MOONLIT FLY FISHING - T.F.M. Readership Preseason Sale

Yesterday afternoon I gave Brandon Moon of Moonlit Fly Fishing a call and at the end of the conversation, he asked if I'd be interested in a T.F.M. readership only sale to bring in spring.  Of course I said yes and we're kicking off today with a 20% off discount code which will work on all Moonlit Fly Fishing and Nirvana on the Fly gear now through Friday, April 7, 2023.

I've shared this list before but here are a few highlighted items with the after discount prices.  There are some deals to be had for the next couple of weeks for sure.

LUNAR S-GLASS SERIES - Discount to $128

NIRVANA PHOENIXGLASS - Discount to $239.99

ECLIPSE FLY REEL - Discount to $83.99

NIRVANA CLICK & PAWL FLY REEL - Discount to $144 - $159

NIRVANA PERFORMANCE TAPER FLY LINE -  Discount to $23.99

MOONLIT ALL PURPOSE FLY LINE - Discount to $28

Click this LINK for the discount to apply in the cart or use code "TFMPRESEASON20" for 20% off.

GOOD EATS - Mediterranean Chicken and Saffron Rice

It's been a little while since the last "Good Eats" post and you can revisit past recipes HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.  I posted a few photographs on social media this past weekend of a tasty, easy and visually attractive meal we had the other day and a few folks asked for the recipe. 

So, here's our take on Mediterranean Chicken and Saffron Rice.  This is a very easy meal and, as always, our Smithey cast iron and the Traeger Pro 575 worked together to make this meal even better.

INGREDIENTS & RECIPE:

Chicken Breasts/Chicken Thighs

Olive Oil
Spicewalla Za'atar

Purple Onion
Lemons
Chickpeas
Small Tomatoes
Saffron Rice Package

Chicken Broth
Water

Preheat your Traeger, grill, or oven to 375 degrees.

Clean and pat dry your chicken pieces and drizzle a little olive oil to act as a binder for a heavy sprinkle of Za'atar seasoning on both sides.  Let rest on a tray until ready to place in the cast iron pan.

Prep our purple onion and lemon slices.

Place the chicken pieces in the cast iron pan and then evenly pour the chickpeas over it.  Then layer the purple onions over the chicken.  Add tomatoes and lemon slices.

In a separate cast iron pan, pour in the yellow rice mix and add chicken broth and/or water mixture. 

Place both cast iron pans in the grill or oven and cook until the chicken exceeds 165 degrees internal temperature.  Something I will likely try next time is to remove the chicken and place on the grill at 500 degrees for a few minutes to char the chicken thigh skins and breasts just a bit.

Keep an eye on the yellow rice as you'll likely need to add more broth or water as it cooks.  When I make this again, I'll likely start the rice 30 minutes ahead of the chicken so they finish closer to the same time.

When everything is done, give the rice a heavy sprinkle with Za'atar and feta cheese.

 

Plate and enjoy. 

What recipes have you been cooking lately that are worth a share?

FLYLORDS - Fly Shop Tour - Episode 6

The final chapter of the Fly Shop Tour ends in Utah after 2,500 miles, trout floats, mishaps, and likely more than a few beers.  Press PLAY...



Check out the Flylords website for more and click subscribe on their YouTube channel too.

IN HONOR OF "OBERON DAY" - A Lucky 7 Fly Reels Flashback

It might not feel like spring yet where you are but a harbinger warmer days is the annual "Oberon Day" where cans, bottles, and mini kegs dressed in flashy orange and blue will be rolling out of the warehouse of Bell's Brewery in Michigan to far and wide.  It'll take just a few days for it to show up down here in South Carolina.

I thought it might be fun to flashback a few years to a several year project with Vince Huttley where he carefully crafted a set of seven fly reels with the Oberon can metal on the backside of each one.  When complete, they were each housed in a custom Vedavoo Retro Fly patched No-Kink Reel Cover and wooden box, also built by Vince.
 

I have one of these fly reels and know where at least a couple more of them ended up.  I traded DM's with Vince the other day and he thought he still had one more on his workbench that's available for purchase if some "Oberon Geek" is in need of it.  Send him a DM through Instagram.

Whether you've seen this step by step series or not, here's a fun deep dive in how the Lucky 7 fly reels were made post by post...

 

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

PART 5

PART 6

Happy Oberon Day.  Where will you find a pint, bottle, or can of this "Sunshine in a Glass"?

SEA RUN CASES - Crafted For Adventure

This is the time of year where I'm mapping out upcoming multi-day trips while also planning local day trips, organizing fly boxes, figuring out what fly lines are on which reel, which fly rods are going one which trip, and generally making sure I have everything needed.  A big part of that is keeping all the gear sorted and the several Sea Run Cases that I have come in handy for this in big ways.

Week long trips require the Expedition Classic or even larger Norfolk QR Expedition cases while the local or couple day trips make the Riffle Daily QR the perfect choice. 

T.F.M. has an ongoing affiliate relationship with Sea Run Cases and if you click through any of the links in this post, or the digital ad on the side of the page, it puts a few coins in the T.F.M. piggy bank.

Have questions about any of the Sea Run Cases?  Send me an email.  I am planning a side by side by side comparison of all three Sea Run Cases for a complete gear review for those wondering which hard case would be best for them but always happy to hash out questions by email too.

Visit the Sea Run Cases website to see all their offerings and protect your gear on trips or storage without worry.

TURTLEBOX LIVE FREE STORIES - A Bull Trout Mission in Idaho

Here's a fun story of backcountry adventures in search of Idaho bull trout from the Going Native crew with support from Turtlebox.  Press PLAY...

See more on the Going Native YouTube channel and kick off spring with a Turtlebox Gen 2 Speaker if you don't already own one (or two for surround sound) already.  They are undoubtedly worth it.

HELP TANNER BEAT CANCER!!!

You may have never met him but Tanner Smith a.k.a. @sanjuanandeggs is a dude with a big smile, bigger personality, and you've at least seen him on the regular in many, many, many Trouts Fly Fishing videos over the years.  From the times I've been around him, he's the definition of a "Good Dude". 

Tanner was recently diagnosed with Stage IV gastric cancer and a GoFundMe has been set up in his behalf to help cover everything that he'll need help with over the coming months.

 

 

Over the last couple of days, many have stepped up already with a donation but yours would be helpful as well he's got a long road ahead of him to beat this cancer. 

 

Want to help?  Jump over to the GoFundMe page and also take a minute to send Tanner a note of encouragement on Instagram.