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Upcoming Events – August

July 16, 2016 by adminewa Leave a Comment

McCoy_DMONG0112aWith guide season in full wing around here for the summer, we unfortunately have to back off some of our favorite events around the store.  That said, we are constantly doing other educational and informative classes.  Here is a quick look at what is on the calendar so far for the rest of July and August.

Events at EWA
August 15th @ 7pm — Mountain Streams for Summer Fly Fishing – FREE
Sam Lincoln will spend some time laying out how, why, when, with what and even some where for ending the summer in the mountains for native trout.  A great excuse for picking  up a new rod for yourself!
August 27th @9am – 4pm — 2nd Annual West Seattle Gear Grab – FREE
End of season blowout sale! 20-60% off Apparel, Rods, Reels, Packs, Waders, Boots, and More! Emerald Water Anglers will be teaming up with our neighbors at West Seattle Cyclery and Mountain to Sound Outfitters to offer a 1 day parking lot sale. All three outfitters will be closing out gear at 20-80% off. Fly Fish, Apparel, Cycle, Ski, Paddle, etc…gear for all outdoor enthusiasts and closeout prices! Located in the parking lot at the corner of 42nd and Oregon, across from Emerald Water Anglers.
August 29th @ 7pm — Fall Sea Run Cutthroat – FREE
Alex Collier will help you prepare for the fall season in our local saltwater by discussing tactics, equipment set up, addressing tides and fly selection so you can hit the beach with more confidence once the kids are all back in school!

September 8th @7pm – Getting Into Spey Casting – FREE
Join EWA Manager Reid Curry for an in store seminar on the basics of spey casting and how to take your first steps into the world of two-handed casting and fishing. If you have been toying around with the idea of getting into spey casting but don’t know where to start, this is the seminar for you!
September 22nd @7pm – Fall Fishing in Washington and Beyond – FREE
EWA Guide Staff will be talking about some of our favorite local and regional fishing opportunities for the fall season and how to take advantage of them. Fall is one of the most exciting times of the year to be an angler in the Northwest. Our guides will share info on seasonal opportunities for trout, sea run cutthroat, steelhead, and more!

October TBD — Sage Happy Hour – FREE
Come hang out with some of the gang from Sage, cast some sticks and enjoy some beverages and snacks.  Small raffle and other incentives will likely take place, as we get closer more details will be available.  RSVP at the store via email, phone or Facebook.
November 17th @ 7pm — Cuba, Now Open for Americans! – FREE
Jon Covich of Fly Water Travel will be on hand to share some great images and discuss all the viable options currently available for eager fly anglers to travel and experience in Cuba.  In the past 12 months a ton has changed and Jon is on top of it.  Please also RSVP at the store via phone, email or Facebook.
January 14th & 15th, 2017 — Spey Casting with Dec Hogan — 9am – 3pm — $280 per person — 6 Max per day
Come spend a day with a legend, Dec Hogan as he helps you fine tune your spey casting and shares stories of his colorful guiding adventures here in the PNW.  Dec is a long time friend and one of the true Ambassadors of our sport.  2 different sessions with meet and greet, book signing and beverages at the the store on the evening of the 13th.  This will fill quickly so please reserve your space now, lunch and equipment provided if desired.
January 20th, 2017 — 2nd Annual EWA 5 Minutes or Less Fly Film Fest — $5 per person, goes to Wild Steelhead Coalition
Last year we showed 18 terrific short films from some of our industries most talented filmmakers and this year will only prove to be larger and in charger…hopefully that makes sense.  Please reserve your space now as we will cap attendance at 80 people.  Beverages by Georgetown Brewing and food from Blueacre Seafood.  Woop woop, see everyone there!

$10 Casting at Lincoln Park – Limited to 5 casters, all levels welcome, equipment provided.  RSVP at via phone or email with the store.
September 10th @ 9am
September 24th @ 9am

Intro to Spey Casting @ Greenlake – Limited to 3 caster per class, all rods and reels provided.  Please bring waders and boots as we are in the water for this class. $95
September 1st @ 10am
September 8th @ 10am
September 15th @ 10am
September 22nd @ 10am

1 Day Immersion Schools – Limited to 3 anglers, equipment provided – $195 per person
August 6th – Intro to Flyfishing School
August 28th – Intro to Flyfishing School
September 2nd – Intro to Flyfishing School
September 16th – Intro to Flyfishing School
September 25th – Intro to Flyfishing School

