Visit Yellowstone National Park whenever the park’s roads are open (typically April to late October), and there’s always the possibility of crowds at popular highlights (e.g., Old Faithful), long waits at restaurants, and gridlock caused by animals on the road or nearby. The possibility increases to certainty – particularly crowds…

Trips to Montana in early October can mean a possibility of cold and snow. But then again, an October trip to Montana means a chance to see the autumn colors and wildlife, and an opportunity to fish for spawning brown and rainbow trout. My wife Terri and I made the…

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) has released a draft plan for the Madison River that would limit the number of guided trips outfitters can run each day as well as cap the number of outfitters licensed for the Madison. The proposed plan runs from Quake Lake to the Madison’s…

The Thompson River is the largest tributary of the Fraser River, which is the tenth largest river in Canada and the largest river in British Columbia. Though the 1990s, the Thompson was one of the premier steelhead fishing rivers in North America. In the late 1980s, the steelhead run was…

Fly fishing in Puget Sound for sea run cutthroat trout and coho salmon means the typical fly is a baitfish or crustacean pattern – think Clousers, Deceivers, and the like. And most of the casting is blind casting surface or sub surface patterns where presentation isn’t always essential. As a…

As part of a visit to my son and his family in Bozeman, I decided I needed to make a slight detour and fish the Henry’s Fork again. The trip out from Gig Harbor was sunny and mild with hours of easy driving – I like long road trips in…

Smoke from forest fires in British Columbia (over 100 at last count) have drifted south into Puget Sound over the last week. The air is now something seen as much as breathed due to the high particulate count (154 ppm this morning). Being outside has meant scratchy throats and irritated…

Yesterday we made the long drive over to Ellensburg for the eight annual rendezvous on the Yakima River held at the Canyon River Ranch and conducted by Reds Fly Shop. For those who’ve not been over there, both are collocated in the heart of the Yakima River Canyon – a…

Well, to be honest…the beach never went anywhere. What’s back was me on the beach. Today, I finally got out to the beach to get my waders wet and cast my fly. It was the first time fly-fishing since last year – before my daughter’s wedding and before the medical…