The Pink Salmon Ranchers 2:30 AM (10 hours ago)
I enjoyed this episode of The DrakeCast podcast very much. I think you will too. It’s about the stocking of salmon in Alaska, the impact on the ecosystem, and other facts and miscellany. Rather than a typical “interview style” podcast (there is a tiny bit of that at the end), It’s actually a print article read aloud by author George Rogers, a writer who splits his time guiding in Alaska and teaching in New York state. Give it a listen.
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Following Along with Fontinalis Rising 19 Oct 2:30 AM (4 days ago)
At times it makes me a little sad that blogging isn’t much of a “thing” anymore. Sure, there are still really good blogs out there to read, (even good fishing blogs). For example check out the Good Reads links in my site navigation for some standouts.
I am really happy that Jason Tucker decided to regularly chronicle his 2025 Hunting Journal over at his Fontinalis Rising Substack. While hunting isn’t my outdoors passion, I’ve been enjoying the frequent updates from Jason and following along on an almost daily basis, kind of like the good old days.
Interested? Check out Jason’s hunting journal, the posts are listed on the FR Afield section of his site. And if you haven’t subscribed, feel free to do that too. Registering for a free Substack account is worth your time. The platform hosts the writing of a bunch of familiar faces.
Maybe some of Jason’s energy will translate here and I can get my mojo back too. I’ve admittedly fallen off with my writing at Troutrageous! since the summer.
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Almost Bought a Dog 12 Oct 2:30 AM (11 days ago)
My wife & daughter like to go to thrift and antique stores. I typically do not. Actually, antique stores are a bit more tolerable than thrift stores, so when I was lured into a trip to a Jacksonville antique shop by the promise of pizza afterward, I bit.
While they looked at fabric, VHS tapes, and other dusty and discarded oddities. I went to look at the books in the back.
Don’t know what I figured I’d find, but nestled inconspicuously between a surprising amount of Chinese themed books, I located the only two fishing books.
One book branded by Orvis. Another published by a company called Orbis. That’s kinda strange, right?
I didn’t buy them. I don’t really need either. The old Tom Rosenbauer book was a little interesting, but I know the info in that has been expanded and improved by more recent releases. And The New Compleat Angler, it’s just not for me, other than maybe for decorative purposes.
I don’t think I could re-sell either for much more than the $7.50 price tag on each. At least not enough to make it worth my while. I don’t want to add “thrift store flipper” to my list of half-baked hobbies anyway.
But if you want them, they’re there. Or, should I say, here.
The only thing I even contemplated purchasing what this photo of a dog with… I don’t know… a hiking staff? A fishing rod? A shillelagh? It just temporarily tickled my fancy. I could envision it as a good office companion. Maybe next time.
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THE TROUT DEPARTMENT (TTD) 2 Oct 2:30 AM (21 days ago)
The last two-ish weeks have been hectic. A whirlwind even. All is settled now, but things were a little dicey there for a hot minute. Legitimate turbulence in important things, such as gainful employment and the physical health of multiple family members all seemed to combine into one stress-inducing cocktail. Definitely shaken, not stirred.
Needless to say fishing (& fishing blogging) had also taken a back seat. I even cancelled a western North Carolina fishing trip I had planned that was to start today. Just not the best time to go off-grid…
So instead, I’m going to take a few minutes out of my day to live vicariously through THE TROUT DEPARTMENT (TTD)… It’s a new YouTube channel that I’ve found to be quite fun. Only one video so far, but it’s a bit of lo-fi, retro tech mixed with interesting small stream story telling, oh, with a governmental agency slant to it.
Don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to more “research” from TTD. At least before the government shuts it down…
Enjoy! 
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Pheasant Tail Simplicity 14 Sep 2:30 AM (last month)
Whether you know it yet or not, I’m guessing the landslide of “fly fishing press” will be coming in short order regarding Yvon Chouinard, Craig Mathews, and Mauro Mazzo’s latest book, “Pheasant Tail Simplicity: Recipes and Techniques for Successful Fly Fishing.” So folks at Patagonia, consider this some additional free advertising you didn’t even ask for.
See, Yvon Chouinard is a huge proponent of the pheasant tail pattern, with stories being that he successfully used it as his only fly for an entire season of fishing, regardless of location or species. Personally, as a tenkara guy I can appreciate the “one fly” approach as a way to really hone your technique as opposed to trying to always match the hatch as a solve to catch fish. Although I’ll admit to not being overly dogmatic when it comes to my personal fly selection.
Anyway, as I was scrolling my YouTube subscriptions yesterday, I couldn’t help but notice all the new “pheasant tail” content being dropped all in one shot on the Patagonia feed. Like a LOT of it. Like a double or triple shot. Maybe 20 or so videos, including fly recipes and how to fish them, with possibly more to come.
