Our good friend and guide in Holbox, Mexico, Alejandro Vega Cruz, or more affectionately known by everyone as Sandflea is currently undergoing major heart surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. He needs our help. Sandflea has had a bad heart from birth and therefore can not get health insurance. His friends have a Go Fund Me Site and Facebook page which we will link below. Many of you know Sandflea from our trips to Holbox. If anyone can make a donation, he and his family will really appreciate your generosity. Thanks from us too.

https://www.facebook.com/SaveSandflea?fref=ts

http://www.gofundme.com/u3epb6x

Beetle Mania

Now that Memorial Day is behind us, we turn our thoughts to summer fishing and look forward to Sulphurs, Light Cahills, Slate Drakes and, of course, terrestrials. Ah, the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.

Here on Fishing Creek summer is arriving early and we have been using beetles for several weeks and, as in other years, our two favorite pattern are Jim's Beetle and our own Super Beetle. Jim's beetle is a design from our long-time fly tier, Jim Smethers, who has tied for us for at least 30 years. His small, legged, foam beetle, with a spot of orange on the back, is always a top summer producer, and our larger Super Beetle is easy to find on the water, floats like a cork, and is especially productive in faster runs and pocket water often bringing up a big fish.

In celebration of summer we're offering a special- 6 Super Beetles & 6 Jim's Real Beetles for $19.95 plus shipping.   Click here to visit our store to purchase.

We also found a video clip we wanted to share with you.  Tom Rosenbauer gives us some tips on streamer retrieves. If you find yourself on the stream after a summer thunder storm with high, off-color water, his suggestions will be worth trying!  Click here to watch the video.

Does Your Fly Line Twist?

Russ Miller of the Far Bank family has a great tip for untwisting fly lines. Not everyone experiences line twist, but if you are with us and have been frustrated with this problem, here's the solution.

Also, Barry has been out of the office quite a bit the last few weeks and when I asked him what he was up to he told me a little bit about his time with Jay Green.  I asked him to type me up a story for a blog and he did.  Enjoy!

Sage's Jay Green

We watched the big rainbow in awe, sitting dormant on the stream bottom, it showed no sign that it was feeding. "That's a big fish" Jay said and I quickly agreed. But, with no signs of movement, it looked like he had lock jaw. I had little hope that we could interest the big fish but hope springs eternal so I said to Jay "Lets give him a try". The water was gin clear and I knew our first cast would have to be perfect, one mistake and it would be over.

Jay quietly slipped into the water and found an angle to make his presentation. On the end of his fourteen foot 4x leader was a bead head pheasant tail nymph. I watched as the fly line moved through an arc as Jay delivered forty feet of line leader and fly. It was a perfect cast and I watched as the small white strike indicator floated toward the fish. I could see the white mouth open and close as the strike indicator paused. I yelled "Strike!" but Jay had already started to lift the rod. Fifteen minutes later a beautiful twenty inch plus rainbow lay in my net, the pheasant tail nymph hooked in the side of the jaw. Together we watched the rainbow swim back to freedom as I congratulated Jay on a job well done. He smiled and said that single fish was worth the trip. 

The trip was a long plane ride from Seattle to our Fishing Creek valley but Jay makes the trip each year and we get to spend a few days together fishing and talking about the fly fishing industry. It's always something that I look forward to, for Jay is at the helm of a company called Far Bank which owns Sage, RIO and Redington, three of the top brands in the fly fishing world. The name Green has long been associated with Sage as Don Green was the founder and today we have Jay, no relation, but both men with a commitment to building and offering the best fly rods out there.

Jay has traveled the world fishing both fresh and salt, and has brought to net just about every species available to a fly fishermen. An extremely focused and well disciplined angler, Jay is the perfect individual to lead Sage into the future. For those of us who love our Sage equipment it's nice to know that Sage is in the safe and capable hands of Jay Green.

