The Duffel Bag

Where the spirit leads the feet will follow.

Down distant paths for unmapped miles.

Heads forget but hearts remember:

The art of living knows no bounds.

"The best journeys answer questions that in the beginning you didn't even think to ask." - Jeff Johnson, 180 Degrees South

"The best way out is always through" - Robert Frost

"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way". - Marcus Aurelius

Friday, November 24, 2023

Thursday, November 23, 2023

Jimi Hendrix - Third Stone From The Sun (Isolated Guitar)

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Based off of Jack Gartside's Gurgler pattern, I've added a little weight to the inside of the downward lip and tied it to try to match the minnows at Lake Sonoma. Could be both slow trolled or as a casting fly.

Simi Front View

Saturday, November 18, 2023

Larissa Liveir - Purple Haze Riff

Larissa Liveir does JH...

Friday, November 17, 2023

My Beginning Film Presets

I've started building some of my own film stimulations/presets. I've purchased some commercial preset like those from Luminar and other from individual photographers, but I'm more interested (right now) simulating old film recipes.

Here is what I have come up with today. I feel these will fall in the "Nostalgic" category, but they aren't based on any specific film brand/type.


Nostalgic - warm

Nostalgic - cool

I just realized one of my favorite sayings comes into play here: The more you learn, the less you know.

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Lake Sonoma Hike

Yesterday's rain showers made for enjoyable hiking this morning at Lake Sonoma. The trails were damp and cool, and the low fog made everything soft and quiet.

This was a loop out around Bummer Peak mostly on the North Slope Trail from the No Name Flat Trailhead.

Thursday, November 9, 2023

Iron Canyon Weekender

Iron Canyon Fishing - Northern California

November 9 through 11

I journeyed up to Iron Canyon Reservoir in Northern California for two and one half days of lake fishing and camping. Iron Canyon is a PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric) lake that is mainly filled by an underground aqueduct and is used for hydroelectric production. The water comes from McCloud Lake about 20 miles to the North, and empties into the Pit River and becomes part of the Pit River hydroelectric project.

It is stocked with trout during the Spring and Summer, but has a great population of large holdover rainbows and big Brown Trout. Surface fly fishing for Rainbows from a boat or personal water craft is usually productive in Spring, Summer, and Fall. On this trip, things were quiet so I never put our Flycraft in the water and ended just fishing from shore.

I had a productive morning on Thursday when I arrived, landing 8 or 10 fish, with three decent size browns in the 15 inch range. All released alive except one 15 inch Rainbow that I kept. I fished for about 4 hours at the spot where the underground aqueduct comes in which is alway a good spot when the water is flowing.

Went back to the same spot Friday morning but the inflow wasn't running and fishing was slow. I did hook three fish but lost them all. I'll blame that on barbless hooks. :) The masses showed up Friday night and there were people camping in dispersed places all around the lake. I spent a few hours Saturday morning trying different places, but couldn't find any willing fish. I decided to pack up and make the 4 hour drive back home.

All in all, a great three days camping and fishing in our beautiful Northern California Trout Mecca.