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.

Open Week on the Bulkley River BC

I got the word recently from BC Steelhead guide Andre Laporte that he has an open week this fall on the Bulkley River. Andre has been guiding the Bulkley River for over 20 years and is also well known for tying the famous Bulkley Mouse dry fly. He is one of the best guides in the valley and knows how to find fish in low or high water, and everything in between. 

The week is 6 days of fishing from September 30th through October 5th. This is an absolutely prime week of Steelhead fishing on the Bulkley. Water temps are typically in the low - mid 50s, making all swung fly presentations -- including skated dry flies -- very effective. Andre specializes in fishing the remote canyon stretches of the Bulkley that receive very little pressure. The fish counts on the Skeena river are looking exceptional this year and good number of steelhead are already being caught in the Bulkley. Fishing should be fantastic by late September!

The cost of the trip is normally $3300 per person for the week, but is being offered at $2900 per person and there are 2 spaces available.

This includes:

6 days of guided Steelhead fishing on the world famous Bulkley River

number of hours at clients discretion

(typically 10 hour days, 7:30am to 5:30pm)

Ground transportation to and from the Smithers airport

Ground transportation around Smithers for supplies and incidental items

Ground transportation to and from your hotel to the river for each day of fishing

Fishing from a new & modern Wooldridge jet boat

Spey casting instruction if requested

Shore lunch on the river each day

home made soups

fresh sandwiches

fruit & snacks

beverages

Souvenir digital photographs

Addition items that are not included:

Fishing License, Steelhead Stamp and Classified Permits

Ground or air transportation to Smithers

air transportation available through Air Canada

Hotel accommodations

Recommended accommodations:

Hudson's Bay Lodge

Storks Nest Inn

Morning and evening meals

If you are interested in this rare opportunity, please contact me via email at mark@confluencerods.com.

To help sweeten the deal I will offer a 15% discount on any of my own custom bamboo spey or single hand rods, or custom reels ordered when booking.

The Bulkley is truly an amazing river and Andre is an equally standout guide. If you've ever thought about taking a British Columbia Steelhead trip, I'd strongly encourage you to consider this great deal!

Cap and Ring Reel Seats Done

It has taken me a while but I have finally finished a new batch of my cap and ring reel seat hardware.

This should be enough to last a little while...

For more information on the reel seats or to order some visit the website Reel Seats.

http://confluencerods.com/

Sneak Peak!

Here's a sneak peak of a really cool project I am working on with my good friend Shawn Bratt.

Once this reel is finished (which is should be by mid September) I'll post a full write up on the very cool story behind this awesome reel.

The Confluence Rod Company