Work update!

Well now here we are, just shy of having been at my new place of work for five months. Truth be told, it's been kind of rocky, particularly during that of the inventory prep earlier this month where I had a relapse in my depression due to too much fiddling around with my medication.

But besides that, the work environment for the most part has been very enjoyable and positive and far less stressful than my previous job where I was constantly overworked, underpaid despite my decade-long employment and still not working a full time position even though I was constantly working near 40-hour weeks. 

But just this morning, I received a text asking if I was interested in the full-time closing position for indoor garden aka Seasonal, to which I replied with an emphatic yes and some gratitude. To be noticed for my work ethic and customer-friendly attitude so shortly after starting, when other longtime employees were vying for the same position it, well, it means a lot. And I am by no means a corporate bootlicker and can and will fight them when need be. That said, it is nice to see a company actually actively take notice of its employees. 

I made it. 

It's that time of year again...

 Every year, about a month out from the official beginning of the autumn season, I like to throw a little feast called the "Autumn Preview", which is typically a meal that would be otherwise classified as one of those "Hearty, warm meal on a crisp autumn night" deals in any recipe book or page.

While the big autumn welcoming meal in late September is always the same (Beef stew with homemade biscuits accompanied by a pumpkin cheesecake at the end!), the preview dinner always changes. And this year, I've decided on a one-pot meal: Beef Pot Roast. Consisting of chuck roast, carrots, onions, baby potatoes and celery. 

Once I got the meal started I had headed out to do some fishing with my new lures and stuff.

Though summer is still ongoing, the signs of its eventual demise are starting to appear all around. Both in the flora, the general atmosphere - particularly in the events - and the way fish are biting. The changes are subtle right now and if you aren't generally conscious of such things you may miss it, but it's happening and it is beautiful. The changing of seasons is such a wonderful thing to behold.

It pays to pay attention to nature.

The biggest and best of my catches that morning was on the Crickhopper grasshoper lure from Rebel. A very nice sized Sunfish that put up a really good fight. It was an absolute treat bringing this guy in.

An Angler's Tale #5

An accidental cash purchase, but one I was willing to go with once I got the reel in my hands-- Undercast closed-face reels are difficult to come by, but one made by Pflueger of all companies is particularly interesting as they are known for their quality. As as mentioned, once I got the reel in my hands, I understood.

The metallic blue finish and gold trim makes for a really beautiful, striking piece of equipment. But the real telltale as far as quality goes here is the weight and solid construction of the reel. It's much heavier than the other ultralight reels I own which makes me wonder if I could potentially use it for light range fishing as well. 

I slapped that bad boy onto my Berkley 5' Cherrywood pole and was shocked at how complete the combo felt. I couldn't wait to get out to try it out. 

Which I did, despite the recent dicey weather making fishing conditions less than ideal. 

Finding micro plastic lures is a lot harder than it should be considering the popularity of it all these days. Thankfully, Trout Magnet offers up a nice little kit for just such a style of fishing. Though casting 1/64 jigs on 4lb mono isn't ideal and I had to step up to 1/32 with the same hook size made things work a bit better. 

Despite the muddy waters from the recent rainfall, I got out on the most easily accessed river and started casting away. 

While not a lot, I did manage to catch a few fish with it, with the second small tiny largemouth getting foul hooked behind the eye. 

An Angler's Tale #4 : Ultralight Adventures

 

Finally, I found the Pflueger President spin cast reel U model on Amazon. It was tucked away within the Pflueger President listing and was only denoted by a two-digit code and had no actual photo of its own. It was only by cross-referencing some stuff that I realized what it was I had been looking at.

And so now, with my long-sought-after five-foot pole and a really good high-quality ultralight reel in hand, I can finally begin the first leg of my fishing journey:

CHAPTER 1: The Stream Captain

"Dwelling somewhere within a stream running through the foothills swims a fish with no worldly business being in such an environment. The local stream inhabitants fear it, steering clear of its presence whenever possible out of fear of being eaten. The creature's presence is causing a disruption in the gentle and serene bodies of water, and it's up to Advrik to track it down and fish it out before it's too late.

Overview:
Pole: Berkley 5' Cherrywood Ultralight Rod
Reel: Pflueger President Spincast Reel, Model U
Line: Berkley Trilene 4lb XL Smooth Cast
Lure (Smallest to Largest): 1/64, 1/32, 1/16, 1/8