I apologize

I have to apologize to the small but dedicated fan base I have. I have been very busy and obviously completely neglected this blog. I'm going to try to give you an update from my life between the last post and today. Puh! here we go. Let me first begin with the picture above. I much rather be fishing and I can't wait until I will be standing in that picture.

As for my life. After the Little River Clean up in November we did a Turkey Creek clean up in Knoxville. We (the FFF club in Knoxville) and Izaak Walton League of America with their local chapter, cleaned up trash along Turkey Creek in the remaining wetland around the development. It was a cold and crispy day but we had a good time. Then a week or so later my wife and I went to see a movie she heard a lot about. "Happy Go Lucky" is the title of it and let me put it this way. I lasted ten minutes before I had to go to the car. My wife came out after another twenty minutes or sol It was pure awful.

Around the house I did some leaf clean up in my yard. I put in a toilet in our master bedroom around Thanksgiving. My wife went to her parents and I stayed around the house doing chores.

I have finally finished my Icelandic crime novel in Swedish translation. It was by my favorite crime writer Arnaldur Indridason. The book "Arctic Chill" should be coming stateside soon if it's not already here. I have begun another Swedish crime novel this week. Kjell Eriksson's "Den Upplysta Stigen" which is his first crime novel from 1999. He wrote a few regular novels before this one but this is his first crime novel. A couple of his books are translated in to english. I personally liked "The Princess of Burundi" which is not about a princess and not about the country of Burundi. He He.

I have tied some flies for my fishing this spring, but I have a long way to go. Mostly I've been tying Zebra Midges with Bead Heads. Lisa my wife and I went to see the latest Bond finally. It was okay but no way near "Casino Royale". I can recommend "Quantum of Solace anyway, for pure adrenaline fun.

This upcoming holiday, probably will be spent at home. We are old and tired and our partying days are over. I might tie some flies and I'm looking forward to my wife's Beef Stew for tomorrow night.

I'm planning on going to see Clint Eastwood's latest "Gran Torino" when it comes out next week.
I'm thinking this is all the important stuff, fishing is on the back burner for me and I'm hoping to do some winter hikes in a few weeks. Until next time bare with me.....

Hello again. It's cold and dreary this morning. We (Federation of Fly fisher in Knoxville) together with TU in Maryville and others cleaned up the riverbanks through Townsend yesterday. It was cold and rainy but not too bad after all. We had a good turnout and the food afterward was great.

I'm trying to finish up Stieg Larsson's book "The Girl With The Dragoon Tattoo" it is pretty good. I also watched two swedish movies yesterday. "Predikanten" by Camilla Läckberg and Martina Haag's "Underbar och Älskad av alla". The first one was an ordinary police drama and the second one a feel good comedy by director Hannes Holm in Sweden. I liked it pretty good. I'm not keen on writing reviews but if you like a somewhat funny and silly comedy you would like this one. It is probably not available through the ordinary distribution channels in the U.S. I got my copy from my mom in Sweden and it's a PAL version region 2. It will only play on a dvd with a region free seeting and converter built in.

I met up with a coworker today, Greg, to fish the Clinch River at Massengill area. It was cold and dreary. I got there at 11 Am and decided to fish a tandem nymph rig. I used a PT BH size 14 with a tied in midge olive BH 20 on the bend. I caught my first Brook Trout ever on the Clinch. A small 6" fish. Greg joined me for a while and we pretty much decide to quit at 1 AM. It was just too cold and nothing biting. We went to Clinton to do some bargain shopping at "Hammers' discount store. Got home pretty early and took a nap. Wow an exciting Sunday. LOL

Well, it's been another week. Work and more work. I guess I should be happy I have a job in these trying times. I have begun reading the first book in Stieg Larsson's "Millenium" trilogy. It's taking off good. The writing is flowing and I guess the translation is pretty good. I'm reading it in English. It is originally published in Sweden. The sad part is that the author passed away of an apparent heart attack at age 50 in 2004. They are now supposedly filming the first book in Sweden.

I haven't fished much lately but I am planning on a trip tomorrow to Clinch River with a coworker. It's supposed to be high fifties in the afternoon. I guess midges will be the ticket. We (Lisa and I, which is my wife by the way) decided to watch an old Swedish classic movie. Göta Kanal, from 1981. This is one of those eighties comedies from Sweden that were so huge. It has not aged well and it is no way near Lasse Åberg material, but fun anyway. One of my all time favorite actors Jan Carlsson, more popularly known as "Loffe" is the lead. He is just so goofy. I feel he has taken a lot fo heat for his somewhat bad performances in Swedish television game shows from the eighties. The guy is pretty funny in movie though. Check out "Jordgubbar med riktig mjölk" from 2001 as well as "Svenska Hjältar from 1997. Not much else to report. I will remain.