For our blog this week I wanted to fill everyone in on what's going on here at the Becks. It seems like our work changes with the seasons. As soon as the weather started to show signs of spring, we were bombarded with phone calls for guiding. I guess you were all as anxious to get outside and on the water as I am to get my gardens started! So here in the office we've been busy scheduling guides and setting up casting lessons with Cathy. Our guides tell us that the Hendrickson hatch this year here at home has been one of the heaviest in years and now anglers are looking forward to the March Browns, which should start anytime. It's been a very good season so far on Fishing Creek. Cathy took me on a tour of our home waters and where the guided fishing takes place and although I'm not an angler (yet!), I can see why everyone wants to come to Fishing Creek. Beyond the great trout, the scenery is just beautiful. We were walking along the stream and it felt like there was no one else around for 100 miles. How peaceful!

Anyway, we've also had some changes in the office. As I mentioned a few months ago, Nancy has mostly retired so we're all working together to keep things going smoothly. She has done such a great job that it's pretty big shoes to fill but we're doing the best we can. She's taking this time to enjoy her grandsons and I know they are keeping her very busy!

Eddie, who if you don't know him, is our techi guy. He's only in the office one day a week but we call on him more often than that. Right now he's updating laptops for Cathy & Barry's travel needs and making sure our computers here in the office are as fast as they can be. We just recently got higher speed internet out here (yes we really are out in the middle of nowhere), which means we can do more uploading and streaming. He's pretty impressed with the service we get "all the way out here".

I'm also working on updating the web site for 2016. It seems so far away but in reality we're almost half way through 2015. We have a few confirmed trips already scheduled for next year including Chile for January 9-16, New Zealand February 2-16, Argentina Feb 28-March 20, Alaska August 6-13 and Mongolia September 26- October 3. These will be live on our site soon but in the meantime if anything sounds interesting to you, don't hesitate to give us a call and I'll be glad to give you more information. From our photography end, Barry and I have been busy working on submissions for late summer magazines. We just landed the covers of American Angler and Montana Outdoors for May/June. We've also been back and forth with Field & Stream for some upcoming issues that we're excited about. Make sure you grab a copy of these magazines when you're out shopping!

Cathy & Barry are at Rockwell Springs Trout Club in Sandusky, Ohio, this week conducting fly fishing schools and clinics. They've been doing RSTC clincs for 20 or so years and have made many friends and always look forward to returning each year.

As I look at their upcoming schedule, there is still one room open at Holbox, Mexico, in July that we're hoping to fill and a couple rooms open on the Bighorn in August. If you're still looking to schedule a summer fishing trip, give us a call.

We hope you are having a great Spring and from all of us here at Beck Photography, Happy Casting!

Need a last minute idea? How about a day of guided fishing for you and her? Get her out of the house, away from the job (or kids), and spend an enjoyable day on the stream with one of our guides. We still have a few days available in May and June for prime time fishing. We'll email you a certificate which you can print and slip into a card. Presto! Your shopping is done.  

$395 for 2 anglers. Lunch is included and any needed tackle.

Beginner or novice?No problem. Make it more special with a night at our local B&B. Lots of options. Check our web site for complete details and then give us a call or email. We've got you covered and you'll be a big star!

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 570-925-2392

Also, we came across a great article on catch-and-release techniques from Patagonia Clothing Company we wanted to share with you. It's interesting and we hope you'll take time to read it. There is new information on fish survival and recovery all the time and we think you might learn some new tips. I know we did.

http://www.thecleanestline.com/2015/03/the-release-fundamentals-of-fish-and-path-to-responsible-angling.html

And lastly this week, we have a few openings on upcoming trips. It's not too late to plan a get-away this summer or fall:

Holbox, Mexico (tarpon) - 1 room, July 6-13
Africa, Photo Safari - 1 spot/shared tent, 7/23-8/4 or 8/4-16
Bighorn River (trout) - 2 rooms, second week, 8/29-9/5
Spain - (trout) - 1 room, 10/13-20
Tres Valles (trout) - 1 room, 11/27-12/7

You might wonder why we are writing this week about WD-40 and maybe you're received the emails going around touting all the uses for the product - you can use it to kill insects, unkink gold chains, it removes crayon from walls, waterproofs shoes, and on and on. Seems like there's no end to it's usefulness, and our tip isn't as exciting as using it on trees to keep beavers from chewing on them, but it does save zippers on waist packs, raincoats, and gear bags used around saltwater.

