Goodbye comb-over, hello chrome-dome fisherman

This week is the first time in nearly 40 years that my mug photo has appeared in this space without a cap.

Or hair!

So, Fishful, what happened to your hair?

Fishful Faithful will remember back in February when son Kyle and I spent a bucket list week in Ascension Bay, Mexico, fly fishing for bonefish, permit and tarpon.

On my third cast of the very first day, I hooked a big permit that ran nearly 300 yards of backing and took me nearly an hour to get to the boat.

Catching a permit is a special fly fishing milestone. There are so many factors involved that some expert fly fishers take several trips to the salt before landing a permit. Some never.

Before dinner that night I grabbed some scissors and started cutting hair, finishing with a razor.

Kyle was thrilled. He and wife Nan had been bugging me for years to retire the comb-over.

Following dinner at Casa Blanca Lodge, I celebrated by eating an obligatory scorpion soaked in tequila.

When I jokingly asked if the scorpion was “FDA-approved”, I was told, “Heck no, we find ’em in the garden!”

So far this summer I’ve been pretty comfortable as a chrome-dome, just slap on some sunscreen and my wide-brim Tilley hat.

Recently Nan showed me an ad featuring a bald Bruce Willis and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, with a caption saying “bald guys are more confident, assertive and, of course, sexy.”

You bet, plus I’VE caught a permit!