And The Schwag Pile Grows....

Getting the mail every day feels a bit like Christmas.  The only difference is, we're giving it all away

19 days till the Spokane premier of Low and Clear to benefit the Wild Steelhead Coalition and the raffle, auction and silent auction items keep rolling in.

7 guided fishing trips are up for grabs and someone's got to win them.  Why not you?




LOW & CLEAR Official Trailer
from Finback Films on Vimeo.



The film is stunning.  The parking's free, tasty adult beverages will be ready to go and I am fairly sure that a hell of a lot of b's-ing will go down.

Tickets at the door, doors open at 6, film goes down at 7pm.  Be a part of doing some real good for Wild Steelhead conservation.

Get more info and RSVP by clicking HERE.

The Fish Equivalent of Eating Panda Steaks

Yesterday a great article was written and posted on the Seattle Metro Magazine web site

View it HERE.

Wait, what...."great article" you say.

Yes, because this misinformed foodie writer went up and kicked the hell out of one big's hornets nest in the her article detailing wild steelhead harvest and consumption at some of Seattle's trendiest restaurants

The serving of wild steelhead from the Olympic Peninsula is to many, the equivalent of eating spotted owl breasts, or panda steaks.  Not good, not sustainable, not good at all

My hope is that this crazy piece of writing gets people fired up and united against this non-sustainable practice

Go to the article, read it and let your voice be heard.

Fishing For Imaginary Steelhead...

There should be a steelhead or 10 laying in this run right now.

But they're not.  Not for the last 70 or so years

The speed is perfect with loads of structure, finishing in a bolder garden at the end.  

I should be dropping my loop as a fish picks up and flies downstream

But I am not.

So what do we have?  Swinging for imaginary steelhead.  

Or maybe their genetic little brothers and sisters.  Thankfully they still run down a swung bug with reckless abandon.

WInter Steelhead Fly Contest Sponsored By Loon

The gaudier, the better....

At least that tends to be my philosophy when wrapping up swing bugs for winter fish, and we've teamed up with Loon Outdoors for a little contest that you fellow steelhead anglers will enjoy

Send us a picture of your favorite winter steelhead bug that you tied and you might win some killer schwag from Loon.

First place--The Bench Set, a T Shirt, Hat and Stickers

Second place--Hat of your choice and a T shirt

Third place--A ripper of a T shirt

Loon Outdoors is leading the way in environmentally conscious  fishing and fly tying products.  Also check out their innovative on the water products like Stanley's Ice Off Paste which helps get you through a cold day on the water with minimal ice in your guides.

Sounds like winter steelheading to me...

So break out the flashabou and gets to wrapping

Submit your pictures to JMILLS81 at HOTMAIL.com (got to keep the spammers at bay) by January 30th and voting via the Chucking Line and Chasing Tail FB Page and voting shall roll after that.

Good Luck!

Well Played F3T, Well Played...

The Fly Fishing Film Tour is back again.  Hells Yes.

Nothing cures the shack nasty season like a good amount of quality fish porn, and on February 5th in Spokane, the Bing Crosby Theatre will fill with a bunch of like minded fishy folks looking for the mental escape that 2 good hours of quality fish cinematography can bring.

I will always remember the first year when the tour came to town.  We had never seen anything like it, ever.    Warren Miller crossed with steelhead.  Check please.

They always say it's never as good as your first time and in this case, that will always be true.  Inevitably, there's going to be some decline in the offerings and the subsequent years we all seemed to feel that was the case.

This year, the filmmakers have gotten back on the horse and submitted some amazing work.

When the media kit arrived at my house earlier this week for this year's edition of the tour, the only thing that rolled through my head was....

Well played gentlmen, well played.

All the ingredients necessary for a great night of previewing the films, and great coffee to make the ringing of Dale's Pale Ale go away in your head.  Damn that beer's good


Hit 'em Again Doc! Trailer from Silver Creek Outfitters on Vimeo.

Hit Em Again Doc is the sequel to the heartwarming film that Brian Huskey put out last year chronicling the touching bond that guide and client have on Silver Creek in Idaho.  I loved this.

 RA Beattie's tale of their journey to a remote chain of islands in the gulf of mexico is as exotic as it gets.

There's some amazing work in this year's tour and I cant encourage you enough to go partake in the tour when it hits your town.

Check out when the boys hit your town this year by clicking HERE 

If you're in Spokane on February 5th, come say howdy at our table promoting our Wild Steelhead Coalition's fundraiser on February 19th.  We'll have stickers for you...

OMR At The Closing Bell...

At the very tail end of a tough, tough, tough day.  

The fish karma machine summons the powers and dials up a gorgeous hen.   

Boom....

A Beverage Relic...Lucky Lager

When's the last you heard a tall boy referred to as a "half quart"?

This old boy's been sitting on the banks for a long, long time.  Pop Top and all, it's a reminder that someone was having a great time about 30 years ago

Cheers!

An Unruly, Flashy Mess...

Steelhead season has a way of undoing all my well thought out organizational systems.

Oh hell, where's the blue schlappen?

TIme To Go Beast Mode...12th Man Wraps

Time for the Seattle Seahawks to kick a little Atlanta arse today.

Inspired by Evolution Anglers' 12th Man Series, here's a few Seahawks approved flies that should at the same time, bring a steelhead to hand.

Go Hawks!

Admiration....

When you catch a wild steelhead, you only have a fleeting moment to take it all in.

It's hard to remember the exactness of the fish, the form, the weight and the moment.  From hookup to battle to quick pick to release, it's a moment of blur that disappears in an instant.

That's why I've spent a good time looking at this picture.

Ryan got trucked by this fish.  Absolutely blown up in 38 degree water where summer runs are not supposed to do what this fish does.  I spent 10 minutes on the bank throwing stupid tips and dos & donts to him as I knew that this was a special fish.

He's worked hard at learning.  He's put in time.  It was time for Ryan to be rewarded, and this spectacular hen obliged.

After I tailed the fish, we both sat there for a split second with our mouth's agape.  Perfect fins, perfect adipose, perfect shape and massive size.  I can pontificate about this fish for a long time but take my word, it was just plain perfect.

This picture was in a series of quick shots before the release.  It captures exactly the feeling when at least in this humble anglers opinion, full adoration and admiration is expressed.

As Ryan let her go to do her duty,  we did the awkward man-hug-chest-bump thing and soaked up every last second of that exchange


It's no wonder why we do what we do.  At least in our minds.

The Spoken Word of Soul River...

Man, I really dug this

Soul River's got a great new approach, check them out HERE

Wild Steelhead Coalition Benefit...

It's all starting to shape up nicely.

A pile of guided trips to give away including days on some of the most hallowed steelhead grounds in the world

Rods, reels, boots, waders, hats, lines, stickers, apparel, one of a kind artwork, custom tied flies and a hell of a lot more.

Also on hand will be a great collection of non profit fly fishing groups and conservation organizations

Last year, we raised $2,000 for the Wild Steelhead Coalition.

Lets kick it up a notch and break $3,000

So if you're anywhere near Spokane on February 19th, you know where you need to be.

Keep informed and up to date  by joining the FB group by clicking HERE.

Steelheading with Master Shredder...

Everyone remembers that ridiculously awesome cartoon.  How cool were the Ninja Turtles, and that scary Master Shredder?  Answer....a lot

I mean, pizza for every meal and beating up bad guys....what's not a 8 year old little dude not to love and that's not even mentioning the gameboy game that I may or may not have played a zillion times

Well, I think I went fishing with Shredder yesterday.

All of a sudden, he shows up and photo bombs me with a slick wild fish.  Where the hell did his shoulder pads go with the blades on them?  That's the first thing I thought

So he continued to fish with us....

and was rewarded with a ripper of a wild steelhead.

you never know who you'll run into on the river.

Icy Guides...

Tis the season....

No other way to deal with it but keep on fishing.  People ask me, "you fly fish...in the winter"

My response never varies..... why wouldn't I?

I suppose that cold hands and extremities bordering on frostbite is a valid reason, but I tell you this....

Staying inside sucks.  I'd rather have ice in my guides then be sitting on my couch not participating in the awesomeness that is outside.

Happy ice fishing.