tamaracksguideservice Fly Fishing

Exploring East

I’ve been chasing trout for a while. I feel I’m pretty good and knowledgeable on the subject. I’m also constantly learning. And you never know everything, but you can know a lot. My skillset when it comes to trout is pretty adept now. Which makes learning new places and figuring things out a quicker process. It’s still a process. How many of my clients have spent more than a few trips learning how to fish. I myself took months to even catch a fish on a fly rod. I’ve met so many people that have encountered fish on their first try and many that haven’t. We all go through this process of angler development.

Angler development has stages and it changes. The simple version of it is, you learn the basics, stumble and fumble for a bit, start catching fish, start figuring it out, start losing a lot of fish, get better at not losing fish, then you might like big fish, or a specific kind of fishing like dries or euro, or maybe you like creeks and small rods, or maybe you are a two handed steel chaser, or just like plopping poppers for bass.  We develop into anglers and change as we continue to fish.

Learning new places helps anglers really figure out what they like. It also makes you a better angler.  And travel is good for you.  I myself after 20 years am still developing.  Fly fishing, and I have had a lot of time to settle.  Changing it up helps with getting stale. I went to Florida and wasn’t impressed with saltwater fishing.  But for some anglers, it’s their MF jam dude, and that’s rad. I’m all for passionate anglers. I love trout fishing in the west. Coming east, of course, has shown me how unique Western fishing is.  There is nothing like what we have in Montana, Idaho, B.C., the OP, the Oregon coast, or the heavy fast water of Colorado, and all the stuff in between. Those rivers are special in that there aren’t any like them expect there. 

Michigan trout fishing from my perspective is wittled down to three big rivers, and a few smaller creeks, lakes, and the big areas where the lakes and rivers meet. For comparison to western stuff, it’s like the state has three Rock Creek Montana sized rivers that cut through the state flowing south and then east and west into the big lakes.  Which catch all the water. Everything flows into the big lakes.

The Pere Marquette, the Ausable, and the Manistee River are the big three.  They each have branches or forks, or tribs, depending on where you’re from.  They call them branches out here. There are some smaller streams or creeks. Teanaway, East fork of the Root, upper Blackfoot size, and a few creeks that resemble Flint Creek MT, or Black Tail Ponds WY.  Less than 300 cfs. These rivers are the Pigeon, Black, Rifle, Sturgeon, and so many others. They make up the majority of the 29 rivers that call Michigan home. There are more in the Upper Peninsula, which is a 7 hr plus drive. It’s kinda like driving from Missoula MT to the OP in Washington.  We explore those later.

Max cfs for fishing out here is less than 1800 on the big rivers. They kinda blow out after that. Big rainstorms will do that here, just like MT.  These are small meandering rivers like the smaller spring creeks of Idaho and Montana. They have fish, not as many as Western anglers are used to, and there is a robust stocking program for all these watersheds. Blue ribbon means good access, good fishing opportunities out here. Large fish are throughout the rivers accordingly in structure, deep water, like browns do.  Hanging out being lazy on the bottom a lot of the time. Hiding in structure like shelves, grass beds, logs, the few rocks, and all of the underwater sand dunes. These fish will slide up and around the sandy bottom like Sandworms from Dune looks to smash food.

It’s a low light game in the summer. Just like out west, but it’s more like that 2 hrs window of caddis fishing as it gets dark.  The fishing during the day is slower than I anticipated.  After over a dozen days on 2 different rivers and a few smaller creeks, the activity is low during the day. Like dead silent most of the time.  Fish that do eat are small. The larger ones eat at night, they’ll move for a streamer, but it’s pretty uncommitted so far.

The rivers are easy to wade, but soft bottom and sand are taking me a little, getting used to. I recommend boots, not chacos.  The rivers have current and lots of fun places to punch streamers and dries in.  It’s all structure, bank, and shelf fishing. Tail outs, recess water, subtle riffles, multiple seams of cross current, its all there, its all trouty anglers. Different but trouty. There are bugs, but nothing that rivals anything out west yet.  The Hex have started, and I’ve been able to observe fish eating them in the 45 minutes of the hatch from about 9:30 10pm to about 11pm. Night fishing is an interesting game, and also one that isn’t consistent. They may eat hard one night and then not at all the next, which I have also observed.

