Still Here

If you would like to vote please click the picture and vote for Andrew & Lisa!
All proceeds raised go to the Children's Learning Center.

I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm still very much alive!! I have been extremely busy this spring with have having a new baby around and participating in a local dance competition/fund raiser. I really haven't been on the water as much as I would like but after this coming weekend I'll be back at it. Salmon season is upon us so stay tuned for the upcoming trip to Riggins, Idaho.

Check out the Facebook page for dancing with the Subblette stars or visit the Children's Learning Center.

Till Next Time - Tight Lines

Traded Up

Last Saturday we decided to make a trip to the big city to go grocery shopping. On the way, my wife tells me that she has been looking at a White Chevrolet Traverse at one of the dealers there. We were in the market for a new car since our current vehicle's back seat wasn't big enough to fit 3 car seats. We pulled in and looked around the lot for the Traverse. Just as soon as we entered the lot out popped someone from the sales staff. We pretty much told her that we were just window shopping and we would come and find her if we needed any help. After driving around the lot we found the car that she had been looking at online. We peaked in the windows and drove off, had breakfast and went to the local mall to get some summer cloths for our girls. Once we had completed that little adventure, I pulled the car around to pick them up and while doing so my youngest fell asleep. So we decided to head back over to the dealer to check out that car again. My wife went inside to discuss what they would give her for trade on our current car while I drove around the lot trying to keep the little one asleep. I started stopping and looking inside some of the pickups they had with no intentions of buying one. They all looked great but really pricey.

The little one woke up and we headed into the building with my wife and other daughter. The sales team started dealing with me about a new pickup. I told them not interested. We settled on the Traverse and they let us take it to Wal-Mart to go grocery shopping. On the way to the store we agreed that I didn't need a new vehicle and I didn't want another payment quite yet. We returned to the dealer only to find they had been working on a ploy to get me to buy it. They knocked $11000 off the new pickup and were willing to give me $1000 over the KBB.com trade-in value of my current pickup. I still said not interested and added if you want to sell it to me, you'll have to sell it to my wife. I figured she would have said no but next thing I knew she was asking me if I liked it. I have never been in this situation before, me trying to talk my wife out of buying something. She's the one that always has to tell me no, but me telling her no.... WOW..... We ended up with two new vehicles that day. The cool thing was we got her car for free with the trade-in values of our two trades. We are very happy with the decision we made with no buyer remorse.

If your ever in Rock Springs Wyoming, stop in at First Choice Buick GMC and see how they can help! Great costumer service and a great sales staff.

Till Next Time - Tight Lines 

Kicked off the 2014 Fishing Season

Big News!!! I've kicked off my 2014 fishing season. I finally made it to the river Friday, March 14th with surprisingly little success being the ice just came off the water. I didn't spend very much time fishing, only about 2.5 hours, but loved every minute of it. I threw everything I had with me and not a single stop in the first hour or so. (Golden Stone's, Copper Johns, Hare's Ears, Pheasant Tail's and The Rainbow Warrior) The only thing that I pulled out of the water was a very nice 12-14 in Rainbow. I swear I smacked the fish right in the mouth to get it to take the rainbow warrior. The fish was very health and put up a fairly good fight for just coming out of a long winter. After this little trip I plan on spending a lot more time at the vise putting together another selection of flies to choose from for my next trip. Although fishing is pretty much the only thing on my mind, this upcoming weekend a friend is taking me flying in his Cessna T182. During the flight I would like to scout some sections of local rivers to see if anything else is open, as well as flight maneuvers, stalls and some touch and goes. After this hopefully I'll have some nice pictures to share from the flight. I plan on getting back on the water very soon possibly even this weekend.

In other news, I have decided not to go steelhead fishing this year. This will be two years in a row I won't be buying a steelhead license but it's for a good cause. 

Baby Update:

As you know by now we are pregnant with our third child and it's a boy. My wife is doing great and she is coming to the end of the pregnancy. She is due at the end of April and we can't be more excited! This is one of the big reasons I'm not going steelhead fishing this year.

