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Since teaching myself to kayak fish many year ago, I often shared tips and ideas on my blog, YouTube Channel and in seminars. The idea of kayak fishing intrigues many anglers and kayakers alike. Anglers are often looking for something new to expand or improve their fishing opportunities while kayakers look to add something different to their adventures. On Jan. 5, I add to my seminars with an introduction to kayak fishing at eNRG kayaking located near the base of the Willamette Falls in Oregon City. The class covers kayak and kayak fishing basics including kayak types, fishing opportunities, gear and safety. The cost of the seminar is $10 and includes a $10 gift certificate for kayak rentals or guided kayak fishing trip. Here is the link . This seminar is the first part of my work with eNRG and I expect to do more in 2019. See you on the water and Go Farther. Catch More.

My Kayak Guys column in the March 2018 Northwest Sportsman.  The magazine is available in stores across the region as well as  online through the digital subscriptions . Late last year, one of the local kayak fishing pioneers, Mark Veary, requested story ideas for the regional publication, Northwest Sportsman . The ideas needed to focus on kayak fishing and would either be columns or feature stories. I jumped at the chance and suggested an article on kayak fly fishing, telling Mark, I would base the story on my fishing presentation. He liked the idea and we settled on the March issue. The issue would be perfect to talk about trout fishing from the kayak since March typically marks the lake opening of trout season in Oregon.  In late January, I sent my first draft which came back with the basic edits. I updated the story and it was sent to the NWS editor. I was concerned about photos because I focus on video rather than stills while kayak fly fishing. In...

I am excited about teaching the class and talking with fellow anglers. A note to my readers, the fish in the photo was killed and grilled. On Saturday, March 9, I return to the Northwest Fly Tyer and Fly Fishing Expo to teach my kayak fly fishing class. The sport continues to grow and interest is higher this year than when I offered the class in 2016. The class is an introduction to kayak fishing as well as focusing on fly fishing. At my classes and seminars, I always discover anglers who have kayaks but are not using them for fly fishing. This is primarily because the kayaks are typically small sit-in recreation kayaks that the anglers feel aren't stable enough to fly fish in. The stability issue is the primary reason many kayaks end up on the side of the garage unused or rarely used. What I often tell those attending my seminars is to either think about getting a different kayak or use their kayak more often and become comfortable in it.   In many c...

A beautiful wild winter steelhead kept wet. The modern fishing photo is of a smiling angler looking at the camera and holding a large wild fish he or she just caught and will likely release. This photo is the evolution of the angler struggling to hoist a large fish by the gills, which in turn, is the evolution of the string of fish held by two anglers or displayed behind a group of anglers. The main difference, of course, is that the last two examples of killin' and grillin', rather than the practice of catch and release. In many ways, displaying a dead fish is more respectful of the fish than hoisting it out of the water and posing with it as the fish gasps for air. I say this because hoisting a fish out of the water after a long fight is like dunking your head in a bucket of water after running a mile. This one was headed to the grill. Unfortunately, I too have been guilty of this and I have several photos of me displaying a beautiful fish I just lan...

I recently became involved in the Quest for 100K, an initiative to return 100,000 spring Chinook annually to the Willamette River. The goal seems achievable but will require cooperation from many groups and organizations as well as the three million Oregonians who live in the river's watershed. The goal was initiated by the Association of Northwest Steelheaders and was launched on Tuesday, Jan. 9.  The launch featured representatives from ODFW, PGE, Oregon Guides, NWS, politicians and recreational anglers (although I expected a few more anglers at the event).   Launch of Quest for 100K It was great to hear talk of encouraging all fish and conservation groups to join forces in this effort. Historically 300K spring Chinook returned annually to this watershed, in addition to other salmon and steelhead runs. Listening to the discussion, there are complex issues and enormous challenges ahead: Predation - In the February 2018 issue of Salmon Trout and Steelhead , ...

