Category Archives: fishing

Early this summer I was having a typical BS session with RIO pro staffer and skagit guru Mike McCune (congrats btw). At one point during our chat Mike looked around to make sure nobody would overhear him and asked “Hey man, where should I go shad fishing right now?” I got a good chuckle and figured he must be up to something if he was going to be chasing shad….

Mike hinted that he was testing a line that was “super cool man!” It turned out to be RIO’s new Skagit iFlight line. Since then I’ve been fortunate enough to get my paws on one and have fished it quite a bit. I’ve also thrown the other offerings in intermediate skagits on the market and while I can say they are all very nice lines, for me the RIO Skagit iFlight is the best one out there.

The Rig

I’ve been using the 475 grain iFlight which is 22′ feet long. The first 8′ float while the remainder of the line is intermediate (1.5 ips) sink rate. I throw it on a 6129 Sage VXP (best rod on the planet!) It’s attached to 30lb Trilene Big Game for running line. I like my skagits short so the length is perfect. The mass, even at 475 grains, will turn over any size winter fly I could ever want to throw.

The Tips

Dialing in sink tips and when to use them has been a bit of an adventure in a good way. The sinking belly gets down really effectively so when using 10′ of T material it’s not hard to dredge the bottom even in some substantial current. This allows you to fish much lighter tips than normal; where I might fish 10′ of T-11 I can now use a 10′ type 3 or 6 tip and achieve the same depth but with much more ease of casting.

The Swing

The RIO iFlight cuts under surface chop and swings much much slower than a conventional floating head/tip combo. You get a short window to mend the line before it slips under the surface, but from my experience so far if you botch mending just let it swing, it slows itself down and isn’t a big deal at all. One thing I have noticed is a lot more grabs on the hang down which is hard to discern whether its a coincidence or not.

The Casting

About my only concern was how this would cast when swinging so deeply and slowly. Other full sinking heads can be a pain to get up and out of the water. The iFlight tends to be a lot better with the longer floating section making it pick up with a snap t or circle spey just fine. As with a floating head and heavy tip you may have to give it a quick roll cast. I find that doing various variations of the Perry Poke works really well with this line (check out Skagit Master 1 for more on this cast). The iFlight has the same oomph as a skagit short and has no problems with a heavy tip and/or large fly.

The Verdict

The RIO Skagit iFlight has quickly become my go to winter line. I can fish deeper without the heavier tips required with a floating head. RIO’s new iMOW tips are excellent additions to these lines for ease of use. The only limitation I have found is swinging into small slots where it’s beneficial to have a floating line and a bit of a hinge with the tip to reach down into nooks and crannies. In addition to winter fishing its proven to be a great shad line (just ask Mike McCune) and would probably work well for stripers and other alternative applications. Yet another great line from RIO to add to your spey arsenal, it never ends!

There’s a certain sense of optimism I can’t help but feel. It defies all logic, when life is in shambles one normally doesn’t feel especially stoked on the future. But I do. Last weekend we spent a chunk of time getting blanked chasing a certain goal. This inspired us to make a big move, explore some places new to us and break out of our comfort zones. Lo and behold it worked. Mojo changed and all was unbelievably right. I feel like that trip was an appropriate metaphor for life. All I can do is chase my goals and dreams and realize, its life, stuff happens. Instead of getting down or sticking myself in a position to fail, I can recollect and put myself in a better position to succeed wherever I choose to go.  Now which direction remains to be seen but I know somewhere out there the next adventures, successes, and failures await and I can’t wait to meet them.

I just got back from a few days fishing with the good folks at Tarpon Cay Lodge in San Felipe, Mexico. Mexico has fallen on hard times tourism wise due to the swine flu scare and now the drug cartels. Fortunately the Yucatan Peninsula is a very safe place to visit, and as a result of the lack of tourism, offers some awesome fishing.

San Felipe is a small fishing village about 3 hours from Cancun via car. It’s a quaint and clean little town and the residents couldn’t be friendlier. The Hotel de San Felipe serves as the base of operations, and includes your meals. The fishing boats are literally right off the back step making logistics very simple.

