Don't Give Up on Winter

Winter has arrived. Gone are the warm early November days we so much enjoyed and with them go any hopes of finding rising fish. On the other hand, any day that the air temperatures rise above freezing we can and will get back out there. With the right gear and the right flies we can still catch fish. We will concentrate on the warmest part of the afternoon and our flies of choice will be tungsten bead head nymphs or if push comes to shove, glow bugs and squirmy wormies. If we find off color water it might be a slowly retrieved black super bugger. It will be important to get the fly down to where we expect the fish to be and a weighted streamer given time to sink will be in order. So break out the down jackets, wool socks, fleece buffs and hand warmers..... and don't forget a thermos of hot coffee. We'll see you out there.

The Thoughtful Robot

Michigan guide, Russ Maddin, hits the nail on the head with his observations and suggestions on being an effective streamer fisherman. There is a lot more to this art then just casting and stripping as you'll discover. It's an excellent interview and he makes some some very good points. Thank you Russ and MidCurrent for bringing it to us. Click here to read the article

Our 2017 Trip Schedule

Jan 12-23- Coyhaique River Lodge, Chile (trout)
Feb 12-Feb 20 - Laguna Verde/Tecka, Argentina (trout)
Mar 16-27 - Patagonia, Tres Valles, Argentina (trout)
Mar 25-April 10 - Patagonia, Argentina (trout)
May 6-13 - Belize River Lodge, Belize (tarpon, bones, etc)
June 20-30 - Ireland (trout/salmon)
July 28-August 11 - East Africa (photo safari)
Aug 19-Aug 26 - Bighorn, Montana (trout)
Aug 26-Sept 2 - Bighorn, Montana (trout)
Oct 13-22 - Pyrennes, Spain (trout)
Nov 30-Dec 11 - Patagonia, Tres Valles, Argentina (trout)

Summer in January?

We've just been advised that there is a room available at at Coyhaique River Lodge during our January 14 – 21, 2017, week. Celebrate summer in January and come with us for a great mix of streams, spring creeks, rivers, and lakes. Lots of dry fly fishing, especially beetles and hoppers, and beautiful warm weather. Here is the itinerary. It's bound to be a great week. I think you should grab this last room and come with us!

Name that Fly

We have a new nymph pattern that we're going to include in our online store. It's been a proven winner both in Patagonia (a friend landed a ten pound brown on it at Tres Valles ), and in Spain this year it was the fly to have (no ten pound fish, but close). On our home waters Gary Hunt netted a beautiful 24 inch rainbow on it a couple weeks ago. OK, so we know it works – but we can't seem to come up with a catchy name, this is where you come in. Enter up to five names. The winner gets a RIO fly line of your choice (plus some fly samples). The fly has a tungsten bead head, a rough thorax of spiked dubbing and a orangey quill type body. The fly looks very shrimp-like in the water.  

The contest will end on December 10 so get your ideas in asap.  Email your entries to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and please make sure to put Name that Fly in the subject line.

Sporting Gentleman Event

We spent last Saturday at the Sporting Gentleman in Glen Mills, PA. Barry tied flies, we had a casting class, and met lots of great folks. It's a lovely fly shop with a great restaurant in the same building. James Jindel representing Sage/RIO/Redington was present with lots of goodies – rods, reels, lines, tackle, etc. We had a gorgeous fall day and a great turnout. Thank you Christine and Ahmed for hosting the event and for the great food!

If you're in the area, stop by and say hello. 128 Glen Mills Rd., Glen Mills, PA 19342.
www.sportinggentleman.com   

Report from Spain from Barry & Cathy

Spain continues to be one of our favorite destinations, especially for couples with lots of things to do for the non anglers — great food, great wine, beautiful fish, and the fantastic background of the Pyrenees. Our days fly by much too soon but we know that we will return next season for more fun in this mystical region.

Ireland Recap

Ireland was amazing - as everyone said it would be. The country is stunningly beautiful — green and lush. The trout were bigger than we expected going in, we thought the average would be 12-14" with few above, but we found lots of fish in the 16-20" range thanks to Andrew Ryan and his Clonanav guides. We fished dry flies on small to medium size rivers, stayed at the lovely Hotel Minella, and enjoyed the countryside each day. The second part of our trip took us to Ballynahinch Castle and the Owenmore River which flows through the property. Unfortunately, the river was high due to recent rains and the salmon fishing was off. We saw fish roll and jump and hooked a couple that got off, but it was enough to make us want to return for another try. The guides, who themselves were most delightful and entertaining, did everything they could to get us into fish but it was not to be.The castle stay was an extravagance in accommodation, and all the staff were warm and hospitable people, and we'd go back in a minute. There's nothing like meeting in an Irish pub after fishing to talk about the day. We will return.

