Category: Fly Fishing

I am going to tell you a fish story. A simple one. Not one to try and get you to book trips or to try and teach you something. Just a fishing story.

I love Smallmouth Bass. I started my fishing journey with bass. It has been years since I have chased them with a purpose or had an opportunity to. Here in Michigan there is a lake that is renown for its Smallmouth Bass Fishing. Lake St. Clair.

I have fished a lot of places. And some pretty cool lakes. Lake St. Clair is by far the coolest Stillwater I have ever experienced. This lake is large. Not by Michigan standards, its tiny compared to the Great Lakes. But its large for a PNW native. Can’t quite see the other side of it. The Detroit city scape grazes the horizon on the Southeast end. Canada to the East. The lake is roughly 430 square miles of surface area with an average depth of 11 feet with the deepest natural depth is 24ft. Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake by surface area on the planet…is 31,700 square miles for comparison. Saint Clair’s bottom is mostly hard packed sand and areas of vegetation and grass beds. The water is warm above 65 degrees, and the water is a saltwater blue and green. A 30 foot channel splits the lake between the two countries and had been used for shipping for over 100 years. The lake connects Lake Huron and Lake Erie and is 6 miles south of Downtown Detroit. It is 22 miles long and about 21 miles wide. A Big Lake for me. One that perfectly sets the stage for the story to come.

It is home to a myriad of species. Over a dozen. From musky, carp, whitefish, even trout, there are catfish, gar, bream, bowfin, walleye, sheepshead, and what we were after…Smallmouth Bass. Plus a few more species. There is no shortage of fish to target and the lake has plenty of water at 10 feet or less which makes fly fishing a very workable method of fishing. These fish see a lot of lures, bass tournaments galore on this lake. Its so large though you feel like you got the place to yourself and everyone keeps a pretty good distance. Not as many people flinging a fly rod out there. We might have been the only ones the two days we were there. Those fish don’t see a lot of flies and they didn’t mind what we threw.

And with that playing in mind, we set out. My son, Kristen, and I, along with Ollie the dog. I had done some homework on the lake and we had a few areas we knew we wanted to check out. The first area was just kind of to warm up and get used to the lake. Then we ventured 2.5 miles out across Anchor Bay to hit the flats on the other side near Strawberry Island and Goose Bay. Tullies and big sand bars, coves, bays and peninsulas appear as the lake shallows out. Swallows swarm the hazy air like bees, and egrets and herons plunge skyward as the boat approaches; evidence of the nearby bird refuge. Here, the water is an average of four feet deep with six and eight feet deep shelves that border the whole area. The water is blue like the Florida Keys, with sandbars every where. It totally has the flats vibes.

Amongst the shelves and light refraction on the bottom, there are smallmouth. Everywhere. You can see them on sonar, but we usually sight fish and read water instead of relying on it. Fly fishing we only fish about ten feet down anyway. If they are deeper we can throw the gear if we want. We saw fish cruising the shelves, running along the deeper sandbars, up along the tullies and Michigan Mangroves. We spooked large groups of them as we motored around. Less spooky than a lot of saltwater fish, smallmouth will dart away only to return with curiosity and seeing if any easy food is also spooked. They are aggressive hunters. Unlike Largemouth who sit and ambush, Smallmouth locate structure, then surround in and hunt it by darting into it and chasing prey out and running it down. They are wicked fast, can do a complete 180 on prey, they can change direction quicker than just about any freshwater fish I’ve encountered. They also are acrobatic- they will run line out, they will run line deep, they will counter and run sideways and turn, headshake, they will jump more than once, slam the water, kick tail, flare their fins, flash all sorts of different colors and put up a wonderful two to six minute fight on a 6wt. They are a close second to trout on a fly rod. They are roughly the same size- a big one is over 18 inches, and they top out around 10 lbs. They can live up to fifteen years and spawn multiple times. The facts about these fish fuel and heighten the experiences with them.

