trout Archives - Emerald Water Anglers

Seattle Fly Fishing Report – June 22, 2020 – The Time is NOW!

June 22, 2020 by adminewa Leave a Comment

Welcome to summer! We have seen an incredible insurgence of new fly angling interest over the past few months and why not? If done in the way we enjoy doing it, it is the epitome of social distancing outdoors. Long expanse of beach to yourself, intimate mountain creeks or long classic steelhead runs to swing your new spey rod through.

Well, summer is here but water levels are still a bit high. Water is in good shape clarity wise on many rivers but the creeks are still big and cold. As of now, best bet is Yakima River from a boat though that is going to inflate a bit for the summer so we recommend Google Earth and WA Fishing Regs book. Find some small streams you haven’t heard mentioned in the airwaves, see what is close to you and go check it out. Some will likely be tough with over hanging flora but others may surprise you.

Skykomish, Skagit and Sauk are in good shape flow wise and not really on most peoples radar so these are great options to consider. As we move into the summer season with low water, we encourage transitioning from those winter Skagit heads into more elegant, fun to cast Rage or Scandi heads. These simply come off the rod tip with more ease, feel smooth and generate beautiful loop shapes. If you happen to have an older, longer spey rod gathering dust, maybe give one of the Bridge Long Belly spey lines a try and see what spey really is. Come in and ask away, we are pretty into this stuff!

If you have tried to fish the Sound recently, you have possibly noticed a significant increase in kelp, maybe even a frustrating level of increase. 2 suggestions to help mitigate this issue.

1. Intermediate line or shooting head/beach line such as the Airflo Beach. Helps get below some of that kelp for a better fly presentation.

2. A stripping basket. We have 4 great options at different price points in the store, come by and check out the differences and pick up the one that suits you.

Have fun out there everyone and remember, we are here to help you be successful in, on and around the water.

EWA Fly Fishing Events – May

April 26, 2018 by adminewa Leave a Comment

EWA Fly Fishing events coming up in May and beyond…here are some things to put on your calendar for sure! As we head into summer, now is the time to freshen up your casting with some private casting, finally pick up fly tying or join us on one of our many fishing excursions we offer throughout the summer. Creeks, Yakima, Puget Sound, bass and summer steelhead are all on the table, we know them all and are excited to get on the water with you.

Yakima May Day’s – May is maybe the month to be on the Yakima as caddis are out, fish are focused and the sun is usually shining. Here are some dates in May we still have open to get you out throwing dry flies on the Yak:

May 9th
May 27th

May 8, 2018 — Christmas Island Revisited! — 7pm @ EWA Store — FREE
Come listen and watch as Karlie and Caldwell revisit their trips to Christmas Island this past spring. Beverages will be provided and good times will be had for sure!

June 2, 2018 – EWA Fly Fest @ Me Kwa Mooks Park in West Seattle – FREE
What has become quite an event continues to grow. Cast every rod available from Winston, Sage, Scott, Loomis, Epic, Echo, Fenwick and Thomas and Thomas. See the latest in reels from Nautilus, Bauer, Lamson, Sage, Tibor, 3 Tand and more as well as put new lines on your favorite rod. Instruction, classes, seminars and our 11th Annual Guide Staff Cook Off.

July 20-21, 2018 — 2nd Annual EWA Carp Tournament @ Banks Lake — $75 per angler/50 Max
If you haven’t pursued carp on the fly before you haven’t lived! Sight casting to these selective and strong fish either by foot, from an SUP or $60K boat, either way, they live up to what fly fishing is supposed to be…fun! Sponsored by Sage, winners will walk with some extraordinary prizes and all with leave humbled for sure! Please call the store to book you space, few slots left.

December 1 -2, 2018 — Dec Hogan Spey Clinic — $295 per person/6 maximum
The man, myth and legend, Dec himself will be back in the PNW to enlighten and answer questions on all things spey and steelhead. Whether just learning or well seasoned, Dec is always a pleasure to spend the day with. Please call the store to reserve your space.

