"Treat" of the Week

I have been thinking about the right forum to present the back story on how why I don't have any pictures to show for my last trip into the everglades and I figured "Treat" of the Week has to be my best venue. 

I already shared the majority of that day with you, including showing you the fly I was throwing "Hunting Season." But, if you need a refresher you can always hop back to the blog "Baby Tarpon in Flamingo." 

So it was nearing the end of our morning and we decided it would be best if we tried to get up in one of these creeks that was pumping water out. Figuring if tarpon were around they would be chowing on the baitfish flooding back out into the bight. Well we were correct only it was super tight in there. We are talking 12 feet of creek and a 4 foot wide boat with overhanging mangroves and other nonsense. I was stuck roll casting for rolling tarpon, it just wasn't a successful plan. So I gave Chris the bow of the boat to go after them with a spinning rod and weedless tube pattern. I sat back and watched as he jumped off one more good sized tarpon and missed a big snook. We were on our way back out into the mouth when I decided it would be a good idea to stand up on the poling platform and start casting (it wasn't). Well I'm up there for a couple minutes and I think I said something to the effect of "I could get used to casting from this high up." It was right about that time where the boat went from a meager 2 miles per hour to a dead stop and I was in mid cast on the edge of the platform.. 

The next thing I know I am waist deep in everglades muck, my crocs are buried and my phone is vibrating in my pocket.. Not good. I jumped back in the boat careful as I can be about the fly rod, which never got wet by the way, and rip my phone out of my pocket to see the flash... flashing. Welp. There goes that phone... 

The topper. I got out of the water and look to my left and there is about a 6 foot shark cruising on the same flat as us.. I guessed six feet because there was about a 4 foot gap between its dorsal fin and it's tail. That makes it about 6 feet long right? Right. 

"Treat" of the Week

This week I bring to you another installment of... More memorable moments. These moments are "firsts." These past years have been full of firsts, and these are just a couple of pictures that captured some of my "first" moments.

First Barracuda On the Fly

First Peacock Bass On the Fly

First Sunrise in Alaska

First Condor Sighting in Chile

First Brown Trout in Chile

"Treat" of the Week

This week I bring you... More memorable moments as I see them in my little world of fly fishing. 

Doubling up on 40+ inch Northern Pike on mouse patterns

Catching King Salmon on the Fly

Landing this Lake Trout on an 8 Inch live Rainbow.. (It ate the rainbow I had on the fly)

Fishing a Waterfall in Patagonia, Chile

There were fish in there it's not just a great photo.

Make each moment important, and you will remember it. 

"Treat" of the Week

Memorable Moments

I have put together a couple photos to go with some of the more memorable moments of the last couple years of fly fishing, this particular post is all about Alaska. 

Getting to take my Dad and Cousin (cupsquatch) fly fishing down one of the premier rainbow trout rivers in all of Alaska.

There are some Northern Pike in Alaska too.. 

Witnessing my first 10 pound rainbow.

The Sockeye Salmon circle of life.

All of this and more I have had the luxury to enjoy. Some memories are best shared. 

Plenty more to come in next weeks installment of the "Treat" of the Week. Feel free to share with us some of your more memorable moments of fly fishing! We'd love to see them!

"Treat" of the Week

Measuring Fish

How big do you think that is? 

Answer - Approximately 3 inches bigger than it really is. You don't have a tape measure, it's a guess why guess small?

How much does it weight?

Answer - Hard to say. What do you think? Yea that seems about right.

These are questions you will hear about every other fish on the river and ones you have to be prepared to answer, and answer frequently.

Look people hear what they want to hear, and they want to hear that they just caught a big fish because they are awesome at fishing. Chances are they aren't awesome and they got lucky but what does it hurt to blow a little smoke. 

Is that fish 18 inches no it's 20 inches because to an angler a 20 inch trout is something to covet an 18 inch trout isn't. So add a couple inches I'm not saying lie, well I'm not saying outright lie...  I'm just saying stretch the truth, and the trout. Don't bring a tape with you, nobody wants to know the exact measurements of their fish unless they are fanatical in which case they can measure their own fish.. 

"Treat" of the Week

I know it's been awhile and it's hard to really call this the "treat" of the week anymore... but I am going to do it anyway. 

This little "treat" is common sense for some, and for others a more difficult thing to master. It is however, basic guiding 101. 

What do I do when we aren't catching fish and everything gets quiet? You have to ask it because inevitably at one point or another whether it's a week long trip or a half a day at some point you run out of things to talk about and the fish get sparse. It happens, don't worry about it... I mean it rarely happened to me, but that's another story haha. 

Things to keep in mind.
1. Clients always can get better at casting, teach them something
2. Have a joke in your back pocket. Generally speaking keep the politically incorrect stuff for after you've got a good feel for your client. 
3. Share a story of some other fishing experience, pretend this day reminds you of that even if it doesn't. 
4. Pick out a really fishy looking rock, or "see" a fish rise. 
5. Talk to the fish "Here fishy fishy"

Definitely do not walk away and leave it in an awkward silence. The longer awkward silences go the harder it is to break them.

The hardest part about guiding is reading clients. Some like to talk more than others, some like to have their ego patted, some like to absorb as much knowledge as you have, others think they already know it all. It's essential that you can figure out how they want to be treated and handle it that way. If you can't read people and handle people well you shouldn't be a fishing guide, I don't care how good you are at it. If people don't like you, you will not go far in that business.