Northern Waters Fly Fishing

Fourth Annual DownStream Fly Fishing Event

2010-06-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

It is with great pleasure that I bring you a few descriptive images from the day. Thanks to Mike Howes from Granite Bay Fly Casters for the most of these images and Shawn Pittard for providing us with a little write-up. The day was a huge success for 20 people with Down syndrome and 70 plus volunteers.

“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”

20 kids with Down Syndrome put John Wooden’s words, printed on the backs of their tee-shirts, into action at the fourth annual DownStream fly fishing event. For the second year in a row, Mark and Kristen Brown provided full access to the Willow Creek Event Facility on their 40-acre ranch near Browns Valley. 70 volunteers coming from fly fishing clubs, local schools and sponsor employees were on hand to guide the kids through a fun-filled day of learning and doing.

The kids learned how to tie a fly, paint a fish picture, how to cast and to see what fish eat. They also learned how to catch fish, lots of fish. High-fives were everywhere as the kids caught feisty rainbow trout in the ranch’s ponds. After a hearty lunch, complete with ice cream cones, the kids went right back to fly fishing. Fish stories were in the making and more than one young fly-fisher could be heard asking a parent for “One more cast.”

The Appeal-Democrat in Yuba City wrote up a little something: Article

Soon to be fly fishing legend, Tommy Berg with his hand-tied flies.

A huge thanks to all who make this possible,

For more on the fine folks who made this possible, click here.

The fifth annual event has begun brewing, make sure to follow us on Facebook for future events.

Thank you to all my friends, family, students, parents, sponsors and volunteers for making this unique program come alive.

2010-03-03T12:09:00.000-08:00

We need your support, check us out to learn more about our program. If you like what we are doing let us know by following us and becoming fans! This is also a great way to keep in touch and see how you might be able to help.

Facebook
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Thanks for your support.

Bass-N-Fly Tourny

2010-02-26T17:28:00.001-08:00

Bass-N-Fy
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Enough is Enough

2010-02-20T12:08:00.000-08:00

After months of idle fingers I would like to pick up where I left off. For those of you that are left reading this lifeless blog I hope not to bore you with city life updates. Since my last p0st I have successfully settled into Dallas life with Amanda. I am still on the job hunt, however I have a good feeling about a company I interviewed with a few weeks back. The position sounds incredible and involves working with non-profit companies to help them raise money through online marketing efforts. I will elaborate more when the time is right.

I have not been fishing yet, but am hopeful to see what the area offers when the time is right.

I am going to start fly casting lessons soon and am looking to spread the word.

DownStream Fly Fishing is looking forward to its 4th annual event this coming May. If you participated last year and would like to join us again please email me:

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and the incomplete, yet official DownStream blog.

Stay tuned for more news.

Changing of the Blog...

2009-11-28T17:41:00.000-08:00

Monday the 23rd of November marked my last day of guiding (period). Over the past 8 years I have had some of the greatest experiences a person could asked for. I have seen incredible places, met amazing people and caught countless spectacular fish.

The one thing I will miss most about this job is the people that I have encountered. The wonderful people I have met have truly helped to shape me as I go through life's mold. Every single day and every single client had something to offer and learn from. I have become very close friends with many of you and hope that never changes.

Both Bill and Marilyn Kiene are some of my favorite people. They both have huge hearts and a desire to see other people succeed. Even though I only knew them for a few years they opened their doors to me and did everything they could to help me succeed. In addition to the two behind the scene was their incredible staff. I feel blessed to have met and fish with most of them. I have been in shops all over the place and this one is by far second to none. My hat is off to everyone under the Kiene's umbrella and I could not have done it without you.

Another huge thanks goes out to Keith Kaneko of Angling On The Fly who has his office in the back of Kiene's. Keith is one of the hardest working people I know. Whether guiding or making your travel dreams come true he does the best job humanly possible. Thanks for providing me the opportunities of a lifetime.

It has been my pleasure to guide you all on our local water and share with you some of the best fishing in the world. Every ounce my being loves being a fly fishing guide and watching people catch fish that make memories.

It makes me smile to know that many of you have photos on your desk, computer and at home of days spent on the water with me. I have over 7,000 pictures of fish from guided trips alone and I can remember each client and each fish like it was yesterday.

As for any other guides, outfitters, lodges and other industry folks out there it was a pleasure working with and for you. I worked with some of the best human beings on this planet and many of them helped me to get where I am today.

Being a fly fishing guide was always more to me than just showing people a good time on the river. Fly fishing is a way of life and all I can say is thank you for being part of my life.

As long as I live I will charrish the memories we created.

As for this blog I will continue to post past fishing pictures and hopefully some new ones. I will be peeking into the world of bass, carp, gar and redfishing in Texas and the neighboring states. Sadly, fly fishing will no longer be my occupation.

What's next? I am moving to Dallas, Texas to be with Amanda and start a new life. We are now engaged (as of yesterday) and will be driving to TX on the 29th of this month. We are both very excited to be together and stomp out our footprint in the soil of the real world. I will be seeking employment in the private sector and hope to explore the world of marketing.

Thanks again for everything and I will continue to read and contribute to the fine community of anglers.

Sincerely,
Ryan H. Miller

__________________
When in doubt, fish.

Spey Casting Class: Great Day

2009-11-10T21:46:00.000-08:00

November 8th marked a great day for the art and science of spey casting. Adrian Psuty and myself played teacher to 9 awesome students. About half of the students had never done any spey casting and by the end of the day they were booming loops. The other anglers had experience and graciously allowed Adrian and I to tweak their casts to increase proficiency.

We tackled just about every topic imaginable and dove head first into every question asked.

We took at look at many different styles of flies and how to fish them on the swing

Here is Adrian demonstrating how to rig a tandem tube fly

One more look at pure discovery

Great news: We are doing it again... Join Adrian Psuty, Keith Kaneko and myelf as we will be unveiling the spey world.

Novermber 22, 2009
9am-5pm
Cost: $75
5 spots currently open
Contact Ryan Miller:
530-913-8312
email: rhmiller@gmail.com

Yuba River Fishing Reports

2009-11-07T21:18:00.000-08:00

I have been on the Yuba almost exclusively the last few weeks and am having a ball. The fishing thus far has been good to very good. There were a couple of those unreal days with over 35 fish hooked and a few with less than 10 hooked. Overall the egg bit has been very strong with the occasional nymph being swiped.

Over the last few days the fish have been picking up almost as many nymphs as eggs. Nymphs that have been getting it done include, small PT's, micro mays and the Red Headed Step Child from Hogan, today, that fly rocked it! I will say that the fishing has slowed down, but with some clouds and rain it should pick up.

Swinging flies has proven to be aweseome over that past few trips. I have a few days where 5-8 big fish were hooked in just a few runs. Most clients swinging are throwing switch rods with either Scandi and Skagit heads.

The following are a few shots from the past few weeks... enjoy!

Spey Casting Class: Updates

2009-11-07T07:37:00.000-08:00

We are set for tomorrow's first class with 9 students ready to tackle spey casting with spey and switch rods.

There are currently 5 spots left for another class on November 22nd.

If you are ready to get into the spey world or elevate your game this is the class you can't miss.

$75 per student, all day, plus tons of gear to try out.

Contact:
Ryan Miller
530-913-8312
rhmiller@gmail.com

Spey Casting Class: More cool news

2009-11-06T11:26:00.000-08:00

I am happy to announce that Adrian Psuty will be joining me as an additional instructor for the spey class offered on November 8th. Adrian brings with him an arsenal of rods for us to try and more importantly a wealth of knowledge in the spey world. He has the an incredible technical comprehension for spey applications and is eager to share it with you. With this addition I have opened up more spaces.

Currently there are 3 spots left for this class.
The November 22nd class has 6 spots left.

Cameron Miller Photo

Contact me for more information.
Ryan Miller
Cell: 530-913-8312
Email: Rhmiller@gmail.com

Updates: Switch and Spey Rod Classes

2009-11-01T15:14:00.000-08:00

This could be you...

November 8th NEW OPENINGS!
November 22nd class has 8 spots left

Come join Keith Kaneko, Adrian Psuty and myself as we share our combined knowledge and experiences with you. We will host this day of discovery on the Yuba River.

We will cover everything including:

Casting on both sides of the river and off both shoulders
Line selection (scandi vs. skagit and long belly)
Tip selection
Reading swing water
How to step
When to carry loops
Fly selection and water temps

Craig Dinsdale setting up

I give you my word that no matter your skill level you will come away with a wealth of knowledge and concrete confidence when swinging flies.

Contact Ryan for details and/or to secure your spot.
Phone: 530-913-8312
Email: rhmiller@gmail.com

Presentation to Davis Fly Fishers

2009-10-26T20:21:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, October 27, I will be giving a detailed presentation on fishing with "indicators." This class will explore many of the environmental indicators that may yield secrets to catching more fish.

Here is a little peak at what I will be talking about: How to approach new situations with a methodical G.R.I.D. The GRID is looking at Geographical significance, River structure, Insect populations and Desired casts. This approach might help you break down variables.

In addition I have broken down strike indicators to a mad science and will show how to properly rig and use them. You might be thinking that there isn't much to using one of these fancy bobbers, me too. However, somehow I ended up with a 10 page manual on the how to's... crazy. All who join me will get the manual plus other goodies.

Any Granite Bay folks out there have seen this presentation and let me live, so you might like it

Here in the info link: http://ffd.x10hosting.com/pdf/FFD0910.pdf

It would be great to see you there.

Thanks,
Ryan

Yuba and Feather Fishing Reports

2009-10-25T18:35:00.001-07:00

I have been guiding like a mad man again and have been having a ball. Overall fishing has been good. So far the Yuba has been pretty consistent with some spectacular days. Fish are still looking for round things bouncing on the bottom and they will occasionally nab a nymph or two. There are a decent number of salmon in the river giving us some hope that they might return again next year.

While out there you might notice brightly covered rocks (orange and green) in the river. They are marking the redds. I am sure this is some wort of DFG or DWR study. One of the cool things about this is that if you are not sure what a salmon nest (redd) looks like just find the radioactive rock and study what is around it.

Evening Cast with Mark

Kent with a slab

I have been on the Feather too and have not been doing that well out there. I am sure there are a decent number of fish there, but with temperatures in the 80's and full sun... Yeah, not the best conditions to fool chrome. The other day with clients we did managed to hook a few including this hot hen. This girl really ripped it up.

Detailed Spey and Switch Classes on the Yuba

2009-10-19T15:03:00.000-07:00

Spey and Switch Rods on the Yuba
With Ryan Miller

This class will be held on the Yuba River and will be dedicated to exploring the world of spey casting and utilizing spey techniques. Learn everything from how to hold the rod to properly working a run. I will show you how to select rods, reels, lines, tips, flies, spey casts and water. We will dive into Skagit, Scandinavian and long belly line applications. If you do not own a two-handed rod, no problem, I will show you how to do everything on a single-handed rod. This is the most complete spey class out there.

The November 22 date will feature local guide, travel agent and my good friend Keith Kaneko of Angling On The Fly. He and I will spill the beans about one of our passions. *class must have 6 anglers for both instructors to be there.

Two Dates:
November 8: 5 anglers max cost is $100 per person
November 22: 10 anglers max, cost is $75 per person

Students will be taken on a first come, first serve basis and ability does not matter.

