Getting started…PNW Chrome patterns …(In Progress)…

These will be the first steelhead fly patterns that I have tied since 1975, when I traveled up to Vancouver Island to fly fish for these sought after seagoing Trout.I will begin by tying four of each pattern – maybe more if I decide to vary sizes a lot. A lot has changed since then and the runs have been drastically reduced and these fish along with many of the great Salmon runs are in peril. The causes are many and will not be documented here…

Home base… while Ally goes here to get her degree in Veterinary Medicine…

Traveling down to Lewiston, Idaho and the Clearwater River…

Coming down the grade ( Lewiston Hill )…

Traveling East along the Clearwater River towards Orofino, ID…

A right turn towards Peck, ID…

…and The Red Shed Fly Shop…I have never seen so much great stuff squished into such a small space…

So I was advised to purchase this book about the wonderful rivers in the area – The Clearwater, Grande Ronde, Salmon and Snake rivers and their tributaries. Inside one finds history, the names and bios of folks who pioneered steelhead fishing in these locations, their stories and tips, fly patterns that they used and the evolution of rods and equipment. This book is just a great read !!! Many of the first patterns I am tying will come from it, with a few variants of my own…

A pull-off, along the road, next to the Clearwater River…

GREEN SKUNK BUTT VARIANT –  Daiichi 2441 #6…

Materials – GREEN SKUNK BUTT VARIANT…

GREEN SKUNK BUTTs…

The Clearwater River at a boat ramp…

GREEN ANT (Two Variants) Black Hackle / Grizzly Hackle – Alec Jackson Steelhead Irons #7 … 

Materials – GREEN ANT…* The Chartreuse Ice Dub isn’t supposed to be there…

GREEN ANTs…

The Clearwater River towards Lewiston, ID from Peck, ID…

SEAL-X ICE (Nightmare Red) & CDL – Alec Jackson Steelhead Irons #7…

Materials SEAL-X ICE (Nightmare Red) & CDL…

SEAL-X ICE (Nightmare Red) & CDLs…

Closer to Lewiston…

MELLOW YELLOW – Daiichi 2441, #6…

Materials MELLOW YELLOW…

MELLOW YELLOWs…

Long shot of the Clearwater River…

The North 40 Store in Lewiston in which a Fly Shop is located…about 1/6th. the size of Bob Marriott’s in L.A. …

A box in progress…

ORANGE & BLACK, Alec Jackson Steelhead Irons, #7…

Materials ORANGE & BLACK…

ORANGE & BLACKs…

UV2 SEAL-X PURPLE PERIL – Daiichi 2421, #6…

Materials UV2 SEAL-X PURPLE PERIL…

UV2 SEAL-X PURPLE PERILs…

“BEATS ME” – Alec Jackson Steelhead Iron, #5…A Bill Alspach pattern…

Materials “BEATS ME”…

“BEATS MEs”…

ALLY’S MOSCOW MULE – Alec Jackson Steelhead Iron, #7…

HARBINGER – Daiichi 2050, #7…

 

…to be continued… 9.11.2018

 

 

PT/TB

 

 

 

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BIG MOO…back in MONTANA…

Michael and his wife Aimee traveled to Montana in late July to attend a wedding for Aimee’s BFF at a cabin over by Henry’s Lake in Idaho. What follows are some photos that he sent to me highlighting their trip… 🙂

Arriving at West Fork Cabin Camp…

Getting ready…

Walking the bridge…

Maybe down here first…

Heading up to $3.00 Bridge the next morning…

A nice AM Rainbow…

Standing on my rocks…

Another Rainbow to hand…

Aimee, working the drift late in the day…

Michael, just doing what he does…

Then Aimee blows him away…

A different kind of Rainbow…

MOO’S Sunset Rainbow…

Sunset 1, Madison River above $3.00 Bridge…

Some flies that worked for Michael & Aimee…

Sunset 2, Madison River, MT…

Sunset 3, same place… 😜

A visit between the lakes before heading to the Park…

Working a streamer…

In Yellowstone National Park…

Those guys again…

That’s close enough…

Long shot…

The Yellowstone River looking upstream…

Another perspective…

A Westslope Cutthroat…

…on one of ALLO’S POLAR EXPRESS HS CH BUGGERS…

Further downstream on the Yellowstone River…

 

Boulders in the Yellowstone…

Hot pool…for some reason, Michael takes a photo of everyone of these that he has ever encountered…

 

NEXT: Hangin’ at Palouse Falls, Ally & Hero exploring local waters then…Patterns for Chrome…not necessarily in that order…

 

 

PT/TB  

Mini Moo on Maui…

Miles (Mini Moo) and his parents spent some time on Maui this Summer. It was his first trip there and I do believe he enjoyed it – except for the part where he got his finger smashed in a car door…

Walking with Mom on a windy day…

Sugar high at a local eatery…

A nice seascape on a beautiful island…

The beach !!!…

Miles at 6AM…Snorkle time…

Adjusting his snorkel gear…

Looking the part with a lei…

There are lots of fish beyond those rocks Miles…with Mom & Dad…

Then this happened…ouch !!!

Not feeling too great…

Bluefinger !!!

Hanging with Dad…

Another fishy place…

With Mom & Dad at a tropical stream after a rainstorm…

Miles reported seeing no Trout…

Banana Bread !!!

