I’m back on the homewater. It feels like we’ve only seen each other in passing lately. My heart fluttered a little when I saw Castle Rock on the Bristol to Greenbridge Section. The Yakima will always be my favorite river. From the challenges it faces, the trout it holds, and the community it supports, the Yakima will always be my one true river so to speak.

I’ve spent thousands of hours over the last decade on the Yakima. I’ve been tested, beaten, and amazingly successful tricking the wild trout that lie within. Thousands of fish I’ve met, generations I’ve seen, I’ve even saved a few, lost a few, and spent many minutes in the embrace of truly wild and beautiful creatures. I care about them. It sounds weird but after all this time and with what I was taught about being a guide, I have this feeling of responsibility to the Yakima. I owe her that. A river steward. I know I’m not the only one. From guides, to anglers, to rafting guides, tubers, homeowners, landowners, farmers, busiessowners and every member of the community and the angling community are connected to this river in some way. It behooves a select few of us to take on some of those responsibilities. When I come back to the Yak, I’m reminded of that as I drive from one end to the other and see what life this river brings and what more we can to do keep her healthy. We’ve messed up this planet a lot, it’s time to start coming together and recognizing that these places need us and we are responsible for their well being. Taking care of them is taking care of us.

Keep that in mind when you’re riverside. Have an open mind about the world, listen, critically think, and remember these places are for everyone to enjoy and all deserve respect and courtesy when enjoying the rivers and public lands we hold so dear.

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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