Both classes will start at 10am and end at 5pm.

Contact Ryan Miller at rhmiller@gmail.com, Phone: 530-913-8312 with questions or to sign up.
For more information on Ryan Miller visit:

The Web Page

Photo by Andy Guibord
Let's swing some flies

Nicholas Dean Lodge October 4 - 10, 2009

2009-10-14T20:25:00.000-07:00

This trip to Skeena country marked my second venture to chrome-land. I was joined by my good friends, Steve Pereira, Rob Elam and Joe Carlig. In addition to this was the welcomed company of Steve Jones, Dan Brosier and Kevin Mather. As guests of Nicholas Dean Lodge in Terrace, BC we were there to tangle with the infamous grey ghost. We were there to see chrome, but knew too well that tangling with a sea-going Walter was not a given. For the most part we knew how to appease the steelhead gods. After many in depth meetings about how to keep them happy we agreed that we will not expect it to happen, let the fish come to you and embrace the Grand Unified Wou (GUW) (thanks to Dan and Kevin). The GUW is an all encompassing way of life that when followed will be unquestionably rewarded with your desired outcome.

The flights were cake, Chad and Noel were there to greet us and take us to the Yellow Cedar Lodge. The lodge is incredible. It is near the Skeena and surrounded by mountains. On site was a hot tub, weight room, lounge and spacious rooms. The food, service and accommodations were excellent. The picture to the left is the view from the lodge deck.

Blue skies in British Columbia during October, that is GUW!

Day 1: Steve Pereira and I had a chance to fish the Upper Copper. He took us to a remote part of the river that was worth every ounce of energy expended. The hike itself was unreal with a bounty of nature eye candy. When we got there we were met with clean water with a tint of steelhead green plus great pools and runs. We were successful. Steve and I started out with dry flies (yes, big steelhead on dies in October) and both drew blanks on the first run. I went back through with a pink Jumbo Critter and a little T-14 and found a nice buck!

Upper Copper Hoglet

The next pool we went to was one of the most incredible pieces of water I have seen. Its speed was mild, bottom strewn with boulders and multiple seam lines. There was also a few mayflies hatching... Back to the dries we go, Steve was working through the run very well while I watched him. Out of the corner of my eye I happened to see a 10-15 pound steelhead eat a mayfly. I took the liberty of positioning myself to make the presentation. I was casting a size 4 dry on a 14' spey rod... I barely got the floating head out when I get a looker out of the rocks. I goofed and mended right when she came up to look,... DOH! As soon as the fly gained dead drift status it was annihilated by this:

She ATE IT!

Dry Fly Steelhead

While I was fighting this beauty the big boy I had seen earlier ate a dry right in front of me. So I landed this one and had Steve come up and give it a go. He starts bombing casts and getting great drifts to this fish... no dice. I followed and skated/grease lined the dry in a last attempt to get this fish and just as I was going to call it, BAM. The big guy eats... bing, bang, boom big head shakes and then it was over. Hook bent out... So it goes.

The other anglers will have to tell you their own stories, but here is the summary. Kevin and Dan floated the Copper and crushed. Several grabs, several landed and a full acceptance of the Gran Unified Wou. Here is the pudding:

Copper Choker

Same fish, different pose

Copper Rocket

Steve Jones, went in pursuit of chrome Coho and was rewarded. No pictures of this, but the quote of the day came from me asking him how his day was. "It went well, I lost count."

Joe Carlig and Rob Elam fished the Kalum hard and really enjoyed the river. The Kalum is known for its large fish and spectacular water. It is a casters delight with high risk and high payouts. This river eventually gave us the love.

Day 2:

Steve P. and Joe Carlig did the float on the Copper while Rob Elam and I were on the Upper Copper. Each Copper team drew a tough card that day. Local mountains shed recent snow fall and we watched the river rise and blow out! DOH - Rob and I worked very hard and fished only one pool due to water conditions. Rob got it done, first fish came on the 5th pass while the second came on the 9th pass. Down river the boys were sadly shut out. Not even a peck, we were all very surprised and a bit disappointed the lower Copper did not put out. Here are a few of Rob:

Hmmm, which one? Funny, it doesn't really matter.

Artsy, yours truly working the run

Nice hen, had the hops

Rob, meet steelhead, steelhead, Rob

Day 2 continued: Dan and Kevin were on the Kalum and had a few big steelhead close to the net, however did not make it all the way. They had a ball casting on the Kalum. Steve Jones was also on the Kalum and did his best to hog tie a mega.

Day 3: Joe and I were on a mission to get Joe his first BC steelhead. We were paired up with Jeff for a hike on a tributary to the Skeena. This place was once again spectacular with pools and runs designed by steelhead gods. It was not long before Joe had done it... He hit two awesome fish that day. We had a ball trudging through the forest, crossing huge log jams and fishing great water. We saw wolf, bear and moose tracks everywhere.

While chanting the versus the GUW I received a little tug. A dandy in my book.

Steve Jones fished a different trib to the Skeena and he too popped his BC cherry. He had a great day wresting with some true steel.

Steve Jones... enough said

Hard work and GUW

Brute

Rob and Steve P. had an awesome day on the Kalum. They were swinging for steelhead and found their counterpart... COHO. They got into some massive silvers on the swing. Steve had never really used a spey rod before and not only did he stick fish with it, it also landed some by himself.

Steve P with CHROMO

The Dynamic Duo, Dan and and Kevin were on the Kalum and had one of those days. These two "fisherman" skewed the law of averages by managing to go 0 for 12 on fish. We are not sure how many were steelhead versus coho, but that has to be some kind of record. We made sure to bring this up whenever appropriate, so always. Nice job boys.

Click here for images and stories from day four. Here is one the highlights from day 5. Steve Jones with a spectacular specimen. I was very happy for him, he nabbed this with a single hand on the Kalum, very impressive.

Day 5 for Steve P. and I was truly something we will both never forget. The fishing was good, but the scenery was choice while we rafted down one of the coolest rivers I have ever seen. Images are on the next post. I cannot share too many details with you on this for Sky will surly hunt me down. Also, that is just bad for GUW.

The week in British Columbia was spectacular. It was filled with great people, great fishing, perfect accommodations, a great booking agent, hard working lodge staff and guides. If this trip is something you are interested in contact Keith Kaneko. He does a great job of making dreams come true and taking the hassle out of booking trips.

Thank you to everyone, especially the Grand Unified Wou

Fishing on the Trinity

2009-10-12T22:27:00.000-07:00

I have continued to ride the steelhead train a bit more. I got home around midnight last night from BC and left this morning with Andy Guibord to fish the Trinity with Jason Hartwick. So far so good, we managed to swing up a few dimes today. A few pictures will follow soon.

It is amazing the places we go and the people we meet in the hopes to catch a steelhead...

Kalum River - Spey Casting Video

2009-10-11T06:43:00.000-07:00

Lower Stumble on the Kalum river in search of steelhead. Just about all the running line goes for a swim. Gotta love it!

Nicholas Dean Lodge

2009-10-10T06:48:00.000-07:00

Today was the last call for BC chrome. We are sad that the trip has ended, however we leave knowing we had a great trip. This posse of anglers was diverse in character and ability. We were able to fish several different rivers and I am happy to report that everyone found there fish. I will do my best to bring you a detailed report with a ton more pictures.

Steve with his first swung-caught steelhead on a very cool, secret river. This fish tore it up

I managed to find this guy it a very small slot in a great piece of water on another super - secret river.

Silver taken on a 100+ foot cast... it was awesome

Yours truly with a lucky cast. Rob Elam put his life in danger to get this shot

Rob Elam with a sweet Silver

Rob Elam with a trophy steelhead on the Kalum

Dan with a white steelhead on the Kalum

Yet another Kalum chromer

Rob Elam, Kalum,... DANG

Another Cameron Miller Blast

2009-09-28T07:50:00.000-07:00

Here a few that he took of when my dad and uncle came up to fish the Kanektok
Cameron Miller

Alaksa West Guides

2009-09-25T09:26:00.001-07:00

The Best Guides In Alaska: not self proclaimed

Hanging Out

2009-09-25T09:13:00.000-07:00

I will be in Kiene's Fly Shop on Sat at 10am to hear Andrew Bennett speak about the sweet destinations Deneki has.

Come by and say hello!

Photography By Cameron Miller

2009-09-22T07:53:00.000-07:00

Cameron Miller has spent seven seasons on the waters of the Kanektok and Arolik. He is undoubtedly one of the best jet boat drivers and an extremely qualified photographer. Because of Cam's knowledge of both rivers, experience on the tiller and skills behind the glass, he made for an outstanding full-time photographer at Alaska West.

Shooting thousands of frames a week Cam was all over the river capturing the incredible experiences that happen daily. I have over 2,000 of his pictures from the season and will be showing a few off from time to time.

Each of the photos selected where part of slide shows that Cam put together for each week. At the end of every week clients received a DVD slide show of their adventures.

Koertge King

Gearing up: Mornings

Tom Larimer: SpeyRoo

Spey Bomb

Chrome(atic)

Simply Put

Dec Hogan (just Google his name) with a shitty setup... RAD

Chrome Killers

Hark! The short bus

Garrett Sullivan operating the Short Bus, a perfect match

More to come, plus I am writing a a little piece on my summer up there... it might be up this week, maybe next year...

Fall Newsletter

2009-09-14T11:32:00.001-07:00

The newsletter just went out. If do not receive it and would like to, please sign up and it will be sent to you. Thanks

Swinging in California

2009-09-13T19:47:00.000-07:00

Time to get out your swing on. Now is the time get geared up for fall fishing in Northern California. This is a great time to swing flies on your favorite rivers. There are still great hatches going on, in addition to great water temperatures. Swinging flies is also good now because there are no distractions of eggs. Once eggs hit the river bottom is seams that fish switch gears and smash eggs.

If you are new to swinging flies I have a sweet program to get you going. I can even provide equipment for the day. If you are a seasoned swinger, come on down and let's get into it.

If you would like to check out something new or a new way to look at something old, check this out. FALL SPECIAL

Here is Adrian getting his game face on.

Alaska West: Big Leagues

2009-09-08T17:33:00.000-07:00

As I drove down river for the last time of the season I felt like I was being chased down river by the fast approaching onset of fall. Inside of a few weeks the Kanektok basin began to show fall colors. The leaves doing what they have done for eons. They showed their brilliance as proud as can be almost like a warning beacon for surrounding animals and nearby hunters and fisherman to get ready. While on the tiller, heading out I could still see silvers wadded up in corners and soft spots, trout resting at the head of snags, geese flying out and locals gearing up for winter. I will miss the Ktok and all that is offers. Kanektok means river of change, that is not the only thing that changes up there...

I will have a full season-end entry in the coming days.

Please see full photo gallery of AK 2009 on My Webiste

Photo Cameron Miller

Kanektok River Fishing

2009-08-28T16:45:00.000-07:00

The following are a few shots from the week. I didn't take very many this week, but there were a few highlights. One included having a film crew on the river shooting a couple of shows.

A crew from InterMedia Outdoors/Barrett Productions came to shoot two TV shows that will show on the Sportsman Channel in the second quarter of 2010.