They chase flies down anglers. It is fucken wicked to watch. Streamer fishing four to six feet down we would have Smallies chase, follow, dart by and turn on flies. We also fished gear and flies at the same time. My son at fourteen years old hasn’t got the 6-weight big heavy fly stuff down quite yet. So getting those fish to smack both gear and flies at the same rate was pretty awesome. A fascinating thing happens with Bronzebacks when an angler gets a hook up and has one on; the fish will regurgitate and puke up its stomach contents as a defense mechanism. Other Bass and fish know this and hone in on the fish and eat what is puked up and disturbed by the angler and fishes encounter. These fish are predators and they are brutal. A fly angler can take advantage of this and throw flies into the group of frenzied fish. One of them will peel off and chase down the fly. The dance ensues as the fish turns, darts, and plays with the prey waiting for the angler to get it just right and then they kill the shit out of it. Its an aggressive heavy hit on the 6wt and a fly.

The fish might go deep it might run, it might jump and throw its body feet into the air, it might tail walk, its fast, its fluid, and it keeps an angler on their game. This happened multiple times. Brown Bass will also hunt around other larger fish like catfish and carp and eat what they kick up and chase and pester the other fish to get it to kick up more food. We watched this and targeted fish doing that on a large catfish. These fish aren’t scared or shy to eat. They also know they are an apex predator. Spines keep them from being prey to a lot of things once they reach a decent size. They are also fast, so they can move and dart away from predators that may be around….like a musky, or large brave bird.

The three of us encountered many fish. With ample opportunity to play and land them. We got to experience the kind of fishing we were seeking out east. Lake St. Clair did not disappoint. I have shared a lot of fishing experiences over the years and the two days I spent on that Lake are by far some of my best and most memorable.

I promised a fishing story. My son who has been staying with me for a month, has high interest in my line of work, outdoors and recreation. He is my fishy outdoorsy kid. Yoinking frogs and spiders, journaling about the critters he encounters, swimming in any water he can kind, he is a regular little Steve Irwin. He isn’t little, he’s damn near my size now, but his love for the outdoors makes the young kid in him shine. He loves fishing. He is out of practice with fly fishing but can still send it with a 3wt. The 6 weight is a little much, but man he can chuck a gear rig. He got really good at it over the month he was here. We fished at least 4 day a week. He got lots of practice and landed 6 different species of fish and I lost count of how many during his stay.

Anyways, he was slinging this big chatter bait and had one hell of a smack. My partner Kristen was working the trolling motor and started coaching him through the fight. I was fishing off the bow and had set my rod down to watch my son play this larger smallie and get ready to net it. Kristen saw the pod of bass move in on my sons fish. She hollered at me to pick up the rod and cast it into the fish. I fumbled and grabbed the stick and chucked a shit cast into the fray as my son continued to reel on his fish. First cast, nothing, she coached and said, “Again!” Back into it, not much better cast. A large fish peeled off from the group and zoned in on my fly. Kristen could see the fish better than I could and told me where to cast out in front of the fish. I did again, got follows and turn, she coached, another cast.

The fish about 30 feet out and 5 feet down looking for my fly. I presented again. Finally a better cast. Follow, chase, turn, almost. Another cast she says “Six feet further! Pop it and let it sit!” I throw, the fish zones in, she says strip, I strip, the fish closes the gap. On the hang-down it goes for it. The commotion starts, there is a “set!” yelled and I am late. The fish still there, hunting for its lost prey. I throw again. At this point Kristen has landed my sons fish and my fish has now worked its way toward the bow still about 20 feet out but getting close. I’m nervous it will spook with the boat. Its been my first real shot at a fish since I stood up on the bow. I am fucking sweating, my heart is pounding, adrenaline at a hard eight, and I am thinking that fish seems big and I am gonna fuck this up but its wicked fun.