We're including a few photos from the trip here in our blog, but if you'd like to see more, feel free to check out the Group's Gallery here

Take the Kids Fishing

 Last weekend our good friends and trip clients, Ken & Foy, organized a weekend in the country with their grandchildren Leland and Benjamin, ages 3 and 5 and their parents. We paired them up with our grandsons, Bridger and Colter, ages 6 & 8, and what fun it was. We got all the boys fishing with fly rods at the pond for bluegills. The pond also has hybrid striped bass which I use in my casting classes but I thought the bass which average 4-5 pounds would be a bit much for the boys. The bluegills were in spawning colors and were lots of fun. They started out with bluegills but it wasn't long before one of the kids hooked into a bass, and then another, and another. Soon they were all fighting, landing, and releasing bass along with the bluegills.

It reminded me of how much fun it is to be a kid in the summer. Not a care in the world and nothing is more important than the moment. We went from fishing to visiting goats, playing in the barn, and kicking the soccer ball until the kids were exhausted. Everyone slept well that night! Thank you Ken & Foy for giving us the pleasure of being a kid again for a awhile.

2017 Safaris- Booking now

Barry and Cathy have two very exciting African safaris planned for Summer, 2017. The first (July 14-27), is a Big Cat Safari to Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. This safari was featured in the Chicago Tribune, the Orlando Sun, and Courant this past week. The second is to East Africa (July 28 - Aug. 11) for the annual migration, their third migration safari. Read more on the Frontiers Website here or call us for more details.

Rigging Two Flies

In this week's blog Pat Dorsey talks to us about rigging two flies, nymph/nymph, dry/dry, dry/nymph, streamer/streamer. We are always surprised when our guiding guests tell us that they never use a two fly combination and we use it almost all the time. Using two flies will definitely increase your odds of catching fish! Read all about it here. (From MidCurrent via Fly Fisherman)

Also, we wanted to update you about the Beck's upcoming schedule

2016:
Ireland (trout/salmon) July 8-18. Sold Out
Bighorn River (trout) Aug. 19-26, 26-Sept. 2. Sold Out
Spain, E. Pyrenees (trout) Oct. 13-20, 3 rooms
Tres Valles, Arg. (trout) Nov. 25-Dec. 5. Sold Out
2017:
Chile, Coyhaique (trout) Jan. 14-21. Sold Out
Argentina, Pira Lodge (dorado) Feb. 3-10. 4 rooms
Argentina, Jurassic Lake (trout) Feb. 11-19. 4 rooms
Argentina, Patagonia, 3 lodges (trout) Mar. 16-Apr. 12. 5 rooms
Belize River Lodge (tarpon, bones, etc) May 6-13. 5 rooms
Africa, East & South, Safari July 14-27 & 28-Aug.11. 10 rooms
Bighorn River (trout) Aug. 19-26 & 26-Sept. 2. 5 rooms

Please contact us or refer to our web site for further information.

Fishing continues to be good here on Fishing Creek.

2 New Argentina Destinations

Those of you who know us well, know how much we love Argentina, and what's not to love? The time in Buenos Aires, the beautiful estancias and the variety of fishing opportunities are all over-the-top. And it gets better every year. We
can't give up our favorite Argentina destinations so we just keep adding more and for 2017, along with our favorites, we're adding Pira Lodge and Laguna Verde (aka Jurassic Lake). It has literally taken us years to get a week at each of these destinations and we're excited beyond words to know that February will find us there.  These trips will be on our web site shortly.  In the meantime, please contact us or Frontiers for more information or with questions. 

If you've always wanted to catch hard fighting acrobatic dorado by sight fishing in crystal-clear water and have superb accommodations, Pira Lodge, is the ticket and we'll be there from Feb. 5-11, 2017. Dorado hammer flies and are known as the most challenging native freshwater fish, "tigers of the river", in Argentina. Better come with us and see why. It's wild and it's exciting. Check out the itinerary and video.
Pira video: 

 If you're looking for the brontosaurus of rainbow trout come with us to Estancia laguna Verde, for there's no better place on earth. River and lake fishing, walking and searching crystal clear water bays and inlets for cruising behemoths. We don't know what makes this particular lake so fertile and the fish so big, it's truly a spectacle worth seeing. Hook-ups are described as reel screaming, heart pounding, tug of war action. Gotta see it to believe it.  Join us Feb 11-18.
See the Itinerary and video.
Laguna Verde Video:

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.

