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Offseason Ramblings Part 1

It’s been a while.  The guide season was busy, the end of it wasn’t that great, mostly due to the drought.  But that’s not what this blog is about.

The offseason is different for everyone.  Some guides hit up steelhead or salmon, some head south, others go and do something non fishing related, others just take the time off.

I took time off.  My wonderful lady is working to keep her sanity, being at home all guide season with three kids is a full time gig.  Now its my turn.  I didn’t get to see my kids as much as I would like this summer, I was busy doing the other Dad stuff…working.  But now I get to be home.  I plan to head down south for a month or two to guide and keep my sanity nest winter, so this offseason I get to be at home with the kids and do Dad Stuff.

I have an almost 2 year old that takes up most hours of most of my days.  A little minion of energy, she never shuts up when she’s awake, never sits still, and gets into everything.  The plus side is she sleeps hard and let dad stay up late and sleep in late.  This is my third toddler and turning 30 this February along with my more laid back attitude, has made me a wiser and more capable dad, ask my lady.  I spend most of the day picking up toys and socks, she likes socks.  Changing diapers and the dreaded potty training.  Lots of Sesame Street and Octonauts, kissing boos, and handing out milk and bananas.  Its Dad Stuff, and its awesome when all you do is spend time on the river away from it.  I only get glimpses of those moments when I’m focused on the river and trout.  My older kids are doing the school stuff, almost ready for holiday break.  Which will hopefully be spent skiing and snowshoeing in the mountains with them, playing video games, watching the new star wars after a marathon of the first 6, and just being a family during the winter.  Shut in, warm, enjoying the time on the couch and in the snow before the craziness of chasing trout, running shuttles, tying flies, and all that fun guide stuff.

The guide life envelops my entire family.  Many of my clients meet my lady and kids when they pick us up for shuttles.  This is our family business.  Some day one of my kids may have a driftboat of their own, running trips like dad.  They get to see me do what I love everyday.  They look forward to guide season as much as I do.  My lady is already looking forward to the guide season.  The money is better, and the drought made our winter surplus not as cushy.  Part of the reason I will be headed south next winter.  Plus, getting a job that pays decent in a little mountain town in this country is getting harder and harder.  The higher income level of a guide paired with the simple and small lifestyle my family and I adhere to makes living quite perfect for us.  We have the same humps to get over like every other family, but the lifestyle we live makes stress levels much lower.  Many know that my family and I have been through some heavy crap.  Life just knocks ya down some times.  River blows out.  We pulled ourselves back up and are getting back to our own normal lives one oar stoke at a time.  I get to spend all winter contemplating how far we have come, and how to prepare for next trout season.

Well, I will sometime in January, right now I am enjoying watching Netflix, playing with kids, and avoiding household chores like laundry and dishes.  I have a pretty sweet gig when it is guide season.  My life is filled with lots of energy.  Fly fishing is quite an experience.  But every day can become the same in the pursuit of trout.  Good guides know how to avoid burnout, I take time at home to remember that my toddler saying a new word every day is also quite an experience.  Its all about the moments.  The trick is to make sure that life is filled with more positive ones than negative.  Something my family and I have worked very hard at, through fly fishing and living a more trout bummy lifestyle.

 

We will get back to some actual fishing stuff here in the next week.  Streamer season is right around the corner.

 

Tamarack

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Back in February  

It’s the offseason!  I’ll be back for guiding come Febraury for late winter and early spring trout chasing with spring specials, new waters to fish, and good times all around. 

Enjoy the winter season with your loved ones, play in the snow if you can, this trouty dude will be back in the rowers chair soon enough…ready to show clients a wicked awesome time riverside. 

Thanks and I’ll see everyone when the river thaws. 
Tamarack 

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Support Your Local Fly Tyer

It’s the offseason which means it’s tying season. I tie 80% of the flies I use for trips and I also sell select patterns every off season. Fill your box with flies you can’t get in a shop and that aren’t tied overseas by people who haven’t even fished for trout.