Enjoying the beach…

At a local museum…

Sugarcane train…

Lunch…

Nice spread…Miles…swept away…

Sunset on the beach…

I am thinking Miles feels better now… 🙂

Back in L.A. …last beach day of Summer in Santa Monica…

 

Next: Michael & Aimee in Montana

 

 

PT/TB

 

 

 

 

 

Outta’ HERE…or, follow THAT truck !!!…

So…on Monday, July 9, I said goodbye to Los Angeles after forty seven years and headed North with Ally, Nick and Hero for the Pacific Northwest, Steelhead and Salmon,new adventures and a stone’s throw from Idaho…

Under the bougainvillea gate…

Past the LA Aqueduct, on the hill, that brings water from the Eastern Sierra and Owens Valley into the San Fernando Valley…

A gourmet, tailgate breakfast with the crew in Mojave, CA where the wind always blows…

Through Red Rock Canyon State Park…

Past Little Lake on Hwy 395…

Goodbye, for awhile, to the Dino Hut outside of Olancha…

…and Owens Lake nearby…

Through Lone Pine, CA where I caught my first Trout when I was five and the Pizza Factory – (“We toss ‘Em , They’re Awesome”) that Michael loved when he was little…

High Sierra Outfitters in Lone Pine where my Father bought Salmon Eggs and Red Worms for my twin Brother and I, back in the 1950’s…

…and, of course , the Frosty Chalet where the best hot dogs, french fries and chocolate shakes I ever had  – after hunting for chukar, quail and pheasant in the Owens Valley back in the day…

This was the Georges Fire that had started the afternoon of Sunday, July 8 and was ragging in the foothills of the Sierra as we headed North towards Independence, CA…I spent a lot of time up in that area, through the years, fishing for Trout and later, teaching Michael and Ally how to target shoot…

Looking down towards the Owens Valley way up along Georges Creek…

The White Mountains below Independence, CA…

Ally’s favorite BBQ in the Owens Valley…Copper Top in Big Pine, CA…

Along Hwy 6, North of Bishop on the way to Nevada…

Ally & Hero at the stateline…later California…

Up the grade…where’s the truck?

S’Socorro’s Place, Mina, Nevada…

Ally…healthy eating…

“Don’t ask me…”

There is the truck !…on to Winnemucca !!!

Winnemucca …1st. stop.

Overnight accommodations…

Morning in Winnemucca…

Halfway there…

Looking East, North of Winnemucca…

Last Chance to gamble … McDermitt, NV..

Flagman…hurry up and wait…almost in Oregon…

Rustic indeed…

Southeast Oregon…more desert…

There’s that truck with Nick !…

Always with the stickers…

Pit stop for Hero…

Dropping down into farmland in Idaho…

Somewhere near Arcadia, Idaho…

North of Fruitvale, ID on Hwy 95…

Near Weiser, ID…looking North…

Looking South…

Entering Payette National Forrest…

Finally, some forested mountains…

This is a very pretty place that needs some additional exploring…

45th Parallel in Western Idaho…

Little Salmon River... headwaters…

The Summit above White Bird, ID…

The Salmon River…

Outside of Lewiston, ID…

Lewiston Hill…Entering Washington State…

On to Pullman, WA…

Apples in the front and backyard…

Ally & Hero…

My new view…  🙂

 

NEXT: Lil’ Moo in Maui then BIG MOO on the Madison River and other places…

 

 

PT/TB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ally and Nick in The People’s Republic of China…

So Ally and Nick traveled to the Philippines and China in May 2018. These are some photos of their trip that Ally sent by phone and email. This was her second trip to China . Her first was in June 2012 with her Mother, Uncle, Aunt and cousins…

Arriving and first night in Shanghai…

Towers in Shanghai…

Shanghai street scene #1…

Shanghai street scene #2…

Building corners in Shanghai…

Carving the duck at the table…

Ally and Nick…at the harbor…

Bullet train to Beijing…

The route…

Tiananmen Square…Beijing…

Ally at the Great Wall…

… on it goes…

…on and on…

” Do we really have to climb that ???” …

Looking through an arch…

Ally in a guard tower…

Down to Hong Kong…

Playing with the monkeys –  Kam Shan Country Park ( Monkey Hill ), Hong Kong…

More monkey biz…

Ten Thousand Buddahs Monestary, ( actually 13,000 ) Hong Kong…

Ally and more stairs to climb…

More Buddahs…

A Temple…

Hong Kong Harbor at sunset…

 

Next: Up the road…

 

 

PT/TB

 

 

 

 

Stuff that will be up shortly…

A lot has transpired since my last post back in June. Coming up, I will be posting Ally & Nick’s trip to China, PT’s relocation, a trip to Palouse Falls, Mini Moo out in the Pacific and Big Moo on the Madison and environs thereabout…

In no particular order…

 

 

PT/TB

 

ALLY & NICK in the Philippines…

So Ally and Nick traveled to the Philippines to visit his cousins in Manila. What follows are photos Ally gave me of their trip there, in going and coming back from The People’s Republic of China. I am filling in some Blog gaps here because I am in the process of having long overdue cataract surgery on both of my eyes and will not be tying or fishing again until the procedure is finished and after having completed a move to Pullman, WA.

Manilla then on to Punta Fuego for some water activities…

Arriving at Punta Fuego…

Some water for a jet ski…

Nick & Ally at 60mph.   

A view with smoke in the background…On their return trip from China, Ally and Nick went to Coron Island and Kayangan Lake to do some exploring  and snorkeling.. .I will let the photos speak…

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Next: Ally & Nick in the People’s Republic of China

 

 

PT/TB