Reflections on Ireland

We had a wonderful group of people join us on our recent Ireland trip. Our fishing started out in the Conmel area with Andrew Ryan and his guides from Clonanav Fly Fishing. We stayed at the Hotel Minella and fished Andrew's water for three days and caught lots of beautiful brown trout. On the fourth day we took the scenic coastal route to Galway and Ballynahinch Castle. The Owenmore River flows through the castle grounds and we fished for Atlantic salmon for three days. The salmon were not as cooperative as the trout, we saw lots of fish roll and show, but were only able to put two in the net. The castle accommodations were elegant, food and service over the top, and we all loved the estate grounds and the river. We will be back to try again. This is a great trip for the non angler as they have their own guide and itinerary. Please let us know if you're interested in joining us in 2018.

Click here to see a few of the photos from our trip

2018 Hosted Trip Schedule

Next year is coming together for us. We have a couple dates to confirm and some finishing touches to put on the itineraries for a couple of the destinations, but overall this is what 2018 is going to look like:

January 13-20   Estancia de los Rios, Chile (trout)
February 6-21   South Island, New Zealand (trout)
March 3-10   Estancia Tecka, Esquel area, Argentina (trout)
March 11-17   Hosteria San Huberto, San Martin area, Argentina (trout)
March 17-24   Limay River Lodge, San Martin area, Argentina (trout)
May 8-18   Grand Slam/Campeche, Mexico, (baby tarpon, etc.)
June (TBA)   Ireland (and hopefully Scotland), (trout/salmon)
August 3-12   Reel Action, Alaska (silvers, pink, chum, etc., trout)
August 18-25, 25-2   Kingfisher Lodge, Bighorn River, Montana (trout)
October (TBA)   Spain, E. Pyrenees (trout)
December 1-8   Tres Valles, Argentina, Esquel area (trout)

We hope you can join us! Please let us know if we can answer any questions or provide additional information on any of these destinations.

RIO's How To: Terrestrials from a Drift Boat

Welcome to Episode 9 of the RIO How To series. RIO ambassador, Rob Parkins, shows how to fish large terrestrials from a moving drift boat. His tips and information reveal how easy and effective this big flies are in the heat of summer. Enjoy.

We are having a beautiful day today, showers and then the sun breaks through, and then back to showers. Temperatures cool, in the 60's, no wind, and I know the Hendricksons and olives are hatching on the stream. Probably the grannom Caddis too. Water levels have been good this spring and anglers are enjoying the early season. Last night we had a beautiful Hendrickson spinner fall and there is no question that for most of us, this is a favorite hatch. We hope that you are getting out and enjoying the early season. Don't put it off, it doesn't last long.

Stanley Cooper Jr Recognized

It is with great pleasure that we bring you Nathaniel Eric Seals' photos and interview with our local legend, Stan Cooper, Jr., in our blog this week. A more talented fly tier, fisherman, and friend to all can not be found anywhere. We are delighted with the Catskill Museum's recognition and honor of this great man. Seals is a staff writer for the Citizens Voice in Wilkes-Barre.  Read the interview in this local paper here.

Looking for something different?

We still have a couple rooms open on our Spain departure, October 13-20, to the eastern Pyrenees. We'll stay in the ancient mountain village (300 people) of Aren, in the Pyrenees foothills between Aragon and Catalonia. There is an amazing variety of small tail water streams, alpine lakes, spring creeks and freestone trout streams in the surrounding countryside. We'll fish for tiger, brown and rainbow trout. For the non-fishing partner, or for a day off from fishing, there is lots to do and see --  ancient watch towers, Romanesque villages, sightseeing and easy trekking trips to explore medieval villages and cathedrals, and so much more. Refer to the itinerary for more details.

Fishing in the Land of Fire & Ice

If you follow the travel magazines and travel sections in the big newspapers you know that Iceland has become "the place to be". It's easy to get to, safe, and the extreme scenery and Icelandic people are, well, over the top. Two days ago Iceland was featured on Good Morning America. If you saw the show, you know what I'm talking about. We too are in awe of the landscapes and the people, but it's the fishing that takes us back each year (thank goodness GMA didn't talk about the fishing). Double digit browns and Highland char are simply amazing in the land of fire and ice. With our June departure, we will be right on time for the best of the trout and char fishing. Check it out on our website and then come along with us— and don't forget your camera!

Also From Cathy:
Remember when Flip Pallot hosted Walker's Cay Chronicles and we all loved listening to him talk about fishing and life on the water? Well, if you haven't seen his video clip for Yeti coolers, you have to take a look. It's 100% Flip and is especially relevant to the "over the hill" gang - not that any of you (us) would qualify for membership in this elite group!