Only a few days riverside and already my mind and body crave it more. This pandemic has left drive and ambition lacking. Its like I had silenced the call, the pull of the river. Closed off to it.

Fishing solo just isn’t enough. I want more. But the world we live in now makes me cautious. Therea still so much that is up in the air the stress of it all seems to come on waves every few days. When you’re reminded you still haven’t worked in 8 weeks, bills aren’t able to get paid, truck needs work, gear needs replaced, repaired, restocked, funds are low, and yes there are trips coming…but will we get do run them and will they be enough are the questions that linger in the back eddy.

I have dealt with a lot of stress, and a lot of crap the last 18 months. So this challenge that has presented itself has been one that has been different to meet head on or even try to think out more than a week at a time. Just too much out of my control and a lot of nonsense that has come up that I can’t make sense of. Having the river back within my reach helps but only puts a band aid on the issues on mind.

My my mind seems to jump between the need to chase fish and slowly trying to keep the off river stuff from completley unraveling. Its a funky dance, a weird line to be riding. It sucks to be honest and is really uncomfortable. Navigating some heavy gnarly class Vs anglers. Shit better be worth the craptastic ride on the other side.

The river is speaking to me again. And that helps. It at least gives me a hint of purpose during all this. It keeps some of the positive vibes up near the top. Like everyone else I am feeling the lack of social interaction and connection. Anxious. Trying to stay cautiously optimistic about it all. River doesn’t know or care whats going on. Its just running doing river stuff. And that still gives me something to root myself in.

Stay safe out there. Chase fish if you can, wash your hands, wear your mask. See ya riverside.

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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