tamaracksguideservice Fly Fishing

2 Months!

Oh anglers, the sweet sweet relief of the offseason coming to a close. Yes the spring is just 2 months away now. March and April are right around the corner. I for one, am very stoked. This winter has been a much smoother ride over here in Gig Harbor and the days are less cold and have zero snow for me to deal with.

Steelhead start for us this month. I go grab the raft tomorrow to lug it over the mountains so we can get over to Forks a little easier. I have select days open for it and I am watching the numbers, the flows, the weather, and the regs just in case we have anything funky. I am anxious for Steel Trips, its been a while, and I am looking forward to it.

The sound has been really fun. Gorgeous, the sunset the other night before the fog socked us in was quite spectacular from the Skiff as we came into Manchester. Seattle City Scape, Mt. Rainer, the Cascades and Olympics in full snowy view. The Ferry going by, a Tug pulling sailboat, and a few other anglers and boaters out to watch the sunset on the sound. This place is pretty neat when you look past the buildings, the cars, and all the concrete. The Seattle Metropolitan area is quite amazing when viewed from the Sound. Slowly I have fallen in love with it. Its a big old body of water and can be intimidating. But with every new hour logged on the water the more comfortable I get. I am looking forward to showing the Sound off from the boat in 2026 as a guide.

Puget Sound is the saltwater I have been looking for. It is quiet, easy to navigate, there isn’t a ton of boat traffic compared to places like Florida and Michigan. Not even close. I haven’t seen it in the summer but I was in Florida during busy time and Michigan in the summer. We shall see but I doubt the traffic in terms of boats will be anywhere close. There just ain’t as many boats in harbors and marinas as those places. The fishing is very similar to small mouth bass fishing just on a really big lake. Much like the big lakes in Michigan. The sound moves pretty crazy though. The tides make for some of most dynamic water I have been in, its not like class rapids or anything but it has its nuances and intricacies that need to be learned in order to successfully move about for fishing Sea Runs. The water near the edges that is less than 15 feet has some of the most stuff and things happening to it at any given moment of the day. There is never not something going on under water. And the fish…they are everywhere. Some days are slow, but fish are always found. The boat makes things easier for sure. Being able to get in close to fish and fish them from different and better angles than shore is a major advantage.

Sea runs remind me of Speckled Trout down south. In tight, aggressive, move fast, hit hard for their size, and they are plentiful. Sea runs are similar, and add a dash of Smallmouth attitude and you’ve got a Sea Run Cutthroat Trout. They ain’t big, but they hit big, and they get wicked cranky and fight like smallmouth, some get air, but most dive and zig zag and pull like a small mouth and steroids. Its a good time. Exploring the sound is a hoot with lots of nooks and crannies to tuck into, even some places where polling might end up working. Mud flats and areas where the tide makes things real skinny, my skiff was made for stuff like that. More and more we explore the cooler the things we find. Its been a somewhat busy winter with many days on the boat and even more building up the business for this season.

Its is shaping up to be a busy one with new waters, new offerings, a easier way to book trips online. The spring is only 2 months away! Time to start making those plans and chasing some trout in 2026 anglers!

Tamarack

tamaracksguideservice Fly Fishing

The Midway Point

Man its wet outside. I hope everyone is safe while the rivers crest and things simmer down after this crazy atmospheric river we have had. Here in Gig Harbor it has been very wet but otherwise fine. We hunkered down during it. The Yakima and the tribs got pretty angry topping out around 18 grand in cfs. Which is crazy big!

The winter offseason has been anything but. As always I am honest and up front in these bloggings on the webasphere. The stress of the current state of stuff is just kicking the shit out of small business right now. Across the board it has just kicked the shit out of us. Combined Kristen and I lost roughly $45,000 due to the state of the things. Its not just one thing to point to either. We also had a drought this year that sucked. I work in the outdoor travel industry, tourism, and its just been hit hard. Losing money sucks, and costs of things have only gone up on the day to day, so the last season was rough as we get to the midpoint of the offseason.

That being said, and all the doom and gloom aside. And let’s just not talk about the water levels last season; except I will say this…it was very dry last year, and nature swings really hard now. This is what that looks like. Moving on.