Breaking the Surface showcases the angling exploits of two of the finest female anglers on the planet, each of them highly skilled in quite different fishing disciplines. Gear fishing techniques rest in the very capable hands of Kim Bain-Moore—the first woman to ever compete in the Bassmaster Classic—while long-rod expert Diana Rudolph (of Simms/Andros South video fame) handles the tools of the fly-fishing trade. Along the way, these versatile women pursue just about anything that swims in cold, warm and salt water. This week they're after the Kanektok's silvers and rainbows.

Trout Unlimited: On the Rise is the next generation of TU television. Hosted by Colorado guide and increasingly notorious fly fishing media personality Frank Smethurst, OTR is one man’s road journey in search of the most compelling coldwater fisheries in the country, along with the people who fight to protect them. Join Frank and an arsenal of fly rods on an insider’s tour of American trout country.

I had the pleasure of guiding Diana Rudolph for the cameras. We had an exceptional time chasing dolly's and trout. We fished for rainbows in one of the channels and got sever nice rainbows to perform for the camera. Diana is an absolute stick, she railed fish.

Kevin with a hogleg silver

Rainbow

Yes, first of its kind... a picture of a sunset. Still sweet though

Yup, one more

Wait for it,... yes that is a sunrise

Triple Silver

Gordon Hynes, Matt (Film Crew) and Matt Hynes

Lower River Bow

Week 11 down, week 12 on the plane... THE LAST WEEK

2009-08-27T22:45:00.000-07:00

As the final days pass I am left with a plethora of memories and a handful of photos. The weather here has changed... the mornings are now cold with thick fog blanketing the Kanektok. The first of the frost has plagued my fingers and face. Upon my return, coupled with better bandwidth I will be posting a few photos on the website.

I will post a few more photos from week 11 and wrap it up with week 12. I head out Sept 5 and look forward to hitting the rivers back home.

As for guided trips it is time to think about booking your fall guided trips. I will be on the on the oars starting Monday, September 28, 2009. This is the kick off of prime time for awesome trout and steelhead fishing. Book now to secure your prime fishing dates.

Please visit My Website for details and contact information.

Thank you and stay tuned for more photos from Alaska West

Week 10... It gets better

2009-08-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

My Best Shot Thus far.

2009-08-13T18:21:00.000-07:00

This was taken in a very small channel in the Kanektok. There is barely enough room to stand let alone cast. The concentration of rainbows in this spot is incredible, most of them are over 20". These guys are tough, very weary and selective, after many strategic meetings and calculations Eric Rathbun from Moldy Chum got 'em.

There are nearly 10 more fish of various species in this frame as well.

Love it.

Week 9 has ended, week 10 approaches. I am looking forward to more silver madness and big bow hunting. Now is the time to seek out Walter.

Week 9, day... I forget

2009-08-12T21:56:00.002-07:00

Trout fishing is getting better and better as the eggs and flesh hit the river bottom. Everyday I hit my favorite spots with clients I see more and more 'bows. We found a spot today with 6 leopards in one little spot.

A little release action

Grande Dolly, hooked this guy then lost him at the camera, see him?

Here we go... 'Bow hunting is awesome! Bow and arrow cast required.
Bow Hunting... Get it? Wow, sweet play on words.
Can you find him?

BAM!

Adipose... what a wonderful thing

Week 9...

2009-08-09T22:29:00.002-07:00

Family Fishing Cont.

2009-08-09T21:48:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more from last week...

Week 9 is under way...

Dad and Uncle Pat on the Kanektok

2009-08-07T11:13:00.000-07:00

Week 8 was spent with family and it was incredible. Plenty of fish, plenty of laughter and a lifetime of memories. This was the first week of hot silver fishing and not having caught many silvers I will say that they rock. Silvers are truly a fly fisherman's dream come true. They like to hold in slow water, sometimes even tucked in the smallest of water way up sloughs. They are very aggressive and smack flies with gusto. A 7 or 8 weight rod, a floating line, 6 feet of 15lb maxima and a weighted fly is all you need here. In addition to all that, the Kanektok River hosts hundreds of thousands of these brutes. The average silver is weighing in around 10 pounds with a few boated in the 12 and 13 pound class. Once hooked these dudes tear it up, leaping for a chance at freedom. Mixed in with the silvers and still hordes of chum, so the occational chum is to be expected, regarless of the chum's styreotype, they will still kick your tail!

Uncle Pat with a chrome silver less than a mile from the mouth of the river.

Sunset on the beach in the bay

The rainbow fishing is on and there are some very nice fish to be had. I like to chase them using mice, sculipins and of course the deadly egg patterns. Oddly enough, I use the EXACT same rig here as I do back home during the egg drops. I suppose the only difference here is the fish will destroy 12 mm beads... dang!

Trout... sweet

Dad with a nice bow... you should have seen the one we lost before this one

Uncle and I with a silver pair

Stellar ChumYours truly with some silver action

FATTY!

Shore lunch

Grayling... THE most spectacular display of colors on a freshwater fish, next up, the Dolly

Even though the week flew by, it was truly incredible to spend time with family and share with them what we do up here. This fishery is a must for anglers of all abilities and desires, without a doubt the Kanektok is a fishing powerhouse.

Week 9 is shaping up to be silver mania... Look for more later

Finally, Some Updates!

2009-08-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

Dad with big 'ol silver

Fishing has officially hit the fan! Between the dolly's, bow's, chum and recent arrivals, the SILVERS, fishing is ridiculous. The silvers are a welcomed fish, these guys rip it up, airborne, aggressive and numerous. The run last year was around 1 million strong... by the way, they eat poppers :)

I am happy to say that things are good and just got even better. My dad and uncle Pat were able to get up here and spend a week fishing with me. so far things have been very fun. It is great to have them up here.

More to come when the Internet works!

Silver...

Double Chum

Uncle Pat with a MEGA

Dinner is served

Dad and I with a nice buck (silver)

Life at Alaska West: Good Times

2009-07-15T15:08:00.000-07:00

After 43 days on duty I was relieved of any work obligations and fully appreciate a day to get caught up on personal stuff and sleep. Most of the crew here sleeps 3-5 hours a day when not working, fishing or telling lies after a long day.

The crew here is solid, many of them hail from Washington, some from Idaho and Oregon. There are two people here from California, oddly enough both from the Sac area...

Being that I am from Californian I am subjected to copious amounts of harassment and the butt of many jokes. I have learned that jealousy come is many forms... I was even asked if there is any good fishing in CA,... HA!

Daily life is cool, 6 days a week breakfast is at 7am, then we make lunches, pack coolers, load up fuel and get the boat ready. Meet clients at 8am and hit the water, back by 6pm, dinner at 7:30, guide meeting after dinner and clients assignments are given at meeting. From 9-12am we are free to fish, many of us go. Usually in bed by 12am, then do it again.

King season is pretty much over, the bulk of the run has entered the system and are now getting ready to spawn. The chum and sockeye have charged in with force and have provided many clients with ridiculous action.

In a month or so the Silvers will show up by the hundreds of thousands and will be ready to crush anything that is pink and moves.

The trout fishing has really picked up, I have been fishing clients all over the upper Kanektok with some incredible fish taken under the coolest of conditions.

Trout here can be found in a variety of structure ranging from stumps in inches of water to huge flats loaded with salmon preparing to spawn.

The picture below was a 'bow taken while fishing for salmon in the lower river near the bay. He ate a super critter on a floating line!

11-12 pound RAINBOW- 20 yards of backing to boot!

Evening on the Ktok - the morning awaits

View from one of the crew tents

Jason Koertge either before or after doing battle with a King...

Well done

Rob Elam: Pescatoral Prospector

Elam with the 'look'

Another day in the books

Rob Elam, Jason Koertge, and Jeff Hickman talking King Shop

Yours truly on the swoop with a hog-leg king (photo by Cameron Miller)

The aftermath (photo by Cameron Miller)

Red Foot: My Fish Rig

The official CREW TENT

The crew tent is huge, it usually sleeps six guys, fortunately this year only 4, my spot is the back right corner! Great times-

All in all life is good...

A few more photos...

2009-07-03T18:13:00.000-07:00

In the net...

44" of power (even came off a sweet cast)

Successful release...

I will have pictures from camp and a few details about what it is like up here. I will say that this part of the world has incredible numbers of fish. The kings are still coming in while the chum and sockeye have now started to pour in. There are thousands of fish in the river and it has only begun. Watching the sockeye march on through has been a sight to see, they are everywhere.

More to come...

Flies working better than gear...?

2009-06-25T00:08:00.000-07:00

Is that possible? Yes!
Mondo....

Hen going back...
Hooray Flipper...

this biggun fell for a stripped fly in a slough, kinda like fishing for trout in a lake with woolly buggers.

Kings rule

Fishing is getting better and better!

2009-06-22T21:56:00.000-07:00

Today was not a day for fare-weather anglers, it was wet, windy and cold. I went through several pairs of gloves just working on keeping feeling in my hands. The river fished well today, most boats founds plenty of hogs looking for flies. My clients for the day, David and David, put the hurt on the big boys today.

Tomorrow is another day, hope to get into the big dogs.

I am in love...

2009-06-20T19:25:00.000-07:00

Kings rule...

several of these brutes a day right now, all on the swing, all bad ass fish

I will try my to get more on here soon, dozens of great stories, people and fish.

WHAAAAMMYY!

2009-06-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

The first....
We got 'em, Jerry, Ed and I went out in search of chrome kings and were rewarded! This beast came on a 4 inch chartreuse and white fly and kicked ass. She was 39" long and weighed 28.5 pounds. These fish are eating flies less than 18" under the surface! Jerry had only 7 ft of T14, really does not get better than that!

I was able to hook one fish, definitely an adult, somewhere in the low 20# class.

These fish are very fast and very powerful. The grab on my hookup was very slow and subtle, it felt like I was ticking bottom or a log, I knew something was funny. I let it keep ticking, then finally my line just went tight and there it was, off to the races then off in the next breath. Hot Damn!

All in all a good day, 2 jacks on, 2 adults on...

More to come

Updates:

2009-06-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened since my last post. Camp is now setup and fully operational, the river is still high but very fishable. The kings have just started to poke their heads in the system. Many of us have been out on a regular basis in search of the chrome king,... any day now!

The weather is a mixed bag, some days nice with a few clouds and others gail force wet winds.

Many of us have been out fishing for trout and dolly's too with some success. I stuck my first bow the other night on a fat leech pattern. Trout on the swing is an awesome thing, I can't wait to feel a king on the swing!

It is very exciting to think that in the coming weeks thousands of chrome fish will be cruising right by camp, both sides too!

Camp life is cool, the crew is awesome, very fun group of experienced guides who are dedicated to making sure this place is in top running order and fish are on the line.

I am have a good feeling about the next few days, look for fish pictures soon!

until the next post...

June 1st

2009-06-01T08:45:00.001-07:00

Made it to Anchorage with no problems, the trip here was not bad at all. Baggage is all accounted for and ready for the next leg. Today we fly to Bethel then to Quinhagak where we will take jet boats to camp.

I will try to take some pictures and get back to this later today.

Alaska West: Big Leagues

2009-05-30T11:57:00.000-07:00

7 am marks the departure time for the first leg of the Alaskan frontier... I am heading to south west AK to guide for Alaska West.

I'm a little excited as I ponder what is to come. I will do my best to stay on top of posting images and stories from the front lines.

Stay tuned...

