Barry and Cathy Beck Blog

Barry & Cathy are in Montana at Kingfisher Lodge this week.  We've heard great things about their past trips to the Bighorn and the photos are always stunning.  Cathy emailed this morning and here's what she shared with us here at the office.  Sounds like this year won't disappoint either!

"We're having a very unusual two weeks here on the Bighorn. Last week started out hot and sunny, typical for this time of year. Toward the end of the week though the weather turned cold, wet, and windy. We pulled out our fleece and down jackets. The mahogany spinners and tricos kept on coming and fishing was good despite the weather. Yesterday the sun showed and summer is coming back. 90 degrees is predicted before the end of the week. Lots of rising fish. It's a great time of year on the Bighorn!  -Cathy"

We came across this video clip and wanted to share it with you all.  Every once in a while you find a very professional video clip that really makes you want to be there. Even if you're not a largemouth angler, this footage will make you "want to be there". Beautifully done.  Click here to see the clip.

Also, here is our 2015 Trip schedule in case you're planning a fishing trip next year.  We'd love to have you come along with us. 

Jan 8-17 Coyhaique River, Chile (trout)

Feb 1-20 South Island, New Zealand (trout)

Feb 27-Mar 10  Tres Valles, Argentina (trout)

March 8-21  Patagonia, Argentina (trout)

April 6-14  Campeche & Grand Slam, Mexico (tarpon/bones/permit)

July 6-13  Isla Holbox, Mexico (tarpon)

July 23- Aug 4  East Africa, Kenya & Tanzania (photo safari)

Aug 4-16  East Africa, Kenya & Tanzania (photo safari)

Aug 21- Sept 6  Bighorn, Montana (trout)

Nov 27- Dec 7  Tres Valles, Argentina (trout)

TBA  Laxardal, Iceland

TBA  Pyrenees, Spain

Could this season be the one we've been waiting for? Quite possibly according to reports coming out of New Zealand predicting a bumper crop of mice due to expected heavy beech forest seed fall which will lead to an explosion in rats, mice and stoats. Check out the link and video below for details. If you've been thinking about New Zealand, this could be a very exciting time to be with us at Owen River Lodge on the South Island. February 1-20. 8 days fishing. Details about the trip on our website here.

http://www.frontierstravel.com/public/information/6/news/826-Mouse_Season_in_New_Zealand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyRPa0nA9nM

Cathy & Barry are in Alaska this week and we've been anxious to hear from them.  While they've traveled to Alaska a number of times, this was their first time at this camp.  It is more rustic than most but the fishing was supposed to be fantastic.  When we received an email from Cathy this morning, here's what she wrote:  "Dolly Varden are everywhere, lots of pinks, lots of chum, silvers are just showing up. Rainbows are already on the eggs but that said, we've caught some great rainbows on mouse patterns. Weather is great for this time of year in Alaska and the food in camp is over the top. Life is good here on the Kanetok!"  Sounds like they are having a great time. 

Here's a photo she included of Paul Jacob holding an exceptional Dolly.  

The annual IFTD (International Fly Tackle Dealer) Show was held in Orlando, FL, last week. We're proud to announce that once again Sage and RIO won Best of Show for new 2015 products. We don't know how Jerry Siem continues to improve on the best fly rods made today, but he finds ways. The new Accel and SALT rods took Best of Show and the SALT series took Overall Best of Show. Simon Gawesworth and RIO were also right there in the trophy receiving line with the new RIO Permit Fly Line. We're proud to be aligned with these two American Made Companies who continue to make the best better.

We are proud to announce that Cathy has been featured in Fly Life Magazine's series:  Important Women in the History of Fly Fishing. Each week the series highlights accomplishments and career profiles of influential women in our sport.  We are grateful and excited that these women, including Cathy are being showcased for their contributions.  You can follow the series and read Cathy's story HERE.  Thank you Fly Life. 

Often when we pick up a rod to cast and we don't like it, it could be the line that's on the rod and not the rod itself. It's important to put the right line on a rod but knowing what that "right line" is can be very difficult. Many anglers, ourselves included, prefer to put a line like the RIO Grand on fast action rods and a line like the RIO Gold for slower action rods. With dry fly season here, both east and west, and the need for light, delicate presentations, it's a good time to hear about the new InTouch RIO Gold trout line. Click here to see RIO's new family of Trout Lines.   

