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The guys over at Fly Fish Journal plugged me in the tailgate section. Very humbling.
The new high-gloss paper print magazine has set the bar high in print publications. Finally, something out there that resembles an experience rather than another boring 'how to". If you a fan of Frequency or the Ski Journal its a another must have on the coffee table.
Check it out and order your subscription now, you won't be disappointed. For an extra $10 buck buy yourself the "gift subscription" and get a t-shirt.
-->http://www.theflyfishjournal.com/
-->http://www.theflyfishjournal.com/news/2009/09/22/featured-photographer-bryan-gregson
Thanks you FFJ!
The guys over at Korkers are really turning it up a notch. Check out the new site. I was lucky enough to make it onto the opening page as an angler.
My good friend Corey Kruitbosh captured this great image on out trip to Arizona...and wallah, he produced another winner that landed him up font and center......But what else would we except form CK anyhow. ; )
Corey's photography can been seen here -->http://western-fly-fishing.info/wordpress/
If you didn't already know, Korkers is producing some great new innovative products. 2010 is no exception.
The new rubber called Kling-On is out. Its sticky as hell. The toe and heel have a different density than the middle of the sole. It's a perfect match for use and abuse.
They also have a new Boot out, called the Predator. It's a fixed sole boot with your choice of felt or their new Kling-On rubber. I've been fortune enough to test these boots with the new rubber. I've beat them up all over gnarly terrain and have walked some serious miles throughout the West. It was an honor to provide feedback, while abusing the prototype process. I must say, I'm very pleased with the end results.
If you haven't tried them yet, go check out the Predator at your local shop, you'll see.
Published article in This is Fly issue #19, “Mini Monsters”
Check it out on, This is Fly --> http://www.thisisfly.com
My buddy Nick Granato and I collaborated in a joint venture in search of the Mormon cricket. We chased these big bugs around this past summer and enjoyed a fantastic experience. I must say it was actually mind blowing. Thanks to all that supplied the information, without you guys this would have never been possible… you know who you are, we humbly appreciate the help.
Rainy’s flies --> http://www.rainysflies.com/
Nick and I hit a small local stream. We took some time to slow down a bit after the last few months of a ‘go, go, go’ mentality. We both looked forward to casting tiny rods to hungry fish.
I've always enjoyed searching for Cutthroat Trout. Even when I was a small water rat these guys were my favorite. I suppose its the eagerness of the fish to take your fly at that age where the entertainment factor is a top priority. As I grew older I feel in love with the colors, the shape and the curious face they possessed... much different that the other trout. Then it happened, one day I realized the places they live are sensitive, precious and remote. It finally dawned on me, over the years my search brought me deeper and deeper into the backcountry. Then one day we found it. Here hidden amongst the bustling ATV trails sits that tiny slice of heaven I've always been searching for. On the beaten path BUT tucked out of the lime light sits a sanctuary.
Each Year I try to visit these old friends. It's also a place where the one we call "Yoda" loves so dearly. Each year we return to our master baring photographs of his old friends so he might gaze upon them as he once did. You see Yoda isn't as agile as he used to be and his memory, although still sharp as a tack, still faded in some small way.
This image is how I view these Colorado Cutthroat Trout. I know I might have post processed them a bit more than I should have [rookie here] I so think of them as powerful, mysterious, calm and curious.
As I mentioned before, this month has treated me exceptionally kind... I know its bound to end but wow, another humbling moment. TROUT magazine [Trout Unlimited] ran three of my images.
Again I was shocked to see my fin shot grace the words of a fish icon, a fish defender. I'm really glad the fin images are getting used. I've tried to shoot these as I like the shapes, detail and fish they come from. I've learned that all fins are not alike, some mimic others but the separation is in the small quite details. I have been working on more fin shots, when the time is right I'll post them up.
If your not receiving TROUT magazine its because your not a subscriber. If you've never seen it before its because the magazine is just one of the many benefits to donating to Trout Unlimited. This alone is worth it!Its also available for downloads, in PFD or e-zine
Check it out
LINK ---> Magazine
LINK ---> Site
LINK --->blog
The bottom angler image is of Ralphy AKA Nate Miller. Nate is a stick and then some. I've heard some folks say he is a myth, others say there is no such person BUT here "Ralphy" was seen wrangling hogs on the Teton River. Again, I climbed the rattler infested terrain and perched myself waiting for unsuspecting anglers. I wanted to capture a raw image, one that's NOT a set-up shot, not a barby [bar-b-q] shot, its unaltered real time fun.
