Salar Cross Over

Well, I just booked a trip to Fish The Gaspe in September. The plan is that Rusty and I will hit the York, Dartmouth, and St-Jean at the end of the month. We are fishing with the crew from Quebec Sporting, which has a great website, with great pictures. I am really looking forward to it.

I am Also heading to the Miramichi again this July, I am taking a customer there for two days of fishing. Since we will have a guide, I will get to fish as well. I am tying Bombers, Green Machines and just about every salmon fly in size 6 and 8 like crazy.

After the Miramichi trip I will stay in maritime Canada to visit other customers, and this will include a visit to New Foundland as well as Nova Scotia.

A year ago my only experience with Atlantic Salmon was not catching them at Sault St-Marie.
Now I am going to fish for them 3 times in on year. I can't believe it.

Hello Fox and Two lines for the 8110-4 Sage

This morning I headed out to the Oconto to try some line setups I came up with last night after working with my Sage Switch rod yesrterday. So I went over to J To try out my new skagit rig. It was a great spring morning and it was clear that beyond any contrary word, mother earth had removed the last of her wintery garb and was now slipping into something a little more pleasant and revealing. birds of all kinds scuuried an lolled along the river's corridor today.

Anyway, Line Notes Below:


Compact Skagit 540grn w/ 4' T14: A great match. The total length minus tippet is 30', which is already nearly 3 time the rod length. I fished a string leach that Charlie gave me on the Descutes about a year ago (found it in my trunk). I tried the Perry's poak with no problems. the Double with no problems, and the snap was a snap. I was getting very long cast out of the setup with a pretty heavy fly. I'm real happy with this rig for nearly every WI river w/ one exception, and for rivers like the Ronde were a longer section og t14 is not needed. I think I could get another 1-2' of T14 on but not more than that. I am not sure how T8 would work. I ordered a Compact Skagit of 510grns and I think that will be the ticket for using a 9-10' section of T14.




From J I headed to winters to try a Scandi idea and to try to hook a hatrchery brown on the rod to see how that felt. On my way I had a deer cross the road which this morning seemed extra beautiful, then a 1/2 mile later I saw a fawn jumping around in the tall grass by the road and then it hit the deck as I drew near. I then saw that I was not the only one eyeing the fawn in it morning throws.



Maybe fifty feet from where the fawn so recently been sat a Fox on a little hillside, also very near the road. I pulled up to the fox, who did nothing of note in response. I then Said to the Fox from my window. "Hello Fox," the fox turned its head towards me and leveled an indifferent stare, "your not about to bother that fawn are you?" I asked. The fox stood and sauntered off, and I thought of how I had really gotten too used to talking to my pets, as I really only thought it natural to talk to a fox.


Any way I got to Winters and Caught a fat brown which put up a good tussle and below are my notes from the scandi experiment:


Windcutter 9/10/11 minus the midsection: Nice and easy. This was just great as a Scandi-like head. I was throwing the 15' intermediate tip and I could feel that going to a type 3 or 6 would be no issue. I also took off the 15' and tried a 10' Airflo poly leader floating, it was a little too light.



So there it is, a memorable morning that that happens every day without me, and I am ready enough to fish the 8110-4.

Dialing In the Sage 8110-4

So, I got the Sage 8110-4 Switch rod. I was about to order the Burkheimer which I knew would be the best of the best, but the price tag was huge, and I wanted to buy a rod from Tightlines, as Tim has always treated me so good. Now that I have the 8110 all I have to do is figure out which lines to fish on it.

I tested a few line today with some success. Here are my notes:

Airflo Compact Skagit 540grn W/9' of T14: I was able to double spey this set up with a large intruder I was able throw about 11 strips (33') of running line. I was having alot of trouble setting up the perry poke or a snap-T with a strong down stream wind, but I think it was more than the wind. I think the length and weight combined were more than could be easily handled by the system.

Windcutter 6/7/8: this just felt too light.

Vision Head for the Burk 7133-3 With 11' Hover Leader by Airflo: It casts but dies at the end and the Snap-T is uncomfortable to setup cross body.