On the other hand, with memories of our recent tarpon trip to Isla Holbox, Mexico, still fresh in our minds, we'd like to share this excellent clip from Zack Dalton at RIO on choosing the right tarpon line. It makes us want to go back to Mexico for more fun with those fish!  Click here to see the clip

It's great to have a company constantly researching new technology, new coatings, new tapers. RIO is the cutting edge because they never sleep. They firmly believe that the very best line ever can still be improved.

We are excited to announce the winners of our Kid's Fishing Photo Contest.  For the last two weeks I have loved opening my email each morning to see your entries coming in with the stories behind the photos.  Thank you for sharing these fun and precious photos with us.  We have been inspired by seeing our next generations of fly fishers (men & women!) and are excited that your passion for this sport will be passed on.  Thank you again for your entries- It was a most difficult decision for our office staff (excluding Barry and Cathy) to choose winners as they were all so great.

Our First Place winner is Josh England with his photo of his 6 year old son Tyson.  We loved this release shot and the angle.  Congratulations! 

Our Second Place winner is Steven Uyetanaka with this photo of teaching a young girl how to cast.  Watch out boys, she's perfecting her cast! Congratulations!

         And thanks again to everyone who submitted.  Here are some of our favorites! 

This somewhat controversal video is currently featured on FlyDreamers web site.  While there may be (and probably are) influences other than the wolves alone for the changes noted, it's still an extremely interesting, informative video.  We hope you'll take a look.

In this week's blog, Cathy talks to us about Fly Selection- what to use & when.  Good advice whether you're new at fly fishing or a seasoned angler.  It's a QR video code excerpt from Cathy's "Fly-Fishing Handbook" which you can find in our store.

Also, a quick reminder about our Kids Fishing photo contest.  We're still accepting entries until June 25th and you can see the details here.  We're off to a great start; thank you to everyone that has submitted so far.  We've enjoyed seeing your photos come in!

At what age should I get my kids started in fly fishing? This question came to us this week and it's a good one. Actually the question was At what age was Annie (our daughter) when she started fishing?

Annie went with us to the stream occasionally when she was a toddler (3-5). During these years she mostly learned to throw rocks, get her shoes wet, and slip and slide around on wet stones. But it became somewhat familiar territory for her and she would see us catch a fish now and then. Mostly it was stream side babysitting and not much fishing for us either.

As she got older she played by herself alongside the stream doing the usual stuff – making mud pies, floating sticks, throwing more stones, but now she would come out and net the fish for us. She would make a few casts with the rod but didn't have much attention span yet. We have a pond with panfish and she did much better at the pond catching bluegills – they were easier, she could handle them and let them flop around in the dirt and grass and they would swim away happily when she got them back in the water. It was especially nice at the pond in May because when the bluegills are spawning they are close to the edge and she could see them take the fly – and it's not too buggy or weedy yet. She learned quickly how to smooth down the spines so she wouldn't get pricked.

When she was ready (for her it was around 11/12), we found a riffle on our home stream where she could stand at the edge in water that wasn't too deep and practice her casting with a fly. The moving water camouflaged her sloppy casts and the fish had less time to decide about the fly, so it sometimes resulted in her catching a fish. There's nothing like a reward at any age, but especially with kids. They need to get results or they will soon get bored. From that point on it was pretty easy and she learned as she gained experience.

For us, it has come full circle, so to speak, because we are now taking our grandsons, who are 5 & 6, fishing. They have Echo Gecko fly rods which they use like little spey rods and have become quite good at getting the fly out there. We are enjoying every minute of it.

What is the right age to take a child fishing? Whenever they want to go! 

 Father's Day Photo Contest

In Honor of Father's Day we're hosting our next Photo Contest.  Send us your favorite photos of kids fishing.  Any kind of fishing is fine, it doesn't have to be fly fishing.  We will accept photos for the next 2 weeks until June 25th and the winner will be announced by June 30th.  Email your entries (no more than 2 each please) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  We will share your photos each week on our blog and our office staff will cast votes for the favorites.  We hope you have fun searching through your new and old photos to find your entries!  We're looking forward to seeing them! 