Yuba...

2009-05-07T22:12:00.000-07:00

She is blown...but should be fishing soon. The water has dropped nicely from 15k and will be in shape for floating soon. Wading will be very tough until she gets under 3k.

Here is what ate for us before the deluge-

Had a tough day, however we manged to round up some studs-

DownStream Fly Fishing 2009

2009-05-02T12:46:00.000-07:00

The following is a blog written by Mark Lynn. Mark was one of the many great volunteers at DownStream 2009.

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do-

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do!"

What a great mantra...

and it fits in perfectly with my life of late...

I have some major challenges with which I struggle and deal on pretty much a daily basis.

Yet, I somehow manage to get along and fish on a supra-regular basis.

For me, abstinence from fishing is not an option.

I also find that the less self pity and the more gratitude I indulge in... the better off I am.

The perfect opportunity arose last weekend when fellow AR angler, Ryan Miller invited me to help out at his DownStream Outreach Program.

Ryan grew up with his younger brother, Mark (KOOL NAME@!) who was diagnosed as having Down Syndrome.

As Ryan grew up and metamorphosed into a fishing fanatic... he was diagnosed as having Down-Stream Syndrome and rather than fight it... he became a fishing guide.

Looking back, he realized that his brother actually taught him a good many things most notably, attentiveness, patience, perseverance, and compassion~:)

Mark admired and looked up to his brother and vice-versa I'm sure.

I bet they've fished a good many streams together over the years...

Ryan must have pondered how cool it would be to share his love and passion for the sport of fishing not just with his bro but with many young folks who often, because of their somewhat different appearance and exaggerated behaviors, get shunned by mainstream society.

And hence, DownStream was set into motion.

This was the third year of the annual event Ryan designed to connect special-needs folks with something very real, engaging, and inspirational.

I got a bit lost on the way to the event and not once or twice mind you... but three times. When all else fails, read the address on the directions!

That was what finally got me there.

I hadn't missed much as the band was just starting to move towards the pond.
I decided to just help out wherever needed and try to capture the essence of the day with camera and memory card.

It seems to me that human nature has a tendency towards remorse and sympathy for folks like Mark and Alison, Oscar and Peter, Chele and Sam who happen to have been born with a condition like Down Syndrome. I have pondered the hows and whys of this many times throughout my life and the best I can come up with is that there is a design far grander and far more purposeful than our mortal minds can conceive... a plan, a purpose which defies our limited comprehension and preconceptions of right/wrong, good/bad, normal/strange...

...and anyone with open eyes, mind and heart could surely see that these folks needed no sympathy. I walked the perimeter of "BOW'S END" 1/2 a dozen times during the course of the day...
and everywhere I went I saw only enthusiastic, jubilant, happy, smiling faces.

I think everyone must have read the back of the shirt that day and taken heed to John Wooden's directive:

The clouds and drizzle subsided and the morning sun emerged. There were 20-something students and at least twice that many volunteers.

I saw some old/new friends whom I'd met on my home river; Adrian, Teresa, Jason H., Rob, Charlie G. and also made many new friends during the course of the day.

It should come as no surprise that veteran angler, Mark Miller would put the bends to the first trout of the day... and what a fish! Way to go Mark!!

The program was divided into 4 sections:

CASTING

FISHING

Sometimes, the individuals who least enjoy 'living in the limelight'... are the ones who most inspire and leave the greatest, lasting impressions... Such is the case with Alison. I asked permission to take her photo at the FISH ART station and she was quite reluctant. Later in the day, I watched her fight and land a trout. The volunteers brought the netted fish to her and while we were all focused on the photo opportunity, Alison was concerned only with getting the fish back to the pond as quickly as possible... "Oh poor fish. We need to put it back NOW so it can LIVE!"
Way to go Alison! Many of our fisheries and anglers thereof could use the guidance of your wisdom and compassion...

FLY-TYING
FISH ART

Making repeated smooth casts, tying up the perfect wooly bugger, painting a 'rainbow-whale' and fighting lots of fish demands much energy so by noon time, everyone had worked up quite the healthy appetite.

Ryan gathered up the troops and passed out some fishing literature courtesy of one of the event sponsors.

I left DownStream 2009 feeling as though we had each accomplished something very worthwhile and had learned a bit more about who we are in the process.

String of Reports...

2009-04-21T19:52:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since my last fishing report, I am going to give you the best summary possible...

Most of my guiding has been on the Yuba. In short, she has been up to her usual antics of letting us feel the high of hooking good numbers of fat, crazy rainbows. Then almost in the same breath, BAM, something changes and she shuts us down... All in all the days have been good with a few fatties a day, plus brief periods of insanity. We are working very hard for every fish and changing flies to find the magic bug.

In the last week we have hooked fish on over 20 different patters. Some to note are little yellow sallies, oregon cheese eggs, march browns, and midges. The staples are working too, just remember to change it up once in a while.

Observations: Not much surface activity over the last two weeks. It may be different above the bridge.

April 13, Yuba: Clients Bruce and Sallye put up a good fight against the tough side of the river. Overall, fishing was slow. The morning started out ok, first cast, BANG, fish on... That was misleading- We managed to hook some nice fish on various bugs, however, found ourselves working very hard to get the grabs.

April 14, Northern California: NORTH WINDS. Those are never good out there... No fishing today, I watched the snow fall in Nevada City while getting an awesome root canal done, good times.

April 15, Yuba: The North Winds (yes, capitalized... it's that important), were still up around 15-20 mph and things were cold. 25 degree start when I launched the boat and that wind was COLD. Morning started off ok again, we hit a few in the first run after a few bug changes. From there is was quiet for some time. It wasn't until about 2 that the wind died down and the fish decided to eat. He found a spot the gave us 6 fish, BINGO. Again, we hacked out a good day and worked hard for our fish.

April 16, No fishing today, finished up root canal, AWESOME!

April 17, American: In depth class for Granite Bay Fly Casters on how to swing flies. The day was great, 20 students, all day and man did we do some casting. Somebody even hooked a fish... :)

April 18, Kiene's Expo: Very well done, good times had by all. Thanks to Bill and Marylin for a great expo. Additionally, it was great to see some old friends and clients.

April 19, Yuba: Similar story, with a twist. Had a husband and wife team out there waging war against the picky eaters. This day was HOT (weather), we needed to dip in every once in while to keep from fading. Fishing was ok, we picked up a few here and few there, I can live with that. By the afternoon Sophia was bombing casts and ripping lips of those trout, it was awesome. My favorite moment was when all hell broke loose from what I would call a steelhead. This fish ate with vengeance and in no time was inverted, 2 feet in the air. The fish gave us a serious whooping, I liked it.

April 20, Yuba: Another great husband and wife team saddled up... This was Janet's first full-blown day of fly fishing and we hit a good one. The weather was nice, warm with a cool breeze. Fishing was constant with a grab here, a grab there, a fish here and a fish there. We did managed to hook 12 or so for the day. Janet rocked the casting, rocked the mending and was determined to land one. Despite all out efforts we did not convince one to get it in the net. NEXT TIME!

Thanks to all for booking trips with me, I appreciate your business and enjoy sharing days with you!

I will be off the water this week as I finish and prepare for DownStream 2009! We still have room for students and a few more volunteers. Contact me for more info.

On the fence about where to fish, what flies and techniques to use?

Don't be confused-

When in doubt, FISH!

Kiene's Expo

2009-04-17T23:40:00.000-07:00

I will be at Kiene's Fly shop in Sacramento from 9 am - 6pm.

Come on by and check out all the sweetness.

On The Water...

2009-04-13T20:15:00.000-07:00

I have been guiding on our local waters recently and I am happy to say that fishing has been good.

American: April 1oth marked the first striper/steelhead trip of the season with clients and I am happy to say the we were successful. The weather for the day was not exactly pleasant with heavy rain and colder temperatures. Fortunatly, the muck only lasted a few hours just in time to allow our fingers to warm back up. While stiper fishing we managed to get 3 awesome grabs with clousers and one striper to follow the fly. On the metalhead side, we landed 3 hot, chrome steelhead in the 18-21" class. All and all a good day. I expect to see more steelhead and stipers pour into the river everyday.

Yuba, April 11: The Yuba showed her gentle side to us as she gave up plenty of fat 'bows and a few nice steelhead. Fishing was good all day as fish "keyed" into over a dozen different patters. The river was VERY busy with anglers.

Yuba, April 13: Today she showed her uglier side... We did manged to hook a decent number of trout, however we worked very hard to get them.

Downstream Fly Fishing Updates

2009-04-05T14:42:00.000-07:00

DownStream 2009
We are getting closer...

Date: April 24, 2009
Location: 6851 Marysville Road Browns Valley, CA 95918 - MORE
Time: 10 am - 2 pm
Show up times: volunteers: 9 a.m., participants: 9:30 a.m.

Volunteer: If you would like to volunteer, please contact me ASAP
I need volunteers for:

Casting
Tying
Art
Bugs
Fish Pond

Lunch: Lunch will be provided If you are a volunteer or are a participant. We will have a full crew of cooks preparing a great lunch.

You are also more than welcome to just come and check it out.

American: Spring cherome

2009-04-01T14:30:00.000-07:00

Had a great day with clients on Monday. Floated the top armed with Watchit indicators, various nymphs including caddis and plenty of cooperative fish. We hook a good number of super charged chrome rockets the gave us plenty of action throughout the day.

The fish we are catching are a little different than what the American normally gets. They are not what I would call blue-backs, these guys are all hatchery, slender, huge tails and fresh. Blue-backs are usually wild, football shaped with a distinct light blue color.

It is time to get out there with your favorite caddis patterns and see what's swimming around.

Fishing Report: Yuba, 2 days

2009-03-26T12:11:00.000-07:00

Guided the Yuba Tuesday and Wednesday and had some great days. Clients Ken and Peter waged war on the selective trout on the almighty Yuba. I am not usually a number counting kinda guide, however, this time we counted. In two days we hooked 42 rainbows, landing over half of them. Most of the fish were over 16" with at least a dozen fish 18-21". We hooked fish with several bugs including stones, eggs, March Browns, pt's, princes, and caddis.

Dry fly activity was nill, nada, nothing... We did see a salmon fly though, woohoo.

There are some great pictures coming and I will post them soon.

These were two incredible days with great clients to boot.

Stay tuned as my guiding calendar is FULL through mid May. I will be posting reports as often as possible.

Economic Meltdown Special

2009-03-18T21:50:00.000-07:00

If you have not heard... get a guided trip for $200!

Read about it

Here are the current available dates: April 16, 21, 22, 23, May 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 14

Many of these dates are already being pursued, don't miss out on this deal!

Indicator Clinic

2009-03-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

I ran another indicator clinic for Granite Bay Fly Casters and once again had great weather and awesome students. We split a whole day between an indoor and outdoor classroom.

Topics covered included:

Looking at direct and indirect indicators
We looked at a systematic approach to on-stream analysis called the G.R.I.D. (contact me for more info on this)
Rigging
Casting techniques
and how to fish with the indicator

I teach this class to groups of any size and individually. It is the most comprehensive look at fishing with indicators in the area.

Thanks to Bill Carnazzo and Granite Bay Fly Casters!

