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plastic linguini on steriods. photo by Al Q.

Every now and then my running line has a bad hair day. It can be because I didn’t clean it the night before or maybe I didn’t stretch it real good. All I know is that this usually is part of the shooting head game and I usually manage to work it out.  I had one the other day that looked like a geometric nightmare, the more I played with it the worse it got. When this happens you have to chill, and go zen on the beast. Take a deep breath, methodically pull your loose loops through and try to unravel any line twists. Go nice and easy, never pull hard or it will compress into a ball of confusion. So this is what they mean when they say fisherman have patience, now i get it.

fisheye (no pun intended) pic by Al Q.

I got this magnetic fisheye lens from photojo online. i had to do a little modification on the metal “O” ring that you need to attach to the phone so your lens can magnetically connect. I used my hand dremel to cut the ring so the flash would not be covered. I have a iphone 3G not a 4G. The supplied rings come with an adhesive back. I removed it and just used clear silicone to attach the ring to my phone. That seemed to do the trick. The lens cost around $20 and is a great and inexpensive way to add a fisheye to your iphone. They had some others as well including a wide angle and a telephoto.

the wonderful under water world of Charley Harper's illustrations

One of my favorite all time graphic illustrators!

Click here to learn more about Charley’s Story!

Al Q casting in Santa Monica bay at sunrise. Photo by Bernard Yin. Click for larger view.

Sometimes after I return from a fishing session I can be totally rewarded by a great photo to remember that perfect moment. I often do not measure the success of a day on the water by how many fish I catch. It can just be about quality time with friends, a beautiful sunrise or sunset, or just time to yourself to collect your thoughts and become a whole person again. Fly fishing the surf does all these things for me and more. Every day on the water is a gift I never take for granted.

sculpin fly at the ready. 2012 © photo by Al Q

Winter Calicos tend to stay deep due to the cold water temps. They don’t like to move far from their comfort zones either, so putting the fly the right depth in the right zone can make the difference in a good day or a slow day. The takes are very slow. A tick, tick, maybe a small bump is all you will get. The fish will often nose the fly before committing to the buffet. But when they do and you set up on them it is game on. Holding these fish off their ambush zones is the key to landing them. Give them an inch and you are done. All my larger fish never landed on the reel, they are all caught by clamping down on the cork grip holding the fly line tight and maintaining full pressure to control their attempt at getting back to their rock, pipe or buoy line.

a sculpin's revenge. 2012 © photo by Al Q

the shimmy fly! © 2011 photo by Al Q

Here’s a nice step by step John Frazier, editor of Fly Fishing In Saltwaters just put together for the new Dec/Jan issue. I have been experimenting around with this fly for a few years now and I am happy with it’s popping on a single strip and movement underwater when stripped continuously. Click here for the video!