Short Fish Story, But a Good One!

On Saturday while guiding for trout:
About the third cast of the day after giving two beginners a total introduction to the techniques and a quick casting lesson, I see my client's rod really fold over with a deep sturdy bend. I rigged up his rod with a double wet fly rig; where there was a yellow #14 softhackle with a #10 green wired softhackle dropped off the leader a few feet up. I had the guy swinging the flies down and across with a classic wet fly swing. I assume he either has a huge rainbow or a double with two little fish on at the same time (which happens at least once a day typically). A rainbow jumps out of the water letting me know there is a double by the way it jumps, and then I see a bright giant chrome bright steelhead come into view in the bottom fly.
A steelhead and rainbow trout double!!!

I freaked out and tried to coach him, but the line came loose. The hook that was in the steelhead was broken and the rainbow long distance released itself.

Guide's Day Off - Hot Weather and Smallmouth Bass

My friend Ethan Nickel of Ethan Nickel Outfitters,and I both had a day off from guiding; so what do we choose to do? Well go fishing of course.....

Since we are typically out guiding for trout or steelhead, we did choose to do something out of the norm for what we have been doing lately......We both met late in the morning, to avoid an early wake up, and we wanted to relax and have some fun out there.

Here are some pics from the day of fishing:

We caught lots and lots of cookie cutters like this

A sparse Clouser Minnow like this was the most productive fly on this outing.

When they get this big or larger, they really put your five or six weight rod to the test.

Rubber legged nymph patterns dead drifted to sighted fish worked very well out there in some spots.

The Orange Vitamin-D fly was the best nymph we fished with on this day for the smallies.

Smallmouth are a some serious strong muscle packed fish to tango with on your fly rod.

A nice little deeper green pocket within a patch of shallow rocky faster whitewater yielded this smallmouth.

The Clouser Minnow is a great searching pattern for smallmouth bass.

Trout Fishing Pics - Upper McKenzie River

I have been away guiding a lot recently; so I have not had time to post any reports. Here are some pics for now from a rad fun trip on the upper McKenzie River I had with my guide friend Ethan Nickel from July 2nd. I was lucky enough to have Ethan row me down the river for some fun fishing recently, and here are some pics from the day....

The cutts have some amazing colors

One of the several fine rainbows we got into on the Upper Mac

Ethan unhooking a nice rainbow trout for its release

The Possie Bugger nymph is responsible for more McKenzie trout than any other fly.