We recently got home from Mexico and a day was spent washing clothing, shoes, tackle and gear from the trip. We've written before about how important it is to properly clean fly reels and to store them with the drags loosened, and how Barry uses Pledge wipes on our rods and reels. Well, I found the coolest way to treat zippers on raincoats, bags, and packs — a WD-40 Pen. This pen has a felt tip, just like a marker, through which the WD-40 is released. You can run it along the zipper lubricating it as you go. I use the spray directed to the zipper head itself and the pen for the teeth of the zippers. It prevents saltwater corrosion that can show up months later even after the most thorough cleaning. It even works on zippers that are starting to stick or hang-up. Try it yourself, we think you'll find many uses for the WD-40 pen and the spray can!

And lastly, our friends and Sage distributors in Iceland, Oli & Maria Vigfusson sent us photos from a recent bonefish trip. They are loving the Method and Motive rods. What's not to love? And the bones aren't bad either! We're glad you had a great trip. 

2 Rooms Open in Holbox, Mexico

We only have two rooms left at Isla Holbox, Mexico. Enjoy early morning boat rides for baby tarpon and snook, and big migratory tarpon if wind permits. Fish until early afternoon and then chill out on the breezy verandah, enjoy the beach, take a siesta, swim with the whale sharks, or just relax in the shade. We've got a great schedule, it's a fun island with lots to do, and the perfect get-away for non fishing partners. Get the details and come along with us. Easy in/out. July 6-13. Click here for more information

Over Lining Rods

There is a lot of talk these days about whether or not to over line your fly rod. Field & Stream's Fly Talk this month features an article by Kirk Deeter with interesting comments. We often over line our fast Sage rods in windy situations when using big, heavy flies, and particularly with lines like the RIO Outbound Short, but I can't ever remember over lining lighter trout rods. Seems like Everything in moderation is the general consensus. It's an interesting read. Enjoy.

We heard from Cathy and they've had a great couple of days fishing for baby tarpon from Campeche. Early days, leave the dock at dawn and fish until 1-2:00. Chill for the afternoon and into town for dinner. Campeche is a wonderful colonial town with lots going on downtown in the evenings and many choices for good restaurants. Great weather and baby tarpon galore, there will be more trips to Campeche on their schedule! 8 & 9 weight rods, 7-25 pound tarpon. Lots of fun. They are at Grand Slam in the Yucatan now and we'll have a report for you next week.

She also sent some photos which I'd love to share with you.  What a beautiful place!  

I don't know about spring where you are, but here in northeast Pennsylvania it's been slow in coming. And even though nice weather is sure to come, we're expecting the early season to include a lot of high water, cold temperatures, and late hatches. That could all change, of course, but it's looking that way at the moment. We're still getting snow run-off from the mountain and our nights are very cold. With these conditions, it might be wise to make sure the sink-tip lines are in the gear bag and ready to go in case you run into high, cold, water this spring.  

A sink-tip will get the fly down deeper and faster than adding split shot to the leader of a floating line. When the water is deep and the current is moving along at a good pace, the leader and fly will often be swept through before it can get deep enough to reach the fish. If the fish are sitting on the bottom, as they often are in these conditions, you've got to get the fly down to where they are. It won't work if your flies are continually going over their heads. By using a sink-tip the fly line sinks and the leader is pulled down with it. For instance, a RIO 15' Type 3 WF6 Sink Tip has a sink rate of 3" per second. By using a weighted fly like a Super Bugger, the cast will sink quickly and the fly will get in front of the fish. The fish won't want to move quickly in cold water temperatures, so a slow, deliberate retrieve will often produce results. At the end of the retrieves, try wiggling the fly up to the surface before lifting the cast from the water to recast. You might be surprised to find that a fish has followed the fly in and as the fly is wiggling toward the surface, he will often take it here at the last second. If the water is off-color, you may otherwise pull the fly away from the fish that you can't see.

