The His Place Resort live webcam shows a no generation flow on the White River this Friday afternoon.

If you'd like to join me an early fall trip to Arkansas to fish the White and Norfork rivers, email me.

It was Barack Obama’s “A River Runs Through It” moment.
Moving beyond his usual sporting pursuits of basketball and golf, the U.S. president took advantage of his trip to Montana’s Big Sky country on Friday to try his hand at the Western pastime of fly fishing.
His original plan for a 30-minute helicopter ride to a fishing spot at the O’Dell Creek Ranch was nixed by rainy weather. Instead, after hosting a healthcare townhall meeting in the rustic town of Belgrade, Obama traveled by motorcade to a nearby private ranch set against a misted mountain range.
The meandering East Gallatin River runs through it and the fishing hole there was apparently deemed acceptable for presidential use.
Although the press pool was kept at a distance with its view mostly obscured by trees and overcast skies, Obama’s entourage was spotted headed to the riverbank with fly-fishing rods in hand. Whiplike lures could be seen looping gracefully over the water.
But that didn’t last for long. Driving rain soon forced the party indoors at a sprawling ranch-style mansion. Obama was said to have planned to try out a new fishing rod he received as a birthday present from friends. - Reuters

The Chick-Fil-A peach shake - like I need another guilty pleasure. With the opening of Ellijay's own Chick-Fil-A, access to this incredible delight is all too easy.

For those who care about such things - 14oz small ($2.49) - 720 calories and 19 grams of fat. The 20oz large ($2.89) - 850 calories and 21 grams of fat.

Sounds like health food to me.

I just spent a great afternoon being schooled by Patagonia-fishing-guide-in-training, Genevieve Peterson. She's invited to fish with the ol'fart anytime. Her mom, dad and baby bro are welcomed as well.

Apologizes for the shameless photoshoping of Genevieve's birthday pic.

I was just fed the following notice from fishing partner Justin Witt's literary agent.

Local writer and vagabond fly fisherman Justin C. Witt has had some publishing success of late.  His short fiction story Paring Down, an account of what can happen when fly fishing is allowed to fill too wide a void in human consciousness, was accepted and can be read online in the spring 2009 issue of Long Island literary journal The Angler, the print edition of which is also available for purchase at Lulu.com.  Additionally Justin's poem To the Moose! was accepted and printed by Publishing Genius Press as part of the Is Reads program in Baltimore, Nashville, and Pittsburgh, even snagging the coveted cover spot for the Baltimore Is Reads edition online. 

For your consideration, a 2000 BMW 323i. Well maintained, in great condition and never driven to church.

Click here for the details.

Drove the Dolphin up to the Toccoa tailwater to meet Scott McBride for an afternoon of float tube fly fishing. The hatches were sporadic, but the fish were on them and not paying much attention to our offerings.
Great way to spend a lazy afternoon.

If I hadn't wasted what little was left of my calculating ability earlier in the week cipherin' a trillion, I could probably determine how many days in my 61 years I've spent on trout streams.

But no matter the number, I can guarantee that I've never seen a young lass like the one pictured here with her tweeds and bamboo rod.

Fellows, please take the warning seriously - I have no desire to have your demise on my conscience. Ladies, I know, I'm a pig.

Dust off your Nikes and sign up for Justin Elliott's "Jogging for Justin Team" for the July 25th Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation's Race for Research. To learn more about the race and a remarkable young man, jump over to Gilmer News.

It seems that the smart car concept is catching on in the horse world. This mustang hybrid is only the first in what will surely be a new wave of genetically engineered, more efficient animals.

Thanks to Greg Fisher for the video link.

I had several comments on the trillion dollars chart I posted yesterday. Here's another way to look at the magnitude of a trillion.

If you can count to 60 in 60 seconds, you could count to a million in 11.5 days.

To count to a billion would take 11,500 days or 31.5 years.

Now, are you ready - to count to a trillion would take 11,500,000 days or 31,507 years.

If you'd given a Neanderthal this task - he'd still be counting.