I am going to snorkel these waters. They are clear, tannin but clear.  The best way to understand how fish be fish is to just go look. My years and my experience, as well as my little bit of time on these Michigan rivers, tell me that fish hold in deep and tight and move in the mornings and evenings. Browns are naturally more nocturnal.  They are set in that all too familiar early am late pm cycle. Which is a summer thing. The spring and fall are different, of course. Population is something else. There isn’t a lot of room on these rivers compared to places out west. Are there 1000 fish per mile in sections, absolutely. I’ve seen pods of 30 plus large trout feeding on midges on the Ausable, and I’ve heard and seen pods of 5 to 15 feeding in various places. They are there. I want to know how they compare to Western trout.  How do they move about these strange rivers, the sand and grass beds, how do they use them, the deep water and structure, how do they pod up, how territorial or friendly are they, do they react more to light, or movement, are they sensitive to boat traffic and people. 

All of these things have now spiked my curiosity to learn more about these places so that I can better understand and appreciate them. I don’t particularly care if I catch fish most days. And when I do, it’s usually just for one. But I do want to understand how a river system works, and these rivers are oranges to apples from what I understand. The fish are the same. But their environment is not.

Michigan is a fucking deciduous jungle. Currently, it’s 80 degrees and probably 60 plus humidity. I love the humidity anglers.  It’s so nice. It’s like Florida was in November. Just pleasant. Made the beard get shorter, but man, the weather is nice. Also it’s cloudy like all the time here. Not Seattle gross clouds in November, but just normal awesome fishing cloud cover.  The wind here ain’t near as bad. And even when it is, there are so many damn trees they soak up almost all of it. Even on the lakes wind ain’t been like the Yak or other western rivers.

Camping here is wonderful. With lots of room.  You can float to campgrounds and have shuttles run for multiple day floats.  Lots of canoe and kayak access, plenty of raft and drift boat, and skiff access.  Most people use the same boats as out west. A lot of old Hyde driftboats, a few adipose, lots of stealthcrafts.  I even met another Hog Island skiff owner on the lake near where I live. There are tubers and kayakers all over. Doesn’t bother fishing too much. It’s got a similar feel to the summer as out west. The birds are way cooler out here. I’ll say that. It’s what makes it like a jungle. On any given day, there are 10 to 25 birds making noise.

Also, there are fucking fireflies every night!  No one told me how freaking rad those little light up butt Beatles are. They are like little blue and chartreuse sparkly LED lights from 10 to 1am. So awesome to watch them. The other night, Kristen and I watched them blink and twinkle along the riverside of the Manistee in the thousands while fish ate Hex, caddis, and Spinner Fall. It’s not always about fishing. Sometimes, it is just about appreciating the space and the opportunity to explore and witness it.

Being so attached to the Western rivers, this place can make one feel out of sorts as an angler.  A new phase of my development as an angler.  I’ve needed a good challenge, and it’s part of what I was seeking out making this move.  More to explore here in regards to trout.  The opportunities for other species are more vast than the trout fishing here in Michigan. 

Lakes upon lakes and several big short rivers that hold bass, musky, pike, gar, and carp.  I have only ticked the surface of that kind of fishing here. It’s much more straightforward, in my opinion, than trout fishing. Especially bass, but pike eat, that’s what they do. Musky are a challenge, but they are more abundant here than places I’ve chased and caught them before.  The salmon and lake run rainbows they have here are of little interest to me personally and professionally.  As I felt out west with steelhead, it ain’t for me. I’ve caught my chrome. It was fun. I’m good. I’d rather chase something warmer in the winter months. Just not Florida. 

The start of my summer has been interesting.  It’s strange not working and being on river rhythm each day. Things change this next week.  My son will be here, and we will be exploring this place together.  Something I’m looking forward to.  Taking time off of work was a necessity for many reasons.  My body is a little wore out after 10 years. Many know my knee was funky two seasons ago, no more jumping outta the boat for me.  I’ve been fishing less because my right elbow needs a huge break from rowing but also fishing. I wear a brace when I do row and fish now. 

Most importantly. I wanted to take the opportunity to spend time with my kids this summer and the next few as they get ready to become young adults themselves. My oldest kids are almost 17 and 15. The youngest is 10 now. They are easier to see living here in Michigan.  Flying them is much more affordable here, especially as they get older. They are getting to point where they also want to explore and discover. I want time to be there with them through that. 

