Long lunch...

I got a call that the server at work was down so I decided to grab a rod and head to the little creek a few miles away for a long lunch.  2 hours of creeping and crawling on this nervous little creek resulted in numerous spooked browns and 1 little one brought to hand.  I think I may have to try this under the cover of darkness....

It was originally going to be a fishing day...

...but I decided to go to the nearest available trout water and bring my girls along for a day afield.
I got a few casts in and actually had a couple grabs before my attention was required and climbing trees became the mission of the day.  I carried the girls back and forth across the creek so that they could get to the choicest specimens for climbing.   What was planned as a 1-2 hour outing stretched into 4.  Good to see this generation touching dirt, getting scratched and walking on something other than concrete or carpet.  I swung a soft hackle on the way back to the car and brought a few beautiful fish to the net.
As far as fishing goes it was a bit distracted and forced....but we sure kicked ass on the trees.

Another early trout season arrives

40 Degrees all winter and now this?

...and this

...getting the skunk off my waders

Last Ditch Effort

Between cold weather, low water flows, work and the holidays I took it upon myself to make one last ditch effort to find some quasi-anadromous fish before looking wrapping rods and tying flies in the basement during the cold winter months to come.  I called my buddy CA and he said he'd join me.  We drove the 2 hours to an unnamed trib of Lake Michigan, pulled out the two handers and started swinging deep and slow.  He put me on a hot run, (this happens to be a stream he guides on) and I landed a decent brown within the first 10 minutes.  Only shortly thereafter, a big tug came and a thick steelhead boiled downstream.  After a headshaking, rod bending fight I released a nice buck steelhead.  We continued through the day and alternated between warming our fingers and casting.  CA teased up a pair of Coho that were getting toward the end of their spawning run before we called it a day.  Successful and happy, I dried my fingerless wool gloves on the dash as I tried to stay awake and between the lines on the 2 hour drive home...

Musky on the fly

And so it came to pass that despite being certain that I didn't have the time to attend the fall pilgrimage to the Brule for fall Steelhead, I did get sold on a fall Musky trip to the same neck of the woods.  I drove all night after walking the trick or treat beat with my terribly cute daughters in search of processed sugar items.  I arrived under the roof of none other than Shox McSteel at midnight.  He offered up a fridge cold Hamm's and I obliged.  In bed by 1, alarm set for 6:30.   His basement guestroom sleeps well.  Here is what else happened:

The "D" Video ver. 1

Deschutes River Steelhead from Sal Mobyfly on Vimeo.

The New T-Shirts are in...

After a certain amount of inspiration from NK and T-Mos on the "D"...The new T-Shirts are in.