The winter has been mild, but I’ve still been more bored than I ever have in an offseason. It’s hasn’t been particularly cold, and we don’t have feet of snow on the ground like last year at this time…but then again it’s not even February yet.

This offseason has been me mostly at home…being a dad, tying flies, and playing a ridiculous amount of hours of video games and Netflix binge sessions. I’m bored, I need Trout in my everyday, and I’m done waiting. Now of course it’s freakin snowing but it’s almost February and no matter what, February is the month that starts it all off.

I’ve got no hurry to get to guiding this season, I was busy last year, my lady has a full time gig, so there’s no immediate rush to get to guiding. So I can enjoy the transition from hibernation and boredom…to life dictated by River and Trout. I get to spend the month getting back into shape for the season, getting in touch with the river, turning up my own fishing and rowing skills in preparation, and spend every hour off river at the vise in the last mad dash to tie enough flies to offset the cost of the guide season! It’s here!

The desire to chase fish grows every day. I stare longingly at my boat anxious to get her all primed for the season. Rods get restrung with fresh fly lines, double tapers get turned around, New fly box foam, patch the waders, dust off the net, grab the satchel, get the oars out of the bedroom and back in the boat. It’s that frantic list of things to get done while also trying to spend every minute fishing. I had to cool my jets this week with the snowstorm and Mother Nature reminding me who’s in control here. The added snow to the mountains will only improve conditions for my beloved Trout as the season moves through the summer.

Add on top of everything else, and the dad stuff, and the conservation side of things is also picking up. Between emails, meetings, phone calls, and get togethers, some serious work to benefit the headwaters and our native Trout is coming to fruition again this season. On the backs and by the hands of the dedicated few I might add. The winter slowness is waning and the spring slowly creeps in.

It’s that time of the year where we wait, and the blogs start pouring out to make the necessary and inevitable patience that I must endure tolerable. So here we go anglers…every day we inch closer to Trout season!

Tamarack

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Published by tamaracksguideservice

I have been fishing the Yakima River and its surrounding tributaries, creeks, and lakes for 10 years. I have been tying flies specific to this river for 10 years as well. I have guided not only the river but also many of the hiking and mountaineering trails in the area and fished some of the more remote lakes and streams. I love to fish the Yakima River and have been running my driftboat here for 5 years. I guide a little differently than the other services here and have a slightly different philosophy on guided fishing trips. Its all about the experience, and while I can't promise there will always be cooperative trout, there will always be good times. I learned from some of the greatest anglers the Yakima has both on the water and at the vise and I guide to share and pass on that knowledge and expertise so others can enjoy this river as much as I do. I love to teach people to fish, I love to teach people how to read the river, and I love showing people the beauty and art of fly fishing. My service is a bit cheaper but that is because I have no shop taking a percentage. I use a lot of my own fly designs and patterns that no other guide has and have spent the past 10 years fine tuning my tying and patterns specific to this river. I have flies, leaders, tippets, and fly rods and reels, and always welcome anglers to bring their own gear. If you need waders and boots I can arrange for a rental. I support my local fly shop for my trips as well as it is important to me that our local shops stay open. When you take a trip with me it all about fishing and the experiences that happen along the river. I love getting my clients to have great moments with our trout here. Ask me all the questions you can, I want to teach as much as you want to learn. Whether you are an experienced angler or brand new to the sport I love sharing this river with people. I guide the Yakima River and many other secret waters in the area. When you give me a call I will ask you lots of questions as I want to make sure you have the best experience possible while chasing the trout we have here. Whether its a guided river float or a hike and fish, or a walk and wade to the secret places, I can help make your fly fishing experience memorable and fun. Give me a call today and lets set up a time to go fishing.

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