Like a Dog On Point....

After a few hours of staring at the bobber and catching the occasional fish,  when you finally see the first smattering of bugs that make the fish loose their minds you get a bit excited.

Then the callibaetis come off in waves and it's on.   The rises come at a steady pace but with no predicability as to where so you sit on the pontoon poised and ready to strike.

Some sessions are better than others.  Over the years it's as wild as it gets with a fish every cast and others like this year are a bit different.  The bugs were there, the fish gave a lackluster effort and really didnt show like normal.   The why or why not is the part of the mystery that keeps me going, as if I am trying to solve a riddle who's answer is always a moving target.

I get a feeling that I know what it's like to be a bird dog and catch that first scent of a pheasant, and work it all the way through to the point.

Still 2 hours pass in what feels like 10 minutes.  All of a sudden you realize that you havent seen a bug in 15 minutes and the last rise was just as long ago.  I finally uncoil the tension and sit back and relax, like I just came up for air after a long deep dive into fishing mania.

After being hyper focused for that time, it's great to look up and see what's around you.  In this case, it's a beautiful lake surrounded by miles and miles of public land.

That fact gives me hope that this interaction will continue as long as I keep coming back to this place.

Till the next time when I deliver the cast in a state of bird dog like focus.

Flying T-Bones

If you found this bug in your house, you'd be calling an exterminator.

On the river, I think they make fishermen and women just as excited as the fish that eat them.

Last week I got the opportunity to fish the legendary salmonfly hatch on the Deschutes and the biomass that crawled around on the banks and grasses were as advertised.

If you've never had a 2-3 inch double winged crawling bug land on your neck mid cast, you'd bet your life it makes the hair on your neck stand at attention.

They're so damn big, lumbering around on everything and blasting through the air.

As a joke I ate one.   It had oak overtones with a hint of cherry and spices.

Not really.

They taste like shit, with just the right crunch to really make you question your decision.  It's not like the fish gave me any points for solidarity and jumped on my fake offerings at a faster rate.

But to the fish, I'm sure they're the piscatorial equivalent to medium rare T-bones rolling down the river.

Postcards From The Crapper....

One of the most stunning places to heed nature's call...

Deschutes River,  chasing down the salmon fly hatch in the canyon.

Enjoy the view...

Lost River Film Co.

2017 LOST RIVER FILM CO. PRODUCTION REEL from LOST RIVER FILM CO. on Vimeo.

Man, that video has got all the feels that you want.

The demo reel is from Lost River Film Co., 3 man team that flat out produces amazing work.

To me, great work behind the camera brings out the emotion and finds it outside of the grip and grins and normal go to shots.   From their ethos on their site:

THERE’S NO TEXTBOOK THAT TELLS YOU WHEN YOU’VE GOT THE RIGHT SHOT, STORY, OR LINE. THERE’S NO SHORTCUT TO A PROFOUND SENSE OF PLACE OR CONNECTION TO A CULTURE. WE FILM AND PHOTOGRAPH THE WEST BECAUSE IT’S IN OUR BLOOD; IT’S WHERE WE’RE FROM AND WHAT WE KNOW.

Here here!  Cant wait to see  more work from Drew, Bobby and Ivan in the near future

For more of their films and work, check out Lost River Film Co. Vimeo page.

Water to Wine For The Spokane River

May 19th is a big night for the Spokane River

The Spokane River Forum is hosting their annual benefit and auction to raise funds and create more advocates for the amazing asset to our town, the Spokane River

Rare is a river that cuts through the middle of hundreds of thousands of people that also can provide an amazing resource of recreation, civic pride, fishing opportunities, whitewater rafting and so much more.  The story of the Spokane River is one of restoration and recovery.  Decades of abuse followed by decades of resiliency and now hopefully a strong legacy is being laid down of advocacy.

The issues still facing the river and it's watershed are numerous.  Toxic runoff, excess sediment coming in from it's tributaries, remaining issues from a bygone era of hard rock mining in it's headwaters and more.  

But to me, the biggest challenge is apathy from it's surrounding residents.

What the river needs to be honest is more people on it and understanding what a asset we really have.  I've personally taken people on my raft who are just blown away at what they see on the river less than 10 minutes outside of downtown.  Moose, Beaver, Osprey, Deer on the land and hard fighting native Redband Rainbows and Whitefish below in the water.

More people using the river = more advocates = a healthier river in the future.

Take it from Sean Visintainer, owner of the Silver Bow Fly Shop.  The river means a lot to him, his business and our community.

Register for the event HERE  and more information can be found on their FB EVENT PAGE

So on May 19th, I highly encourage you to be a part of this great benefit for the Spokane River.

Wild Game Feed Saturday with BHA

Another great event is on the docket for lovers of the outdoors, hunting, fishing and public lands.

Backcountry Hunters and Anglers is hosting a Wild Game Feed  at Big Barn Brewery in Greenbluff just north of Spokane this Saturday evening.   As the poster says, bring a wild dish or side if your able to share and engage in some of the best conversation on conservation around

I am so proud to be a member of BHA, and the people I've gotten to know over the past 2 years in the organization are the real deal in the fight to preserve public lands.

If you're looking for a group that stands up for everyone's right to public land access and preservation, BHA is it.

Join them/us this Saturday night at this great event.

A Thank You--Our Two Hands Wrap Up

Wow, THANK YOU.

The Spokane showing of Bloodknot's movie Our Two Hands was a smashing success.

Months and months of planning came to fruition last Thursday and the community rallied to support the event to benefit the Wild Steelhead Coalition.

At the end of the night, I felt so proud.

Proud to be a part of a conservation community that comes out to support events like this.  You cant have the film showing without people who fill the seats.

Proud to be have great relationships with businesses and guides in the fly fishing industry that brought the noise with donations, with hardly a question asked.  There's no way to raise the kind of money we did that night

Proud that other conservation groups like Spokane Falls Trout Unlimited, Spokane Women on the Fly,  Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Spokane Riverkeeper, Spokane River Forum and Spokane Fly Fishers cam out to man booths and promote the event.  We're part of a community that gets the job done and I cant thank them enough.

Proud to have the volunteers and family step up to put on a showing that went about as well as I could have asked for.

In the end,  attendee's wallets were wide open and helped us gross over $7400 dollars.  In the end after expenses, $6000 will go to the Wild Steelhead Coalition to help continue our mission of recovery for wild steelhead across their range.

When I sat down near the end of the film in the back of the room to observe the crowd watching the film and it's great message, all I saw were backs of people's heads locked into the movie.   Nary a conversation,  people were spellbound and hopefully absorbing the information that Our Two Hands presented them with.

I believe we created more advocates that night.

And that's worth more to me than anything else.

Thank you.

Look for a summer tour of Our Two Hands, more info to come via the Bloodknots FB page