Kristen asks if its still there as now I have eyes on it from being up on the casting platform. I throw another cast and get the same reaction. She delivers instructions as I am slightly losing faith. I throw again. The fish hovers under the fly and closes the gap on the next strip- waiting for a presentation I can only hope to match. There it is, just a foot off my fly …just looking at it. A strip. A follow. The fly drops back down and the fish slides up within inches. I hold my breath. There is a millisecond of absolute quiet and calm….I can’t see the fly anymore…I set. For once in my life I fucking finally get a good strip set! Fish on! The shit hits the fan and the whole boat loses its collective mind. Remember there is already a large fish in the net my son just landed and the three of us just watched this entire thing go down and work it together. It was fly fishing magic anglers.

The fish runs, jumps, kicks, goes deep, runs for the boat twice, fights for almost 5 minutes and puts one hell of a bend in the rod, ran enough line out away from the boat and down into the depths that I had to get the fish on the reel which I rarely have to do. Counters left and right, the fish pulled the rod sideways and down, at one point it flexed so hard I thought it might snap as the fish took its first run under the boat then out away from the bow fifteen feet. This fish was a lot bigger than I thought and it has been a long while since I was tested as an angler. The flashes of emerald green as it ran through the blue water with the sand backdrop and the low morning sun poking through the cloud was amazingly beautiful. The light through the water giving the fish a intimidating shimmer as it changed color from dark to light as it moved through the water. The fish came to the net and my son, Kristen, and I had just accomplished something that we could have never fathomed.

In the net were 2 trophy sized Smallmouth Bass. My son’s at 18 inches and a gorgeous bronze striped and marbled bass. My and Kristen’s tag teamed fish…a ridiculous 23 inches, emerald green, bright, big powerful shoulders, an old fish, a perfect fish. The largest Smallmouth Bass I have every caught and probably will ever catch. A big one by Lake St. Clair standards, which kind of sets the bar impossibly high. I was amazed and in awe. It was one of the most rewarding and fun encounters I have ever had. The three of us were just bewildered and full of energy in our lungs.

I love fishing. It has been a passion of mine for twenty years and my career for ten. These kind of moments are the milestones, the highlights, the one in a thousand fishing trip days that we can encounter as anglers. It was fantastic. To share that experience with my son and my partner was by far the best part. Lake St. Clair is the first place I have been since heading out 2 years ago that has made me want to explore, share, and experience more. It is by far one of the coolest fisheries my partner and I have encountered.

The trip was a complete success with a nice shenanigan to end the day. We ran out of fuel and had to use the mighty little trolling motor to get back to the marina for fuel. Then I, flooded the engine and had to wait for a bit. We took the shenanigan in stride and came back the next day for another amazing time. We will be back. I am already wishing I could fish it more before I leave.

So there is a fishing story. A rather good one I think.

I return to the west in a few days. I am excited to share the water with clients again. And am looking forward to my next encounter with Lake St. Clair.

Tamarack

Anglers! Streamside Coven Co. and I are hosting a three day streamer specific retreat on October 4th thru 6th.

This is a 3 day streamer chucking and learning fest.  Details below. We have 2 spots left on this retreat. I highly recommend it for anglers wanting to really learn how to streamer fish and find big trout.

Bass.  Ditch Pickles, bucket mouth, trash compactor, big lipped buddy. I love bass.  I have a special spot in my heart for large and smallmouth bass.  They are the species that got me into angling. I was a hard-core gear guy when I was younger.  I loved to Bass fish and learned and discovered my passion for the puzzle of fishing through Bass. 

I am old enough. I actually watched Bill Dance Outdoors on the Tele.  I watched and learned from all the fishing shows. I had gear, lures, lines, boxes, of all shapes and sizes. I had just gotten into fly fishing but it wasn’t my primary way of fishing. Then I had all my fishing gear stolen out of my truck when I was 19 or 20, they left all the Fly gear.  It just so happened at the same time I was transitioning to fly fishing more and more, so I just made the switch then and never really gear fished much after that.

But since coming to Michigan I have gotten back into bass. Mostly on the Fly.  I gear fish in Michigan and learned I still know how it all works. My son hadn’t really gear fished so I spent time showing him and getting to fish with a spin rod again myself in the process. 