I took the Airflo Leader off the Vision and went to a tapered mono leader 10' long. Worked pretty well but had a good size splash down. I think Ideal will be this vision with a 4' or5' airflo leader and straight mono after.


Below is information that I picked up on the Website of the Flyshop in Welche's Oregon
Line Matches:
Rio Outbound WF-10-F; Really solid-All around spey both single hand and traditional spey. “Wicked” overhead single hand.
Rio Skagit 350 w/ 15’ tip; Pretty nice all round all purpose spey, great line speed, slight “suspect” on load. Super smooth overhead
Rio WindCutter 10/11/12 Body only + 15’ sink tip; Top 2 best all around spey. Both single hand and traditional spey. Nice overhead w/ shooting head style loop (open) and terminal line speed
Rio Skagit 400 + 15’ tip; For sure the line for all forms of spey (single hand and traditional). Good Overhead.
Rio Steelhead/Atlantic Salmon WF-9-F; Superb, smooth overhead line. Really nice with single hand single spey. The trout choice. Think of it as the MidSpey for switch rods.

So Quickly its Over

I just returned from Eastern Canada late last week and first chance I got I head for one of the northern locals which is known for having Steelhead around later than the rest of Wisconsin's Lake Michigan coast.

As I walked the train bridge out to the island I thought I saw the some Steelhead working in some choppy water just under the train bridge. I dropped down the bank and fished a long run along the island, and landed a small buck right away on a run that I am now naming "Steven's Limited"
Stevens for the great Michigan musician Sufjan Stevens and Limited as it is reminiscent of train titles and because the water needs to be very high for it to fish so it is limited.

I landed another bigger buck (#6) on a run called Wolverine the fish was colored but the fight was better than most November Steelhead. I hooked and lost another nice fish and several very large bass.

I was back two days later and the fish were totally gone, at least the steelhead were gone. The water was much warmer as well, so I guess it's over. So quickly it's over.

Happy Victoria Day & Nick Adams

Today is a Holiday in Canada. I did not know this when I planned a business trip to the eastern provinces a month ago, but I am here in Moncton, NB and have shut myself up in a hotel room.
A friend of mine has been reading Ernest Hemmingway's "Nick Adams Stories" and mentioned them to me to. Those stories would be great to have on a day like today, as it is very rainy here, and it would be great to filter a mind full of northern images through the pages of Hemmingway.

Oh Miramichi!

I drove down to the Miramichi from the base of the Little Gaspe in Quebec on Wednesday night. My GPS, set to take the most direct route, chose that I should travel southeast on old Highway 108, A remote two lane road that travel straight through the Canadian Bush. I was very excited about this route, thinking that this was finally my chance to see a moose again, all the signs were there, Literally.




Well I saw a moose and, I hope I never see one so close again. I had to slam on my breaks to keep for being killed by the fury, forest giant. I thought that a moose was about the size of a large horse, but that is far from reality, that first moose was so large that I am sure that with careful practice and cooperation on both of our parts I could have driven the Toyota Corolla I was renting right through his legs, and tickle his belly through the sun roof as I shot through. More likely the moose would crawl off the road with broken legs and damaged ribs, looking for a place to die and I would just float there watching the seen from the spirit world. Any way, it turned out to be a long stressful, terrifying ride in which I saw about a half dozen Moose, none as big or as close as the first.

So, I made it to Miramichi and met with a customer who has a plant right by the river, Good stuff, good stuff. And then I off to Blackville, for my license and groceries, and then to the lodge were I would stay in a separate cabin and do my own cooking. It was truly and amazing cabin. The first night I had trouble getting to sleep as I kept thinking about Moose and Bears, and how I was afraid of the on that night. Yeah, I used to sleep in an army tent when I was guiding the Talachulitna, saw bears from it a lot and I slept just fine at nite, but now I am a citified chicken.

The first morning of fishing started at 8 am, and we took the boat up to where the Barthalomew River dumps into the Main Southwest Miramichi, here we cast from the boat using truly giant (5/0) salmon flies. I was using my 13’3” two hander, and I hate fishing with a two hander from a boat. We from mind numbing spot to mind numbing spot, doing the same thing until just before lunch we let out a lot of line and trolled around the river a bit. I was furious.