Bug’s ‘N Brew’s – $20 – EWA Store @ 7-9pm – Women Only!
May 3rd – 7-9pm
May 17th – 7-9pm

1 Day Intro to Fly Fishing Schools – $225 – Forks of the Snoqualmie – 3 people max
June 23rd – 1 spot open
July 11th – 2 spots open

2 Day Fly Fishing Immersion Schools – $425 – Forks of the Snoqualmie -3 people max
May 5-6 – 2 spots open
June 20-21 – 2 spots open
June 23-24 – 1 spot open
July 14 – 15 – 1 spot open

Drift Boat Rowing – $250 – Snoqualmie River, 3 people max
June 23rd
July 7th

Winston Boron III Plus Fly Rod Review

September 17, 2016 by adminewa Leave a Comment

This is a Winston Biii Plus fly rod review and is intended to be informative and as objective as possible for the sake of being helpful to those researching the high end, faster action rod market.

Most of the casting/fishing with these rods has been done with a variety of Airflo lines such as the following as well as a smattering of other manufacturers lines:

Winston Boron III Plus 9′ 6wt – Exceed, Elite and Cold Saltwater
Winston Boron III Plus 9′ 8wt – Bruce Chard, Bonefish
Winston Boron III Plus 9′ 10wt – Bruce Chard, Permit
Winston Boron III Plus 9′ 12wt – Bruce Chard, Tarpon

I have spent a lot of time, in many different locations and fishing scenarios from here in Seattle to all corners of the earth in cold, lukewarm and tropical water. During these times, every chance I have to take a swing with a different rod I do so. As a guide, casting instructor and store owner I feel strongly that is behooves me to know each rod on the market whether we carry it or not. I own the B3+ rod in the 5, 6, 8, 10 and 12 weights so I can attest to most of the line up…these rods are absolute money from top of the line to the bottom.

Think about all the different situations you find yourself in while fishing. From a super short dollop cast to permit that quickly appear out of nowhere to a long light presentation cast across a windless lake to sipping trout. Then there is the bread and butter, those casts whether on a trout stream or anywhere else where you are casting and using the rod/line in THE ZONE, that sweet spot most rods are built for, 30-50 feet.
The industry is readjusting after a period of building rods way too fast for most anglers to be able to handle. Forcing those who fell victim to the marketing machine to literally throw their rod…not cast it. It wasn’t an obvious change but now we are seeing all or most of the manufacturers step back to a place where “FAST” or “TIP FLEX” is something the average angler can still feel when making casts in the zone. All in all this a great thing and it has pitted most of the major rod builders more against each other as now there are a number of great rods in this same class. That being said, the B3+ marries the most important qualities together perfectly.

I want to see a rod without being over lined be able to make a precise cast at 15-20 feet and still be able to feel the tip load and unload without having to over exert the stroke. The B3+ excels at this at all the line weights…check!
The bread and butter casts are those all important ones, the ones where your fish of a lifetime come from when you least expect it. Anglers should feel as though they are not having to think about these casts, 25-45 feet should be as easy as walking. Obviously anglers have varying casting strokes and enjoy a different feel to their rod. I look for a rod that can accommodate a variety of different lines. Not just for various applications such as bass versus spring creeks but also to manipulate the rod to fit what the angler is looking to feel from it. Classic taper to aggressive shooting head lines, these rods handle them quite well making this a versatile stick. Check!

Now to the fun aspects of choosing a rod. Can these sticks carry a lot of line, long leader and a fly well, delivering tight loops into wind then immediately hook up and be tested into the deep backbone? Yes and yes. I am not saying these rods do this and others don’t. What I am saying is as a complete package of a rod that can perform all these tasks well, I have found few that match them side by side in each category. Think of this like a competition where you would have to perform short accurate casts as well as distance, these rods kick rump.

Add a double haul to these rods with any line and they come alive. Being able to feel the line speed accelerate allows the angler to back off the power infusion and allow the rod to do the work for you. At a distance of 30-40 feet, across the board these rods will pick line up off the water well enough to be in the right position for most anglers to easily end up in their normal casting stroke even with heavier flies.