I will add more photos and prices of flies as they become available. 

Articulated Foxtail Sculpin Size 6

$6.50 per fly. (Plus tax)   

This articulated chunk of meat is a big streamer meant for big trout. The head is tied with Arctic Fox Tail hair hence the name. With 4 big saddle feathers and the articulated tail this fly has a lot of action with just the right amount of flash to entice big takes and chases. The fly is weighted but is most effective on a sink tip. Swing or strip, this fly is a big tasty piece of awesome for the larger trouts that like to eat food that swims. Get yours before early spring when streamer fishing can be at its best!

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Chasin’ Trout Short

 It’s the offseason. I’ll be tying, hanging out with my kids being a dad, and working on a new short film project titled “Craft”.  This is a little short I made dinking around today. Look for a full length episode as part of a 4 Part Feature on the “Craft” of fly fishing around Thanksgiving. 

The Short Film “Craft” will touch on the loss of art in fly fishing in today’s world, but focus on where art and craft are very much alive with a particular lonely, solitary angler and the people he meets and those that share in the craft of this fine angling method and sport. The first episode due to show up around Thanksgiving titled “Craft…A Fly”.   

This isn’t for money or anything like that. This is a project that has been eating at me artistically for years and I’ve finally got the drive and ability to start. The entire film will be shot with an IPhone 6S+ and GoPro and edited with mobile app video editing software. I’ll even have some behind the scene stuff on Facebook.  Hell you might even find yourself in the film!   

Once it’s completed sometime next Fall I hope to submit it to some film festivals and put it in the web for people to enjoy and learn more about fly fishing. There will be conservation undertones but this film is about the art that goes into so many facets of fly fishing and the pursuit of honing those skills.  A focus on the art form that is lost in mass produced flies, super fast rods, the ever so popular hero shot, and the general mass marketing, popular culture that is now engrained in the sport of fly fishing.  

Swing by the Facebook for more updates as we move through the offseason. 

 

Tamarack

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Fall Clinics

  

Hey everyone, I’ve got some fall clinics up on the calendar. You can RSVP to them via Facebook or sign up via an inquiry form here on the website. 

Fall Fly Tying Clinic:

September 12th 1pm-4pm

$45.00 one person 

Bring your own vise and tools

I’ll supply the materials. 

We will be tying fall specific patterns including. The cranefly, October Caddis, shortwing stone, and BWO. 

Autumn Walk and Wade Clinic:

October 18th 9am-1pm

$80.00 per person 

Bring your own waders and gear. I’ll have rods for use if needed. 

Learn to walk and wade during the fall in the upper Yakima river. We will learn access areas, flies, water reading, wading techniques, and all sorts of fun trouty stuff.

You can visit the event pages on Facebook here: 

September Tying Clinic
October Walk and Wade

You can also visit the Trip Inquiry page here on the site and book your spot via email. 6 people max per clinic. These are fall special prices so get in on some good times for a little cheaper. 
Tamarack

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Its Smokey, lets talk about the Autumn

Well, its smokey from the fires here in Cle Elum.  Its to a point where I have to be inside.  Not the place I like to be really.  I fished the river yesterday for the first time in several days.  The water temps have just been too high for me to feel comfortable stressing trout out anymore than they already are.  Fishing was slow.  Not horrible for the day, super windy, lower flows, no hatches as we are moving into fall.  The drought is causing a lot of problems but so far the trout have been holding out just fine.  Fish that have been caught are healthy, fat, and full of energy with an exception here and there.  The fish are eating nocturnally just as they did last September when the water temps hit 65 degrees.  It just came earlier and has been going on longer.  As the flip flop on the river approaches and the water levels drop as irrigation gets shut off, the river will need a close eye.  If the air temps continue their downward trend we should be just find.  If not then the warm temps could get worse.  Everything is pointing to a closer to normal fall with night time lows dropping next week.  Next year is another story and another blog post.  Let us focus on the positive for this season.

