James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
Swiss Army Fishing Pocket Knife | Fisherman Angler Multitool w/ Scaling Blade, Gut Hook
1 min read
Especially designed to meet the needs of anglers, the Swiss Army Fisherman includes a special blade for scaling fish. Ruler markings on the blade help determine legal limit size of catch. The hook disgorging notch at the blade’s tip releases fish with minimal harm. Several other large versions of the Swiss Army multi-tool knife do include this blade, but in combination with a heavy and unnecessary (for fishermen) assortment of other blades.
Other options in this versatile knife include a small Phillips blade and a flat screwdriver tip combined with a bottle opener blade. Both come in handy when reels and other gear need emergency maintenance. Two knife blades and a scissors tool handle all types of fishing line and close trimming of knots. Along with that you get the usual can and bottle openers, tweezers, sewing eye/awl, and key ring. Though it might seem like a silly option, the plastic toothpick that neatly fits a notch in the handle has been one of the options I’ve used the most. Least useful would be the parcel hook, though it has provided considerable entertainment as I’ve tried to come up with practical applications for it.
A good knife for camping and everyday use as well as for fishing, the Fisherman model is small enough to keep comfortably in the pocket. Inexpensive belt pouches are also available. The essential angler’s tool missing is a pair of long nose pliers, but pliers in a knife of this type always turn out to be awkward anyway. A separate full-sized set of fisherman’s pliers makes much better sense.
James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
Designed by Doug Ritter of “Equipped to Survive,” the Adventure Medical Kits Pocket Survival Pak earned positive reviews from survival instructor Cody Lundin and...
Multi-purpose gear for hikers, backpackers, and other outdoorsmen gets better every year. If you make the Buck 731 X-Tract LED Multi-Tool part of your...
Leatherman’s back with an even stronger version of the original Leatherman Super Tool. The Super Tool 300 Multi-tool offers the strongest pair of multi-tool...
Especially designed to meet the needs of anglers, the Swiss Army Fisherman includes a special blade for scaling fish. Ruler markings on the blade help determine legal limit size of catch. The hook disgorging notch at the blade’s tip releases fish with minimal harm. Several other large versions of the Swiss Army multi-tool knife do include this blade, but in combination with a heavy and unnecessary (for fishermen) assortment of other blades.