I always tell people it is akin to corporation. You as the angler are the board of directors, your rod is your CEO and the line is your company. As a board, you do your due diligence to hire a CEO you think is good for your company, give them specific goals or directions you want the company to move in and then step back and allow them to do so. I watch too many anglers micromanage their CEO and end up with a poorly run company.

At the end of the day, you can change the outcome of your cast with the line you match on your rod but by doing so for a particular fishing situation does that negatively effect how it performs in other situations when needed with that same line. If so, find yourself a place where you can legitimately cast side by side as many of the rods you are thinking of and see which one you come away with.

Trout Rod Reviews

April 24, 2015 by Caldwell Rohrbach Leave a Comment

Photo and Review by Alex Collier

With Summer just around the corner (or already arrived depending on who you ask), most of us have trout squarely on our brains in Washington. Within a few weeks all of our trout fisheries will be open, and with the low snowpack this year, a lot of them will most likely immediately be in shape. As such, now’s the time to start assessing your gear for the wide range of water types and fishing techniques we have throughout Washington and into Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Northern California.

If you are just getting into the sport, or if you are interested in exploring a new rod that will cover a different situation better than a rod you currently own, we’ve tried to take some of the confusion out of the equation for you–or at least provide a starting point for you in your search for a new rod. Below we have the trout rods we carry in store broken down into the water size they cover best. You’ll also most likely notice that this also separates the rods into weight/length and rod action to a certain degree.

A quick word about what we mean by the different river size designations we’ve listed. For the purposes of this listing we’ve broken it down into Small, Medium, and Large Water:

By “Small Water” we mean rivers and creeks where casts of 10-20 feet are the most prevalent, and where the flies of choice are mostly dry flies or lightly weighted nymphs. The rods in this range are usually in the 2 and 3 weight full to mid flex categories (or slow to medium action), and are usually on the shorter end of the spectrum. The small mountain creeks of Washington are a great example of this water type, as are the small brook trout streams of the East Coast.

“Medium Water” is going to be rivers where casts of 15-30 feet are more of the norm, or where dry/dropper rigs, slightly heavier nymphs, or smaller unweighted streamers are common. These rods are often a bit more versatile because of slightly more backbone and length, which gives you the ability to mend and control line on the water easier, while also maintaining the ability to delicately present dry flies in small spaces. Rods in this designation are going to be 3 and 4 weight mid flex (or medium to medium-fast action), and are going to be in the 8-8’6″ range. These are great rods for the Cedar River outside of Seattle, bigger stretches of the Middle Fork of the Snoqulmie, and some of the smaller rivers of Idaho, Montana, and Oregon. A lot of these rods would also be good dry fly rods for fishing out of drift boats. By and large, most of these rods will handle quite a few scenarios in the trout world.

“Large Water” is going be everything else for trout–bigger, deeper water where dry/droppers, heavy stonefly nymphs, or streamers are the common fly choices and longer casts are necessary. These rods will also handle casting in the wind better. Most of these rods are going to be in the 4 and 5 weight mid to full flex category (or medium fast to fast action), and will be in the 8’6″ to 9′ range. Where these rods normally excel in generating higher line speeds and longer casts, they sometimes sacrifice a bit of feel at closer ranges or when going for smaller fish.

And with that, on to the listings:

Small Water

–Echo Carbon: 7’3″ 2 wt ($170) — Small, light weight rod with a lot of life that is also an absolute bargain! This rod has a lot of life, excels at closer ranges, and is a blast as a very small stream rod. The Carbon definitely qualifies as a slower action rod, and might take some getting used to if you’re new to casting or have a more aggressive casting stroke, but the trade off is a really fun rod to fish in small, tight situations.

–Echo Glass: 6’3″ 2 wt.; 7’4″ 4 wt; 7’10” 5wt ($200) — Fiberglass is making a comeback in a big way, and these rods are a great value if you’re trying to get in on the action! Full flex, and designed to excel fishing in tight quarters. These rods are a bit heavier in hand than their Scott counterparts, but they have an great feel when casting them. The 6’3″ 2 wt. makes just about any fish feel like a real bruiser! A great WA Mountain Creek rod series.