Guided Trips: Deal of the Century

2009-03-18T00:15:00.000-07:00

New Homepage

The Facts: We are in the middle an economic predicament

My Goal: Spend as much time on the water guiding as possible

Your Goal: Fish hard, learn something and save money

My solution: Full-day, guided trips for $200 (8-10 hours) - SAVE 50% of regular rate

The Catch:

Lunch is up to you, I will have a cooler.
Please bring flies, tippet and leaders. I will have everything needed to supplement your selection.
Selected availability
Selected rivers

Trips that qualify for the deep discount are by no means second rate trips, you will get my unquestionable dedication and full attention.

If you would like the full treatment, I will still offer full-day, first rate trips for the regular price of $400

To get started, check out my online calendar to check available dates. When you find one that works, CONTACT me and I will get you dialed in.

DownStream Fly Fishing

2009-03-10T23:37:00.000-07:00

I have begun the exciting task of setting up DownStream Fly Fishing 2009! This is an annual event that features both adults and children with Down Syndrome. The event will take place on April 24, 2009 just outside of Marysville near the Yuba River.

It is my hope that through fly fishing, children with Down Syndrome can improve coordination, fine tune motor skills, boost social skills and attain a sense of accomplishment while having fun. Additionally, my goal is to include family members in order to promote family activities in an outdoor environment.

2009 should prove to be our greatest event yet. We have secured a private facility with multiple ponds teaming with eager trout, bass and panfish. Students will have the opportunity to tie flies, learn to cast, get into fish art and hook a fish! We are working on assembling the most talented and qualified volunteer staff possible to coach our students. I am also excited to announce that we are working with Trout Unlimited.

More details to come.... If you are interested in donating ANYTHING, please contact me for ideas.

If you would like to attend please contact me, this will be an invite only event.

Thank you for your support,
Ryan

Guiding on the Swing

2009-03-08T10:21:00.000-07:00

I was able to guide quite a bit last week and had a string of great days. One of the more memorable days came off the incoming front. Armed with a plethora of spey rods, lines, tips and flies; client Steve and I combed the clay stained water of the American. We were successful, we managed to get ripped in one of our first runs! Steve landed it, a nice 23" steelhead, she fell for a 3" black tandem tube fly... gotta love it!

Steve did a great job of covering the water, staying in the face of potential grabbers. He managed a few other tugs for the day.

All in all it was a great day, swing on!

Complete Indicator Class...

2009-03-03T17:07:00.000-08:00

February 19 marked one incredible day!

In conjunction with Granite Bay Fly Casters, I put on an in-depth, full day class dedicated to insights on fishing indicators. Myself and over 20 members were able to do a two part class where for a few hours we hid in a classroom and dove into the nuances of fishing with an indicator.

After lunch we met on the American River where we were able to attack the common issues related to fishing, specifically casting, indicators and heavy setups needed for larger rivers.

We will be doing this again on March 7, 2009, and although this class is currently full, we may be doing another one due to popular demand. Also, if you belong to an organization that would be interesting in this program feel free to contact me. Look for pictures from our March 7th day!

There's more! In mid April, again with the support Granite Bay Fly Casters, I will be teaching a class dedicated to fine points of swinging flies. This will be an all day event with both classroom and on stream surroundings.

For any inquiries please contact me for more information.

Now is the time to refine-

13 for 20...

2009-02-25T21:01:00.000-08:00

American river: one angler, 3 days, one huge indicator, eggs and 20 hookups...

The American still has good numbers of fish in the system. Last week I had one client hook 20 steelhead over 3 days. About half of them were fresh, spunky chromers that took us plenty of finagling to land. We hooked a few fish that were in the 10 pound range and an awesome sight to see.

I have not seen any "blue-backs" yet; however, I know they are out there. This is a great time of year to get out and swing flies, you have a good shot and hooking late winter-run plus ultra hot blue-backs.

American RIver: The Study of Swingology

2009-02-21T08:18:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Andy Guibord for taking these photos and to Jason Hartwick for fluffing up a few fish. This fish ate a 2.5" mess of marabou.

Jason and I going over the plan

Jason loading up to launch

If you are in need of a good photographer Andy Guibord is your man, send him and email to see what he is all about.

Grabs are rad...

2009-02-19T21:35:00.000-08:00

American Metalhead ate a big 'ol nasty tube fly... Thanks Hartwick!

American: Monday the 16th

2009-02-18T18:41:00.001-08:00

Had the pleasure of guiding Rob and Sam and we put the screws to 'em. Overall we hooked enough fish to last a week! We managed to land a few fish in the 3-5 pound class... pictures to follow. We worked the water meticulously and found some very aggressive fish. They were still on eggs and various small mayfly patterns. We had almost perfect weather with light rain most of the day and a few brief downpours. The wind was a little intense, but we pushed though and prevailed. All and all a great day, good company, cooperative fish and great weather. Thanks boys!

With all this rain, look for a boost in steelhead fishing everywhere!

Also, it is time to hit the Yuba. I will be guiding out there all next week.

American

2009-02-04T17:47:00.000-08:00

I have been on the American enough days to tell you that things are slow out there. I had a string of great clients, both a blast to be with and great anglers and fishing was just plain slow. With temperatures nearing 70 plus low and clear water the fish have the upper hand right now. The first part of the day yields the most activity. That could be because of where we are in the AM or just the time of day.

Last week I had the pleasure of guiding Gary and Jerry from the Midwest and let me tell you it was more fun than a clown on fire! Both anglers had fished in many parts of the globe for a variety of species, however, neither one had fished for steelhead. On the morning of our trip the energy level was high and channeled towards the great hunt from chrome. After launching, rigging and getting fired up we began with the deluge of nymph bombs into places where we thought the unsuspecting steelhead may be. After several passes through an area with no promising grabs we changed up. The next pass allows for our flies to be right on the "honey hole" or RRPH, WHAM, 'cator flies under with nothing to show for it. We got taken, oh well, we will get the next one! A few more passes and no love... onto the next spot.

Not too long into our next round of passes we hit a nice wild "quarter-pounder" (12" bullet), another few passes we found another one. These are the first QP's I have seen all season...

No other action in that run! We go a few more runs with nada, finally we come to some promising water. I set up the boat, give the "go" command and off the races we went, just as Gary flies dropped of a ledge, ... SLAM, we get hammered, within no time a 6-8 pound face emerges from the water. OH SHIT, game on! This must have been a buck, he thrashed for a minute, gave us a good look and just as Gary went to put on the lateral tension the moment was over. DAMN! Gary was ecstatic and bummed at same time. On average 20% of the metal hooked will be landed!

The "one that got away" was enough fuel for us to keep motivated the whole day. Every once in a while Jerry would bring up the moment and we would all mentally salivate. We would need that motivation to help us push through the day. We successfully watched indicators all the way to Gristmill with only a few goldens to show for it, no chrome landed.

So it goes, another great day of steelhead fishing.

Pictures to come soon

A big thanks to the Midwest slingers who provided great entertainment and an awesome day on the river.

February can be magical on the A, get out there and jump one!

Ahhhh....

2009-02-03T23:50:00.001-08:00

Ahhh, ahhhhh.... ummmm, yeah...

(Lumberg style): I'm gonna need you to go ahead and book me a plane ticket to BC.

Best of both worlds

There is something so right about this, I just can't put my finger on it...

wow

Great News from Nicholas Dean Lodge!

2009-01-31T15:54:00.001-08:00

Join me October 4-10, 2009 as we hunt for the metalheads in British Columbia!

Nicholas Dean Lodge is now offering first class dining and accommodations...

For the past years, Angling On The Fly has been sending many anglers to Nicholas Dean Lodge for British Columbia's renowned Steelhead and Salmon fishing. They have always provided a first rate fishing program, and are now increasing their level of service by offering dining and accommodations at the beautiful Yellow Cedar Lodge on the banks of the Skeena River. Read below for a message from Nicholas Dean Lodge...

Nicholas Dean Lodge is now offering first class dining and accommodations...

Hello Anglers,

This week we are pleased to announce some very exciting news. Actually, we're ecstatic! Beginning April 20, 2009, we will be teaming up with Alf and Simone Leslie of Yellow Cedar Lodge, to provide our guests with the very best in dining and accommodations in northwest British Columbia. Yellow Cedar Lodge is an impressive facility that is situated on the banks of the majestic Skeena River, on the outskirts of Terrace. Here, the lodge sits amidst impressive mountain views and a wilderness setting - an ideal spot for anglers to relax in comfort after a great day of fishing. The lodge itself is appropriately named given its construction of beautifully crafted yellow cedar posts and beams, which give it a unique character and class of its own.

The lodge features a large dining area and adjoining bar, a mixture of private single and double beds with en suite washrooms, a bar/games room, lounge, gym with cardio equipment and weights, a sauna, hot tub and a large covered porch overlooking the river. Dining is a major highlight at Yellow Cedar Lodge, as Alf is a master Red Seal Chef who goes to great length in providing gourmet, home cooked meals. Using the freshest ingredients, Alf makes home made breads and desserts, and prepares sumptuous meals including wild Salmon and Halibut from the Pacific Ocean, only a short distance away.
Tight lines and screaming reels to all...

Chad Black
Operations Manager
Nicholas Dean Lodge

More Pictures: American 1/20/09

2009-01-27T21:00:00.000-08:00

Multiple Days, American and Yuba in a nutshell

2009-01-27T08:47:00.000-08:00

American: I have been guiding and fishing the American frequently and overall have been please with the results. Fish are eating egg patterns, SJW's, copper johns, and other small mayflies. If you swing, think black, purple or brighter pinks and oranges. We are getting grabs everyday, the water temps are conducive to big grabs from pissy fish (love it).

If you are not hooking fish nymphing under indicators try going deeper, heavier and change your egg. The egg will get eaten, however, sometimes it is there to attract fish. Also, keep moving, you need to go to them, they are avoiding us!

American

Yuba: The Yuba has been throwing her monthly cycle at us, there have been some brutally tough days out there. Mixed in with the beatings have been a few great days, hooking good numbers of big fish. Swinging flies is still producing big, aggressive fish. Fish are are eating eggs, rubberlegs, copper johns, small mayflies. On top: the march browns are crawling around, I have seen a few here and there, the skwalas are on the same program. Fish are keying in on them now, look for bigger hatches soon!

Yuba McFatty

February is big season in the valley... big bugs and big fish. Look for monster chrome to show up in the American and big bows to start packin' on the pounds.

Oregon Coast: Ghosts of Winter

2009-01-18T14:11:00.000-08:00

The following was written by Loganmike:

Somewhere between the mighty Skeena River and the Sacramento River lies a little piece of heaven. To be a little less vague the heaven resides on Nevergonnatellya Creek and Dontevenask River. GORGEOUS! Afterall, as steelhead fisherman, the first rule of Steel club is don’t talk about rivers. The second rule of steel club, is don’t talk about rivers! Get the point. Good, now on with the report!

This little journey started when Ryan and I jumped in the car and drove. We drove and we drove and we drove. We smoked big fat cigars, and then decided to stop and sleep.

We woke up the next day and ate eggs, bacon, potatoes and went and fished Nevergonnatallya Creek with our buddy Pete. We got to the creek about 7:30 in the morn and noticed right away it was gin clear. Normally, Gin is very good, in fact I am drinking some now, but in this scenario, not so much, even with jalapeno stuffed olives!

