This will be the 12th time I have written a passage about the upcoming spring. The start of another season. A season that I want to start more than ever. The winter was weathered with very little headache. Having a good partner to winter with helps. Kristen and I worked through the winter, and even though steelheading has been light we have spent lots of time on Puget Sound. We have also been relatively warm and had zero snow to deal with this winter being in Gig Harbor which I am very happy about.

The Spring has become my favorite time to guide and fish. Everything is fresh coming out of the winter. There is less traffic on the water. There are trophies to be chased in the spring and they are more eager. It rewards skilled anglers and new anglers get to experience things that will hook them for life. I love the spring. It is filled with crazy encounters with trout. The attitude of trout in the spring is the best in my opinion. Hungry, fresh, angry, with a touch of the spawn hysteria in them. Ya, makes for good eats and big fights.

Trout are also just their absolute selves in the spring. The water is cold and moving they way trout like, there is plentiful food, and more consistent weather and river conditions that bring comfort to a wild trout. Stability, for the spring has a lot of fluctuation and that is why I love the spring. It has a great base line for trout fishing with variables each day that keep anglers an guides on their toes while still being rewarding. The problem solving days become the really fun ones. Getting to work changing variables in real time and have fish responding to you. Its by far the most fun I have guiding as I get older.

This spring I am really looking forward to getting back to work. Last year was weird, 2026 is already starting off weirder and less normal. The off river world is a real shit show. I for one want the unplug of the river. I think we all do. The constantly being on edge and our eyes and ears constantly twitching as to what might happen next. The consistency of trout fishing is a welcome comfort that I am patiently waiting for. Even tried to get a dose of it last week on a whim but the river blew out the day we set out to fish. Ugh. Tis life. But it will start here eventually. It is coming and I am so ready. No matter how busy the season is, or how shitty things get off river…I will be fishing more this season. Whether it is guiding or on my own, days will be spent on water and not online, not worrying, not scrolling through the despair. No I will fish instead. Check out an fish. At the end of the day, if its all gonna come apart, I would rather spend it riverside.

The spring can not get here soon enough. Less than 40 days until it officially starts. The itch gets scratched by sea run chasing on the Puget Sound and swinging for steel when conditions and our schedule lines up. Always tricky the logistics of things, even when it is all you do. The comfort of the Yakima and being able to just drop in literally every day right there is another part of the river I miss over here on the West Side. When its right there next to me less than 10 minutes and all I have to do is roll out of bed slap the drift boat on the rig and go dump it in…I am more inclined to do it every day. Sea Runs and Steelhead require a bit more prep work. I want that trout river life schedule and grind again. It is time. The world being what it is makes it that much more important.

I will 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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