–Scott F2 (Fiberglass): 7’7″ 2wt.; 8’4″ 3 wt. ($645) — In all honesty, a remarkably smooth and lively rod that is amazingly light. These rods feel like they’re flexing all the way into the cork when casting, and are a blast to fish. These are real game changers when it comes to fishing the mountain creeks and other smaller trout rivers in this area! Worth every penny when it comes to the smile you’ll have on your face fishing them.

–Scott G2: 7’7″ 2 wt. and 8’4″ 3 wt. ($745) — A shop favorite! Extremely light weight, incredible performance and feel, and a beautiful looking rod as well! Lots of technology goes into the making of this rod, but what you need to know is that it’s amazingly smooth, tracks really well without any extra movement (even though it flexes pretty deep into the rod), and is really light in hand.

–R.L. Winston WT: 7′ 2 wt. ($750) — Winston’s classic all-graphite small water rod. Slightly heavier in hand than the BIII LS, but with a smooth medium to medium fast action. All of the Winston feel you expect in a fully graphite package. Really, really nice small stream rod that a lot of people consider one of the best all-graphite rods ever made.

–R.L. Winston BIII LS: 7′ 2 wt.; 8’6″ 3 wt. ($795) — While technically listed as a “medium-fast” rod on Winston’s site, we find these rods to be much more “medium” than “fast” (and a bit softer than the WT). These rods are really light in hand, have the buttery smooth action you expect from a Winston, but finish the cast without a lot of wobble in the rod. Classic details and the boron addition to the rod blank makes up a classic Winston rod that delivers great accuracy and responsiveness.

Medium Water

–Echo Solo: 7’6″ 3 wt. ($120) — A great entry level rod for those wanting to get into the sport, or wanting a lighter weight rod to add to their quiver. An fairly light rod with a nice action to it. It doesn’t have quite the feel of the Carbon, and would tend to be more on the medium action end of the spectrum, but for $120 with a lifetime warranty you can’t beat the price!

–Scott A4: 8′ 3 wt. ($395) — The A4 is a nice rod series that doesn’t totally break the bank. And while it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that the G2 does, it is still a really fun rod to fish. Even at an 8′ 3 wt., this rod still has enough backbone to cover some slightly bigger water and throw some slightly heavier flies. Light and responsive, this rod will cover quite a few different situations for you, and will be a rod that you can grow into if you’re new to the sport.

–R.L. Winston Nexus: 8’6″ 3 wt. ($475) — Don’t let the 3 wt. label fool you: this rod is a medium-fast 4 wt. at heart. A great rod for throwing dry/droppers, or for bigger dry flies from drift boats or on bigger water…but with the lighter weight of a 3 wt. rod. You don’t get the classic Winston Green color, but you get a rod with the ability to fish multiple water types at the slight expense of the feel you would normally associate with both Winston rods and 3 wts. as a whole.

–Hardy Zenith Sintrix: 8′ 3wt. ($599) — A nice medium action that strikes a balance between feel and strength. A bit softer than the Scott A4, but more responsive than the Echo Solo. Also very light in hand with a slender taper. Still has enough backbone to turn over some dry/dropper rigs, but might struggle to step up to much more than lightly weighted nymphs.

–Scott G2: 8’8″ 4wt. ($745) — A slightly faster version of the above listed G2 offerings. Fantastic dry fly rod on bigger rivers that would also be well suited to step into dry/dropper and even some unweighted or lightly weighted streamers. Fantastic feel and action despite a bit more backbone makes for a really good all-around trout rod.

Large Water

–Echo Solo: 9′ 5wt. ($120) — An overall nice rod with a pleasant casting action for a great price! This rod can cover the Yakima, Puget Sound, and other larger trout fisheries. It doesn’t have all the technological advances and is slightly heavier in hand, but is still a rod with a lot of good things going for it.

–Scott A4: 9′ 5wt. ($395) — A step up in backbone and speed from the 8′ 3wt. that maintains all of the other positives of the shorter version. Solid value for a smooth medium to medium-fast action rod.

