Fishing, Fellowship, and Lies...

I've heard it said many times that "Fisherman are born honest, but they get over it!" I laugh every time I hear that! Although there is some truth to everyone stretching the fish a bit, its not always about the fish....it's the fellowship. We bring the cameras to keep the other part in check too....ha, ha!

The first part of this week has been a great time for me and many of our guides. This week marked the return of many repeat clients who we thoroughly enjoy spending time with. The last couple of days, I have been with a family that has fished with us for several years now and are definitely dedicated to fishing on the fly. Eric and Tom had a great time with their father Dave and I can say the same. With several great days under their belt, they are always excited to get back to the Alley to see what her waters have in store.

Eric poses with a very nice colored up buck.

One of my favorite things about outdoor sports is the opportunity to do it as a family. This family knows the value of this and do things together as often as they can. Here, Dad (Dave) poses for a quick shot with son, Eric.

Dave and son Eric pose with the nice buck from above.

Each day on the river varies and has it's own special memories. Today, we had some really cool natural phenomena's that I was able to capture with the camera. This morning, the fog started rolling in while the sun was trying to press through. It made for some beautiful views while fishing.

A beautiful landscape to spend a day enjoying.

Day two with the family got started quickly with this beautiful colored buck that we hit bright and early. Tom got quite the ride from this powerful gent and was happy to come out on top. This kind of smile so early in the day is always a great thing to see!

Tom smiles with a nice buck in hand

Tom seemed to have the sure hand on this day. Some days you have it, some days you don't, but today, was Tom's day. He managed a very nice hit percentage and this fresh buck was one of his prizes for the day!

Tom smiles with a very nice chromed out buck

Today, I also had with me one of the newest additions to the Steelhead Alley Outfitters team. James Johnson may be a young man, but he has far more experience than you can imagine. Having spent the last handful of years in Alaska guiding at his families "Naknek River Camp" in the summer (See our trips page for trips offered to this world-class destination) and then on the famed Michigan waters guiding Steelhead in the spring, James is right at home here at Steelhead Alley Outfitters. Look for more of him in the future.

SAO Guide James Johnson poses with Tom and his

dime bright buck. Nice job James and you too Tom!

The release goes well...come back and play another day!

Eric also got into fish during the course of the day, but this little guy was a fiesty little beast! These first year return Steelhead known as "skippers" or "jacks" are always full of energy and very willing jumpers! I always wonder what it would be like to have one of those on a 3 wt rod!

Eric smiles with a very energetic first year return "skipper."

Eric, Tom and Dave weren't the only guys we fished with this week....not even close to the only ones. Of course, I can't leave out some very good guys from Texas with personalities the same size...or bigger. Meet Jim and Bill.

Jim and Bill are an absolute joy, if not a riot to fish with. These guys are brothers at heart and the competition is thick. Now, it's not the serious competition, but instead the friendly kind that includes the jabs and back and forth banter that leaves you laughing continuously. Jim and Bill are headed to Alaska with us in 2011, so Alaska, get ready....HERE COME THE TEXAS BROTHERS! Ha, ha, ha.....

Bill lands a very stout chromed out buck on day one

Jim and Bill were with us for three days this week and got to experience a lot of what our steelheading has to offer....gin clear Pennsylvania water, stained Ohio water, ice, ice, ice...Oh, yes, they got a good mix of water and weather.

Jim stands in awe of how the ice can form on a rod

so quickly. "It's not like this in Texas," proclaims Jim!

SAO guide Ben Barger got to spend two of the days with our favorite Texans and got the job done day after day in tough conditions. I'm laughing as I type this because that could also mean all the ribbing I know he took over two days....but all in good fun for sure.

Jim holds a colored up buck with SAO guide Ben Barger

Bill worked as hard as he could on this day to make sure he wasn't buying dinner...if I'm not mistaken, I think he ate free this night. Way to go Bill!

Bill lands a nicely colored hen

Some very nice fish were put in nets this week and a lot of clients went home happy as did our guides. I wish we could tell all the stories for the week, but there isn't enough time to get it done. So as with many of our fishing memories, we will just tuck them away to think on another day and smile. Until then, here is a sampling of some of the photos from our many trips this week.