Original Images [Ralphy's image went missing, all I can find is this tiny cropped shot]
--> http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3200/3093320389_ca012bb514_o.jpg
--> http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3244/3066790950_211a58811c_b.jpg
--> http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3199/3066799040_b2cdb3f301_b.jpg
WOW.. what a crazy start to summer so far!!!!
So..... I somehow made it into Catch Magazine. Not only did I barely make the submission deadline, but my image was placed as the opening for the "Hard Light" series. HUMBLING!!! It's still such a surreal experience, a shocking dream come true really. I mean whoever thought I'd be exchange emails with one of the best fishing photographers out there, I know I certainly didn't.What a great experience.
The first images is from an awesome memorable experience. Corey Kruitbosch and I were shown the ropes by host extraordinaire Aaron Otto. During this moment Captain A was at the helm, Cor was kind enough to let me try out his lens..... and low and behold, these two kind gestures turned out to be something special..
The second is of Chris Barkey on the Teton River. I climbed the sharp rocks lined with rattlers to get a birds eye view. I looked down river to see Chris moving alone, fishing in solitude. The sun was perfectly lining up for the shot. I remember repeating over and over in my head, a little further, just a little further. Chris fished methodically covering every stick of the flow. Finally he was in position and I fired away. He couldn't see me and nor did he know I was een up there. It was a cool moment when everything lined up. Patients was the answer and I luckily stuck to me guns and enjoyed the view until the timing was right.
Without these individuals these images would never have been captured. As much as its the guy with the camera, its also the guys the camera is surrounded by. Thanks guys!!
The guys over at Catch are have a stellar operation going on. Their style is fresh, interesting, original and very much cool. I've been inspired to keep learning, to keep trying and most importantly to keep having fun. If you haven't checked out them out yet go do it
LINK HERE --> CATCH MAGAZINE
Original Images
--> http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3044/3091485521_eedf52860d_m.jpg
--> http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3456/3212487432_2d7cc6a8f5_m.jpg
Oh my… I suppose you could say that I got a tad bit busy…OK... very busy. I've got a lot coming up. Probably too much on my plate but I'm going to try and get this updated... key word... plate ha ha ha
This winter the thought of Tiger Musky grew stronger every day. Grizz dubbed it “mushy musky brains”. Months down the road we realized this quote was more than spot on. The past spring the crew slipped up to the north scouting, fishing, studying and waiting for the right time to hit it. For two-months we pounded the banks, or as my good fishing buddy says ‘mowed the banks’, tied flies, changed tactics, lines, read books, talked to the old guards, studied videos and learned a ton about leaders, etc, etc. It never ceased to amaze me how picky these fish can be so a full arsenal is a must.
They’d chase our fly all the way to the boat, for 10 casts, then, out of nowhere they attack with authority. The first hit is what drives us. It’s a fantastic feeling to experience, one I will always long for, one everyone should encounter. Now losing a fish to a poor hook set also comes with a feeling, doesn’t matter that your turn on the front of the boat is over but the disappointment with yourself to negotiate within a spit second angle, power and leverage. These critters have exceptionally hard mouths, bony mouths; occasionally he standard strip-set was swiftly out maneuvered. A more direct approach by setting head on, rod aimed straight into their eyeballs, countered their maneuvers quite nicely… a little tip that was pickup by doing some homework. BUT even then it as amazing how long they’d fight before relaxing their powerful jaws and releasing the harmful hook covered with fancy materials back to the angler.
Over time word spread as others were reading the same chapter. The fish were beginning to get hammered. The parking lots were filling up; a few times twenty trailers neatly parked could be counted just in the lower lot alone. We observed dozens of fish with large rapalas, flies, hooks and leaders stuck in their jaws. Two of these fish were seen from a short distance jumping high in the air and shaking their heads trying to dislodge these foreign objects. One in particular leaped a few times and you could clearly hear the rattle of the jerk bait. I know we were just as guilty of being parted off as anyone, it really made us think about our strategy and about our own personal philosophy. For us it’s mainly due to using mono incorrectly, as in too light for the job. It’s was a card toss really; using wire yielded us fewer fish this year than last, also fewer strikes. But all fish were landed if hooked. Mono on the other hand was very successful and our hits tripled, causing our success rate to go up but getting parted off brought the ratio back down… what to do. So we took a stab at trying to break it all down. This is the fun part in fishing, the learning. The issue is using light mono, say 20-25lb, while it preformed OK for smaller fish the larger 30-40+ ers snapped it like a giant breaking a toothpick. Not good. We upped the ante and settled on 40-50lb, so far its work well for us. Don’t get me wrong, guys do well with wire but for us and our style of fishing, as the season grew busier and bustling with people, fishers and wake boarders, wire was getting rejected more often than not. So for now, were going with what we know learned ; )I’m certain there are those that will say the complete opposite and I’d love to fish with them to see their style… as you can never learn enough.