Casting sink tip lines is not difficult if you remember a couple things. Unlike a floating line which is on the surface, a sinking line is — well, sinking. This makes it difficult to recast unless you've stripped in most of the line. A trick that will make it a little easier is to roll cast the sink tip back up to the surface before recasting. Don't give it time to sink again, as soon as it turns over on the roll, pick it up to recast. (Shoot a little line to add to the amount of line you're recasting during the roll if you can.) You will also find that as the amount of sink-tip increases that you are casting, you'll want to slow down the speed of the casting stroke so allow the rod to load. A fairly fast action rod will help with this. You want to be able to feel the rod load but at the same time you want a rod with enough power to keep the line moving without collapsing. A very fast action rod might be good in a strong wind when you're chucking heavy flies, but in general spring conditions, a rod that allows you to feel the cast is best. Since you're not looking for delicate presentations, a shorter leader, maybe 5 or 6 feet, is often all you need. If you find that the leader is landing in a pile upon delivery, keep the rod tip up a couple inches higher on the last cast. This will give the leader time to unroll before landing on the water.

When the fish are sitting on the bottom, you have to go to the bottom to get them. Using a sink-tip line will help make the job easier.

Until next time.  -Cathy

We also wanted to share with you that we are putting our Super Bugger Selection on sale for the start of fishing season.  For the next month we dropped the price to $24.95 plus shipping so you can replenish your streamer supply.  Click here to go to our store site to order. 

The Bighorn River has over 6,000 trout per mile, one of the most fertile, most productive, trout rivers in the country. In August the water levels are typically low and some of the best dry fishing of the year can be had here. It's a river of options — look for "heads" and fish dry flies, rack up numbers and fish nymphs, fish hoppers, throw streamers in the lower river, or mix it up. The days are long, the nights are cool, it's a very pleasant time to be on the river.  

Come with us in August and enjoy summer on the Bighorn at Kingfisher Lodge. There's nothing like it and you'll be so glad you did. August 22 - 29 or August 29 - Sept. 5. Complete details and prices are included in the itinerary. Call us or Denise at Frontiers (800-245-1950) if you have any questions. See you there!

View the trip details on our website

This is a busy time of year for us. We just got home from an almost month-long trip to Argentina, Easter is this weekend, Mexico next week, and opening day of trout season here is April 18. Thinking of opening day, our stream Fishing Creek is in really good shape. We've had a nice slow snow melt with no high water or ice jams. Water level is perfect and we're looking forward to a good season.

Although the weather is still very cold here, the forecast is for warmer weather toward the end of this week and we know that soon the little blue quills and black stoneflies will be hatching followed by the Quill Gordons, Grannom caddis and Hendricksons. There will probably be some high water from spring rains so if you're headed out to fish anywhere in the northeast, don't forget your streamer box. Our super buggers are ready and waiting!

Thinking about spring fishing and all the different types of flies and rigs that one uses makes me think about leaders, fly casts, and presentation. I'd like us to look at three RIO leaders, the Powerflex Trout, Suppleflex Trout, and Steelhead/Salmon. The Powerflex and Suppleflex are favorite designs for trout fishing anywhere.

The beefed up butt section on the Powerflex helps turn over heavy indicator rigs while still allowing delicate precise follow through for dry flies. The Suppleflex though is made of a very soft, supple copolymer material with excellent knot strength. The supple nature provides featherweight presentation and does not impede the natural movement of a fly in the current, perfect for dry flies and soft hackles. If your nymphs and strike indicator are not turning over, it may be because the leader material is too soft. On the other hand, if your sulphur spinners are landing too hard on the water or if you're getting refusals the fly may not be floating naturally because the leader material is too stiff. The diameter may be correct but if it's too stiff the fly won't act naturally.