Rowing School – Limited to 2 boats – $225 per boat
August 18th – 1 space open

Filed Under: Emerald Water Anglers, Events Tagged With: boat rowing school, casting classes, cuba, Emerald Water Anglers, Intro to flyfishing, mountain creeks, Puget Sound, Sage, Sea Run Cutthroat, Seattle, Tacoma

Travel Journal: Tanzania – Tigerfish

April 13, 2016 by adminewa Leave a Comment

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Fly fishing travel has become my newest passion within the industry.  It sounds cliche but simply learning to fly fish and having the means to propel yourself where a fly rod could lead you is endless.  My imagination begins to live an alternate life as I picture myself in every possible situation from chest deep in jungle waters landing a golden dorado to praying a school of 80lb plus GT’s don’t take me out at the knees as they scream across a tropical flat in the Indian Ocean.  On occasion the ultimate dry fly presentation to a trout sneaks its way in and then the culture of these surrounding trips takes me off on a tangent, sealing the deal.  I must do, see, flat out experience more!

One of the latest on this was a dream trip to the east coast of Africa in pursuit of a species that has been atop my must do list for over a decade.  Fortunately I have spent the past 20 years in this sport creating new, legit friendships through this machine we call social media.  On a short notice whim, Keith Clover of Tourette Fishing in Africa sent out an invitation I couldn’t pass up…come see the holy grail of tigerfish as our friend and guest.  Well, allow me just a second or two to think this over meaning let me make sure I have nothing going on around it.  Nope, nada, calendar is clear or has just been cleared, looks like I am Africa bound!

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While this is a fly fishing trip as nearly all my travels are anymore, I feel it is essential to include some degree of cultural immersion into these trips.  I simply can’t imagine not meeting the people, seeing how they live, eating their food, learning just a small tidbit of their language and hearing their history.  It is one thing to read this in a book or watch on television but to live it first hand, nothing will shape you more than this.  At the end of nearly every fishing trip I have ever been on, the most quickly told and rarely revisited stories are of the fish caught but rather the thrills of getting there, close calls in land, air and water based vehicles or close encounters with wildlife or other unexpected interactions.  THIS is why it is called adventure travel!

Catch a plane from Seattle straight to Amsterdam where I spend a night near the Van Gogh Museum which also happens to be the Vogue Night Out on the same block as my hotel.  So 6ft tall female models are everywhere, each boutique is serving up free drinks with a live D.J. and basically I could go home now consider this trip a success but no, I grab a space at the bar next to a fashion icon, share a few laughs, pay up and head onto the packed street with camera in hand to see where the evenings activities will take me.  I return to the hotel about 5am, catch an hour of sleep then up and back to the airport for my 8 hour flight to Dar Salaam and feeling pretty good about it.

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I arrive in Dar late, enough time to meet my driver and head to the hotel, check in and hit the bed but had to sample a few African beers first.  Rising early I catch my first glimpse of the Indian Ocean in daylight and while I know other dream destinations lie amid those waters, I am here for another, one of freshwater sorts and fish bearing wicked sets of teeth!

Off to catch the small charter flight to fish camp and meet the rest of the anglers joining me for the week.  One of my favorite aspects in traveling to far off locations is the methods of travel used to get there.  Camels, horses, ox carts, rickshaws, helicopters, boats held together by duct tape and in this case a comfortable 4 seat Cessna.  As we fly for hours, the landscape is splattered with small fires, a few large rivers and small settlements I suppose are reached by some sort of road though some don’t seem to have one coming in or leaving, makes me wonder what those people do, how fun it would be to meet them.

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To my surprise I am sharing the week with a gentleman named Hakan from Sweden, gem of a guy who has fished all over the world as well.  I tell Hakan I am keen to catch a few tigers but I really want to photograph the trip so he should be prepared to fish a lot.  Hakan insists I fish as much as he so we can already see where this is going…Greg Ghaui our guide will have to referee this match the entire week.  The plane begins to drop in altitude and off in the distance is a strip of land resembling something I have landed on before…yep, that is our airstrip.  A couple of well outfitted Land Rovers driven by game guides and trackers from the camp, we have arrived at the Rujudji Camp!

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A welcome song from the staff is always a hearth warming way to arrive at any lodge or camp.  Greetings and a drink, unload bags and check into our very comfortable accommodations for the first half of the week.  WAY nicer than I had ever expected, going to be living quite comfortably here especially with only a couple of us in camp.