Police divers have ended the reign of terror of a huge fish that was attacking swimmers in a Swiss lake.

The zander, which was two feet three inches long and weighed 17.5 pounds, was harpooned on Sunday after it bit six swimmers over the weekend, fish warden Fabio Croci told local media.
Two swimmers were treated in hospital for bite wounds up to four inches long after being attacked on Lac Majeur, which borders he added.

Police divers at first tried to capture the carnivorous fish with a net, but when this failed they pursued the zander with a harpoon and managed to kill it.
The meat from the captured fish was served up to tourists at the lake.

"It is quite unusual for zanders to bite humans", Croci said, adding he suspected the fish was suffering from a hormonal imbalance which could be responsible for its aggression.

Once we got Greg Fisher out of the hospital, three of the five OFWLC directors and their lovely brides celebrating the Fourth of July on Blackberry Mountain.
Pictured left to right is yours truly - Dave Teffeteller with Greg Fisher and Todd Lewis. Directors Jerry Stephenson and John Simank had some sort of bogus excuses for not attending and are in jeopardy of suspension for failing to attend mandatory functions.

For those of us who fly into remote fishing areas, the Beaver DeHavilland holds a special place in our hearts.
Have you thought it was overkill when the pilot asked your weight and weighed your luggage? This video will show why it was not. By the way, 2 adults, 2 children and 2 dogs walked away from the crash.

I spent the afternoon with Erin Witt and her brother floating and fishing the Chattahoochee from Buford Dam to Settles Bridge. This was the first trial run of the new 3-person pontoon boat in moving water and it and the oarsman did well.
It's been at least 20 years since I floated this stretch. Sunday afternoon there was rather like being at Walmart as we enjoyed comments from the floatilla of urbanites in their rented tubes, rafts and kayaks like, "I hope I get home in time to watch the race."
However, the best term of the day was from Justin Witt who accused me of "premature dejaculation" for removing my life jacket before passing under the Hwy 20 bridge.

Long-time buddy Greg Fisher has asked me to help chronicle his latest bout with cancer. I have placed a link to
www.greg-fisher.com the left or you can click here.

Greg and wife Sandi are currently at MD Anderson where Greg is under-going extensive testing and treatment planning. Please send Greg lots of your positive energy, thoughts and prayers.

Paddle Georgia is coming to Ellijay next week on June 19 when over 300 paddlers will be registering for the 7 day, 92 mile paddle down the Coosawattee and Oostanaula to Rome.
The Coosawattee Watershed Alliance needs your help:

Registration at Gilmer County High School on June 19 between 1-8 p.m.
We'll need help with paperwork, directing traffic and information.

Portage boats Jun 20 from Coosawattee River Resort to Ridgeway Boat Ramp between the hours of 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
We'll need help with loading and unloading boats and driving a vehicle pulling a trailer between CRR and Ridgeway Boat Ramp.

Portage around Carters Dam on June 21 between the hours of 1-5 p.m.
We'll need help with loading and unloading boats and driving a vehicle pulling a trailer around Carters Dam.

To volunteer call:
Joe Cook
joecookpg@gmail.com

It was another great canoe trip into Canada's Quetico Provincial Park Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Despite high water, below average temperatures and unrelenting winds, fish were caught and consumed. Thanks to fishing colleagues, Don and Kay Dunn, Ed Richmond, George Laux, Ron Higgins and John Simank for a great time.

This nice smallmouth was tricked by a popping bug - a much appreciated Christmas gift from fellow OFWLC member Jerry Stephenson.

Ol' buddy Walker Johnson posted this on Facebook -

Due to the climate of political correctness now pervading America, Kentuckians, Tennesseans, Okies, Texans, and West Virginians will no longer be referred to as HILLBILLIES. You must now refer to us as APPALACHIAN-AMERICANS.

