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.
Fall fishing brings a close to the fishing season for many of us living in areas where winter is just around the corner. We move the gear bag back into the house for the winter, put the rods back in the closet, clean our waders, dry out our boots, and dream about next spring. Maybe we'll clean up the tying table that has been neglected and collecting dust, getting it ready for the long winter evenings that will have us restocking our fly boxes.
In addition, we should also take a close look at our fly rods, checking tip tops and guides that need to be replaced from either wear or accident. Line friction can wear sharp edges in the guides over time and these edges will cut into expensive fly lines ruining them quickly. A little steel wood or brillo will make worn dirty cork grips look like new and a Pledge wipe can clean and pretty up even the oldest dearest rods in our arsenal.
Fly reels and lines should be carefully examined and cleaned before putting away for winter. Back off the drags, touch any screw heads in the reel foot area with a bit of WD40 and use the Pledge wipe on the reels too. Discard the leaders and prepare to put on fresh next spring.
And thinking about reels, we came across an interesting article in The Fiberglass Manifesto awhile back about reviving old classic fly reels. Talk about bringing new life to an old reel, a classic.
We hope you enjoy it. There may be an old reel in your closet from years passed - maybe you can bring it back to life again too.
http://thefiberglassmanifesto.blogspot.com/2016/01/cleaning-classic-fly-reels-with-bulldog.html
We're gearing up for a month of fall fishing here on Fishing Creek. The stream is in great sha
pe thanks to last week's rain, the 
leaves are beginning to turn color, and the fishing is good. We still have some days available for guiding if you'd like to get away for a day or two. Fall is our favorite time of year and the season is just too darn short! With fall comes swarms of flying ants and if you're lucky enough to be on the stream when the ants appear you'll enjoy some exceptional fishing – if you have flying ants in your fly box! So do get out and enjoy the season and don't leave home without flying ants!
We have one room available at San Huberto, Argentina. Patagonia is a favorite destination for us and the Rio Malleo is an all time favorite. With miles and miles of spring creek flowing through Estancia San Huberto, you may not want to go home! Private beats, super guides, great accommodations. Come with us for a week of beautiful fall fishing. View the itinerary and let us know!
Our friend and client, Art Rorex, is featured in our blog today with his thoughts and favorite memories of last year's safari. 
When Barry and Cathy invited me to do a photo essay on East Africa I gladly accepted. Then (in a rare lucid moment) I realized that producing such an essay is akin to explaining the meaning of life in 100 words or less -- it can be explained but to be really appreciated it must be experienced. I've been fortunate enough to have visited East Africa three times -- I don't understand it but I certainly appreciate it.
An East African safari is more than the Serengeti. Before reaching the wildlife, you must travel through the countryside. While the major cities may seem familiar the countryside is a different and interesting world. Once there, you will find the safari camps more comfortable than expected. They may look like Teddy Roosevelt's camps but Teddy didn't have hot showers and flush toilets in his tents. Since wildlife is most active at dawn and dusk the safari day will start before sunrise. Although your attention will be focused on the large animals -- especially the 'Big Five' -- one of the first things you will notice is the birds. In addition to resident birds, thousands of migratory birds pass through the region. Birds are everywhere. As time passes you will encounter a wide range of wildlife -- large and small, far and near (sometimes very near). If you are lucky you will see some of the rarest animals in Africa. If you are really lucky, you may see some of them together. One thing is certain, you will see lions. Large and small, far and near. Usually interesting; always magnificent. You may also see the migration crossing the Mara River. Over two million animals are in the migration but since it's made up of widely dispersed small groups it can be hard to witness a crossing. On my third visit we finally saw one -- about 5,000 animals crossing the Mara River within 50 feet of our truck. Unbelievable. Unforgettable.
Sooner or later all things end. Each of my photo safaris was extremely enjoyable and all too brief. Nevertheless, the memories last.