This offseason has opened up the opportunity to put some serious work into Searun Cutthroat Trout and Puget Sound, along with working towards the captains license. It’s a slow process for me. I have a healthy fear of large bodies of water and small fortunes wrapped into tiny boats. I am also overly cautious these days, I’ve had plenty of adrenaline thank you, I am here to make money and keep everything and everyone safe. Motor boats are just a whole different thing that I had zero experience with prior to this boat I have now. So this winter and my partner have helped push and drive the fishing and learning this winter.

The sound is amazing. After seeing the salt in Florida and never really enjoying it. Puget Sound is very different and much more my speed. Its slower on the sound, and quiet. I do not care for the city…like at all. Seattle is also loud. All cities are loud, but the west side metropolis area is condensed and loud. It is gorgeous though. I have seen a fare number of the large cities in the country and the West Side is very pretty. Organized a bit like Orlando Florida, but…still pretty skyline, Rainer makes a huge impact, the jagged edges of the sound dotted with houses up the ridiculous hillsides. It is a very unique and chill place. The waterways of the sound are less intimidating than Florida or even Michigan but they still are very foreign and unfamiliar to me.

As we get closer to Christmas I am switching gears to Steelhead. I haven’t guided them in a while but chasing them the past two years has slightly…I say slightly reignited that want to chase them. Clients have been asking for a while so we will see if it works out to be a regular thing. Living over on this side made it much easier to say yet to throwing some dates up for guide trips in the late winter before the spring season starts on the Yakima. I am already getting bored this winter and am ready for the season to start. Steelhead gets things rolling a bit earlier for me and alleviates some of the stress of 2025.

I do love the Olympic Peninsula, yes its wet, but damnit it quiet….no one is over there! Except for fishing. The epitome of out of the way is the real appeal of Forks and the OP in general. To be able to share that space with clients is something I have held off long enough. To be able to learn and cast; while maybe getting a grab in one of the most amazing spaces to swing a steelhead is something every angler should give a try. And to experience the OP in all its wet misty soft quiet awesomeness.

I have had the pleasure of interacting with OP steelhead on several occasions in my younger days. I am looking forward to being there with clients and helping hopefully facilitate that interaction with them. Steelheading, in my opinion is best experienced in a small group. It is better as a team sport, each encounter celebrated, each run equally distributed, flies, heads, tactics are discussed in between sets. Its a lot better than standing in the run in the suck by your lonesome freezing your tootsies off while it rains sideways or up.

The OP is a good time and a welcome respite from the dreary slow offseason. It scratches that fishing itch before the trout season comes along in mid to late March.

The move over here has been a nice change of pace. I am a bit of a homebody and hibernater in the winter months. The soggy windy days spent in the camper are broken up by days on the sound that open up a world of fishing that not many seem to be partaking in. The solitude of the sound has been surprising and very appreciated. The occasional ferry wake or fancier Yacht, maybe a fishing boat motors by, crabbers on the weekends, a sailboat or two, kayaker in the bay, its enjoyable and feels like the place is all mine.

Dates are up on on the website, Steelhead and Spring Trout. It is getting full already with no weekend left open except the first one in March. The water is crazy right now but that is good news for the spring with lots of new spaces for trout and new lines to find fish in. Hope everyone is safe during these high water events. Hope to see you riverside this season as things settle down.

Tamarack

tamaracksguideservice Fly Fishing

Gift Certificate 2026

HOLIDAY SPECIAL!!!

Purchase a $100 or $200 Gift Certficate by Dec. 20th and I will add $50 to it for Free!

Certificates can be used for lessons, flies, or any guide trip offering!

Celebrate the Holidays with the gift of fish!

#flyfishing #blackfriday #yakimariver #yakimarivercanyon #seattleflyfishing #suncadia #cleelum #guidelife #trout #christmas #pnw #hogislandboatworks #washingtonflyfishing #flyanglerlife

tamaracksguideservice Fly Fishing

Spring 2026

Anglers, I am tucked in and settled in Gig Harbor for the winter.  Its nice, way warmer, and gives plenty of fishing opportunities for sea run and steelhead being on the west side for the winter.

The work never stops and Kristen and I are in the processes of getting our captions licenses, learning the Puget Sound with a boat, and bringing the businesses together slowly. 

We have a lot happening next year, but as always I will be chasing trout on the Yak this spring. It has turned into my favorite time to fish and guide over the last few seasons.

Its still a ways off but the dates are already getting slurped up by anglers who know what the spring can be like and want first dibs on big dry fly eats from hungry post winter, pre spawn wild trout.