Thanks for reading!!!

Till Next Time - Tight Lines

Heating Up like The Winter Soldier

Things around here are beginning to heat up like the upcoming blockbuster Captain America: The Winter Soldier! We are finally coming out of another ice age across Western Wyoming. The rivers are starting to break open and the song birds are returning. Plus, I think I may have actually seen a fly buzzing around yesterday afternoon. For most people when decides spring roll around it’s all about "Time to lose that winter flab!" or "Spring cleaning anyone?". However, there are a select few of us out there that's been stuck in our houses and haven't felt that ever so slight tug or waiting, casting and thinking "this cast, it'll happen this cast". How sad to think I actually believe it every time I make that new cast. Anyway... After another winter of tying flies to replenish last year’s stock and even attempting to tie a few new ones, it's time to put all that hard work back to the test. I can't wait till I have the opportunity to get on the water again. Plus there is a lot in store for me in 2014. However, I’m still contemplating whether or not I'm going Steelhead and Salmon fishing this year would even be worth it. I mean come on; last year's results weren't anything to shake a stick at. I'll keep you posted.

There's something big coming in a baby form in the very near future. The 30th of April is the due date for our little one. The doc says it’s a boy this time even though I have my doubts. Still excited and can’t wait to meet him/her.

If you would like an update on the last post No Trespassing Utah's HB37 click here.

Thanks for reading!

Till Next Time - Tight Lines

No Trespassing, Utah's HB37

Every angler has done it! You roll out of bed wanting to wet a line on a new stretch of water. As your driving down the road reading the river, creek, stream or lake looking for that special place you've never fished. Looking and looking and looking.... Wait! What! There it is! Isn't it beautiful? You park your car, grab your gear and sprint to the water only to find a NO TRESPASSING sign standing in your way! You went from being the happiest person on earth to wanting to snap your rod in half.

Picture Source:
Deseret News

While growing up fishing in Idaho I knew that there was a historical high water mark on all water ways. Idaho will allow fishermen to fish all navigable waterways as long are you remain below the historical high water mark. By doing so, land owners couldn't run you off. To me, this was amazing. The only thing on my mind was don't abuse it. Don't be the person that messes it up for everyone. Pack out what you pack in. When I moved to Wyoming I thought the same rules applied. I learned very quickly that I couldn't have been more wrong. Who knows how many times I was trespassing on someones land before I knew what I was doing. I started to hear things about the land owners running fishermen off with shotguns or calling the Game and Fish Dept on trespassers. Once hearing about that I was very cautious where I was at all times while on the water.

I have recently read that Utah has introduced a bill (HB37) in the house that would allow fishermen to access waterway as long as they stay below the high water mark of the stream. What a grand idea. This has been working in Idaho for about 40 years. I hope that it passes and the Utah outdoors-man/fisherman community has new access to all of the currently private property they want. After all, everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy access to all the river, creeks, stream and lakes across the U.S. I will say however, don't be the person that messes it up for everyone! Respect all aspects of the new found enjoyment. If you pack it in, you better pack it out!

Wyoming, are you next? Are you going to give your water ways back to your people?

Till Next Time - Tight Lines

Announcing........

Something that's been stewing in my brain for sometime now is rather or not to start holding giveaways for my loyal followers here and on Twitter. After putting a lot of thought into it I'm pleased to announce the first GIVEAWAY from TheWyoAngler! I'll start out with something small like a dozen flies, a hat or something of the sort. But who knows, if it turns out to be a great success I may start giving away things like rods, reels or waders. Shortly you will find a giveaways page in the menu bar, check it on a regular basis and you could be one of the lucky WINNER! All the information you will need like: ways to enter, rules, contest dates, etc can be found under the giveaways tab. If you have any suggestions on what you would like to see under the giveaways tab follow and message me on twitter @thewyoangler. Good Luck!