The fishing at Tarpon Cay varies between baby tarpon from 5-25lb and ‘Grandes’ which are migratory fish that show up in the summer time. Thus you can have the backcountry mangrove fishing experience, flats, or offshore experience if the winds cooperate. We fish 8 and 9 weights for baby tarpon and 10 + for the big boys. My stick of choice for the baby’s which were larger and more plentiful than normal this trip was a 990 Sage ONE. It’s an amazing rod that is light enough to cast all day but with the backbone to punch into the wind with authority and subdue big fish. I’m a big fan of the ONE and the 990 gave me a lot of confidence that I could put the fly exactly where I wanted at any time. My big fish rod was a Redington Predator 1090. It’s an amazing value at $250 and is a stout stick that casts well in the wind and can really lay into a big fish. With it’s carbon fiber reinforced butt and ferrules you can yank on a big tarpon about as hard as you want without having to worry. A good saltwater worthy reel is nice to match so you don’t have to worry about going overboard with maintenance. I fished Sage 6000 and 4200 series as well as Ross F1′s and they all performed flawlessly.

Casting is crucial, to have success one needs to be able to double haul quickly and throw at least 50-60 feet into the wind. We did get plenty of closer shots but the better you can cast the more shots you’ll have. Usually the only complaints we hear about this destination is from people who can’t cast or don’t realize tarpon are difficult to land (they go crazyyyyyyyyy!)

We used a wide variety of flies from the San Felipe Special, to gurglers, seaducers, and various Puglisi flies. For backcountry and flats fishing a floating line is perfect, with a clear floating line giving some extra stealth, and for the deeper flats and offshore an intermediate tip line like the RIO Outbound Short Tropical is a nice asset.

Big props to Sage, who outfitted me for the trip, for making some really nice tropical clothing. When you think Sage, clothing doesn’t exactly come to mind, but I practically lived in there Quest Seychelles pants and Quest Keys crews. Normally I’m not a big fan of pants and long sleeves when it’s hot but these did a nice job of keeping the sun off, wicking moisture, and not overheating. I only abandoned them for other apparel once they got to covered in Tarpon slime.

Overall I was completely impressed by the operation, I’ve heard nothing but great things and it was reinforced. The food is good local fare. A hearty breakfast each morning with sandwiches  in the boat followed by a tasty dinner or lunch depending on when you get back. Ample supplies of beer and margaritas are available…as well as bottled water. The rooms are air conditioned and comfortable and the lodge is filled with classy artwork making it a very comfortable place to stay. Besides fisherman you’ll see quite a few Euro’s on holiday there as well. Another perk is that ATT has perfect cell service from the lodge. The staff is friendly and really goes above and beyond to make you feel like you’re right at home. The feeling I got at the trips end that I could go there a week every summer for the rest of my life. I’ll let the pics say the rest.

First and foremost I’m going to preface this article with I’m not a doctor. Please consult one before making any life changing decisions. I’m writing this from experience with training and usage of WFR skills over the years. If you’re interested in a practical course of useful and potentially life saving info then I highly recommend going though a WMI sanctioned WFR course.

One of my favorite parts of prepping for a trip, big or small, is organizing a thoughtful and simple first aid kit that can address some of the potential hazards posed by a destination and activities. I think that by customizing your kit for a particular adventure it forces you think about the possible scenarios presented by the location, making you better prepared overall. If traveling with a group your mates will be stoked when you jump into action because you’ve already thought out a protocol for when little Johnny gets bit by a black mamba (ok maybe that’s a little overboard….)

Getting Started

The first thing I do is analyze and prioritize potential hazards posed by the activities and locations, and how they may interact and compound on one another. By weighing the potential discomforts a destination poses, when something inevitable goes wrong you can turn your trip around depending on the severity. I like to get by with as minimal a kit as possible. If afforded a large amount of space I may bring extra first aid material and divvy it up into a smaller pack for the day. I’ll always carry the basics like NSAID’s and gloves but a lot of the rest depends on what I’m doing and where.

Prime example: Packing for the Yucatan

I leave in exactly a week for a bunch of fishing in the Mexican Yucatan. This requires a bit more forethought as the trip’s priority is fishing which may or may not be close to civilization, and the standards of care and sanitation probably aren’t going to be quite as high. So far my prioritization is as follows.

1. Gastrointestinal/Dietary- We all know that gringos usually have hard time with the H20 and potentially the food. In order to prevent this I’ll carry the basics like hand sanny for in a pinch prior to meals. Additionally I’ll carry Pepto for my sensitive tummy, as well as a preemptive prescription of Ciproflaxin which can stop a bacterial attack in it’s tracks and save a trip. Consult your doc before getting a Cipro scrip as it can literally kill you…I personally can have a mild allergic reaction to shrimp, and my self control isn’t the strongest, so I’ll have an antihistamine on hand for when I inevitably dive in to a pile for dinner (not recommended!!!)

