Hot Fun under the Green Muck

This year it feels like I’m sneaking fewer chances to fish the local water, so every good day feels like stolen treasure. August is a roll of the dice—if the heat doesn’t roast you, the wind will try to fling you into Fresno. To top it off, I actually got kicked off the dam today…

The Wind Dies for Those Who Wait

August 6, 2025 Lean Green and Mean Today had all the makings of a banner day on the water—perfect wind, cool temps, and high hopes—but the fishing didn’t quite live up to the forecast. It’s been a couple weeks since I last hit the lake, and things have definitely changed. The water’s way down, and…

Glass Rods, Shrimp Flies, and Dumb Luck

What a day. I was chasing a repeat of last week’s fishing magic, but the forecast said, “Hold my beer.” Still, I spotted a small window of opportunity and figured I could squeeze in a half-day trip before packing for Destin, Florida. A last hurrah before beach fun with my grandson River and some serious…

Back on the Home Water

Sunday – July 13, 2025 I’ve been glued to Windfinder like a teenage boy on TikTok since getting back from Montana, waiting for any sign of a calm day on San Luis. Today, finally, the stars aligned—well, sort of. Windfinder optimistically forecasted a “light breeze” of 5 to 8 mph from 9 AM to 3…

The Missouri and Holter Lake

July 2-8, 2025 I thought my fly fishing schedule had already hit full capacity long before Jerry invited me to fish the Missouri River in July. He floated the idea while we were chasing roosterfish in La Ventana back in May—because, of course, that’s when rational decisions are made. Plus both our wives were getting…

Donald J. Chesarek RIP

July 1, 2025 I remember that crisp January morning in 2020 like it was yesterday—the first fishing day of a new decade, and the day I met Don. I was at the Basalt launch at San Luis Reservoir, getting my boat ready, when I noticed I wasn’t alone. An older man—80 years old, as I’d…

The Great Icelandic Fly Fishing Adventure

June 15, 2025  –   I always envisioned my retirement as a grand adventure, filled with travel to every continent alongside my lovely wife, Gina. My master plan? To cast my line into pristine waters across the globe while she indulges in her love for museums and hiking. Thank goodness Gina understands my obsession—she graciously accommodates…

Henderson Springs Culinarians

March 28-31 2025.  With a month to go, I was getting all giddy inside—like Kimmie the Fishig Dog that just heard the word “walk”—knowing that the 2027 trout season was just around the corner. Henderson Springs in March is basically Disneyland for fly fishermen, minus the churros and long lines. Mark Henderson even sent me…

Dodging the Storms and Chasing Stripers

Dodging the Storms and Chasing Stripers Saturday March 15, 2025 – It’s been raining for three days straight, and tomorrow promises more of the same. But today? Today was one of those freakishly perfect days—sandwiched between storms—when the wind disappears, the sun comes out, and everything feels just right. I wasn’t the only one who…

Rack Fever after 8 days of Quarentine

March 5, 2025 – Somewhere in the Wild Bureaucratic Hellscape of California Another bout of rain looms on the horizon, but the real storm already passed—an eight-day exile at the hands of California Parks and Recreation. Banished. Quarantined. A punishment so absurd it could only have been conceived by a government agency with no clear…