Merry Christmas

I wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Here is a greeting card I got from Mark Yuhina. Mark is a biologist, fiberglass fly rod freak and great artist. Check out his wonderful water colors at Yuhina Illustrated. Mark's work is amazing!

Sea Lice

Other then four wheeling to work a couple of times, all I have been doing is tying flies, kicking back with the family, shoveling snow and freezing my ass off over the last week. This has given me a lot of time to think about many random things. One of them was sea lice.

As fishermen, we love sea lice. Sea lice on some chrome fish indicate one thing; the fish is fresher then an eighteen year old freshman on her first day of college. Fresh chrome fish full of piss and vinegar are what we dream about everyday. But shoveling snow and thinking about it for longer then the normal person should, I could not help to think about how messed up that really is. How would you like it if you had a tick sucking your life line from you everyday? But that is not even the bad part. The bad part is they are attached right next to your junk. Now how would you like a tick sucking you dry next to your nutz and give you a possibly lethal STD?

Sea Lice or Lepeophtheirus salmonis are a marine parasite that consumes blood, mucous and skin. They carry disease and can kill juvenile and adult salmonids. The biggest problem in today’s world is that sea lice are found in large quantities in fish farms and because of strays from net pens in both the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, populations of these lice can spread and infect in large proportions the native fish migrating through those areas. They can live up to 200 days in salt water and up to 21 days in freshwater. The lack of salinity in freshwater are what causes them to fall off when our salmonids swim back to their native streams.

So the next time you catch a dime bright fish, I want you to think about those little parasites sucking your fish dry. Your fish is not as fresh as you think it should be............

Rivers of a Lost Coast has a new Blog

Here you can check out pictures and clips from the upcoming film. Rivers of a Lost Coast is a story about our origins in fly fishing for steelhead and I cannot wait to see it. You can keep yourself updated on what is going on their new blog.

Oregon River Rights for 2009

Oregon's Senator Bates and Senator Atkinson are currently working on a Bill that covers the rights of the public citizen and landowner. In order for us to all protect our water rights, we need to take part of this process and requesting public review of the Bill. Common Waters of Oregon has been fighting for our river rights for years, but they need our help. Please take a few moments and get involved. You can read more here.

Ice Baby

Ice Ice Baby

All right stop, Collaborate and listen
Mike is back with my brand new addition
Something grabs a hold of me tightly
Then I flow like a harpoon daily and nightly
Will the steelhead ever stop? Yo - I don't know
He turns on the lights and the steelhead goes
To the extreme I rock the fly like a vandal
Light up a stage and wax the guides with a candle.























Dance, Bum rush the fly rod goes booms
The cold just killed my Echo like a poisonous mushroom
Deadly, when I play a dope steelhead
Anything less than the best is a felony
Love it or leave it, You better not get way
You better hit bull's eye, This kid don't play
If there is a steelie, Yo, I'll catch it
Check out the hook while my Big Game revolves it

Ice Ice Baby, Ice Ice Baby

















Now that the steelhead is jumping
With the cold kicked in, the fly rod pumpin'
Quick to the point, to the point no faking
This steelhead is hot like a pound of bacon
Burning me, he’s quick and nimble
He goes crazy when I hear a cymbal
And a high jump with a souped up tempo
I'm on a roll and it's time to go solo
Rollin' with my 909
With my beanie on top so my head does not get cold
The moldy silvers on standby, Waving just to say Hi
Did you stop? No - I just swung by
Kept on pursuing to the next stop
I busted a left and I'm heading to the next block
That river was dead


















Yo - so I continued to riverfront Ave.
It was so cold the girls were wearing more than bikinis
Steelhead lovers driving less than Lamborghinis
Jealous 'cause I'm out getting mine
Andy with a eight and me with a nine
Reading for the chumps on the wall
The chumps acting ill because they're so full of "Eight Ball"
Gunshots ranged out like a bell
I grabbed my nine - All I heard were shells
Falling on the ice real fast
Jumped in my car, slammed on the gas
Bumper to bumper the avenue's packed
I'm trying to get away before the snow comes back
Fish and Game on the scene, You know what I mean
They passed me up, confronted all the snagging fiends
If there was a steelhead, You, I'll catch it
Check out the hook while my Big Game revolves it

Ice Ice Baby, Ice Ice Baby


















Take heed, 'cause I'm copying a lyrical poet
Andy Simons on the scene just in case you didn't know it
My river, that created all the reel sounds
Enough to shake and kick holes in the ground
'Cause my style's like a chemical spill
Feasible rhymes that you can vision and feel
Conducted and formed, This is a stupid concept
We make it hype and you want to step with this
Andy plays with the blade, slices the steelhead like a ninja
Cut like a razor blade so fast, Other say, "damn"
If the tug is a drug, I'd sell it by the gram
Keep my composure when it's time to get loose
Magnetized by the steel while it kick in the juice
If there is a steelhead, Yo - I'll catch it!
Check out the hook while the Big Game revolves it.


















Ice Ice Baby, Ice Ice Baby

Yo man - Let's get out of here! Word to Andy’s hot mother!

Ice Ice Baby Too cold, Ice Ice Baby Too cold Too cold

Garbage Patrol

I did it, I feel dirty, I feel ashamed, yet I feel Damn Good about nymphing up my first winter fish of the season. The spey is going to stay home until our natives start showing in numbers. Hell, I might need to even find a centerpin.

RIP Big Ben

Had to toast a PBR and cast some flies for my homie Ben Kapp today. Ben, the founder of the Southwest Washington's Early Morning Fishing Pimps, a friend of mine and everyone he met on the river, passed away on this day back in 2005. This cowboy was a true character and I am a better fisherman and person for knowing him. I miss you, homie.

The Best Fly Reels EVER!

Photo: Brian Chou

Are drags really necessary for steelhead? This is one of the many questions that steelheaders argue about from time to time. In all honesty for the most part I doubt it, click pawl reels and some good palming have worked for decades. On the other hand checking out beautiful reels and fly rods are something all fly fishers do from time to time and many collect and fish them regularly. I have had the privilege to fish from time to time one of the best functional and constructed reels ever made. Charlton Signature Fly Reels are bar none the best fly reel ever created. You cannot beat the type III anodization, carbon sealed drag and precision aerospace machining. They are truly the Lamborghini of fly reels. Check out a recent interview of Jack Charlton brought to you by Fly Reels R Us and his new Mako Series Reels.




Fishing a Charlton Singature 8550 C Tarpon reel.

Osprey News

For the last 21 years the Federation of Fly Fishers has written in their Osprey Newsletter accounts of the decline of steelhead and salmon fisheries, as well as their aquatic ecosystems. Their research reports from the past and bulletins regarding current management issues, science and the politics surrounding our fisheries can be found here. Please take a look and see what is going on.

What would you do.....

...if you woke up early in the morning, drove out to your favorite swinging water only to find a hot fly fisher already swinging through your run?

Rogue Angel, Dawn Fischer Chou fishing Cherry Lane on the Deschutes on a cold November morning.