Sam lands a hen and a smile with SAO guide Tim Hess

Mitch was a trooper....fishing hard paid off

for this young man!

Mitch with a bruiser buck...check out the cheek!

Mitch strikes again and comes up with this hen

Sam gets another for his days tally

Chris and Jeff pose with amazingly beautiful hen.

This is the way we like to see them...spit polished and shiny!

Jacques and Jim battle the elements with SAO guides Ben Barger

and John Bowling and come up with fish in hand

Jacqelyn scores big with this bright hen! Nice job Jacqelyn!

Jacques hits another "freshy" as we like to call them!

Many more folks were out and more photos will be coming in daily. When we continue to get a few minutes, we will get more up for all to see. Until then, get out and fish....

Sincerely,

Patrick "Flybum" Robinson

Head Guide

Steelhead Alley Outfitters

Season In Full Swing

Well, we have been in full swing this week and tomorrow it's only going to get worse or better depending on how you look at it. We are coming off of several days of trips and our first Steelhead school in conjunction with Orvis Cleveland. It was a full school focusing on the tactics and techniques both on the water and off! Overall, it was a quality event focused on the skills of the game not offered elsewhere.

That kept all of our guys very busy the past few days which means I wasn't able to get any photos from the guides who were on the water. But rest assured many more will follow as always.

I will be brief in this blog due to having a lot to do this evening in preparation for a full week of guiding starting tomorrow.

Here Alan hold a first fish on a very tough day of fishing after rain pushed through in the midnight area bringing rivers up and out at the last minute.

Alan smiles with his first fish of the day.

In addition to guiding, many of our guides are currently field testing a new line of packs from the Orvis Company. They are water resistant packs that have already proven their worth in heavy driving rains. The line is called Gale Force....look for it in the near future.

Greg Senyo field testing the new

Gale Force gear for the Orvis Company

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to fish with Zac and Tyler who came to the area with John Bowling who serves as one of our staff guides. Each of them were experiencing the alley for the very first time and they had a lot of fun.

Tyler holds a nice hen for his first Steelhead.

SAO guide John Bowling pauses to capture a special

moment with his father Zac. Zac busted this colored up

buck to get his day started.

I also had the opportunity to get out and do a bit of fishing for myself yesterday and in the process brought many fish to hand. Here is one of them that I had the opportunity to snap a photo of.

SAO guide Patrick Robinson holds a pretty little hen while

getting a chance for some personal fishing late in the day.

As I said before, we will be out in force this week, so look for blogs to pick up pace as we strive to highlight our days with clients as often as possible. Keep your eyes on the river conditions and we will keep you posted on our activities on the water.

Tight lines,

Patrick "Flybum" Robinson

Head Guide

Steelhead Alley Outfitters

Red Rock Canyon Browns

As for most of us "Steelhead junkies", the warm months can seem to drag on forever, allowing that tingling sensation in our arms to deaden until we get back out in the fall. In order to keep our minds right, we have to fill that void with some sort of fix. Whether it is pounding early season Smallies or working on our finesse casting on a private trout stream somewhere, we all need something to get us through. During my last business trip to the "potato state," (that's Idaho for all you non-potato people), I was able to get such a fix. I took the weekend off and hopped over the border into eastern Oregon's best kept secret, which will remain anonymous to protect the innocent. It's an amazing tailwater encased by an extraordinary red rock canyon, that just happens to be full of mature brown trout. This trip was even better than the last time I was here, because I was able to spend it with my great friend Don Lane (an Idaho native) and long time friend and co-worker Jeremiah White.

This was Jeremiah's first time to this river and it would prove to be a true learning experience but not without some fantastic rewards. Don is a veteran of this fishery and admits that this is the toughest local water that he fishes. The browns in this river are truly amazing in every respect, from their brilliant markings to the way they fight...and of course we can't forget their sheer size. The average brown trout caught in this river averages 18" to 19", with fish being caught in the 22" to 24" range almost daily. However, catching these "bruisers" does not come without persistance and the ability to match the hatches exactly. These fish primarily feed just below the surface during most hatches, taking your midge or emerger pattern. Although if you are able to make it here during mid to late June you may take advantage of the giant stonefly hatch. These size 4 flies turn these beauties in to absolute beasts. Here are a few of the trophies we were able to land during this trip.

