Jointed fun on the "Must Tie" List

Jointed Minnow - Sunfish

Picture courtesy of Warm Water Fly Tyer

We are about 6 weeks from the normal 55/35 degree weeks that will melt the ice. Ants will start sending Swarmers out into the open instead of into people's basements. Other overwintering crawlies - aquatic and terrestrial - will pop out and set the Green Sunfish into heavy feeding patterns. Mid- to large-size Large-mouth will begin to scout spawn beds and start to get really, really angry with Woolly Buggers that invade their space (like here, paragraph that starts with "Second to last..."). 

My tying gear has been collecting dust for the past few months, but the itch is setting in. 

The Jointed Minnow featured above is on my "must-tie list". I envision its barbless awesomeness attached to my hook guard as I walk through the winter-tight grasses to find that right angle from shore. I envision this baby attracting LMB up in a nice spot, or making a Pike angry out at Lake Wanahoo. 

This year is going to be a good one, as they all are. I can't wait to get rockin' and rollin'. 

Ruth's Bake Sale

Man, ever sit down to tie flies with a tasty snack nearby?

I needed to take a commercial break between scheduled appointments for work to support a very special individual. His name is Bob the Dog. Bob is a boy dog. Although, it might be a female. We don't know yet.

"Why do you not know if the dog is male or female? It's named Bob."

Great question, whoever you are! The reason we don't know if it is male or female is because we don't actually own him/her yet. 

Bob the Dog is the desire of our four-year-old Ruth. 

Ruth and her wonderful mother.

She is trying to save/make enough money to buy and maintain Bob the Dog. She has been trying for about two years. 

Between Christmas and grandparents, and a couple stickerbook expenses, she has been able to save about $27. Our goal is at least $75 (minimum price at the Nebraska Humane Society.)

This is where you come in. I want you, in February - between fly-tying sessions and/or other fun and engaging activities - to eat tasty Valentine's treats. But not just any treat. Ruth's treats.

Please help support Ruth in her efforts to buy a dog by filling out this order form and getting it back to us by the deadline indicated. We'll ship these goodies like they are nobody's business. Except for my daughter's. We'll ship them like they are hers. Because they are.

But hurry, there's only so much she can bake!

By the way, watch this video. Wouldn't a little dog just love our baby girl? Plus, it would clean up after our cat.

A tribute to mental health awareness.

I wanted to re-post the blog from a mother that is dealing with a child that threatens death to her and then suicide on a regular basis.

Giving what happened in Connecticut, I feel it's important we see this perspective, and research others. Fly fishing might help heal wounds, as seen in Project Healing Waters. Could it heal the trauma of a badly-wired brain? Food for thought.

 

Thinking the Unthinkable

Savage Chickens does fishing.

More Project Healing Waters awesomeness...

Had to share this from my Facebook wall, via High Ground...

Veterans giving back."Here is the fruition of my labor of love. The drift boat that I purchased with my flyfishing club specifically to take vets, primarily mobility impaired down my river which is rated the best fly fishing river in the country." Eric Ortegren, Battle Company, 173rd ABN.
 

Thanks for such great service.

HOW-TO: Bypass BIOS password on Toshiba P755 Satellite

Along with being a fly-fisherman, I consider myself to be a student of IT. I did it a lot in High School, have always done it as a hobby, and now have a part-time night job in it at Layton Flower Technologies owned by Chad Gross.

One particular little roadblock came in to the office: a Toshiba P755 Satellite with an unknown BIOS password.

After researching how to bypass a pesky BIOS password on this family of laptop, and trying lots of things on the internet (which were all close, but wrong, by the way), I finally figured it out.

Here is the step-by-step. Hope the internet benefits!

Bypassing the BIOS password is easy, and is not laid out correctly as of today (11/28/12) on the internet. Here are the steps!

1. Flip the laptop over, unplugging it and removing the battery.
2. Remove the covers to the RAM compartment and the HDD. 
3. Remove the HDD and both sticks of RAM.
4. Remove the sticker with the barcodes on it that is just below the RAM on the MOBO, then reinsert the top stick of RAM.

A. (For the following, any improvised tool will work, but this one worked for me.) Find a twist tie.
B. Strip a half inch of plastic off of each end.
C. Using your fingers, twist the bare wire together down to the tip. Use a pair of dikes to trim the tips flush.

5. Plug in the laptop with the battery and HDD still removed.

6. With the top stick of RAM still inserted, locate a small pair of golden nodes with the letters "JPSW"

7. Stand the laptop slightly open on it's side, charge-port up.

8. Contact each node with one tip of the shorting tool.

9. With your free hand, reach around and boot the laptop. The screen should flicker and it should boot normally after a few seconds.

You are set!

Tight lines everyone. I may not know the answers right away, but I know someone that does.

No fishing for months!

It has been months since I have posted anything about fishing, and there's a great reason for that.

Actually, not really. It's not great. It's not even that good. I just haven't gone!

To an observant end, I'm noticing a trend. This year was amazingly productive. I fished - on average - twice a week for about six months. That more than paid for the license.

What shut it down, though? Catfish and carp. Wanted to catch some really bad, but hey, my efforts were thwarted. So I did what all cowards do. I ran away. Now I think about it. Every day. In my subconscious.

That means I think about it without thinking about it, for all of you that want to know.

Am I a die-hard fly-fisherman, poised to take the world by storm? Of course.

Will it be right now or anymore this season? Probably not. I'll probably wait for the 58 degree days of March with light drizzle and no ice on the water. The green sunfish will be fattening up and waiting for my Olive Woolies, and the big bass will start scouting for spawn. Carp will be thrashing about soon after, then I can chase kitties in the heat again.

And trust me, I will win. I will. Until then, remember - fishing's not that hard.