Winter Fly Fishing

Embracing the inevitable is always the way to go. Fly fishing in the snow… I can do that.

 

Get out there and fish.

Mike

Mike” – 22” x 30” charcoal, ink, paint, orange ash & mixed media.

$400

One of many original drawings. To view more work please visit www.grantfiguraprintmaking.com

or

www.grantfigura.wordpress.com

Radiohead – The King of Limbs (live from the basement)

The best fly tying music imaginable.

Day Dream

The leaves have fallen and the cold is moving in. Winter is at my doorstep  and all I can do is daydream about Summer.

 

Lost Adventure – Bottom Creek Gorge

Well, I managed to lose this little adventure from Virginia to western Massachusetts. Lost in a sea of photos was a trip a friend and myself took to Bottom Creek Gorge Preserve in Virginia.

This one powerful mountain stream forms a stair-step series of broad-basin waterfalls known as the “kettles.” Bottom Creek feeds into the Roanoke River with lots of power. Rapids tend to form through its drops and turns after the snow melts from the Winter.  Flanking Bottom Creek are forests of mixed hardwoods (tulip poplar, maple, oak, hickory) and upland meadows. There are four rare species of fish here, the orangefin madtom, the bigeye jumprock, the riverweed darter and the Roanoke darter. It also contains approximately 10 percent of all fish species known from Virginia, including native brook trout.

I had a blast.

COFFEE

Here are several coffee related linoleum relief prints I did for a local roaster. 

More work available at http://www.grantfiguraprintmaking.com

A Walk Through the Woods

Some of the best fly fishing can be found on the smallest streams.

Cheers.

M83 – WAIT

Dinner

Every once in a while I have to put the “catch & release” theology aside and just eat! This was one delicious fish shared amongst great friends. Always a good time.

Mushroom and Wild Rice Stuffed Trout

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup wild rice
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh spinach
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 2 pan dressed Trout
• 3 T. butter
• 2 T. chopped onion
• 3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 tsp. dried basil

Instructions

In a small saucepan, bring water and 1 T. butter to a boil. Add wild rice, cover and simmer 30 minutes. While rice is cooking, prepare vegetables. In a small skillet, melt 1 T. of butter over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables, garlic and basil, sauté 3 to 4 minutes or until all moisture evaporates. Remove from heat and stir in cooked, drained rice. Wipe inside cavity of fish with paper towels. Carefully stuff cavity of trout with rice mixture and place in a foil-lined baking dish. Melt the remaining 1 T. of butter and pour over fish. Bake, uncovered, at 450°F for 20 to 25 minutes. Note: Allow 10 to 12 minutes per inch of stuffed thickness.

Servings: Depends on the fish caught!

Rock Castle Gorge – Virginia

Its 30 degrees outside and all I want to do is fast-forward to this… crap.