Everything Fly fishing/Fly tying

This is how I spend my days

 

Guiding ? What river ?

 

Fun float yesterday but yes, guiding on the north platte

 

Yep, that looks familiar.

 

Wow, what a story! I was a Tanker in the Army so spent a lot of time at Ft. Knox myself in the 70's. Looks like you put him on some nice trout!

 

my dad was a tanker at Ft Knox in the 50s .

 

Good info! I appreciate his service to our nation!

 

Jed, do you take that beautiful Tundra when you go to the Miracle Mile? That road used to be the pits unless they have graded it.

 

Dude I was at the mile today and the road is as bad as you remember. I just go slow this fish was my client on the mile today

 

Beautiful fish! Great job! What did you catch it on, if I may ask?

 

red rock worm fishing 9’ to 2 grams of weight.

 

If anyone wants to come out to Casper and go on a guided trip for free i have a few rigs and fly patterns in working on I want to test but not with a paying client.

 

I’m in CO, would love to make a trip up to fish the N. Platte and be a guinea pig for you!

 

Dude let’s make it happen! Shoot me a dm we’ll figure it out

 

a day in the life of a fly fishing guide


I wake up at 5 a.m.—not with a peaceful stretch or a gentle yawn, but by using only my legs to hoist myself out of bed. My hands, wrists, and elbows are so battered from years of untangling lines and wrestling with stubborn fish that I can’t even lift a coffee mug, so I slam a steaming cup of caffeine straight into my face instead.



After a quick shower of hot coffee and a wardrobe of “what will survive the day,” I get dressed and hook up the boat. At 5:13 a.m., I nervously rig the rods, hoping my educated guess about the flies and depths is right—because the fish are just as mysterious as my own limbs.



The 30-minute drive to the lodge is a caffeine-fueled blur. I’m sucking down coffee, munching beef jerky, and popping 27 nicotine pillows (Zyn, for those who ask). I organize gear, staple a “smile” to my face, and meet my clients—who, bless their hearts, think I’m a fishing wizard, not a guy who mostly rows, untangles, and pretends to understand the fish.



Then it’s showtime: 8 to 12 hours of rowing, untangling, and trying not to get sunburned while watching for subtle signs—like a ripple, a breeze shift, or a bug that looks suspiciously confident. I’m the lookout, the line-un tangler, the boat steerer, and occasionally, the snake spotter. On a good day, I see only one rattlesnake—because apparently, I’ve become a snake magnet.



When the day’s done, I wash the boat, prep for tomorrow, and do it all over again. Repeat. Because if you ask me, guiding is mostly about the art of patience, the skill of untangling, and the ability to smile when everything’s going sideways.



And honestly? I wouldn’t change it for the world—well, maybe just for a day off, or a lifetime supply of nicotine pillows.

 

Excellent job description! My fishing buddies and I never take our guides or their hard work for granted. We always give them a well-deserved tip at the end of the trip. We know it is hard work for them but also a labor of love. Take care and tight lines!

 

Waiting for the run off to finish. Dreaming of summer. Pic from last year. Henry’s Fork, Idaho

 

Nice looking stretch of water!

 

It really is. Very different than the Henry’s Fork most folks are familiar with. Big streamer water.

 

First day on the water. Two hours of gravel pounding to the only clear water in the county. Always a gamble. Good day with my buddies

 

Beautiful countryside!

 

Figured I’d leave some of these here

 

12 hours of driving one way to the Sierras to chase some rare trout. Hike the equivalent of a half marathon on one day, and 8 miles the next, w several thousand feet of elevation change both days. Between us, we caught bows, cutt-bows, a brown and a brook, all in water that that should have native trout. The water was a bit too high, so back in September to try again. Still had an absolute blast though.








And a friend along the way...


Damn good meal after a long hike too...spam musubis!

 

I picked up a somewhat cheap Fly Rod just to see if i'd enjoy it.
While it was pretty cool and caught some fish it was a bit tedious in my opinion.
My favorite thing about it was being able repeatedly put the fly right back in the same spot over and over when you knew there was a fish there.
And you didnt have to reel in your line through unproductive water over and over again.
But....I've caught a lot of fish just bringing the lure back to the boat over what I thought was unproductive water.

 

It can be but to a lot of us that do it that’s part of the appeal, figuring out which bugs are hatching and how to get them to eat is part of the challenge and a good part of the fun. I’d suggest if you can book a guided trip and absorb all the info you can.

 

I wanted to share this beast my client got today

 

It's not that different than throwing lures when it comes to figuring out what the fish want on any given day.
I lived on the South Llano River so I had a good idea what the fish were going to want.
And I definitely caught fish.
If I had to pick one thing that annoyed me about Fly Fishing it would be the need for space....behind you.
In a lot of cases you just didnt have that on the South Llano or in a lot of the Rivers in the Texas Hill Country.
Fishing out of the Bass boat in large impoundments it wasn't an issue for the most part,unless you had someone in the boat with you.
I could definitely see the appeal if we had the wide shallow rivers or banks without a lot of trees behind you.

 

@Tundra Texan im a fly fishing guide but for trout. I also fish out of a drift boat but when I wade, roll cast is key. But also if I had bass water I wouldn’t touch a fly rod ever again

 

Oh I definitely get the appeal!!!
Believe me I would do a lot more fly fishing if I had a location that was suited to fly fishing.
We just dont have it in South Texas.
Thought seriously about Fly Fishing in the Bays and surf off the coast of Texas.
The Bays Especially!!
Catching some Redfish or Trout on a Fly Rod would be Kick Ass!!!
Getting a bit old to fish out of a kayak these days if ya gotta paddle for miles.
Haven't had a Bay Boat in awhile but I'm about to tell the Wife I'm gonna get one whether She Likes it or not!!!
Assing up $30k kinda sucks but why not?
Dont have any Truck payments so why not?

 

1st day of summer. Another favorite early season creek. Another long dirt road. Another great day with my buddies