After lunch I mentioned to the lodge owner that I may have to bring my trip to and early end, 2 days instead of three. I was not going to pay for three days of shit when I could get two for less money, I kept this thought to my self.

After lunch my guide, took me to a run just down from the camp called Mountain Channel, and we trolled it. Then it was down to White Rapids, Which had beautiful shores for wading on each bank and awesome step and cast water for a good two hours on each back. We fished from the boat!

But, we got a salmon. Then I insisted that I be dropped on shore. My guide grudgingly conceded and took me over to the inside bend.


I started at about the middle of the run, working a major current seam, and I mean rough water with standing waves meets smooth soft inside flow. It took about twenty minutes to get a grab once I was calf deep and fishing how I was comfortable. That first grab was a good sized hen, around 34". This fished jumped at least six times made strong, fast runs, I think more than that and it's body was rock hard, this fish was definitely a Kelt, but "black" really does not decribe this fish.


From that point on the trip totaly turned around. My guide, Jeremy, saw that I was happier wading he was all for it and we started looking for runs that would fish from shore at high water levels, and we found them. I really thought that lots of people would be fishing kelts with two handed rods already but aparently it is really an almost boat and one handed afair, but really I think that the early season is great for our style of angling, since the whole river is open for anyone to fish, while it is mostly private pools once June comes, and the fresh salmon fishing begins.


Anyway, I landed a grilse just after the first salmon on the same run. That was it for the first day.

The next morning started out great. I hooked a salmon at the very top of White Rapids, but it came off right away. Then I landed a big Sea Trout (Sea Run Brook Trout) and Grilse, both on the hang down. Then at the very low end of the run I got a solid grab mid swing and then saw my backing head through the guides, on out for a solid hundred yards, followed by several minutes reeling it all back in with a large salmon in tow. the fish rolled several time and made several other short runs. I got the fish in finally, and removed the hook which was in the fishes tounge. this fish was the biggest of the trip at, 36".

I landed another salmon on the outside bend, below White Rapids. It grabbed on my first stip as I finished the hang down. another Hen of around 34".

This was it for the trip for me. My guide, Jeremy, landed two grilse from the boat one at White Rapids and one at Mountain Channel.

The Miramichi reminds me very much of the upper Menominee River in Wisconsin where Angler X guide smallmouth. Now it looks like the Menominee in may when the water is high and form the pictures I've seen, It even resembles the menominee in low water, which is most of the season on the Miramichi.

I think I would like to try the Miramichi in summer for the bright salmon, but it sounds like it will not be remotely similiar to the spring. low water and tiny flies are apparently the rule.


New Brunswick Flag

Thank you Kewanee

On friday afternoon I fished the Menominee. It was really high and full of suckers. No steelhead.
Then that night I recieved an email from Jose, telling me that he found steelhead in the Kewanee.

So, Saturday I headed for the Kewanee in the afternoon, and it being may there was practically no body on the river. I fished around with an old little two hander and a floating line. I was able to find about a 10lb hen in a little run with a bouldery channel on the far side.

I then went up to the weir to see if there any steelhead up in the ladder. I saw tons of suckers and nearly a hundred steelhead. it was amazing.

It was a good spring on the Kewanee.

April Recap

The Kewanee Coughs up One, Two for Me:

In early April, I decided to make a break from the office and to go fishing, I had noticed that the Kewanee was flowing at about 200cfs and I figured that a flow like that should make it perfect for fishing a little two handed rod, well closer to perfect than normal.

I got to the river at about 3:30 and fished through the run that Angler X landed the big fish at on Easter. Nothing, so I dropped down to the middle of the next run, as there was a guy chuckin nymphs at the head of the run. A few casts in I hooked and landed a small but bright hen. On the next cast I hooked and landed a small buck that fought hard, jumping and running just as the hen, but this fish was very skinny, as if he had been milked already. Indeed I found out that the Kewanee hatchery is supposedly trucking post spawned fish to the mouth of the river, where the fish run right back up. Or I guess the fish may just swim out to the lake from there, I don’t know.

