Fly tying. It seems its all I am doing lately. A half dozen in the morning. Yoga. Shower, coffee, another half dozen. By lunch its a 2 dozen. By 4pm its 4-5 dozen.

I drink a lot of coffee. Days like today its probably a little much. It doesn’t help with the anxiousness of wanting to fish. But something about a good strong cup of coffee or 3 just seems to do it for me.

I am at the point where I have to make myself tie. After a few thousand flies this offseason I start to get sick of tying. I just want to fish. Which sounds like whining…because it is. But when you spend all that time on the river you miss it.

I miss a lot of things lately. Having the comfort of the river is something I crave. My mind has been all over the place and the river gives it direction and focus. Keeps the noise of everything else away. Tying flies leaves the mind open for contemplation. Most of the patterns are second nature and I find myself 3 or 4 flies into a set before realizing I have tied that many. Getting lost at the vise, but not in thoughts of troot.

I need the river to calm my brain. I have this constant, almost buzzing sensation throughout my head and body. Its maddening and a side effect of cabin fever. I have been sitting still for to long. I hate sitting still. Things move too fast or too slow. Everything.

I miss that river pace to the day. The rambling of the current as it pulls me down river. The feel of the river against my arms and back with each oar stroke. The sound of the water under the boat, feeling the boat and I move and glide over the current. It is where I feel at home. In my comfort zone, a place that seems foriegn as of late.

I am ready for the offseason to be over. Like really fucken ready. This offseason has been a lot of coffee and flies. A lot of new, weird, and uncomfortable situations. Met some new people, connected with some, severed connections with others. Did a lot of self reflection and exploration…but I am exhausted with it all.

I just want to get back on the river. I want to get lost in the water and trout. Trying to lose myself in other things, people, or places has not been what I expected or really wanted. A place holder it seems. While the winter ends and the spring ushers in a new season, I just keep drinking coffee and tying flies…waiting for the river to invite me back out.

See ya riverside anglers…eventually.

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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