 

Misty Mornings

The Fall is my favorite time of year on the Yakima.  The colors change, the temps cool, the floaters go back to school, less anglers, less pressure, major hatches, and hangry trout.  This river is a tailwater, meaning it flows below dams and therefore its flow is controlled.  However, once the flows drop and we hit the fall, the Yakima shows her true colors.  Its as if there are no dams on the river during this time of year.  Flows are what they would natrually be or closer to it.  The river is a trout anglers paradise in Autumn.  The runs, and riffles, pockets, and seams all come out of hiding from the high flows of summer and the trout spread out and act like trout again.  No longer are they pushed up against the bank chowing down on terrestrials.  Fishing is easy in the summer in my opinion.  The trout and river do all the work for you.  

 

They like Crane Flies

The fall however… gives the trout the advantage.  The angler that has honed their technical casting, presentation skills, and water reading will be in nirvana.  I have spent more days on the river in the fall than any other season.  While many anglers are off prepping or chasing steel, I go out and have 30 and 60 fish days on the Yakima…typically with the river to myself.  Big number days are not always what I am after, in fact I am never after them anymore, but the trout are eager and I would be lying my ass off if I didn’t enjoy tricking trout after trout with elegant and technical casts, finding them in the trickiest currents and pockets.  Getting those hangry trout to come out of the quintessential trouty spots this river has to offer.  The fall time is the right time for the trout angler.  

My mind is filled with all the riffles, pockets, runs, and seams that await me as the fall colors appear, the Tamaracks change, the rains come to the mountians and the first signs of snow appear in late October.  I am hoping the snow appears that early this year.  There is nothing quite like waking up at 7:00 am instead of 4:00 am to go fishing, especially for an entire day and not 5 hours only.  The river here in the fall can produce all day long if you know your hatches and water.  The Hoot Owl will lift once the river sees 60-64 temps consistently across the entire watershed.  About 3 weeks it would seem.  

A brisk morning, mist clinging to the river.  Warm fleece under my waders, a heavy flannel to keep the chill away.  My beard reveling in the weather.  My blue coffee cup and hot tea waking me up with its bold scent and tinge of honey.   My boat sitting behind me in cold water, instead of fishing from it I am only using it to get to the best wading areas.  A blue wing olive flutters by.  A campfire riverside during lunch, fishing October Caddis into the evening.  Off river and at home in time for dinner.  It’s perfection for this angler. 
 

Slabs of Cutt
 
I have had my most memorable days with trout in the autumn.  The trout are most cooperative in my opinion.  They feel the winter approaching, and what every wild animal does in the fall is prep for it.  Trout are no different.  The long cold winter is coming and trout pack on fat and chow on protein to get through it.  That usually is in the form of several species of bugs and salmon eggs.  A typical fall trouting expedition involves switching from dry fly rigs and nymph sticks througout the day.  Certain pods of fish key in to crane flies dancing on the surface of the slack water laying eggs.  Others eat october caddis pupas crawling along the bottom pre hatch.  A riffle holds a handful of cutthroat eating Mahogany mayflies, while the large sneaky rainbows try and hide their noses while they sip BWO’s in the back eddies.  Silly Rainbows….I see you…and I’ve got a size 18 BWO Emerger you can chew on.  

The other fantastic thing about the fall is how the fish play.  5x tippet and long leaders, stiff short nymph lines and high sticking pocket water.  Fish get into a rythym each day.  They pod up, eat, move about, and cycle through the day like its routine.  Unlike the constant choas that summer seems to bring.  Fast flows, fighting for spots and food, its why the summer is so much fun for anglers.  It makes trout easy to find, and easy to trick as they are less picky.  They just want food.  The fall changes pace and the trout follow.  When you trick a 20 inch Rainbow that was quietly sipping mayflies in the soft water…they tend to get cranky about it.  With the softer flows they have a lot more river to play in and will run and dance like a trout should.  Grabbing a glass rod ups the fun factor as playing fish on glass…at least for me…is the utmost experience in angling for trout…the feel and response from a glass rod with a large trout on the end is quite amazing.  There isn’t much that is more satisfying for the trout angler, than tricking a persnicikety trout, having the trout almost outplay you, and successfully landing and releasing a worthy opponent.  The trout are my quarry and I am a fly angler.  