I am stoked.  Below are the dates left open for anglers in March and the rest of the spring. Grab em while you can. Plenty of dates open but weekends are tight and I highly recommend weekedays if you can swing them.

MARCH:

4th thru 8th

16th thru 19th

23rd, 24th, 30th, 31st.

APRIL:

1st thru 3rd, 6th thru 10th,

13th thru 17th, 19th thru 24th, 29th-30th.

MAY:

4th, 10th thru 13th, 15th thru 31st.

See ya riverside anglers.

Tamarack

tamaracksguideservice Fly Fishing

Fall is almost here!


The Fall fast approached anglers!  Its fine by fast this season. I only have a dozen or so days left open for booking for the last 70 days of the season.  We’ve got cooler temps amd rain headed our way.  Water is low but as it cools back off anglers with patience and good skills will have a fun fall.

Headhunting, streamers, getting out of the boat a lot this fall, I’m excited.
Sept. 10th thru 18th is prime for craneflies.
All of October for Caddis and BWO and streamers

September Dates Left:
4th, 7th thru 10th
15th, 17th-18th, 30th

October Dates Left:
3rd, 13th, 17th,
21st thru 23rd,
25th. 

Get after it anglers. Before it’s over!

Tamarack

tamaracksguideservice Fly Fishing

Ooof

Well…the slowdown finally hit us. The summer has been a bit of a bust which isn’t anything new. With odd water levels, inconsistent conditions, hot weather hitting early, a lot more wind than normal the summer has been funky to say the least.

August is now here. The reservoirs are almost empty, we have the whole month of August still to get through, and the 85 plus degree days are going to hit us soon. Hoot owl is recommended but not required….yet. The water levels are dropping every day, and I expect the river to get smaller, hotter, and more busy with non fishing recreators as the heat comes in more.

Now its not all doom and gloom anglers. This isn’t the first drought this river has had to get through. I do have concerns for late August and September with the hot weather and low water levels coming But again, not the first time. That is why I give the river a break in the summer. I switch over to Bass and Carp and let the river be. I want it to be good for September and October. The early am grind for beating the heat, pressured and hot and tired fish that just want a break, and a river that just isn’t having it this summer in a lot of ways. It happens, rivers are finicky that way, and across the west the summer heat, low water, drought conditions, hoot owl restrictions are all over. It is now our turn.

The bass and carp fishing is a nice change of pace. Its a little bit more of a drive but makes up for it with the change in scenery, different kind of fishing, and a new experience.

But I also know things are tight right now. They are tight for us too. Everyone I talk to says similar things. I hold my breath as we come into August because the fear of cancellations on top of light bookings is there. I am always honest and up front anglers. Shit gets tough. This isn’t my first rodeo with turmoil, upheaval, and unprecedented shit. It’s been an uphill battle since covid. I have been at this long enough to see the trends, how people spend money, how things affect their want or ability to spend money. I work with people that are way smarter than me and work in a plethora of fields from construction, finance, tech, real estate, aerospace, agriculture, mechanics, education, healthcare, and so man others. All sorts, all income levels, all walks of life. The people that fish are just regular people that share this silly thing we enjoy with fish. I get to hear from these people, river time is therapy time for most people and they let me know. The boat is and always will be a safe space. The river takes what you give it and sends it down yonder. I just help get it out a lot of the time. Sometimes through fishing but most of the time, and when things are funky, scary, or uncomfortable, people just want to talk.

This job is still about people. Fishing is secondary. I find myself closing off, not going out, hunkering down. It puts you down, anytime there is downturn post covid it puts me in a depressive state. I have not doing anything. When it is mostly out of your control it is even harder to push through. I know others are doing that. I miss connecting with people. Its not the lack of fish…its the lack of people interactions this season. Some years its so busy and people heavy it burns you out. Other years its the opposite. With all the crazy in our world right now, the positive and shared connections with people seem to be the most important right now.

We need to be connecting and sharing experiences with each other during this time. We are all collectively…again…sharing the turmoil in our home right now. I’d rather share it riverside with anglers that need to feel that connection as well. To unplug from one world and connect to the real one. The world out here doing its thing without us. It feels like the summer of covid. Tight and uncomfortable, skating by with not quite enough. That’s just the truth. The work has only increased on the back end. Constantly brainstorming, trying pivoting. The same things that worked last year and the year before ain’t working this year. It has been hard to keep up for my trout bummy ass. That is why I have set changes in motion for next year to help and Kristen and I will be working together in a larger capacity. But that work is constant and always changing. Thankfully the guide work takes care of itself but at the end of the day its about butts in boat seats.

