Crappie and bluegill season is here and I needed bait. Over the years, I have discovered that meal worms are not only good for feeding bluebirds, they are also excellent for catching panfish and trout. I like the larger size, though, and sometimes they are hard to find in pet shops - and when you do find them, they are expensive. They sell little cups of 25 or 30 worms for $3 or $4. I decided … [Read more...]
Hatcheries in Trouble
For over 75 years, revenue from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses has financed Virginia game management, game warden salaries, numerous conservation projects and fish hatcheries, to name a few. But now there are fewer and fewer outdoorsmen buying licenses and many projects are in peril – including our fish hatcheries. Says Asheley Stimpson of the DWR, “Virginia has nine fish hatcheries … [Read more...]
What is the Virginia Trout Slam?
The Virginia Trout Slam is a challenge to anglers to catch all three species of trout (Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout, and Brown Trout) all in the same day. Both stocked fish and wild fish of any size count toward the slam, but catching all three in a wild trout stream is the ultimate trifecta. Chasing the slam not only offers a new challenge to anglers, but it also promotes some of our lesser-known … [Read more...]
Great Movies to Remember
Nancy and I watched Field of Dreams this week on TV. Featuring Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, and Burt Lancaster, it was most entertaining. “Build it and he will come.” “Go the distance. “Ease his pain.” “Is this heaven? No, it’s Iowa.” I would rank Field of Dreams as certainly one of my all-time favorites, which got me to thinking. What would be my Top Ten Movies – those that … [Read more...]
A Quaker Oats Meatloaf
I’m still trying to get rid of a huge box of Old Fashioned Quaker Oats I bought for Nancy by mistake. She wanted instant Quaker Oatmeal, and what I bought wasn’t instant. It takes a while. I have since used the oats in muffins, in cookies and as an actual breakfast cereal, but I still have half a box. As I said, it was a big box. Hey, why not use Quaker Oats in a meatloaf? I did and it was very … [Read more...]
Lenten Roses: Early Bloomers
The first jonquils of the year are just beginning to pop up, but our Lenten Roses are and have been in full bloom for several weeks. Snow, sleet, frost, cold – it doesn’t matter to these hardy plants. They are the Energizer Bunnies of all our flowers. They are early bloomers, they are beautiful, they flourish in shady areas, and they have earned their rightful place as the most important flowers … [Read more...]
Neither Rain, Nor Sleet….
I had to mail a check for a deposit for a vacation rental last week, and as I licked the stamp, enclosed the check and put it in the mailbox, I wished it godspeed. Truth is, I wasn’t sure if or even when the check would ever arrive. That’s how little confidence I have in the United States Post Office. Lost or late arriving mail has become – not the rare exception – but practically an … [Read more...]
The Ivy Inn: A Special Place
When you have a truly special occasion, there is no finer place to celebrate than Charlottesville’s Ivy Inn. For a recent anniversary, Nancy and I never even considered another restaurant. We made reservations at The Ivy Inn. I won’t list all the delectable things we ate because at the Ivy Inn, it doesn’t really matter what you order. Everything you put in your mouth will be … [Read more...]
Lucky to Have Ladybugs
“Ladybug, silver dollar, rabbit's foot, with a four-leaf clover and a horseshoe.” You’d have to go all the way back to 1958 to recall those lyrics in a song recorded by Billy & Lillie called “Lucky Ladybug”. Only Boomers would ever even have heard of it. But I think of that song often, whenever the term “lucky ladybugs” arises. Along with silver dollars, rabbit's … [Read more...]
Crappie Time
In fresh water, it’s crappie time. The silver warriors are heading shallow in advance of the spawn and are feeding heavily. The yellow perch bite remains good in tidal rivers and in many lakes. The annual shad run is just getting underway as the schools move up the rivers to spawn. Some nice smallmouth are being caught on the upper James. The water temps in many lakes are well up into the 60’sand … [Read more...]
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