Hakan and I begin the diagnostic of piecing together equipment for the fishing aspect of the trip.  Personally I try not to over think or over pack for these trips.  I find it far too easy to bring the kitchen sink and everything surrounding it only to realize a fork and spatula would have sufficed.  It is big flies tied to 40lb wire for these fish and knowing they reach upwards of 25lbs I choose my new Winston B3+ 10wt.  Nothing like tossing a 10wt around as if on the Madison during a caddis hatch, am sure my arm will hold up fine!

We hop in the boat with Greg for the afternoon, Hakan and I are chomping at the bit for our first encounter with a tigerfish and thankfully we are introduced shortly after our first stop.  Nice work Greg and Hakan, shutters fly, beers are cracked and we can all now relax…the ice has been broken!

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So enough about the fishing, let’s get to the more exciting part of what it is like to fly fish knowing around every corner there could be a lion, elephant, crocodile or hippo.  It makes focusing very difficult at times.  Greg knew pretty well where the hippo’s would be as we came through the various parts of the river.  Typically they would be visible from down stream as they were curious as to what we were doing.  Heads up and snorting as we fished our way their direction we would reel in our flies and sit in the bottom of the boat then motor as fast as possible through their section of the river.  The two dangers here are one of them coming up for air under our boat as we motor over them and the other is ending up in the water with them if they did.  Forget the croc’s, pretty sure I could take one of those hippo is another story.

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Greg was always on the look out for them as we motored along just in case as we did on occasion see them in different locations at times.  At first crocodile’s were an exciting thing to see but then you see so many of them in a single day, especially being the only boat on the water that they become a bit like seeing sea gull’s on a river around here.  They would every now and then launch themselves off a high bank opposite of where you were looking and it would startle you for sure till you realized, oh just another croc.

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Between the engagements with wildlife the fly fishing was a blast.  As one might expect these Tigerfish are top predators in their home waters and act as such.  Nearly every one of the attributes one would want from any fish are present.  Aggressive takes, spectacular jumps and then a toothy smile upon landing them.  We didn’t have clear water and I am not sure it would ever be clear enough to sight cast for them here but it might be possible.  I tried fishing for a spell with a surface fly but after watching Hakan catch fish after fish after fish, I threw in the towel and went with one of my heavy tuna flies on a floating line which worked exceptionally well.  Had I had the energy to do so, probably should have gone back to the surface fly in the late evening as they were, like many other species of fish, extremely active in low light especially in a couple of places where the water was moving quickly and was fairly shallow.  Hind sight sucks!

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Just as we become quite comfortable at the first camp, it is time to pack up and head across the game reserve to a more remote camp for the rest of the trip.  We hop back in the Toyota’s for our “ferry” ride across the river.  I want one of these vehicles so bad, would look like such a bad ass driving around Seattle in one of these!  Our ferry is a thoughtfully woven together mix of empty oil barrels, wood planks and thick branches run across the river by a small boat while on a cable strung across the river…o.k., I assume we aren’t the first and when in Rome or the African bush.

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When you come to Africa, you just inherently expect or hope to see the standard wildlife associated with this continent.  Lions, giraffes, elephants, hippo, crocodile, cheetah, water buffalo and so on.  In some parts of the continent these animals are protected and are very easily visible, maybe too much so according to Greg and others, they become so accustomed to people and cars they are almost like pets.  Here on this game quadrant they are a little afraid of humans as they are capable of being hunted so glimpses of them are at times quite rare.  Hakan and I are hopeful but not holding our breath as we realize the size of the game reserve and our very small presence in it.

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As luck would have it, we come over a small rise and BOOM, on the road is a herd of elephants!  Driver shuts down the engine and stops, rolling silently forward to get a bit closer.  The herd stops and the big males and females get trunks in the air in an effort to catch our scent.  I hope out of the car camera in hand and snap off a few quick shots before they are off and running.  We get about 5 good minutes of just watching them stand and then disappear into the dusty horizon.  So brilliant, Hakan and I pretty much agree that made the trip right there.

We arrive at our new camp which has literally been carved out of the bush.  Rather than plus cabins we are staying in bush tents which here again, want to bring one of these home for myself and plop it on a piece of property somewhere, I could live in one of these no problem.  Comfortable bed, separate room for the bathroom and shower and a view of the river…I would just have to become single again, not sure my wife would completely go for it but am positive my daughter would.