Till Next Time - Tight Lines

Oh, The Past

Sitting here thinking about the past year and looking forward into 2014, I find myself pondering: "What did I accomplish in 2013?" I didn't make a Steelhead trip, I didn't tie as many flies as planned and I didn't fish as much as I wanted. I did however get to watch my girls grow and grow closer as a family. Actually, now that I really think about it, they both grew quite a bit. We made two trips to Disney, a trip to Anaheim and a trip to Orlando. While in Orlando, my youngest (1 yo at the time) learned a new word..... Mickey! Now it's her go to word. Any time we're at home and just sitting around not doing anything it's always Mickey, Mickey, Mickey. My oldest (3 yo) is quite a little helper. She loves to help dad make breakfast, do the laundry, dust the house and feed the animals. They both are growing up so fast and I don't like it. Plus we are expecting our 3 child in late April and its going to be a little boy!

(Rossie)

 Also last year we found and adopted a Bernese Mountain Dog. She is an amazing dog and I look forward to have the opportunity to take her out fishing with me. Over all 2013 turned out to be quite a fun year. I wound up accomplishing quite a bit! But the best thing about the past year is I grew closer to my sweetheart of 6 years! Without her I wouldn't be where I am today.

I know I promised some tutorials in 2013 but I got swamped with getting things started for The Wyo Angler. Things like updating the blog, creating a Twitter account, creating a Youtube channel and creating a Vimeo account. In 2014 I'll be putting together some tying tutorials and "tips and tricks" for around the vise and on the water. I am looking forward to a great 2014 and hope that you have a Happy New Year!!

Till Next Time - Tight Lines

Egg Sucking Leech

As promised, I have been spending some time at the vise. Here's some of my variations for the egg sucking leech. (Feedback is greatly appreciated.) Sorry I haven't included a video for this but it will be coming. 

This version is tied with a black rabbit strip and a black marabou feather.

Hook: Mustad 9671 Size 6

Thread: Black 8/0

Tail/Body: Black Zonker Strip

Head: Red Egg

Collar: Black Marabou Feather

This version is tied with a black rabbit strip and black saddle hackle.

Hook: Mustad 9671 Size 6

Thread: Black 8/0

Tail/Body: Black Zonker Strip

Head: Red Egg

Collar: Black Saddle Hackle

Till Next Time - Tight Lines

An Early Christmas

A couple weeks back I seen my wife was on Gmail chat so I decided to talk with her. I asked her about my Christmas present this year. I posed the question: "Would it be cool I purchased my Christmas present this year?" Her immediate response was "What is it?". I then explained what it was plus the advantages it had compared to my current product. Little did she know I still had the biggest selling point sitting in my back pocket just waiting for the right time to spring it. It was going to be the price. It was unbeatable! Then all of the sudden, BAM! There it was, the question I was waiting for. "How much?" she says. I now know I have one shot to make the sale. I let it fly. I shared a price comparison to the price on website and how I would save about $300 bucks. Plus, I explained that there were a few extra items that would be included in the package. 

I did it! I made the perfect sales pitch. Now all I have to do is wait. So I sat and stared at my monitor for a moment awaiting the verdict......... Ticktock, Ticktock, Ticktock. Seconds felt like hours. Then it happened! "Sure" she said. "It's what you like to do during the winter." I couldn't believe what I was reading. It was all I could do not to jump out of my chair and run up and down the hallways yelling. Once I finally calmed down, I thanked her and I placed an email to the gentleman I was in contact with and committed to the purchase. About 3 days later it showed up at my door. My daughters and I ripped it open. It was like I was a kid again on Christmas morning. There it was, my very own Nor-Vise Fly Tying System. I have been looking at this vise for about two years. Searching Craigslist, KSL, Ebay and just about any site where things could be sold trying to find a deal. It was brand new and has never had a hook in the vise. Most of the components were still in the plastic wrapper.

Its now set up and producing flies. There is a slight learning curve associated with it since it's a rotary vise. The creator of the Nor-Vise, Norm Norlander includes a DVD with techniques on how to use it. I will start to share flies and videos once I have perfected the vise.