We drive up the creek, park, get our game faces on and start to fish down. The prospects are bleak as it is obvious we are a little late for this creek. When IT happens.

I am floating down a deep hole, ‘cator goes under, set. Head shake, head shake, Ryan lets me know that there is a fish on with a “yeah yeah yeah”. Nothing.

“DOOOODE, that fish looked like a mirror underwater!” Ahhh, that one would eat at me the rest of the trip. Why the hell did that fish not turn? SOB bit, shook, and went back to the bottom, no turn, shit!

Salt starts running through our veins as we are becoming increasingly sober on the gin clear water. We decide to check out Dontevenask River and scout for the next day.

This looks good, glacial green, flows are right. We need to be here EARLY tomorrow!

Beers, burgers, and a girly salad on the way home. Tie flies and burbon until late. Sleep, flatulence, snoring, stumbling hungover!

We are on the road early.

Coffee, breakfast to go, air is foggy with methane, the bellowing of tuba's, anticipation, and doubt!

Maybe we should go to Notnearanyofem River instead. Pete lets us know that is not an option. Thankyou Pete!!!!!!!

We get to Dontevenask River and it looks good. Real good. No one around, big trees, small water, GORGEOUS!

Pete and I walk upstream and fish down while Ryan swings down. Pete and I are skunked until.......

‘Cator under, hook set, “shit, a snag”. Then no, wait, run, BIG JUMP. I see my face in the side of this fish as Pete asks what do I do now. “Don’t Horse It!”

Brooken hook, Damnit, cheap ass hooks. That one goes to the river gods, 10 lbs for them.

Downstream we get to another nice run. Pete is casting, “get as close to that tree as you can” “Closer” “Good”. “Mend!” “YEAH YEAH YEAH!”

“WOOOOOO FISH ON FISH ON!”

Again, Pete asks me what the hell do I do. “Don’t horse it, and RUNNNNNNNNN!”

Pete is sprinting down river waist deep, I jump out and bust balls down river, get below the pissed off mirrored acrobatic that has pulled over for a second wind and bear hug it. YAHTZEEEEEE!

About 10-12. Wild as hell, My cornea’s are burnt from the reflection, GORGEOUS!

We high five, slug scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch. We love scotch!

We have no clue how Ryan is doing? He comes out of the woods to see us laughing and drinking, he knows. He also lets us know that he swung up a 12 lb SILVER MISTER PIGGY up river as well as a nice coho! It is a good day and now the clock has struck noon.

I manage a nice bright 21 inch half pounder out of the hole where Pete just caught the flying silverado.

We walk downriver as far as we can, till we get to Youarescrewed Canyon. I find a nice log above the canyon and fish it.

Short cast. Nothing, Drop a dime near the log. ‘Cator under. YEAH YEAH YEAH. Big run upstream. Gone. 12lb maxima broken! DAMN.

One more cast in there after retie. Snowball’s chance in hell on this one. Small hole, already one big fish in there. Usually not 2 big things in small holes like that!

A bit farther down the log. ‘Cator under. YEAH YEAH YEAH. This fish was big. Real big. Ya know when you set the hook and the fish sets the rod back in your hand. Yeah, that kinda big. The line and cator run up stream with the sound of a 757. DONE. Broken maxima again. Not sure what some of the words I yelled mean, but I am sure they got the point across.

No other fish the rest of the day. BUT, there just happen to be 3 PBR’s left in the cooler for 3 good buddies back at the truck.

Yeah, I would say it was the best steelhead trip of my life. Couldn’t beat the scenery, fishes, or company. Thanks guys.

__________________________________________________________________
My response:

Here here to an incredible trip and thanks for the write-up on the events. I must say that was one of the best trips I have been on. We had a great group and anglers, plenty of comedy, insane scenery and big coastal steelhead. To give you an idea of just how well this trip went, here is a list of words used and the approximate number of times we used them during the trip:

Awesome: 2,000
Incredible: 2,953
Shit: 12,000
Unbelievable: 4,678
Wow:1,234

You get the idea.

If you have had the opportunity to fish Oregon's coast then you know about the dense mist, heavy fog, moss covered trees, glacial green water and breathtaking hillsides. I found myself lost within the aesthetics of my surroundings.

We were fortunate enough to hit Dontevenask creek within 63.5 hours of it clearing...miracle.

As Mike mentioned I headed down river to fish solo and seek out the swingable water. I had my 11'9" 6wt scott ARC with me and a few flies. After bombing a cast out to nick the edge of the seam, letting the fly engage in the current then preparing for the grab I once again became lost in the scenery. While spacing out I felt a tug... I thought, huh… then bam! He ate it! My heart immediately began to pound, I watched the water like a hawk, looking to see if this was truly a steelhead (not sure what else it could have been). Within no time my questions were answered with a towering leap into the air followed by a stong run down river. After negotiating with the fish for a while we came to agreement that I would take its picture…

After landing, admiring and releasing this brute I felt stoned off my ass, it was awesome! GORGEOUS!

The picture was taken with a cell phone… so it goes.

What a trip, thanks guys!

American: BAM!

2009-01-09T18:34:00.000-08:00

I guided the American today and was very satisfied... My clients and I got into quite a few nice fish today. Many of the fish came out of slower water and ate eggs and small nymphs.

I will be anxious to see how the crowds look tomorrow.

As clean as they come

Adapose attached!

Look at that face... all three of them

Overall the river was uncrowded with the exception of the the usual snaggers.

Casting Interrupted...

2009-01-08T14:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday on the American was spent with Mike Edgehouse and Jason Hartwick. We floated the upper river with an arsenal of rods and chrome in our eyes. Fish run, first cast, Mike sticks a hot, chrome jumper that was not landed... 3-4 pounds on a FBPT. We all swung a large run wherin Jason and I both got ripped on leech patterns (hook never bit in). Down river in another run Hartwick managed to stick a piggy while catoring (Jason is a great indicator fisherman :). Outside of that is was a quiet day.

This morning was like any other winter morning, quiet, foggy and fishy. It was only Edghouse and I as we swung our 13'7 spey rods with skagit lines, tips and goofy flies. We had gone through the run a few times with no tugs, as we got ready to go through it again we were more or less nudged out of our water by a few guys in a drift boat that must not have seen us...

On to our next spot... 6 casts, 13 minutes and FISH ON! I hooked a dandy, she jumped, she ran, she got her picture taken!

Rod:1307 Scott LS2
Line: Airflow compact skagit 510 with a T11 tip.
Fly: multicolored egg sucker.

When in doubt, fish.

American Steel

2009-01-05T20:20:00.000-08:00

Overall the fishing on the American has been ok. I have been fishing the lower river with a few good friends on a regular basis and sporadically fooling a steelhead or two. With the exception of one day we have been sticking strong to swinging flies with spey rods. I would give you details of where fish have been hooked, however, there is very little consistency. There are no gimmie's out there, just cover water and and be methodical.

If you are looking to swing the A for winter chrome keep in mind that these fish are hauling tail through the river right now and you need to be on the move too. Fish various types of water to see if you can find any patterns. We have been fishing more of the slower tail-outs... Flies: make sure it has movement, pay attention to overall size, try big and small... Brighter colors have been catching more fish.

I did managed to stick a few nice fish under an indicator with egg patterns.

I will be guiding out there this week so keep your eyes peeled for fresh reports and hopefully a few pictures.

Be Part of Something...

2008-12-30T20:12:00.000-08:00

Join Northern Waters' mailing list, it's easy. Click THIS and sign up to receive emails about local fishing opportunities, international dream trips and other, sometimes useful information.

Yuba With Ken Hanley

2008-12-22T12:44:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure of guiding/fishing with Ken Hanley on the Yuba not too long ago and we had great day. We had a nice start to the day with a few bugs hatching around us with fish working the surface. The goal of the day was to hang out, chat about fly fishing and see if we could fool a few 'bows. Without a doubt the day was a complete success, I had the pleasure of learning about Ken's recent travels and stories of the great fly fisherman that are still casting, tying, speaking, teaching and fishing. In between stories we were able to fool a few nice trout under 'cators and got a few solid tugs on the swing. I always enjoy days spent with Ken, I learn a ton and laugh my butt off with all the great stories.

Ken holding Yuba gold
Last fish of the day... good way to end it

A few months back Ken's new book, Tying Fureld Flies, was released and has been well received. If you have not checked out Ken's work I highly recommend you do. Most fly shops carry the book, check it out soon.

Thanks for a great day Ken, hope to fish with you on your turf soon!

Yuba on the swing

2008-12-15T21:02:00.000-08:00

I have been spending a great deal of time on the Yuba and am happy to say that it is fishing well. During the winter months the Yuba can be one of the best fishing rives in Northern California for trout and steelhead. Lately I have seen a nice push of steelhead throughout the river and expect more to come in within the next few months. The last week or so the fish have been receptive to flies on the move, both emergers and streamers.

Nymphing egg patterns with caddis and mayflies under and indicator has also been producing a few fish. One of the highlights of this time of year is the BWO hatches that happen almost every day, they are especially thick on overcast days. The days that the fog was socked in the BWO's went crazy and so did the fish. There were stretches of river that had hungry fish sipping constantly. They got all over parachute adams size 18.
If you would like to try the Yuba , I highly recommend doing a walk and wade trip. While on foot we can really dive into technique, reading water, bug ID and how to use your spey or switch rod. Check out my current special and pick a day you can sneak out.

When in doubt, fish!
Ryan

Click image to get the Northern Waters

It is time... British Columbia

2008-12-10T18:13:00.000-08:00

Now is the time to get in on fishing BC because the exchange rate is currently in our favor. Look forward to 5 full days of guided fishing in BC for world-class steelhead surrounded by incredible scenery. 2009 rates for Nicholas Dean Lodge are $3,695 CAD, convert it today and see what it will actually cost.

Join this hosted trip, we can discuss the economy in the lodge over copious bourbon

Fish with me as we hunt for massive steelhead on several world famous rivers.

Space is limited and filling up...

Corner offices rule

Mark October 4 - 10, 2009 on your calendar, you are busy that week
Visit Angling On The Fly for more details.
Contact me directly for the skinny...

If you have been fishing the Trinity lately, this is what a steelhead looks like.
If you like food... battery died before the steak came out...

Yuba Winter Special...

2008-12-07T23:32:00.000-08:00

I would like to offer a Yuba winter special...

Here are the conditions:

Yuba only
Spey or switch rods only
Walk and wade only
$300 for one or two anglers
8am to dark (flexible)

I will still be offering full guided trips out of my drift boat that can include fishing on the swing.

This offer is for the angler who is really looking to tackle our valley rivers with spey and switch rods, we will dive into the pools of swinging flies and look for a solid tug! I encourage anglers with all skill levels to check it out.

Please contact me for more details. Thank you!

Feather... Friday Dec 5

2008-12-07T23:23:00.000-08:00

Guiding the Feather was fun that Friday, mainly because of the company at hand. We fished hard all day and were rewarded, overall we hooked a few stout half-pounders and two nice adults. Many of them fell victim to mayfly nymphs. Over the last few days we have had spectacular fishing weather,... cold, balmy, foggy, calm, quiet, mysterious and so on. It was very cool not being able to see 50 yards in front of you. We had a very good day, I am not sure about my clients for that day, but my sides hurt from laughing. Thanks for a great day!

