share a cool fly I discovered recently. I learned about "the Stimulator" (credit is given to Randall Kaufmann as the creator) in the April-May issue of Fly Fisherman Magazine. They featured and excerpt from the book The Orvis Guide to Essential American Flies by Tom Rosenbauer. I posted a picture of a few I tied here in a recent post. 

The Stimulator is a "match all" fly that can be fished in small mountain brookie streams, big Rocky Mtn rivers, and everywhere in between. The article states the fly, tied in many sizes, with variations in color and body, can effectively mimic stoneflies, caddis, grasshoppers, and even Hex mayflies.

*** If you want the tying recipe and/or instructions, I'm more than happy to send them along.

Now, the recipe calls for elk hair in this fly. I actually don't have any. What I do have is a wooden pallet with some deer hide glued to it. My now 92 year old grandpa sent me that in the mail.... He cut the hide off of a roadkill deer. The lesson I learned from my grandpa: Don't let anything go to waste. Awesome. 

The article does show a few variant options for the flies and it also gives a guide on what to look for in quality elk hair.

see the note at the top? don't worry, I remembered to email my mom. 

I am excited to put this fly to work some time soon.

Now, it is time to talk about something really, really important. As you may have noticed, the wife and I came up with a new logo this weekend. I really like it. I wanted a silhouette of a me (from a video screenshot. can you figure out which one?) with waders colored like water. The picture in my mind seemed so cool. But, since I lack the computer design skills, I was struggling to make the image a reality. I wanted it to be simple, sleek and recognizable, like Sander's Poudre Bulldog or Yuke's "YGF" or the T! or Owl's face (and owl)... So recognizable.

After several frustrating hours, the leaky waders man was born. I added the water ripple marks at his feet. Sara came up with the idea of the design for abstract water on the pants. I added the very very simple fly rod. And just like that, it was completed. My vision had been realized. As Morgan would say, "Boom!"

But that is not where the story ends. It picks up this morning when I was hit unexpectedly with a hilarious realization. My "Leaky Man" is wearing Zubaz. 

As you can see, there is not much difference here. Now, if I remember my 5th grade hockey tourney days correctly, Zubaz were great for wearing over shin pads, sleeping in, and playing shinny hockey in the hotel hallways. They were not great for keeping you dry.... Now that I think of it, they would be a nice base layer beneath some waders....

Now, I will admit, there was a sudden rush of fear, and even embarrassment. I just slow-pitched myself right over the plate for several wisecracks, not that I hadn't already by calling the logo  "the leaky man" (let the enlarged prostate jokes commence), but still. I admit, i worried for a second. 

Then I realized something. I'm in pretty good company with these Zubaz. Some pretty awesome people have been caught wearing these bad boys.  How about that Dan Marino, eh?  He's even bold enough to sport the Zubaz shorts. 

And then, of course, there is John Daly. Any time you can place yourself in the same category as that guy, you can pretty much assume you've reached the pinnacle of success..... Well, maybe....

But really, The Dude wears them.... This logo mishap can't be that bad. Can it?

Well, if you find yourself asking, "Where can I get a pair of these cool, cozy, dare-to-be-different pants? Surely they still don't sell these." You know what, they do still sell them, and you can find them here at the Zubaz website. 

I'm going to go right out there and say it, I support the Leaky Man and his right to sport the Zubaz. I may just have to pick myself up a pair, in blue, of course.

Unseasonably Warm Winter (ie. Spring) Cleaning

I spent the last week reorganizing the garage and tying bench. A local hardware store was selling some old nut and bolt boxes/drawers. 4 for $20. I made the purchase in the hopes that I would begin to organize my tying materials. It is a work in progress, but I think it is a major step in the right direction. The repositioning of the tying bench also allowed me to add a light that will give me much better lighting than I had before.

The new, organized, yet still messy, tying bench.

So Pretty. Same old bucket seat.

So organized.

Fish food.

Lastly, you may notice a change in the header. I wanted to come up with an original and catchy logo. I started with the "MLW" thing last fall. While brainstorming over the winter, my wife helped me come up with a new design. We spent lots of time refining it, and it is finally ready. I am pleased to introduce to you, The Leaky Man :)

"Hello, I'm the Leaky Man."