Side by side on a typical day, each method catches the same amount of fish.  It’s all about effort put in. Bass are pretty straightforward. They sit in relatively easy water to decipher and find relating to conditions.  They eat and kill things regularly, fight hard, and are way less fragile than trout.

I grew up in the Columbia Basin farm country. Bass are everywhere. Both species. With this new boat, they are a little easier to get to now.  I have wanted a larger fishing boat with a motor since I was 18. It may not seem like much but to a poor kid from dusty old farm country nowhere…my new skiff is a big deal. I get to fish those familiar places in a way I’ve always wanted. No oars required.

Bass I dare say are in close competition for trout on the Fly. Especially smallmouth. They are the same size as trout.  A nice 18 inch smallmouth is a wicked nice fish, just like trout.  They weigh about the same, and at that size, they put up similar fights, especially in moving water. Bass can be just as pretty as trout, just in a different way.  The colors, the marbeling, stripes, cool gill plate colors, neat fins with spines, Bass of both flavors are wicked cool.   They take the Fly similar on top and underneath with chases, follows, swipes, smacks, giant lunges, and acrobatic slaps. They fish hard and jump like trout, Bass are a wicked good time on a 6wt.

Now I will say Bass can be just as finicky and unwilling to cooperate as trout. Conditions like sun, weather, wind all play a role.  Water temps, food sources, time of year. All need to be accounted for…just like trout.

So trout anglers will find that they can relate to Bass on the Fly rather well. There is a lot to learn about Bass.  When trout are kind of figured out learning a new species can make you a better angler with both species. They eat different food, sit in different water, use structure, move in groups, they have a whole new slew of things to learn and casts to use and flies to get into that open up the world of Fly fishing that much more. It’s pretty rad.

I’ve taught a lot of people how to chase trout with Fly and rod.  It’s never been the only fish I know how to chase.  Underneath the past 10 years of heavy trout fishing and guiding, there is another decade of other species chasing and fishing I was fortunate enough to partake in. I’m excited to have the opportunity to share my skill sets with others.  I’ve got the proper equipment finally, I’ve got years of experience built up, and I’ve got a whole group of anglers who, in my professional guide opinion, are ready to learn new things and venture into the wider world of Fly fishing.

I’m back in a week and August is a great time for bass fishing and learning new stuff.  It ain’t all on the lakes either. We got rivers smallmouth will crush on during the warm summer. If you wanna up your skills and learn a new species and all that it entails I recommend coming out for a bass day.  I’m stoked to teach it and experience it with anglers. And I’m so excited to guide out of the new boat.

See ya riverside for bass anglers.  Soon! 

Tamarack

This season, I focused heavily on just being present in the space. I needed time off.  Like many of us do. I felt like I had been in a grind that was getting me nowhere. Honestly, since covid, it’s been this weird survival mode, and the current state of the off river world hasn’t made things any easier.

Places can get stale.  And I put this out there with no ill intent, but people can get mundane, too.  I can become mundane.  And I felt that way with the spaces I found myself fishing. Michigan has been an out of comfort zone adventure that I needed.

Learning to appreciate new spaces for what they are, overcoming the urge to compare them to others. Just being present, listening, observing, enjoying. When fishing is work, that part of it can be lost or fuzzy. Michigan and the disconnect from my beloved western rivers has been eye-opening.

A reaffirmed appreciation for my lifestyle, what I have been able to fish, see, and share.  The places I call home and know best, missed, and I posses a want to seek them out fully I haven’t felt in some time. Exploring and discovering places the past 2 years has been something I always seek out.  I have gone through several bouts of wanting to nomad and freely disperse. Over my adult life I’ve done it many times. From week long excursions to Montana or BC, to months in Alaska, or Florida, to part of a summer in Michigan and many more. The desire and need to venture out has always been there in me. The older I get the more I want to chase it.

My partner has made it more possible. Her desire for adventure and nomadic life is similar to mine.  She plans more and operates less in the chaos than I do, which is a benefit to us both. But sharing this experience with someone who seeks it out as wholly as I is by far the best thing about it.

