Nothing better than spending a lazy summer afternoon throwing dries and catching trout.

Spent two afternoons horsing around the local rivers - one, a smaller piece of water, with cookie cutter rainbows around 6 inches and not a soul around.









Spent the better part of today at my local favorite, what I am considering my home waters, landing some of the nicest trout to date.





















Summer's short - get out there

Summer. To a fly fisherman, early summer conjures up two thoughts - big bugs, and trout losing their inhibitions.

The bugs in question were brown drakes on Silver Creek, and salmonflies on the Deschutes.

Doug and I spent Sunday through Wednesday morning on Silver Creek, tubing the Preserve and trying to catch a sporadic PMD hatch, and then waiting for the brown drakes to come off at dusk.

The brown drakes are probably the most fickle hatch I've encountered - yes, you can guess what one week of the year they'll come off, but the temps have to be just right, the wind just right, and of course the fish have to cooperate. No easy feat.









But when the trout are keying on them, it is quite a reward...



Doug and I drove the 6 hours back to my place, then each busted down to Bend - Doug back to his place (welcome back to Oregon!), me to Kevin's place at Crooked River Ranch to meet up with Paul, Dave, and Kevin.

We floated the Lower D from Warm Springs to Trout Creek both Thursday and Friday, each morning greeted by warm temps and sun, each afternoon with thunder showers and temps in the 60's.



















On Saturday, we left the driftboats and busted south, hitting some smaller water and enjoying the change of pace. This to me is the epitome of summer fishing - small pocket water, a parachute adams, and willing trout rising. Pretty fun...



See you next year boys!

Winter.

I've been trying to get out and fish for steelhead, but the single digit temps coupled with two feet of snow and a river frozen over hasn't helped me out.

So I've been tying...



Working on some steelhead patterns for the spey...



Of course, daydreaming of salmon flies and June...



My favorite fly last summer - the "summer special" - a cross between a Madam X and a Stimulator. Caught almost all of my trout last summer on this pattern...