Smile for the camera. Maybe the last Fall Buck I will see until next year
Lots of ups and down with the holiday season. With the weather and fishing that is! Flows bumped, and bumped, and bumped, receding nicely. Winter fish are on the move, still a bit lower in the systems. But there coming, sooner than we think. Iv'e been on the South Coast a few days here and there...
Flows are perfect now, and fishing is good! It's only the start of the season, and it will hold through April. They're around, just follow them up.
Pure Gold
Here's a brief slideshow of my last month, spent mostly on The Klamath River. I have to admit, I was a little spoiled. Being run out of the Scott River Lodge, a five-star accommodation with Chef's cooking allowed me to focus on the best parts of being a Steelhead Guide. Thanks to all the fine folks I had the pleasure of fishing with, Tailwalker Fly Fishing, Mike Folden of Freedom on the Fly, and Craig Nielsen of Shasta Trout.
The more time I spend on a river, the more it seeps into my core. Like when it rains on a cotton sweater, at first the drops bead up, temporarily warded. But as the mist continues, the drops coalesce and become larger before sinking into the fabric leaving a dark trace of where they had rested, just above the surface.
The more time I wade a river and feel its tug behind and around my legs, the more memories and fondness I have for it. After these last four weeks on the Klamath River, I am more drawn there than ever before.
Georgeous Klamath River Hen. I got a kiss on the Cheek for this one.
Rivers have many sides, as complex as any personality. At times, the river had a predictable steady mood. In others, secretive, key thrown out of reach and lost.
Though I'm more inclined to think it was this family of otters...
Art's First Steelhead on the Swing
Deep Breath
Who says you can't swing flies from the boat?
Hey Derek, I think the term is "Corked!"
Mike Folden with a Freedom on the Fly Klamath Buck. Check out his awesome lodge on the Scott River, The Fin & Horn Lodge.
It was this big!
Well, maybe this big
When you seek Steelhead, no matter the river, there is always an element of variability. I have come to expect and look forward to it. It's what makes Steelhead angling so satisfying. That you can't walk up to a piece of water and say, "there's a big one here, eating zebra midges that lives behind that rock," may not be for everyone. But for those that like surprise encounters with something new, because each Steelhead we find is almost always a new face, it's the promise your fishing will never be stale, and each opportunity you get with these magical creatures will be memorable.