Metalhead in Spokane...

See you next Monday.  You best be there foo's..

I've seen Metalhead about 17 times and I dont care, it's still cool as hell. 

So I Ran Into Turd Furgeson...

He dispensed wisdom on a gravel bar with OMR.

He let me know his opinions on gear and tactics...

And the dude drops lasers and catches fish. Way to go Turd!

Oh wait, I meant Steelie Mike. 

Reversal of Opinion, I Do Believe...

I have changed my opinion, wholeheartedly.  I doth stand corrected.

With an hour of daylight left yesterday, I threw out caution, clipped off my wet fly and went skating.  That hour  was a glimpse into true Steelhead Nirvana. 

Our group had already had a great day with a consistent bite and fish landed.  OMR landed a massive hatchery hen on the Snake and the end of the day put us at the mouth of the home river.

The light began to flatten out and with a Skopper attached,  I saw my first actual skated dry take by a steelhead.  I promptly trout set it out of it's mouth.

Wow, it actually happened.  Couldn't believe it.   Ok, back at it.

Two casts later, a massive slashing rise and we were connected.

Holy holy holy shit (my inner monologue)

I said that phrase 5 more times in that hour and landed two fish.  This is the type of stuff that makes Steelhead nuts like me a bit weak in the knees.  

So back to that picture.  That's what happens when 7 different fish try to destroy a skater. 

Oh hell yes.  Oh, hell yes!

My Boys...

OMR is under strict orders that he has to still be fishing when it comes time to tail Carson's first Steelhead.

I have a good feeling that it will happen just that way.

Beee-u-tiful Fish Porn....Off the Grid

Off the Grid Fly Fishing Trailer from RA Beattie on Vimeo.


Looks like RA Beattie and Joey MaComber have another winner.

Just show me where to insert my debit card to order.

Bristol Bay Road Show...

Alaska Natives, commercial fishermen, sportsmen and seafood processors are heading south on the Save Bristol Bay Road Show to raise awareness and build support for protecting Bristol Bay Alaska, which is threatened by the proposed Pebble gold and copper mine.

The mine, potentially three times as large as the largest current mine in North America,  would threaten the headwaters of Bristol Bay, putting thousands of fishing  jobs at risk, along with a Native way of life that has existed for centuries. The real gold in Bristol Bay is the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery, a sustainable resource that returns year after year.

In six cities, commercial fishermen, Alaska Natives, sportsmen and seafood processors will highlight the economic risks posed by the mine. The Road Show will also feature a screening of the award-winning documentary, “Red Gold,” delicious Bristol Bay sockeye prepared by local chefs, and locally produced beers.

Melanie Brown, an Alaska Native and commercial fisherwoman, and Ben Blakey, of family-run seafood company, Snopac Products, will travel to all of the cities as featured speakers, sharing the importance of the region as an economic engine, source of jobs, and resource for food.

In each city, the program will also feature sportsmen, fishing guides or commercial fishermen, whose livelihoods depend on the clean waters and sustainable fish runs of Bristol Bay. More than 12,000 jobs depend on the commercial salmon fishery in Bristol Bay, along with more than 1,000 jobs related to sport fishing and countless other businesses.

The Save Bristol Bay Road Show visits the following six cities:
Seattle: Monday, October 17, Leif Erikson Lodge, 7 p.m.             
Portland: Wednesday, October 19, Bagdad Theater, 7 p.m.
Corvallis: Friday, October 21, The Arts Center, 7 p.m.
San Francisco: Monday, October 24, Temple Nightclub, 7 p.m.
Santa Fe: Tuesday, October 25, Center For Contemporary Arts Cinematheque, 7 p.m.
Denver: Thursday, October 27, Oriental Theater, 7 p.m.

For information, please visit: www.savebristolbay.org/roadshow

If you're in any of these cities, you need to go to this event.  Mark it NOW on your calendar.

Make your stand now for Bristol Bay.

I Don't Believe in Skating...

It's true.  Honestly.

My return to my home steelhead river had me skating various patterns through the glassy tail-outs of every run we came to.  My eyes focused so hard on the swing and skitter,  testing my hypothesis that I could pull a jedi mind trick on a resting steelhead to have it rocket up and eat that surface disturbance.

Alas, nada.  nope.  no dice.
 
With that said, I still have hope that I will find a fish that will change my mind.   Posts like this one from Steelie Mike give me hope.

Nobody ever gets laid without putting forth some effort, right?