My 2018 started on a positive note with a successful kayak fly fishing outing and the start of a the KayakFlyAngler Species Challenge 2018 - seeing how many species I can catch with a fly rod from the kayak. The idea was hatched on the way to Henry Hagg Lake, one of my favorite local fishing spots. I had spent much of the previous year fishing the ocean with Don or kayak fishing for salmon with gear. The KFA Species Challenge is a way to focus my energy on kayak fly fishing. In many ways, Hagg Lake was a perfect location to begin the challenge since it was here that I proved I could turn the Mirage drive around and pedal backwards. I even caught a fish that day under difficult water conditions. After launching from the ramp that first morning of 2018, I chose to go right and fish the Sain Creek inlet. I usually catch fewer fish there but they are typically larger than the fish in the Scoggins Creek inlet. I rigged up my two fly rods, turned the Mirage Drive around and start...

This year will be one for the books. I was reorganized out of my position in July after more than 20 years, and while taking time to determine my future career goals, I spent time on the rivers and bays fishing for salmon and surfing on my laptop. I can certainly attest to the stability of a Hobie Pro Angler. Overall, the summer and fall seasons followed a tough spring season where I caught no salmon on the kayak and only a handful while fishing the ocean on Don's boat . The late winter/early spring was great for bottom fish but this year's tuna and halibut seasons were tough. Luckily it was saved by an epic  birthday tuna trip in July. I was also able to open up some space in the freezer when I tried my hand at canning tuna for the first time - yes, canned Oregon Albacore tuna does taste that good. With climate change, the salmon seasons are also changing and the fish seem to show up later. This was best exemplified by the emergency regulation change on the Willamette a...

In mid-August, I enjoyed my first SUP fishing trip in nearly a year. The opportunity came up when MAC Executive Chef Philippe asked me to join him at his cabin near Swift Reservoir (check out the video here) Nice trout caught on the SUP. Click here for the video. Swift is always good for fly fishing, especially where the Lewis River drops into the reservoir. Of course having been stocked with 500,000 trout in late April helps. On this trip, since I was only going for a night and Philippe already had his boat in the water, I didn't want to take the trailer and the kayaks and I didn't want to put the Hobie Pro Angler on top of the Escape. As I was contemplating my need for a kayak, I decided I should get the SUP out again. It had spent many months traveling unused on the kayak trailer and it was time to put it back on the water. It was also easy to put it on top of the Escape. I loaded up and headed out shortly before noon and arrived at Swift within a couple hours....

Trolling for kings on the Willamette. What a wet winter it has been. This is an obvious statement to anyone living in Portland this past winter. Record rains, snow and cloudy days are actually normal for Oregon and since the past couple winters and summers were relatively dry I suppose we are experiencing the swings that create the "average." What seems to be missing in all this water are fish, especially spring chinook. The counts have been low on the Willamette and Columbia and the fishing tough. At least for me. I have plied the Willamette for several days with not a single bite. The only solace in my efforts is that I haven't seen anyone around me catch a fish either. In fact, I have yet to see a single salmon caught this year. That's not to say they aren't being caught. Several of my fellow kayakers have posted happy selfies with big fish. I have not lost hope. In fact I expect the high water is causing the run to be late and by May and June, my lu...

I consider fly fishing for winter steelhead an optimist's sport. During my many years of chasing these fish from sleds, drift boats, on the bank and more recently from the kayak, expectations of catching one on a fly are low. Of course, if catching fish were a requirement for fishing trips, they would be called "catching" trips. With this in mind, I was looking forward to my first winter steelhead trip of 2017 more for the company and as a way of scouting a section of river in a drift boat before taking the Pro Angler. Steve and I arrived at the launch as the faint light of winter morning was fast pushing the darkness aside. Pulling away from the shore, we could barely see the water - and the obstacles in front of us. We talked as we drifted through the long run towards the first rapid. Steve rowed into position and we dropped through the rapid. It was short and we floated a minute before Steve slowly guided the boat to our first stop. We rigged up the rods as the su...

