River Stripers with Wayne

During my recent return journey from Portugal, enduring a grueling 17-hour marathon flight, I had ample time to reflect on the wonderful aspects of residing in San Jose, California. Among the many advantages, one that stood out was the diverse range of opportunities available for fly fishing within a five-hour drive from my home. Currently,…

San Luis Reservoir – Full On

May 15, 2023.  It was great to get back out on the lake after three weeks off . As predicted , the lake went off these last weeks while I was in Spain.  I was planning on exploring the full lake alone yesterday but invited Vaughn at the last movement.   After a long recovery…

Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon Portugal. May 8 – May10. 2023 Lisbon is Portugal’s hilly, coastal capital city and is known for its unique historical center, stunning architecture, colorful azulejos (ceramic tiles), and fantastic food. It also has a fascinating history, filled with rulers, invasions, destructions, and re-constructions.  The cities iconic bridge – The Ponte 25 de Abril suspension…

Cadiz, Spain

Cadiz, Spain   May 7, 2023 Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, was founded by the Phoenicians.   In the 18th century, the Port in the Bay of Cádiz consolidated as the main harbor of mainland Spain, enjoying the virtual monopoly of trade with the Americas until 1778.   Gina and I spent the day walking…

Casablanca, Morocco

Cassablanca,  Morocco.  May 6, 2023 Casablanca, the largest city in Morocco, evokes images of romance, reunions, the hardships of war, and vibrant jazz cafes, The famous Rick’s Café. The timeless movie “Casablanca” has solidified its status as one of the most beloved films of all time. The iconic line, “Here’s looking at you, kid,” has…

Málaga, Spain

Malaga, Spain May 4, 2023 Malaga is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia.  Málaga is a port city on southern Spain’s Costa del Sol, known for its high-rise hotels and resorts jutting up from yellow-sand beaches. Looming over that modern skyline are the city’s 2 massive hilltop citadels, the Alcazaba and ruined…

Alicante and Guadalest Spain

May 3, 2023.  Alicante and Guadlest Spain Alicante,  our second port of the trip is an historic Mediterranean port n the Valencian Community, Spain.   The area around Alicante has been inhabited for over 7000 years. The first tribes of hunter gatherers moved down gradually from Central Europe between 5000 and 3000 BC. Some of the earliest settlements…

Ibiza, Spain

May 2, 2023.  Ibiza Spain Ibiza is known worldwide for its club scene, people travel from all across the world to spend nights dancing in the super clubs to the best DJs on the planet.  “Ecstasy Island,” as it was dubbed by British hippies in the ’60s is where the young go for Olympic level…

The Dave Koz Jazz Cruise 2023 – Barcelona, Spain

In our later years, one of our cherished traditions is embarking on the Dave Koz Jazz Cruise, which we eagerly anticipate every year. Over the past few years, we have had the pleasure of going on four of these cruises. Both Gina and I have been lifelong jazz enthusiasts, and this cruise offers an extraordinary…

Henderson Springs 2023

The 2023 atmospheric river brought a landmark amount of rain and snow to  Henderson Springs leaving a significant impact on the Ranch.  The precipitation provided much-needed relief to the area, which had experienced severe drought in the past few years.   I remember last year in April,  Mark Henderson was stressed out about how low the…

Pop goes the Forebay

Friday  April 14, 2023. The next three weeks are going to busy for me with a Henderson Springs trip next week and a long awaited Cruise to Spain, Morocco and Portugal following that, it may be mid May till I can fish the forebay again.   I fished hard the last couple weeks almost every other…

The Forbay is Alive!

Saturday April 8, 2023 –  I have always held the belief that sharing fishing reports comes with a great deal of Karma. Whether it is writing this blog, offering tackle to those who are learning, or simply sharing what you have learned at the dock, Karma operates on the principle of cause and effect. This…

The No Fish Fishing Report

Wednesday April 6, 2023 – As part of my five-year transition into retirement, I’ve decided to fish on Wednesdays this year. Last week, I had some success fishing at the Forebay and was excited to try the lake today. What struck me immediately was how full the lake was. Even in 2018, after a severe…

April Fool

Flyfishing for Stripers in muddy and cold water has always been challenging and often frustrating over the years.   One. might say you have to be a Fool to even waste the gas trying to catch a fish in the Forebay.  My goal was to test equipment today and hopefully get ONE fish for diner- its…

Collins when Henderson is Cancelled

I’ve been anxiously preparing to fish at Henderson Springs for the last couple months .  Its been a brutal new year with the record rain and snowfall  putting an atmospheric river running through most of my fishing this year.   I have forgotten what clear water looks like.  No one is getting any stripers at the…

Tying Lee’s San Luis Smelt

  Im lucky to share my home waters with some pretty amazing fly fishermen.  One of the greats on San Luis and the Forebay is Lee Haskin who I had the pleasure of connecting with at the Pleasanton Fly Fishing Show  last week.   With Lee’s permission,  I was able to Film him tying his iconic…

The Plesenton Flyfishing Show 2023

This past weekend was the Pleasanton Fly Fishing Show, where some of the world’s most renowned fly fishing experts came together to demonstrate sensational techniques and share tips on how to catch bigger fish.  I met Wayne there to book some trips for this year as well.   From learning how to tie incredible flies and…

One Hit Wonder

  Saturday February 18, 2023  – Today I got One Hit and Im Wondering where all the fish are.     After last weeks skunk on the Forebay,  I decided to torture myself again on the Big Lake and hopefully get better odds in the clearer water.   The Forebay is still extremely turbid.   When the fishing …

Hello Stars, Hello Moon , Hello Chineese Spy Balloon

It appears that fishermen aren’t the only ones using Livescope to find stuff in the water.  I bet there is some really great technology thats even more powerful than the LV34 transducer and livescope sonar in perspective mode.    Maybe someday there will be 360 degree livescope. The Google AI project was a project know…