Chasin Trout

New Fiberglass Build

2012-01-30T21:36:00.001-08:00

Finished wrapping a rod I got in a few weeks ago. Very pleased with it. It is a very smooth and quick 8' 5wt. I lawn cast it for about a hour and a half. Can't wait to get her on the water. The signature wrap on this one is my interpretation of a Brown Trout. I think it looks great and really livens up the rod.

On Her Way Home

2012-01-30T21:01:00.000-08:00

Finished Shane's rod and got it in the mail today. She is on her way back to Michigan. Hopefully she will be a good companion for Shane. I have to say this is probably my most favorite rod that I have built. Shane and I started talking two months ago about fiberglass, he asked me if I had time to finish a rod for him. A few days later I recieved a blank in the mail and I got started. This was a great project and I had fun.

Rod Specs:
7'6" 4wt 2/2 Swelled Butt Shane Gray blank
Joel Lemke Reel Seat
Custom Bamboo Ferrules made by Me
Charcol main wraps, tipped w/ sunburst, med brown.
Dipped Man-O-War Spar Varnish

Wrapped

2012-01-19T00:11:00.000-08:00

Ferrules wrapped and ready for finishing.

Shane Grip

2011-12-14T12:35:00.000-08:00

The grip is now shaped for Shane. Will be mounting the grip and seet soon. Then build some bamboo ferrules.

Shane's Rod

2011-12-11T21:27:00.001-08:00

This is a rod I am finishing for Shane Gray of Graywolf Rods,as a personal rod. He has given me the go ahead to pick colors and make some bamboo ferrules. It is a swelled butt taper of 7'6" 4wt. Should be fun. I want to take lots of pics.

Lets get personal

2011-12-02T09:03:00.000-08:00

My personal 8' 5wt.

My Westy

2011-11-30T07:21:00.000-08:00

I love this rod.

Dad

2011-11-28T23:39:00.000-08:00

I built this rod for my dad a couple years ago. It uses Chokecherry wood for the reelseat spacer, a tree we used to pick berries from to make jelly. The case is made of Cedar, the same wood we used building fences with my dad. The signature wrap I made with a strand of horse hair I got from my dad's favorite race horse a few months before it passed away.

Building Bamboo

2011-11-28T07:30:00.000-08:00

Images from the process of building bamboo. I like the look of a flamed boo rod. I am working on two rods right now. Both are for my brothers. I like to put a lot of thought into these rods. I like to match them with their personalities. Should be fun.

A day like this

2011-11-20T08:55:00.000-08:00

Rivers Treasure

2011-11-19T07:48:00.000-08:00

Fall Colors

2011-11-18T06:48:00.000-08:00

Nice

2011-11-14T07:20:00.000-08:00

Cort and I fished the other day. This was the first one of the day. He hunted the fly down.

Lincoln at the Vice

2011-11-05T22:31:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning out my tying closet tonight. And as I was going through a bag of reels I turn around to see that Lincoln had climbed up on the chair and found the thread bobbin and was making motions at the vice as though he was tying a fly. So stupid awesome.

TRIB

2011-10-29T23:45:00.001-07:00

Saltwater Cort

2011-10-17T20:33:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest rod finished. Built this for Cort for his saltwater and carpin adventures. 9 wt Green blank, Struble reel seat, green cork accents. The yellow and black jasper thread looks great on this blank. I want you to catch a Rooster for me.

New Net Done

2011-10-04T21:16:00.000-07:00

This is the newest net I have finished.

Suckers

2011-09-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

Every once in awhile you feel the urge to broaden your horizons or your fishing buddy says "you have got to come check this out". Cort and I have tried to hit the carp a few times together and ended up going out on bad days. Today was different, we had no excuses. I caught my 2nd carp ever and it was a 29 incher and even more special to me, it was on my 5wt bamboo rod I built. After the carp I caught 3 June Suckers. I have been wanting to catch one of these ever since Cort pulled one out.

Rods and Nets

2011-09-05T07:08:00.000-07:00

A few rods and nets that I have built in the past.

Streamer Trout

2011-08-23T20:18:00.000-07:00

I have been tryin to hit the river early morning for the last week. Today was the first day I could get my tired body out of bed, still tryin to catch up on sleep los goin to Idaho. I landed this nice brown this morning and was hooked up with a bigger on that I lost. Pretty sure it pumped me up enough to hit it tomorrow morning too.

Nomads

2011-08-18T15:40:00.000-07:00

We had another fun fishing trip. We floated South Fork twice and hit two new rivers, North Fork Teton and Bitch Creek. Shawn is so good to us. He rowed us Utards for two days. Thank you Shawn and our wives for letting us go. We know it is a sacrifice for you. I ended the trip with a beautiful Bitch Creek cutthroat. We also spent a night with the famous Marc Crapo in Ashton and grilled some burgers and cast some bamboo. He made me the biggest icecream cone I've ever seen. Cort and I had the time of our lives.

Friday Morning Brown

2011-08-05T21:53:00.001-07:00

I have been getting up at 530 every morning for the the last week to do some fishing before work. The river has been totally reshaped, so I have been relearning it. Gettin some streamer action.

Stanley Idaho

2011-08-03T14:55:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Lincoln and I joined my family near Stanley Idaho to camp for a few days. We got there at midnight Wed night and slept in the back of the truck, Lincoln was so pumped to get out of his carseat at one in the morning and play around in the back of the truck on the matress. We fished, went to the beach and a few flyshops, listened to music on the beach and ate good with family. I fished the Yankee Fork and caught these Cutts. I have fished this river since I was a boy.

