FLY n Head

The elusive Corbina are running close to shore this time of the year near Ventura and a few of us are surfcasting countless times trying, hoping, and wishing to land this ghost of the ocean.

Yesterday, Mark, one of our buyers at Patagonia and good friend, was on a mission to catch a Bean near his home in Carpenteria so I lent him my last sand crab imitation.  I asked him to please try hard not to loose my last fly.

I received this Voicemail on my phone late last night.

This is the sand crab fly that Mark gave me back today:

At least he didn't lose it.

Frog Hunting

A note from my cousin, Little Joey, at the age of 5. How great is this? An instant classic.

New Winston

Ahhh, the feel and excitiment of a new rod. This rod is a beauty. A bit too rich for my blood at first but man I love the way it casts, handles, and feels. The best part is when a trout hooks on - it's a blast.

This Winston 7 1/2' 4wt WT rod is a versatile powerhorse that can huck large dries at any reasonable distance while at the same time deliver a size #20 PMD on a 7x tippet beautifully into a still pool. I was sceptical of the 'medium' action Winston is famous for because I only knew fast action rods. I am now converted after using this rod on my home waters.

Green stick all the way!

I learned much about this rod and winston rods in general from the knowledgable people involved at the Winston Forum here: http://www.winstonrods.com/forum/. Many thanks to them - a great crew with the same passions - fish, flies, and rods.

What's in your Fly Box?

I have done some soul searching and fly searching for the Top Twelve Flies to always have in my trout fly box. Many thanks to John Giearach.

Here my top twelve list for the majority of trout fishing on small to medium western streams:






Standard Adams Dry size: 12-18
Elk Hair Caddis Light: 12-18
Elk Hair Caddis Dark: 12-18
Hopper (Tan, Olive, Natural): 6-12
Ant Dry: 14-20
Midge Dry: 18-22
Royal Wulff Dry: 12-20
Soft Hairs Ear: 12-18
Pheasant Tail Nymph: 12-18
Beadhead Prince Nymph (Tungsten Beadhead): 12-20
Muddler Minnow (at the last resort): 8
Stonefly Nymph (Black, Golden, Yellow): 8-14


The beauty of this list is that it can all fit into a small fly box that can easily fit into a shirt pocket. Live and Play Simply.

Never leave home without em.

What's your go-to flies?

British Columbia

I got back on Saturday from B.C.
I just now had the time to put together some pics from the trip.

The trip was amazing.
I did keep a few salmon, halibut, and ling for meat, so the dyed-in-the-wool fly fishermen need to brace themselves. It was hard for me to actually keep and kill a few fish, but they are tasty ;).

The highlight of the trip was when I had an opportunity to travel to a very remote lake on one of the many islands. I was dropped of by boat with a guide. There was no trail in the old-growth forest and we found a pile of bear droppings to get our hearts racing a bit. But it was all worth it when I made it to the tail waters as I watched hundreds of cutthroats rising to the surface. Wow. The little 4 wt got a workout.

Enjoy the pics.
Thank you for all your support -