I realize I have come up short, that I have many omissions and transgressions toward my fellow man. In order to free myself, here is my confession.

Pride – For a long time I have been in pants size denial, I had been injecting myself into trousers that were too small. I recently upgraded to a size larger. The first time I wore the new pants I went to a ASU Sun Devils basketball game. The ASU concessions now offer Portello’s, a Chicago restaurant chain, that makes a wonderful Italian beef sandwich. While the sandwich is a culinary achievement, it is very greasy, messy, and yummy. (touch on gluttony) Yes, I managed to grease up my new pants. (Grease spill to rival the Exxon Valdez) Suggestion, you will need more napkins than normal for this sandwich.

Sloth – I had planned a lazy weekend in Puerto Peñasco, while I had packed my fly fishing gear, I didn’t unpack it. I was trying to get rid of a persistent cold that I had been fighting for two weeks. I was suffering with a sinus infection and picked up an antibiotic. General instructions take dosage every day for 7 days, don’t drink, and stay out of the sun. My usual fishing gear hat, long sleeved shirt, and pants usually keeps the sun off of me well enough. It was a pleasant late winter day with plenty of sunshine. I set up my chair, and read for an hour. I did not notice any sunburn, but the antibiotic made me more vulnerable. My hands between the index finger and thumb was exposed to the sun, and that evening I had some real problems. It didn’t start until around 9 PM my hands hurt and had no strength in them. It was difficult to do the simplest of things. Open a water, hold the cup, get dressed, I was helpless. My mind is racing, allergic reaction, arthritic explosion, sleep was impossible. The next morning I struggled to break camp and head home. Driving was not bad, but I needed help to put gas into my SUV. When I saw my doctor on Monday they said it was sun poisoning. Another reason to avoid the nude beach.

Lusting for a good fishing trip – Even in Rocky Point winter storms diminish the number of fishing days one can go fishing. Some winters are mild and the fishing can be OK. This last winter had several storms and extra weeks of cold rain. I had several fishing trips where weather and other factors made them less successful. I am looking forward to springtime temperatures warming up, and the fish catching to get better. Hope to see you on the water soon. If you see me launching my pontoon boat off the beach at the Playa de Oro RV Park, stop and say, “Hi”. I enjoy talking about fishing almost as much as the actual fishing. Vince Deadmond The Fly Fishing Hardware Guy can be reached at 237 N Apache Trail Apache Junction, AZ vince@ajbest.com and at 480 982 7461.