This life is never boring and is constantly riddled with sections of class 4 and 5 water to get through. Learning to appreciate the space one finds themselves in no matter the situation is a true, sometimes painful, but always enlightening lesson. Must be why I’ve got such a chill demeanor.

Michigan is a place where things are slowed down, quiet, and it leaves time for contemplation. There hasn’t been any pressure to produce, guide, be a certain way.  I’ve gotten to just explore, fish, and find things out for myself. It’s the experience I prefer.  I don’t want to be guided or shown.  I prefer to find out myself, fish are secondary for me. 

I’ve learned to slow down more here.  To just enjoy fishing. Spent time with my son just being a dad who takes his son fishing instead of a guide who does it for a living. I’ve had time to just be in a new space and learn to appreciate it and the others I’ve been.

Heading back to the homewater I feel a different kind of excitement. A longing to be on the rivers I call home that I haven’t felt in some time. The pull back into those familiar spaces is at its peak now.

Appreciate and slow down in the spaces you find yourself in. The river is never a place to be hurried. A lesson we can take off river.  Spend a few more seconds, taking in the sights, smells, sounds, and feelings around you in the moments you find yourself knee-deep in the river.  Examine the fish a bit longer in the net.  Sink and settle into the feelings these encounters, places, animals, and people give you. I encourage it.  It’s what you’re really after in the end…those few moments when all else is faded and it’s just you and the space you’re experiencing.

Tamarack

Remaining Available Dates!

I am in my last 2 weeks here in Michigan.  I’ve had some good down time, lots of exploring, some self discovery and building, quality and important time with my partner and I was blessed with my son wanting to spend a big chunk of his summer with me. I set out to have a summer off and get to fish and explore for myself and I’ve gotten to do that.

Michigan has taught me a lot. It is not the west. The vibe is different, the fishing very different, the landscape, the water, the people. Everything is very different. Not worse or better just different.

Warmwater species is by far my favorite out here in Michigan.  The plethora of options and spaces to chase pike, musky, gar, bass, bluegill, and smallmouth is overwhelming. Vast lakes, small lakes, lakes connected by slewy rivers. You dodge jet skis and speedboat, pontoon party barges and other big tournament style bass boats.

I’ve been out of the bass game for a bit but damnit it’s been a good time fishing both flies and gear. A soft plastic worm still catches the biggest fish so that hasn’t changed. Popper fishing is fun with most hours giving at least a few shots if not dozens.

I’ve barely scratched the surface out here and another May to mid July adventure is in store for next year. I still have 2 weeks to hammer out a few more warmwater species areas with my new boat.  I want some smallmouth and a shot at musky before I go. Lake St. Claire is on the menu.

The trout fishing is a different beast and I am leaving Michigan with a new found appreciation and respect for what I’ve been fortunate to fish over the past 20 years out west. Blue Ribbon out west and Blue Ribbon out east are two very different things. Out west it means there’s a lot of fish. Usually 1000 per mile to receive Blue Ribbon status. Out east Blue ribbon means easy access and wadable areas. Very different fish numbers aren’t part of the equation.  Michigan has a robust stocking program and many of the trout fishing on the rivers is comparable to small spring creek fishing out west. Large fish are there, but wary, seasoned, hooked many times, and spaced out in very specific zones. Small fish are common and days are typically a handful of smaller trout and maybe a shot or 2 at big ones.  It’s all at night in the summer. Usually a spot is picked and sat on until the window of feeding happens.  It is a crapshoot through and through. Might happen might not that’s trout fishing.

A day of trout fishing in Michigan is different than out west. After several weeks of trout fishing, various rivers floating and wading, talking with others, and experiencing it for myself, I have formed my thoughts on it all.

I leave Michigan knowing I prefer western trout fishing. Not better out west just different and more my speed and vibe. I cannot see myself guiding for trout in spaces out east. Just not my thing. And that’s okay.  I felt similarly about Florida, and Alaska, I’m a PNW boy when it comes to the troots. 

The warmwater stuff out east…doesn’t even compare to out west. Michigan and Wisconsin are warmwater paradise for anglers. I’ll be back working those fisheries into my guiding. A captains license for 2025 will make that an easy reality.