2. Trauma/Lacerations- Being in a boat tossing large tarpon flies in the wind makes me leery of potential impalement of a large fish hook. Additionally we have had people get banged and cut up in the boat in rough waters. In a humid environment any open wound is susceptible to dirt and muck getting perspired in. For cuts and laceration the essentials that I carry on every trip are a combo of Suture Strips and Tincture of Benzoin. For a cut that won’t respond to pressure these items will help close things up temporarily. I carry a plastic dental syringe and a source of clean (bottled) water to irrigate a wound prior to treatment. Lastly a mild antibiotic cream that helps kill bad bacteria and facilitate healing is present as well. Most importantly before any of these should be used, put on some sterile gloves. Remember if it’s warm or gooey and bodily you probably don’t want direct contanct…

3. Heat/Sun injuries- The last major concern I have is likelihood on sunburns and dehydration. While the best way to treat is overall prevention I may carry some electrolyte tabs to help rehydrate and settle my stomach if dehydrated as well as aloe to sooth sunburns. A sunburn will cause the body to become more dehydrated so it’s important to be extra vigilant as they can become correlated. I don’t anticipating being to far off the grid so I should have consistent access to bottled water, it might be a good idea to take something like a Steri-Pen if uncertain.

Thus these 3 potential situations can become a lot easier to handle should they arise because they’ve been given some forethought. Having stuff go wrong happens (just ask me about throwing up in St. Peter’s Basilica, whoops!), so little things like this can help make your trip or one of your travel partners a lot easier.

The dog days of summer are upon us and the shad are starting their retreat which means it’s time to start striper fishing to keep us occupied until steelhead season. Fished this AM with Captain Maury Hatch on the American. We found enough schoolies to keep us occupied and we each missed some bigger fish and had some fun follows. If you’re bored get after it, if you want to learn or just want access to a boat and local know how then Maury is a fun guy to fish with. Check out his website here.

Some footy here, the fly fishing world needs more dubstep

The Sage ONE Spey and Switch Rods are slowly trickling out to reps and summer destinations and are shipping to dealers somewhere around the 18th of July. They’ve garnered a lot of hype so far due to both a comprehensive breadth of models and a price tag that approaches or supersedes custom territory.

I’ll preface by saying the only rods out there that consistently carry a lot of Wow factor throughout the entire lineup to me are Burkheimers; until now. Every spey and switch rod series out there has some gems and some dogs, but the new ONE’s are consistently phenomenal.

The Switches

4116 (11’6″ #4) The #4 is a much anticipated mini spey that’s applications range as far as one’s imagination (horrible pun, sorry!) It is beautifully matched with a RIO 325 Skagit Short and any range of light MOW tips. This rod is super light and crisp, and for a such a light weight surprisingly hard to overpower. A scandi in the 300 range would be perfect as well. Overall a killer light rod perfect for swinging either streamers or soft hackles for trout or fishing half-pounders to very small steelhead.

5116 (11’6″) The #5 to me edged out the 4 as the best of the bunch. A 375 RIO skagit short went like crazy and a 350 scandi felt crisp. This guy has an uber smooth flex with just the right balance of stiffness in the tip with a fair bit of flex all the way down. I wouldn’t hesitate to have this rod as a dedicated Trinity/Klamath stick. Compared the the 5119 TCX switch this was for sure softer down deep, but just as if not more smooth casting.

6116 (11’6″ #6) The word to describe the #6 switch is consistency! With a 400 RIO Skagit flight the #6 does everything you could want out of a #6 very well. It didn’t quite blow me away like the 4 and 5 but that’s because there’s so may good #6 switches on the market, and this one certainly leads the pack. If you’re looking for one rod to do it all in Northern California and Southern Oregon, then this would be a strong consideration. Again compared to the 6116 TCX, a fair bit softer in the butt with a plenty strong tip.

7116 (11’6″ #7) All I could think about while throwing the 7 was North Umpqua! With a 450 RIO Skagit Flight or 475 RIO Skagit Short this guy delvers precise casts with ease. Again a bit softer down deep than it’s TCX counter part but with a burly tip that will chug Ska-Hoppers with authority. A 410 Scandi is pretty sweet as well. Plenty of fish fighting power and enough juice to cut through the wind, I’d consider this a North Umpqua go to rod that will handle larger summer fish and afternoon winds anywhere, as well as a heck of a good winter stick that will handle pretty good sized intruders and tips.