Steelhead fishing will continue to be ok through Dec and Jan, look for big, bright fish to move in during these times. All the fish hooked were dime-bright!

Feather... Thursday Dec 4

2008-12-07T23:05:00.000-08:00

I went out with a friend and hit the Feather with the long rods. We had indicator rods as well, however, we really just wanted to swing. We did nymph several of the classic holding spots to no avail. We were equally as successful swinging various flies. One of the last spots on the low-flow did produce this nice hen, she fell for and egg.

Klamath: The Whole Shebang

2008-11-21T08:38:00.000-08:00

The Klamath is "The Whole Shebang," it has awesome scenery, good fishing for resident rainbows, steelhead, and incredible water. I had an opportunity to float with my good friend Steve Pereira out of Chico, CA and Craig Nielson of Shasta Trout down the Klamath in search of metalheads... this was my first time on the Klamath and it was one I will not soon forget. We floated the upper river and were accompanied by a few other guide boats. Not very long into our float Steve cranked on a few half pounders and got the skunk off the boat. After Craig back rowed several times in the sweet run I was able to jump a nice steelhead and manage to get rid of it. Not too long after that we continued down the river and continued to hammer on chrome. We had close to 40 opportunities and landed about half that. Steve was the king of the day landing one nice 5-6lb hen and lost another one that may have broke the 10 mark.

If you are looking for a great experience on the Klamath I highly recommend Craig, additionally, he currently has a few prime-time spots open.

Craig and Steve

Halfie

Steve and the Victory Dance

The Billy Goat Rules

Delta: Top-Water... Do You Have the Faith?

2008-11-20T16:14:00.000-08:00

Do I have the faith....hmmm... when it comes to top-water stripers in November I had no faith until I fished with Kevin Doran of Delta Adventures. I had an opportunity to fish with Kevin and my good friend Mike Reymann on the Delta. Within minutes after we launched we were at our first spot... Kevin asks us, "Do you have the faith"? Mike and I said..."uuuuuhhh... what do you mean"? Kevin wanted to see if we had faith is raising stripes to the top... first spot, first few casts, WHAM, Mike got a good eat and nice schoolie. At that point Mike had the faith. I on the other hand did not have the faith yet as I had not gotten eaten. We went over to another spot and again... WHAM, Mike gets eaten, another 4-6lber. After the sun had a chance to get up we left the faith (against "guidance") and went down with clousers. Once again....WHAM, Mike gets another fish, this one was HOT, it took him for a sweet ride. Mike landed the purple-back, pink-lipped razorback and she came in around 7lbs (we were shocked how hot this fish was). We proceed to hammer on fish subsurface until the tides changed....

The afternoon was sweet, I finally found the faith... As we approached this spot Kevin asked us again." Do you have the faith"? Mike and I knew what that meant... TOP-WATER! We worked the water for a while and out of now where a nice swirl toilet-bowled my fly, Kevin walked me through the enticement process... keep popping, keep it moving, don't speed up... then like a Great White shark breaching on a seal a nice striper blasted me. I missed several others do to my awesome "trout-set". We got a nice largey on top as well.

One of the best eats of the day came on Mike's rod, this fish swirled his fly, Mike worked the fly all the way to the boat with no follow. He hucked it back in and began to work the fly back to the boat. All three of us were frozen, my heart was beating like crazy, Mike couldn't stand still and Kevin knew what was coming... right at the boat-SWOOSH, this balisitc striper ripped Mike and took him for a ride.

All in all a great day, thanks to Mike and Kevin for a much needed day on the Delta. I highly recommend Delta Adventures to anyone who is looking to spend a fulfilling day on the Delta and see what the top-water game is really all about.

A few top-water fish pics...

Mike bent

Kevin and Mike... "yup, top-water... ya gotta have faith"

Not on a clouser

Sweet boat

Where was this fish durring the tournament STARR?

Fishing Reports: Lower Sacramento

2008-11-20T15:37:00.000-08:00

Overall fishing on the Sac has been good. The egg bite has slowed down, but the feeding still continues. There are good numbers of steelhead from Balls Ferry south. Almost everyday we hook fish that go well into the backing and are never seen again. There were a few days last week where the water flows were very inconsistent and made for some tough days, however, the flows are in the process of stabilizing now. The flows are now below 4k, if have been waiting to wade the Sac, now is the time.

I will post images when I get them.

Fishing Reports: Feather

2008-11-20T15:11:00.000-08:00

Overall the Feather has been very slow... I spent 8 days on the Feather and had a wide range of results. I guided Ron Lewis and Lincoln Gray of Tie-Fast a week ago and hooked into more than a dozen fish, we hooked fish of all sizes; halfies, juveniles and adults. I was hopeful for the next day... The next day we hooked 3... the day after that 2... day after that 6... and so on. There was one other day where we hooked 10. I am not sure where the fish are but I am hopeful the fish are on the way. I will be looking into December for prime conditions. There are decent numbers of fish in upper river; however, there has been a fair amount of pressure. For those of you that are looking to hook steelhead this year keep an eye on the Feather, I have my fingers crossed that the end of November and most of December will be on.

If you are planning on fishing the Feather arm yourself with egg patterns, caddis and small mayflies. With warmer water temps give the swing a go...

Here are a few shots from the Feather....

Fishing Report: 10 Days Worth

2008-11-03T09:31:00.000-08:00

Being on the river everyday is demanding and does not leave me with much energy to post everyday. The following is a summary of fishing reports from the Lower Sac, Feather and Yuba. I will be on the river most of November as well and will try to get you more up-to-date reports and information.

The following are summaries by river:

Lower Sac:
Overall fishing has been great, the egg bite has been strong throughout the river as well as the runs of steelhead. I have been floating mostly the lower river and having great days hooking 20-40 trout and a few steelhead everyday. Myself as well as several other guides have watched clients hook huge chromers in the Barge hole area. In 5 days we hooked 12 fish that were over 6 pounds, one might have pushed the 12 pound mark... of course that one got away, so we will call it 13 pounds ☺! Fishing will continue to fish very well for the next few months, look for bigger trout to move in to the feeding lanes during these colder months. I have had insane days all the way through January.

Flies: Brown Rubberlegs, eggs patterns, PT's, Hare's Ear, Poxyback Micro Stones in black (size 12), Amber wing prince, and Hogan's S&M nymph.

Technique: Nymphing under an indicator.

A few digital memories

The All-Mighty 'Bow

Nice Sac Steel

Injured Bald EagleBarge Hole SteelNice fish Sasquatch They were made for each other.

Yuba River:
The Yuba has improved since the last time I fished it. I was on it a few days over the last few weeks and was pleased to see that we are still landing some fat rainbows. I am anxious to get out there after this rain to see what came in and what moved around. Fishing should improve dramatically with a few more storms and higher water. There have been some incredible dry fly fishing opportunities thus far. If you are looking for dry fly action in the winter months don’t forget to try the Yuba.

Flies: Egg patterns, rubberlegs, golden stone patterns, midges, PT’s, Hogan’s S&M pattern and leeches in black and olive.

Techniques: Nymphing under indicators and swinging with light spey rods(switch rods).

Quick Pic

Yuba McFatty

Feather River:
Overall fishing has been tough, there are a few big fish in the river, however, the numbers of fish are currently low. I will be on the Feather tomorrow and expect to find some big, fresh steelies. The number of salmon that are in the low flow looks to be normal, currently the numbers in the high flow are low, but I feel that with the last shot of rain we got the big fall-run chinook should be on their way if they are not there already.

October Chrome:

Muy Caliente

Classic Feather River Steelhead

One of the coolest features about this time of year is just how quickly things change. In a matter of hours a salmon can cut a redd and begin spawning. This goes for all the rivers with spawning fish. The key to success this time of year is time on task, if you have a poor day on the river don't sweat it, just get back to the river as soon as possible. The Feather will fish well through November and even into the first few weeks of December.

Flies: Egg Patterns, Pt's, Kyle's Beerhead Baetis, Sloan's Mighty May, green caddis.

Technique: Nymphing under and indicator.

Well, thanks for checking back in! I will be on the water most of November, if you would like to book a trip I am currently taking names for a waiting list. If I have a cancelation, I will contact the next person on the list.

Please contact me with any questions.

Thank you and take care,
Ryan

Current Canadian to US dollar Exchange Rate is Favorable Now!

2008-10-21T09:49:00.000-07:00

Currently the exchange rate for US to Canadian dollars is very favorable making the trip of a lifetime to any of Canada's premier fishing destinations a steal. Nicholas Dean Lodge in British Columbia is one of the world's premier salmon and steelhead destinations. This season's return of steelhead was incredible, one of the best in over ten years. Anglers experienced excellent fishing and many anglers hooked steelhead of a lifetime.

Take advantage of this current exchange rate by securing your spot for 2009 now. Angling on the Fly has several Hosted Trips available, plus you can book your own week. I am hosting October 4-10, 2009 which is THE week for big casts, big flies and big fish. Current packages include 6 nights / 5 days of guided fishing, lodging and meals.

Contact us for more information and to reserve your spot today.
Phone: 530-913-8312
Email: rhmiller@gmail.com

Slabs of the week

Lower Sac: October 16 and 17

2008-10-17T20:10:00.000-07:00

The Lower Sacramento is in FULL swing, the egg bite is on and fish are keyed in to the program. On the 16th I floated Anderson to Barge and felt that the upper river was a little slow. We hooked a few fish here and there, but it wasn’t quite red-hot. There were several spots where the fish were stacked up and we had a good time picking them off one by one. Once we headed over the white water below Ball's it was on, we hooked 12 or more right away. We continued to hook sweet 'bows for the rest of the float; almost every spot we fished gave us a fish to fight. Once we got into the Barge area we were able to sneak in behind the other drift/jet boats and stick a nice steelhead (pictures to come) out of the "hole". Overall the day was good, the afternoon sealed the deal. Great weather (for sun tanning), great clients and crazy tout...

Today, the 17th, I floated Ball's to Jelly's and was pleased with the fishing. I had a cool father and son team that tackled the big waters of the Sac for the first time. The dad, Kenny, was fairly new to fly casting... especially the Krusteez, 2-3 flies and 2 spit shot and I must say that he did a great job. After figuring out the fly cast we quickly got into fish. His son, Justin was rifling off casts in the back of the boat and nailing aggressive slabs. All in all we landed enough fish to loose count and hooked enough to last a year. Justin and Kenny were a dynamic team that fished hard all day and were handsomely rewarded.
Thanks to all for two awesome days on the Sac.

Tomorrow, I will be on the Sac again, then on to the Feather. Stay tuned!

Yuba: October 13, 2008

2008-10-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

She gave us glimpse of glory! Overall fishing was slow, however, we did managed to hook some fat 'bows and LDR'd a few more. There were still very few eaters over the course of the river. One of the last runs of the day really produced. We landed 4 or 5 and hooked 6 or 7 out of one run. It sure is nice to have a few crazy moments in the day like that.

Flies that worked: Eggs, poxyback stones, pt's...

The Yuba is improving. Flows appear to be dropping a little.