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Going down my shot list for the trip, I let Greg know that Keith had promised me monkey’s in trees, some exotic birds, a lion and some water buffalo with maybe some orangutans thrown in.  Just a friendly reminder!  Birds are everywhere, of all shapes and sizes.  Eagle, King Fisher, Stork, Heron and so on, any birder would have a great time tracking the wide variety of species we see daily.  My daughter being quite fond of them, I am trying to capture what I can and again luck is one my side.  As we come around a corner early in the AM we come across a giant stork just lifting off…so awesome.

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Greg casually keeps track of everything I have mentioned I would like to see or experience on the trip, basically everything I want to capture images of and as we have moved through the week he has brilliantly given a heads up with as much notice as possible to what might be coming around the next bend.  “We often see monkey’s down this way.” he says, might want to keep an eye out for them.  Sure enough, several trees begin thrashing as if a giant was trying to shake the leaves off it.  The boat slows and several trees full of inquisitive monkey’s begin playing and chasing each other around.  One or two of them come out to the end of the branches and fake charge us, making us laugh out loud, they are so cute these curious little guys.  We drop about 20 minutes just watching them go from tree to tree, time well spent.

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Saving the best for last we spend our last day as far up river as the boat can go.  As we approach shore I ask Greg if it makes sense that as humans being well down the food chain and only armed with a single machete to get out on land and walk up river.  He seems to be alright with it and he is the guide so here we go.  As they move into the dry season, locals burn the grass to help facilitate fresh grass growth so as we hike, the bush is on fire around us.  At first quite unnerving but as we walk among the small flames it is obvious the grass burns fast and then the flames are gone.

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Beyond here we take to foot and hike up stream to one of the most beautiful places I have ever cast a fly.  Water is coming off the side of a mountain from every direction.  Even as a photographer, it is nearly impossible to capture this place from ground level and do any justice to it.  It is simply incredible with waterfalls and parts of the river flowing through the trees, I could spend way more time here than we we have unfortunately.  It is rare that I care too much about myself being in a photo but in this case, I ask Greg to snap a few with my camera because I am blown away!

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Hakan has put in a request of his own with Greg, nothing like waiting until the last moment.  “I would like to see a 20 pound Tigerfish if possible.”  Greg takes this in stride and continues to guide us through the myriad of small pools and runs in this stretch of the river.  You know, we only have a few hours of fishing left, anything can happen.  Sometimes you just have to not care, take what comes and move through time and experience accepting the fate of events mostly out of anyone’s control.  By doing so I believe you almost invite serendipitous interactions with those things you hope for.  Hakan gets a Tiger nearing 20 pounds and is ecstatic, the ride home is one of Kilimanjaro beers and quiet observance of what has been our home and our new roommates for the past week.  Croc roll off the sandy banks, a wild boar eats some grass, some monkeys chase around the trees and a group of hippo provide us with one last good bye snort.

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My last request is a clear night to shoot our dinner on the beach.  As the clouds roll in and we hear thunder in the distance, I am not holding out much hope.  This trip has been nothing short of amazing.  Exceeded expectations in every respect.  Greg and Hakan are now friends I hope to see again either in Africa or somewhere else on the planet.  I have witnessed enough to come back home and be an ambassador to this region and these fish.  Grateful for time spent with great people in an amazing location.

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Dinner turns out to be under the stars, on the beach with just myself, Greg and Hakan, the 3 amigos.  We share a bottle of whiskey Hakan had saved for just this occasion and revisit the week.  Perfect ending to this adventure.  Tomorrow we climb on the Land Cruiser enroute to the ferry back to base camp.  Not 500 feet before the ferry it all comes together.  Off in the distance you can see the herd of elephants, in the foreground is Hakan’s last request, the herd of water buffalo and with the engine off, we could hear a lion yawning out a roar.  One last evening with the staff then on a small plane to catch a couple bigger ones to our respective homes.  I awake about 6am to the sound of elephants and the lion across the river knowing he has the herd of water buffalo in his sights, the same herd we came across on our way to the ferry yesterday.

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Would we return to Tourette and Tanzania — ABSOLUTELY!

Filed Under: Emerald Water Anglers Tagged With: Africa, Dave McCoy Photography, elephants, Emerald Water Anglers, fly fishing travel, lion, monkey, safari, Seattle, Tanzania, Tigerfish, Tourette Fishing, travel blog, travel experts, Travel Journal, Washington

Upcoming Events – November 2015

October 26, 2015 by adminewa Leave a Comment

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November 12th —
West Seattle Artwalk — At EWA 7-9pm — FREE
We will have on display work from several artists within our industry from metal sculpture to photo on canvas.