I drop a Hen:

On what may have been the most miserable weather of the spring, Angler X, allowed me to tag along with him and the Coloradian, his friend from Colorado, to the Streams of D.C. to drift flies from small water steelhead. Bart and I shared his rig and though there was not much going on, X hooked, fought, and landed a really beautiful hen, which I promptly dropped back into the stream before a picture could be taken.

March In Review

Angler X Lays the Ground work for a good Spring:

It all started on Easter Sunday when Angler X eschewed all day family gatherings and went to fish what is traditionally thought to be one of our most lame steelhead river in NEW, for the sake of anonymity I shall call it the Kewanee River. Well X went out and the river was flowing at about 6 times normal, so he threw a big tip and a heavy fly on to the rig. He fished what under these high water conditions can only be called a run and ended up landing a fat, fresh in buck right around 10lbs



Doing the “Nasty”:


I mean the Nestucca, you frick’n pervs. Some locals call this small river on Oregon’s central coast the “nasty”. I four days of fishing Rusty and I covered a lot of ground, going from the Sandy to the Nestucca, and on to the Wilson, Trask, and the Little Nehalem. In retrospect we should have stopped at the Nestucca, once we found it’s secrets unveiled to us.

Rusty and I started our trip fishing the Sandy River. We rolled tent camp and Fished the runs around Oxbow, but we just weren't feeling it, even though all the talk was that the river was fishing. So we called up Kaufman's to see where the run was hot. Dude there turned us towards a river called the Nestucca, said he had just had some great fishing there and, since we were up for adventure, we headed to the coast.

On the first afternoon, stumbled around looking for good water, and we eventually found it, and on our second run I got a tug. On our third run I hooked steel and it broke free. Then it was dark so we headed for Pacific City and got a motel in town. Great town with one of the coolest rock island right off the coast, called the haystack.

Our second day on the Nestucca went real cool. We drove from Pacific City to the run I hooked up on the evening before on some increasingly snow covered roads and ours were the only tracks. Rusty led the way and half way through the run he hooked and landed a solid wild hen.
We then fished a few other runs, aand next we headed over to the Wilson and the Trask. Both those rivers had so many private property signs it seemed impossible to get on decent water with out a raft, so we hit a run on each and head back to the Nestucca.

We hit some real small spots, 10-20 cast runs. I got a reel zipping grab on one but no fish. Rusty and I headed back to the run where he got his fish that morning, I led this time. I worked through the run and when I got to the spot where rusty hooked up I got a grab and again no fish. Rusty followed me through and picked up the fish 20+" wild buck. I had been using Gami B10S size 6 hooks on all but the fish that broke me off, so I switched to dropshot no.2 hooks.

The fish seemed to be holding in pretty slow water, so we headed for a run below an old defunct bridge, that had a heavy head and a good sized creek dumping in on the wadable bank the other bank was an unfishable sheer cliff. I was able to pick up a decent sized hatchery fish, the hook worked out. That was it for the day and another night in Pacific City.

The next day we hit the Nestucca early. No fish on Rusty's hot run, which we called "Red Hook". I did get to watch a large, 15-20#, beat up buck partol up and down the run several times. He stay close to shore in shallow water to he was easy to see with battle scars and all.
We hit another favorite run to no avail, then we hit the short runs we check out the day before and again I got a solid grab and no fish, I checked the hook and, guess what, B10S. Then we went back to the run where I got the grab on day 1. Iworked the same far trench as before and fish on, drop shot awesome. then, fish off.

From here we headed up the coast to check out the the Little Nehalem River, it was a bust. So we set up camp at Nehalem Bay State park and we called it a trip. Well, we got nine grabs in less than two full days of fishing, not bad. Thanks to Rusty for taking the pictures.

Travel, snow, Travel

No fishing in the last two weeks. The wether has not been in favor of nor has my travel schedule, nor have my feelings of sloth that I got from watching, and daily remembering, the Packers loss to the Giants, I am not even sure if I will watch the super bowl in my hotel room today.

Today, I fly to denver where I get to stay for 8 days, no fishing. Of course this lack of fishing should be giving Mr. Breakheimer plenty of time to get My and Husky #1's 7133's back into what I can only hope will be grubby, slimmy hands by monthes end. Of course Breakheimer said he send them this week, I say end of the month if the luck is with us.

