31Mar

Bait Hucking and (sports equal rights) Fly Fishing in Colorado

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By Lupe Faulkner

  It was one of those fishing trips. You know, everyone catches fish but you, you loose six or eight of your most expensive streamers, it rains buckets, and you sink the boat. That’s right; I got skunked at Steamboat Lake over Memorial weekend.

I was determined to show those meat huckers (worms and power bait) that a well chosen and strategically placed fly was as effective as anything a conventional fisherman could load on a hook and hang under a bobber. Well, no such luck, I got stomped.

The fish were rising like mad on a midge hatch, and I threw everything in the box at them. I could swear I saw a hefty rainbow nudge my fly to the side to eat the natural laying only centimeters from my damn near perfect replica. As we watched the group of 12 year olds add another 18″ fish to their stringer (full loaded, I might add) I decided it must be a lake thing. I don’t fish lakes often.

I usually have good luck with a streamer in faster moving water, so I head for one on the several tributaries hoping to get the boat up far enough to make a make a few good casts. No such luck, here comes the wind. Determined and frustrated, I proceed to lose several of my best streamers in the dense shrubbery surrounding the mouth of the creek (can’t retrieve them since the current is too strong to get the boat any further up the creek).

On the way back to camp we are passed by a couple of boats with stringers of fish crashing off the bows of their boats (hmmm, are they just rubbing it my face, or are they tenderizing the meat?)Questioning my decision to become a fly fisherman, I head over to the dock to pick up my 5 year-old son and a fresh styro of night crawlers. I’ll let my son fish the meat before I crumble and load one up on the spinner myself. Surprising, no luck with the meat either, and hear comes the rain. I throw my arms up and ponder my karma activity of the past year.

We charge for shore as the lake turns to white caps. The rain and lightning moves in fast. Did I mention that we got the boat for free and have no clue what to do in the rain? We pull the boat up close to shore near our camp, outside of the no-wake zone. We leave all of our gear and head for the soggy camp.

Well, apparently it’s best to leave your boat in protected cove in the no wake zone. From what we could tell, our boat was hammered with 300 to 400 gallons of water from the waves and boat wakes from boaters rushing back to the dock. Yes, it sank in 18 inches of water. I didn’t realize a boat could sink in 18″ of water! All of our gear is floating around the shore. The gas tank and gear which included an Orvis waste pack with hmmmm, some 500 plus flies. Every box any fly had to be opened and dried on the dashboards of our trucks.

We bail the boat, load the truck and haul our soggy gear and crippled egos back home.

Next memorial day, it’s back to the river!!!

Information on bowhunting elk can be found at the Bowhunting Tips site.


Looking for High Top Sneakers

By Max Luke

  When you get ready to head out for the night you will need to select the correct pair of shoes. You may already know that having bad shoes can really put a damper on your evening. The high top sneakers extend up to the wearers ankle and provides resistance and comfort to the foot moving in all directions.

When you select high top sneakers for your feet, there are several factors that you must keep in mind.

Know your show size - You will be amazed to know that several women do not know their correct shoe size and this causes a lot of discomfort to them. Ask the sales person to measure your feet, as your right and left feet sizes could be different. You may also find that different shoes are made differently so your size may be different based on what kind you buy.

Fit - Be sure that you walk around a little with the shoes on. You will be very uncomfortable in a bad fitting sneaker.

Show material and interior - You must always check the material and the interiors of the high top sneakers before taking the decision to buy a particular brand.

Color - There are so many different colors to choose from; and one is invariably spoiled with choice. It will be tough to make a decision from the multiple choices of colors you have.

Price - Make sure that you have selected a pair of shoes that you can afford. Remember that they may cost a little bit more but they may actually last longer as well.

You want to consider high top shoes because they will give you a lot of support. They will help your feet breathe and are fit for any sort of terrain. You will be amazed at how comfortable they really are.

They can combine high fashion and comfort. You will be amazed at all of the great places you can wear them and just how versatile they are. You may be able to also find some that have built in cushions for added comfort and support.

Many people do not know that your feet size can change a little throughout the day. Well it is true. You will also be glad to know that high tops can help you have support and comfort at all times. They will continue to give you support no matter where you are or what you are doing.

