As a guide or avid angler, you start to learn the river intimately and eventually figure out what works. What you are left with is “well… I know this works, but will this?” You find yourself down a long dark rabbit hole that is twisted and sometimes hilarious. The journey is what keeps me feeling connected and curious.
Icons: Mike Kinney
Mike Kinney, known as the “Godfather of Skagit” to many, is quietly and humbly one of the most respected legends of Pacific Northwest steelheading.
Icons: John Shewey
ertainly at the same time—in Oregon, Washington, BC, and on other streams in CA—fly anglers were succeeding in catching these enigmatic fish on flies, but on the Eel, with John Benn in the forefront, the sport really found its legs…and its founding flies.
Guide Gossip #11: The Most Difficult Thing About Steelhead Fishing
I believe people who chose to fish for steelhead with a swung fly choose more than just the species itself. It is about the connection with the river, with the community of stewards and friends, the moments of laughter and pause, the difficult chase at hand, the long days of slow fishing, and the new zest that the river life brings to you.
Guide Gossip #10: Dealing with Pressure
How can you better your odds, when the odds are against you? I always think creatively and have a positive attitude, and that seems to help with most anything. However, these helpful tips below from guides might find you thinking outside of the box.
Mossy’s Fly Shop: Addiction to the Swing
Mossy’s Fly Shop provides two-handed expertise in the heart of Alaska
Guide Gossip #9: Setting the Hook
hearing your reel scream and telling yourself, “Be patient…be patient”? I have heard it as “the 10 second rule” or “wait for 3 seconds” or “wait for 1-2 feet of line pulling off your reel.”
Spirituality and Steelhead in the Aleutians
On that day, a fisherman was born; if it has fins and swims, I want to cast a fly in its direction and see what happens.
Love Pink
I’ve never been able to get a handle on the value metrics we attribute to fish. Why do we consider certain salmonid species more desirable than others? Would we think that way if we hadn’t been influenced and acculturated with the prevailing notions of others?
Finding Hope
Staying the Course with the Dry Fly Through the New Normal of Low Expectations.
Guide Gossip #8: Rod up or rod down?
The idea behind these Guide Gossip articles is to help you along your journey and allow you to understand your style and why you do what you do. Some anglers just fish a certain way because it feels good, or you have seen it before, maybe a guide told you to do so. This may help you expedite understanding of what fishing a “soft rod” means and or why you might choose to fish this way.
Don’t Hang Up Your Waders: An Open Letter from Mia Sheppard
ice. Isolating yourself from these places is not the answer. Staying connected – as hard as it may be – is how to be a part of the solution.