I would like to give a special thanks to my wife! She is by far the best friend and person I could ask for!

Update!

Last Friday we headed up to the hospital to find out what the baby will be. I was secretly hoping for another girl which would have made three but I was about to be disappointed. There on the ultrasound we counted three legs. The Doc said "Congratulations, you hare having a baby boy!"

Till Next Time - Tight Lines

What! It's only December!

Well it's safe to say that fly fishing in western Wyoming has officially came to an end. Headed out to start the pickup today, looked down and realized what the thermometer was reading. It was reading -24 degrees! What! It's only December! So, from here on out (or for the 5 months at least) I'll be at the bench producing flies for the upcoming season. To start this tying season off, I'll be throwing together some springtime nymphs and emergers with an occasional streamer, then work into some summer dries. For each pattern tied, there will be a video tutorial to go along with it as well as a list of materials. Who knows, some of the materials and flies may go up for sale later in the year. Only time will tell. But in other news we are expecting our 3rd child due in late April. Once again another exciting time and adventure is set to begin! Plus an added bonus, the baby will come toward the end of the spring Steelhead season and just before the Salmon season begins in mid to late May.

But stay tuned over the next few days because I will have something very new to share!

Till Next Time - Tight Lines

Fly Tying Friends

I have a local fly fisherman/fly tying friend that has been spending some time at his bench producing some of the best fish catching flies I have every used on the Upper Green River. Here is a small sample of what I am talking about.

He tied some of these streamers up earlier this spring and they produced some very nice fish. Here's one of the fish that was fooled by the pattern.

So I guess you could say that I'm pretty grateful to have Tom as a close friend.

Till Next Time - Tight Lines

Chironomids, Caddis & Pheasant Tails

We did some chironomid fishing over Labor Day weekend and this is what we turned up.

Ty Shippen & 6 lb Kamloop

Photo by Jerry Gillette

We set out around 7:30am not knowing what we would find since it was pouring rain. With fly rods in hand we headed out to brave the elements. Though it was pouring rain it turned out to be a great day! The water was a little murky not due to the rain but I believe the State is conducting some work somewhere up stream resulting in about 6" of visibility within the water. That being said we still "knocked the socks off" the fish early while the action tapered off toward mid morning. We all landed close to 30 fish each with more than 50 or so pull downs within the first 2 hours of the day. The majority of the fish were weighing in around 3 - 4 lbs. All in all we had a pretty successful day on the water but unfortunately I had to leave around noon to head back home to Wyoming. 

Till next time - Tight Lines

Rapala? What?

Spent some time with a rapala trolling Boulder Lake the 15th with a friend of my father-in-law who one could say is a friend of mine..?.? Anyway, we where on the water by 6:30 AM and had six (6) in the boat within 4 hours. I would say that is a pretty productive morning (me not knowing if that is a good morning since I don't troll). It did however spark an interest for looking into a boat. Nothing big, just a 14'-16' outboard jet dive boat. Any-who, here are some pictures of the lake and fish.

Till next time - Tight Lines

Riggins Salmon Trip 2013

Good news! We made the trip to Riggins, Id this year for the 2013 salmon season. We pulled into town Monday May 27th and immanently started to fish. I stayed till Thursday May 30th and Claude stayed till Saturday June 1st. We started out fishing the "old reliable spot" the motel hole. I hooked one and landed it about a hour after we pulled in, Claude hooked one had it on for about 30 seconds and lost it. Tuesday morning we rolled out around 4:30 AM and headed to the river. We hit the same place early but it didn't produce anything so we moved on. Claude headed to a spot down river called "the post office" and hooked into a nice 15 lb wild salmon. After awhile I too moved down river and we started hooking and landing several salmon. We met some new people this year and seen some familiar faces. Among the new: Phil, Bob Daniels, Joe (the best fisherman on the river according to some) Fred Trenkle and Dennis. Sad to say I didn't see one of the familiar faces there this year Bill Rousy. He died last year from something that escapes me right now but he will be missed! My father-in-law spent sometime in the boat in whats known as the park hole. Didn't produce a lot of fish this time but when your in the boat he usually will have your limit in about 30 minutes.

