SEC T I ON ON E
PHOTO COURTESY: KRISSIE MASON
EDITOR’S MESSA GE | KRIS S IE MAS O N
One of the benef its of a long, snowy cold snap is
my absence of remorse for sitting in front of the
computer days on end. No outdoor activities for me.
No, siree bob. Just doing the glamorous work of a
freelancer. Shoveling occasionally. Living the life!
Churning out magazines, articles, photos, answering
emails and taking calls. Nope, no shame at all. At least
not Catholic shame. Okay, maybe a hint of the more
liberal Lutheran variety...it allows me to procrastinate
longer as those little incremental guilty bits begin to
compound.
There’s that, and then there is not having to get dressed
in anything other than sweats and f leece. Also, there
is time to indulge in books, instructional videos, and
gear shopping for my recent aff liction: f ly f ishing. As
a relative novice, I’ve been devouring information like
a starving woman with a warm bowlful of homemade
sauerkruat and spare ribs. Macaroni and cheese? Nine
mein Freund. I’m 100% German, what can I say? Es
wärmt meine seele.
During a rabbit hole deep dive into f ly reels I came
across a recent upstart, Session Fly Fishing; two
younger fellows on the west coast who brought an
all-water, high quality, beautifully designed, fully
CNC-machined f ly reel to market at an incredible price.
(Say that three times!) The nicest guys you would ever
want to meet, present company excluded. I ordered
a reel and extra spool. I’ll be throwing it on both my
St. Croix Legend Elite 8wt. for pike, smaller muskies,
and steelhead, and my St. Croix Imperial 6 wt. for
larger trout. Session Fly Fishing is currently running
a promotion with American Angler Magazine. Check
out Session’s Instagram feed for more info.
Speaking of rabbit holes and f ly f ishing, be sure and
check out Bob Ford’s narrative on hoppers and beagles,
and Jerry Darkes editorial on the present state of f ly
f ishing--f ind them in this issue. Both have literally
written the book(s) on their respective subjects.
You’ll also f ind great reads from other f irst time
HORIZONS contributors like David Zeug on Cold
Snap Coyotes, and Jim Edlund on award winning St.
Croix Muskie Sticks. Thank you one and all!
We are treated to return appearances by Matt Breuer
inviting us to a secluded ice rink, Drew YoungeDyke
takes us on an unexpected adventure, and Tom Watson
reminds us inspiration for a good story can be as close
as the shoes on your feet.
Plus, so much more...
Hope you enjoy the issue.--km--
HORI ZONS | 05