And furthermore:

HOW TO SPEAK ABOUT WOMEN AND BE POLITICALLY CORRECT:
1. She is not a BABE or a CHICK. She is a BREASTED AMERICAN.
2. She is not EASY. She is HORIZONTALLY ACCESSIBLE.
3. She is not a DUMB BLONDE. She is a LIGHT-HAIRED DETOUR OFF THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY.
4. She has not BEEN AROUND. She is a PREVIOUSLY-ENJOYED COMPANION.
5. She does not NAG you. She becomes VERBALLY REPETITIVE.
6. She is not a TWO BIT HOOKER. She is a LOW COST PROVIDER.

HOW TO SPEAK ABOUT MEN AND BE POLITICALLY CORRECT:
1. He does not have a BEER GUT. He has developed a LIQUID GRAIN STORAGE FACILITY.
2. He is not a BAD DANCER. He is OVERLY CAUCASIAN .
3. He does not GET LOST ALL THE TIME. He INVESTIGATES ALTERNATIVE DESTINATIONS.
4. He is not BALDING - He is in FOLLICLE REGRESSION.
5. He does not act like a TOTAL ASS. He develops a case of RECTAL-CRANIAL INVERSION.
6. It' s not his CRACK you see hanging out of his pants. It's REAR CLEAVAGE.

Was it just me that heard President Obama describe his Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor, as an aspiring woman?

In the words of Emily Litella, "never mind."

These are the latest photos (the PG-rated ones anyway) from Justin Witt, Charles Mize and Sal Bruno spending a week fishing for stripers in Cape Cod.

Justin Witt and Sal Bruno are having having good fishing for Cape Cod stripers.
If you're interested in fly fishing for Cape Cod stripers , Canada smallmouth or Argentina trout, please visit Destination Fishing or email me.

Santiago Gori, a taxi driver from the city of La Plata, 60 kilometers south of Buenos Aires found $35,000 after driving an elderly couple. They only went a short distance but when he dropped them off, they left the bag containing the money in the back of his taxi.
A few days later he managed to locate his passengers again and he returned the bag. For Argentines used to corruption at all levels of society, this was an extraordinary story.
Two public relations guys set up a website in his honor calling for gestures of gratitude for what is seen as an extraordinary act of honesty. It is estimated 55,000 people visited the site and left hundreds of rewards and messages for Gori.
Argentina - a great place to visit and cast a line.

Sky News Online
Scientists have unveiled a 47-million-year-old fossilised skeleton of a monkey hailed as the missing link in human evolution.
The search for a direct connection between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom has taken 200 years - but it was presented to the world today at a special news conference in New York.
The discovery of the 95%-complete 'lemur monkey' - dubbed Ida - is described by experts as the "eighth wonder of the world". They say its impact on the world of palaeontology will be "somewhat like an asteroid falling down to Earth".
Researchers say proof of this transitional species finally confirms Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, and the then radical, outlandish ideas he came up with during his time aboard the Beagle

I thought that finally San Francisco officials might have come up with a good idea - a user tax that could put the city into the black. Well, it wasn't exactly what I thought:

NYT - In what he casts as an attack on litterbugs and nicotine addiction alike, Mayor Gavin Newsom wants to impose a fee on an age-old inhabitant of city streets: the cigarette butt. The proposal, to be introduced next month to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, would add 33 cents to the cost of a pack of cigarettes, to offset the estimated $10.7 million the city spends annually removing discarded butts from gutters, drainpipes and sidewalks.

With a VP like this, who needs enemies?

According to a report, while recently attending the Gridiron Club dinner in Washington, an annual event where powerful politicians and media elite get a chance to cozy up to one another, Biden told his dinnermates about the existence of a secret bunker under the old U.S. Naval Observatory, which is now the home of the vice president.
The bunker is believed to be the secure, undisclosed location former Vice President Dick Cheney remained under protection in secret after the 9/11 attacks.
According to Eleanor Clift's report on the Newsweek blog, Biden "said a young naval officer giving him a tour of the residence showed him the hideaway, which is behind a massive steel door secured by an elaborate lock with a narrow connecting hallway lined with shelves filled with communications equipment." 
Clift continued: "The officer explained that when Cheney was in lock down, this was where his most trusted aides were stationed, an image that Biden conveyed in a way that suggested we shouldn't be surprised that the policies that emerged were off the wall.."

