When Scott Smith, Josh Gallivan and I made plans to head north with heaps of huge flies to chase northern pike in early November, we weren’t so sure the trip would take place. Normal late fall weather in the Rockies can be exceptionally windy and frigid cold. But we all had a hunch Mother Nature … Read more
If you travel and fly fish but haven’t done the northern pike thing yet you’re missing out. Yes its great to sneak to the flats in the winter and perhaps out West or to Alaska in the summer. But honestly, if you haven’t fly fished for pike yet, its time. Pike are one of … Read more
I never sleep well in the lands of the midnight sun. Some would say because it never gets dark as you can see from this picture I took when I was done rigging my rods earlier this morning at 1 AM. No doubt 24 hours of light can be exhausting. But it’s rather because I’m … Read more
It gets light in Thompson, Manitoba at around 4 AM. I was up and ready hoping the weather would permit us to fly north to Gangler’s North Seal River Lodge. At 5:15 our taxis arrived and eight of us headed back to the landing strip. But when we arrived there was thick fog and we … Read more
Granny and I left New Hampshire yesterday. She headed back to Victor. I flew to Winnipeg, Manitoba. There I met up with friend and Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures Canada trip organizer, Shaun Lawson. Shaun and I overnighted at the airport then at 4:30 AM this morning met up with a small group of six others … Read more
I arrived in Ohio late last night. This is a day early for my Friday speaking engagement at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History but friend Jerry Darkes, who is hosting me and running the event, offered to take me fishing. No sane fly fisherman would miss out fishing a cold rainy day in Ohio! … Read more
On a brutally cold morning for August, even up here in Northern Labrador, Andrew, Granny and I and Ninja Média’ man alias Bill made our way back up Andre Lake from McKenzie River Lodge to the Come Back River. The boat ride to the Come Back is much longer than yesterdays, pushing 1 hr 20 … Read more
With the Otter Seaplane down Labrador Air Safaris brought in a 1954 De Havilland Beaver to fly us to McKenzie River Fly Fishing Lodge. I was comfy with our replacement plane being that I lived off a Beaver much of June on the Selwyn Lake pike trip. Unfortunately with the smaller plane not all of … Read more
The smoke was back this morning at Selwyn Lake Lodge. There was so much of it that there was concern about flying out on our way home. But although we were late, not leaving till 5 PM, we made the first leg to Stony Rapids on the Beaver. Departing at 5 was in a nick … Read more
It was time to begin the journey home today and wouldn’t you know, there was no smoke and not a cloud in the sky. I was aggravated to say the least knowing that if today were yesterday we’d have flown to the Sand Dunes and Hunt Falls. But sipping coffee outside my cabin was Ron … Read more
6 AM came early but we had a full day of flying planned to some special places, the Athabasca Sand Dunes and Hunt (Lefty’s) Falls. There was some fishing involved too. The flats in front of the Sand Dunes for pike then Arctic grayling at the falls. But the venture began flying out in drizzle … Read more
RA and Austin got so much great pike footage for the movie yesterday that it took the pressure off. Everything on their list got shot and I mean SUPERB stuff. And the epic day must have worn us out as well because I stayed in bed this morning till 8 and RA and Austin slept … Read more