It's that time of year again, yet another summer has come and gone. Dog days waning, with a transition on the way. Maple leaves are beginning to wilt and turn, with the grasses ever dryer. Poison Oak, the very first to begin the change, vibrant red, burnt orange, yellow and some still green enough to fool you. Turnouts once covered and hidden from the unknowing now beg for a look see. Feeder creeks playing with reality, now you see 'em now you don't. Dodging wooly bears inching their way across the highway. Mosquitos finally fleeting, kinda. Giving an old growth a pat of respect on the way past, many droughts they've survived. Wishing you could've been here at this very moment when it was just a sapling... Morning shadows hanging on for a late fish. Darkness slowly creeping towards a favorable nights sleep. That's the way it goes, the way it should be.

Every year we go up and down, this summer was no different. Though, more than we've seen in the recent past. Fire, smoke, drought, warm, low water, good fishing, tough fishing…these fish have survived it all, countless times. Things change, it's inevitable, can you?

Rick Davis admiring a beauty before return.

Bob Dowling with bright one we had to pull all the tricks out on to get her to go.

Does anybody get more jacked than Fred Pendergast?, no.

Water temps were the big issue this year, and on most anglers minds. And for good reason.

When water temps get hot, reach for something cold.

Jason Hartwick with a dandy, no you're not on the Dean

Greg Someson waited until the very last minute for this one. Worth the wait.

Lee Spencer keepin'em wet and real all at once.

Fire was another big issue and continues to be.

John Luis, understands it, gets it, does it.

Father and son first steelhead experience, coming all the way from Georgia. Took both Russ and Chip Harden to land this beast, about as big as they make'em in the summer.

A summer of change, a summer to remember. Thank you to all that fished with me and continue to do so. Looking forward to the coming fall and the changes it will most definitely bring...

Keep keepin'em wet,

Rich

PS- we have just two spots remaining for the Jefferson Spey Sessions. For more info, scroll down and get in touch if interested. Thanks

Slowly, summer seems to crawl in, and how quickly it fades away into the longer nights of the fall to come. Every year chasing the next, faster faster faster. As the seasons go by at a high step, the game slows down. The subtleties becoming more obvious and the enjoyment of more than just the fish, far more apparent. The fish are what keeps the head in the game but it's the rushing water wrapping round the legs, the trees, twittering birds, crawdads at your feet, young of the year darting form your shadow, "smell that cedar", stoneflies fluttering, caddis crawling, baldy fly-by, a visit with the man at the pool, midday naps, living down by the river, GBH stretched out roosting, the sweet foam line, blackberries ripened in the shade, the moment your new pup realizes there's something alive at the end of the line, cup of black coffee watching the sunrise, going for a hike over fishing, meals of red meat, green bedrock glowing, pissed-off bald faced hornets, #6 with bacon at the Inn, that orange rock one seems to be on every time, trying something new, log jams of winters past, free pumice, butterflies, tiger lilies, pea-blossoms all summer, kingfishers, when-I-dip-you-dip-we-dip of the dipper, the hot-spot no ones caught onto yet, old-growth, shade, swim/guide bath in the creek, sleeping in, the change, the good'ol boys back year after year, Norman and his Koi pond at the Dogwood, goosebumps, cell service at Baker, Little Pizza Paradise, the "steelhead tree", nobody around, thunderstorms, greenness,good friends, and the fish are pretty damn special too…

Damn lucky to get to spend days on end here.

Beauty with the answer to "if you only could fish one fly..." in the corner,

Genevieve Long with the big hen we all dream about. This was Genevieve's first steelhead, that's gonna be tough to beat.

Bruce Moore with a dandy that cleared the water for the dry.

Once had a client get lost on the trail and survived solely on thimbleberries.

Bob McMaster with one we got a picture of from a magical day on the North.

Chris "Tony" Marto, you had to be there...

Fred Pendergast with a nice, bright beauty.

Nobody puts the wood to'em like Jim Ansite

"My fucking legs are shaking!" Jim Ansite

August 1 - February 28, by all means snag away...

Chuck Volkhausen of Wild Waters Fly Fishing grinning with wild XX steelhead

Doug Eisenberg admiring his second steelhead in his first year of steelheading

Big Dave with his first steelhead on the dry. There may have been a little flatfooting on the bank afterwards or maybe not.

Henry Carlile with a nice one, this was the first steelhead Blue paid attention too. He's starting to understand what we're doing out there. No better to break him in than a lab lover too.

Rand Kaplan with just a ripper of a buck, took it running downstream and didn't stop until two pools later and a hairy wade and unwrapping off rocks three times. Sometimes luck is on your side.

What a great few months this has been. Full of all the right stuff, the good, bad and the ugly. One more before I go...

Be good,

Rich

Peaks and valleys

Getting by