Well anglers June is almost done. It’s the halfway point of trout season. When summer rolls in and we chase the sunshine until Autumn. It’s been a regular season so far.  Busy with 50 guide days or so. Which is about average for me. Another 100 to 125 days still to go. We’ve got some two a days, and a pretty much full July with September booking up quick.

I’ve got to see a lot of my regulars this front half of the year. We’ve had some average and below average days.  It’s been a weird one, with lower water, then hotter temps in May, finally flows coming up, fish being finicky…the same shit just a new year.

It’s the Yakima. It’s nothing new. But it’s still incredibly frustrating. It’s part of why I’m a little weird and cranky these days. It’s also why I am fishing other places a lot more this season.

The Yakima has been my water for almost 20 years and I’m finishing up guide year 9. It’s time for different. I’ll always find myself riverside on the Yakina for a chunk of trout season for the rest of my career. And my guide season takes care of itself these days. I worked really hard to get here and it’s nice to see the benefits of it all.

I’m taking this season a little slower. No 10 to 20-day runs of trips. 7, maybe 10 in a row. Then I rest, and I fish for myself. I spend a good chunk of my fishing with Kristen, but I have several days to myself this season, too. I guided hard last season amd lost a little bit of my love for it. So I’m making sure I don’t get burnt out this year.

I’m spending more time traveling this year. With trips to Idaho and Montana a few times already this year. I leave for Idaho either Kristen again tomorrow evening until after the 4th. Chasing cutties in the highlands of Idaho. In airplane mode, just me and my partner, no boat, just a river and some tandem and solo wade fishing. At our pace, no pressure from friends or clients. No performing with a boat. No Instagram, no trying to book trips. Just fishing and trout bumming.

Work hard to play hard. I fish when I’m not fishing. So does my partner. We chase fish.

I’ve had the pleasure of being a trout bum for a while. It’s been a direct and leading factor in my life for a while now. A lot has happened off river over the years, my constant, my solace, the place I go to be myself, find myself, enjoy time with others, make my living, is the river. The life lived by its side. Simple, a little rough and grimy at times. But you know what…I get to fish. And not just for the gram, or to push some pair of sunglasses, some truck, or even fly fishing gear…I just get to fish.

In my experience, I put more days on water than most. And that’s all I’ve ever wanted. Work as a guide. Get enough money to pay bills, eat, and get to and from fishing. Damn anything else, really. Fuck rent and a house, forgo a handful of the creature comforts and convenience of modern living, give me a boat, some flies, gas money, some herb, and let’s fish.

Work takes care of itself, and I finally get to expand. I’m at a point where money is saved. Left over. Debt gets chipped away, new things get saved for, and the trout bun life keeps on floating and being happy.

I’ll be out of contact until the 5th of July starting tomorrow. If you’d like to reserve a day, please be patient until after the holiday.

I’ll have more blogs and content while on the Joe. Taking some time up there to be creative and write some of the more meaningful experiences from the guide season so far.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July. I’ll be fishing on one of my favorite rivers with my favorite person.

See ya riverside anglers.

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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