I have a partner who is building something out here and needs support. Her business is taking off and requires more hands and eyes, and we work very well together professionally. New opportunities that allow me to continue working in fly fishing without the wear and tear on my body are here.  New ways of teaching and learning, new people to bring into fly fishing, and for once I get to be less of a boss and more of an employee, running a business for 10 years is some shit. Especially in recent years. The ability to let the Yakima take care of itself and my clients being the most awesome and supportive booking trips the way you all have is a freaking huge weight off my workload. It is because of all of you I am able to expand.

Lastly, and I guess selfishly, but also just because I need a break.  I wanted time off.  Guiding takes it’s toll and I’m in this for the long haul. I needed time for myself.  I have other things that have come into life that I want to give my attention to.  I’m almost 40 and have to start thinking about what’s next and what my career looks like, where I want to be, and what I want to be guiding. It’s a little scary, but it’s what I need, so I don’t burn out.  I never set out to only guide one river or one place. This time off was to give myself the break to search that out.  I can’t guide like I’m 28 anymore, nor do I want to. I have developed into a different guide and want more and different just as we all do as anglers.  I want different experiences in new places.  Adventure is the journey of figuring that out and what is discovered along the way.  I can’t accomplish that for myself if I’m on the river for others every day.  I wanted some time for that. Needed it.  This world isn’t always easy.  Especially when you chase your passion and try to make a living doing your own thing. It’s a  choice I am happy I made.  Things have settled a bit here in Michigan.  I’m ready to start sharing some of these spaces with anglers and clients into July amd August. The opportunities are vast and diverse here. I’m only just getting into it, and it’s always a good time to explore and experience it with others. I hope to see some familiar faces out east, and meet new and excited anglers here.

See ya riverside anglers.

Tamarack

tamaracksguideservice Fly Fishing

Returning to Fishing

I have been an angler for 20 years now. Started at 18 and haven’t stopped. Fishing has been a determining factor of who I am for my adult life. I turned my passion for fishing, teaching, exploring, wildlife, the outdoors, and guiding into a business. It has been a good business that has given me opportunities my 18 year old self would have never dreamed of having. The past 20 years I have spent a good number of those days fishing. It grew exponentially as I hit my mid 20s. Then it plateaued. I became a guide.

Guiding meant I fished less for myself and helped others fish. I spent the past 10 years doing that. I still would fish. But it was much less than before I was a guide. The busier I got, the less time I fished on my own. I loved it. But burnout is a real thing and I have wanted to fish more and more for myself in the past few seasons. I started taking more trips for myself the past few summers. Hitting rivers I fished when I was younger, and finding new favorite ones. I shared rivers with friends, fellow guides, former clients, and anglers. I met my partner riverside and have travelled and fished all over the country the past few seasons. I moved to Michigan on a new adventure and to seek out new water and opportunities. I will be taking most of the summer off to just fish for myself.

Of course there is an underlying reason for the time off and fishing for myself. In my experience, the best way to learn a new area is to fish it. My lifestyle affords me the ability to be a trout bum and do just that. I get to enjoy fishing for a while. Find what inspires me, what fish species drive me to chase them, where will I find encounters with fish and nature, what areas will make me want to keep them to myself, and which ones will make me want to share? These are things I spent my 20’s answering, exploring all over the western trout fisheries. From Alaska to Colorado, and everything in between that struck my fancy and that I could get to. I found amazing fish, met wonderful people, and got to experience fishing in a way I didn’t know was possible.

Before social media mind you, I am that old now. This was back when digital cameras were a brick and we are all about megapixels. A lot of these adventures were captured on actual film or not at all except in memory. I didn’t have a decent camera the first time I hooked a bulltrout in Canada, there is a tattered picture of a greenback trout from Colorado somewhere, and on a sim card in a storage unit in a box, somewhere in Idaho there is a picture of me holding my lifetime steelhead from the OP when I was 22, right around my birthday. I had adventures, I caught fish, I experienced wilds and rivers, and places all before it meant likes and follows or was part of my business. It was just for me, for the joy of it. It had no influence other than I loved to fish.

I settled on the Yakima 10 years ago. I had opportunity to guide all over but I had a new family at the time and my personal off river life kept me close to where I grew up. I fell in love with the Yakima River. I know every inch of that river these days. I became a very good guide on that river and was fortunate to share that river with hundreds of clients over the years. I have built lasting relationships as a guide with people out west and will always return to chase the trout in the big waters out there.