Those of you who have traveled with us to Argentina and the San Martin area may remember meeting Jorge Trucco. Jorge was instrumental in the early years in establishing relationships between estancia owners, guides, outfitters, and Frontiers which resulted in the amazing network of fishing opportunities in Argentina today. Meanwhile the Limay River was pretty much out of reach for visiting anglers because of its remoteness and lack of guest facilities. Jorge has recently opened his own Limay River Lodge and even if you have not plans to visit Argentina, you will enjoy this video clip. It's a pleasure to watch and will remind us of why we fish.
My friends who travel with us on our hosted trips are always commenting about how heavy my camera bag is, It's true, at 32 pounds it sometimes becomes a bear but it carries everything I might need for my photography. There's always a Nikon D4 body, a flash a 24-70 mm, 16-35 mm, a 105 macro and a 70-200 mm lens to round out my arsenal. There are memory cards, spare batteries and the list goes on, but in a small pocket of my Thinktank camera bag sits a Nikon One V3 mirrorless camera. It looks like a toy camera next to the D4s but it has become my constant companion where ever I go. It's small and not intrusive. It sports an electronic viewfinder, shoots raw, shoots great video, has a great choice in lens offerings and a tilt down 3inch touch screen. At 18 megapixels the images are stunning and with built in Wi Fi you can send the images right to your smart phone. Check it out with Jody Grober at Roberts Distributors. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
As of yesterday afternoon parts of the Yellowstone River, the spring creeks, and the tributaries have been reopened for some activities including fishing. For up-to-date information, consult the Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks Website.
The Becks are fishing The Bighorn as we speak and we all wanted to know what was happening out West with the parasite/water problems... Here's a little blurb from Cathy. She also sent a few photos for us as well.
It's 10 day old news now about the Yellowstone and all tributaries being closed to all kinds of activities including boating, rafting, swimming, etc., but the latest news is that it may be a long time before the river system is open again to these activities. The tributaries include the Paradise Valley spring creeks, the Boulder River, the Shields, and others. This, of course is devastating news for lots of businesses along the waterways; hotels, guide services, fly shops, rafting companies, restaurants, and campgrounds. We hope they find a solution soon to exterminating this horrible parasite.
We are also happy to share with you Barry's blog from Ireland published last mont
h on the SAGE blog. You can read it here.
And lastly, we found this article in MidCurrent and although it doesn't directly relate to fly fishing, you never know when you might need this advice!! Check out the article by clicking here.
We just came off an amazing week of silver salmon fishing on the Kanektok River, Alaska. A stone's throw from the Bering Sea, Reel Action Camp is strategically located as all the pacific salmon make their migration from the sea, past the lodge, to their river of birth to spawn. Our trip was perfectly timed for silvers, our favorite of the salmon, because silvers love to eat flies, jump, run line, and fight. They're big, beautiful, and brutish.
We have lots of photos, including a collection of photos from the group. Take a look and think about our 2018 departure. Same time. Same place.
As our 2017 Safari is taking shape, we still have several spaces available. Beginning with the lovely Kichwa Tembo Camp and continuing to Hemingway-esque Serengeti Under Canvas, Lake Manyara Tree Lodge, and concluding with the luxuious Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, our safari encompasses the best that East Africa has to offer in the way of luxury camps, lodges, and game viewing. Timed for our best chance at seeing the annual Great Migration, one of nature's most amazing spectacles. This is going to be an incredible safari.
If you've been contemplating Africa, please review our itinerary, and give us or Kathy Schulz at Frontiers (800-245-1950), a call. This is a premier safari and we're excited about being in Africa next summer. We'd love to have you join us!
Internet & communication has been spotty with the Becks this week, but we were able to receive this email & as always, a few photos to hold us over til they return. Here's what they had to say....