November 12th — Ladies Night with Abbie Schuster at EWA @7pm — FREE
Abbie will host this event at the store with some wine and snacks.  Sit down with other interested female anglers and talk sport and life, privately shop the store and otherwise enjoy the beginning of the Holiday Season.  Please RSVP via phone or email

November 19th — Writer’s on the Fly — Georgetown Brewery @7pm — $20
One of our favorite events and we are kicking the season off with one heck of a line up.  Patagonia Ambassador Dylan Tomine, wild steelhead advocate and author John Larison and Cameron Scott will be on hand to read some of their work as part of this fundraiser for the Wild Steelhead Coalition.  Space is limited to 65 people, cost is $20 per person.  Please buy tickets here.

November 21st — Rods and Rotors — Dean Cummings — H2O Guides, Valdez, Alaska Heli-ski/fly fish trips @7pm — FREE
Dean is long time member of the ski community and passionate angler.  He will be in to present the incredible summer opportunities for a ski/fly fish vacation in one of if not the most spectacular locations for both in the world…Alaska, this is going to be your very personal Warren Miller like presentation, don’t miss it.  Please RSVP for this event via phone or email.

November 27th — BLACK FRIDAY — Spend $100 and receive a $25 gift card on each purchase.  Shipping is free with purchases over $50 on in store and internet purchases.

November 28th — SHOP SMALL SATURDAY — As a participant in this AMEX event, we are picking up your sales tax on all purchases in the store.  Look forward to seeing everyone this weekend.

December 19th — Santa Claus @ EWA — Steve Duda, editor of The Flyfish Journal will be in as the official fly fishing representative to Santa himself.  Photos of yourself and the wee ones with Santa are welcome and free though we are asking for donations to the Wild Steelhead Coalition as a thank you.  See everyone there, beverages will be on hand as well.

January 28th, 2016 — EWA Film Festival — 6pm – 10pm — FREE
The preemptive event for the Fly Fishing Film Tour to be held here in West Seattle at the Admiral Theater the following week.  We will be hosting our own film fest with works from a variety of filmmakers including Waist Deep Media, Caldwell Rohrbach, Zangs Films, Sundance Award winner Greg Hamilton and more.  2 categories to see will be under 5 minutes and the 5 second film category.  Please RSVP for this event, tickets for F3T will be on sale that evening as well.  Space is limited to 70 people.

February 3rd, 2016 — Fly Fishing Film Tour @Admiral Theater, West Seattle — 7pm – 10pm — $15
Yes, you read this correctly!  We are very excited to bring the F3T to West Seattle this year and every year afterwards so we don’t have to leave the island for it!  As usual, big pre event the week before at our store and also night of, location TBD but we will intermingle with the filmmakers and the raffle will be huge so you won’t want to miss this.  We will have tickets for sale at the store here soon so stay in touch.

February 12th – 14th, 2016 — The Fly Fishing Show — Lynwood Convention Center
Very excited to be partnering with Costa for this show this year.  We will have a staff on hand to answer questions on the multitude of fisheries in Washington we guide as well as discuss new locations for our international hosted travel.  Look forward to seeing everyone there.

May 21st, 2016 — EWA Fly Fest and Guide Cook Off — Location TBA — 10am – 4pm — FREE
Never to late to plan for this.  Our 2nd annual Fly Fest coupled with our 9th annual guide staff cook off was a huge success last year and we expect it to be more so this coming year.  Come test cast all the rods we have in the store from Winston, Scott, Echo, Epic, Fenwick, Gary Anderson and more.  All sales reps and our FFF certified staff will be on hand to provide free casting advice.   Not to be missed is Abbie Schuster defending her championship plate from last year against the rest of the staff in our cook off which also provides some fabulous finger food mid day.  RSVP at the store via email or phone.

Filed Under: Emerald Water Anglers, Events Tagged With: Abbie Schuster, Art Walk, Black Friday, Emerald Water Anglers, fly shop, Ladies Night, Seattle, Writer's on the Fly

Upcoming Events – October 2015

October 7, 2015 by adminewa Leave a Comment

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October 15th – Steelheading in the PNW with Reid Curry @ 6:30pm at EWA Store – FREE
Come in and listen as Reid discusses the various options for steelheading in the coming months and seasons while discussing equipment and tactics with some great imagery.  Please RSVP via email or phone.