The East is a different beast. And many have left comments or asked why I came East. As a home grown PNW angler who has fished just about all the good stuff over the past 20 years. I am good. I have experienced it all for what I wanted to fish and see. These days its a little more crowded then before 2010 but I have fished and caught enough trout out west for now. That will surely change with time but for now…I am good. The East has a lot more to offer. A bigger piece of the fishing world. I hit Florida this past winter for a month. It is one of the largest sport fishing destinations in the world. It is massive in terms of fishing. Michigan the the Midwest area are equally as large but more spread out and makes the western side of the countries sport fishing world look very small. Commercial fishing is the big dog out west, as someone who has worked in Alaska and been a sport guide for a while, commercial fishing for consumption is the big player out west. Here in the east its more just the sport fishing. Yes there is harvest, but its mostly for sport with a side of harvest.

I had some confusion with one of my last posts that I compared Michigan to Alaska. Now the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is like Southeast Alaska. Just without mountains. But what really hits me is the local fishing culture. That is what reminds of me of Alaska. Fishing is just older and more engrained in the everyday lives of people in Michigan, much like Alaska. That is the comparison. Here near Detroit everyone owns a boat, most people have fishing gear, and everyone has fished or does fish. Fly fishing is a little less common but the further north your go the more you find it. The west makes fishing out to be a really big deal, and dresses it up in really polished fancy cloths in comparison, takes itself really seriously. And I am from the west and am part of that. The east just doesn’t care as much. Fishing is just something everyone does. Less of a big deal, and with it readily available to everyone just about anywhere even these urban areas, the fishing culture is just very different. I enjoy it because as I just want to enjoy fishing with no pressure…that seems to be the main operating speed out here.

I have been back almost 2 weeks. I have fished more days than not. I have only had one kind of crappy experience, more due to a crummy fly shop encounter than anything else. Some places ain’t all they are made out to be on social media anglers just saying. But besides that, this fishing has been rather good. I can’t complain. A rained out Au Sable River last week sucked but I was able to learn about how finicky that river is and how I don’t want to fish finicky rivers right now….I have had enough of those for a summer. I love bass fishing. It is simple compared to trout fishing a river. I love simple fishing. Bass eat, they like topwater they are easier to track and predict, and when I put effort into catching them…I really catch them. I don’t care about size…I am a trout angler not a bass tournament guy…I care about eats. I want eats. So bass fishing is great…because in 3 hrs of puttering around the lake I can stick 15 to 30 bass when I put effort in. I enjoy that kind of fishing. Move into a zone, hunt the fish out of it, work a grid, depths, angles, lengths, structure, lanes, weed beds, drop offs, ridges, bars, I get to use sonar tools and really pick apart areas. Make my brain work without the pressure of having to produce for anyone or anything. I am just getting to fish the way I like.

For me it is freedom. I have been tied to the Yakima River’s schedule and rhythm for 10 years. Dialed and locked in. My drift boat and I just chunking out miles and working that river. My entire work life has been attached and dictated by the Yakima River. I wasn’t lying when I said I needed a break. Once I got out of Montana on the drive east…I finally felt things stop pulling on me. I love that river anglers…but I need a break.

The Freedom I feel out here is also because I have the 2 things that I need to really make that possible. My trusty guide rig, and my new boat. My new Hog Island Skiff is finally growing on me. I have had mixed feelings about it since Florida. But being here in Michigan I am glad I have it. It allows me to fish as I please, where I please. With my roof top, rig, and boat I can explore and discover as I see fit. Working out here is the goal and will happen sooner rather than later, but for now I am enjoying the ability to just fish for myself.

I enjoy the quiet of the stillwater and rivers out east. It has a different feel than the waters I have encountered out west. The eastern waters speak playfully, filled with life. The bird songs have a different cacophony than those I recall from my younger days. There is mystery in the east. A myriad of abundant species of fish make for a surprise each encounter. There is less pressure out here for me. I don’t feel the need to perform, no one knows me, I am just fly fishing. When I fish I get to be quiet, just enjoy, be a part of it. I missed this kind of fishing. The summer will be filled with days where I can fish as intense or as aloof as I want. A chance to recharge in a way I haven’t been able to in a long time. A chance to fish.

