New Chucking Line and Chasing Tail Worldwide Headquarters

I haven't died, I havent moved into a hermit shack.  I havent joined a hippy commune and turned my back on my blog and the world of fly fishing.

Oh, no no no.....

I am just emerging from the hell world that is moving into a new home with the wifey and future line chucker there in the picture.

 The picture above is the future headquarters of this little here operation, and come thursday when we are plugged back into the interwebz via the fine folks at YOUPAYUSWAYTOOMUCHFORINTERNETSERVICE Co, expect the posts to come roaring back

Until then kiddos, until then.

From Vice To Canvas....

You know what's cool?  When an artist takes what comes off your fly tying vice and turns it into art.

Recently, a local Spokane artist Christina Deubel took one of my traditional steelhead flies and made it part of her exhibit for her April 6th First Friday art showing at the Grande Ronde Cellars in Spokane.

Christina is taking flies from a select few local and national tiers and featuring them in her gallery showing.  A fisherwoman at heart, she was recently struck  by how many of the flies that come off a fly tier's vice are really works of art. 

You dont have to convince me of that.  I am guessing you feel the same.

This bass popper comes courtest of Christina and Wayne Jordan of the Tying Vice

So on April 6th at 6pm, if you're anywhere near Spokane, we will see you at The Grande Ronde Cellars to see the full lineup of Christina's work

Also a portion of the proceeds is going to fund a program to take disadvantaged youth's fly fishing. 

Read more HERE at Christina's Blog



We Gots Ourselves One Hell of a Whammy...

It started so beautifully....

The graphs of our destination rivers were in free fall in to beautiful fishing shape.  Work was all wrapped up and the family gave me a kiss before we hit the door and left town.  Our new raft was in tow.  Oh yes, oh gawd darn yes.

Roll into the town of vampires, meet up with the crew and our digs.  Just enough time to swing one run just outside of town.  The sun was shining.......

I even got a massive pull at the end of the second run I fished to close the day

Things were looking pretty damn fine.  That picture above was taken on evening one.

Then.....

Temps plummeted, rain fell in sheets and by middle of day two, it all went to SHIT.

Rain poured all day on us as we progressed on the first day's float.  You could see the river blow as we progressed into the day.  The Vanilla Guerilla did everything he could to get us into fish and I had even chalked it up to a foregone failure until OMR summoned all his favors from Jesus himself and finished the day 2-3.  My only saving grace was that I dominated Costal Cutties and Whitefish.  Whoo hooo!

We went to bed that night knowing we needed some help for the next day.

It didnt come.

We attempted to float the one drainage that could hold a lot of rain but it was to no avail.  All the previous day's snow turned liquid and coupled with the 2-3 inches of rain that day...we were toast!

A couple of the area's rivers set records.  I think I saw the ark float on by that day before we pulled out.

Full on epic blow out.

The previous two years we pressed our luck and were rewarded, handsomely.

I guess to every yin, there just has to be a yang.

We pulled the plug with 2 days left on the trip.  Lets just say it was a long ride home.

To Disconnect....

I dont believe I've ever needed this type of trip than right now.

Works crazy.  Moved.  Living like a nomad till the new house is ready.  Crazy 16 month old son. 

Havent fished for the better half of two months.

From the outside, those words above sound a bit, um, whiny....I know it. 

But for me, fishing is my mental reset button.  It allows me to fully enjoy all aspects of life.

Right now the best mental therapy will be a raincoat pulled over my head over layers and layers of fleece and a spey rod in my hand where all I am focused on is the slowing down the speed of the swing as the fly approaches the bucket.

Emails, poopy diapers, home loan paperwork, sales goals, copywriting, co-workers, bosses, living out of a suitcase......

That shit can wait, I'm awaiting my connection to a swimming rocketship.

My New Rower....

Lets hope that he enjoys having this boat as much as I am about to!

Off to the land of Sasquatch and Twilight next week with the new boat in tow.

Fingers Crossed

So You Want To Drop Spey Lasers Huh?

Then I suggest you sign up to participate in the Silver Bow Fly Shop's annual Tom Larimer Spey Weekend. 

I began my journey with 2 handed rods in 2009 with the beginner class at this event.  Put it to you this way, it advanced my casting to the point where I felt I could go out and do a bit of damage without looking like a total idiot. 

There's two ways to get better with spey casting

1.  Time on the water

2.  Great instruction

I'd say that great quality instruction is where you can take drastic leaps ahead. 

Tom Larimer is one of the top spey instructors on the West Coast.  He's on staff for several line and rod companies and operates his guide service out of Hood River, OR. 

Learn more about this spey jedi via his guide service web site, Larimer Outfitters

The weekend begins with a steelhead seminar, followed by a beginner and advanced class.   Space is limited in the seminar as well as the classes, so get ahold of Sean and crew and book your spot.

The Tongass 77....

There are only so many places left in this world that are factories for fully functioning wild ecoystems and wild fish.

The Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska is one of them, and we need your help to protect it.

Here's a fantastic description of the Tongass

At nearly 17 million acres, the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska is our country’s largest and most unique national forest. This magnificent landscape of western hemlock, Sitka spruce, western red cedar and yellow cedar trees is part of the world’s largest remaining intact temperate rain forest – and hosts some of the rarest ecosystems on the planet. The Tongass comprises thousands of mist-covered islands, deep fjords, tidewater glaciers and soggy muskegs that provide ideal habitat for a vast array of wild plant and animal species, including healthy salmon and trout populations. According to the U.S. Forest Service, the Tongass includes roughly 17,000 miles of clean, undammed creeks, rivers and lakes that provide optimal spawning and rearing conditions for the region’s copious wild Pacific salmon and trout. Each year, abundant wild salmon runs return from the ocean to Tongass streams to spawn and die. In this process, these fish bring nutrients from the productive North Pacific Ocean to the much less nutrient-rich land. Because Tongass ecosystems are sustained by the annual salmon returns, the Tongass is literally a “salmon forest.”