First Place winner will receive a Hoodman loupe- one of our favorite accessories while photographing.

Second Place winner will receive a 16 GB card to fit your camera and a card wallet.

RIO is excited to introduce another great addition to the OutBound Short Series. Click HERE for more info.

Also, if you have time, take a minute and check out the Early Summer issue of Kayak Angler. 

They used a great image of Toby Thompson & Cathy fishing for bass on the Susquehanna River.  Barry captured the unique shot from the Interstate 80 bridge.  You can view the Issue HERE

We've received several requests to sell our imprinted fly boxes that we use for our selections. These boxes are lightweight, foam-lined, with a transparent lid. Perfect to put in a pack or shirt pocket when you want to go light.

Sizes include Medium (4-1/2 x 6), and Large (5 x 8). Medium is imprinted with a rainbow trout. Large with either a brown trout or a bonefish (your choice).

Medium $10.00 each      Large $12.00 each

Go to our WEBSITE to place your order.

We also wanted to share our Updated Trip Schedule in case you were thinking of planning your next fishing trip.  See our Hosted Trips page for more information.

June 21-28 — Holbox, Mexico (tarpon, snook, etc.)
July 24-Aug. 3 — Kenektok River, Alaska (trout, salmon)
Aug. 16-30 — Bighorn River, Montana (trout)
Sept. 10-21 — Tsimane, Bolivia (dorado)
Oct. 11-20 — Pyrenees, Spain (trout)
Nov. 30-Dec. 7 — Tres Valles, Argentina (trout)
Jan. 8-18 — Coyhaique Lodge, Chile (trout)
Feb. 2-17 — South Island, New Zealand (trout)
Feb. 27- Mar. 9 — Tres Valles, Argentina (trout)
Mar. 9-21 — San Martin area, Argentina (trout)
May — Saltwater, Mexico, TBA
June — Isla Holbox, Mexico, TBA
July 23-Aug.16 — East Africa Safari

With Memorial Day still fresh in our minds I wanted to make sure that everyone saw the June/July issue of Fly Fisherman Magazine featuring retired Navy SEAL Master Chief Jay Manty (cover photo).

Barry and Cathy met Jay at the IFTD (International Fly Tackle Dealer Show) held in Las Vegas last year, and Jay came to visit Fishing Creek last fall. Jay and his friend Way Yin founded Discover Courage (discover-courage.org) which is a non-profit program specifically designed for Special Ops Personnel. Ross Purnell and Monte Burke did an amazing job between the Editoral and the feature story and I would encourage you to pick up a copy of the magazine. It's an interesting read and a touching story. We are honored and grateful to have a small part in this cause and proud to be part of the fly fishing community that cares about our veterans. Our sincere Thank you to all who serve!    

We're not surprised that our favorite lodge in New Zealand has done it again.  Congratulations to Felix and his staff at Owen River Lodge.  Come with us in February 2015, to experience the amazing South Island and Owen River Lodge.  You're not only visiting New Zealand's finest lodge, but also fish the finest rivers with the finest guides.  Click here to review the itinerary.

    TripAdvisor Accolade

   TripAdvisor was awarded Owen River Lodge a Certificate of Excellence for 2014.

This is the 5th year in a row we have won TripAdvisor's Certificate of Excellence and I would like to thank all of our wonderful guests that have taken the time to write a TripAdvisor review.

s with much of the country, our spring has been cold and late. We're just now seeing March Browns hatching and no one knows what happened to the Hendricksons. We simply didn't see them. We had a beautiful hatch of Grannom Caddis and March Browns yesterday afternoon and it was nice to see rising fish. We've had a good guiding season so far, but everyone is still wearing heavy layers under their waders and often starting the day in down vests. Three fish over 25" were landed this week and lots of fish in the 16" - 22". Although we had a cold winter, the fish wintered well and are in excellent shape. Here are some recent guiding client photos and you can check out our guiding page for more information on scheduling a trip to visit us.  

