When I was looking over the posts for the site, I realize that nothing had been posted since January… Whoops. Every now and then I have an idea for a post, but other things get in the mind and the post never happens. So here we are: a compilation of thoughts that I’ve been meaning to post over the last few months. Before we get there, a quick fishing update: check those temps on the streams around here around 11am, don’t be afraid of throwing the ABCs (Ants, Beetles, [Small] Chubbies) during the day. Tricos are happening on Spring Creek in the mornings, too. Expect a bit of a lull when the sun is out midday, try to get out in the early morning or later in the evening for the best fishing.

Once I finished graduate school in May, I put my Yeti Loadout GoBox 30 in the car and didn’t take it out until the last week of July. It fits everything I would need for guiding, along with what I would draw from when fishing myself. Last year I switched back to a vest after using various packs for years, and really love it for guide trips. When I’m not guiding, I use a small Umpqua waterproof pack that fits the Fishpond Fly Pucks really well. Those pucks are great for taking a selection of flies to the stream instead of an entire box.

A few years ago I came across a Fishpond rod holder that works really well for 3 rod tubes, along with side pockets for reels for flies. While I don’t know that I would trust it for checked baggage, it works great for the car. The image below shows the rods that I was using between May-July for trout, bass, panfish, and carp.

Green Drakes were fun this year in all of the usual places. A few friends and I made a Drake excursion near the end of May involving a carside dinner of pizza followed by post-fishing beers back at the vehicles. Good times. One of the go-to flies for us this season was a Green Drake soft hackle emerger (pictured below). It was based on a Drake Mackeral Emerger pattern found in Fly Patterns of Yellowstone, Volume 2 by Craig Mathews and John Juracek, upsized for an Eastern Green Drake.

As the weather got warmer, thoughts turned back to bass and carp (two of my favorite fly rod targets). Zimmerman’s Backstabber has been a productive carp fly for me this summer, along with a version of the pattern that has a few extra tweaks to it (more on that coming at some point). On July 11, I particpated in the 10th Annual Carpapalooza hosted by Larry Dostal in Nebraska: it’s a 12-hour (6am–6pm, your time zone) carp tournament with a changing theme each year. This year’s theme was “Beasty Kois” (last year’s was “A Slough Hope,” a punny Star Wars play on words). I ended up placing 16th out of 32, which was a pleasant surprise. The fish came early in the morning and taped at a respectable 23 inches.

There have been some other outings as well around the area, too. Lots of fun all around.