I guess it's time for some updates. I have tried to read some books and it's going slow. I'm currently reading an English translation of "Karin Alvtegen's" "Missing". It is pretty good and as I understand it they are working on filming it. As for fishing. Went a couple of hours with Pineman last Sunday to Holston at Nances Ferry. Got skunked. Water temp at 66 degrees. Did a nice hike today with a coworker and her boyfriend. We went to Rainbow Falls in the Cherokee Orchard Area outside Gatlinburg. A very nice and warm day. Unfortunately the drought is causing the creeks to dry up. In this case LeConte Creek. A nice day and maybe I will go fishing tomorrow although I'm supposed to clean the house. Easy choice heh?

Had a decent day on South Holston yesterday with Pete from Maryville. We made it up to the dam area at about 11 AM. The morning began with small olive zebra midges in size 20 dropped behind an indicator dry. I managed to catch a few small ones and then finally this fighter. A very nice 13" Rainbow. It was not easy fishing but it began to pick up on top at about 1 PM when the fish started taking Sulphur Dun's. I caught another bow in the 12" range and missed a couple of browns. Managed a half a dozen fish after a tough day. The weather was great and the fall is definitely here. I have had four days off from work and it has been great. I actually fished the South Holston together with another friend from Bluff City, TN. Mike and I fished a lower spot on the river and it was a cold and dreary day. I caught 10 fish but no size to them although they were mostly browns. Back to work tomorrow.

I'm back from a long day on the South Holston tailwater in upper East TN. It was a drizzle and cold all day. I managed to catch a dozen fish all below 11". My friend who I met up with for the first time today caught more but probably none much bigger. It was midging in the morning and Sulphur dries in the PM. Got home right at 7 PM. I had a day off from work. I'm not going back until Tuesday. I might do another trip in a day or two. My fishing season is winding down. I have fished with a couple of new people lately and it's always fun and interesting to getting to know fellow fly fishers.

No other news right now, worn out and tired going to bed.

Slickrock Creek, NC Saturday Oct 11, 2008

What a day. It was a full day for sure. I went with a new friend from an online fly fishing board. We decided on hiking in a couple of mile to some rugged waters in Joyce Kilmer Wilderness in NC. It was a muggy day for being October and the first highlight of the day was spotting a bald eagle cruising over our heads. We didn't do well when it comes to the fishing part but we got a good work out or at least I did. I was substantially in a lot worse shape than my buddy. We ended our day on another stream in NC and the second highlight for me was to spot one of the biggest black bears I have ever seen. I wasn't quick enough with my camera and the bear was staring at me a little too long for my comfort so I decided on backing off in order to not make the situation in to a situation of you know what I mean! All in all a nice day but fishing was slow. Oh well, you can't have it all I guess.

No news on books, movies or anything else right now, I got a call from a friend in Sweden which is always nice and I just found out that my darn ac unit is frozen up again. It's october for heaven's sake. I'm just leaving it until spring. I have to try to charge it up again since I can't afford to replace it just yet.

Got a phone call from my friend pineman somewhere in the backcountry of the smokies. He was all excited since he managed to roll and stag a handful of feisty brown trout today. This on a size 12 female para adams dry. He was so darn excited that I couldn't help but getting a little jealous.

Exciting news, St Croix is bringing back their best and nicest rods (sorry Neal) both for budgetary reasons and for the feel of it all. THE ST CROIX IMPERIAL is back man! From what it looks they might even be built in the good ole' U.S.A. Two exciting things in one day. Can't wait to get back to the streams and rain is coming tonight. YIPEEEE!

Short Camping Trip at Elkmont

Went to Elkmont for some camping with a coworker Saturday. My friend had managed to get a real good spot at the campground in the Smokies. We fished a little on Saturday afternoon but the river was extremely low due to the ongoing drought. I had a couple of strikes but gave up after a couple of hours. My buddy didn't fare much better either. We enjoyed an evening at the campfire with hot dogs and chili and made an early departure for Knoxville on Sunday. Back at work today and it was a slow Monday. Watched a movie last week called "Run Fat Boy Run" with the always hilarous Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. If you love Simong Pegg you'll like this movie. Although "Shawn of The Dead" was better but "Run Fat Boy Run" was better than "Hot Fuzz" in my opinion.

Went back to Clinch

I haven't fished in a month so it was nice to be back on the river. Fishing was not easy today and when I got there I was the only fisherman on the rive. I fished the jail area in Clinton. After about half an hour or so six other fishermen had made their way out on the river. The air temp was very comfortable and fall is finallyhere. I managed to catch 5 Rainbows and 1 Brown. The biggest fish was a 10 inch bow. They took a small bh midge in size 20 (black). I only fished for three hours. Man I can tell how out of shape I am after a month of couch potato living.

I watched a documentary on the Third Reich and their ideals relating to various forms of art. Name of the flick "The Architecture of Doom". I tried to watch a Norwegian move "Zero Kelvin" but gave up, it was awful. I'm currently reading Arnaldur Indridason "Arctic Chill" which so far is outstanding. That's it for now. Next weekend I will be in Elkmont hopefully doing some fishing.

Not doing much

I have been on the lazy side when it comes to outdoor pursuits. I have been waiting on colder temps and I guess they are finally here. I don't have that excuse anymore. I'm going to Elkmont to camp on October 4. I'm supposed to camp with a coworker. We are planning on hiking upstream to do some fishing.

