The following posts have something to do with Fly Fishing in general and include trips I’ve taken to different parts of the world seeking that next great experience. Included are all the local trips as well. These posts are not specific to location.
“The great charm of fly-fishing is that we are always learning.” – Theodore Gordon
Ever since I built the Synabego, I’ve been obsessed with finding the perfect boat system—something I could carry in or on the van that would let me fish bigger water without towing a trailer. I love trailers about as much as I love untangling a bird’s nest in a fly line. Over the years, I…
Father’s Day changes as you get older. Our kids now have kids of their own to celebrate with, and honestly, that’s exactly how it should be. Watching my son become such a terrific father is the best Father’s Day gift I could ask for. Seeing him build the same kind of family memories that Gina…
nbsp; Sunday June 14, 2026. Only three days ago I discovered something I hadn’t experienced in what feels like forever: the new mussel regulations finally allowed me to fish both San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay without serving the mandatory eight-day sentence in quarantine. I think it’s been close to three years since I’ve had…
It had been a couple of months since I’d fished the lake — possibly my longest dry spell on local water that I can remember. The problem with a layoff like that is you have to relearn the place. San Luis fishes completely differently depending on the height of the reservoir, the water temperature, and…
May 23-26, 2025- I got home from chasing tarpon in Mexico around eleven at night, and instead of unpacking, I packed. The van, the rods, the trolling motor, the cooler. Some trips you ease into. This one I jumped from saltwater straight into the Sierra without much of a landing in between, and I’d…
May 15-22. 2026 May was an exceptionally busy month of fishing for me. I don’t think I’ve ever had a stretch where I went from one fishing destination to the next, and then straight to another, without even a single day off in between. In fact, this trip to Campeche was only the first leg…
Some trips you go to catch fish. Some trips you go to be with your people. The best ones manage to do both and somehow this late-May run to Henderson Springs did exactly that, even if it took a couple of days to warm up – this being the eighth annual Dirk and Jim memorial…
Sunday April 19, 2026 -Today, the lake decided to throw a tantrum. Two days prior, I’d had a near-perfect day on the water with five mile per hour winds and a cooperative fish population. Today, the same lake turned moody — wind ramped up to eight to ten miles per hour, and suddenly everything I…
Friday April 17, 2026 · San Luis Reservoir A scouting trip, a leaky boat, and possibly the greatest fishing partner ever… who never once left his couch. It had been months since I’d been out—November, to be exact—which is just long enough for a fisherman to forget two important things: where the fish are… and whether…
There’s a peculiar kind of intimacy that comes with returning to the same place — the same water, the same fairway, the same bend in the river you’ve fished a hundred times. Standing in that familiar current, you’re not just casting into water; you’re casting against every version of yourself who stood there before. It’s…
March 8 – 12 2026. What would the perfect four-day fly-fishing getaway look like? It might look a lot like these last four days at Henderson Springs. Four straight days of perfect spring weather in March is a rare thing. Last March I spent most of the week fishing through snow, hail, and rain. And…
Every year right about the time I start reorganizing my fly boxes like it’s going to make me a better fisherman, the Pleasanton Fly Fishing Show shows up and reminds me of one simple truth: I don’t need more gear… I just need better excuses. Walk in and it’s the same story—coffee in one hand,…
Twas the night before Fishmas, when all through the lodge, Not a creature was stirring, not even a sculpin or dodge. The waders were hung by the woodstove with care, In hopes that big rainbows soon would be there. The anglers were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of 10-pounders danced…
November 11 -15 2025 – Wildhorse Reservoir, an hour north of Elko at 6,200 feet, sits quietly in the high desert, but this unassuming 3,000-acre lake grows some of the fattest, most powerful trout in Nevada. The Nevada Department of Wildlife stocks it aggressively with rainbows, cutbows, tigers, and browns, and the lake’s thriving yellow…
Yesterday I decided to give the Forebay another shot after hearing some promising reports from Lee Haskins and Vaughn. Sure, most of the chatter was about the “fun-sized” fish, but sprinkled in were those dangerous rumors of the occasional big one. Last week Wayman pulled an 8-pounder, and Lee stuck a couple of 28-inchers on…
Halloween Fishing and Fall Nostalgia at Bidwell Coming off an incredible week of tarpon fishing, I came home to a mountain of catch-up chores at both the office and house. I kept trying to sneak in a Forebay day, but every time I checked the forecast, the wind looked like something out of The Perfect…
I’ve known of Lee Haskins since my Millpond days—back when dinosaurs roamed, fly shops smelled like mothballs and head cement, and if you owned a vise you were halfway to being famous. Somehow, though, we’d never actually fished together or even had a proper conversation. The guy’s a legend in the foam-fly world and still…
Millpond Fly Shop – 1972-1989 Remembering Howard McKinney I got a text from my cousin Wayne today with some tough news — our good friend and fellow Millpond Fly Shop alum Howard McKinney passed away after a long fight with cancer. Most people in the fly-fishing world know Howard as the co-founder of Fishabout, the…
Sunday September 21, 2025 Switching Gears: From Spey to Tarpon Prep With Coho season behind me, I finally put the Spey rods away and turned my attention to fly tying for tarpon — just three weeks away now. The reports coming in from Alaska sound all too familiar: big flows, low numbers, tough weather. Mike…
If there’s one thing I’ve learned after years of making the pilgrimage to the Sapsuk, it’s this: don’t ever expect smooth sailing — literally or figuratively. Alaska weather has a twisted sense of humor. The forecasts change faster than a TikTok trend — sunny one minute, sideways rain the next — and my weather apps…