8116 (11’6″ #8) If you want a broomstick, then this is you’re rod. Surprisingly more powerful than it’s TCX counterpart, it takes at least a 525 RIO Skagit Short to load. For the overhead/surf/striper crew an 11 or 12 weight RIO Outbound short loaded this guy up. This thing is a lot of rod so if you like that super fast and light feel then this could be a contender, for me it was too quick but I could see it possibly working well for AK salmon.

The Speys

5126 (12’6″ #5) The #5 ONE spey is a nice improvement over the Z Axis. Whereas the Z had what I called a “loosey goosey” tip, the ONE tightens things up in to a crisp light package. Stronger in the tip with a nice smooth flex into the butt, it throws a 350 RIO Steelhead Scandi and 400 RIO Skagit Flight very well. A sweet go to fall rod for the Trinity/Klamath/Rogue/Grand Ronde.

6126 (12’6″ #6) Another wonderful improvement over the Z Axis line.  The 6126 Z had a loose flex in the top 3rd and a fast recovery vs a stiffer tip and deeper feeling load on the ONE which felt a lot more consistently good than the Z with a wider variety of lines. I would not hesitate to fish a little longer floating line like the RIO Uni Spey or A Tactical Steelhead on this rod as well. A 385 RIO Steelhead Scandi and 450 RIO Skagit Flight were dialed.

7126 (12’6″ #7) The sleeper of the bunch, this rod caught me completely off guard in a good way. I was expecting it to be similar to the “Death Star” 7126 TCX. It couldn’t be more different! It has a strong tip but flexes smoothly into the butt (sensing a theme here?) A whole lot softer down deep than the TCX. A 500 RIO Skagit Flight is dialed for a nice consistent flex that can handle most flies. We tried a 525 flight that was workable but for sure overloaded. A Scandi from 450-485 is equally as good. For someone looking for a single spey rod to do it all, the 7126 One is a strong candidate. It wont overpower the average fall fish but has enough guts to fish most winter situations. This rod is a sweetheart!

7136 (13’6″ #7) Unfortunately for the 7126 ONE, it’s big brother the 7136 is going to get most of the attention, and for good reason. I had fished the prototype for a month or so this winter and was pretty stoked on the improvement from the Z Axis 7136 (possibly the largest grain window in spey history?!) I remember taking the prototype Z Axis 7136 to the North Umpqua back in the day and never could bond with it. The flex in the tip and strong recovery just never gave much feel of consistency when throwing mid belly’s or even scandi’s. I did like it for a skagit stick as it was a slingshot with loaded with 600 grains. The new ONE blows it away, loaded with a 525 RIO Skagit flight it throws anything you tie on with ease. A total smooth operator with a stiff tip and some flex into the cork, this is destined to be the best seller. With a RIO Steelhead Scandi 485 or a midbelly like a Nextcast fall favorite 7/8 (or 6/7 depending on your taste) it fishes a dry line beautifully. This is really a cool rod that would make a killer winter stick in the lower 48 and a do it all winter or summer rod for BC. Heading to Dean or Skeena country, this would be one rod to do it all.

8136 (13’6″ #8) Andrew Bennet already wrote a nice piece on the Deneki Blog here about this rod although I’d disagree and say that the sweet spot with a skagit goes from 575 to 625. I thought the rod maintained it crisp smooth feel at 625 grains. It reminded me of a lighter and tighter version of the old Sage 8136 Brownie from years ago. For a dedicated big winter rod that could handle light salmon duty this rod deserves a look, I wouldn’t hesitate to fish an 8/9 mid belly on it as well. It’s very easy casting for it’s size and quite a bit lighter than the 8134 Z axis.

9140 (14′ #9) I threw this guy for a bit with a Next Cast Fall favorite 9/10 with nice results. It has a ton of power and a strong tip that you can really push while still being light in the hand and maintaining a friendly feel. A good crossover winter and long belly fall rod that us mortals could fish for longer on rivers like the Clearwater.

I didn’t get to cast or get ample time to dial in the 8126, 10130, or 10150 as they’re still limited in availability.

