Some TMA Action

     I could hear the birds singing when I woke up this morning and figured it was going to be a nice day.  I went through my normal, day off, morning rutine: get dressed, bathroom, walk dog, turn on coffee pot, turn on tv, and make breakfast.  I poured the mornings first cup of coffee and opened the window in the kitchen and the air just felt right.  I am sure some of you know what I am talking about.  Breakfast consisted of two eggs,  two sausages, once slice of toast, and of course the coup off coffee.  Eating with the cool morning air and the sun on me was very pleasant.  I finished eating and walked out to my jeep after a quick shower.

   The ride to the TMA only took about 5 minutes.  Upon my arrival I wasn't surprised to see another angler suiting up.  I got a parking spot and began suiting up myself.  The water is still cold so I swapped out my cotton socks for my wool ones and got moving.  I began the day with a Mickey Finn.  I fished it close to the bank and near rocks and fallen trees, but got no takers.  While I was fishing stoneflies started coming off.  It wasn't long before i could feel them crawling on my face and neck.  I did not, however, see fish eating them.  I was beginning to wonder if there was any fish in the river.  The stoneflies were big too!  I couldn't believe the fish were not going nuts on them.  I needed a change so off wen the Mickey Finn.  I tied on a little #16 Black Hare's Ear with one #6 shot.  I then added the strike indicator about 5 feet above the fly and began fishing.  The first fish of the morning did not come easy at all, but it did come.  I watched the indicator twitch on a good drift and I reeled in a little brown.  The fish was only about 7 inches long but full of energy.  I felt good to get the skunk off my back.  The fishing after the first fish was slow, but i decided to keep plugging away.  I stopped at every little hole I came to for a drift or two with no takers.  At this point I was feeling really good about the one fish I did catch.  I was on my way out when I stopped at one last pool.  On the second drift the strike indicator submerged and the hook set came tight.  It ended up being a nice brown.  I got 2 more fish and decided to head home.
    I loved being out today and will probably try to sneak in a little fishing tomorrow.
Trout Video

Tactical Pens Part 2

   
 I have used the Smith and Wesson Tactical Pen at work now for 2 weeks.  I have found it to be really cool and useful.  First, the appearance of the pen is awesome.  The construction, machining, and anodizing is great.  I have had several people ask, "what kind of pen is that?  where did you get it?  how much?".   Second, The stylus tip has proved to be an invaluable tool at work.  I have used it on all kinds of touch screens, iPhone, iPad, and kindle.  I was asked by fellow blogger swamp yankee if the pens would work on signing for UPS and FedEX deliveries.  It will not.  Third, the pen uses Parker and Schmitt refills which are easily found at any office supply store, even a CVS.  I did switch out my Medium pen for a Fine refill, because i like to write with a fine.

     I was really happy with the pen because it is very useful and its cool.  I was so happy with it I added a second one to my EDC.   I have had the second one on me for a few days now and I love having it on me.  I know we are in the age of smart phones, but sometimes a lower tech approach is more reliable.

Pen added to my EDC

   If you want a cool, tough, man pen then you should get one of these.  Brad has a bunch of tactical pen reviews on his website so it is worth checking them out by clicking the link above.  If come up with other used or ideas for the pen type I will post it.

Tactical Pens?

 

 The other day I was shopping online for a new pen, even though,  I know i could just go down to a store and pick up a load of Bic Pens cheap.  I work at a waste water treatment plant and the pen is a very important part of daily bag of tricks.  I have broke several pens over the years and I was looking for something a little tougher.  So during my search I came across several Tactical Pen hits.  Really?  I guess in today's market you can spray paint just about anything Matte Black call it "tactical" and you got a winner.  A lot of manufactures are making these pens: Uzi, Smith and Wesson, Tuff Writer, Gerber, and so on. They range in price from $20-$200.  In addition to being a pen they can be used as a striking tool.  Some have a sharp point and are dubbed defense pens.  While others have a point to break glass.  I thought the idea of the tactical pen was equally ridiculous and cool.  I searched amazon and found a pen which would suit me well.
    I paid $25 for the Smith and Wesson stylus tip tactical pen.  It came a day later with the amazon prime free shipping.  The most notable feature of the pen is the stylus tip in the cap.  I have a lot of touch screens to deal with a work, and the pen will see a lot of use.  The construction of the pen is Aluminum and is in no way cheap.  This is a heavy duty pen.  The back end of the pen ends in a point and can be used as a striking weapon or to break glass.  The pocket clip is heavy duty like the rest of the pen and will not slip out.  The cap unscrews to expose the pen and screws on to the back end to hold it while writing.  It seems to be a little thicker than most pens and is heaver at 1.2 oz loaded.  You can get it in Black, pink, and gold.
    So I think the pen would be a winner for anyone that works like a man.  Operators, Mechanics, Line Men, Emergency workers and so on would find the world of tactical pens a handy tool.  I will use the pen at work for a while and post a follow up on my real world experience with this type of pen.  I predict i will not use the striker weapon feature, but i will use the stylus end a lot.    

Kind of like spring

Is winter slowly losing it's death grip?  To half of the country the answer is NO. It was supposed to be a nice day today but cloud cover kept the strong sun from heating the earth up. The good news is a lot of the ice in the tidal zones is breaking up and it gave me and a buddy a chance to get on the clam. We dropped his 14ft aluminum boat in with a hoist and got going. It was a cold ride over, but we made it. We rocked the neoprene waders today as there is still ice along the shore and the water is very cold. We got our fill of clams with little effort and i was happy to see they did not get killed off from the cold. The oysters were another story.  Many of the oysters exposed at low tide did not make it, and it looks to be a lean oyster year unless you find them in water a few feet deep. Even though the weather still sucks it was nice to get a load of winter clams.