MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas to all and Happy NEW YEAR....Spring is just around the corner.  See you all at the Fly Fishing Show on Jan. 7,8,9.



HOT MULLED CIDER

·        2 qts. apple cider

·        1/4 cup packed brown sugar

·        1/8 tsp. ground ginger

·        1 orange cut into slices with peel on

·        1 lemon cut into slices with peel on

·        2 cinnamon sticks

·        1 tsp. whole cloves

·        1/2 cup of brandy or apple schnapps

Combine cider, sugar, ginger, lemon and orange in slow cooker. Tie cinnamon and cloves in a small cheesecloth bag; add to crock pot. Cover and cook on low 2 to 4 hours. The entire house will smell great! Remove the bag of spices.  When the cider is finished add a half cup of brandy or apple schnapps.  This will definitely the chill off on the Taylor river in February.

Scottish Oatmeal

Last year at this time, myself, Taylor and our friends, John and Randi Baxter found ourselves in our family's homeland of Scotland.  Scotland in the Fall is spectacular, as are the Rocky Mountains, but in a different way......everyone there wears tweed and drinks single malt.  I did discover, thanks to a wonderful chef at the Hilton in Edinburgh, that many Scots start the day with a wee dram in their oatmeal or porridge for you locals.  I had not done that before, but I certainly do now.  Here's the deal....

Single Malt Oatmeal

Your favorite oatmeal.....NOT Instant if you don't mind.  Old fashioned oats or "rolled oats" are very good, or you can choose steel cut or Irish oats.  Good Scottish oats are hard to come by except for at Whole Foods or other high end supermarkets.  They are milled into Porridge to make them creamy.

Cover with a few toasted walnuts, brown sugar, a bit of pure maple syrup, and a dram of Scotch.  In Scotland, we eat these with a blended scotch such as the Famous Grouse.  In other words, there, they would not waste a drop of single malt on their oats.  Here, since single malt is what I drink, I think a dram or two can be wasted on breakfast.  This is a great start to a fishing day in early November.  Don't overdo the scotch, save that for the river.

Fall Approaches Quickly

I've been working with Taylor on early orders for next year, and have discovered that his buying systems are far superior from what I have always used.  These young businessmen and women are totally focused on making the most from every dollar, while my worthless generation spent everything we could get our hands on.  If I had the time left, I could learn a lot from him, but honestly I'd just rather go fishing.  The stock market tanks and I go fishing.....real estate goes in the crapper and I go fishing. Honestly, it's about the only honest thing I can do.  I may offend some of you, but I have had it with government and I am pretty much conviced that all of them eminate from the backside of an old horse.  Selfish and stupid come to mind most of the time.  I think I'll just go back to voting for someone who has good hair.  I certainly don't have any money left to contribute to the spending madness of these idiots, but I do have enough for a bottle of scotch and a few dry flies.  Fall is the best time of year for us dry fly folks.  The ones with red on them, like a Wulff, Humpy or Trude.  Nice long 15 foot leaders and a grass stick, a good lunch and a good friend can make us all feel like life is worthwhile.  This is what we live for and and always will.  Don't worry so much about  losing all your money, it could be your life.

While you're waiting for the next crisis perpetrated by the Fed, try this great recipe.

Red and Green Cheddar Meatloaf

3 lbs 80/20 Hamburger

1 lb. roasted chopped green chilies

½ lb. cubed sharp cheddar

1 chopped yellow onion

2 cups of bread crumbs

3 eggs

1tbls. Black pepper

1 tsp. salt

1tbls. Worcestershire

1tbls. Cumin

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 cup milk

1 cup of red chili puree

Rehydrate 10 pods of dried red chilies by boiling 4 cups of water and then placing chilies in the water, covering the pan, and turning to the heat to low.  After 10 minutes, take out the chilies, cut the stems off and place them in a blender with 2 cups of the water they were steamed in.  This makes a wonderful chili puree that can be used on top of this meatloaf instead of ketchup.  Mix all the other ingredients together in a large bowl and place the loaf in a greased baking dish.  Cook at 350 for 1 ½ hours.  This meatloaf makes a killer sandwich on Ciabata bread with lettuce and tomato.  Mix a bit of the chili puree with some mayonnaise to make a kicked up spread for the sandwich.

And this for a little fun.......