When throwing big streamers or heavy split shot you may find that the leader doesn't turn over the cast. If the leader lands in a bird nest at the end of the cast, the fish won't untangle it to get to the fly. Not only that, but the bird nest can result in knots in the leader which can break when a fish strikes. If this is happening to you, make sure of three things: (1) Is there enough line speed to deliver the cast? (2) Keep the rod tip a little higher when throwing this type of rig so the cast has time to turn over before falling on the water, (3) Is the leader material too soft to support the weight? Within the last year or two, we've discovered the beauty of using a RIO Steelhead/salmon leader with big streamers. The heavier stiffer butt section makes it easier to turn over heavy flies and deal with wind. If you're a serious streamer fisherman, you will want a couple of these leaders in your pocket.

There's nothing like early season trout fishing. We can enjoy this special time of year more if our tackle is properly matched and using the best leaders in each fishing situation will help us do that. We hope you get out often this spring, it will be over before we know it.
Next time we'll talk about rods for each of these situations.

And lastly this week, I stumbled across this video clip of Jack Gartside and enjoyed seeing it again. It has been around before, but if you haven't seen it, or simply want to enjoy it again,here it is. It's a good reminder of what was important in Jack's life. There's a lesson here for us too.
                 http://midcurrent.com/2014/10/12/video-hatch-fly-tying-legend-jack-gartside-forever-a-boy/

 -Cathy

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring and we are all looking forward to it.  The snow is really melting here and the sunshine feels wonderful.  The opening day of fishing season here in NEPA is just a few weeks away, April 18th.  Our office is busy scheduling guiding and casting instructions for those eager to get out on the water.  If you would like to be guided on our private waters this Spring, call us at 570-925-2392. Our guides are fantastic and love what they do.  We also offer Weekender Packages if you'd like to receive individual instruction and then follow up with a day of guided fishing.  We would love to hear from you and share this beautiful fishing area with you. You can find more information about our packages and pricing here.

ALSO,

We had a cancellation in our Mexico departure April 6-14, which includes tarpon in Campeche and bones, permit, and snook in the Yucatan.  One room open.  Drop everything and come along!  Visit our website for the itinerary.  

Global Rescue

We are in Argentina writing about Global Rescue from personal experience. A few days ago, Mary Innocenzi had trouble removing a contact lens after a particularly windy, dusty, day on the Malleo River. Her eyes were dry and scratchy when she got back to the lodge, but didn't think too much about it. The next morning she had excuriating pain on the left side of her face and couldn't open her left eye. We decided to take her into the clinic in San Martin de los Andes. On the way we learned that she had Global Rescue medical evacuation insurance so we called them from my cell phone in the car.

We had heard reports about how good Global Rescue is in extreme medical emergencies and I wondered how this would go. We certainly had an emergency, but it wasn't like a fractured pelvis in the middle of Bolivia or something like that. We were in a comfortable vehichle a few minutes away from good medical care. Well, I have to tell you that our experience with Global Rescue was over the top. Not only did they stay in constant contact with us, but they wanted to know all the details of treatment and were very concerned about Mary's condition. Even after seeing a doctor in the local clinic and returning to the lodge, Scott from Global Rescue called several times to follow up on Mary and the treatment. We were all very impressed and decided right then and there that this is the insurance company we want in any emergency while traveling anywhere!

Mary suffered a cut cornea and has not had a comfortable week, but she continues to fish with an eye patch and she says it's getting better everyday.

www.globalrescue.com

Hair Clips for Rod Clips

Ted & Ginger Reznik are with us in Argentina and have come up with an inexpensive, clever way of keeping their rods safe and organized in the guide vehicles everyday —when they break down their 4-piece rods into two pieces they use hair clips to keep the pieces together. By sliding one end of the second section into the neoprene reel cover on the first section, both sections are held securely together with the hair clip. It's simple and easy, and if a clip is lost, it's cheap to replace. Great Idea! Thanks Ted & Ginger.  

This is one of those don't-leave-home-without-it products that can save your fishing trip.   

