“The heart of man determines his path, but the Lord establishes his steps.” - Proverbs 16:9 Now that 2021 has closed, and we look forward to all that 2022 will bring, may we consider our choice of paths, who we journey with, and where we journey to. May it be a year filled with wander …
Author: Blaine Emery
I have spent my life seeking the old ways where things are pure and unspoiled. As much as life allows, you will not find me unless you look on a hidden mountain stream in West Virginia or on some desolate mountain in Wyoming. You can also follow some of my exploits on Twitter @WVPackHunter
The Traditional Thread that Binds
The Traditional Way… It’s been a long off-season, but it has not been a season off. I stopped trout fishing back when the temps were in the 90’s and the rain had ceased falling, so I guess that was around the Dog Days of Summer. Fishing conditions were restored by early October, but I was …
Buoy Ten
There is an imaginary demarkation where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean, marked by a floating red buoy known by locals as Buoy Ten. On a hot day in late August, to the west side of this you will find calm, peaceful water. To the east…. chaos. The ocean-side of Buoy #10 is a …
Between the Moments….
We live between the moments. They surround us. Each day we are presented with the simple, yet emphatic question: what will I do today? The day passes slowly; The years pass quickly. One day we awake… and we are older. What did we do with the moments that we had? ….yet you do not know …
Fatherhood and Brook Trout
… the visions that we leave The fog clung tight to the water, as the run poured over moss-covered rock. The hemlock and birch along the banks crowded over us, making it hard for the sunlight to stream through. To look up or downstream you found yourself leaning forward, head up, eyes squinting, straining… trying …
The Seamless Drift
“I’ve seen good drifts; I’ve seen not so good drifts; and I’ve seen great drifts.” - my good friend John S. on the art of presentation. Seamless - smooth and continuous, with no apparent gaps or spaces between one part and the next. Ask a great fly fisherman what makes the difference between catching some …
Red-Letter Days…
Moments of perfection The practice of designating days, words, or letters of great significance as red-letter days goes back to early 500’s AD. I never really looked into this before, thought about it, or even noticed it - even though it was always there... my red-letter Bible with the words of Jesus in red, a …
Ends of the Earth
“...Oh, theres a river that winds on forever; I’m gonna see where it leads...” the opening lyrics to Lord Huron’s Ends of the Earth. This river is the Crooked River, Oregon. I have a problem. Admittedly, it is a problem. I say this as I rest my feet after walking nearly five miles out of …
Ageless, Lonely, and Beautiful
In Appalachia, sometimes lines on a map are nothing more than that, and the personality of the region spills-over.
Confounded Waters
West Virginia...the heart of Appalachia, with its people, culture, history, and contradiction; tied together by ridge-top and stream.
Moments
Wild Trout Stream, West Virginia There is a scene in Peaky Blinders when Thomas says “There is nothing wrong with me...this is just me having a conversation about myself with myself.” A wonderful verbalization of the inability to get out of one’s own head. To turn the noise of the world off; To not think. …
Rainbows in Winter
Wild West Virginia Rainbow The Rainbow - the symbol renewal; The promise of change and hope. In the grey depths of winter, in the shadows of worry and fear, through the heavy burden of difficulty; what could be more fitting? And so from the chill we emerge, and we return to wild places, to unspoiled …
Seasons
I haven’t fished in over twelve weeks... not since my son (and fishing partner) left for the Army, and my life quickly filled with work obligations, home chores, and hunting seasons. As late summer changed to fall, I was forced to choose between pursuing brook trout or pursuing meat for my freezer. The deeper I …
Sunset on many trout streams.
There are moments in life where we pause and we take it all in. Those times where we sit down on the tailgate after removing our boots, pour a lid of luke-warm coffee from this morning’s thermos, and for a moment we just consider the day. I had one of those moments last October. Standing …
…beside the still waters
Sometimes it is only when we look back that we fully understand. It is only the perspective of “the rest of the story...” that allows us to fully appreciate the Hand of God in our lives. And so it was for me this summer. I spent the better part of June and half of July …
Always look up…
Grant County, WV Always look up, or you will have nothing but snags. Trout in the morning sunlight Slow down and be willing to wait for clarity, or you will have wasted effort. North Mountain, Pendleton County, WV Every part of the stream is different, yet connected, so be willing to adapt, but never abandon …
Blue Line Sanctuary
The more I seek out new brook trout streams, the more I am amazed at the beauty of these places. The best places are often not ones you find on state game and fish websites or that you hear people talk about. They certainly are not the ones where you see half a dozen cars …
What we gain…
Loon Lake, Adirondack Park Having just returned from a week mostly isolated from the world in the Adirondacks, I have given considerable thought to the fish I did not catch. We got skunked on the West Branch of the AuSable, I caught what seemed to be the only brook trout in the upper East Branch …
North Country Radio
East Fork Sacandaga River, NY Driving down a country road in the Adirondacks, window down, seventy degrees, North Country Public Radio in the speakers, listening the the Dean’s List radio show playing some old school acoustic indie-rock style music... I felt like I had traveled back in time. I love moments like that. I had …
Transitions
As I reflect over the last ten days, the common theme is the transitions that life requires us to make as we travel along our path. 2020 has been a bizarre year, but history is full of years and periods of years much more tumultuous than ours. The key is how we navigate these waters. …
Appalachian Mountain Brookies 