We had a lot of fun this year and I'm looking forward to next year.

Fishing the Post Office.

Landed Monday afternoon

Monday afternoon

I believe this is Claude's 1st of the trip.

2nd of the trip.

Cleaning up the river!

Till Next Time - Tight Lines

Steelhead 2012

Well after all the waiting that I have been doing, I finally got a chance to get out and do some fishing. Claude and I made our annual trip to the upper salmon river in Stanley Id and landed a few steelhead (April 10th - 14th). If you are familiar with the the Yankee Fork area, we were fishing under the over hanging tree in between the cables. I want to say that the water flow the first day was close to 950cfs climbing up around 1300cfs  the last day we were there (five days). The Yankee Fork water had a glacier tint to it but the Salmon river was fairly clear so it was producing some good fishing. The air temp was about 24 degrees when we started in the morning but warmed up to around 40 degrees throughout the day. The Salmon river was fairly clear as far down as we were fishing so it produced some fish. Here are a couple of fish that we landed.

The biggest of the trip

Still Waiting

The ice is starting to break but not quite enough to fish. So I am still on the bench! This is a size 4 2XH 3XL egg sucking leach. I am hoping that the next post will have a pic of a fish in it. Although steel head season is just around the corner, getting stoked for that!!! I'll get some great pics once again do all to see!

Till next time, tight lines everybody!

Back at the Bench

Prince Nymph Size 12

As we get into the winter months, I have started to replenish my fly boxes. I thought that I would start out with this Prince Nymph size 12-18. I have also been working on some Brassie and Copper Johns in similar sizes.  I am still hoping to get out on the water before everything is froze solid but with the weather conditions being as bad as it is, I think that chance is dwindling away. Hope everyone else is getting back to the bench and tying up some sweet flies for next season.

Tight lines everybody!

What? Not Even a White Fish?

Made it out on the river today and came back empty handed. With the rivers fluctuating flow so often and so rapidly they really don't  produce any action. Although it was good to get out of the house today since its been awhile. I may have not caught anything on the rod but my eyes caught a few Bald Eagles hunting with no luck as well. I started out using a gold stone for some weight with a small 18-22 copper john as a trailer then moved on to some streamers. I was sure I would at least pull a white fish or two but not even that. I am hoping to get out more before the rivers freeze up in the next month month and a half. We just hired a new contractor/employee at QEP and come to find out he loves to tie flies and fly fish as well. So I am looking forward to get out on the water later in the month with him. I hope to catch something if we do make it out. As far as the steelhead run goes, there really isn't a great report to intrigue me on heading to Idaho for the fall run yet this year. So perhaps I will have skip the fall run and just hit the spring run.

Till next time, rip some lips!

Sports & Fishing

Well, now that Middle School football is coming to an end I may have more time to get out and fool some fish. This is the first year that I have coached Middle School football and I have to say it has challenged my patience more than once. In other news, fall/winter steelhead well be starting here very soon and I am definitely looking forward to that little escapade. Also, I am working on another project that should be completed within the next few months and I will announce it then!

High Water

As the days pass I keep hoping for some heat to melt this blasted snow that we have in the high elevations (Wind River Range) but it just won't warm up. I haven't even thought about going out around here with this dirty water. As far as the salmon run goes in Idaho, the water is way to high for the fish to even have a fighting chance to make it past some of the slide areas below Hells Canyon on the Snake River to make it to Riggins or further up to Salmon Idaho. So I sit and watch the hydrologic predictions internet waiting for a miracle to happen. It just needs to hit the 80's or 90's for about a week and get the melting and high water over with. If it hits 100,000 cfs it would clear everything out of the rivers and let the fish make their run! I will touch back with an update hoping to have some pictures to put up. Good luck in the high water!