At the moment we're in Patagonia on the Rio Malleo river with a group of anglers from Frontier's. The weather is perfect, hatches are unbelievable, and the fishing is over the top - so the last thing we need on a day like this is leaky waders, just ask Jack Innocenzi. The Rio Malleo is a cold, cold spring creek and when Jack's right wader leg started to fill with water he knew he was in trouble. We turned his waders inside out and we could actually see the hole on the seam. Out came the UV Wader Repair from Loon Products. One quick application and within minutes the hole was sealed. It's important that the material is applied in a shaded area and then exposed to the sun. It sets up in seconds and you're back fishing in no time. In the Loon wader repair kit is also a UV light in case you don't have sunshine to set the repair.

For more information visit www.loonoutdoors.com.

It's no secret that Barry and I feel very fortunate to be aligned with the Farbank companies, Sage, RIO, and Redington. Not only because we think the products are the best, but because the "brass" are really serious fishermen. These guys care about the sport, the resource, and the future. It's what they do on their days off, just ask Russ Miller, Far Bank Pro Site Supervisor, who is holding the beautiful steelhead in the picture. 

So, it doesn't surprise us to read that Travis Campbell, president and CEO at Farbank, began talks with TU brass earlier this year and has added Far Bank to the list of Wild Steelhead Initiative supporters. The Wild Steelhead Initiative
(WSI), will eventually encompass east and west, wild and stocked. The Great Lakes steelhead introduction program has been hugely successful and offers us easterners a place close to home to fish for magnificant steelhead. At the same time, no one can argue the value and sheer beauty of a wild, free, northwest steelhead, there is nothing like it. With organizations and people working together on both sides of the debate, maybe we can find common ground and move
forward - for the sake of the fish as well as the future of the sport.

And that brings us to two very good recent articles in our industry magazine, Angling Trade News, about wild steelhead, the WSI, the issues at hand, and the organizations and companies who are coming together to find that common ground.
Look for "Why Wild Matters" and the "Currents" column. It's good reading. Click here to read the current issue.

What a way to start the trip!!

Nico Fliess hooks and lands a record brown trout from the lake at Tres Valles. 

The monster brown measured 33" length, 16 pounds, and was perfect in every way.  The three of us were fishing this morning hoping for a nice fish to photograph when Nico landed this fish on RIO 3x tippet, his 590-4 Sage ONE rod and RIO Grand line, fishing a #12 caddis pupa.  His reaction was, "I am so happy", which was repeated many times, followed by

"I've never seen a brown trout this big", and added as an after thought, "I love my Sage ONE."   It was the best morning we've ever had on the lake with 12 fish landed, none under 6 pounds!  We love this place!

Here is Cathy's follow up from last week's Report from the Field.  It sounds like they've had a great trip and I'm anxious to see the photos that Barry brings home.  There will be lots to do next week before they head to Argentina but I'll try to post a collage if I can get my hands on some of them.  For now you can read about the big trout they are catching below.

It's Wednesday morning here and our group is packing and getting ready to leave Owen River Lodge. We were talking at breakfast this morning about the trip and how lucky we have been with the weather and the fishing. It's been an incredible 2 weeks. Other than some wind and rain in the first couple of days, the weather has been blue-bird perfect ever since. The rivers are all in great shape, perfect water levels, crystal clear, and good dry fly fishing. The hot dry flies here at ORL this week have been parachute Adams, cicadas, and a new blow fly pattern. The name, blow fly, doesn't do the fly justice. It's a fairly large black fly with a white wing, it's easy to see, makes a great indicator fly, and the fish love it. As always, trailing nymphs or fishing a double nymph rig with various pheasant tail patterns always works well. We've had lots of double digit fish this week and Barry and I had a day with two double digits, one 10 and one 11 pounds. All of the fish are in extremely good shape, partly because it's a mouse year. There's no place like New Zealand for big, wild, healthy fish! Now it's time to come home for a week before we leave for Argentina - next on our radar.

We just got an email from Barry and Cathy, currently in New Zealand.  It sounds like they are having a great trip although anywhere with some sunshine sounds good to us in NE PA right now!  The snow, ice & cold have settled in here, however I just keep reminding myself that February is almost half over and Spring is right around the corner.  Below is Cathy's summary of the week.  I'm also including a link to RIO's Blog which Barry wrote.  It's a fun story about his recent trip to Erie where he joined up with two fishing guides.  We hope you'll take a look.