Tamarack

tamaracksguideservice Fly Fishing

A Michigan Summer

Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer. Back on the homewater, the Yakima River, she is having her regular salmon pulse bringing the river up for the weekend. It will still fish just fine. But as always an inconsistent river. I will not say I miss it. To be honest I do not. I have fished and guided the Yakima heavy for 10 years. It has been my main fishery for 20 years. We both deserve, earned, and need a break.

Michigan is very different. It is humid here. Like Florida in November. I love it. Growing up in the Columbia Basin in Washington I am accustomed to dry heat. Which I loathe. Desert ain’t for me. But this place. Michigan, a deciduous, marsh, swamp, lake, river meandering maze of a state…is quite different and all to appealing. Even in the urban area outside of Detroit that I am currently staying it is a wonderful mix of nature and human development. There is water everywhere. From where I am sitting I am within 20 different bodies of water…all of which have fish, all of which have public access for wading and boats. It’s like Alaska, only thing I can reference this place too. The amount of water, the culture surrounding fishing, boating, and water is thick. The further north you go the more rugged and wild this place gets. It reminds me of Alaska. Even the humidity to a degree. But its much warmer here.

I have trout, bass, pike, and gar fished since I have arrived from my long drive across the country. What a drive too. I did 2200 miles in 2 days. It was nuts. My trusty Toyota Guide Rig made it all the way without a hiccup. Since then we have bummed it up to the Au Sable river. Which is having a weird summer just like most places out west. Rains blew her out so to speak, put fish down, and the water temps here are already on the rise due to low snow and warm temps. Just like out west. Which is a reason I moved east. Here, when it gets warm, there are considerably more options for an angler and a guide.

There are more warm water species here and in abundance than anywhere out west. I have a lake 10 minutes from the house I fished the past 3 days that has at least 6 different species in it. Largemouth, Smallmouth, Bream Species like Bluegill and Sunfish, Pike, and Gar, and probably a muskie or 2. Caught fish each day, some big, with effort could have really good days. That’s just one lake. I hit another a few days ago that was mostly a boating lake but also was full of bass and fished well for the amount of time and effort I put in. Better days than I’ve had out west chasin bass for sure. I haven’t even scratched the surface. Michigan is home to one the most famous small mouth lakes in the world. Lake St. Claire. We share it with Canada. Its an hour from where I am, and is touted as the best smallmouth fishery around. Again just one lake. Michigan is home to some of the best stillwater fishing for multiple species. Between Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, you have one of the largest and most diverse sport fishing regions in the country. Fishing is a very different animal out here compared to anywhere in the PNW and even Montana. Again Alaska is the only place that compares when it comes to fishing culture.

I moved here so that I could have more options and I have lived in the PNW my entire life. A big change was also something I was after. This is a big change. The driving and the urban areas alone here are above and beyond anything out west for my county bumpkin ass coming from a town of less than 2000 people. The fishing is overwhelming. Again what I was after. I have more options than I could get through in a lifetime here. So many places to fish. Not only that, Michigan is central to so many other places to fish. Its easier to travel to places like Wisconsin’s Driftless area, the whitewater of Pennsylvania, Canadian wilderness, I can get to Florida in 2 days skiff in tow and everything in between. It’s mind boggling.

In Washington, in 6 to 8 hrs I could be to some of the best trout fishing in the west. In 6 hrs I have access to literally hundreds of bodies of water. Blue Ribbon Trout streams, famous hatches, small and large mouth bass fishing up the ass, some of the worlds best muskie and pike fishing, carp, crappie, bream, catfish, walleye, there is so much here. This summer is a time to explore.

I find myself really digging the spaces I find myself in. I love to fish, and guiding the same body of water for a decade has taken its toll on my passion for fishing personally. I love guiding, but I started out with a pure love and passion for fishing. And here in Michigan, away from everything familiar, I am finally able to be free in that space again. It has been needed. Guiding is my career, and I am always chasing guide days on the calendar. Already my Fall Season for Trout on the Yakima is almost full. But I need to fish for me. That need to go fishing that my clients hire me for. That feeling has been lost on me over the years. I have been work focused. Which is still enjoyable but not the same as just getting to go fish. And even out west, when I would take time off to go fish, there was always pressure to produce. The west does that. It skews the fishing world and holds angles to this somewhat unattainable standard. Big fish, big casts, big takes, big likes, big profile views, all the right gear, look the part, polished, and porny. That’s just not fishing. And I am the first to admit that I feed into that with what I do for a living. I try and tame it with the live streams and the blogs, but the machine of social media and what commercializing this activity does will always be a facet of this business.

