To everything, there is a season. Seeing the peaks of the Olympic Mountains powdered in fresh snowfall on my drive into work this week means that the end of the mountain stream season is upon us. I found my stream fishing trips this season to be fewer and farther between than in past years. That’s… Continue reading Turn, Turn, Turn
Unzip the nymphal shuck of your sleeping bag and rise from your tent with the lightness of a morning trico hatch. Revel in the stillness of the crisp mountain air. Break camp slowly but efficiently. Fold your gear neatly, your future self will thank you. Forego the instant oatmeal and coffee grounds that you packed.… Continue reading Leaving Stones Unturned
The shrill of a solitary olive-sided flycatcher sounds like an alarm clock reverberating through the woods. I roll over in my sleeping bag to grab my phone from the pocket overhead and check the time, 4:58AM. Two minutes before my digital alarm is set to sound. I'll take the flycatcher any day. Unzipping the tent,… Continue reading Westslope Road Trip
For centuries, humans have been seeking retreats to the quiet corners of the world. Unencumbered by the trappings of modern society, one is given space for deeper thinking, contemplation, and recalibration. Like many, I too often fantasize and read stories about the simple life lived somewhere in a remote cabin. The personal Walden that I… Continue reading Driftless Daydreams
I want to start something new and a bit different. I've written about fly tying on here before, but more in the meta sense and less in a kind of show-and-tell platform. The recent acquisition of my dream vise has had me spending ample time breaking it in at the tying desk. Most nights I… Continue reading I’ve Been Tying: Vol. I – Oregon Coast Prep
Like clockwork, the arrival of March sunshine awakens something within me and I become invigorated to get after the projects and trips in my mind with a restored drive. It's around this time of year that I start to catch the Sea Run Bug in full effect. Chum salmon fry are mere weeks away from… Continue reading Spring is Loading
Editor's Note: My good friend and longtime TPLFF contributor, Dean Kuettel, is back! This time with a thoughtful reflection from his new home waters of Virginia. I will eagerly await more of his updates from the East until I'm able to join him on the banks of a small brook trout stream again someday. -Sam… Continue reading Words of Autumn
I wouldn’t say that I woke up hungover, but that last beer wasn’t sitting right with me. Full disclosure, it was only a two beer night. My tolerance just ain’t what it used to be. Hard truths you discover in your late twenties. The culprit was a Glacier IPA by Matanuska Brewing Co. It was… Continue reading My Alaskan Window
Conventional fishing wisdom says to rise early, beat the crowds, and maximize your time on the water. That advice holds true for streams and lakes, racing both the sun and fellow anglers to mornings of solitude and shadowless casts. Tidal influenced fisheries turn this age old maxim on its head; here the tide is king.… Continue reading The Luck of the Chum Fry
Editor's Note: I'm dusting this one off from the vault. The vault is my collection of drafts that have yet to see the light of day for one reason or another. I started writing this one shortly after taking this trip, but life got busy from moving west and there it sat. With the Wisconsin… Continue reading Camping The Opener
The Path Less Fly Fished 