SUPin' New Ok, that's a cringe but accurate. I recently bought my first SUP and I am onto a new experience and project. The goal is fly fishing on the SUP in a variety of situations ranging from small lakes to large rivers. Ultimately I want to catch a steelhead or sturgeon from it. The board, a Lifetime Amped, cost only $240 with a paddle - an excellent deal from Dick's Sporting Goods. It has a some scratches and the foam decking has bubbled in a few places but overall, it's a cheap intro to a SUP. It is 11 feet long, weighs less than 50 pounds and includes a small drop-down rudder or fin. It's hollow and seems to have a well designed hull. My first trip was to Benson Lake, really a pond, in the Columbia Gorge. A few days before the trip, I read it had been stocked with trout. If true, the lake offered me a chance to catch something on my first SUP trip. Safety First Since in was early April, I put on my dry suit and PFD for safety. After gearing...

Check out the show by clicking here . When I started kayak fly fishing, the goal was to expand my fishing opportunities. I have owned a float tube, pontoon boat, numerous skiffs, a drift boat and a river sled. All were fun but each boat had its limits. As I spent more time in my kayaks, it became apparent, that the kayak was the most versatile boat ever made. I also discovered that I was blazing new trails and combining skill sets, while learning from fellow kayak anglers. Now I have the opportunity to teach fly anglers what I have learned from my kayaking experiences. On March 14, I am teaching fly fishing from a kayak at the Northwest Fly Tyer and Fly Fishing Expo in Albany, Oregon. Although I am not being paid, the proceeds from the class help fund the event and help promote the sport of fly fishing. I am excited to see what questions others anglers have about the sport and hopefully help them discover the fun, excitement and versatility of kayak fly fishing. If I do it ...

I loaded my little Heritage kayak on the Ford Escape and headed for a tiny suburban pond on the morning of Super Bowl Sunday. I had checked the stocking schedule and discovered the pond had recently been planted with 500 larger trout and I figured it was a perfect quick trip before the game. The pond was barely 5 acres but there were some areas difficult to fish from shore even with a spinning rod. I pulled in the parking lot about 10 a.m. There were about five or six guys on the pond. Not ideal, but there certainly was room for the kayak on the far shore where I wouldn't crowd the bobber and spin guys. I put on wader, dropped in the kayak and started paddling toward the middle of the pond. I saw a guy throw a spinner towards a tree hanging in front of me and I knew my day was going to quickly end. It was cemented when he said "boats are not allowed on the pond." I challenged him and said I had checked the regs and and signs and knew it wasn't the case. Of cou...

This year my spring fishing was severely limited as my family moved from the house we spent 10 years fixing up to a house will are likely to spend 5 years fixing up. In addition to the move, the house has proved a bigger project than anticipated and so far we have removed wallpaper in nearly every room, painted nearly every room, repaired ceiling tiles and drywall... Ok you get the point. With the majority of projects completed, we are starting to get out and back to our normal life. Recently, this included meeting a number of people from Maui Visitor's bureau. In a speed-dating style event, I met representatives from Maui as well the neighboring islands. I had about 5 minutes with each person to learn more about their resort or activity and tell them about what I do. Because I had been to Maui before, I was familiar with the Island. I had even kayak fished off the island, although it was in January and not the best time for kayak fishing. Most of the folks very curious abo...

Sunshine and the threat of drought do not make an ideal winter day in the Pacific Northwest. But, it was all we had to work with on my latest kayak adventure. The trip was slated for a Sunday in mid January and the clear skies and lack of rain had the Clackamas River running at summer levels in both volume and clarity. Michael Rischer and I pushed our Hobie Pro Anglers into the clear water and headed downstream in search of winter steelhead. My goal was to see how well the kayak handled in the river and see if I could accomplish my next major goal - spey casting from a kayak. The first riffle was simple and fast and after floating through a calm stretch at the end of the riffle, we headed into a more complicated chute that caused anxiety in the approach and endorphins at the exit. It may not have been major whitewater, but it did prove the PA could handle some rough water. The next couple river miles proved fairly easy and fun and the PA continued to prove its stability and comfo...

