The Allure Of The Muddler...

There was a time when I had zero confidence in such a fly.

It hadnt happened yet.

When you're fishing for steelhead, someone's bound to tell you..."try a muddler"

For all the times I personally heard the suggestion, those muddlers I had stared back at me with zero confidence. 

Then it happened.   The rod was damn near ripped out of my hand and at that point I got it.  Muddler takes are savage.  Nibbles are not involved....

Now, muddlers moved into heavy rotation.  Amazing what a few fish can do to your confidence in one fly or another. 

Another reminder, it's all in our minds....

Room With A View....

There's a ramshackle old trailer on a bench just above the Grande Ronde river in SE Washington that I've passed by countless times as our raft goes by the property.  The structure is almost flattened, a den now for snakes and countless mice.  It's on the opposite side of the river that the road runs and I've always pondered how in the world they got that gigantic old 1950s era trailer to that side of the river.

Barge?  Unknown road?  Who knows?

For the first time, we stopped our boat on the beach below the trailer and I did a bit of exploring.

I imagined what it was like to tend the property.   To live through some blazing hot summers and conversely, brutally cold winters where the river freezes up bank to bank.  Living independently and with purpose.

But what really brought a chuckle and a smile to my face was the old "2 Holer"

This guy and or gal was living one hell of a life.  I challenge you to find a shitter with a better view to and from doing your business.

The Swing of Things By Creekside Media

The Swing of Things from Creekside Media on Vimeo.

What a great video by my buddy Travis Bradford of Creekside media.  He's a soulful fella who puts his heart into his projects and it shows.

Tell me a story and I'm in.  This does it.   Have fun and sink into a great six and a half minutes.