I have been contemplating a camping trip up to north east of TN but since we haven't gotten any rain I don't know if it's worth it. I might do a tail water run instead.

I have finished reading a book by one of my favorite authors from Finland " Arto Paasilinna". He is not widely known in the U.S. I think his most famous work which is translated in to the English language is The Year of the Hare. It was a good book and was also made in to a movie in 1977 I think. This later book which I read in a Swedish translation "Snablar" wasn't that good. In fact it was the first of his many books I didn't really like.

I watched a movie with my wife last night. "Married Life " with Chris Cooper and Patricia Clarkson. I love Chris but he couldn't save this movie. It was a bore. I have also seen one Finnish movie by Auki Kaurasmaki who is somewhat of a cult director in Finland. The movie named "Lights in the dusk" in Finnish was very bleak and dull. It takes a lot for me to like a movie nowadays. I'm eagerly waiting on Ed Harris's new movie "Appaloosa" and the new Bond. Hopefully they won't disappoint. Until then I will remain.

Family Day at Dollywood Sept 13, 2008.

My wife Lisa and yours truly in second row. I'm about to loose my innards.

Update

It's been a long silence on here. I have a good reason for it. My parents from Sweden was here visiting with us for 11 days. We mainly visited local restaurants and did one day trip up to Watauga lake and South Holston lake. We also visited some friends and did a quick downtown Knoxville trip to the Mast Store and the Farmers Market on Market Square. It was a lovely visit but bittersweet as the goodbye is not easy. I had not seen my dad since the fall of 2005. I hope it won't be that long this time around.

We have had a nice day at Dollywood today courtesy of my employer. They provide a yearly outing for the employee's and it's always lovely. We also managed to squeeze in a visit to the movies last night. I'm a fan of the Coen Brothers so we had to see "Burn After Reading". It was awesome. The movie has somewhat of a similar feel as "The Big Lebowski". It's a nice spoof of the intelligence and general craziness in D.C. Anyway, I'm glad the Coen's are back in form after some uneven movies in recent years. I was not a big fan of "No Country For Old Men" and I couldn't stand "Intolerable Cruelty".

I have not been able to fish lately so not much on that. I might get back in to the fishing by next weekend if I can manage to fix a plumbing problem, I'm having at the house.

More later.....................

Busy Weekend

This past weekend was real busy. I'm preparing for my parents visit from Sweden. I haven't seen dad since 2005 so it's exciting. We are going to take if mostly easy and maybe do a few day trips.

I washed my car, cleaned house and washed windows. I did the grass and watered the shrubs. I even got to fish the Clinch on Saturday morning. I caught and released about 9 rainbows. The biggest was 13" and took a small black midge beadhead. The water was bone chilling cod at 53 degrees.

Good Fishing on Clinch Today

I didn't get up early this morning, didn't feel real well. I'm glad I decided to go anyway, since I caught two good sized Rainbow Trout today. One was 14", and the other 15", and they both took a size 20 BH black midge. I managed to catch a dozen fish and lost a handful of others. It was a nice day and a little bit crowded. The heat wasn't too oppressive.

Slow Saturday

Called mom and dad back in Sweden today, not much going on there either. They are coming for a visit in a couple of weeks. I'm trying not to have a too full of a program or schedule for them. It always seem like I plan too much and it all becomes a disaster. I'm not fishing today, might hop over to the Clinch in the morning.

Saw an awful movie the other day. The only reason I got it was the fact that one of my favorite actors "Forrest Whittaker was in it. The name of the flick! Vantage Point. I think the bad acting and the confusing ending was a bore.

Anyway, not much to update. More later.

Deep Purple

No No No, I have just rediscovered the "Fireball album from 1971" What a gem. The Demon's Eye song on the remastered disk is plain old awesome.



Other music I have listened to lately, Mudcrutch, Tom Petty's latest project. Very traditional and shall we say a little on the dull side.



Deep Purples remastered "Stormbringer" is okay. The sound is still not up to todays standards. I guess you can only do so much with poor master tapes . The standout is "Soldier of Fortune".



Btw, what a lovely magazine Blue Ridge Country is. I am lost in its magic at the moment.

Tour of Western NC

Took a drive around western NC yesterday. Decided to fish a couple of small streams in the park and in between I did some sightseeing. I stopped at the Nantahala Whitewater section to snap this picture. Looks like fun. I had a nice afternoon but the fish were on the small side today.

Slow fishing today

Went to the park today to find the main stream of Little River on the high and muddy side. Decided to fish a feeder and caught one small brown and anothe small rainbow. Both on a tan caddis 14. I noticed some Yellow Sally's coming off but no real risers due to the extreme high water. Water temp was a cool 63 degrees.

I have listened to Whitesnake's latest Good to be Bad and John Hiatt's latest "Same Old Man" and I have to say Whitesnake is better than ever but John is in a rut. He is never bad but his rocking days seem to be over. More later.....

Welcome to my blog. I'm intending this to be a blog about mainly my fishing trips, and to a lesser extent my thoughts on certain music, movies, and books etc. I will not update every day and I will emphasize quality over quantity.