(I believe they were all dumped at once because they tie back to QR codes printed in the book itself, video reference material to the content on the pages. I put together two playlists, this one, and this one with the videos I’ve seen published to date.)
And then sure enough, a quick Instagram scroll later, there was a post advertising the new book. Algorithm at work? Possibly, but not a coincidence I’m sure.
And fear not, if you don’t tie your own flies, looks like Patagonia has also taken this opportunity to not only offer the book, but a companion assortment of pheasant tail flies as well. I mean, how could they not?
While you might interpret some of the commentary above to be a bit snarky towards Patagonia, it’s actually the opposite. I love this style of deeply immersive content, and they are very good at it. I’m one of those people who prefers to hyperfocus and do deep dives into subjects, rather than simply graze. So Patagonia’s pheasant tail opus is right up my alley. I’ll probably end up buying the book, but I’m definitely going to watch the video content too. Check it out yourself!
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Teddy Roosevelt’s Kids and Their Insane Quest To Kill a Giant Panda – The MeatEater Podcast 11 Sep 2:30 AM (last month)
I don’t hunt, but do listen to the MeatEater podcast pretty frequently. I picked up the habit all the way back during COVID, and just enjoy the banter between the “regulars” and their guests. Most of the topics tend to skew towards general outdoors rather than just hunting, and more than a few are also historical in nature. On most occasions it’s an engaging and entertaining listen that helps long spells in the car or the evening walk around the neighborhood go by faster.
(That said, I might enjoy the Bear Grease podcast even more than the MeatEater flagship).
But this week’s MeatEater episode was strangely interesting to me, besides the sorta click-bait title. Although, let’s be honest, once you listen to the podcast, you quickly learn that the title’s not being sensational in any way.
I mean, (one degree of separation from) one of my favorite historical figures, Theodore Roosevelt… goofball panda bears… and a far flung “expedition” in remote & foreign lands. First off, who knew? And second, what’s not to like?
I watched this podcast on my living room TV after work on Tuesday, and my innocent bystander wife, K.C., kind of got pulled in to this strange story too. Give it a watch (or listen), I’m sure you’ll enjoy it too!
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Red Spots & Blue Halos 9 Sep 2:30 AM (last month)
A new blog you say?
In this day of short-form social media, you don’t hear much about folks starting up new blogs anymore. Especially those that focus on writing. But my friend Bill Holleran is doing just that.
Welcome Red Spots & Blue Halos!
According to the site’s subtitle, Bill’s new blog is, “Where wild brook trout streams meet quiet reflection,” and I’m here for it.
For those that don’t know Bill, he’s a Massachusetts-based angler with an affinity for wild fish, especially brook trout. In fact, when Bill started his tenkara rod business, he named it Red Brook Tenkara after the Massachusetts “salter” stream, home to sea-run brook trout.
He’s also the guy who introduced me to all the wonderful fishing opportunities New Hampshire has to offer through his White Mountains Tenkara Campout.
While Troutrageous! doesn’t have the readership of year’s past and it’s been a hot minute since I’ve given out any “blog love”, if you’re here reading this, please check out Bill’s writing. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
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Work, Water, and a Few Wild Trout 7 Sep 2:30 AM (last month)
The Trade
Thursday, August 28th. I was just about ready to leave the office for the day when one of my co-workers popped his head in the door.
“Did you see it?”
A lot of potential things rushed to mind, but I was drawing a definitive blank.
Then he said, “Micah Parsons got traded to the Packers.“
F*ck.
ESPN Sources: Cowboys are trading three-time All-Pro LB Micah Packers to the Green Bay Packers.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 28, 2025
Parsons and the Packers already have reached agreement on a four-year, $188 million contract. @DavidMulugheta of @Athletesfirst had a hand in the trade and ultimately negotiating the… pic.twitter.com/Hznxabll0P
In my line of work, reacting to what the sports fan wants quickly comes with the territory. In this case, when a top five defensive player in the NFL gets traded to a team with an outsized and loyal fan base, I envisioned spending the next 24-48 hours figuring out how to get thousands of Micah Parsons Green Bay Packers jerseys printed up and ready for sale.
The problem was, I was headed to the Smokies on Friday for what I hoped would be a work-free Labor Day weekend. Those two things had the potential to not mix well and I could feel the stress building inside me. I didn’t sleep easy that night.
The Road Trip
Luckily, nothing motivates people more than the potential infringement of work upon their long weekends, so I was not the only one laser focused to knock this fairly important task off the to-do list ASAP. The team rallied over the course of Thursday evening and Friday morning and jerseys & t-shirts were available for Packers fans to purchase around 11 AM on Friday. A huge relief, and a big win for those who had weekend plans for their final NFL-free weekend of 2025.
