Thursday, March 31, 2011

Things are Finally Looking Up















I know all you fellas out there are wishing you could be a winner just like me. See what I get in the mail, victory on the river, lake and sea. I know you all wish you could be a member of a prestigious club just like me. I even get stickers............

Friday, March 25, 2011

No Wonder They Are So Hard To Catch...

This graphic from the WSC explains a lot and reminds us that we need to keep fighting the good fight. Threatened or Endangered - pretty much everywhere. This graphic would be even scarier if it showed those portions of the west coast where wild steelhead are now extinct due to complete exclusion by dams or massive scale habitat degradation.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

RIP Nate Dogg



This has nothing to do with Fly Fishing, but RIP Nate Dogg.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Top Ten Ways to Get Blacklisted by Your Fishing Buddies























1. Naming the name of the rivers, especially on the internet.

2. Showing up to summer steelhead camp and saying that summer fish don't count.

3. Forget to bring beer.

4. Talk about saltwater fishing when in steelhead camp or on the river.

5. Bring annoying friends that ask dumbass questions.

6. Constant name dropping or talking about your resume.

7. Numbers................. Shut the fuck up!!!

8. Not offering to help your boy out while landing a fish or even taking a quick snap shot.

9. Talking shit and constantly trying to one up your homies. Especially when comparing nymphing to swinging a fly. Keep that Alpha shit at home.

10. Trying to use your boys for reports and leads when you do not give up the same.

11. Writing a blog.

Monday, March 14, 2011

The Fishman: Mike Kasic



Amazing work in a beautiful place.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Schliske Bamboo



Fished with a couple of these hombres a few years ago and the narrator a bunch. Great group of guys bringing in the tradition of bamboo rod making and even handmade machined reels to the younger modern crowd. Schliske was also written up in the current edition of the Drake. Check out there work and the Samurai Jay Johnson's video.

Monday, March 7, 2011

The Sea•thos Foundation



The Sea•thos Foundation exists to promote education and awareness of the human impact on the world's oceans.

The Winter Comeback















You ever wonder if that was really a grab on the end of your line? Seriously, regardless of time of year there are always doubts weather that pull on the end of your line was a fish. At times of the year it becomes more obvious and the type of take can make things more obvious. Still there is always doubt in my mind. Being pessimistic in nature, I doubt most if all takes, especially in the spring when the smolts are on their migration down river. After braining a couple hundred fish over the years setting on smolts, you get to really wonder what the heck hit your fly. Was it a smolt, a steelhead, a branch floating down river, a rock or some fishing gear stuck on a rock? It all happens and every take on the end of your line is different depending on water flow, location, structure and off course how aggressive that fish is on the other end of your line. Having salmon and smallmouth swimming in the same water also leads to some interesting encounters.

The other day I finally was able to get my fat ass out on the river for a float with one of the old homies. After playing bumper boat with a half dozen other boats we finally found one of our favorite pools without a fishermen. Set up at the middle of the run I started stepping. After about a half dozen swings my line stops then a tug, stop, then pull of an inch or two of line out my fingers. For some reason weather it be experience or just keeping the faith, I thought this was a fish. Instead of changing flies I went after it again, casting short then working back into the zone with nothing. Against better judgment on this cold dark winter morning with four to five feet of clarity I decided to not switch to another dark pattern, instead I put on something something bright and nasty on the end of my line, a tequila sunrise MOAL. I didn't even move back upstream, instead just starting casting short. After stretching the line out again I started to doubt that this was a fish and worked down the run. Within a few feet I felt a similar grab, but with this one the pull stuck and my Marquis starting melting.

Keeping the faith is a big deal in this game of swinging flies for steelhead, especially in the winter. Patience and persistence pays when all the cards are aligned right. Changing flies to a color against the grain of what I would think is perfect to that situation only goes to show me that there is always more to learn in this game.


Photos:Justin Teegarden