In December 2013, I realized that the most versatile boat was not made of metal, wood or fiberglass. No, the most versatile boat was made of plastic (and fiberglass, but mostly plastic). I started this post because of a recent kayak trip down the Clackamas River in my Hobie Outback. It was the second to last test in determining if I had made the right decision is selling my sled and have my only boats be kayaks. My boat obsession started with a 12-foot Klamath Fishmaster I picked up for $200. A lifelong fly angler, my fishing exploits changed with the arrival of my son. I knew a different approach was needed and with a limited budget I took a chance with the $200. I refurbished the boat, sold it, bought another and continued this upgrading process in order to minimize the impact on the household budget. Neither my son, nor my wife, truly enjoyed being in the boats so I made a selfish goal to work my way up to a jet sled. I reached that goal within four years when I ...

       The Columbia River is truly one of the great rivers of the world. Running through two countries, three states and draining a huge portion of the western United States, it refuses to be fully tamed. The fisheries of this river have been nearly decimated and only recently have they shown significant life. This year more than a million Chinook, or "king" salmon returned to their home waters. And this is only one of the salmonids that return to spawn, die and continue a cycle of life that is nearly as old as the land itself.         As a boy growing up in Heppner, a small town in Eastern Oregon, my brother and I would spend our summers fishing for trout in Willow Creek, the small stream that ran through the tiny farming and ranching town. On a typical hot summer day, we were fishing near the confluence of Willow and Rea Creek. We could nearly have jumped across either creek but the confluence was deeper and wider than any other...

      My buddy Jim made me go to the Deschutes River for a weekend in mid October. Okay, so he didn't need to twist my arm much, but I almost didn't go due to a tedious project at work and a near miss on buying a house. Fortunately everything fell into place and Jim wasn't taking no for an answer. Jim with a beautiful Deschutes River hatchery steelhead.       We left Friday afternoon and set up camp in time to get a couple hours on the river. The sun was bright and the temperature was perfect for a long sleeve shirt and fleece pullover. I brought the 5 weight switch, 7 weight spey and the 5 weight single handed rod expecting to spend most of my time with the switch. I was also excited to fish my 1930s Pflueger 1496 reel with the round line guard.        I stepped into the water in the middle of a great run, threw a short cast and started working the water. With each cast, I worked out to the sweet water and was tossing 70 feet be...

       After a great start to the summer, the second half was a series of trials involving an accident, insurance, a mysterious sound and searching for the mythical steelhead.        The excitement of the John Day River rafting trip crashed into a two month ordeal starting literally with a young woman crashing into rear of my Escape in early July. The woman did not want to involve the insurance company - something I would never advise now. Ultimately Progressive was involved and after three months I ended up with a new differential but instead of the insurance company paying for it, I paid the $3,000 (BTW - Progressive is a good insurance company if your the insured. I, unfortunately, was the victim).        The Courtesy Ford Dealership Service Center lived up to their name during the ordeal. Only a few weeks earlier to getting hit, Courtesy did a service check and green-lighted the Escape including the differential which t...

The spring fishing season started with a surprising successful trip to Hagg lake on opening day. The surprise was finding a pod large of rainbows on Scoggins Creek arm. The Hobie proved its worth that day easily pedaling from the Sain Creek arm which had frustrated me that morning.      The following weekend wasn't nearly as successful but I did land another big stocker. During the next couple months, trips to Harriet Lake, Benson Lake, Willamette River, Tillamook Bay, Deschutes River, Columbia River and Swift Reservoir were all mixed with some days outstanding while others a total bust. The trips are all recorded on my YouTube channel.             The weekend before 4th of July was the highlight of my summer so far when my son, Sam, and I joined friends of Western Rivers Conservancy on a four day float trip down the John Day River. The canyon was stunning and the guiding and support from Little Creek Outfitters  made it a trip that...