I was raised on Southern Fried Bluegills. My native state of North Carolina has more farm ponds per acre than any other state in the union and each and every one had a bountiful population of bluegills, or “brim’ as they are called in the South. Most every Friday night, my Carolina relatives feasted on Fried Bluegills, Fried Cornbread, sweet Cole Slaw, a skillet full of Fried Potatoes and Onions. … [Read more...]
A Lazy River Float
After our wonderful tour at the bird sanctuary, we decided we were up for one more activity so long as it wasn’t strenuous, and no snorkels were involved. Our terrific guide, Omar (pontimetours@yahoo.com) said he had just the thing in mind – a bamboo raft float down the Great River, Jamaica’s longest waterway. He said the river flowed so slowly this time of year, that you could walk faster than a … [Read more...]
Remembering School Lunches
By Sherman Shifflett (ed. Note: My good friend, the late Sherman Shifflett, sent me this article back in 2019, and it’s worth reprinting) There were 11 children in my family and mom said I was the only one who did not like peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches. It didn’t make sense because I like peanuts and I like grape jelly. Go figure. But Mom mixed things up and we seldom … [Read more...]
A Wadcutter Bullet for Show and Tell
This story just goes to show how mightily things have changed from the 1950s to the world we live in today. I was in fourth grade, and it was nearing the end of the year. For eight months we had been doing Show and Tell every Monday morning, and now we were truly running out of good ideas. One kid brought in a comb with a few teeth missing he had found in a trash can and … [Read more...]
Dogfish Days
For the next month or two, about the only fish biting in the surf in Virginia and North Carolina will be dogfish. Small sharks. Atlantic spiny dogfish to be exact. And there are no shortages of these bait snatchers. While there is little or no consumer or sporting interest in dogfish in the United States - they are considered trash fish - they are prized in Europe for their use in the classic … [Read more...]
Rhett’s is Back
Rhett’s Bar & Grill is now open in their new Spring Creek location and is once again dishing out great food.Cville Buzz contributor, Sherman Shifflett, was assigned to take Ava Pippin out to eat there and give a full report. His report below was very good. Many remember dining at Rhett’s on Rt 29N in Charlottesville, VA, near the Rivanna River. My clan enjoyed many meals there, … [Read more...]
A Hatch To Remember
(A Jim Brewer article from Virginia Outdoor Weekly, May 13, 1994) If you hit it just right, there is a hatch of Green Drakes on the Shavers Fork in West Virginia so prolific that nothing else compares. I hit it once while fishing with my good buddy Dave Gladwell. Every trout in the river was feeding in the surface. Squadron after squadron of big, fat mayflies attacked the water. … [Read more...]
Kauai: Primitive Splendor
As we approached the island on Thursday morning, we were greeted with jutting cliffs, a full palette of emerald green and angry shorelines of black and rust. I fully expected to see a dinosaur feeding in a grove of bamboo. This is Kauai, a place of extreme beauty and primitive splendor. This is the island movie producers chose to film Jurassic Park, South Pacific and Raiders of the Lost Ark. For … [Read more...]
Oh Christmas Tree
Christmas is over. It’s time to un-decorate the tree, drag it out to the curb and let the trash guys do their thing. But not so fast! A Christmas tree has many uses after the holiday season is over. For one, it makes ideal cover for small birds as they face the coming winter. On a few occasions, I have convinced my wife to let me drag the tree to my vegetable garden and remain there … [Read more...]
A Citation Brook Trout
It was no April Fool’s joke when 12-year-old Zain Rehman from Ashburn in Northern Virginia, called out to his Dad, Fazal, “I think I got a big one!” Indeed he did - a citation 18 ¾-inch brook trout caught in the Rose River directly in front of Graves Mountain Lodge where he was fishing with 200 other youngsters at the annual Trout Heritage Kids Fishing Day. It was an exciting day for Zain as … [Read more...]