 Big Cutts 
There is a gnarly old Wild Westslop Cutthroat pushing 20 inches tucked behind a rock below a salmon redd, or a run, waiting for the right fly to pass by.  There is a particular rock garden above Bristol on the Upper Yakima that has held some of the largest cutthroat this river has to offer.  We won’t talk about the super secret spots where I caught my largest cutthroat to date.  The picture above of a friend in the same secret hole can attest to the size of some of these trout that come out of hiding in the fall.  22 inches of cutthroat is impressive by any rivers standards but for the Yakima its freaking glorious.  

I invite you to take a trip with me this fall.  Every guide has a favorite season, every angler has a time of year when they just slay trout…the fall is mine…and I’ve been doing it for 10 seasons now.  I haven’t missed fishing a fall season on this river.  The experience of fishing in the fall on the Yakima is by far the best in my opinion.  Come and enjoy it, the summer was hard so lets get back to fishing in the fall.  Hope to see you riverside this autumn. 

Tamarack

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Yakima River Update

Wild Trout Matter

My beloved Yakima River is on the precipice. Water temps are not cooling below 65 degrees in some sections of the river. Water temps are topping out at 72 and above in the lower end. We have another set of hot days in the forecast with air temps reaching 102. The river flow is scheduled to drop by over 500 cfs in the next 7-10 days. If you are not already participating in voluntary #hootowl fishing I encourage everyone to start. 

As a TU Guide and a Conservation minded angler I will stop fishing once water temps hit 65 degrees. I will continue to guide the Upper Yakima River while conditions still allow. We are getting reports of dead fish throughout the whole system. Another TU Guide and myself will be floating the river to confirm dead fish and collect data this week in multiple areas of the river. We want to have facts and data, not sales pitches and false reports. 
Please use a stream thermometer when fishing and follow good warm water fishing techniques. Stop fishing at 65-68 degree water temps. If we want to be able to continue fishing the Yakima River for years to come we need to take care of her and the trout now. If we don’t…It will be too little too late and these wild trout may not be here in the end. 
http://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/river/station/flowplot/flowplot.cgi?UMTW1

tamaracksguideservice Fly Fishing, Teanaway River, Trout Unlimited, Uncategorized, Yakima River

Teanaway 

The Sentinel

Mount Stuart towers in the distance. Her peak barren of the normal snowcap she wears during the start of August. North Fork Teanaway road straightens out in front of me as I drive towards one of favorite mountain peaks in the world. From her foothills the headwaters of the Teanaway river begins. It flows a torrent of whitewater through granite stones cut deep by her chilling and slicing embrace. Her sound can typically be heard throughout the entire basin if you listen intently on a quiet day in the woods. The waterfalls that seem to fall from the very sky fill the river with some of the most pristine water in the world. The animals that inhabit the Teanaway Rivershed are the epitome of Pacific Northwest Wildlife. With Black Bear, Cougar, Wolf, Wolverine, Samsquanch, Mountain Goats, with hundreds of bird species, deer, elk, skunk, hare, flying squirrel, red fox, and so many more the forest surrounding the river is teeming with life. The river holds some of the most pure species of wild trout in the western states. With Wild Rainbow, Westlope Cutthroat, Steelhead, and Bulltrout, the river system is the last bastion for many species including Wild Steelhead and Bulltrout.

The Source

As I see the headwaters of the river before me my heart is heavy. She is but a trickle coming down the granite mountainside. The pool under the waterfall is waist deep and is full of small soon to be starving trout. As I look at the dried up waterfalls that feed the upper most reaches of the North Fork of the Teanaway I am filled with fear. This river has never seen such a drought. This wild place is on the precipice.