October 21, 28, Nov. 4th – Intro to Fly Tying with Jason Rolfe @ 7 – 9pm at EWA Store – $75 for the 3 sessions, 6 people max

October 22nd – Women’s Happy Hour Casting Class with Abbie Schuster @ 5 – ??pm at Salty’s on Alki – FREE
Come join Abbie for some casting and conversation at one of our favorite locations here in West Seattle, Salty’s on Alki.  Following casting a short move to the bar for some tapas and beverages, should be a fun evening in the company of other enthusiastic women anglers.  Please RSVP via email or phone.

October 25th – West Seattle Harvest Festival with EWA Staff @ 10 – 2pm on California Ave. – FREE
Come visit and bring the little ones as we will be taking all ages for brief, short distance casting lessons for free treats in celebration of Halloween and the fall season.  Looking forward to seeing everyone there, rain or shine!  We will be at Alaska and California

Filed Under: Emerald Water Anglers, Events Tagged With: casting classes, Emerald Water Anglers, events, EWA, fly tying classes, Seattle, West Seattle

Pink & Coho Salmon Clinic – Aug. 20 @6:30pm

August 6, 2015 by adminewa Leave a Comment

Free in store event here at EWA.  Staff guide Jason Rolfe will discuss flies, techniques and locations to help your success rate increase while on the Sound in search of these awesome fish.  Please RSVP at the store either in person or via email…shop@emeraldwateranglers.com or phone…206-708-7250

Filed Under: Emerald Water Anglers, Events Tagged With: coho salmon, Emerald Water Anglers, pink salmon, Puget Sound, Seattle, Washington

Brian Irwin Slide Show – Sept. 4 @7pm

July 22, 2015 by adminewa Leave a Comment

Sept. 4, 2015 – Brian Irwin  7pm
@  EWA Store

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Hailing from the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Brian is a regular contributor to Fly Fisherman Magazine, member of the Outdoor Writers Association and photographer.

From the Upper Tuolumne River under the smoke of the Rim Fire to the northern reaches of Mantioba, from Texas’ Lower Laguna Madre to the flats of Southern Belize, Brian will explore how human impact is affecting a not-yet-faltering set of waters.  Dam removal, agricultural runoff and nascent conservation efforts will all be discussed as I share a year in search of trophy brookies, redfish, permit and Snake River native cutthroat.

Filed Under: Emerald Water Anglers, Events Tagged With: Brian Irwin, Conservation, Emerald Water Anglers, photography, Seattle, travel

EWA New Store Grand Opening Event

September 3, 2014 by adminewa Leave a Comment

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It has FINALLY happened…we have opened a full scale retail store to support our 15 year business in the guiding and fly fishing travel market.  This coming Saturday and Sunday come meet our exceptionally friendly, knowledgeable and extremely experienced staff who have guided and fished all over the world.  We will also have a host of speakers and presentations as well as some great door prizes in a raffle to support one or more of the conservation groups we work closely with.  Here is a look at what is scheduled so far:

September 6-7, 2014  Grand Opening Event at EWA Store
4502 42nd Ave. SW, Seattle, WA 98116

Raffle at the door for the following:

Pair of Costa sunglasses
Fisknat float tube net
Patagonia jacket
and more!

Saturday Presentations:
11am – Dave McCoy – Honduras – Permit and Bones
12pm – Chris Haberman, Rod Wall Artist Q&A, Art Director for Portlandia
1pm – TBA
2pm – Mike McCoy – Tying the Sound Searcher and Sound Advice Flies
3pm – Dave McCoy – Why Fly Fish Puget Sound
5pm – Abbie Schuster – EWA Women’s Fly Fishing and Travel Program
6pm – Reid Curry – Alaskan Fly Fishing

Sunday Presentations:
11am – Dave McCoy – PNW Steelhead
12pm – Parker Bunbury – SUP Fly Fishing
1pm – Abbie Schuster – EWA Women’s Fly Fishing and Travel Program
2pm – Mike McCoy – North Umpqua Steelhead Flies
3pm – WA Back Country Fly Fishing/Hiking
4pm – Paul Moinester – NO Chuit Coal Mine Campaign
5pm – Waist Deep Media – Fly Fishing Video Projects
6pm – TBA

Other:
Chris Haberman – Rod Wall Mural Artist Q&A
Chad Ash – Grape Solar, Alternative Energy for the Field and Traveling Angler
Brian Bennett – Patagonia and Moldy Chum
Eric Neufeld – Winston, Echo/Airflo, free line welding and loop fixing
Dan Marshall – Scott and Bauer
Select Patagonia, Hardy and Winston on sale, limited supply

Look forward to seeing everybody, seeing old friends and making new ones.