I have decided to start a new blog about Gilmer County.  To let our friends that live out of the County (part-timers) as well as those of us who are permanent residents know about news and activities that are happening.  We live in such an active area that it is almost impossible to keep up with everything going on.  I am also hoping that the blog will spread to those that are thinking about relocating here, either full or part time.  I want to keep a positive note but won’t be afraid to report and comment on those things that we all need to be aware of on the political side.

Visit Max's blog  http://www.gilmernews.net/

It's good to have Justin Witt back from Argentina for a few months. We got together to share some sundown, sunfishing with some monster largemouth bass on Justin's home water. Good fishing - good companionship.

Each year the Social Security Administration publishes the most popular baby names for the previous year. At right are those names for last year, and those for my son's, yours truly and my dad.
I wonder how it will read in twenty years?
To check it out for yourself visit the SSA website.

Thanks to host, Ed Richmond, Thursday and Friday were the best two days of bream fishing that I've ever experienced.
The weather, fellow anglers and hospitality were exceptional and the fishing could not have been any better.

Ed Richmond with a nice largemouth. Yep, the bass were having a great time with the bream too!

My Facebook pals and I were exchanging some videos this rainy weekend - thought I'd share two of them here.

1. Don’t tell your friend that you bought a new boat until he sees you pass him on the river. Be sure to wave.
   
2. Don’t share your flies with him because you know he will just lose them anyway.
   
3. Tell him to meet you at 8:00 am but start fishing at 7:30.
   
4. Don’t let him know what fly they are taking until you have a least a five fish lead.
   
5. When his boat capsizes, don’t help him out of the water until you get plenty of pictures.
   
6. Don’t console your friend when he breaks off the “fish of a lifetime” until you catch it and can give him back his fly.
   
7. Make fun of him on his answering machine when his wife won’t let him go fishing.
   
8. Buy a new truck just so he won’t recognize you on the river.
   
9. Give your buddy the best spot on the river then cast to the trout rising just behind him (catching one at his feet will really make this more effective).
   
10. On the way to the river, buy your buddy breakfast at a nasty fast food restaurant with a porta-jon out front, just so you can get some alone time on the water later while he runs for the bushes. (Mexican restaurants work even better if available.

Bellingham, WA – Funny Feelings LLC is pleased to announce the launch of our long-awaited The Flyfish Journal and www.theflyfishjournal.com. In development for nearly two years, TFFJ is a coffee-table and collectible chronicle of fly fishing's icons, environments, and culture of adventure. With the industry's highest quality printing, paper and photo resolution, limited advertising, and clean, classic design, The Flyfish Journal stands apart from the herd. With an emphasis on the landscapes, people, conservation, and less on “Five Dynamite Caddis Patterns”, The Flyfish Journal lives on well after the others have been tossed. Our website is a creative café for contributors, readers, and the fly world at large to share tales, experience bits of fly culture, check out independent projects and connect to same level of quality as our print product.

“I ran into a friend the other day who began asking me questions about the TFFJ launch”, says publisher Jeff Galbraith:
“So, you're not really going to be doing how-to cast articles?”
“Nope.”
“You're not going to be doing river maps?”
“No.”
“Tying tips?”
“Go online.”
“So, it's basically going to be useless?”
“Absolutely.”

The Flyfish Journal, proudly hatching in late-August 2009, features the totally useless works of Dylan Tomine, Greg Keeler, Ben Marcus, Adam Barker, Chris Santella, Claire Chounaird, Tom Bie, Kirk Deeter, Tim Romano, Brian O'Keefe, Steve Duda, Bruce Hill and other fine folk. Subscribe today, this first issue will sell out.

Living in the South where the images of Jesus and Mary have been seen in everything from billboard plates of spaghetti to rusty refrigerators, I just love these kind of stories. I'll post a photo when I find it.

Just received this photo from Justin Witt of a recent catch. Looks like Mr. Witt might be pushing the fishing day a bit beyond sunset. Nice brown!