Being honest and open about things is the best approach for most situations in my opinion. I need butts in seats just like any other service or tourist industry that needs butts in seats. When people can’t afford it, don’t have time for it, are scared to jump into it, or any other reason that would make anyone think about recreating or doing leisure activities it trickles down. All in this together so to say. And its hard. That’s really all this post is about. Acknowledging that shit is a little out of whack right now and its stressful.

I am right there with ya. Doing my best to get through it and fish when I can.

See ya riverside anglers.

tamaracksguideservice Fly Fishing

August Bass Dates!

August Bass Dates are Open!

Come on out to the big Bass lake anglers. Potholes is a fun summer option as it gets a bit warm for trout fishing.

Aug: 8th, 14-15th, 22nd-24th, 31st.

That’s it for what’s open for Bass!

$475 for 2 anglers!

Bass and Carp on the fly.

#flyfishing
#guidelife
#pnw #Bass #bassonthefly #carp #hogislandboatworks #flyanglerlife

tamaracksguideservice Fly Fishing

A Fishing Trip

A fishing trip. A thing all anglers eventually go on. Whether it be a 5 day excursion to Montana, a week in Belize, a few days in Alaska, or just a quick trip down the creek in the back yard. We all go on fishing trips. Some guided, some self lead, others for discovery, some for healing, friendship, solo time, a way to cut loose, unplug, or plug in and check out. We go fishing for various reasons.

These days I fish for fun. It is rare I get to go fish for extended periods of time and what I define as fishing for me may look a lot like boat rowing with a few casts interspersed. I fish water I like, fish I see, drifts I want fish to eat from. I see areas and want to see if I can decipher the puzzle. Can I become a part of that bubble line for a split second? Will it be long enough to trick or entice the creatures lurking within? What answer will it yield? I look for things on water that make my mind think like that…then I want to fish it.

I think less on the fishing of the trip and more on the overarching vibe and feel of the trip. Fish are secondary these days. The windy backroads through the Mustard Grass as the sun sets. The smell of the trees as we venture further up into the mountains. The looks from my partner as we get closer to our destination. The familiar faces and sounds of the little riverside town that everyone remembers me in. The campfire scents, the waves from fellow anglers, the taste of a beer after a good fish is landed. The trip is more than just fish.

The fish from trips these days are of course awesome and amazing encounters. But a lot of them are kept to those that were there on trips these days. My work is fishing, rowing, content, reports, emails, photos, text messages, and the last thing I want to do is be on that kind of grind when I fish for myself. So less pictures these days, more time in the moment. Dissecting how that fish ate, why this fish didn’t get landed, can we make this happen in this kind of water? Fish on trips for me are more about what can we accomplish in the space and less about the fish getting landed. I like landing fish still, but sometimes you just want to see if you can delve into that river world in fun an interesting ways just to see what happens. This trip we had lots of those. Like the large trout I saw feed and then was able to recreate the drift 20 minutes later and trick it. Playing it on 5x to the boat at anchor wasn’t the goal, just to see if I could get that fish to do the same thing I saw him do naturally.

Or throwing a reversal with the boat in one of our favorite bends and my partner hucking steamers back upstream into heavy current gettting the same giant cutty to slam the thing twice. Didn’t land it, which would have been cool, but being able to get the biggest nastiest fish in there to hunt and kill a fly was the goal. Or when we forgot our rain gear, it decided to dump for an hour and half and we made a riverside fire under a big fir tree and waited it out while everyone else floated by in the suck. The vibes were immaculate, when the rain quit, we were dry, warm, and the river was ours. Big fish came out to play and we were the only ones around. Things like that are what I take from fishing trips these day. Not the fish landed.

Spending time with my partner as she explores, discovers and improves her angling skills. The two of us learning and teaching each other. The random people coming up to us in camp to talk trout, or old friends that swing by because they too are on a fishing trip. The total and complete lack of technology while fishing. No service, no notifications, no one to text or email. Just quiet simplicity. These days that the main goal of my fishing trips. Quiet simplicity on a trouty river, with my dog and partner, unplugged from the world, and in tune with reality.

See ya riverside anglers.

Enjoy the Fishing Trips.

Tamarack