Here in Michigan I get to take a step back from that a little bit. Kind of figure out which way things are going to flow as we transition into something different.

Guiding here is not far off. But I will enjoy taking some time of from guiding. I have put a lot of time into guiding and there are other things in fishing that I am good at. A lot of that has taken a back seat to guiding over the years so I am looking forward to tying, producing content that isn’t in line with what our industry wants, give anglers something real. Me exploring the east through trial and error is pretty real. Out here, I am going back to basics. Tying my own leaders and flies, using less expensive gear, because it doesn’t really matter. Fly fishing along with everything else in the world is getting expensive and I refuse to let something like money keep me from enjoying fly fishing. When I entered this gig it was like that. It catered to the rich and wealthy. Fuck that, fish don’t care, and I see the trend of pricing out the regular fly angler happening again in fly fishing. It has never had to be that way. That’s something I want to show out here. Because I am a broke ass trout bum guide. I live this life for real. And you don’t need all that fancy shit to get it done.

I haven’t even started to scratch the surface of fishing out here. I am looking forward to it. And I will be guiding out here before too long. I already have been to places here that I want to share in a professional capacity. I want to test my guiding and fishing skillset with clients. I want to meet new clients and people, learn the things that connect them to the water and fly fishing, or maybe introduce them to it in their own backyard. It is why I guide. Not for clout, or money, or to be famous on social media. But to share spaces with others and let them experience nature, water, and fish in a unique way with a fly and rod in their hand. There isn’t anything that is quite like it.

Michigan is a good place for me to do that. I have accomplished that on the Yakima, it takes care of itself and I will continue to work the west. But I get to explore the east and share that experience with all my followers, clients and new people. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. I am looking forward to exploring and discovering through fly fishing here in Michigan. The summer is just getting started. Lets go.

Tamarack

tamaracksguideservice Fly Fishing

Spring is ending. Fall Dates! 

My Spring is almost over and the fall is almost full anglers.

SEPTEMBER Dates Remaining:

1st thru 6th, 10th, 12th, 18th and 19th, 30th.

OCTOBER Dates Remaining:

1st and 2nd, 15th and 16th, 21st thru 25th, 27th thru 30th.

That’s only 24 days left anglers. Book them before they are gone.

I’ll be back sometime on late August anglers.

A lot is changing this summer, and I’m excited to start by taking some time off to fish for myself. 

I’ll be guiding in Michigan in a shirt while but I’m taking time explore new spaces for myself and for guiding.

Thank you for a great spring.

Tamarack.

tamaracksguideservice Fly Fishing

Hard Days

I have hard days, just like every angler.  As an experienced angler, I know some days are just not very fishy.  I can feel it on those days. It’s usually just timing but some days just aren’t fishy because trout are worried about something other than food. 

There is always an answer.  Sometimes, it means they won’t eat, which means fishing is slow for a while.  Sometimes, it means  they won’t eat at all.  I’ve had lots of days in the past 10 years that are slow. Less and less, but it still happens. Bad weather moves in, River blows out, first day of bright sunshine. Lots of things.  I can anticipate and adjust throughout the day.  I’m rather good at it.  

I know the Yakima really well. Every inch. Even the LC. I have my preferred floats just like every guide and angler.  I have ones I know better than others. But I don’t learn too much from the Yakima.  We just kind of understand each other.

I’m patient. Really….really…really…patient anglers.  It’s my best quality as a guide and probably as a person. I’m rather unphased by much. Tangles, lost flies, broken rods that are accidents or fish related. Normal guide day shit. Not a big deal. Happens all the time. I can usually help get it fixed with instruction, so at the end of the day, it’s on me to make you better so mistakes happen less.  Because that’s all that stuff is.  Mistakes.

Not listening, casting too much line, not listening, not paying attention to rod tips, or not watching bobbers and flies, not listening, setting too fast, too slow not enough slack, too much slack, missed fingers on line, bad counter, drop of rod tips, all mistakes.  They happen, it’s fishing, don’t get to bummed.

These things don’t break my patience. Test it sometimes, yes, but at the end of the day, I don’t have the rod in my hand.