We are at Reel Action camp this week on the Kanetok River in Alaska, chasing silvers, pinks, fresh chums, and rainbows. Weather has been rainy and mostly cloudy which has been very good for the fishing. We're about a mile from the Bering Sea and the salmon are fresh and hot. We are exhausted each night from fighting big fish. Camp is comfortable, food is simple but delicious, and fishing is off the charts. We'll have more next week when Barry gets the photos edited.
Where has summer gone? While the thermometer says that summer is still very much with us, the calendar says otherwise. In just a few more weeks we'll see the school bus stopping for our grandsons each morning. Summer vacations will be over and fall will be on the horizon. For us, it means fall fishing kicks in. This week we leave for Alaska and so we are thinking about rainbow trout and silver salmon, our favorite of the Pacific salmon species. After that it's Montana and more trout fishi
ng. We won't have to worry about water on the Bighorn, there's plenty of it. Our home stream, Fishing Creek, has had a tough season. It fished well into June, we had just enough water and no days this year when it was too high to fish. But since the beginning of summer, we've had low water and drought conditions. We're looking forward to fresh fall rain and a good fall fishing season, perhaps the prettiest time to be on the stream.
Speaking of the fall season, it's always a good time of year to run a dropper behind a large dry, maybe a caddis, stimulator or super beetle. We learned of a new fly while in Ireland that is perfect for a dry/dropper set-up and a new trick that makes it easy work. Barry is going to tell us about it.
Andrew Ryan, fly shop owner and guide on Ireland's River Nire, asked if we used tippet rings. We have used them, they have been around for quite some time, and we 
even wrote about the rings in an earlier blog. We were aware that RIO was now offering them in different sizes and we even had a selection with us. The rings are most often used by attaching it with a clinch knot to the end of the leader. It then becomes easy to change your tippet. But Andrew wasn't talking about using the ring for tippets, instead he showed us a Klinkhammer fly tied with a hi viz wing and a RIO tippet ring attached at the rear of the hook shank. The tippet ring works great for attaching a tippet and fly for a dry dropper combination. Actually, it worked incredibly well.
They say you're never to old to learn a new trick and maybe I'm out of touch, but I have always attached my dropper tippet to the rear of the hook shank and have often had the clinch knot foul with the tail materi
al on the fly. The tippet ring solves that issue and Andrew claims that the dropper fly moves more naturally through the water with this method. He made believers out of us. Give it a try. I think you'll be a believer too. RIO tippet rings are available from any RIO dealer.
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
We heard from Barry & Cathy. Their group is with Andrew Ryan and his guides and are trout fishing for a few days. We'll have more next week but we can say that everyone loves the new Sage X, the new fast rod just released-- fast but not so stiff, a joy to cast is the report we're getting
Many of you have traveled to Isla Hotbox and/or Campeche and Grand Slam Lodges in the Yucatan with us. In this short video clip you'll see some familiar faces, but more important is the reason for the tournament - to help the children and the school at Punta Allen. The smiling faces on the kids say it all. Our congratulations to the sponsors, the winners, the guides, and most of all the kids in Punta Allen!
I'm embarrassed to say that I've had my favorite sunglasses for years. So long in fact that the nose pads are beginning to deteriorate. I use them for everything, not just fishing. Barry on the other hand, seldom has more than two seasons on his before he moves on to something newer. So, after hearing so much about the new technology and listening to guides and clients talk, this year I got myself a new pair of Smith ChromaPops. The glasses arrived last week and even then, they sat on my desk for a couple days waiting for me to try them.
Well, I put them on the other day and immediately thought something was wrong. I took them off and looked at the lenses. Everything looked ok, I put them on again and thought, Wow! This must be what cataract surgery does for people. It was like a veil had been lifted. ChromaPop had painted my world in fresh vivid color. I'm telling you, you can't imagine the difference until you've tried it. There is some good information on ChromaPop at Smith Optics that explains how the technology works, but it's basically enhances clarity and natural color to let you live every moment in more detail. The colors are truer, more vivid and much clearer. All this results in less eye fatigue. It's truly amazing.