Now, all that extra afterhours work didn’t really allow me much time to give any dedicated thought to packing. But I was able to steal 10 minutes or so to haphazardly toss some clothes and fishing gear in a bag and throw it in the car. Yeah, I later found that I forgot some things that I would have liked to have at hand, but nothing mission critical to enjoying a weekend of trout fishing in Cherokee.
3:30 PM on Friday, car now loaded, I headed north on I-95, 26, & finally west on 40 to western North Carolina, relieved I wouldn’t have to deal with any work hijinks. Unless of course there was another last minute trade or something brewing. But despite me nervously checking my work emails and ESPN app every 15 minutes of the 8 hour drive, nothing else materialized. As I laid down my head on the surprisingly plump pillows of the bed in my room at the Great Smokies Inn, I let out a big exhale, I was finally in the clear.
Saturday on the Straight
The weather forecast in Cherokee called for rain on Sunday, so I wanted to make the most out of Saturday. It was going to be a “tenkara day”, fishing one of my favorite smaller streams just inside the Park boundaries.
When I arrived, I didn’t expect the gate beyond the parking area to be closed. I’ve never seen it closed before. But this was the first time I returned to this area since Hurricane Helene, and either the remnants of that, or a simply brutal winter and spring must have wreaked havoc on the forest service road that runs alongside the water. I found it to be completely washed out in several places, and those stretches that survived had very deep and uneven grooves etched into the mix of clay and gravel surface.
Normally, you could continue driving on the service road back and in a few miles utilizing one of the many pull-offs along the way to start fishing, but with the locked gate I’d have to hike in on foot. Honestly, it was probably a bit of a blessing, as for a Labor Day weekend, there were surprisingly few cars in the lot. Maybe 3 or 4 total including mine, and at least one of those folks was mountain biking, not fishing. I suppose most anglers are probably on the lazy side when it comes to hiking a mile or two before starting to fish. Especially when the fish are likely going to be small. Hopefully their loss was my gain.
A Nice Day on the Water
The fishing? Well, it was pretty stellar. What I didn’t catch in size, I certainly made up for in numbers and I had an absolute blast. Rainbow trout after rainbow trout, with a brown or two mixed in for good measure. Didn’t get the elusive brookie, but it didn’t matter.
And the scenery is just so damn gorgeous.
I was using two different tenkara rods, the first a $50 rod I bought from Amazon called the SeaQuest Etova. I bought it just to see how a budget tenkara rod might fish. It was more than capable in this environment. I’d eventually switch over to the Tenkara USA Rhodo, simply because it had been some time since I had fished it. Can’t have any rods collecting dust. I ended up catching two of my nicest fish of the day on the Rhodo towards the end of the session.
By the time I collapsed my rod for the final time I had been fishing for a little more than 8 hours. A bit tired, but not exhausted when I exited, I really didn’t notice the time passing while I was fishing. But the distance I covered, combined with the realization of how far I now had to hike to make it all the way back to my car was a bit of a buzzkill. Once I finally got to the tailgate of my SUV my knees and feet were screaming bloody murder. A couple Tylenol would certainly go down easy.
Back in town, I wrapped up the night by popping into one of my favorite Mexican food restaurants. Bistec Encebollado was on the menu. IYKYK. It didn’t hurt that El Cajelito was right across the street from my motel either.
Sunday with the System 4
Sunday was a new day, and I’ll admit, I slept in a little later than I probably would have liked before rolling out of bed to get some fishing in. With the threat of some early afternoon weather, I decided to not really go too far and chose to fish the Oconaluftee with my Redington Classic Trout rod and Scientific Anglers System 4 reel.
This is probably where my rushed packing first reared it’s head. I should have brought a 9 foot fly rod. Not a huge deal, but when you’re accustomed to using 11 or 12 foot long tenkara rods, I just felt a little undergunned with my 7.5 3-weight for the size of the water I was fishing.
In the end it was all good. I caught a few small fish on a hopper dropper setup, and actually added some nymphs to my fly box over the course of the day.
I guess Smokies anglers aren’t always so keen on removing tangled lines and flies from streamside vegetation. I found one low hanging branch to have a whole team of nymphs from two different rigs dangling from it. A few quick snips and I had at least 5 new-to-me euronymphs in hand.
Unfortunately, the combination of sleeping in and fishing a more popular stretch of water didn’t give me the same level of solitude as I enjoyed on Saturday. I found myself having to navigate around more than a few anglers – especially the ones that chose to stay put at deep pools – but at least the folks I encountered in the parking areas were cool.
Friendly Fishers
I crossed paths with one younger couple (husband & wife?) twice. They arrived in the parking area as I was gearing up and were seemingly new to fly fishing. They asked me a bit about the stream and what proper stream etiquette is when it’s crowded. When I bumped into them later in the day, we exchanged our respective fish tales and I was thrilled to hear that they had some success with hoppers.