Chicken Burritos with Black Bean Salsa

Large Burrito size flour tortillas

1 whole roasted chicken ( buy your favorite at the market or roast it yourself)

1 yellow onion (chopped)

1 bunch of green onions (chopped)

2 fresh tomatoes (chopped)

10 cloves of garlic (chopped)

1 Jalapeño (chopped)

1 tablespoon of red Chile powder

1 tablespoon of Comino (Mexican Cumin)

½ lb. of finely grated Monterey Jack cheese

1 can of Bush’s Black Beans

Cup of fresh Cilantro (finely chopped)

Debone the chicken and shred it with a fork.  Sauté the chopped onion and half the garlic, add the red Chile, Comino, and salt/pepper to taste.  Let this mixture cook a few minutes at a low heat and then stir in all the chicken.  Cover and let it simmer while you make the salsa.  In a large mixing bowl, place the Black Beans, cilantro, chopped green onions, the other half of the chopped garlic, the fresh tomatoes, chopped Jalapeño and mix with a fork.  If you want this hotter, add another Jalapeño.   I always do, but I have a stomach that’s used to it.  I like this salsa chilled, so I put it in a plastic covered bowl and put it in the fridge.  Let the chicken mixture cool and place it in a covered plastic bowl as well.  Put these burritos together riverside with the chicken, salsa and cheese.  The chicken is cooked, so if you’re going fishing the next day, refrigerate it and then just allow it to get to room temperature in the car while you’re fishing and then have it for lunch.  If you want it for dinner, keep all the ingredients in the cooler and let them warm up later.  You can also throw the chicken in a skillet to make a hot burrito.  Either way, this beats the heck out of most sandwiches…….especially with a cold Dos Equis Lager. 

A Few More Days Before Runoff

We have had a nice long run of excellent spring fishing this year on the Arkansas.  We still have a few more days even though flows are up a little from lower level snowmelt.  The big melt is still a few days away, so we should do well through the weekend, since Mother Nature is bringing another round of snow to the high country.  I don't know what happened to Global Warming.  I suspect that this is simply springtime in the Rockies.  It's been this way for my 62 years of life......warm in the summer and cold in the winter.  The shoulder seasons are always unpredictible.  However, not being able to predict the weather or haches does not sit well with a few modern fly fishers.  In this age of I Pods, I Phones, I Pads and I Macs and I Can't, we have a bunch of folks who demand that rivers, flies and fish bend to their will.  Thank goodness, it's a very small percentage of the folks who love this sport.  I'm not really sure why a few of these people fly fish in the first place.  They don't seem to be having a good time, which is what I thought it was all about.  Perhaps I just need some time off.  I think I'll go to the river and stand around for a while.  Maybe a fish will rise or a deer will come down to drink and I will remember why I started fly fishing in the first place.  It's really never been about catching fish, It's always been about life and being a part of something greater than civilization, which doesn't impress me much any more. 

Try this big sandwich for a changeup.........

Smoked Salmon BLT with Ancho Chili Mayonnaise

This is a simple, yet beautiful sandwich that can be prepared at home with a great salad, or simply taken to the river with a bag of chips.  Either hot or cold, it is excellent fare.

A large filet of Sockeye Salmon

Salt and pepper

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Crushed Red Chili to taste

Thick sliced, pepper bacon

Iceberg Lettuce

Fresh tomato slices

Fresh Ciabatta bread

1 tablespoon of Ancho chili powder

3 tablespoons of Mayo

Rub the salmon lightly with a sprinkle of sea salt, cracked black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and crushed red chili.  Smoke the salmon filet over alder or cherry for about 1 hour until fork tender yet moist.  You might want to drizzle a little olive oil on the filet before smoking.  I often use a stovetop smoker for this, but if you’re making a lot, then fire up the big boy.  Fry 4 slices of bacon per sandwich and prepare the lettuce leaves and tomato slices (thinner the better).  Butter each side of the Ciabatta bun and lightly toast.  Mix the ancho powder and mayo and build the monster.  I like a sprinkle of salt and pepper on the tomato and I put the mayo mixture on both sides of the bread.

 

Great Spring Fishing and Good Food

Despite heavy winds for the past month, spring fishing has been tremendous.  Right now we are experiencing a smorgasboard of bugs with Golden Stones, BOW larva and emergers, Caddis Pupae and Larva and Adult BWOs and Caddis.  If you can't find something in there to make you happy, you should take up golf.  We don't have a Caddis blow up yet, but it is definitely close and no one really cares because fish production has been terriffic and dry fly fishing late in the day is very, very good with everything from an Elk Hair Caddis to a Royal Wulff.  If you want to add a good entre for lunch on the river try my Mom's fried bologna sandwich and a Lipitor as a side. (Actually a cold Dos XXs is better tasking but the cholesterol drug may be more appropriate.)

Mom’s Fried Bolony Sandwich

This sandwich is not for the weak of heart and may require a couple of Lipitor before eating, but it stills rules the campground lunch menu.

Use toasted white bread…..don’t get cute with the bread thing, stay traditional.  Lightly score the edges of a ½ inch thick piece of all meat bologna and fry it until the edges are brown in an iron skillet.  Use crisp Iceberg Lettuce, slices of fresh tomato, a slice or two of Longhorn cheddar or Tillamook cheddar, salt and pepper on the tomato, and a big dollop of mayonnaise.  A fresh jalapeno or Serrano along with a cold Dos XXs or a big glass of iced tea makes this a lunch you’ll want more than once.