Trout Unlimited has helped to identify 77 critial watersheads that are open to development in the Tongass that need protection, and namely, protection of streamside buffer zones that are essential to stream quality and their ability to harbor and protect salmon, trout and steelhead.

Tom Bristol, director of TU Alaska has this to say

“The Tongass is America’s salmon forest and one of the few places in the world where wild salmon and trout still thrive. Some 65 percent of Tongass salmon and trout habitat is not Congressionally protected at the watershed scale, and is currently open to development activities that could harm fish. It’s time for Congress to better protect the richest resource of the Tongass: wild salmon.”

It's time to let everyone that know that these area's need protection, NOW.

Logging, sportsman's groups, commercial fishing and other stakeholders all need this area.  They all have stakes in the game.  Lets have this as an example of everyone working together for the collective good of the entire ecoystem.

Join in now to help this project by going to this web site

http://americansalmonforest.org/







 

Ibex Kicks The Snot Out of Cold....Boom!

I am not even kidding, not at all.

Recently I was given the opportunity to wear and review some killer gear from outdoor clothing manufacterer Ibex., namely the Woolie Zip T.  The garment was procured by Kyle at Egan and Associates. and I cant thank him enough.

At $85 bucks, this long sleeve baselayer isnt on the cheap side but you can see and feel instantly  Ibex is top level quality.

How many times have you been out on the river, in the duck blind or some other cold weather activity and you have to cut your day short because well....you're bloody cold.  That my friends registers a big time zero on the fun meter.  Keeping warm is the base to a great day outside.  Sounds pretty easy right, sounds pretty common sense but truthfully it's only recently that I've begun investing more in the base layer.  That's where Ibex came in recently for me.

In fishing circles it's my guess that most dont think about Ibex.  Well friends, add it to your list next time your out shopping for a Made in America product that uses natural materials.

Merino Wool make up the foundation of the Ibex line.  Here it is 2012 and it's refreshing to rock something that's as natural as wool and get the performance that just flat excells.

Let's break this review down into 3 categories....Fit, Feel, Function and Field Tests

Fit--How's it wear...
At 6'8 and 265 I consistently wear what you might call Double Bubba, also know as XXL.  Off the shelf sizing is the bane of my existence.  Pants to short, shirt sleeves too short, so on and so forth.  So when the box from Ibex showed up, I had a bit of fear that it wouldnt fit.  Wrong.  Like a glove.  Without sounding too weird, it fit where it should and hung loose where it should.  Not everything that keeps you warm should fit you like a damn condom.  First time I put it on the wifey gave it two thumbs up.  Anytime I get domestic approval for my outdoor gear that's just plain gravey.

Feel--No scratchies here...
Old style wool to bare skin= horrible.  No way could you be comfortable in that old brillow pad feeling material.  Now I know these Merino Wool producing sheep are special but good gawd is it comfortable and there's no ounce of that old school wood feel.

Function--Yep, wear it out...
Here's the deal...I dont like to shop for clothes.  I love to shop for fly fishing gear, fine shotguns, good beer...dude stuff.  But shopping for clothes ranks up there with getting my teeth pulled.  Anytime my gear can pull a Bo Jackson and work for the field and out on the town....guess who gets a big shiny star in my closet.  Take a guess.  I wore this shirt out for drinks one night and turned around the next morning and fished a cold morning on the Spokane river in 29 degrees.   Too bad the Redband Rainbows of the river weren't impressed

Field Tests--Go lay on some dirt and see what happens...
Spend 6 hours in a layout blind in January hunting geese in a field and see how fast you get cold.  The normal answer is instantly. This particular morning it was around 15 degees at 6am when we slipped into the field, set up an began waiting for the flights to come in.  I swapped out my normal base layer for Ibex and I noticed that honestly, I stayed warmer than usual.  Not to say I wasnt really cold, it just kept me a out there sitting in the layout blind for much longer than I would have normally done without sitting up and getting the blood flowing.  That's flat big in my book.  That day we were marginally successful but I can think many times when you get up to move around and get warm again only to have a massive flight of ducks or geese come over at that moment.  it's like they know!

Fishing wise, I like that this gear allowed me to cut down on one layer (sweatshirt) that I normally run on my days on the river in the winter.  At the same time, the wicking properties of wool allowed for a regulated tempature that didnt spike way up when I was walking around from spot to spot.  More bonus points there as I HATE getting overheated.  I think I'm beginning to sound like a big wuss right, I know. haha

Overall Grade--A+

There are still some questions that remain...

Over time and washings, how well does the wool stand up?

What are the other lines of the Ibex catelog like?  Right now, I only have this one long sleeve base layer.  I'd really like to know about the gear for the spring and fall like tempatures that dominate our calendar year.

Other than that, I dont have any reservations in putting the Chucking Line and Chasing Tail Stamp of Approval on Ibex. 

In Spokane, here are your outlets as provided by the manufacturer
Two Wheel Transit AND Mountain Gear.  Shop local when you can.  If ther are others, please email me and I will update this post

Want another reason to like Ibex?  They're big supporters of Peak 7, a charity that brings disadvantaged kids into the outdoors. 

Go have fun, get outside and stay warm.  Consider Ibex for your next your in the market.