The markings on these fish are nothing shy of amazing.

Varying from "spotted leopards" like this one,

to red spots with iridescent blue cheeks.

SAO Guide, John Bowling was able to get this "toad"

during an incredible mid-day BWO hatch.

Jeremiah lands his first Oregon Brown Trout

at the end of a very long day of learning.

These fish are as wise as they are beautiful and they will certainly test even the most experienced angler at times. But hang in there and rewards will be yours in time. Looking back, I'm certain that you will find the investment of time to be well worth it!

Don draws first blood of the day, he did not

waste any time either. He hooked up on this

hen with his first cast of the morning.

Another shot of this "football" specimen.

Jeremiah with another beautiful leopard spotted Brown!

As mentioned before, this river can truly test your skills. If you are unable to match the hatches perfectly, you will spend the day perfecting your casting motion. These plus size fish are fickle and most often found feeding on the smallest hatches that are coming off at the time. I have learned that it's almost impossible to fish a fly that is too small! Size 20 to 24 midges are the most dominant fly in this arena, which proves that size truly does matter.

After another successful trip I am counting down the days to when I can make it back to this picturesque canyon and feed my need for monster Browns once again!

John Bowling
Fly Fishing Specialist

Steelhead Alley Outfitters

The Adventures of Wild Bill and Jim "Silver Lips" Lewis....and then some!

This week, I had the good pleasure of fishing with Jim and Bill. Adventure doesn't even come close to the experience you have when you fish with these brothers. Although they are far beyond the boyhood days of life, you can still see the happy go lucky, poke fun, razzing each other brothers of youth coming through in full fashion...and let me tell you that it is a spectacle worth seeing and experiencing.


I was blessed to fish with these brothers over the course of a couple of days and can tell you that the time we shared, the stories told, the fish of yesteryear recounted, it was all a pleasure. And what was even better than that was the opportunity to put yet another angler on his first steelhead ever.


Jim had been to Oregon the year before, but Wild Bill was a bit hesitant in going.....Jim "Silver Lips" Lewis (more on this later), would tell you he was just making excuses. At any rate, Jim had his first couple of Steelhead in the bag, but for Bill, it was a first time experience. I am happy to say that it didn't take us any longer than about 30 minutes to get the first fish out of a nice bucket and into the net. Needless to say....Bill just got his label "Wild Bill," because he was now wildly in love with the power of these fish.

Bill holds his first Steelhead of his fishing career with

his big brother Jim looking on with pride!

Now that Bill had his first Steelhead, Jim didn't give a rip whether he caught another one or not...the brotherly love, brotherly deed, whatever you want to call it, had been done. He had allowed his brother to catch the first fish, but now, all bets were on! And I am serious! The bets were many....biggest fish, the most fish....we even had certain holes that became dinner holes....you know, biggest fish out of this hole gets dinner free kind of thing. It was a riot.

So, without hesitation, Jim stepped into the hole! He darn near Erie shuffled his own brother, and came out smiling as if to say touche....

Jim with his first fish of the day and his "bring

it on smile" to go along with it

Back and forth these two brothers went....a fish here, another there. We hopped, skipped and jumped to find the fish in holes and cuts and managaed to avoid all of the nasty dark fish that were beat up on gravel and redds. These guys were hard at work and their rewards reflected it.

Bill with a buck found resting in a deep bucket. He took

on the first presentation and never looked back.....

neither did Bill for that matter.

Just moments later, Bill strikes again, finding another couple of targets laying in a deep cut. A fish on, a fish off.....keep at it Bill and viola, another nice silver male in the bag!

A nice silver buck in the hand is always a welcome gift.

Bill was getting wilder by the minute, but Jim was not going

to stand for that....not today or any day....right Jim?