Dave, Reid, Abbie, Jonny, Alex, Eric, Ted, Mark, Todd and Jason

Filed Under: Emerald Water Anglers, Events Tagged With: Emerald Water Anglers, fly shop, flyfishing, guiding, Seattle, travel, Washington

Flinging Frozen Flies

March 17, 2014 by adminewa Leave a Comment

fly_es_winterstlhdflies1

 

Well its that time of year again when all of our favorite streams are getting pretty frigid. Normally we have an over abundance of rain giving us small windows of productive days on the water. This year however the Puget Sound is cold and dry. It’s keeping many anglers off the water due to the bitter cold. I have heard it for a couple weeks now, “the water is too low and too cold to fish”. It’s true that steelhead begin to hit cold water dormancy around 40 degrees and water being its heaviest at around 36 degrees. But, it by no means precludes steelhead from striking your fly. Sudden cold snaps will put fish off, but given a little time to acclimate or a couple degrees of warming on a sunny day and it is game on.

So the rains have stopped for a while now, your river is getting cold and is below what is considered the average flow for any given year. It is by no means low and clear but it is getting there. The river is still slightly green and has visibility somewhere around 6ft. It is around this point where the fish begin to anticipate that the river is going to get low and clear. The steelhead start moving from the slow, lazy water on the edges of the faster water toward deeper and slower water. During this transition is where large flies have produced well for me. You will be chucking the proverbial frozen chickens and your spey casting abilities will be tested. But hey, so long as you get it out there, it does not have to be pretty. Most of these large flies are 6 inches or so in blacks, blues or purples with some form of flash and or colored butt. I tie a lot of my own flies now but some commercial patterns that have a home in my box for these conditions would be the Skagit Minnow with a worm weight or lead eyes, Silvie’s tube snake, Scott Howells Squidro’s and Travis Johnson’s Lady Gaga.

Now we separate the men from the boys. It has been really cold and dry and your river has hit the low, clear and frigid phase. As your fingers are going numb and you wonder what you are doing out in this cold you remember that Mr. Steelhead has had time to acclimate to his new conditions and is willing to strike. He is by no means as active and full of vigor, as he is above that 40 degree mark. But he is looking ahead, with unlimited visibility, for any predators coming his way. He will now park his fins on the slowest, deepest, darkest water he can find, this way he can expend less energy and find water that is degree or two warmer. Mr. Steelhead may also be found at the beginning of pools where the riffle flattens and smoothes out if he needs more oxygen with temperatures being in the 30’s. This is where we break the mold by putting away those big, bright, gaudy intruders you were told winter steelhead just love. Steelhead can count each feather and strand of flashabou under these conditions, so its time to scale the flies down. Leave the super bright flies in the box in exchange for whites, greens, browns and tan flies in the 2 inch or so range. I like to tie various temple dog and arctic fox flies for these conditions. As far as commercial flies look online for similar flies as listed, many flies meet the criteria. I have even been known to tie some summer steelhead flies on size two hooks for uber spooky steelhead.

So grab a couple friends, some warm drinks and go have a good time. If you have any questions just let us know.

Tight lines,

Eric Sadlon

Filed Under: Emerald Water Anglers Tagged With: catch and release, Emerald Water Anglers, Eric Sadlon, flyfishing, native steelhead, Seattle, Seattle Fly Shop, spey casting, swinging flies, Two Handed Rods, winter steelhead

In 1969, the steelhead was declared Washington’s official “state fish.”

February 3, 2014 by adminewa Leave a Comment

Somehow this seems to mean nothing to people.  In general, when an object or living species is recognized as a iconic figure of a country, region or state, it is extremely rare if not never something of human manipulation or recreation.  Yet here we are living in a state where the steelhead is quickly becoming just that, known more as a hatchery born and originated brat that the magnificent wild creature it became on its own.

Here is the latest on what might impact next years wild steelhead season here in Puget Sound:

Wild Versus Hatchery

Lawsuit Threatened Over Largest Hatchery Steelhead Program In Puget Sound

The Wild Fish Conservancy last week served notice that it, unless changes are made within the next 60 days, will sue the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for allowing what the conservation groups says are the illegal outplantings of so-called Chambers Creek hatchery steelhead in a variety of western Washington streams.

The Conservancy says that the outplantings of domesticated hatchery fish pose risk to wild stocks that are protected under the Endangered Species Act. The hatchery fish are intended for harvest.

Since the 2007 listing of Puget Sound steelhead, WDFW steelhead hatchery programs that employ Chambers Creek stock have continued to operate without permission from the NOAA Fisheries Service, the conservation group says. The Chambers Creek fish are produced at numerous WDFW facilities across Washington.