All in all the season was a success. It was a great chapter in our early stages of Musky fishing learning. Good friends, good food, bad weather and odd camping arrangements made for an awesome adventure. I can’t wait till next year!!
We poked around a few spots, checked some ice off lakes and enjoyed three days of rain, wind and snow. Fishing wasn't off the hook… err… on the hook, but it was fun and yes some catching was had. Every fish we hooked on this trip was well earned, conditions were not ideal but they presented a great problem solving situation. Making your brain think a little bit harder is a good thing sometimes. It was a great learning trip! The biggest factor we encountered was the other fisherman. Everyday we were "high holed" by some punk. For years, we have never had issues way out here in the back woods with other anglers, hell most of the time, on this river, you never even see another person. That has always been the beauty of it. I did what any other guy would do, I yelled at them!! They acted like I wasn't even there. I was pissed by this point. My two options were to either shove my rod up you know where or wade away. I was so mad I had no choice but to wade away. I linked back worth the guys from the other braid and we actually watched more guys show up, run to the water For three days we dealt with sheer lack of angling respect. I guess the only thing to do is what we do back home… flatten the situation by releasing hot air ; )
I was a bit tied up with work for a few weeks, after some serious long hours and no sleep it was time to hit the road. Grizz, Spicy (Nick G), and I geared up and headed out. We knew we might have some weather ahead but nothing prepared us for the events that took place for the next 3 days.
This stretch we picked a legal access point. It was a long, long walk in but it should be worth it. Knee deep in mud we trudged around the swampy vegetation, skirted deep pools filled with quicksand type silt, and encountered a down pour before we finally reached the spot. Slowly working our way up stream we rounded the bend and ran smack into a group of people. What the hell?? Where did these guys come from? How did they get here? So now this run was beat, we decided to hike back to the car. That's when we found out he answers to our questions. They parked down lower, jumped the fence and trespassed in order to get ahead of us! License plate… Colorado.
Last spot on our list is a busy one. Knowing that we showed up early in hopes of finally getting some good water, lucky for us the camp ground is still sleeping. We rigged up and hit the water. I guess we must have woke some folks because the next thing we knew some dude walks right up to the best hole in the river, cuts us off and "high holes" us!!! Once again the lack of respect is disheartening and is now trying all of our patients!!! License plate… Utah!! Again!
FLYFISHERGIRL.COM hosted a photo contest....The topic was Catch and release.
My friend Mark (Yuhina) called me to ask if I could participate. He mentioned that it was a great cause and the website is fantastic, its good to support the good core folks.. I poked around and quickly decided that regardless of a "contest" format, it truly was a great way to get educated. Not only for old timers and gurus but the youngsters as well. There was something for everyone. Folks submitted many personal experiences and emotins while enjoying their time spent on water.
Essays/photos --> click here
Go czech out the site. It's very cool --> click here
First prize - Helping to create good catch and release techniques
Second Prize - Redington Reel!
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My entry..
Catch and Release is an just a way of life for some. Letting a fish go and gentle handling have always been apart of the fishing experience. It's great to see that large trophy fish swimming off into the sunset, but for the many, trophy's are not a reality. The local and exotic wild place is a gem hidden amongst the glam-fish. Quietly tucked away in pristine water lies a different kind of trophy... a pure strain native Cutthroat. These small creatures of water get the same respect and the larger breeds and require the same amount of reverence when handling. Although for these fish, their life depends on breeding, not growing to be a trophy wall hanger, but for their genes to survive the test of time.
A few other release shots...
One of the last strong hold for Cutthroat in the west... South Fork of the Snake. It's always a pleasure and an honor watching these fish swim away. The department of fish and wildlife now asks you to now kill Rainbow Trout as they are crossbreeding with this sensitive fish. Just a thought I had while I was looking for photos to post.....I wonder how many catch and release core fisherman will sacrifice one non-native specie to save a another... something to think about in the future as we follow the water and chase the fish.
The last of the release shots... self sustaining wild brown fishery high in the desert of Utah.
Published --> This is Fly
http://www.thisisfly.com/
A tag-team effort. A story based on the mad man "Cheech" and his tying sickness ; )
Corey Kruibosh shot the photos and did a terrific job. He has got some serious skills. Check out his site for more awesome pictures.
It was a fun project working with these two creative guys. I'm certain we will all be seeing more of these dudes in the future.
Corey's site --> http://western-fly-fishing.info/wordpress/
Cheech's site --> http://www.flyfishfood.blogspot.com/