The day continued on and we traversed different stretches of river looking for prime targets. Jim warned me early that he has a tendency to set the hook hard....All I can say is that I humbly agree. So not to belabor the story, let's just say that he quickly got the nickname "silver lips," because we were sure that by the end of the day we would see a set of silver lips on the end of his line. In his defense though, we never did see those lips. In fact, by the end of the couple days we had together, I think we got him perfectly prepared for his big moment on day three...right Jim?

Jim with a beautiful little hen. She had amazing color that was

hard to capture on film due to high sun, but we did manage

to get a bit of the true color and leopard patterning in the photo below

A beautiful little girl that came out to play

Day two was much the same as the first. Fish on, fish off, fish in the net, photos, more bets than you could possibly imagine and fun for all involved!

Wild Bill scores chrome early in the day

Jim "Silver Lips" Lewis with a nice fish....and look at that,

Bill's taking the photo. I wonder what his plans were for

that photo? I won't tell you about the exchange that happened

after this....Oh, and I got it on film : )

Jim with another nice silver hen that hammered in a deep slot

Jim revives the fish and makes a successful release

Day three, it was SAO guide Greg Senyo on the job and a job well done my friend! Jim tells me that I prepared him well and I think Greg was happy I did so. Nevertheless, Greg did a good job of finding this fish in a hole that developed this spring at ice out....you have to love new holes! The three of them smile over this monster fish....who can't smile at so many pounds of fresh fish?

SAO guide Greg Senyo smiles as he holds

a quality hen with quality clientele!

Check out the release of this great fish!

(click on the YouTube symbol in lower right corner to watch in full format)

On top of all the fun we had with the bigger than life boys from Texas, we had a lot of other folks out the end of the week as well with other SAO guides. Here are a few photos from their time on the water.

Marty came all the way from Colorado for Steelhead.

The day was tough with relatively little water available to fish due to low water, clearing water, and every angler crammed into the areas holding fish. However, we did get fish to the net in decent numbers regardless of the challenges.

Chip bangs a big buck for the day!

Chip with another hot cheeked buck

SAO guide Scott McClintock was out with Marty who, as I stated

earlier, came all the way from Colorado for his first

Steelhead....a couple of minutes after sun up isn't to bad!

Way to get the skunk off Marty!

Here is another nice video put together by SAO guide Ben Barger of some of his clients from last week. It is always nice to see the action in rolling film. Thanks Ben for going above and beyond and everyone else, enjoy the fruits of his labors!

Check out this nice video compilation!

(click on the YouTube symbol in lower right corner to watch in full format)

It was nice to have the Reilly's back with us this spring after a stellar day on the water in the fall! Tom and Cindy did so good with SAO guide John Clouser that they left the water early proclaiming the day couldn't have been better. Way to go John and congrats Tom and Cindy!

Cindy with a nice buck on a colder than usual April day!

Tom hammered a heavily kyped buck to seal the day!

Another client who was out lately was Victor. Victor spent a day with SAO guide John Bowling and had a great day as well!

Victor holds a great silver hen

Another nice hen slammed the flies in a great hole!

John stayed busy all week long and we are happy to say that so did his clients. John, from Cleveland, has been a long standing client who brings his own clientele to enjoy one of his pleasures in life....steelhead on the fly.

Bill below was a first time steelheader and had this to say. "This was by far my best day of fishing....ever!" Way to go Bill and thanks John for bringing another client to enjoy this resource with!

Bill with a gorgeous silver hen for his first day!

SAO guide John Bowling holds a buck pulled from a pod

of fish holding in a nice hole with client John Saxton

Jeff gets his fix for the day

Doug with another nice hen taken

out of a deep hole early in the day.

The week was unbelievably busy, but very good to us. We are still hoping for more precipitation in order to bring the flows up, but it's not looking good. The next forecasted rain isn't until late next week which means this week could be very challenging!

We are out every day across the alley with clients and will report back to you with what we find! In the meantime if you need anything, don't hesitate to give us a shout. Also, the smallmouth are in! If you are wanting to give it a shot, the coming weeks are going to be stellar fishing and we will be there if you want to go for a day.

Tight lines,

Patrick "Flybum" Robinson

Head Guide

Steelhead Alley Outfitters