–R.L. Winston Nexus: 9′ 5wt. ($475) — If the 3wt version is really a 4 at heart, this 5wt. is a 6. High line speeds, bigger flies, and windy conditions are the name of the game for this medium-fast to fast version of the Nexus. What it lacks in traditional trout feel, it makes up for in backbone, while maintaining a pretty soft tip for turning flies over and delivering them with a bit of touch.

–Scott G2: 9′ 5wt. ($745) — While the bread and butter of this rod series is in the lighter weight versions, the 9′ 5wt. still delivers a nice medium to medium-fast feel that doesn’t feel too stiff or clunky. Slightly more heavy feeling in hand than other rods in this class, but with the responsive action that runs throughout the G2 series. Still a really nice trout rod.

–R.L. Winston BIIIx: 9′ 5wt. ($795) — Simply put, a spectacular trout rod. Buttery smooth, medium to medium-fast action but with enough backbone to handle bigger situations, this rod can handle a lot of different things: small flies with delicate presentations, dry/dropper, and streamers alike. The BIIIx could even step down and feel really good fishing some more medium sized waters because of the soft, but strong tip and mid section.

–Scott Radian: 9′ 4wt and 9′ 5wt ($795) — Strength. Finesse. Feel. Lightweight. This rod really does a little bit of everything, and does it all really well. The 5 wt. has enough power to make long casts on the Sound and then deliver delicate presentations with small dries in the freshwater. Plus, the lightweight nature of this rod makes it a joy to cast, and the responsive nature makes it easy to feel the rod loading, even at short distances. If you were only looking to invest in one rod that would cover a lot of different locations, it’d be hard to argue against either the BIIIx or the Radian in the 9′ 5wt. range.

We hope this review/listing has been helpful to you as you explore new options to cover different fisheries in the area. But, we also know that reading our thoughts on these rods will only go so far. So if you would like to cast any of these rods at any point feel free to swing by the store where we are more than happy to throw a line on a rod and let you test cast them for yourself!

Thanks for reading!

Beyond Season’s End…A Bleak Look Ahead at Washington’s Water Future

September 14, 2012 by adminewa

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGcrkWMwASg&context=C4ed8105ADvjVQa1PpcFO4fMWbFIHKsAbLMMdeKlEXCKNf28H7YcQ=[/youtube]

This might be one of the best laid out and soft spoken looks at our future water issues affecting the fish we cherish so much in our state.

Seattle Times Gets Into Telling Anglers Where to Fish

February 15, 2012 by adminewa

The Seattle Times is now posting reports from I am not sure who on what was caught where and when both in saltwater (which is about all we have at the moment) and freshwater. Looks as though this will be updated on Tuesdays and obviously won’t be fly fishing specific but could prove to be useful to those just wanting an idea of where someone caught something.

Seattle Times Interactive Fish Map

Hopefully they will continue to add locations to the map because at the moment one can breeze through this pretty quickly! Not sure if they are going to cover all anadromous species or just salmon and if all, is it just saltwater or will fresh be included. Also not sure if they are going to include trout fisheries like our beloved Yakima and if they will actually extend into the steelhead rivers of the southern part of WA and the O.P.

In short, this looks like a short winded resource or one that will require a lot of work to keep updated every week, which as we also know means that with each rainstorm that blows through, the info will be dated and useless anyway! We will see I guess.

Old Dams Out, New Ones Coming In…?

June 23, 2011 by adminewa

So I am in a very privileged position to have a number of different agencies keeping me informed on what otherwise might not become greater public knowledge. Here in Washington we are celebrating the removal of a dam on the Elwha River on the Olympic Peninsula, hopefully returning river to a state compels consideration of future dam removals on other rivers. Under the radar, the following is happening right here in Seattle’s backyard read below:

It just came to my attention today that a FERC pre-application has been filed by Black Canyon Hydro LLC to develop a 25 MW hydroelectric project in the NF Snoqualmie that would divert up to 900 cfs of the river’s flow from a 1.5 mile stretch, Ernie’s Canyon, one of the premier whitewater runs in King County (FERC Project No. P-14110). The comment period on the pre-app closes July 10.