Overall the ONE’s are the best thing going throughout the entire line. There was only one specific model that didn’t do it for me (the #8 switch) which is amazing performance and consistency for an entire lineup. As I mentioned earlier these are every bit as good if not better than the best of the best custom rods (Burkies) on the market.

As an aside Redington has a killer line of “Prospector” speys and switches coming to replace the CPX. In it is a 4 weight that much softer than the One that I think will be the nicest thing going for a truly light and affordable trout switch rod. Killer with a 275 RIO Skagit Short.

Just got back from Kelsey with a fun crew. Fishing wasn’t the hottest but we all manged fish with quite a few blow ups on top. We spent a bit of time drinking, bbqing, and enjoying general tomfoolery so I was stoked on the amount of fish for hours spent fishing. I’ll the pics say the rest.

I spent the other morning swinging down a run on the American with nothing to show as usual. My casting was frustrating at best but once I finally hit my groove something more special than any steelhead happened.

Almost 7 years ago I was a senior in high school and a shop rat in Sacramento. I enveloped everything to do with fly fishing with the energy that only a 16 year old has. Spey casting was starting to hit its stride as the next big thing in fly fishing, at least in California.

We were lucky in Sacramento to have the spey Mecca of Watt Avenue on the American River. In retrospect I like to think the Watt Avenue bridge is every bit as special as say Spence’s or Mott; at least to me. Just about every day some early adapters would be crowded below the bridge nerding out on lines, rods, flies, scotch etc. As a youngster (at 23 I consider myself a seasoned vet) I decided to jump right in, spey rod in hand, and flail away.

At first I was somewhat intimidated, I’d fly fished most of my life but never with the passion and attentiveness that this group did. They tended to be close to 40 years my senior and generally ignored me the first few go-rounds. After showing some persistence and slight improvement, and showing up on days with shitty weather and winds, these guys started to warm up to me. I think I was more a novelty but I got to know the Watt Avenue spey crew pretty well from the river and in the shop.

One in particular, a short Asian fellow with a quick dry wit was on the river more than anyone else. Seldom did he fish hard, but mostly just casted and tweaked his casting and equipment to get the most out of it. He was incredibly modest yet could dish with the best of us when appropriate. For several years he seemed to take me under his wing and really teach me the nuances of spey casting. Long bellies, short bellies, long or short rods, he’d mastered it all. If I was having issue he’d tweak my stroke slightly and say “Now give it a try”. After either of us would hit a good cast he’d tweak his head at an angle, squint through his glasses, and watch the loop turn over then shake his head intently as nothing else need be said.

Just before I moved away to college I snuck this gentleman into an “Industry Only” demo day put on by Sage and Rio. We both got a kick over razing a certain Rio Spey Guru about how bad their current long belly was. Later that summer just before making the move I showed up at Watt on a particularly nasty day. The wind was swirling causing a ruckus and we were the only 2 stupid enough to show up to cast.

As we both prepared to depart he mentioned how he couldn’t help coming out on that particular day as it was the anniversary of him outliving a diagnosis that at the time gave him very little time to live. I’d heard rumors but never asked him and this was the first I’d ever heard him speak of it. We each made one more good cast with him tilting his head staring at them in approval and hiked back to our cars. As we broke things down he gave me all sorts of grief about college, girls, booze, and the rest of that hoopla.

I ran into him a few times on my forays back home and he was quick to drill me about how many times I’d been arrested or how many girl friends I had, all of the important college stuff. Once I started student teaching and had a serious girlfriend I made it home less and less. One fall day when I snuck up North for a rare day of fishing with a friend from Sacramento I asked him for some details. It seems my friend had run out of borrowed time an quietly passed away, and in his modest nature made no fuss about it.

Fast forward to several weeks ago and Larry’s name came up with some of the spey crew mentioning how they miss him and still fish some of his rods. The next morning I’m fishing one of my favorite runs solo and can’t make a cast to save my life. I took a deep breath and thought of some of the things Larry had showed me, thought of some of the sarcastic remarks he’d throw my way, and the way he intently studies each cast. At that point I was thankful for my friendship with Larry and that spey casting had facilitated it with a person I would otherwise have had no connection with. I realized I could never fish for steelhead any other way because spey casting would always harbor those memories.

I stripped in my line, made a few coils and cast a tight loop to the far side of the river. As it fell to the water I felt my head tilted to the side and caught my eyes squinting through my glasses intently at the loop turning over.

Many of us were fortunate to be friends with Larry, albeit much to briefly