I am excited to head back to the homewater. Michigan has made me appreciate the experiences out west tenfold and realize how lucky I have been with the lifestyle I have. I get to travel, pick places I want to fish, work, and live.  The things I seen, shared, experienced, not just out west but everywhere I’ve been, I am truly fortunate. Thankful to the anglers that frequent my boat and allow me to help them experience fly fishing.

Excited to come back anglers…see ya riverside soon.

Tamarack

Anglers!  August is booking up and I’ve had some things move around which has opened up more dates! 

Remember I’ve got Bass on the Fly in the new boat and Yakima River Trips up for grabs.

August Open Dates:

4th thru 8th, 11th thru 15th

18th thru 23rd, 27th thru 31st.

New September Dates:

2nd thru 5th, 7th and 8th just opened!

16th and 18th.

October Dates:

2nd, 16th, 21st thru 24th, 30th.

That’s what’s left for 2024!  I’ll be back on the Yak August 1st.  I’ll be running early morning trout trips on the mainstem Yakima and Bass Trips on the lower Yak, Potholes, and Quincy Lakes areas.

Book a morning of trout and an evening of Bass!  Give warm water a try, why helping me log hours in my new skiff chasing bass around. Learn new stuff or just run hopper droppers for trout and have a good ol time. There are options and I’m back in the west doing what I do best anglers.

See ya riverside soon!  Reserve Today!

Tamarack

My last August weekends and Fridays are up for grabs.

Aug 11th, 18th, 25th

Fridays left are the 23rd and 30th

Weekdays open to beat the summer crowds.

Bass and Trout Trips.

Aug 30th and Sept 1st I have clinics with Kristen we are running together with spots open for $175.

Reserve before it’s full. Sept and October has a few open dates.

#flyfishing #flytying #chasintrout #guidelife #yakimariver #yakimarivercanyon #pnw #seattleflyfishing #suncadia #guidelife #troutbum #Trout #hogislandboatworks #flyanglerlife

Anglers!  The summer has been fun but I miss the West!

I’m opening up August Dates on the Yakima River and Bass Lakes.

I will be bringing the new skiff with me.  You all helped me get it. It’s only fair you get a chance to see it and maybe take a trip in it.

I will be offering Bass trips with my skiff on Potholes and Quincy Lake Areas.

Yakima early morning trips chasing those big bows and cutties on dries!

Michigan has been a trip, and it has been fun learning how this place may and can come together for me over the next few seasons.  I’ll slowly be building out operations here. But the Yak and the west are calling me back and I miss working.

You know the drill, reserve soon.  Big change of plans I know but I’m ready to head back west.

Hope to see ya riverside in August on the Yakima Anglers.

##flyfishing #flytying #chasintrout #yakimariver #yakimarivercanyon #guidelife #troutbum #trout ##catchandrelease #washingtonflyfishing #seattleflyfishing #suncadia #explore #education ##hogislandboatworks #flyanglerlife

Happy 4th of July Anglers!  I’m headed back to the Yak early. Michigan has been a fun experience that we can all talk about in the boat when I get back.

It’s gonna take more time to get things operational out here. So instead of not working or fishing this summer, I’ve decided to come back a month earlier than planned. I miss work and the Yak.

I’ll be taking August trip dates! 

I’m bringing my new skiff with me for real this time so everyone can lay eyes on it, I can actually work out of it before the winter, and it only seems right since everyone who has been a loyal customer and supporter of mine the past 10 years helped me get it!  I’ll have bass dates open in August on Potholes Resevior and the Quincy Lakes area.

Sign up soon. August gets here quick and I head out July 24th to head back. August 1st thru 30th are open. September and October are almost full but there are a few dates for the fall hanging out there.

I’m taking my son along with me on a road trip to take home home to Idaho. I’m gonna fish a bit along the way with him and have a proper father son road trip.

A bit of a change of plans but it’s just fishing. I hope to see you riverside in August anglers.

Book soon!

Tamarack