Take that Crowds....Powwww! Snap! Bammm!

Up and down the holy water all day, and what did we see....truck after car after truck after car. One of my favorite, favorite runs had SEVEN cars parked in the take out. Yeeesh

All day long we were five minutes late to every hole. Literally. We'd pull up and some guy was just walking into the spot. It was starting to get frustrating.

OMR did break the ice and his previous skunk streak with a nice buck


Wear the bunny ears dad, wear it!


Finally, we THOUGHT we had the hole shot on my favorite place on this section of water. Walking in, we were again aced by two gentlemen with gear that is opposite of fly. I say gentlemen because that's what they were. Nice stream-side conversation, and they had fantastic attitudes. They invited us to follow us down. There was no bullshit dividing line. In truth, a gear slinger and a fly thrower should be able to work the run back to back. You're working two different sections of water. No harm, no foul...there's enough to go around.

No problem, we'll wait our turn.

As the gear guy worked their way down the run....that's when the baloney macaroni happened.

3 guys came walking up from the run way below us and posted up in the BOTTOM of the run, effectively cutting us off, including the baitcasters. Part of me wanted to rip a new you know what in their butts, but I had a feeling they just didnt know what proper steelhead ettiquite is and or was. Later on, this was confirmed. Now they have no excuse for that BS.


OMR, dropping bombs amongst the peanut gallery

So feeling a little dejected and fed up with crowds in JANUARY (of all times!!!), I made this remark to OMR

"Well, I might as well work on my spey casting, because with these crowds, I wont be catching anything"

Wrong.. So very wrong

Cold water. January. Crowds. To hell with them.

Second snap T and into the swing, paydirt was found

It was probably the most rewarding yank yank yank pullllllllllllllll that I have had this entire season. This lovely little player went into the air 3 times instantly, and peeled off a considerable amount of line before coming to hand. What a fight for 38 degree water temps. Honesty it was the type of yank the rod out of your hand pull you'd expect in September, not in mid winter.


Yep....a grati "fly" ing moment.

Images that stick on the brain...

Some of the best pictures don't fall into the grip and grin mode, but in capturing the moment of motion. Each photo has the ability to showcase what was going on at that exact time, and that's what I love out documenting our trips a field with my camera.


Munny's first steel.


Pidgeon Hole...GR


Scotty Dub and Jergens...Methowsers.


Murph Dog...


OMR...at home on the river

Some images from trips just stay with you...long after the trip is done
.

Brian, you're in dire need of reset expectations...

Because Steelheading will never be this easy ever again!

What a joy it is to watch someone have success on their first stay of fishing for steel. But really, four in your first day?....Jesus Christe, you need to go buy a lottery ticket Brian!

The first cast of the day produced a nice hatchery buck, and one hour later he had 3 on the bank.


Murph Dog...getting her fish licks in....



It goes to show you a little bit of luck is always involved in fishing. Veteran fish wrangler OMR was blanked for the day, and I pulled out an eleventh hour buck just before the closing bell.

Brian on the other hand....he just kept putting in work. As OMR and I reeled up to end the day, literally 2 seconds from telling Brian it was time to go, he set the hook on his 4th hatchery steelhead.


It was an unreal display. Good for you Brian, but now you owe about five fish-less days to the Steelhead gods

Going Fishing Tomorrow

No PBR will be violated.

I PROMISE!!!!

Conflicts, interweb tough guys, and my bad taste

Hello interweb followers

I have a confession to make. I posted a controversial picture. It set off an interwebs shit storm.

Dont worry about the back story, just read the comments here

Its just amazing the voracity that people come at you without getting to know you first. I especially love the posts from the "Anonymous" guy....way to man up there!

Thank you internet tough guys...


I have learned my lesson. I understand that by posting the picture, it gives people the opportunity to mislabel, to judge, to make me into who I am not. For that, I am sorry to have given them that opportunity

In respect to the fish in the picture, I understand why people were offended. In truth, I ran out of plastic bags that I usually put it in. That fish was quickly dispatched, gutted and layed out on the river rocks to await transport. It was immediately smoked and is now being enjoyed by my family and my clients



The old guard vs the new guard, the tweed vs gortex.....it's all a bullshit dividing line that shouldnt be there. Steelhead face a complex future and we all know that. I just want to be part of the solution and again....if my picture took away from the betterment of the feeshes...my bad

I struggle to adequately express my angst here about the offending parties. Most tell me to let it blow over, and the people that KNOW me and Steelie Mike for that matter, all agree these guys are completely misguided.

But now I know.....don't slip up, because the internets is going to get you.

A January Gift

When your day starts like this


And you get to fish like this


On the big river


and you get willing playaaa's like this


and this...(nice fish for Bo)

Its a gift in January....

Special Offer from PBR

Besides winning a ribbon in 1892.....PBR has a new offer out in all of it's 12 pack of cans



One Hatcherty Steelhead in every box. It's been test marketed on the Columbia River System here this fall, soon coming to the coast and the Great Lake Tribs here this winter