TG in the AC

Here's a couple photos from my brother and I's annual fishing session on our home waters.

The mighty Mokelumne River.

Only one fish landed on this outing. Not great numbers in this area but it's a beautiful stretch of river to fish so it keeps us coming back. It's more about getting out with my brother and walking some river anyway.

This little guy was a great take. He came up high in the water column for this streamer swung on a sink tip. I had a bite from him on the way up river then stopped at the same spot on the way down and managed to get him on the line. It was a treat to watch him come up in the clear water and tease him to the fly.

Big Thanks to Ross Slayton for the home tied fly.

On the way back down river I herd a yelp from my brother. I was up fishing a pool still and thought he had picked up a fish down lower. When i looked down river he wasn't fishing though. He was knelt over on the gravel bar. It sounded like a yelp of excitement. We are both always eyes peeled for gold or crystals or other treasures washed up in the river when fishing this area. The Moke has allot of history and there's many Native American and early Settlers artifacts around as well as an abundance of mineral and interesting rocks. I ran down to see what Eugene had found. Upon arrival he produced this amazing perfect Rose Quartz crystal. I've never seen such a perfect specimen in this area. It had obviously been washing around in the river for quite a while. We speculated that maybe it was lost on a rafting trip or thrown in the river at some point in time. If it's a natural crystal from the area it's a very very rare find and either way it was a very special highlight to another great day on the Moke.

Team USA qualifer Reno

This past weekend was the Reno regional qualifier for the Team USA National Championships. We fished the lower Truckee through town and Pyramid Lake. Lots of great anglers came out from all over the country to sample some of our local waters.
Day one started out with me on the River. In the AM i got to fish the same water i had fished two years ago in the Cutthroat Classic. We started at 9am and It took an hour or so for the river to turn on. By 10ish the fish started biting. I went two fish landed out of 7 hooked. Had trouble keeping fish on using small flies. The biggest fish of the morning bent my hook. This beautiful rainbow didn't count for me because by the time i got it in, it had spit my primary fly and snagged on the dropper. At the end of Beat 1 all i had on the board was a 12 inch white fish.

A cool little Mink came trotting along my beat on the side of the river.
John Stanley was my controller for the morning session.
In the afternoon i was further up on the river in Beat 1. I was one of the only competitors who fished a streamer in the comp. This beautiful rainbow grabbed a sculpin pattern within the first 15 minutes.
After covering the water with a streamer i went back to nymphing and managed to pull out this bright buck. Great take and long hard fight.

My controller Dan and i had to jump through some hoops to get to the good water at the other side of the river.
My last fish landed was this nice 22 inch rainbow. Went 3 for 3 on the second heat.
Day 2 put me at Pyramid Lake. It was cold windy and overcast in the a.m. I fished hard in the first heat but got blanked at Separator Beach. There were only two fish caught in our entire group that session.

The afternoon session was at Indian Head. I managed to pull in this fat 2 foot LCT within the first ten minutes. Got him on a good old black wolly bugger. Just grinding it out with cast and strip cast and strip. A few other fish were caught this session but i think this guy was the biggest. It was good enough to put me in number one for that heat.
Over all it was a great weekend. Lots of nice fish were caught and it was great to see some old friends and make some new ones too. I ended up placing 5th overall and qualified for the National Championships in Bend later this summer. Big thanks to Doug Ouelette and Mike Sexton for helping so much in putting this event on, The Truckee River Fly Fishers club and also to all the other folks who volunteered and donated their time to making this event a great success.

The Cleanest Line

My Mokelumne Video and Story made it onto Patagonia's Cleanest Line Blog. Watch the full video and read the story here.
www.thecleanestline.com

Lowwer Klamath Rafting Video

Here's a short promo video i shot and edited for O.A.R.S. rafting company last summer on the Lower Klamath River. For more info on trips with O.A.R.S. check out www.oars.com

Fly-Fishing Meditations

Dappled light filters in through the branches of an over hanging tree and reflects in golden stars on the rivers water. It takes a second for me to pick out my small fly made of feathers and deer hair on the waters surface. It’s late evening on a mid summers night and the fish are rising aggressively to a hatch of caddis flies. In fly-fishing this is what we refer to as the magic hour or happy hour for the fish. Trout are opportunistic feeders and can be fooled and caught with a good offering at any time of the day, but in many places the last hour of light can be the best time to fish with dry flies. Once the light gets low and the shadows cast on the water, the trout, who spend their life hiding from over head predators like osprey and eagles, loose their inhibitions and began to venture closer to the surface of the water looking for an easy meal. Many of the insects trout feed on are sensitive to the harsh UV of direct sunlight and also become more active at this time. Dancing in perfect unison over the surface of the water in a mesmerizing display of natural harmony and synchronicity.

Rhythm and motion combine as the line from a 5 wt. fly rod unfolds back and forth into the warm air. Little droplets of water aerialize off the line and illuminate in the patches of sunlight. A good timed cast and accurate loop land my small deer hair caddis fly imitation in the perfect spot on a seem of current near the far bank of the river. I mend the fly line upstream to alleviate any drag from the swift current on my leader and fly. Intensity and anticipation as the fly drifts perfectly down with the current like a dying caddis in his last dramatic encore, offering himself to the fish. I may repeat this scenario dozens or even hundreds of times in a good evening of fishing. Interrupted only by the indescribable thrill of having a fish engulf the fly with a splashy rise. It’s a great way to tune into and interact with the natural world and underwater ecosystem.

In today’s world it’s hard to keep my mind in the present. I find myself always thinking forward into the future or brooding over events from the past. Things I need to do or the things I should have done. Fly-Fishing is one of the sports that have an uncanny way of stealing thoughts and returning them to the moment. It’s a present moment meditation as I like to call it. Once I’m out on the water everything else falls away for a while and my mind zeros into fish mode. Every cast, every drift holds my attention until finally I realize it’s dark and I need to try and find my way back to my car or campsite.

This an essay that i wrote for the 2012 O.A.R.S. Adventures Magazine. Check it out at www.oars.com

Secret creek steelhead

Here's a few snap shots from a trip last week up north. All photos curtsy of Isaac Roman.
I love fishin small rivers for steelhead.
Double Hook up.
Chad and i with a double.
They look so cute in there together. The net is a lot less lonely place when you have a buddy.
Got some nice little guys too which shows the runs are healthy still. Missed some bigger ones too.
High stickin a nice looking rock hole.
Saw a fish roll and got it indicator less nymphing. Was about to leave when another one rolled. I managed to get it too. Definitely a high light of the trip. The second was a way more chuncky fish. Lost it just at the net after a long hard battle on a five wt. So no photo there.
Floated some great swing water too.
Jason's fish of the day.
Dime bright.
Huge thanks to Isaac Roman for the photos and showing me around. Isaac guides for Jack Trout international guide service and specializes on the Lowwer Sac, Upper Sac, McCloud and Klamath rivers as well as some other small streams and lakes around Northern California. If your in the area and looking for a fun guide drop him a line at isaacroman@sbcglobal.net.

Fun in the Sun

Fun in the sun is a short video compilation by Paul Swint of William Joseph fly fishing. Keep an eye out for a couple shots of a fishing trip we did together to Wyoming and also the Fly Tackle Dealer show in New Orleans. Great work Paul!