James Murray

Switch rods a pleasure to handle

Owning the right gear is essential, if not integral, to the process of fishing.

Look up and see the wavering Vs

Each time I do see a flock of ducks or geese fly over, I feel a sense of sadness.

In praise of edible wild plants and fungi

This past weekend I attended a local fungi festival here in the Shuswap. Not intentionally, I admit, but rather by accident.

Selected reads for rainy days

Fall is upon us and that means the fishing should be getting pretty good.

Val Grant, Lee-Ann Burnell, Helen Bedford and Denise Bowditch listen in awe to boogie-woogie piano player Ben Waters on stage at the Roots and Blues Festival. The super fans were among a group of 28 fans who flew over from England to attend the festival and hear their idol.

That’s a fan following

There ain’t no mountain high enough, no there ain’t no distance far enough to keep Ben Waters fans from attending one of his concerts.

Val Grant, Lee-Ann Burnell, Helen Bedford and Denise Bowditch listen in awe to boogie-woogie piano player Ben Waters on stage at the Roots and Blues Festival. The super fans were among a group of 28 fans who flew over from England to attend the festival and hear their idol.

Avoid dangers of dehydration

It’s a beautiful warm summer day, the sun is shining, the sky is blue, you are out at the lake and you feel like going for a walk…

Taking a step back into my past

After two days of unbearably, hot, muggy weather I’d had enough.

Fishing with the family… priceless

I’d like to see a MasterCard ad… where they say, “and time spent fishing with your family … priceless.”

Caution in the wake of stupidity

With the coming of each summer, there seems to be more and more people spending more and more time on more and more of the lakes

Cooling off with a good book

When the temperatures start reaching into the high 30s, I try to find some excuse, any excuse, to head indoors and just stay…

Few remedies for muddy trout

There is something to be said for a shore lunch, you know, frying up a couple of fresh-caught fish in a cast iron frying pan

McGuire Lake as a living classroom

Column ist suggests the small Salmon Arm lake be used as an outdoor classroom.

The best days to go fly a kite

I don’t know how many times I was told that I take an interest in the aerodynamic qualities of tethered quadrilateral flying forms

Study provides chance to reel in cash

As a kid I squandered a lot of hours casting a line to the trout just below the first fall in Chase Creek.

Time for politicians to start listening

When it comes to election issues – federal, provincial or municipal – I like to think that I am at least relatively informed

Catch and release on a grand scale

Last weekend I got into a fight with someone that was not only a foot taller than I am, but also outweighed me by close to 50 pounds.

Astral fragment spurs imagination

Sometimes, when I look up into the night time sky, I am overwhelmed by a sense of wonder at the vastness of the universe.

Legislation ripe for manipulation

Amendments to Canada’s environmental laws brought about with the passing of Bill C-38 effect some 70 pieces of federal legislation

Things that don’t fit the mandate

What do laundry detergents and the Federal Government’s Bill C-38, passed in 2012, have in common?

Before you hand over your money

There is something about gliding across the surface of a lake in a long, thin, sleek kayak that is different from any other watercraft