Up until just a few days ago, most of the fish were caught on nymphs and split shot. It's nice to be back up on top. Our March Browns should last for a couple weeks and will lead right into the Sulphur hatch. We have a number of different Sulphurs here on our stream but the most common is on a size 16 hook. Our favorite patterns continue to be comparaduns.    The high deer hair wing makes the fly float well and easy to see. It's also very durable and will last through many fish. After the Sulphurs, we'll see Lt. Cahills and Slate Drakes. With the arrival of these two hatches, we'll know for sure that summer is here. 

Memorial Day usually means the beginning of the terrestrial season with beetles, hoppers, crickets, inch worms, ants, and others. This is always a fun time of year because when these insects fall into the water it's seldom a quiet landing. A big beetle makes a plop and struggles which often gets the attention of a fish immediately. After a few weeks of delicate presentations with dry flies, it's fun to fish a big foam beetle in the riffle or along a grass bank. You never know who might show up! The Super beetle can easily support trailing a pheasant tail or inch worm behind and it's nice to offer a couple of options to the fish. I'd recommend using 4x though if you can.

Our Comparadun and Super Beetle Selections will keep you prepared and ready for late spring and summer fishing. You can find them here in our website Store.  This is an exciting time in the east, lots of hatches, rising fish, and fun patterns to use. We hope you have a great season and get out often to enjoy all that spring fishing offers.

Last chance to be prepared for Father's Day & summer fishing with these popular fly patterns. And we'll pay the postage.

Cathy's Super Beetle Hi-Viz Wing Selection. You asked, we listened. We've added a red hi-viz wing on our super beetles so you can find them easily in the foam line and amongst the bubbles. This great summer selection includes a dozen beetles, 4 each size, 8/10/12. Boxed. $21.95

Comparadun Favorites. This selection includes patterns for the major hatches; Paralep. Blue Quill (16), Hendrickson (14), March Brown(12), Sulphur (16), Lt. Cahill (14) & Slate Drake (12). These are eastern patterns but are effective both in the east and the west. 18 flies, 3 each pattern. Boxed $32.95

 Free Shipping on orders over $50 until June 15- use coupon code "Fathersday" at checkout.  Click here to visit our store. 

Cathy recently wrote: We have spent at least 20 years exploring New Zealand and have found what we believe to be the two premier must-do lodges on the South Island. In Hanmer Springs, Riverview Lodge and near Murchison, Owen River Lodge. We have visited these two lodges annually for a number of years and we don't think you'll find better fishing anywhere. Come with us in February and experience the Everest of Trout Fishing. You'll never forget New Zealand - the people, the scenery, and especially the fishing. Read the complete itinerary and contact us if you have any questions. (Shorter stays available).  Click here to see the trip information on our website

Thinking about baby tarpon, snook, jacks, maybe big tarpon? Holbox has it all, with an interesting fishing program to match. Start at sun up each day and fish until mid-afternoon. Come back to the lodge, relax, rest, enjoy hors d'oeuvres, and walk into town for dinner.

We get the best part of the fishing day before it gets too breezy or hot. Fish lagoons, rivers, creeks and maybe go out for big tarpon if you want - and if weather permits. It's a great place and a great agenda. 7 nights/6 days. $3,295 dbl. occup/shared guide. Easy in/out. Check out the details and come with us!  

Just wanted to share some news from Cathy who's in Belize right now...

"We are having an interesting week here at Belize River Lodge. We've had a mix of sun and overcast skies making sighting fish on the flats difficult, but no rain. A building breeze most days feels good until after lunch when it picks up and we head for the rivers and lakes. Fishing has been an interesting discussion at cocktail hour each night. Everyone is getting lots of opportunities and we're all taking about fish caught, lost, jumped, broken off - all the usual results. We hadn't seen any big tarpon around at all and yesterday Ron Schwarz turns around and lands a 100+ pound fish. He fought it for over 2 hours and was worn out. The biggest fish he ever caught. Dick Barnett was the first to land a nice tarpon, about 50 pounds, first day out. Yesterday Skip had 4 nice snook by 9:30. First day out we chased permit all day long - they followed, we changed flies, they followed, we changed the retrieve, they followed and stayed around but we could not get them to eat. Everyone is having fun with baby tarpon and the usual bonefish. Overall, it's a great week and we're all happy to be here!"