The End of the Line

The inevitable truth of what is happening to the fish in our oceans. Check out more here.

Grizzly Charging Buffalo

Holly cow, this is in Yellowstone National Park. The Grizzly is estimated at 800 pounds while the Buffalo was estimated at 1600 pounds. Now that is a lot of buffalo burger. Read more courtesy of ktvq.com.

Steelhead Camp in Pictures

John Kirk on his first steelhead adventure. After a few spey casting lessions and a few days on the water he was bent into the first steelhead of his life, not to mention first fish on the spey rod. There was four guys in camp who caught their first swung steelhead and one very talented Laura Jenkins who got her first also. Photo: Ian Majszak















Brain Chou casting a Bob Clay Riverwatch Dean Bamboo spey rod. Photo: Ian Majszak















Walking back from a morning of tug and war. I lost!!! Photo: Ian Majszak















Getting ready for battle. Photo: Ian Majszak















Matt Klara fixing his shit. Photo: Ian Majszak
















Matt with the fruits of his labor. Photo: Ian Majszak

















Fergus Skater Love! Photo: Michael Davidchik















Keith Darnall and John Kirk Classing up the Place. Photo: Ian Majszak
















Jeff Nelson with one of a couple fish he caught on his first steelhead camp. Photo: Ian Majszak















Reading the Steelhead Bible after a morning session. Photo: Ian Majszak















Getting ready for the morning run. Photo: Ian Majszak















Keith running the Svendsen. Photo: Ian Majszak
















Matney with the fastest boat on the river that morning. Photo: Ian Majszak






















Checking out the scenery on the big river. Photo: Brian Chou















Lots of nights were spend like this. At one point we had 18 people around the campfire. Good times with good friends. I think the topic of this night was why Missoula sucked so much. Photo: Ian Majszak















There was another way to keep warm at night other then the campfire. Photo: Ian Majszak















Going to bed early, what a bunch of biaaaaaatches! Photo: Ian Majszak

















Proving a point, one drunken night Matney tied up the Blue Death. The Blue Death is nothing but blue flashabou, and yes he picked my pocket with it. Photo: Michael Davidchik






















An unnamed Alaskan educating us on landing skills. Photo: Michael Davidchik






















Ian Majszak getting the shot. Photo: Matt Klara
















Brian and I enjoying the moment. Matt's Powerspey, dryline, Scott T2H and a Red Wing Blackbird brought me some love in a run that hates me. Photo: Ian Majszak














Part of the steelhead crew the morning the Missoula boys left. Missoula Vs. Bozeman, what a stupid battle. Too bad neither of them have steelhead back home. Lots of guys and gals not in the picture. Photo: Ian Majszak

Alaskan Chinook Bycatch at a Record High

You chinook salmon lovers out there may find it interesting that once again the Alaskan polluck fishery has put a serious dent in chinook stocks traveling throughout the Gulf of Alaska. Chinnok are a highly migratory species and many of the fish caught in Alaska are from stocks in the lower 48 and Canada. This includes fish from the Upper Willamette and Lower Columbia Rivers that have been tracked in the past and are endangered. This years tally in the Polluck fishery was over 58 thousand, which is almost three times greater then average 20 thousand. Read more courtesy of the Kodiak Daily Mirror.

Love Your River

"Love Your River" is a program developed by the Oregon Environmental Council. The OEC safeguards what Oregonians love about Oregon—clean air and water, an unpolluted landscape and healthy food produced by local farmers. For more than 40 years, they have sought out solutions to protect the health of every Oregonian and the place we call home.

This program challenges you to get to know your waterways and how little things can make a big difference. This months action is reducing your own personal oil spill. For instance washing your car in your driveway bleeds oil into your local watershed. Though it costs a few extra dollars to go to a commercial car wash, they are required to treat the water for disposal and some even recycle. Pretty cool and makes a lot of sense. The little things add up and make a difference and I am looking forward to learning more.

This site is a fun easy way to get to know how each of us can become better stewards of the rivers we cherish. The "Love Your River" is complete with an online toolkit and monthly prize drawings. Sign up for the Love Your River campaign to get monthly action tips, find out how clean your favorite rivers are, and win prizes like camping gear and backpacks when you take action to love your river. Check out Love Your River and what the Oregon Environmental Council is doing for your rivers.

Bringing Them Back To the Upper Columbia

Chelan County Salmon Restoration from Howell at the Moon Productions on Vimeo.

In Search of a Few of

These,

















and then maybe a few of these over the next few weeks. Gotta love the Fall!

Skater Time= Happy Hour

This is that magic time of year. Check out this video from John Hazel on the Deschutes River. You can learn a lot watching videos like this and watching guys on the river that know how to do it. I had the opportunity to watch a legend on the river last Fall and the next day I had one of those days I will never forget. Take the tips and bobbers off fellas, this is game time. Enjoy the Happy Hour while we got it.

Ross and 3M

My old Big Game #4 (Photo: Brian Chou)

I hate to admit it, I get crap from it from my buddies who fish the salt, but I have always been loyal to Ross Reels. Though you might not find any of the new models of reels in my closet, I still have a lot of the oldies and goodies. For years I have had a hard time not buying more when I see them in the classifieds. Maybe its the Filipino shoe thing that has transcended on fishing reels, but for sure it is at least the Filipino bargin shopper in me. When you own three Ross Big Game #6's and that isn't all of your spey reels, then you know you have a problem. I have been able to cut ties with quite a few of those as well as other Ross Reels over the years, but one thing is for sure, I still love those old Big Game Reels.

Ross Reels is a small company based out of Montrose, Colorado and have been making quality reels for over thirty years. 3M, the company that owns Scientific Angler has just recently purchased Ross Reels. How this is going to effect the factory in Montrose and their customer service is beyond me, but with the experience I have had with Scientific Angler, there shouldn't be any problem. Overall this is still a big deal, 3M is a huge conglomerante employing 75,000 workers in 65 countries, with $23 billion in sales a year. 3M dabbles in everything from medical, office and building supplies, video and computer accessories as well as sctoch tape to name a few. With ownership of Ross this could mean big changes to Ross's American homestead. Let's hope they stay loyal to their valued customer and stay planted in Montrose, Co. As of right now that is their current plan.

Read More courtesy of the Angling Trade and Field and Stream's Fly Talk Blog.