 

Data Collection
 

I make my way further down river. Checking the water temps the entire time. I am finding normal water temps for this time of year in the upper end of the river however; the flows are a fraction of what they ought to be. When well over 100 cfs is typically coming down this small river in the summer we have less than 30 cfs. I find trout in pools, surprisingly healthy with full bellies. A perfect 10-inch cutthroat decided to say hello and I was reminded of what the term wild really means. These fish, despite the odds, are surviving. By the end of the summer there may only be a handful of breeding fish left to carry on the species. Those trout that they spawn…will be ever stronger. The trout…are doing what they do…being wild and surviving. Life does find a way. 

I make my way farther down river. The temps are warming. Feeder creeks and small tributaries such as Jungle Creek, Stafford Creek, Bean Creek, Beverly Creek, are trickles or dried up completely meaning there is no cold influx of water as the river makes its way to the valley below the mountains. I say goodbye to Mt. Stuart and the surrounding behemoths of granite that the Teanaway cuts away at with every spring and summer run off. The granite stones get a respite from her torrent this year.

Rock Dams

I stop at the famous sandstone swimming holes near 29 Pines Campground to check the water temp. I find a rock dam blocking flow and chuck rocks onto the bank. The river seems to breath a sigh of relief and I count 3 small fingerling fish make their way up river as if waiting for me to open the door. I find two more small rock dams and break them down wishing a sign about how illegal they are in ESA listed streams were present. A TU project for later. I come to the sandstone chute just past the Teanaway Outpost under the bridge. There is 10 cfs going by. I can literally see 10 milk jugs go by a second…its unfathomable. The place smells of dead fish. The water temp is 70 degrees. I find nothing…not even an aquatic insect. It is devoid of life. I leave quickly not wishing to spend any more time in the tomb.

I come to the valley filled with farmlands. Mt. Stuarts’ gaze hidden back behind the hills and trees. I feel that if the mountain were a mere 2000 feet taller and everyone could see the summit from anywhere in the valley…the state of the Teanaway would be much different. The Sentinel of the Teanaway River has been tricked and the river that it has born has suffered. The farms are still watering their fields. A recent stop on all irrigation came to the valley in an effort to save water. The few fields I see getting water must be on wells or finishing up their last orders. As I look at the river below Red Bridge Road I am appalled. Stagnant pools filled with Dart and Pike Minnow, algae, and 70 degree water. There is no flow; the riverbed is drying up in places, if the heat of summer continues I believe the lower Teanaway will dry up completely.

The Lower Teanaway

The Yakima River and Teanaway River Confluence is a stagnant pool of warming water. Typically during this time of year, the trout in the Yakima River receive a shot of cool water for thermal refuge from her sister the Teanaway. Steelhead would have spawned there this spring, as well as trout. Salmon would normally return but they will not have the chance this year. The fish that got trapped in the lower Teanaway have all but perished, those that were able to escape are in the low flow and small cool pools of the upper river farther into the mountains. As the Yakima River water temps increase the wild trout will receive no respite from the Teanaway as they normally would. The Steelhead, Rainbow, and Cutthroat that were spawned this spring are trapped in the headwaters and may not survive the summer and winter to continue the life cycle next season…if the snows come.

The Bulltrout are all but gone now. They have no refuge and have died or hopefully…pushed into the Yakima River and will return to spawn this fall. I have seen a few of those unicorns in the Yakima this season…giving me hope. Visiting the Teanaway today gave me hope. I was reminded of the resilience of nature and wild animals despite the odds and our encroachment. The drought is only one factor in the reason behind the demise of the Teanaway River. The mountains that hold her, the forest that surrounds her, the farmlands that she gives life too…all will suffer as she dries up. The entire valley feels thirsty. A strong rain for days or a wickedly blizzardly winter is needed. But our help is also needed.

If more is not done to preserve and protect the Teanaway River not only will the entire Teanaway Valley and surrounding Forest suffer, the Yakima River below will suffer. As it is a true freestone headwaters to the Yakima River, if it suffers, everything downstream suffers. Headwaters do Matter. More conservation is needed, more efficient irrigation practices, rigorous data collection on the trout required, and some intense habitat restoration is a must if we ever want to see the Teanaway River in her former glory.