We are often asked what sunglasses we wear and our answer is always Smith. We've worn Smiths (formerly Action Optics) for about 30 years and sold the line when we were in retail. We're true blue and think there is nothing better. When you're ready to update your sunglasses, we strongly suggest that you consider Smith and the new ChromaPop technology. You'll be surprised!
You can purchase Smith optics at the following retailers:
Tulpehocken Fly Shop Online http://www.tcoflyfishing.com/
Bob Marriott's Fly Shop Online http://www.bobmarriottsflyfishingstore.com
And thinking about optics, here is a great example of how important being able to see clearly defines the moment when fishing small dry flies and setting the hook. If you can't see the take or cut the glare so you can follow the drift, your fishing will suffer. Thanks to YouTube, we found this very well done Todd Moen video on fishing PMDs in the west. The things that we instantly noticed were: The low profile by the angler, how still he is in the water, and the lag time between seeing the fish take and setting the hook. Does fly line color matter? Think about that as you watch the video. Very well done. Makes me want to be there
Independence is one of the most valuable gifts that one can enjoy. We pray that God's blessings are always with us so that the coming generations can also enjoy the fruits of independence. Have a great holiday with family & friends!
Two exceptional rods at two very different prices.
We've said it before, how does Jerry keep coming up with new rod designs? True to form, Sage is introducing the new 
"X" fast action rod this week. Kirk Deeter reviews it in the Angling Trade News (via Field & Stream) and if you like being on the cutting edge of fast, accurate and technical rods, you'll be falling in love all over again! Read the press release in MidCurrent here.
At the other end of the spectrum, we have to say that we've been using the Sage Pulse rods for our clinics, casting lessons, and as loaner rods for a couple seasons and these rods continue to impress us. At a cost of $450, the Pulse is classified as a fast action rod, but with a RIO Grand line, it loads beautifully close up and doesn't hesitate to step up to the plate for longer distances. Beautifully finished blanks are lichen green blank with olive wraps. Same lifetime guarantee, made on Bainbridge Island. View the video below.
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.
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.
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.
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:
Sold out for months we now find ourselves with a couple of available tents at Reel Action on the Kanetok River, August. 5-12. Prime time for silver salmon, rainbow trout, and lots of other 
salmon and char. At the mouth of the Bering Sea, Reel Action Camp offers fishing that no other camp can offer. Get the fish first as they come into the river. An amazing week of action! Individual tents, $5,000. per person. Check the photos and itinerary for details and then call us!
It was a fun weekend here on Fishing Creek with the group. We learned about casting, bugs, leaders, flies, stripers, bluegills, and trout. The weather was uncooperative, rainy, windy and cold — it even snowed for a couple minutes. From Canada, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania the group had a great time. Can't wait to do it again. Thanks to Frontiers, Sage, and the Lodge at Raven Creek for hosting a great event!
A reminder for anyone traveling to Denver this summer. Check out the Travel Insider article here
Our guiding is off to a great start here on Fishing Creek. With light drizzle for most of this week, the fishing has been very good each day with Hendrickson spinners, grannom caddis and the beginning of the March Browns. The weather has been cold and we're dressing warm, but that comes with the season and it won't be long until we're hoping for some of the cooler spring temps!
Speaking of the early spring hatches, we can't hardly write about the fishing without mentioning the new Sage MOD fly rod. Paired with a Sage 4250 reel and the RIO InTouch Perception fly line, it's been the perfect rod for our eastern spring fishing. The MOD has just enough backbone for handling light streamers or a couple of small nymphs, but switches easily to a beautiful presentation when the hatch starts or the spinners fall. It's accurate, sensitive, and an absolute joy to cast. If you haven't tried one yet you should the next time you visit your local fly shop. We're pretty sure you'll fall in love all over again. Check out the video of the rod here