Visit us as I cover more information on high top sneaker and high top sneakers for women


The Importance of Swing Thoughts

By Daron Soto

  Swing thoughts on the practice range are an unquestioned strategy. They simplify a complex situation. They speed the learning process. And they help develop trust in your swing. How about during a match? Do swing thoughts help there? What are the best swing thoughts to have?

While instructors differ on which are the best swing thoughts during a match, they all agree on one thing: Thoughts like “Keep your elbow tucked in,” Finish with your belt buckle facing the target,” or “Keep your head still” only foul up your swing when playing. In fact, many golf tips on swing thoughts reject the whole idea.

It’s not that these thoughts are bad. They’re not. They’re right on target. Entire golf lessons are designed around them. And they’re great in practice. They keep you focused on what you’re doing.

But eliminate them during a match. Why? They focus on swing mechanics and that’s something to avoid when actually swinging a club. Check any golf instruction manual. They will tell you the same thing: You can’t command your body to work in a certain way when hitting the ball. Trying to do so creates more problems than it solves.

Instead, focus on your target. That, after all, is your real goal. Forget about where your hands are or where your hips are. Concentrate on where you want the ball to land and link to it creatively and emotionally. Develop a mental picture of that spot and keep it in mind as you swing.

If you must have a swing thought, keep it simple. And non-mechanical. Many PGA pros focus on a single thought, which eliminates thoughts about swing mechanics.

Ernie Ells keeps this thought in mind when he swings “Low and slow.” That’s it. He doesn’t think about where his hands are, where his weight is, or where his body is going to end up. That’s for when he’s taking a golf lesson from his swing coach. Instead, he focuses on taking the club back low and slow, eliminating everything else.

Fred Shoemaker, author, a pioneer in golf instruction, and founder of the golf school Extraordinary Golf, is adamant about swing thoughts. Replace thoughts about your mechanics with thoughts about the “feel” of your swing. Think about tempo and rhythm rather than where and when. If you must have a swing thought, says Fred, have one that reinforces the feel of your swing.

Fred has his students practice throwing clubs to emphasize this idea. At first, they throw a club 15 feet. Then, they throw one with a slightly fuller swing, about 25 feet or so. After about 200 throws, they throw one with a complete golf swing. Of course, this club throwing is done under strict supervision and safety conditions.

Once Fred’s students master club throwing, they move to the tee. The goal there is remembering how it feels to throw a club when you hit a ball. They focus on that idea and that idea alone.

Another approach is to have a thought that triggers something in your swing, thoughts that

Mentally in-plant your target line

Mimics the actual swing

Produces a smooth take away

Triggers the downswing.

Promotes relaxation while swinging

Establish a target line for your ball flight before you address the ball. Keep that thought in mind when you hit and try to copy it with your ball flight. That forces you to keep the target line in mind, not your mechanics.

Most professional golfers take a few practice swings before they address the ball. They want the feel of the swing before they hit the ball. Recreational golfers ought to do the same. Take a few practice swings. Remember how it feels. Keep that “feel” in mind when you hit.

Focus on a thought that promotes a smooth takeaway. Slow and easy. Or, slow and smooth. Anything that produces a nice takeaway helps. Remember, the takeaway and backswing do one thing: position you for the downswing.

The downswing begins the chain reaction of feet, knees, thighs, and shoulders. Any thought that triggers this chain reaction helps deliver the blow at impact. Try thoughts like, “Plant your left heel,” or “Slide your left knee toward the target.” Anything that helps you transfers your weight to your left side works well.

Also try to complete the backswing in a relaxed manner. Think of anything that will occupy the time between your takeaway and the completion of your backswing. That brief time is critical. It’s when golfers think about their mechanics instead of their targets.

Consistency is every golfer’s goal. To achieve it, we need a swing that is repeatable under pressure every time we play. Developing that swing, however, isn’t easy. It takes hard work and plenty of practice.

Having a thought process that repeats itself time and time again helps you develop that swing as well. If the metal side of your game syncs with the physical side, achieving swing consistency gets easier. More importantly, it cuts strokes from your game, which, in turn, generates a lower handicap.

Learn about badminton shoes and badminton tutorial at the Badminton Tips site.

sporting rules

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Categories: sports

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 at 12:00 pm and is filed under sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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