Dry Fly Fishing Here At Last

I am not ashamed to admit that I prefer dry fly fishing to nymphing any day of the week.  I also like wet flies just under the surface, so if a fish is in the top foot of the water column, he's mine.  If he's goes below that, you can have him.  Effectively speaking, that philosophy takes away about 80 % of the fish catching opportunity.  I've been fly fishing 52 years and I know all about fish, especially big fish feeding on or near the bottom and I will readily admit that nymphing is much more productive than surface fishing for that very reason.  I just don't care!  I fish because I enjoy seeing a trout tip it's nose up out of the water and take my fly.  I like to see the spray off the fly line as I lift it slowly to set the hook.  Without that, I'm missing something.  I don't mind fishing #24 dry flies as opposed to big ones; it's the take that's stunning.  So now we enter my season, the season of top water feeding and I'm a happy man.  Watching a trout rise is one of the most artful events of nature.  I literally live for it.  You may think I'm a sick man and I probably am.  I am convinced that God made trout to rise and he made single malt scotch for me to sip while I watch.

Make it to spring with Mexican Bar b Que

As per request, here is one of the tastiest things I cook and it is perfect for fly fishing trips.

Barbacoa

Three pound boneless chuck roast

Three tablespoons red chili powder (heat determined by you, I like Hatch hot.  All the chili I use can be

                                                            purchased at www.thechilishop.com in Santa Fe.)

One tablespoon onion powder

One tablespoon garlic powder

One tablespoon Cumino (Mexican Cumin)

One small can of Chipotle in Adobo sauce

One teaspoon sea salt

One teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Barbacoa can be prepared a hundred different ways just like our Barbeque.  This recipe is one done in a crock pot that I came up with about 25 years and it’s not appreciably different that those that take a day to prep and a day to cook.  Prepare a dry rub with the chili, onion powder, garlic powder, Cumino, salt, and pepper.  Massage the roast with the rub until it is bright red.  Wrap the roast in plastic wrap and then in aluminum wrap and put it in the fridge for two or three days.  When you’re ready to cook it, pour two cups of water in your crock pot and put the roast in it.  Cover the top of the roast with the Chipotles and turn it on low for about 10 hours.  Pull the beef with two forks and serve it in tortillas, with eggs, on a piece of bread or straight up with a cold beer of choice.

Chicken Cordon Bleu on the Grill

Chicken Cordon Bleu with Portabella Sauce

With Roasted

Yellow Squash, Onions and Red Peppers

Boneless Chicken Breasts

Tillamook Swiss Cheese Slices

Black Forest ham

Salt and Pepper

Sliced Baby Portabellas

½ chopped onion

4 chopped cloves garlic

1 cup of white wine

1 cup chicken stock

Yellow Squash

Red Onion

Red Bell peppers

To make the chicken, cut a pocket in the narrow end of the breast without cutting through the sides.  Stuff the pocket with small pieces of cheese and ham, closing the end with a toothpick.  Grill on a hot surface to protect juices.  Slice the portabellas, onion, and garlic and sauté them in olive oil until glazed, then pour in the stock and wine and let simmer.  Simply slice the squash, onions, and peppers and place them on a cookie sheet.  Salt and pepper to taste and brush with a light coating of olive oil.  Cook them in a 400 degree oven uncovered until tender.  I like this dish served with cornbread stuffing or mashed potatoes. 

Denver Fly Fishing Show.....One of the Best Ever

We just returned from the Denver Fly Fishing Show and I can honestly say that except for the Sunday snow day, it was one of the best crowds ever.  Larry, Taylor and I have full houses in our destination presentations as well as our seminars.  People spent money, booked trips and seemed to have a great time.  It's always hard to say what bearing economic conditions have on shows like this, but from what I saw, folks are tired of being down and out and want to get outside and fish.  Granted, unfortunately lots of people are still out of work, but this crowd seemed to reject that as an issue.  I talked to folks who hadn't worked in over a year, but they scraped up the entry ticket and came to enjoy the seminars and talk about fly fishing.  The ones who did have jobs spent money.  I am not an economist and don't really know what to make of the deal, but all I know is that even the people without work were happy and that says a lot for our sport.  I have used fly fishing to get through all kinds of speed bumps in my life and I think we are all doing just that.  Rivers and fish are an indication that God gives us much more than money to make our lives worth living......perhaps doing without so much cash helps us understand that even more.  The old year is over and spring is right around the corner.  Stoneflies in the Arkansas will begin molting in 5 or 6 weeks.  That should give me time to get a few nymphs tied up if I don't procrastinate too much.  If I do procrastinate and drink too much single malt, I'll just depend on my Gonzo Compadre, Larry Kingrey to tie some for me.  They'd be 10 times better than mine anyway.  Thank God he works for food  (and drink).