Windy Conditions?

While surfing the "information superhighway" the other day I came across a few new things that I did not know were available.  The website that I will use periodically if I am unsure of the wind conditions is entitled Wind Map.  Essentially what this map will provide a fisherman is the ability to view a map of the United States and see the wind patterns and strengths.  The map is very sleek and has the feature that you are able to hover your mouse over any location and view the current wind speeds within the hour.  The only downside of this map is that saltwater anglers are unavailable to view the wind conditions of the ocean. 


For saltwater anglers that problem can be solved by another website that is devoted to the current marine conditions around the world.  Oceanweather Inc keeps track of wave, sea surface temperature, and wind direction/speed on a global level.  Pictured below are the three different views that you can observe to stay up to date and informed.

Wave Graphic Still Frame

Sea Surface Temperatures

Wind Speed Image

Below is a helpful tool to understand the flags that are posted on the marine observation image posted above.  Each "barb" represents 10 knots and will point in the direction that the wind is moving.  

  

Exploration pt. 4

Here is the informal conclusion to the four part exploration series. Stay tuned because before too long there could be another adventure and plenty more pictures to share.

Rowing down the Cisnes

Lunch with the Andes in the background

Exploring the rainforest.

Fishable?

Crazy mountain glacier

Waterfalls in the hills! 

The lower Cisnes

Slinging the Chernobyl Squirrel

Chernobyl Squirrel victim

Not a soul...

Exploring and exploring some more...

Fly spotlight

Hendrickson Dun

Apparently this sunday the fish were boiling on Penns Creek and hendrickson's were the magical fly that brought all these fish to hand. Think about tying up a couple of these and hitting Penns Creek for a mid day to evening hatch!

RECIPE:

HOOK: TMC 100 # 12-14
THREAD: 6/0 white/pink
WING: Woodduck flank
TAIL: Med. Dun Micro Fibbets
BODY: Hendrickson pink dubbing
HACKLE: Med. Blue Dun Rooster Neck or Saddle Hackle.

"Treat" of the week

You know who my least favorite clients are? Cry babies. These people are the same people that expect every day of their fishing trip to be bright, shiny, and blue. The birds are chirping, the fish are jumping on their hook, each bigger than the last, and everything goes exactly like their warped minds tell them it should. Well these exact same people can't fish worth two shits. They complain about everything while not being able to cast 10 feet, no not 10 feet past my oars, litterally 10 feet! How many fish will sit 10 feet from you, especially when you are floating down a river? Answer, not many. This specific group of people may have been the biggest group of cry babies I have ever dealt with. They came down to fish in Chile, and granted the weather wasn't great and the fish weren't exactly cooperative, but they were shitty anglers! One of the ladies was on her third fishing trip ever, and she would quit everyday if she didn't catch something within the first two hours. So this kept up for several days, and I think it was day 4 when we decided to head to another river system about an hour and a half away. Go figure a storm blows in, it is about 11:30 and we had been fishing for an hour when three of the four people decide "it's too much, we are all done for the day." I think to myself, shit, this sucks we still have 5 miles of river to float out... I ask them repeatedly, "are you sure? the fishing is only going to pick up with this rain." "Yep, we're done, we'd rather be back at the lodge reading a book." I never directly say it, but I hinted to them several times that they were babies, and you can't expect to come to Chile and not have wind or rain. We are only a few miles from the rainforest after all.


Later on down the river I'm seeing rising fish and that never happened down there and I kid you not I had to beg these people, jump out of the boat, and hold it anchored to get them to fish. I mean who wouldn't want to fish to rising trout! It's a damn fishing trip.. To top the whole thing off I had to get a hold of my boss, who was supposed to run a shuttle down to drop off the other vehicle. Well he wasn't there yet because the trip was supposed to take eight hours, not three. So I had to wait with these whiny turds and unpack drinks and snacks out of the cooler while they sat on their asses and watched me pull the boat up on the bank. The boss shows up a half hour later and of course he doesn't have enough room in the vehicle for me. So I had to wait in the other vehicle for Sam and his client that WANTED to fish for 5 more hours. Awesome. 


Morals of the story: Don't be a cry baby. It's a fishing trip not a catching trip. Guides don't control the weather or your casting ability. 

Exploration pt 3.

Check out a couple more photos from my travel to Alaska and Chile! 

Rainy Brook Trout Fishing

This past weekend Brian and I spent the weekend with family and close friends to enjoy a "Man's Weekend."  Right behind the cabin that we stayed at, was a small stream that opened up into a large pool littered with some beautiful brook trout.  I spent most of my Saturday fishing in the rain but my Smith polarized glasses helped me spot some of the fish and I ended up catching some colorful brookies!

Amazing color combinations!

The fly selection played some importance but I think even more stress was placed on the delicate presentation of the cast.  Intermittently, a person would try to hook up with one of these trout but more often then not would get sidetracked before catching anything.

The keys to success were patience, stealthy movement, and delicate presentation to have the fly cross paths with one of the native trout.    

Nice native Brook Trout

Gorgeous Brook Trout

Brian hooked up using a woven Rock Worm pattern.

Underwater Rainbows

A great aspect of being a guide is that you get to spend a lot of time on the water.  Being on the water so much it is fun to hone your skills as a guide in other aspects that do not include fishing.  One of my favorite things to do on the water is to document some of the beautiful fish that you end up catching.  These are the moments that clients want to take home with them to remember for the rest of their lives.   
Below are a selection of pictures that I've had the luxury of capturing during some of our clients expeditions on the various streams that we frequent.  


Brian and I are headed to fish for Brook Trout this weekend so we'll try to fish hard to get a future "Underwater Brookies" post!

Copper River rainbow

The "Double Rainbow"

Chrome Alaskan rainbow

Up close and personal

An underwater glimpse of the salmon run

Fishing Creek

Lately I have been spending all my time on Fishing Creek. Really trying to get comfortable with some water that over the years has always been my backup to my backup. It took me until now to realize what a truly awesome fishery it is. The fish are a little bigger, the water is more secluded, and there are no people to speak of. Solitude and fishing for me should always go hand in hand, and while on Fishing Creek I have got that. Here are a couple of pictures from the last week or so on Fishing Creek. 

Beautiful trout taken on a nymph 

Nice brown fell to a golden stonefly 

Josh's first fish of the day!  

Sneaking up on some unsuspecting trout

It gets pretty tricky through the braids

Green weenie hasn't failed me yet!

Exploration Pt. 2

So the first exploration post was pretty well received so I figured I would put together another selection of some great shots Kirk and I have taken and show you all some more highlights of our travels over the years. I'm sure I'll find some more to throw up here later.. For now, Enjoy!

Looking for pike lakes... 

Doc Nelson found a nice bow in a back channel!

Always fun to view from a distance.

Can't beat that view..

Don't jump Dean! 

Crazy numbers of Sockeye.

Who said there were no moose in Chile?

Back country lagunas hide big browns.

He went for a swim not long after that.. 

Watching salmon try to make it up the falls!

Stickleback never get any air time.