I still have hard days with clients.  New and regulars. Sometimes people are off their game, aren’t focused, have stuff on their mind. Some days the fish are playing really tough. Sometimes I’m a little off.  Not usually the case…but sometimes.

The hardest days are with regulars. Especially ones that put pressure on me to perform. And thats what they hire me for. I’m a high-performance guide with a lot of my regulars.  We are after numbers and size, here to sweep and clean. 

It’s a two-way street.  I bring my absolute best A game, pick the best float based on all conditions including recent guide pressure in previous days, weather shifts, flow changes, and every other thing that factors into what it takes to perform at a high level. 

Clients…are also held to that high standard…by me.  And I’m really good at this anglers. I expect excellence on these days.  I am really hard on mistakes and when things get sloppy I’ll let you suffer through it until it’s time to shape up and then I will be on your ass with every single casting stroke and mend required to catch fish.  I won’t let you get away with shit.  And when you fuck it up…I’ll let you know.  I’ll help you get better, but it has the sting of disappointment on it.

It’s intense, and again, it’s agreed upon, and we all know what’s up when this is going down.  This isn’t something you just get to do. It is something that usually morphs throughout the day.   When a slow day hits, with one of these clients. It can break relationships and sever ties between guide and client.  It’s happened.  Not for a long time, but it has.  I’ve gotten a lot better at guiding since then, and I’m not as young and out to prove.  I still like to get on that level and do most of the time, but I’ve made it a smooth process over the years. Ease you into it.  Like a good coach as one of my last clients and girlfriend pointed out.

A great guide will get through these hard days and have an ace up their sleeve.  Mine is patience and knowledge. 

On slow days with more demanding clients…my patience can get razor thin. I wait it out.  Fish gotta eat sometime.  And I know a lot of things about trout and this river. When sloppy casts start flying, attitude gets sour, and complaining starts… that’s usually when I start to turn it on.  Because when a client hits that space, it means we are almost about to get started.  

You’ll know it’s started when I start rowing more, slowing the boat down, and then telling you where to cast.  I’m not asking, telling.  I won’t let you bomb BP casts, and I’ll tell you to tighten it up. If it’s real shit I’ll tell you to clean it up.  I will tell you when to recast, and where.  I’ll adjust it by 12 inches and have you repeat it 5 times.  I’ll back row, adjust the rig, and make you do it again.  If you’re not listening, you’re wasting precious time. When I’m in this mode… I need everything you’ve got, and you’re going to be rewarded if you are up to the challenge.

It means that I’ve figured it out, it’s dialed and now is the time.  When it’s slow all day and I’m still on river as the sun sets…it means I know what I’m doing.  I would’ve rowed us out and called it otherwise. Get ready, and let’s really fish.  I call it cleaning house for a reason. 

Hard days are worth it.  You’ll learn a lot about fish and about fishing.  And when I say about fishing, I don’t mean casting and flies, and all that stuff.  I mean, how to be an angler.  How to respect the space, be a part of it, and appreciate the guide who really understands it. They are there to help you understand it. It’s not just about the fish.  Understanding them, you’ll earn more from them and the rivers they call home.

Tamarack

tamaracksguideservice Fly Fishing

25 days left for Fall!

I’ve only got 25 days left for the Fall 2024 season on the Yakima!  It’s booking up earlier than expected! 

I’ll be back late August for Sept trip dates starting the 1st. I have left dates open for reschedules that didn’t get made up this spring. So that only leaves 25 days for bookings. 

September dates: 1st-5th, 7th.

Cranefly dates are almost snapped up with September: 10-12th, 16th, 18th, 23rd, and 24th. 

Prime October caddis Dates left are: October 1st-3rd, 14th-16th.

BWO and Streamer dates late season: October 21st-31st.

They are going quick and I’ve got several regulars that have penciled in dates so it’s time to start locking the fall down. And a Friday and a weekend or 2 reserved for reschedules.

Thank you all so much for your continued support and patronage. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone in the fall and hearing how the summer was.  I also will be sharing my exploration of Michigan fisheries as I expand to new places.

It is because of you all, my clients and anglers, that I get to change it up, fish for myself a bit, and learn and guide a new area.  It’s exciting, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity this life, this career, and all of you have given me.

I’ll be back for the Fall!  See ya riverside anglers.

Tamarack