Skeena Photo Essay

A lot has happened in the last several weeks, and I'll get to that soon. But for now, I just want to share some photos from my recent trip to BC.

I got to spend a week with friend and fellow bamboo rod maker James Reid fishing in Skeena Country. Our first stop was the Frontier Far West lodge on the Bulkley River early in the morning so James could deliver a rod and I could deliver a reel to a customer staying at the lodge. Once business was handled it was time to get down to fishing.

www.confluencerods.com/

Lake Trout on the fly

While I'm sure it's not all that uncommon to catch a Lake Trout on a fly, it is pretty unusual to catch on in a river, on a size 22 Midge. And that's just what happened to one of my clients on Saturday while I guided him on the Blue River in Colorado.

 Having fished and guided this river for many years, this is the first time I've seen or even heard of one being caught. I know they are in the reservoir above, and I suspect this fish washed over the dam last year during high flows. But it was cool to see none the less.

I have to admit, it was really cool for me to see the Lake trout, but it was cooler to watch young Logan catch a 19" Rainbow and out-do his dad on his 13th birthday. Happy Birthday Logan!

Close, So Close

After a very long time working on them, I am finally very close to completing the first 8 of my 3" S-Handle trout reels. This afternoon I finally finished the machining on all the various little bits and pieces that make up the reels. Over the next week or two I will be working on polishing and assembling these reels and getting them ready to ship. Several of them are already spoken for, but a few are still available.

 For more info on these reels you can check them out Here.

Skeena Country

Got this photo from a friend who is currently fishing up north in the land of milk and honey.

The Shamburg 4 1/4" S-Handle lands its first BC Steelhead. I can't wait to see the rest of his photos over the next few days.

Congratulations Ben! Needless to say, I'm a little jealous. Wish I was up there with ya.

Rowdy Trout Ranch

Saturday was a beautiful day for fly fishing in Colorado, and Rowdy Trout Ranch served as the ideal back drop for three nice couples from Denver to experience this great sport. The weather was ideal, except for a few brief showers that passed over without much drama. Flows on the North Fork of the South Platte River are high and cold, and the fish are feeding well. 

 

The day was spent primarily indicator nymph fishing, but we did break from the routine for a while and fooled a few fish on streamers. 

Everyone was able to hook a few fish, but the ladies of the bunch definitely out-fished their male counterparts. All in all, about 25 fish were caught throughout the day, with 2 outstanding Rainbows that broke the 20” barrier.

Fly Patterns: #12 Red San Juan Worm, #16 Pheasant tail, #10 Bead Head 20 incher stone, #14 Peach Glo Bug, #8 Tan Sculpzilla.