Mongolia Adventure

Looking for adventure? A new destination and species to add to your list? Wide open space? No crowds, planes, cell towers, highways, or noise, but yet a place with great guides, exciting fishing, and a warm comfortable lodge to return to each evening? We've got just the place. Mongolia + Taimen = Adventure! 7 nights/6 days in camp, $6,300 pp shared occupancy/guide. Sept. 23 - Oct. 5.

Check out the itinerary and then contact us or Frontiers. Remember, it's all about the experience!

Taimen Fund

While we're on the subject....

If you've visited the Eg/Ur Camp you know first hand what an incredible job the Taimen Conservation Alliance is doing in Mongolia to protect these amazing fish and to promote sustainable "catch and release" fishing practices and natural
reproduction. Please take a minute to read the newsletter, get a glimpse of the last strong hold for the oldest running strain of trout in the world. And then, we all thank you if you are moved to make a donation to the Taimen Fund. Thank you.

Taimenfund.org

Also, I heard from Cathy this morning.  This is the view from the lodge.    The group is having good weather (a little wind) and very good fishing at Coyhaique River Lodge in Chile.  We'll have more on the trip next week... 

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!

I heard from Cathy and they've had a great week of fishing in the Pyrenees in Spain. As you can tell from the photos, fall has arrived and along with the fall foliage and frosty nights, the fish are starting to move up out of the lakes and into the rivers. They've enjoyed a lot of dry fly fishing to both rainbows and browns. The group took a day off fishing to visit a few cathedrals and local villages and had lunch at Rhoda de Isabena again this year, a favorite stop on their itinerary. Good fishing, wine, cheeses, cathedrals, weather - what could be better?

We recently came across this video clip by Gin Clear Media and wanted to share it.  "The South Island has vast tracts of some of the most intact, undisturbed natural areas left on our planet—these last truly wild places deliver beauty and isolation in spades but it is the allure of giant trout in crystal clear water that draws anglers from around the globe to this treasured land."

We don't use rafts or boats, we don't camp, and we much prefer Sage rods, but this clip is about the island, the fishing, the adventure, and there is no place on earth like the South Island of New Zealand. We are there every February. This destination has drawn us back again and again for many years. If you've thought about New Zealand or if it's on your bucket list, come with us. Your itinerary can include one or two lodges and the most incredible scenery and fishing for wild browns that you'll ever find anywhere. Details here.

Let the Show Begin

Barry and Cathy are in Orlando at the iCast/AFFTA (American Fly Fishing Trade Association) annual show. This is an industry show where all the manufacturers come together to show new products and product lines. Dealers, sales reps, distributors and manufacturers from all over the world are at the show for the next three days. Today was the second day of set-up and as you can see, the Sage booth went from chaos to stunning in 2 days time. While it took 2 days to put it up, at the end of the show it will all come down in about 5 hours time!

The new products from Sage for 2016 include the MOD, a moderate action rod in 2 thru 6 weights, all 9'. Retail $850. The Little ONE family is a handful of rods 0 thru 4 weight, all 8'2". Retail $850. The BOLT is an ultra-fast action rod in 4 thru 8 weight, all 9'. Retail $650. The PULSE is a fast action rod 3 thru 8 weight, various lengths. Retail $450. The popular METHOD, CIRCA, SALT, ONE, ACCEL, MOTIVE and APPROACH rods are not changed for 2016. The reel line continues to redefine itself and while there are new models and improvements within some of the families of reels, the families themselves have not changed.

A note from the Redington side, we're seeing lots of new rods and reels with amazing technology and design at even more amazing prices. Check out all of these new products at your local dealer in the coming months.

We'll have more from the show next week.

Still Space for the Spanish Pyrenees

We still have rooms available October 12-20, 2015, on our Spain departure. Fall is a beautiful time of year to be in the mountains and the Spanish Pyrenees are no exception. Come with us and experience spring creeks, streams and small tailwater rivers. Lot of fishing and lots of scenery and a great price. $5950, 6 days fishing. (double occupancy/shared guide). Spain is a great trip for non-anglers too. See the itinerary.

My bags are packed and I'm ready to go.....  

Our 2016 trip schedule is beginning to take shape and here's what it's looking like so far. We're currently working on getting all of the itineraries updated on the web site. If you're interested in a trip that is not up on the site yet, please let us know and we'll get you an itinerary. Hope to see you in 2016.