The NF only averages about 500 cfs annually! So, the sizing of the facility is likely intended to capture high flow events. They would be required (by permit conditions) to guarantee a certain amount of flow in the river at all times, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t substantially dry it up. The plan is to have a small diversion dam (about 7 ft tall) with an associated water intake. The water would then flow through a pipe for about 1.4 miles to a powerhouse further down the river. The elevation change is what creates the head for the power. So, the water would return to the river about 1.5 miles later.

The whitewater community is out in force against it but much of the angling community is likely unaware of this. While the water does get returned to the river, this could be devastating to the section between the dam and the return point as well as all the habitat upriver of the dam that would be flooded.

If it means anything to you, seek it out and get your voice in there here using this as the Docket Number P-14110:

FERC Ecomment siteShort comment fewer than 6,000 characters
Long Comment with Attachements
Receive all filings associated with this and other projects

Oprah and Fly Fishing – from Skate the Fly

November 17, 2010 by adminewa

There is a commonality amongst us EWA and related folk. Sometimes it is hard to find, other times it is getting hit by a truck obvious. The latter is the case as one of my best friends Dylan Rose of Skate the Fly tells it like it is on his blog, here is an excerpt:

“If you find yourself blaming the fact that you can’t buy a fish because there’s too many people in your honey hole, you probably just suck. Local fly shops have great, low cost fly fishing classes these days, check one out. I’m sick of the regressive old school fly fishing paradigm that says you have to somehow be initiated into the club before you can drift your Elk Hair Caddis in a sweet riffle. If Oprah spawns a new fly angler, and they grow their addiction to the point where they feel a sickness in the pit of their stomach at the thought of their favorite river, lake or local beach becoming a sludgy toxic waste dump, then more the merrier.” Read more here

A Guide Laments – Issue #2

August 23, 2010 by emeraldw

This doesn’t look so bad I know, but keep reading…

So we know it is a part of our job, a job we have chosen to dabble our foot in or more like plug our nose and jump in the abyss with both feet. This isn’t so much a complaint as much as a plead, to several entities out there, some in our world and almost completely capable of our control and others not so much, or maybe they are one and the same, who knows!

First the ones I think we have control of. If as an angler you hear your fly hit your rod, please stop casting! I understand that when the fly is small and of the dry fly sorts, the sound of it striking the rod tip may not be as audible as a 3 split shot rig with 2 heavy flies. So there is some considerations here.

Secondly, though, when you notice your fly has struck the rod and IS stuck to it, PLEASE don’t think that with 3 seconds of high speed gyration that it will magically come undone, in fact it doesn’t. Image above was the residual effects of just this sort of remedy for an errant cast, an HOUR after the client had tried to untangle it, with utmost delicacy I will add. Don’t take this as complete sarcasm, there is a degree of admiration here for the fortitude shown in their effort. However, this is what we would label simply as a “start over!”

A quick snip or two, a few lightning fast double surgeons and maybe just one improved clinch this time and voi la, we are fishing again!!

Lastly, can someone, Einstein maybe, just explain to me the physics or maybe more simply the nature of how a line with only one open end on it can manage to create such a debacle? That is really all I ask, this and that my daughter live a full, happy and healthy life.

While on the water, these little fiascos ignite nervous laughter from all parties, we guides sweat them a bit because we know that if they show up early in the day, more are sure to come and here are some of the common reasons why:

1. Wind always comes up later in the day

2. Long days with few fish make for more frantic casters

3. Wives outfishing their husbands, sometime the other way around but not usually

4. Desperation on guides part to get that one big fish of the day and salvage a tip

5. Similar to what many significant others are accused of in malfunctioning relationships, guides fall victim as well… WE KNOW WE CAN CHANGE THEM, MAKE THEM BETTER PEOPLE

6. Picking up the rig with too much slack line, guide watches in slow-mo as theee ennntttirrrree ssseett–uuupp hhhiiittsss ttheeeee rrodddd…

7. Person in front or back makes concerted and admirable effort to cast over opposite shoulder, afternoon wind kicking up, tired and so on…

8. Stopping for lunch…it does give us a bit of time to recollect our composure and start anew but…the inevitability of it all!