God I hope I fish soon.

Slush, Sub-zero, & Vegas

sorry for the delay alot has kept me away

fiishing conditions have gone south. fished the girl and it was nothing but in was blown, went back and it was slush. now it is ice again. Sub zero temps not only stall the packers but also the river.

Spent the last week in Vegas, and other than a few nice dinners and some kickass kereoke, it was dull.

The highlight of my last two weeks has been reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy (angler X this is a must read) , and spening an afternoon with the family ZipZap, BR's girls are awesome.

Bigby on Big Fish

"It's like catching a fish," Bigby said. "You can just feel him fighting for his life. It's a great feeling. You can actually feel the electricity in his body. I'm telling you, it's hard to describe, but it's great."

"So for guys who have never had a big hit, go out and catch a big fish."

Atari Bigby - Green Bay Packers: describing what it feels like when he hits an offensive player as hard as he can.

The Packers won, The Cowboys lost, NFC Championship at Lambeau, and Atari Bigby corolates crush football hits to what we already know is one of lifes greatest thrills.

Checked out the She and the Man this weekend, both are high and off color, both should be ready by mid week. It will be butt ass cold by midweek, but the rivers should be in.

What's Wrong with Me

Took the day off. Works been slow any way.
Hit the local river first thing thought I might find steel as Towny nail a big fish there on sunday.
Well I fished the most popular winter run, and then just kept going and going. Down river and every run felt good.

Finally, I got down to the end of the line with out a grab. On this last run on the local, I hooked and landed a small lake run. Real pretty, no mold put up a good fight for a seal-orphan.

So, I finish the run, sneek up the hill, and start the 1.5 mile hike back to the car (+/- a mile). So while I am walking, I think "Gee, what's up? I thought I would land or at least hook a few more fish." ...

So then I head north to the Me. I figure I should be able to get something going on Bonfire, or that run the angler X has yet to name.

I fished Bonfire with 10' of T14 and a blk string leach. The river was fluctuating up and down, Ice bergs rolling down. Went through Twice, second time with the most insanely sparkly intruder ever. No fish, WTF?!?

So as I head back across the river I notice, that Siren looks awesome , so I jump in the VW and cruise down. Siren was really awesome, casting was great, big sexy boils roll'n on top, great current speed. I would venture to say that Siren, when it is in shape, is the best run in the state. I challenge anybody to name a better one (be very specific on location). All that said... No fish.

Then it hits me, I am in Wisconsin, This is January, and I already caught a fish today. My expectations may be a bit high.

But, at the same time, Every run I fished today, I really expected that I was about to hook a fish, I was suprised when I didn't. I think that might be OK, a little unrealistic, but it will keep me coming back.

Warm Rains A Dump'n

I feel a float coming on, like salvation.

Skiing days over like that(snap!), warm weather and rain pouring down.

It time to go home and polish up the Water Masters, because the steel will be pushing up and I dont want to miss this.


Husky, X, Broken Rod, read these words and make yourselves ready the She-be-gone, the Mil, Hardees, DQ, it's On!


No more fishing one of the three available runs on the Me. Time time to multiple small runs. I feel like roar out a Howard Dean.


Little rivers, Big Flies!!


BR with a She-be-gone Head

X just got word of grabby fish to the south. I am not kidding this shit is on.

Over Freezing-Good Day on the Me

Fished the me today with Nate-dog and Angler-X(formerly Barto).

X hooked up right away, ran like steel...But got off.

I went down to brown town and and brought on back on Black (a stacked tube)
A Bonfire Brown

Headed from the Me to our most local of steelhead rivers and met with Marty Kwitek to check out some RB Meiser rods I cast the 12'6" 6/7/8 MKS, I loaded it with a Vison 450 Scandi and a 10' tip and the an Airflo compact Skagit 540 with 10' of T14 and a big weighted fly. Both were great it is a very comparable rod to the Burkheimer 7133. It is hard to say which is better to cast, I already own the Burk so I am likely biased. On thing is for sure the Airflo Compact Skagit is Awesome, Thanks Larimer.

Another Great thing. The Siren was fishing on the Me, no fish, but it felt good.