The Fly Tapes...

This podcast has soul baby...

Fly fishing has some of amazing storytellers out there, and Jason Rolfe from Syzygy Fly Fishing has been doing a killer job of bringing the best of the best together over the last couple years with his Writers On The Fly Events

Now he's taken it a step further and given us the opportunity to hear from these great writers anytime we want with The Fly Tapes podcast series.

The first two sessions feature Dylan Tomine, who personally is one of my hero's in conservation and writing.  His book Closer To The Ground awoke in me a higher sense of connecting my outdoor activities to my plate and bringing my children along in a life that includes hunting, fishing, foraging and a lot less "screen time" if you know what I mean.

It's great content, give it a TRY

Lastly, the 2017 Writers On The Fly Cascadia Tour is coming up.  I highly suggest going to one of the live events if you can swing it

Cheap Sunglasses

Minutes after leaving Lewiston, I realized they were gone.  Crushed.  Rolled over by the back tired and splattered into a thousand tiny pieces

My new Costa sunglasses had inadvertently fallen out of the truck at a mid-trip rest stop and later we realized that the "pop" sound as we drove away wasn't a soda can, that was my glasses not standing up to the weight of a Nissan Titan.

Dejected, I went full ZZ Top and picked out some terribly cheap sunglasses at the last place I could acquire them before the fishing began.

I hate cheap sunglasses.

I really do.

The sun was in full effect and the glasses showed that 12 bucks was probably at least 11 dollars more than they cost to make.  I know, first world problems

Still, this isnt the first time this has happened to our fishing crew.  The same gas station sunnies produced a 3 fish day for a buddy who forgot his glasses at home

Maybe there is something to this in the world of karma?

Fifth or so cast into the first run and boom, a big time grab and go. 

10 minutes later, my muddler was slammed by this wild buck that took to the air 3 times

Ok then....

2 other grabs and one other hatchery fish to the bank for the day...

Maybe cheap sunglasses is where it's at?

God I hope not.

Our Two Hands West Coast Tour

One of the best films in steelhead and salmon conservation is coming to a town near you.

Our Two Hands from the creative team at Bloodknots is about to embark on a 8 city tour and if you're anywhere near any of those stops, I highly suggest you go.





Our Two Hands from BLOODKNOTS on Vimeo.


It's a beautiful film that gets to the point on how we're at the precipice of some irreversible damage to our foundational West Coast species and at the same time, offers hope to a new way to manage our resources

Link into the FB page of Bloodnots for event pages on each specific screening of the film

Additionally, the filmmakers have chosen the Wild Steelhead Coalition as a main benefactor of many of the stops on the tour.   They've done a amazing job at supporting wild fish conservation and a big thank you goes their way first for the film and second to supporting groups like the WSC.

Spokane Anti-Pebble Mine Rally

This damn mine has more lives than 10 cats

Thanks to the morally corrupt administration and EPA head Scott Pruitt, the shuttered plans to create the biggest open pit mine are now alive again.  Yeah, that mine. 

The one that threatens the fishery in Bristol Bay. 

The ecosystem that 49 million salmon were sustainably harvested in last fishing season. 

The rivers and creeks that sustains dozens of lodges, jobs and fishing economy

The land and water that is sacred to local native groups who've roundly rejected the possibility of this mine

It turns out that a small gift has dropped in our lap, with Pebble Mine CEO John Shively will be in Spokane Tuesday afternoon speaking to a mining group and it's time to voice our opinion of his mine.

I've never been to Bristol Bay.  I've never fished the Kvichak, Naknek, Nushagak, or Alagnak, but I'll be damned to sit by on the sidelines knowing that they could be destroyed with this mine

As we've always said, it's the wrong mine in the worst possible place

So join Tuesday afternoon as we peacefully and respectfully voice our opinions at Shively's speech.  Directly after we will be showing Red Gold, the award winning documentary from Felt Soul Media that shows just what we stand to loose.

Here's the link to the FB EVENT, hope to see you Tuesday night.

North 40 Emag Goes Big

The North 40 Fly Shops have really stepped up their game in their newest edition of their emag

Greg Thomas from Anglers Tonic has joined their team as editor in chief and you'll see some great content from George Cook,  Marty Shepard, David Moscowitz, Dave McCoy and others who have killer pieces

Take a peek at Moscowitz's piece on this year's periled Columbia River steelhead run.   It sheds great light on what's really going on.

All in all, it's full of flat out great content and photography.   Check it out.

Speak Up for Idaho Steelhead

A bit of your time is needed, pretty please.  TODAY.

If you fish for steelhead in Idaho, or in the Columbia/Snake/Clearwater drainages for that matter, you need to take action today to maintain this year's catch and release regulations on this year's terrible A and B run returns

A month ago, fishery managers in Idaho felt strongly enough that they proactively instituted a C and R  only season on the Clearwater and connecting basins.  Now that the run has been upgraded from apocalyptic to shitty, shitty, shitty.....they feel it's ok to open a catch and kill season

The biggest issue are the B-Run wild fish.  There's a tragic amount forecasted back to the Clearwater, some say less than 1200 wild fish.  In a state that continues to allow for barbs, bait and wild fish out of the water, the impact on the tiny amount of wild returns is far too great to allow for a catch and kill season

Opponents to the C and R season say that it's causing undo economic impact on the local communities.  People wont go unless they can take a fish home.

I call bullshit.  Run your trips C and R.  Sell the experience, show prudence in fish handling.  Teach anglers about what a unique resource we have and that this year needs extra TLC.

If we keep kicking the B Run fish in the nuts, they're going to go away.  Forever. 

In the meantime, we have exactly 1 day to get your voices to the Idaho Fish and Game Commissioners.

Follow the link to submit your comments.  Keep the Clearwater, Salmon and Snake systems C and R this year.

When You Think Your Hot Stuff...

Well hell, didnt I think I was hot shit

Circa 2006 on a freezing day on the Grande Ronde.   There was icebergs rolling down the river and I was convinced that we weren't going to find anything that day

You'd make a cast and think your bugs were in the zone, only to find them sitting on a a chunk of frozen water.   It was a hell of a day.

Towards the end of the day, we sat on an island dejected.   Finally I looked up and noticed how the ice would pile up, giving you a brief moment to cast and sink the bugs.

I have to tell you, it's interesting to fight a big hatchery fish as it slices through the iceburgs

Extra points for the moose knuckle I'm sporting

We all have our past.  It's best to just look back and laugh.

Bucket List Article...

I've read the Drake for a dozen or so years now, and I've always thought...

One day, one day....I'm going to be in that magazine.

A bucket list item of sorts, we all have to have our goals that drive our craft.  Weight lifters  and runners have their PRs,  steelhead fisherman who  search for that 40 inch buck, so on and so forth.

In the process of writing this piece on the Spokane River, what I really learned is that it's the community that you surround yourself with that will drive or hinder your development.  Like the 10 year old playing basketball with the junior high kids, I was fortunate to have the council of other great writers  and advisors that I look up to as this article took on it's final incarnation. 

The emails to fellow writers who suggested some great edits

The collaborators and photographers like Michael Visintainer who bring the words to life with his images

My friends and fellow Spokane River enthusiasts who gave me great quotes and insight to really bring the pieces together.

And most importantly, the editor who gave me a shot.

Writing the article was the easy part.  Assembling the right people in my life has taken years and that  what I am most proud of.