Brandon made a comment years ago while talking about Largemouth Bass, “If you want to catch bigger fish, use bigger flies”, simple enough. Well, with the cold water and slowed fish metabolisms this time of year you need to tempt them with a mouthful worth moving for. This means big flies. And like Brandon had said, the results typically mean “BIG fish”! …continue reading Delta, Solo

My co-worker, Jeff, joined me for a day on the water for his first shot at our West Coast’s Morone Saxatilis and it didn’t take long at all before his 9wt was buckled over and thumping with the weight of his first Delta Striper! …continue reading Delta with Jeff

Finally, the week’s end and I was able to get back for two more days. Best of all, I’d managed to talk Lee Haskin into joining me for one of them! The water temperatures had plummeted 6 degrees since last weekend and were currently ranging between 48 and 51. Not good. …continue reading Delta with Lee Haskin

Brandon had to cancel his annual trip down this weekend from Seattle, something about a mortgage, bills, responsibilities… yeah, yeah… what ever. So I downgraded the RV reservations from the big Mallard to the smaller 5th wheel and headed over to the Delta for a solo trip. …continue reading Delta, Sweet 16!

The Pacific North West had it’s fair share of wet weather recently causing record flooding in the North West. When I got the email from Brandon a few days before our trip stating that the river we’d hoped to hit on the way was 10 feet above flood stage it was clear …continue reading Steelhead, November 2006

I get to the marina extra early, launch the boat and begin backing away from the dock as I see Jose backing his boat down the ramp. Once away from the dock I put the boat in forward… and nothing happens. …continue reading Delta with Jose Silva

The Delta’s Fall and Winter striper season started this month and though there hasn’t been a lot of fish in the system yet, there’s been enough action between baby stripers, large mouths, a few nice stipers, and one particulary HUGE moe (that broke me off) to keep me anxious to continue going back for more. And the weather has been BEAUTIFUL! …continue reading Delta, It’s Started!

Today began with a mid morning phone call from Dave. He was waiting for a flight in Seattle on his way back from a 2 week trip to Alaska and was anxious to share his fishing report. Shortly after that came the call from Al on a business trip in Massachusetts. He’d been out fishing the Striper & Bluefish blitzes, though all I really caught from the conversation was …continue reading Dad and Brandon, Colorado

-Standing in a river, fish jumping all around you…

-Standing in a river, fish pushing 30+ pounds jumping all around you…

-Standing in a river, 30+ pound fish crashing down all around you, your fly swims midway through its swing then suddenly stops, the line tightens, the water explodes, your rod bucks violently and your reel breaks into a series of demoniac screams
…continue reading California Kings, 2006

If previous trips south have been referred to as “Brandon’s 30 pound Rooster trip” or “Doug’s Big Rooster trip”, or “The Beach Caught Dorado trip”, this trip’s reference would simply be “Variety”.

…continue reading Baja 7/2006

Dave returns from his annual Atlantic Salmon trip to the Gaspe Penninsula with reason to smile!
…continue reading Atlantic Salmon, July 2006

It started a few weeks ago while exploring some new waterways on my mountain bike. After about 15 miles of peddling along levees, through “Employee Only” parking lots and around saltwater marshes and brackish ponds, I finally saw what I was looking for. …continue reading SF Bones 6/21/2006

It appeared that our long awaited nice weather had finally arrived for good. The sun was out and the temperatures were in the 80’s. The stripers were chasing bait in the big lake, the carp were rooting in the shallow ponds, and Monterey Bay’s surf perch were feeding in the salty wash. It looked as if the Golden State’s winter of record rainfall was officially behind us.
…continue reading Bay Area Slam

$78 in gas
$21 in camping
$30 in food
$12 in launch fees

Ganging up on Al… priceless.
…continue reading The Shirt

Rocky Mountain Bones, Poorman’s Permit, Delta Goldens…
A friend and I were talking the other day about steelhead fishing and trout fishing, two subjects that too often accompany each other into the same conversation between us. We were rambling on about the frustration of rejections and refusals experienced while fishing dry flies. …continue reading SF Bones 4/24/2006

Rampaging, crashing, silent, sparkling Impatient, benevolent, by turns. Treacherous or teasing Inviting, gentle, giving - then a crashing torrent of vengeance. Never apologizing. Never explaining. Jeff Bright’s Found in a River

…continue reading Steelhead, March 2006

With waders on, float tubes over our backs, and rods in hand, Lee paused on the walk down to the water and pointed out over the lake toward the horizon, “You see that spot way out in the middle of the lake Al? …continue reading The Big Lake with Lee Haskin, Feb2006

“Ting”… “Ting”… “Ting”… could be heard coming from the cab as the fully loaded Toyota quietly pulled a little aluminum boat through the early morning stillness of a silent neighborhood not yet awake. Two months had passed since the last trip together and with the wounds healed, the emotional body armor had made a full recovery. This early morning’s barrage of character attacks and insults were no match… “Ting”… “Ting”… “Ting”… …continue reading Delta with Al 2/5/06

Finally, a window between storms, and a windless forecast. With water temperatures down around 49f, the fishing went as expected with a few smaller fish here and there but not many. The real catch turned out to be the peaceful sunny day itself. …continue reading Delta with Dave 1/29/06