Later, I chatted with a father & son who were visiting from South Carolina. While the Dad & I peeked in each others fly boxes to see what dries and nymphs we were tossing, he told me this was his son’s first fly fishing outing. I didn’t see them again after that, I hope his son got onto some fish!
Last but not least, the resident Cherokee elk were out in force! While I was down in the water fishing, the elk were in the fields immediately above me. It was kind of surreal to hear the bull elk bugles every so often while I was mending my line or watching a drift. Once I finally called fishing quits, I had to pop out of my wading boots and just watch them for a bit. Whenever I’m around the Smokies’ elk, I regret not having a nicer camera.
While the rain never really materialized, there wasn’t too much to the day after that. I grabbed a very quick bite to eat on the way back to the hotel, took a long shower, and kind of snoozed off the rest of the evening. I closed out the trip by treating myself to an ice-cold mandarin orange Jarritos that I bought at the Mexican restaurant the night before and stashed in my hotel mini-fridge just for this occasion. Delicious.
Monday Return & Reflections
Come Labor Day Monday morning, it was time to drive back to Jacksonville. While I didn’t really want to leave quite yet, an early start was necessary due to the long road trip ahead.
As I merged back onto I-95 and pointed the car south, I couldn’t help but smile at how the weekend unfolded. What began with the stress of a last-minute NFL trade turned into exactly what I needed; long hours on the water, a few good fish to hand, and even better memories made along the way. Sometimes, even when work tries to creep in, the fish, the mountains, and the people you meet remind you that balance is still possible. And that’s a trade I’ll take any day.
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Remembering Flip Pallot 28 Aug 2:30 AM (last month)
The news broke last night that we had lost a true legend of fly fishing and the outdoors, Flip Pallot. Known for his gentle wisdom and honest storytelling, Flip has become an icon of sport and conservation whose influence spread far beyond his beloved Florida.
I’m not one to write tribute posts often (if ever), but I thought this would be one of the rare occasions where it was fitting. Sure, he probably wouldn’t enjoy the attention, but there were few like Flip, so his story is worth telling, even if too briefly to do his legacy justice.
Flip was born in South Florida in 1942, growing up in the natural tapestry between Biscayne Bay, the Everglades, and the Florida Keys. An idyllic landscape that shaped his lifelong passion for the outdoors.
After college and a stint in the military, Flip pursued a corporate life far removed from the wilds as a banker in Miami. To paraphrase Flip, he was , “spending my days helping other people achieve their dreams, while watching mine wither.” I think many of us can relate to that sentiment.
Eventually, Flip heeded the call of the wild, leaving his corporate path to become a fishing and outdoors guide for over a decade.
Building his reputation through local and national outdoors programming, Flip’s biggest breakthrough, and the one that really introduced him to the world, came with Walker’s Cay Chronicles, a wonderful fishing series that aired on ESPN for 16 seasons starting in 1992.
Unlike the more “in your face” outdoor shows of the time, Flip focused on being reverent and reflective in his storytelling. I really loved watching that show, and thank it for nudging me toward fishing as a late onset angler.
Flip was a mentor to many. He credited friendships with Lefty Kreh and Stu Apte among those who molded his outlook on fishing and life, making sure to carry forward that legacy in helping other anglers.
In addition to his work on film and video, Flip was also a prolific writer, with several fishing and conservation titles under his belt. He also served on countless pro-staffs and advisory boards, including companies such as Hell’s Bay Boatworks, TFO, Cortland Line, and YETI.
Flip’s commitment to the environment was as strong as his passion for fishing. He spent decades championing conservation in Florida’s coastal fisheries and earned recognition for advancing water quality and habitat preservation. Flip was recently awarded Costa’s “Captain For Clean Water Steward of the Year” award in 2022. He loved “Old Florida” and wanted to keep its natural resources wild.
But more than projects and accolades, Flip’s true gift was his authenticity. He was a humble storyteller whose voice reflected his genuine joy of nature. This paired with his quiet wisdom made him more than just a fisherman, he became what many believe a fly fisherman should be.
Flip Pallot leaves behind his wife, Diane (D.B.), daughter, Brooke, brother, Scott, and granddaughter Sora. May they, and his legacy remain in our thoughts as his memory continues to guide our casts.
“You regret the things you don’t do.”
— Flip Pallot
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A New Computer & Purple Rain 21 Aug 2:30 AM (2 months ago)
I bought a new desktop computer recently. My old one was so old and slow, I couldn’t do much on it other than doomscroll social media. It was over 10 years old, so video & photo editing was super tedious. I wanted to record a quick 4K video to see if the additional horsepower would help make my editing software more tolerable… and spoiler alert, it did!
(The cheesy background music and graphics are just things I inserted into the video simply because I can now. Without the horror of screen freeze or a total computer crash).
Also picked up a new fishing toy, but you gotta watch the video to learn more about that one. 
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