Yuba: October 12, 2008

2008-10-15T11:59:00.000-07:00

The Yuba showed her temperamental self to us. She threw us for a major curve ball not yielding very many hungry fish. As you may have read the fishing was great over the last few weeks, and then things came to a screeching halt. I guided Rob Elam as we pounded the water with indicators and spey rods. We worked every nook and cranny and threw the kitchen sink at them, with limited results. We managed to hook a few on egg patterns, but not much else. I will say that we did not mind the slow fishing, we had a blast working different spey rods with different lines, playing with flies and generally working hard to crack the code. We were accompanied by other boat who also drew up a blank... crazy river. The salmon continue to stack up and cut more redds, it is only a matter of time before fishing is back on!

Flies that worked: Kitchen Sink, color: stainless, tied by Moen

Gotta love the Yuba-

Putah Creek: Ocotber 11

2008-10-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

Adrian Psuty and myself lead a group of 4 anglers through the trails of Putah creek in search for resident and migratory trout. We did a half-day and were able to stick several dozen resident rainbows. Many of them came on larger mayfly and caddis patterns. We fished many smaller insects with little success. The flows were great (280cfs) and fishing pressure was low for a weekend. Fishing this creek can be fun if you get water to fish.

October 8, Guide Day Off-

2008-10-14T12:46:00.000-07:00

A much needed thing in the world of guiding. Spent time at Costco, cleaned the boat, stocked up on terminal supplies at Kiene's and then did what any normal guide would do... fish. I hit a local piece of water with a 2 weight and hammered some awesome wild rainbows!

Lower Sac: October 7th

2008-10-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

Floated Anderson to Barge and found good numbers of fat trout eating with authority. Right off the bat we hooked several smaller fish on tiny mayflies. From there I was able to maneuver the boat into a tight run and hammer on a few monster slabs. It is fun when we find fish balled up looking to chow. We has a blast as we whacked fish throughout the river. We did not get a clear shot at the barge run so we spent time in the "hole" and was not able to prick any chromers. Maybe next time!

Pictures to follow soon.

Flies: Usual Suspects!

Gotta love that river!

Lower Sac: October 6th

2008-10-14T12:18:00.000-07:00

Our day on the Lower Sac was great, we had very clear, warm conditions that kicked off a few hatching caddis and several active fish. We floated Bonnyview to Anderson and found fish scattered throughout the whole float. I would say that fishing was not red-hot, we went through several nice runs with no grabs; however, there were plenty of spots where the fish were schooled up and anxious to eat. I was a little disappointed in the number of spawning salmon in that section, with a little time we should see full redds. My clients Barry and Linda Allen were a pleasure to guide, we spent plenty of time taking in the rays and solving the world's problems. All is all another great day on the Sac.

Flies: Amber wing prince, fox’s poopah, eggs, micro mays, gidget and PT’s

Chillin'
you get the idea

2008-10-10T22:53:00.000-07:00

This is by far one of the best video clips I'v seen. This says it all... why we fly fish, why we endure the elements and what keeps us sane. I am anxious for the release!

Hustle and Fish "Fishporn Teaser" from dave wilson on Vimeo.

One Hour From Sactown

2008-10-10T22:20:00.000-07:00

An hour outside the hustle and bustle of the city lay one incredible tailout... the Yuba. Fishing continues to stay strong while more salmon have moved in and posted on redds. The egg bite was still on, however, I noticed they changed what colors they ate. Make sure to play with color and size. With nearly 20 fish in the boat, not one came on a bug. This may change so stay on it. Here a few picts form the day.

Yuba... The other day

2008-10-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

I wanted to follow up on a previous post from the other day...
I had a great time with a few friends on the water. We fished hard all day and found several fish to keep us occupied. Overall, the conditions were great, the flows are still holding and the fish are cooperating nicely. Again, I am pleased to see the number of salmon in the river. Many of them are not yet staged, this will change soon. If you are thinking about heading out, cover water and if you are not finding fish try changing flies or technique.

Flies: Egg patterns, micro mays, small caddis
Techniques: Indicator fishing with Krusteez

Thanks to Adrian and Teresa for a great day.

It is always hard to tell steelhead from trout on the Yuba, I am going with steelhead on this brute.
Nice fish Teresa!
Guide Day off...

Yuba...

2008-10-05T22:06:00.000-07:00

Today the Yuba fished very well, however, the river was very busy with anglers.

Posivitves... they were endless.
Highlights: we did a good deal of swinging today and hooked a few nice fish-bonus!

Why Not?

For the next few days I will be on the Lower Sac

Feather River Chrome

2008-10-04T08:07:00.000-07:00

For the first week of October, I was very happy with how the Feather fished. There were decent numbers of salmon cutting redds in the low flow. There were quite a few people out as well making for a tougher time getting water to fish. We did find some nice fish posted up behind kings. One of our fist casts found a supercharged, white steelhead that ripped 20 yards of backing in seconds. Lots of cartwheels, lots of chaos... We had the fish inches from the boat when 2x gave way, she was 26+ inches and flawless. We found a several half-pounders and missed a few fierce grabs. The weather was spectacular, it was overcast in the AM then rained all afternoon.

Finally, some decent fishing weather

I expect fishing to really kick off after these rains. I have a few dates that recently became available. October 8, 12, 28 and 31. These are all prime dates to fish the Yuba, Feather and Lower Sac. Contact me for more information.

Tomorrow, Yuba

Yuba, Game on!

2008-10-02T19:26:00.000-07:00

The Yuba showed us her good side today. Out of the gates and on our first cast we hooked a screamer on an egg pattern. From there it was like we could do no wrong. We hooked several fish over 18 inches, one powerful 23" hatchery steelhead and several dinks. I was very pleased with the overall size and quantity today yielded. One of the "sweeteest" things about today the the sound of a Hardy Perfect ringing the dinner bell. The fish we hooked today make that reel sing so that people in other counties could hear it.

Flies: egg patterns, bird's nest, FBPT
Style: split shot and nymphs under a Krusteez Indicator

Nothing like a bent rod in the morning
Yuba fish are fat

We saw good numbers of salmon in the upper river, many of them have staged and are cutting redds. We spotted a fair number hanging out in deep pools as well, this could be a good year for spawners on the Y.

rocket-pack anyone?
Nice spots
mean fighter
all of 19
fin clipped, check out that fat tail
Life is good!

Well, today was today, tomorrow is the Feather, I have a good feeling about it!

Putah Creek

2008-10-01T22:09:00.000-07:00

Putah was tough for us today. My clients fished hard, covering some of the best water on the creek. We managed a few dinks and had a few solid takes, but not exactly red hot. Crowds were decent in the morning with plenty of bait dunkers drowning pink power paint. The crawlers hawlers did a number on the fish today, should have brought the Zebco. I am anxious for the bigger fish to migrate! Flows are good, 300 or so, the water looks good. No pictures from today yet, clients Gordon and Sarah may send me some later. Here is something to look at in the mean time. I am on the Yuba tomorrow.

Steelhead are on the way

The Fall Craze...

2008-09-30T21:59:00.000-07:00

It was dark at 7 pm, the evening air was colder, a few leaves have fallen... this could only mean one thing... BANNER fishing is around the corner! My fall guiding season kicks off tomorrow with a day on Putah Creek. Flows are in good shape and the last time I fished it, I roped some fatties. From there I will be on the Feather ,Lower Sac and Yuba. I am guiding almost every day October 1 through December. Check for current reports...

There is only way to describe the fishing in the fall in Northern California... ON FIRE!

Lower Sac McFatty

Backing Up... The Trip From the Beginning

2008-09-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Mexico to fish for Largemouth Bass at Lake Mateos and Lake El Salsto. For me it was one of those experiences I will not soon forget and strive to have again. In summary, BASS are RAD! Additionally, I was in the presence of some top-notch fly fisherman that shared their decades of knowledge with me. Thanks to all for a great week with some fly fishing studs... the bass that is.

Bill Carnazzo, Ken Hanley, Kevin Doran, Ryan Miller and Keith Kaneko (taking the picture)

Fishing is hard work, sometimes you just need to relax.

Mexican bass are supercharged, make sure you are ready

Keith Kaneko with a stout 6 pounder!

There are so many great things about bass fishing. I would call it hunting and fishing in the same bag. As casters, we constantly look for tight spots to toss bugs into. We constantly push the limits of the rods, lines and "weedless" bugs to get the "OH DAMN, NICE SHOT" from you buddy, and then "WAAAHOOOO, DID YOU SEE THAT EAT?" Not to mention the sets are about as far from a trout set as possible, there are not too many things better than wrenching on a bucketmouth!

I lose track of everything while casting to razor-backs...

Give me a dime-sized target and I will be occupied for hours...

Git-R-Done
8 pounds of glory

More to come, BASS ARE RAD...

Lake El Salto - Final Day

2008-09-29T22:05:00.000-07:00

5 AM wakeup calls are usually unwelcome and dreaded,…unless you are heading out to offer trophy fish your twisted creations! By the time breakfast was over everyone was fired up and ready to hit the water. The weather we perfect, dead calm, quiet and bassy. As the truck-drawn carrier takes us to our boats (50 yards from the lodge) it is clear that we all have a green glimmer in our eyes. The glimmer of hope that a green, razor-back bucketmouth, aka the “big girl,” will be fooled for one second. One second is all we need to get the BLOW-UP evoked from a puppeteered popper…

Top water BLOW-UP

The last day of fishing could not have been better. The lake was glassed over, sky’s scattered with clouds and huge bass busting tilapia EVERYWHERE. One of the most exciting features of fishing this lake is the abundance of baitfish (shad and tilapia) that are under constant harassment by bass. There were times when I could see a 100 yards of bass blowing up bait, it looked like small landmines detonating. Fishing was good for everyone that day, Ken and Keith encouraged kamikaze bass to blow-up on poppers. Ken and Bill were the stars of the show, hooking more than 50 bass and landing 35 hogs! The afternoon session treated me well with a beautiful 8 pounder.

Five anglers, five days, camaraderie and countless supercharged Mexican Bass makes for a memorable trip. Personally, I was captivated by this place and know I will be back soon. Anglers Inn at Lake Mateos and El Salto is a spectacular place to leave reality and enter bass insanity.

Let it out Ken...

Seriously, I will fish for coy in my neighbor's pond... all fish are great but BASS ARE RAD!

Thank you for reading and stay tuned...

Mexican Bass: Part 2... El Salto

2008-09-25T20:59:00.000-07:00

Lake El Salto in Mexico is one of the best places to fish to largemouth in the world. Currently the lake record is 18.8 pounds... that is ridiculous! We were only able to fish for a few hours today, but they were productive, all of us combined landed dozens of hogs. Our day was cut short by an awesome display of lighting, wind, rain and thunder. Most of us were ok with not fishing; it was nice to be in a storm like that. I am not sure what it is, but I always feel invigorated after being in a massive storm. All in all it lasted an hour and took us into dinner.

I do not have a ton of fish pictures for you... bass fishing for me is fast paced, after I hook one and land it I want another one, unfortunately, this leaves no time for pictures.

Here are a few photos to keep you going... way more to come soon.

The infamous Gummy Minnow, hated by some anglers, loved by fish everywhere

Tropical storms are awesome!

Here is a my first attempt at video editing...

Although I will not win any awards with this clip it was fun working on it. The shots were filmed by Kevin Doran and are of Keith "casting on water..." sometime fishing is fun :) The other shot is of Keith coming out of the downpour. That area of Mexico is just coming out of its rainy season, by primetime the weather is perfect!

More Bass on the way, stay tuned...