Zi-Fi’s 1st Cutty

Some of my fondest memories of angling are on the Teanaway River. I found an ancient and gnarly Wild Westlope Cutthroat in a deep pool. The old trout was so gargantuan it still dwarfs some of the largest cutthroat I have caught out of the Yakima River. My eldest daughter was introduced to her first trout on the Teanaway. My youngest daughter was introduced to her first trout this year before the drought sunk in on the Teanaway. I have a memory of playing in the sandstone swimming holes one summer when I was very young, collecting cased caddis as they crawled along the rocks at my feet. I met my first Bulltrout on the Teanaway River. A story I haven’t shared with anyone to this day save for Tim Irish. That Bulltrout will haunt me for the rest of my life, especially now knowing that it’s genetics and offspring have not survived the 6 years it has been since we met.

Will I ever meet another Bulltrout in the Teanaway River? Will my grand kids meet any trout in the Teanaway River? Will the community forest that hugs the riverbanks become a desolate dried up place that no one cares about anymore? Will Wild Steelhead ever return? Will the wild trout have a place to reproduce and carry on their life cycle? The fact that I am asking myself, and others, these questions leaves me with hope. Hope that it will return, hope that it will be rescued, hope…because the Teanaway River…is a life force; born from granite mountains and winter snows, cut deep into the hard stone, life teeming within and all around her, Mount Stuart standing guard, and people enjoying all that she bares while keeping a caring eye on her.

Tamarack

tamaracksguideservice Fly Fishing, Fly Tying, Yakima River

Craft

Fly Fishing is a unique activity.  We intereact with trout in a much different way than other anglers.  Tricking trout with a well presented fly, defines the word craft with its very action. While many forms of fishing inolve craft…fly fishing, it seems, is held to a higher standard.  

It was a late evening after the TU Meeting this past month.  Two good friends of mine and I along with Danny the dog, sat near candlelight in the Teanaway Community Forest.  The conservation evolved throughout the evening but when the subject of craft came around my ears perked up.  

You see…fly fishing and I fit very well together.  I am a science nerd, I love biology, so I am set for learning about trout, their food source, and environment.  I soaked up all the information and knowledge I could.  I still do.  But when it comes to the artisitc side of me things get very cool.  I was a musician.  I was a drummer, I loved to play the drumset.  I don’t do it much anymore.  I used to be pretty good at it.  Rowing a driftboat with anglers, chasing trout is a lot like being a drummer in a band.  The drummer keeps everyone on tempo and entertained.  As a drummer I fit right in at the rowers chair.  Lots of things happening, people fishing, fish reacting, water moving, its organized chaos and I live for it.  It requires craft to do it well.  Anyone can row a boat down a river, but not just anyone can create a whole concert complete with opening acts, encores, and all the good stuff.  Thats why I like guiding.  Its a gig, and its my kinda gig.  

Delving even deeper into fly angling we come to the cast and presentaion, as many of us know being able to cast well is a skill that we all practice, being able to cast to weary trout, under an overhang, with wind, and three different cross currents at 30 feet…requires craft.  But even further, especially for me the real craft comes in the form of flies.  I tie flies for trout.  Not to look pretty in the box, sell in the bin, or anything else…they serve a purpose…to trick trout.  They may not look fancy, but they get the job done, and after 10 years of doing it I like to think I have become pretty good and creating patterns that effectively 

  trick trout.  Spending the time to create a fly that looks natural and tricks the most persnickety trout is my jam…thats my ultimate gig.  I’m a purist in that sense.  Tricking a weary wild trout with a hand tied fly is the most sought after moment for me.  If fulfills me.  It compeltely satisfies me…it requires craft.  

What does all this mean?  Well craft to me requires one thing above all others…time.  A good angler needs to put in the time.  We all know fly fishing requires patience…and in order to be very good at it, time is needed.  I have devoted years now, to the art and craft of fly fishing.  A life pursuit I will never cease.  I have no goals of becoming the best, I only strive to share more moments with people and trout through learning and honing my craft as an angler and a guide. 