January 7-18 Coyhaique, Chile
Febrary 2-15 South Island, New Zealand
March 1-8 Tres Valles, Argentina
March 9-20 San Huberto and Quemquemtreu, Argentina
March 20-22 Limay River, Argentina
April 4-14 Campeche/Grand Slam, Mexico
Iceland June (mid-late, dates TBA)
July 8-18  Ireland
August 6-13 Alaska
August 20-27 & Aug. 27-Sept. 3 Bighorn MT
Spain (Oct. TBA)
Sept. 26-Oct. 3 Mongolia
Nov. 25-Dec. 5  Tres Valles, Argentina

Urgent! The Bahamas Need Your Help TODAY

The Bahamas fishing destroyed?  

We desperately need your help TODAY to stop ridiculous legislation that could be passed TOMORROW. Please read.

http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=bff91a6f13d94a309ad9b3885&id=13332306ee&e=4b3a2c83ca

Thinking about a Montana Fishing Trip?

The just out Aug/Sept. issue of Fly Fisherman Magazine has a feature story from Barry & Cathy on their favorite western river, the Bighorn for full or partial stay. And, the best part? We still have space on the August departure to the 'Horn with the Becks. Get the details in our Hosted Trips

We'll have a recap on Iceland for you next week. Barry is still editing photos — and I'm seeing some great shots.

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

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

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.

It's very cold here in PA this week.  Unusually cold for this time of year. My office looks out into the woods behind our house and I can see a nice 8-point buck chasing three doe around.  It's a sure sign of winter and soon he will drop his antlers and wait out spring.  The deer have it made here because we don't allow any hunting on our property so they have some protection from rifle season that will start soon.  They clean up the bird seed that Barry intentionally spills every day so they are here a lot.  

We'll soon be leaving for Tres Valles, Argentina, and have been getting stuff to take down for the guides.  Today we received a Nikon lens, yesterday binoculars, we have a camera coming.  Often it's fly tying supplies.  Last year it was a coat from Cabela's.  It's a good reminder of how lucky we are to live here where if an item doesn't come overnight, we're disappointed.  Sometimes they wait a year in Argentina!

We're going to start hearing from Brooke a little more here in the blog.  She's dialed into the submissions that Nancy is working on, the upcoming changes and events on the web site, and the general pulse of what we do here.  So starting next week, she'll have something to say.  I have no idea what she will start with, but I'm sure it will be interesting to read.  Feed her (us) your questions if there is something you'd like to read about.

Speaking of reading, I wanted to share a great book with you before the holidays.  We recently had the pleasure of John & Claudia Faris, who joined us on our trip to Spain.  We enjoyed their company and now have two new good friends.  At the end of the trip John gave us a copy of his book, Ten Was The Deal, and I started reading it that night.  It's a delightful book of short hunting and fishing stories told by John of his childhood with his dad and grandfather.  Set in pinewoods, along Piedmont streams, in Lowcountry fields or along the coast of the Carolinas.  It's a lovely gift idea that will be enjoyed by all.  You can find it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble or if you'd like it personalized it can be ordered directly from John at 864-573-9311 or on his website.   I think you'll like it as much as we did. Paperback. 235 pages.

I've been asked lately to share a little more about what we do when we're not traveling.  So here's what's on our agenda as of recent:  Barry and I were in Towson, MD, last night at the Maryland TU meeting.  Barry does most of the presentations but they've asked me this time so I spoke about my freshwater bucket list.  It was a nice meeting and we were glad to be invited.  I also just finished a piece for Country Magazine and we put together a feature for Overland Journal on our trip to Mongolia.  There's always something on the to do list.  For now, I'm trying to teach myself iPhoto and struggling.  Anyway, we hope you have a good week and we'll stay in touch.  -Cathy

That was the question we started to get as soon as we arrived home from fishing the Eastern Pyrenees a couple days ago. This was our second trip to Spain and the first one with a full group. We have to say that we couldn't have had nicer weather. Every day started with a cool, fresh, fall morning in a down vest or jacket, but by afternoon some of us were fishing in shirt sleeves. This part of Spain has had a cool, wet, season until recently and we found some of our favorite streams were chalky instead of clear and some of the tailwater streams were too high to fish, so we were limited in where we could fish. That said, there were several 7 - 9 lb. trout caught and lots of 5 lb. and better fish. Some of these were caught on dry flies and some on nymph droppers trailed behind dries. On the clear streams we could sight fish, which was everyone's preference, of course. Everyone commented on the medieval ruins scattered throughout the country, the old stone villages, cathedrals, watch towers. Some of us took time away from fishing for sightseeing. Hotel Domenec and the Domenec Restaurant were great and we loved the little village of Aren, our home for the week. Chef Juan Antonio spoiled us with amazing multi course meals and good wine and the Salvelinus guides were outstanding. We loved it all and look forward to a return trip. Here are some of our favorite photos from the trip.