Report from the Field

We have finished our stay at Riverview Lodge in Hamner Springs, New Zealand, and are now at Owen River Lodge, near Murchison. Both on the South Island. Our group finished up a great week at Riverview despite tough weather the first day. After the wind and the rain, the week turned out to be a beautiful fishing week with enough breeze to keep the sand flies down and lots of sun to make spotting fish easier for the guides. Four 11 pound browns were landed in our group of 5 anglers and a lot of 5 to 9 pound fish. The most common size this week seemed to be 6-1/2 pounds as almost everyone caught fish in that range. Of course, we all saw fish bigger than 11 pounds and that's what keeps us coming back to Riverview. Our favorite rod has been the 590-4 Method with an In touch RIO Grand WF5F line. We've got two of them and they make a perfect outfit for NZ, turning over long leaders and big flies in the wind. John & Robin Gemmell are wonderful hosts and we look forward to our next visit with them. If New Zealand is not on your to-do list, it should be! We now look forward to 8 days fishing at Owen River Lodge.    -Cathy

Barry's RIO Blog

Click here to be taken to the RIO Blog

I know, there are thousands of good charities and worthy organizations out there doing amazing work, and all vying for our donations. We are not asking you to donate, but just want to share a story with you about the Taimen Fund (although we will include a link to donate, should you be so moved). It's an interesting story from Sweetwater Travel, with whom Frontiers works with to arrange Mongolia fishing departures.

At one time, Taimen had the largest range of any salmonid in the world - they swam from the Danube in central Europe all the way to Russian Far East. Today, after years of abuse, the Taimen can be found in a few small remnants of its original range. Mongolia, and specifically the Eg-Uur watershed, has one of the healthiest populations of Taimen left on earth. There has been fishing for Taimen in Mongolia since 1995. In 2004, with the help of the World Bank, Sweetwater helped form a 501(c)(3) called The Tributary Fund. Now transitioned to The Taimen Fund, this fund under the leadership of long-time Mongolia guide, Charlie Conn, has raised money to help insure that the world's largest trout can always call Mongolia home.

Through conservation efforts, a monastery has been rebuilt on the upper Eg-Uur, and have employed River Keepers to patrol the river to insure the fish are protected from illegal fishing and netting. These efforts are succeeding and the Taimen population is still super strong. Barry and I have hosted two trips to Mongolia's Eg-Uur Camp for Taimen and we and our guests will vouch that it is an amazing experience. We've visited the Monastery and met the monks who will keep their hand on the pulse of this wonderful fishery. The Mongolian people are warm, friendly, and display a unique sense of humor; and they love having us visit their river. In the 1930's, Russia destroyed many of the monasteries and either killed or drove off the monks, but today the monasteries are being rebuilt and the monks, at least here, are taking an active interest in the health and welfare of the river, their lifeblood.

Through association with many Mongolian conservation agencies and organizations, the groundwork has been laid for the future of taimen protection in Mongolia. The Taimen Fund hopes to continue their flagship River Keeper program in the Eg-Uur watershed and will work closely with Taimen Conservation Alliance to forge community partnerships.

We will return to Mongolia, maybe in 2016, and will look forward to another very special week in Taimen camp and among these beautiful, kind, people and those big gorgeous fish!

-Cathy

Does this winter weather have you thinking about someplace warm? Somewhere south of the border? Well, we've got the perfect combination of baby tarpon, bonefish,snook, and permit on the schedule for April 6-14. Reward yourself for getting through winter with a saltwater trip that combines Campeche and the Yucatan. There's no better combination if you're looking for a trip that is easy in and out, all the favorite saltwater species, and no extra travel time. From most places in the U.S., you'll arrive in Campeche the same day you leave home. 8 nights/6 days. $4,650 pp, double occupancy. Refer to our website for complete details and itinerary. Come soak up the sun!