Just a quick blog post today.  I have had the subject of craft on my mind for a while now.  I will expand on it more in a later post.  I’ve got trips stacked for the next two weeks and I am loving every minute of it.  Even in this tough year for the river I am glad to be riverside doing what I love and taking care of the river.  

Tamarack

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What is a Trout Worth?

  

Those who I have the pleasure of taking riverside to chase trout with know, my passion for wild fish, especially wild westslope cutthroat trout, runs very deep…to use the cliche’. I am at home, gliding along the currents, down the seams, through the runs, and around the back eddies of my glorious homewater the Yakima River. My oar strokes sharp and firm, my boat responsive, a sweet drift, a fish rising, the sound of a reel zinging, a smiling face, an ecstatic guide, a beautiful trout for all of us to share a moment with, and a quick and wet release…so that tomorrows’ clients have a shot at it and its offsrping.  

I guide because these trout need our attention. In my experience with the outdoors the only way people will ever care about it, protect it, conserve it, is if they are able to enjoy it. It is our first and most ancient form of entertainment and enjoyment. It is our playground, this planet we take for granted is ours, we are in charge. We are responsible for it. For me I take responsibility for the Yakima River and the wild trouts within her. For others it may be mountains, trails, bears, spotted owls, wild steelhead, salmon runs, old growth forests, deserts, lakes, you name it the outdoors has something for everyone to care about and enjoy. Its how we connect with the world we live in. The real world, not the smartphones, and netflix. Not facbook, and the reality TV. We connect with nature, hell there are even studies showing time in the outdoors is healthy for us.

From seeing a bald eagle for the first time, a big horn sheep, a wild trout, or even a lonely kingfisher, there is a myriad of natural things to enjoy and be entertained with when drifting the river. Its not always about the trout. Sometimes for me I just enjoy rowing the river and moving my boat around the seams and currents, playing with the river if you will. And sometimes I find new ways to fish, new angles, things I didn’t notice or quite see before. I have had trips this season that have very little fishing involved. More discussion and education. Others that were intense days of targeting trout and bringing them to net and enjoying every completely F’ing awesome second of it. That moment with that trout…instills something in every angler…if I do my job right. It also instills something in me every time I reach my net into the river. 

We are at a crossroads with our river. The drought is killing fish, and damaging the ecosystems that we hold so dearly, at a record pace. Sturgeon and Salmon are dying in the mighty Columbia, tributaries are boiling or drying up. Fish are dying…a lot more will die. The Yakima River is one of the only rivers in the west surviving the drought. The trout that we cherish and enjoy angling for, are our responsibility. We trick them with flies, we release them, we continue to invade their natural world, we owe them the coutesy of taking every effort to care for them as if they were our children. Our river is barely hanging on and our fish are on the line people. We must treat our trout with the utmost respect this season. From the 6 inch dinker to the 24 inch hogzilla. Keep these trout wet.  

Is a fish worth a photo? Because that photo may be its tombstone. It may be the last time anyone ever sees that fish. Think about that this season. I am heart broken that I witnessed the death of a prime Yakima River specimen in the Lower Canyon last night. Even doing everything right the fish was over stressed before we even accidently hooked him. Watching a wild trout go belly up and knowing that I was the cause even though I did everything right in that situation was detrimental for me. In 10 years I have had now…4 bad releases on trout. One dinosaur that did not survive the fight in the company of two seasoned guides that did everything they could to revive the trout. Two to deep hooks, and one…to warm water, over angling pressure, and one last drift of the fly. It happens, its part of the gig. You learn, you educate, and you move on and become a better angler.  

These wild trout are precious to us. They are precious to me, and my family. I make my living off of them. I want to continue to do that for years to come, so that one day I can float with my grandchildren down this river and net cutthroat and rainbow trout and share moments with them all. I make my living off of them so that I can continue to protect and care for them.  

