Eat Lunch fast…fish be rising!

As I have said before.  The Yakima River is a caddis river.  As these little aquatic moths looking morsels start popping these fish get really fun.  Already I have gotten into pods of fish feeding on deep water pupa and the occasional dry.  But it is coming. Caddis Is Coming!

May is here and with it comes nice weather, consistent flows, and cooperative fish.  Water temps start rising, flows are up, fish need food and flies are nice substitute.  Fish get caddis…lots of it.  May also brings about the real meat of guide season starting.  From now until October, its time to chase trout.

Ride in this Boat

There are a lot of guides that work the Yakima River.  Some outfits charge a lot of money for a guided fly fishing trip.  I encourage anglers looking to book a guide this season to look away from the big business guys and take a look at the smaller independent guides.  We are cheaper, we typically have a more intimate relationship with the river, and we are small business owners that make their entire living off of taking people fishing…so we do a really good job.  I can speak very highly of all of the independent guides I know here in the area.  I would refer any of my clients to an independent before sending them to a shop.  Mostly because I know the experience the client will get.  That isn’t always the case with a larger outfit.

It’s gonna be fun!

I live and love to take people fishing.  It makes me want to get up in the morning.  I spend all my time during the guide season focused on making sure my clients have a wonderful and fun experience on the river.  A lot of prep goes into my trips, I don’t just show up and put my boat in and hope for the best.  I have been on river prior to the trip, I have fished it, found where the fish are, what the are eating and when.  I plan the day accordingly.  I also have a back up float just in case something happens like too many other boats in the same section.  So much for me goes into my trips that it would take it’s own blog.  But everything from when hatches come off down to the minute, to the flies I tied for the trip, to when lunch is, when we hit this specific run or section, and which bear stories I plan on sharing are planned out ahead of time.

One of the ways I enjoy fly fishing and one of the ways I challenge myself as an angler is through guiding.  For me there is nothing quite like two anglers and guide in rhythm fishing, the boat rolling down the river, oar strokes in tempo, fish rising, anglers casting, big laughs, fish causing chaos, net, release, handshake…do it again.  There is truly nothing quite like it.  And I have stood on stage in front of 35,000 people at a concert once.  With Shania Twain to boot!  Hooking into a trout…way better.  I can only compare fly fish guiding to being a drummer in a wicked awesome band.  The drummer is the backbone, the tempo, and the entertainer of the crowd usually…plus they are the drummer and being the drummer is f’ing rad.  Just vibing along jamming with the other anglers, in sync, in tempo, feeding off each other, then a fish hits, and things get crazy, like a guitar or drum solo break.  It’s damn near intoxicating for me.  It’s part of the reason I get so stoked when I am on the river.  I get into my fishing and guiding.  I have a lot of enthusiasm and excitement.  I mean…look what I do for a living.  Trust me…all that energy is real and organic…I literally can’t help myself.  I have had clients ask my why I get so into it…”How can I not?”

I invite you to come fish with me.  You’ll get to throw flies I tie that no other guide or shop has, you’ll get to learn from someone who fishes this river more than most and has spent the last decade honing skills not only to catch trout but also how to teach people to catch trout, and you’re gonna have a good time.  I can guarantee that, can’t make the fish eat, but I can make the day rewarding and fun one way or the other.  I have clients that have already come back multiple times this season.  Some to learn more about technical fishing and all the nerdy fun stuff about this sport, some just to hang out and fish with my weird ass.  I dig it…and I appreciate it.  I have lots of options for anglers including overnight trips, and the tributaries including the Teanaway open for fishing and guiding in a month.  Now is the time to set a date aside to come fish.  This year is going to be amazing for chasin’ trout and I am looking forward to being very busy this season.

Thank you to all the clients that have come out so far this early season.  A special thank you to those who have come back multiple times and those that have already booked dates later this season.  Cannot wait to fish with clients this season!  Hope to see you riverside…and remember to support your local trout guide.

Tamarack