“The science is definite in that the planting of these domesticated hatchery fish is detrimental to protected wild fish,” said Kurt Beardslee, executive director of Wild Fish Conservancy. “Any release of Chambers Creek hatchery steelhead should be prohibited as incompatible with the recovery of wild Puget Sound steelhead and the perpetuation of their legacy.

“But at the very least any existing hatchery program must operate with an appropriate permit from NOAA Fisheries.”

Recent research in the Skagit River watershed confirms that Chambers Creek hatchery steelhead are mating with wild steelhead, according to the conservation group. The offspring of hatchery steelhead and wild steelhead are substantially less likely to survive in the wild, further depressing the already low numbers of wild steelhead.

The Skagit research is the latest of a growing number of studies that have concluded that the planting of domesticated hatchery steelhead has adverse effects on the health and resilience of wild steelhead, according to the Conservancy. The hatchery steelhead program of the Skagit River watershed is the largest in the Puget Sound region.

The conservation group says that, because juvenile hatchery steelhead are far larger than their wild counterparts, they prey on the juveniles of listed salmonids, compete for food, and attract predators. Hatchery facilities that block habitat and degrade water quality also cause problems for wild fish.

“WDFW has a split mandate between providing fishing opportunities and protecting wild steelhead,” Beardslee said. “Ironically, what one hand of WDFW gives, the other takes away: the publically funded fish hatcheries undermine the publically funded wild fish recovery efforts, such as habitat restoration. Fully recovered wild steelhead populations would fulfill both mandates.

The 60-day notice says that, despite that recognition, wild Puget Sound steelhead populations have declined precipitously over the past 30 years: the average region-wide abundance between 1980 and 2004 was less than 4 percent of what it was in 1900. Since being listed as threatened under the ESA in 2007, Puget Sound wild steelhead abundance has continued to decline.

The recent five-year average is less than 3 percent of what it was in 1900. In 2010, scientists from the regional science center of the NOAA Fisheries Service concluded “in our opinion. Chambers Creek steelhead have no role in the recovery of native Puget Sound steelhead.”

The unpermitted Chambers Creek steelhead hatchery programs are the sole subject of the 60-day notice letter, because rather than aiding wild steelhead, these programs harm wild steelhead and prevent their recovery, the conservation group says.

Filed Under: Emerald Water Anglers Tagged With: catch and release, Chambers Creek steelhead, Conservation, Emerald Water Anglers, hatchery, native, Puget Sound, Seattle, Skagit River, state fish, steelhead, Washington, Wild Fish Conservancy

The Magnificent Steelhead

October 30, 2012 by adminewa

News Release

Burke Museum, Wild Steelhead Coalition partner to raise awareness of “The Magnificent Steelhead”

Museum exhibit, reception and art sale support wild steelhead in the Pacific Northwest.

SEATTLE – Anglers know it as the “fish of a thousand casts.” Washingtonians know it as their state fish, symbolizing the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest. And through November 15th, the steelhead will be celebrated in an exhibit at the University of Washington’s Burke Museum to raise awareness and support for this iconic, and threatened, fish.

Titled “The Magnificent Steelhead,” the display will culminate with a reception and art sale on November 8, with all proceeds benefiting the Wild Steelhead Coalition, an organization dedicated to increasing the return of wild steelhead to the rivers and streams of the Pacific Northwest.

Works in the Burke exhibit include photographs printed on canvas, as well as mixed media pieces from individuals in the angling community, including Andy Anderson, Jeff Bright, Keith Douglas, Brian Huskey, Brian O’Keefe, Jonathan Marquardt, Dave McCoy, Ken Moorish, Tim Pask, Steve Perih, Mike Savlen, and Bob White.

Visitors can also learn more about steelhead, as well as conservation efforts being taken by the Wild Steelhead Coalition to support the species through hatchery reform, scientific research and policy changes on behalf of wild fish.

The event runs from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. and includes hors d’oeuvres from the Steelhead Diner and beverages from Precept Wine.

Burke Museum Exhibit Reception & Sale: A Benefit for the Wild Steelhead Coalition

November 8, 2012 | 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. | Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture

On the UW Campus – 17th Ave NE & NE 45th St

Burke Museum Exhibit Info

Filed Under: Emerald Water Anglers Tagged With: Burke Museum, Emerald Water Anglers, Seattle, steelhead, Washington, Wild Steelhead Coalition

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