Beautiful evening in the mountains near Frederick, Maryland. I intended to hike, but decided to break out the 4-foot Tenkara rod I always pack along just in case. Tonight, only caught a few trees and bushes, but it was lovely. Great water levels and cool temperatures, such a nice time of year.

Tenkara fishing on small stream in Catoctin Mountains, Maryland

Did some hiking this evening and a few casts in a small, spring-fed creek that’s home to some small, spring-fed brook trout. Glad we still have brookies in Frederick County, Maryland — and just look at how clear that water is.

A mountain stream called Clifford Branch, Catoctin Mountains, Frederick County, Maryland

Woodworking bench converted to fly tying station this morning.

A fly tying station features various tools, spools of thread, and organized compartments on a wooden woodworking workbench.

Tiny Tenkara for Tiny Streams

I deployed my Tiny Tenkara rod (4’ 11”) on a small mountain stream in Pennsylvania today. Worked great on brookies, until I unexpectedly caught a big brown. I lost that fight in seconds.

After that, I switched to my (much) longer and stronger Dragontail Mutant Tenkara rod in a bout of optimism… and then caught only trees and bushes. For those who Tenkara, just want to share that such a tiny rod exists — it’s the only rod that works in many tight spaces and folds up small enough to keep in a pocket.

Tiny tenkara rod in hand, with stream in background

I experimented with night shots using my iPhone 13 Mini while at Savage River. I took a shot as the near-full moon rose over the mountains on a cloudy night. This is a shot at 9 PM with a 10-second exposure, handheld. It was very dark, so I wasn’t expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised.