Hank's Back...

Enjoy!

Bell to Bell.....

Bell to bell.  First cast to last.  A day's worth of hope in between.

One fish for the dinner table.  Another lost and left us wondering.

What a great day on the big water.  We'll be back soon.

Conflict on the Dean

Question--How long does the average commercial fisherman in this fleet think that fish can live out of water?

Answer--A long ass time.

This is one sad video.

Read more at Adipose Newsletter from the Wild Steelhead Coalition.

Sleeping Mid River...

A little bit of warm sun and a tired dog can make for a strange sight to see.

Ol' Murph Dog, asleep in the river waiting for me to connect.

The Redington Dually Spey--Lots of Rod for Little Cheddah.

So Redington comes out with a $249 spey rod.....and the first thought through my mind

Yeah Right....

Then I spent 3 days pushing line with the spray pole.....and the next thought is....

I think I found my go to dryline rod.....

In my case, I tested the 12'6 6wt model which turned out to be just about perfect for the smaller/medium sized river like the Grande Ronde where I am magnetically drawn to in the fall.

Here are the top 7 reasons why I loved this little stick, and 1 reason why I didnt.  Each rod has it's sweet spot in terms of what application you put it to and in this case, pushing a fly just under the surface or even on top is where this model shines

The Goods....

1.  The Price-- Looking to dip your toes in the spey game to see if it's for you?  Here's your token to get on the ride.  Seriously, this rod casts like it should be sold at a $400-$500 price point

2.  The Cork-- The full cork on the handle is very unique, all the way through the reel seat.  I think it's a pretty darn cool touch

3.  The Color--Distinctive in a black/green/blue dominated market, the maroon outside the norm.

4.  Up-locking Full Metal Reel Seat--Classy, very.

5.  Handle Options--3 of them for the choosey folks out there.

6.   Chrome Magnet--See exhibit B

7.  The Sweet Spot--I found this rod to be exceedingly fun to cast scandi lines on.  I settled in on a 420 grain head and it felt as if it was matched perfectly.  This particular 6wt model is made for rivers like the Grande Ronde and the Methow where you dont have to make 100 foot casts.  Working 60-80 feet is fully effective on those rivers and I will tell you this rod lets you feel every tick tick tick of a dryline take but has the nuts to crank the fish in at the appropriate time.  I sat in one run and threw my rudimentary snake roll time after time after time and loved every second of it.  Zero fatigue, ready to roll for more time on the river.

The "Ehhh" part of this model

1.  Throwing tips-- the vast majority of time I spent with the Dually was without sink tips.  When I did....I wasnt throwing the greatest loops.  I cant blame the rod, more than likely it doesnt suit me when dredging is in order.  A lighter tip than I was throwing would suit the rod better and then this gripe can be thrown away.  Farther up in line weight models and I dont think it would be or is an issue.

All in all, the Dually gets the Chucking Line and Chasing Tail stamp of approval and I will be adding this stick to the quiver quite soon.

Get more info here on the entire line of Dually Spey and Switch Rods.


The Dually by Redington from Far Bank on Vimeo.

Pheasant Fields of Contrast...

What a beautiful day.  A long walk with working dogs that helped us make the most of our limited chances.  Wild birds are no joke.  They make you earn every bit of it.

Makes you smile when the dogs do their job to perfection and the shot rings true.  

Dinner tastes that much better.

The Angling Community Is A Giving Bunch--Waypoints Conclusion

We had people waiting at the door 25 minutes before opening.  From that point on I knew we were in for a great evening.

The Spokane premier of Waypoints to benefit the Wild Steelhead Coalition is in the books, and watching folks generously open their wallets for conservation is a really special thing to see.

And they kept doing it to the tune of over $4300.

A big thanks to the Kalispel Tribe of Indians for their major donation of the banquet room at Northern Quest Resort and Casino.   The substantial room fee was donated free of charge and allowed us to net a much greater sum of money.

The event wouldn't have had the draw without the guides who donated their trips and the companies that freely gave product donations.  They substantially add the event's draw and in turn the money raised.

(Yours truly trying to sound coherent)


The three city benefit for the WSC went off without a hitch.   So a gigantic thank you from this humble blogger who is just a small part in the conservation machine of anglers, guides and companies that made Spokane premier of Waypoints a gigantic success.

We'll be at it again this spring.  Stay tuned

Companies Supporting Waypoints Spokane

A big reason for the success of the past two film benefits for the Wild Steelhead Coalition is the companies that gracefully line up to help with raffle items and donated trips

This Friday's showing of Waypoints from Confluence Films is no different.  The support came pouring in again, so here's a list of companies that have helped so far.

Remember folks, these are the companies who are supporting wild fish conservation and conservation in general.  Support them with your dollars when you can

Guide Services
Anglers Obsession--Aaron O'Leary
Evolution Anglers--Joe Willauer
Chromer Sportfishing-Yos Gladstone

Apparel/Rods/Reels/Lines/Fly Shops/Artists
Rio Products
Sage Fly Fishing
Promont Outdoors
Loon
RST Fly Fishing
Allen Fly Fishing
Derek DeYong Artworks
Felt Soul Media
Lateral Line Media
Goat Head Gear Spikes
Big R Fly Shops
Northwest Outfitters
Silver Bow Fly Shop
Dry Fly Distillery
In the Depths
The Flying Goat
Hatch Fly Fishing
FreeFly Apparel
Fishpond
Guideline Eyewear
Deneki Outdoors
Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition


Non Profit Booths
Peak 7 Adventures
The Lands Council
Spokane Riverkeeper
In the Depths Artworks
Project Healing Waters
Spokane Fly Fishers
Spokane Falls Trout Unlimited
Clearwater Steelhead Syndicate


Cant wait to see you all this Friday.  Lets raise a lot of money for the Wild Steelhead Coalition.