Without the trips I take people on and get paid for, I would be unable to continue donating what seems like every minute of my time to them. When my boat pulls into my driveway after rowing 8 hours, I come in, talk about trout with my lady and children, even my dog. I tie flies for the next round, I think about how to better dress a fly to produce more fish in the net for clients. I think about hatches, and compare them to previous years, the weather, the flows, the temps, the stress I am putting on them. Did I just float that section? Yes, so I should swtich it up. Give fish a break. All of that and more run through my mind when I get off river. Somehow in between it all I find time to be a dad and husband, play video games with my son, hang out with my toddler, and listen to my eldest tell stories and watch nerdy movies with. Plus I fish on my own…a lot. Without my clients I would be unable to attend clean ups, take samples of algae, snorkel the river to check on fish, hike into the headwaters and take water temps, remove rock dams, save dying fish, educate other anglers and guides, introduce people to new places, attend meetings about conservation, count fish, the list goes on and on….

I love every damn minute of it people. EVERY MINUTE. I love my life and the type of lifestyle being a guide graces me with. My family does too. My minions look forward to doing shuttles with me in the upper river. They ask me about my fish. They noticed I was upset about a bad trip I had yesterday and we discussed warm water, fish handling, and why these trout need our care. They are 6 and 8 years old, people. They get it. They comprehend it. They appreciate what I do for a living and undesrtand that without proper care and protection they may not be able to fish like dad in the future.  

I have received a lot of heartwarming praise the past few days. I have been called a headwaters hero by people I respect and admire as anglers and people. I have fought for these trout this year and it has brought me heartache and grief, and absolute happiness. The efforts of a few can influence many, and diligence and determination win out. I have the patience of a seasoned fly angler and to date, nothing deters me when it comes to my trouts.  

I applaud the individuals that are making the effort to protect and conserve this watershed. I have to praise Joe Rotter and Red’s Fly Shop for their proactive approach to these warm water drought conditions with a voluntary Hoot Owl for their guide service in the Lower Canyon. This type of action is the management we as guides and stewards for the Yakima River and her Trout can be a part of as a community of anglers. No matter if you work for an outfitter, shop, are an independent, we all can agree that protecting this watershed should always be part of our job. We are doing the right thing with our river and I encourage all anglers that visit the Yakima River to care for our trout and use good angling and fish handling techniques. Voluntarily engage in the Hoot Owl hours and do not fish the Lower Canyon after 2 pm until water temps and conditions change. Take a guide and fish with them and learn about the river and what is going on. Fish for the trout, for the love of all that is holy fish for the trout! A guide like myself, will make sure that when we fish, I am giving not only you, but also the trout, the best experience I possibly can.  

I will continue to run trips on the Yakima River to chase these trout as long as conditions allow. Most floats that are scheuled will be in the early morning until the fall. We do not fish water that is 65 degrees and up in my boat. 68 or 70 may be the cutoff for others and that is within the scientific ranges to be safe. Professionally and personally, 65 is my limit.  

I also ask anglers to be open to other angling ideas. Bass fishing or other species of fish on the fly can be incredibly fun and challenging. I will be offering $375.00 Guided Bass Trips for the remainder of the season. I’m pretty good at tricking some of those greasy bucket and small mouths. Carp and trout lakes too. Even some musky hanging around the basin that we could go for.  

I also call on the Dept. of Agriculture, and especially the Forest Service, to begin considering opening guiding via special use permits to lakes and rivers in the National Forest Service Land for next year. To relieve pressure on our Yakima River and to bring more people to our natural places to recreate, spend money, and conserve, we need professional guides like myself, to facilitate those moments of inspiration and wonder that we all search for when we answer the call of the outdoors.

Thank you to all that have contaced me and thanked me, to those that inspire me, to every single one of my clients this season. Every one has learned about the conditions we are facing and the work we are doing as a fly fishing community here to protect our river. Thank you for taking trips with me and allowing me to continue doing what I do here. I look forward to fishing with many more this season and for many seasons after.

For the love of the trouts,
Tamarack