Well, Shit.

It has been a hell of a week.

It all started last Sunday morning, I was packing up a convention booth in Ottawa, getting ready to head for the Gaspe the next morning; when a fellow who I really don't get along with too well offered to help me tape up a box by cutting the tape with his knife. I said yes as I had nothing to cut tape with and had to bite it off. Well, on the first cut he was a little too enthusiastic, and the knife was fairly large, and it ended up in my leg. Just above the knee.

At first I wasn't sure what happened. I looked at my pants and saw a gash in them. I pulled up my pants to see a nice fillet of meat, but no blood. The guy said "I guess I got you" and I said "What the Fuck". Then I got up and headed for the bathroom, to keep blood from getting on my pants. 50 feet later my pants were soaked in blood and I was off to the ER. I was alright in the end and would still be able to fish. The Packers lost that night.

In four days of fishing and after showing countless flies to thousands of fish (visible fish) I never got to fight or land a fish. That's my third trip this year without landing a fish, third in a row. I had 3 solid grabs and was unable keep one connected for more than a few seconds.

Now a am in Quebec City spending the day in a motel room. The knee is hurting and black and blue and the Packers lose to Tampa, and Farve throws 6 TDs with his new team.

Well, shit. I come home from Canada in a week and I can not wait to be home and outa here

St Jean - Rusty Rocks - I still suck

Day 4
Gaspe

York River - The Keg

Day 3

Gaspe

Rusty and I fished Keg Pool on the York River today. Quebec Sporting also booked one of their guides and a Client on this water with us. There is not even enough room on this run for 2 people to fish it at the same time so the third angler was not welcome, and it was not what we had paid for.

This short run was certainly full of fish and on his second pass through the run the other angler hooked and landed a small salmon, figures. He kept the fish and called it a day, which was awesome.

We rested the pool and then I fished through with a #8 low water Black Bear Green Butt and just a jolting grab, I am so sick of grabs with out a hooked fish. I am ready to feel a fish.
Rusty followed me through and hooked a solid fish. It fought hard, getting tangled in a beaver dam, but Wayne (our guide) and rusty crossed the river, got the fish free and landed the big guy. Wayne said the fish was around 25-30lbs.

St. Jean- The Bluff - A Little Better

Day 2

Gaspe

We fishe the Bluff run on the St. Jean. It was a pretty fun cast and step run that fished from both sides ans was holding over 100 salmon.

Rusty went through the run first and hooked a 7-8lb salmon. He got some good jumps out of the fish before it shook free.

I was able to get a grab on a #8 Night Hawk, and even got the fish to come back for a second touch.

The St jean is an amazingly clear river and very beautiful.

York River- Zone 4- Beatdown

Gaspe
Day 1

Rusty and I fished Zone 4 of the York River today. There were about 70-80 Salmon in the pool we fished today, but they were what are called "dour". We put wet and dry flies over these fish in sizes 10-2/0, every imaginable color, and you've got it, we were skunked.

The river is beautiful.

New Notes on the Sage 8110-4

I went out casting with Paul and Tom today we have had a kind of casting club this summer. One of my first two handed rods was a Scott 15' 9wt ARC. I sold that rod to Paul in 2001 and Bought it back this year as a long belly rod, on which I am casting the orginal 7/8 XLT, it's...ok.

Anyway, these summer days spent casting the long belly have truly helped me improve my technique.

Well, today I took the 8110-4 Sage out and paired it up with a 6/7 AFS Scandinavian Head by Rio with a 5' polyleader, and it is the best line I have tried on this rod. I did have the ocassion to try the new AirFlo compact scandi on the Burkheimer 7115, it was real good with a 10' polyleader.

Early September Beat Down

Well, I know that all steelheaders get the opportunity to get beatdown by steelhead fishing. Hell, it's part of our quest. Days on end fishing hard and no fish to show for it. Well, I just got the beat down, and it really hurt.

Dam counts on the Columbia have been huge, reports on Larimer's were promising, and Charlie and I had what appeared to be the ultimate plan. We were hitting the Deschutes from September 3 - 10, we were starting the trip by hiking into Kloan and staying for several days. Most fishing reports showed that fish were heaviest in the lower river, and Charlie and I were geared to fish both the twighlight and Midday programs.

We nearly killed our selves hiking into kloan only to discover that the place was packed, Justin Timberlake doesn't crowds like this. Charlie and I got the last campsite, then we hit the river. I hooked a fish within an hour or two, it came off, and that was it for grabs on the Deschutes. We spent two more days in Kloan, then we checked out the upper river, which was deserted, and the mouth which was way crowded, and we took a short jaunt over to the Klickitat. The klickitat was in perfect shape but, fihing reports were down right depressing, I spoke with two guys who had been fishing the Klick for the last 15 years and they had just fish for 5 days and gotten one grab.

Charlie did get a small steelhead on the Deschutes durinmg midday, but his fire was not quenched by it. We had the canyon to our selves, allowing to fish an evening solo on pipeline, guides across the way and no touched shit.

So Charlie and I headed for the Umpqua after much debate. Upon reaching the Umpqua we both agreed we should have gone sooner. The Umpqua is amazing. It was my second time their and Charlies first. I had gotten a very large steelhead on the Umpqua in 2004, but the technique was not the one I would have chosen to mark such a big fish on such a magic river.

This time fishing was as tough as the wading. I got a 17" Sea Run Cutt on a dry at the Station and got a solid pull on the Bidge Abudtments run at RM28. We fished and hung out with a great group of guys and their wives. Rob Allen and his wife Rene, rob rolls the blanks at Burkheimer. John and Ilene from SoCal, they have fished every where. and Brad Burden and his wife, Brad ties incredible flies, check just about any steelhead fly book (shewey's or Helvie's books specifically) we had breakfast with this group twice at the Steamboat Inn. There company and encouragement kept us fairly upbeat through the beatdown and constant Umpqua river dunks.

On our last night of the trip Charlie and I headed back to portland and on to visit Nate at the Burkheimer rod shop. I met Nate while fishing the Sandy last spring. Nate showed us the shop, which is good cause I always like seeing it again and Charlie sells BUrkheimers at Tightlines fly shop and seeing the Burkheimer facilty helps a person truly apreciate how great these rods are.

After our tour we, Charlie, Nate and I hit a Pub in Portland and talked steelhead till 10:30 and I was the party pooper who called it, in order to get to the hotel and pack our bags. Thanks Nate.