A New Year

So it's been almost a full year since I last posted anything fishing related. Hopefully, I'll do better this year. Hopefully, I'll get to do some word-worthy fishing. In fact, I've made it a goal. Get the rods out, shake the dust off, tie on a lure, and catch some fish. And what better way to kick off a new year of fishing than with a picture from the next generation of Roberts' Fishermen? There is none.


Caleb caught this at a lake near his home in Arizona where he lives with his mother. It was one of two fish he caught that day. His brother, Ethan, chose not to go fishing that particular day, but often talks about going fishing when he's here in California for the summer.

We shall have to go and fish.

Fish Story...

Everybody loves a good fish story, and this one is a fun one. AS you can see in this picture, we'd headed out for a little extreme weather fishing, as a die-hard fisherman is want to do at times. No time of the year is a bad time to fish. If there's water and fish, fish it. That's our motto, our mantra, the single fishing rule Fish This lives by. So with that in mind, we trekked ourselves into the snowy backcountry, chains fixed to the poorly treaded tires of the Fish This Buick (not pictured).

The Strawberry River in Utah is a small, medium-flow river, with deep cut, over-hanging banks that should get any fisherman very excited. In the late spring and summer, this river is a beautiful, engaging river full of Brown Trout. In the winter, well, it's a bit of a different story, but Fish This likes a challenge.

The snow was deep, the top two or three inches, a thick crusty layer of ice, but we layered-up, slipped on the waders and plunged into the freezing water. Ice jutted out from the shore, making the overhangs we were accustomed to even more pronounced. We fished the river with patience, KnowOne, me, and our guest fisherman Neal, knowing the fish were going to be slow moving and not all that hungry, but we knew the fish were there, often seeing them swim lazily out of whatever hole they'd nestled into as we passed by.

The hunt continued through the morning and into the afternoon, and as we moved from an area of deep holes in the corners of lazy bends in the river and into a flatland, shallow water, KnowOne hooked into the only catch of the day.

Now, KnowOne isn't pictured holding the fish. That's me, Idaho, and what we did was all take pictures with the fish as if we were the one who'd caught it. If you look close enough, you can see I'm holding the fish up by the lure used to catch (still in its mouth), but the lure I was using is secured to the bottom eyelit of my pole (the one I'm holidng up in front of me). Not my fish, but a great picture to go along with a great story of overcoming the odds and weather to get a fish on the line.

Hope you enjoyed this Fish This Story.

Snapshots courtesy of KnowOne Vol 3

And for the last installment of photos from Fish This History, we have these from the archives of KnowOne. When Fish This got started, friends and family started hearing all kinds of stories about the places we fished and the amount of fish we caught. Then they saw the pictures and suddenly we were swamped with requests to tag along on some of our expeditions. A good friend of ours, Neal, you see here. Fishing with Fish This guides, KnowOne and Idaho, changed the way he looked at fishing. Soon, perhaps, it will do the same for you.

Snapshots courtesy of KnowOne Vol 2

Here's a second installment from the archives of my fishing pal, Knowone. Enjoy the pics of these Fish This catches!

Snapshots courtesy of KnowOne

Here are some more Fish This pics for all you fishin' fools. Some of these are definitely worth writing home about. Hope you enjoy, the pics come from KnowOne's own private collection.

The Kelley Flip Cast

So here it is, the secret to our success. The Kelley Flip Cast, named after the man who created and refined the technique, will revolutionize the way you fish small streams and creeks. It's a simple cast of the point-and-shoot type.

First: Grasp your lure by the treble hook. Hold it firmly, any limp-wristing the sharp end of your lure when performing this cast can end in a scream and blood, and point the end of your pole at the spot of water that interests you.

Second: It's important to have a flexible pole, preferably a compact, one-piece set-up although a full-size two-piece can work as you see in the video. Bend the tip of that pole under and back toward you, enough so when you release the lure the tension will slingshot your lure at the precise spot you were aiming for.

Third: Once the lure hits the water, get on it. Fish in the waters you're gonna be able to fish with this cast aren't accustom to having something thrown at them and attack in a hurry.

Simple as that. It's quick, accurate, and gets you into water you never thought you could fish let alone catch fish in.

Enjoy, and see you back here soon with more Fish This!

Thinking of our children.

As the new year begins, I know it's been sometime since any new Fish This material has been posted. I assure you, more is coming, but I wanted to take a moment and say a few words about our children.

Shortly before the New Year, my youngest son, Hunter James, was diagnosed with Autism. It was a terrifying realization for both myself and my wife who has only ever dreamed of having a child who could call her "Mommy". And as we learn more and more about this childhood disorder, the fear is that he may never say even that single word, let alone fulfill any of the dreams we had for our child as parents. Our days are filled with strangers coming into our home to help teach him and keep him engaged so he'll interact with us as a child should. Hardest thing is not knowing why him, why he has to suffer in this way. And as if that weren't enough, Hunter has had severe reflux since he was about five weeks old, and now faces a surgery that could cure his reflux but complicate his life in many other ways. My heart has never been more full of prayer, for my son and his mother. But there is hope, there is always hope, and perhaps the fact that my youngest son is so very fond of water that one day, he'll desire to fish the wild streams of the world like his father before him and perhaps with him as well.

Recently, my long time good friend, Joshua "Knowone" Kelley, seen here on Fish This, celebrated the birth of his youngest son, Bodie McCoy. He and his wife are two of the most amazing people you could know. Sure to grow up and become the fisherman extraordinaire that his father is, Bodie has had to struggle early in his life as well. His father says he was born a little premature and his lungs are struggling to perform their labor. He is getting better and stronger each day, and the doctors tell them they do not see any other complications arising.

Prayer is a wonderfully peace-giving thing. For today, and every day after, let us remember our children in prayers, both those who struggle and those who might have speech and breathing come easily to them. We each have our trials, trials of our faith. And while it's easy to say we know our trials have purpose, it doesn't make it any easier to see our little ones struggle when they are already so vulnerable.

To check up on Hunter click the link for Hunter's Blog. Bodie and his progress is being documented at Mr. Mustachio.

More soon.