Steelhead Staredown...

Nothing like landing a fish with Labs putting their two cents in.

But really, we wouldn't have it any other way

Pate Williams survey's the hatchery buck that has since found it's way into the brine, destined  for the smoker.

#swingstepbonk

Bell to Bell.....

Bell to bell.  First cast to last.  A day's worth of hope in between.

One fish for the dinner table.  Another lost and left us wondering.

What a great day on the big water.  We'll be back soon.

Admiration....

When you catch a wild steelhead, you only have a fleeting moment to take it all in.

It's hard to remember the exactness of the fish, the form, the weight and the moment.  From hookup to battle to quick pick to release, it's a moment of blur that disappears in an instant.

That's why I've spent a good time looking at this picture.

Ryan got trucked by this fish.  Absolutely blown up in 38 degree water where summer runs are not supposed to do what this fish does.  I spent 10 minutes on the bank throwing stupid tips and dos & donts to him as I knew that this was a special fish.

He's worked hard at learning.  He's put in time.  It was time for Ryan to be rewarded, and this spectacular hen obliged.

After I tailed the fish, we both sat there for a split second with our mouth's agape.  Perfect fins, perfect adipose, perfect shape and massive size.  I can pontificate about this fish for a long time but take my word, it was just plain perfect.

This picture was in a series of quick shots before the release.  It captures exactly the feeling when at least in this humble anglers opinion, full adoration and admiration is expressed.

As Ryan let her go to do her duty,  we did the awkward man-hug-chest-bump thing and soaked up every last second of that exchange


It's no wonder why we do what we do.  At least in our minds.

Steelheading with Master Shredder...

Everyone remembers that ridiculously awesome cartoon.  How cool were the Ninja Turtles, and that scary Master Shredder?  Answer....a lot

I mean, pizza for every meal and beating up bad guys....what's not a 8 year old little dude not to love and that's not even mentioning the gameboy game that I may or may not have played a zillion times

Well, I think I went fishing with Shredder yesterday.

All of a sudden, he shows up and photo bombs me with a slick wild fish.  Where the hell did his shoulder pads go with the blades on them?  That's the first thing I thought

So he continued to fish with us....

and was rewarded with a ripper of a wild steelhead.

you never know who you'll run into on the river.

5 Steps to Winter Steelheading Warmth...

Step 1--Cast large fly into large river, mend

Step 2--Mend again

Step 3--Reach into breast pocket, grab flask

Step 4--Unscrew flask while completing the swing...hope for a grab on the dangle.

Step 5--Repeat if necessary

Step 5 is usually repeated a gazillion times during the day....albeit not always with a flask in your hand, that would be dangerous.

That being said, fine whiskey on a cold winter day makes the monotony of fishless casts a lot more warm.

Stuffed Into a Burrito...A Lesson in Remembering Your Gear

Before every day out, I methodically check my gear the night before, and recheck it about 10 times before I go to bed

Waders...check.  Rods...check.  Gearbag...check.  So on and so forth

So when I opened up the back of OMR's truck and as we sorted out the equipment to fish the first run of the day, my jaw hit the ground.

No boots, no gear bag.

Oh shit.  oh sheeeeeeeet.

The F bombs rattled off the canyon walls as i moved into triage mode to find out if I was going to be able to fish or relegated to the shore to drink beer and take pictures.

Nobody had another reel with a skagit head to fit my Thomas and Thomas 1307, but one item would save the day.

The night before, I told my dad to throw in his old neoprene waders because my breathables were leaking.  How prophetic that I then got to experience the joy of feeling like a stuffed burrito

My god how awkward are those things are.  I'm thankful that wader technology has advanced but on this day, I would have worn anything that let me fish....and that they did

Second stop on the triage tour was assembling a line combination on a spare reel that would work enough to get the line in the water.

You know how they say that scandi heads aren't fun to cast with sink tips?  Well, that is very true.  10ft of T-14 on the head wasn't fun.  Truly it was a miracle that we had a spare head at all so I could fish.

Beyond being stuffed into a burrito sack and fishing the wrong gear.....

It was a hell of a day and somewhere, some deity took pity on me and gave me a gift

Moral of the story?  You're going to forget key items of gear.  It will happen.

But find a way to just keep fishing and good things will  happen.

Big River Swing Ups...

Today was a gift.  A winter day solo mission to The Big River.  By myself.  

Tired and happy.  That's what I am now.  Expect a full write up soon.  

As a bit of foreshadowing, let's just say there's hatchery fish marinating for dinner tomorrow.

When You Keep Adding Flashabou....

You end up with a big ass fly.

I gots a date with the Big River next Monday and I fully intend to put this tinsel amalgamation in the face of some Big Fish.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Red Truck Lasers On the Big River

A day on the Big River gave us these opportunities......

The ability to fish on a 60 degree day in February

Get the feel of a pair of demo rods from Red Truck Fly Rods.  Review coming shortly

And to giggle my ass off as this bachelor herd of sheep charge and whiz by within 4 feet of my buddy Wayne. 

It was a beautiful day but alas no fish to hand.  When you step into the river in the morning and loose sight of your boots after a foot of water, you know catching goes down on the probability list.  But hell...neither is being trampled by bighorn sheep

All photo's courtesy of my bud Wayne from Maine.  Soon he will be joining the blogisphere and we here at Chucking Line and Chasing Tail fully endorse any of his work.   Expert fly tier, great fisherman, not bad on the camera as you can see...and what I am most excited about--he know's how to catch Striiiii-pahs.  Knowledge I hope to put to use some day if I ever get out there to New England

Thanks Wayne!

A Pretty Average Steelhead....

Ummmm, NO!

Fly fishing degenerate council member Marky P ran into this beast on the big river last week.  Holy shit!

This monstah makes all other fish we've caught this year look like minnows.

After a quick photo opp, this buck was sent on it's way to do it's job.

Procreate.

And yes, Sean V does have a beautiful smile.....

Ahh, I'll just make one more cast...

Sure you will OMR, sure you will.

Along with Sean V of the Silver Bow Fly Shop, Dad made sure to announce his presence with authority, or at least leave it there with this last cast of the day fish

Get the smoker ready....