9. Certainly the only one we like to see and that is the missed hook set on a fish immediately followed by another forward cast…

In the end, we love it or we wouldn’t keep doing it. However, the end of the day can send some into a deep and dark place where the only remedy, the only solace is the sunlight on their face, “late rent” notice stuck to their door and the need to get out and change another angler for the better, because we CAN!!!

Probably the worst of it all, way more so than any of the above mentioned tidbits is that we can almost always see it coming, way before it happens. It’s as though we can see the future and yet can’t do anything to stop it. Aside from acts or gestures that would land us in the drink or jail or both.

Really though, thank you to all who hire guides, we DO love ya! For those who don’t or can’t handle the afore mentioned menialities of the sport and profession, they are likely short for our world anyway so chalk up your $400 or so bucks to helping them find a new job sooner rather than later.

Tight Quarters – Volume 1

July 13, 2010 by Dave McCoy

As a fly fishing guide, and one taking this profession seriously, I love nothing more than clients new to the sport. Whether it be those preparing to dive in head first and buy their first rod and reel blind to what they are getting into or those who have already had a few thrills and are now marching their way through the progression we all have taken, or will inevitably.

For me, I don’t really care if I catch a fish or “the” fish in a particular place anymore. It is all about the process of actually getting a or “the” fish to take a fly in a certain situation.

This past week I had the incredible privilege to fish with a great guy and also a guide on a small spring like creek and was myself reminded of what clients hopefully feel on our trips, complete elation on every level this sport has to offer.

This brief but idyllic jaunt included a long hike in, off trail for a portion of the time to a creek tough to find on most maps, for native species of trout with no signs of other anglers. Challenging but rewarding conditions and size of trout, who cares as that is why God has handed mankind the ingenuity to make such wonderful little sticks as 000wts or in this case a Winston WT and LTX 2wt. Personally, my perfect recipe for a day on the water.

That said, this was just a small portion of it. While some of the water was simply irresistible to gaze upon, I found myself unable to pass up fishing the more difficult water. Over hanging grass and branches a mere foot from the waters surface, prime seam several feet back from the tips of the afore mentioned vegetation. And with virtually no backcast space to even attempt the feat I sauntered to the plate anyway.

First couple casts catch the trees and grass behind and a slight upward finish to my forward stroke leave my fly hanging desirably an inch or so above the water where certain inhalation awaits. Some gentle coaching from Steve and finesse of the rod tip frees it to drift back. So close yet so far away. Next cast is in and the fish takes with reckless abandon, my 40 year old reflexes so off my fly ends up 15 feet in a tree behind me! Deep breath, tie another one on, watch Steve imitate me perfectly, then dig in again.

I just don’t give up that easy and I never have. I am stubborn as hell and now have to prove a point to no one other than myself that I can do this!

All of this could have been circumvented by simply stepping up to the head of these minuscule runs, why? Why do it and take all of the fun and challenge out of it?

This is why nearly every president in our country has embraced this sport. Complete and utter loss of all other worldly issues, including time, when the mind is fully engaged.

Much of this water is exactly what we would walk most clients right past as the skill set to get a fly even close isn’t in their possession, yet. And while we did manage a few fish, more was gained from Steve and I by simply being able to get a fly into these tight quarters and watch it drift seemingly unattached to either of us whether a fish hit or not.

Every now and again we need a day like this to remind us of a few things. One, how our clients feel when on a trip and we are aching to take the rod from their hand and make the “easy” presentation for them so they can get the fish.

What we have to remember is even though most new anglers feel as though the fish is the prize, it is our job is to help them realize that the real reward is in having done everything just right to trick them into choosing your fly. When done well the fish isn’t that hard to achieve, it is everything leading up to it.

Good fishing everyone.

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