Columbia River Bound

Granny and I haven’t experienced many pleasant driving days since January.  Today may have been the first.  But it was a gem and the Cascade Mountains rocketed into the jet blue sky.  We drove the Ruby Van from Bend, OR to White Salmon, WA where we start a visit with more friends, Mike and Beata … Read more

The Last Day on the Bull Trout Waters

It has been nice to fish almost every day this week.  Its finally hitting me that my winter show tour is in the rearview.  Today was my last day fishing here in Central Oregon with my friend Scott Robertson.  It’s a bummer, but I suspect it won’t be long before we’re back together.  Being it … Read more

More Exercise for the Bullies

Yesterday was an off day from fishing but only because last night I gave a Warmwater Fly Fishing talk to the Central Oregon Fly Fishers.  The talk went great and the last of the winter tour.  I am pleased to see the big interest in chasing all sorts of species from one side of the … Read more

Coldest Day Yet Brings on the Best Bull Bite

We were fortunate not to have snow and wind today but man was it a cold one.  Scott Robertson, Paul Snowbeck and I headed for Lake Billy Chinook around 8 AM.  We took the drive slow because Scott’s truck thermometer wouldn’t budge from the 28° mark.  Despite the slow drive, eventually we arrived and launched … Read more

Treated to a Day on the Metolius River

Not many fly shops serve beer.  I’m certain there’s a few, but my favorite is the Fin & Fire Fly Shop in Redmond, OR.  That’s where I have delivered a full day of presentations twice the last couple years including last Saturday and it’s always a good time.  The man who makes this event happen … Read more

Winter Continues but Bullies Cooperate

While I expected to post a few more fishing days by now, the weather has been no less than horrendous here in Central Oregon.  In order to fish Lake Billy Chinook, Scott Robertson and I need his boat.  But snowy icy roads prohibited us from taking the 75 mile each way trips.  Instead, we lounged … Read more

Cold and Calm Puts Bulls to Sleep

Bend, Oregon buddy Scott Robertson and I go back a long way.  In recent years we’ve fished together for the USA Master Fly Fishing Team.  We had the fun of being on winning teams taking home the Bronze Medals in Portugal in 2017 and the Silver Medals in South Africa in 2019.  The last few … Read more

A True Test of the Shoulder

The pain in my left (stripping) shoulder has eased some since the start of 2023, but it’s still there.  In February I managed to see an Orthopedic Dr.  I got an X-Ray that showed no damage.  I also got some PT exercises to try and scheduled an MRI for April 13.  Today, I put my … Read more

Yet Another Brutal Winter Drive

Todays’ driving challenges began first thing.  After I made the coffee and Granny and I broke camp from our private little getaway, we had to drive the Ruby Van up out of the canyon over the rutted steep gravel road.  We made it.  But only by a hair.  We came to a stop  a couple … Read more

First Fish of the Year

Granny and I got sidetracked on our drive for Oregon yesterday.  We were invited by a good friend to camp and fish his private property.  He’d offered this last year too but with my overfilled speaking schedule I had no time to stop.  This trip, I promised Granny that I would slow it down and … Read more

Time for a Breather After 32 Presentations

There’s been a lot of action since last weeks report.  First and most important, Granny and I finally made it to The Pleasanton, CA Fly Fishing Show after the hectic drive.  It’s always nice to be in California in February – a lot of that is because of the nice weather – but the wind, … Read more

On To the Pleasanton Fly Fishing Show 2023

I’m moving fast and falling behind on my blog and IG updates and this one will be short and quick as well because we are making our way to The Pleasanton CA Fly Fishing Show in the Ruby Van straight through a miserable massive winter storm.  The driving so far since we left Wisconsin last … Read more