Washed Out

2011-07-24T06:20:00.000-07:00

For the first time in months I went fishing in one of my favorite spots. I was a little sad when I got on the water. I have fished this area alot in the last 6 years. I found every one of the beaver dams washed out. I had all my favorite little pools and riffles all wiped out. Now the water runs too fast in most areas. I still had fun, but it was just different. Hopefully the beavers get back to work soon and build all their dams in the same areas.

Carpin Cort

2011-06-28T18:08:00.000-07:00

So Cort has an obsession with Carp. He loves to plot different tactics, tie new patterns for them and mostly to stalk them. It has paid off, he is gettin into so many fish these days. Today was less than ideal conditions and he still landed some. I took my 5wt bamboo rod. I was a little nervous using it. I hooked one probably 20 minutes in to the day. I lost it though, might have been a good thing. it headed right for me and was putting major stress on the tip.

Rod Repaired

2011-06-27T19:58:00.000-07:00

This is the restoration rod I have been workin on the last little while. This was my first and I had alot of fun. Great to see the transformation from old and beat up, to new again. It's always sad to see the rod leave you. I put so much time and thought into a rod and imagining it on the river, fishing. I always want to go catch at least one fish with the rod I have spent so much time with. I will just have to let it live in my imagination though. This is the second rod that has left me this week. Hopefully they will be fighting trout soon. This rod was fun and I hope to fix more up in the future.

Nick's Rod

2011-06-13T20:22:00.000-07:00

This rod was built for my brother in law Nick. It turned out really nice, nice action and looks. Smooth caster. The reelseat is Walnut burl that I had in the shop for awhile and never knew how great of a seat it would make until I turned it. We started with an Amboyna burl, but it was just to pinkish for this dark of rod. 7' 6" 4wt is what I built. Bamboo ferrules and a seafoam green agate stripping guide from Struble. Hope you like.

Lonely

2011-05-25T22:50:00.000-07:00

Solo outing, frozen feet, five hours, one fish.

Icy Waters

2011-05-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

Cort and I with a few early morning Cutts.

Lost the Big One

2011-05-07T09:14:00.000-07:00

Woke up early to try some streamers, and I had fun. Lost the big one, again.

Streamer

2011-04-22T19:08:00.000-07:00

One of these days the water will slow down.

Lincoln

2011-04-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

Lincoln and I hangin out in the fly shop, waiting for a reel to be spooled. He loves to look at all the flies and materails. I love it when he pauses and looks up to see the fish mounted on the walls. It's like "hey he gets it."

New Reel

2011-04-20T15:19:00.000-07:00

I just recieved my new Allen Reel the other day. Wanted to go try it out. I found this nice brown tryin to survive in the torrent.

The Last Few Years

2011-04-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

I rounded up some of the rods I have built in the last few years. I have learned alot since I started building them. I like to see the progession in them. Each new rod I try something new, so that I can learn. I hope I am always ABLE to build them.

Recycle Reduce Restore

2011-04-18T22:20:00.000-07:00

The other day Cort and I went to Sportsmans Warehouse for flytying supplies. Mike, a man I made friends with before I went to Alaska, works there. He spotted me and said " I have been waiting three months for you to come in here. He then showed me this old bamboo rod a friend of his brought from Fillmore. The rod belonged to this mans father. The rod had been stored and accidently got wet. This caused it to delaminate. Most of the guides are missing and the ferrules are all loose. The cork is in bad shape too. I was really excited that they wanted me to see if I could fix it for them. He wants to give it back to his father for Christmas. I will start dismantling it and getting it back in fishing condition.

Save the Salmon

2011-04-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

The Greatest Migration from EP Films on Vimeo.

Dark Chocolate

2011-04-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

My hope is to see how this rod likes fish. I tried a few new things on this rod. First, I colored this rod by using Potassium Permanganate. It gives it a nice dark hue. I tried a few different thread color schemes, and ended up with this one. It was exactly what I was goin for. Second, I dipped this rod is Marine Spar Varnish. This was something I was a little hesitant to try. All previous rods I just finished with oil. I am glad I tried this new method of finishing my rods. It was a pretty easy method to get such good results. It is an 8' 5wt. Bamboo ferrules and Buckeye Burl reelseat.

Goin Home

2011-03-29T23:44:00.000-07:00

Dirty

2011-03-28T21:01:00.000-07:00

Water level was not what I was expecting it to be. I had planned on fishing emergers, but it was just too dirty and fast. I instead busted out the streamers and had success.

Carpon

2011-03-23T21:22:00.000-07:00

Cort sent me this photo today of a carp he landed with the help of the net I built for him. Nice rod you got there.

Strawberry Scouts

2011-03-12T20:56:00.000-08:00

Cort and I took our 11 year old scouts on a winter campout. We all dug a snowfort for the boys to stay in. It worked, they all stayed warm. Lots of work. They helped build a fire, and we ate MRE meals. Which they all loved, but not as much as me. We woke up early and did some ice fishing.

Land More Fish

2011-03-09T22:28:00.000-08:00

I finally finished my net. I have been distracted trying to finish another rod, that I forgot to work on the net. The net hoop is made of Walnut and Maple. The handle is of Box Elder, Walnut, Cedar and Chokecherry burl. This wood has a lot of character. I textured the grip and butt. It makes it alot easier to control when it gets wet. It is finished with Teak oil. It is 19' overall and has a 14x8 opening. I used a nice Brodin ghost bag to take it easy on the fish. Really fun to build and I have plans for the next one in my head. For $150 this net is yours.

Brown Trout

2011-03-05T19:32:00.000-08:00

Real Fast

2011-02-15T20:43:00.000-08:00

Went up to the river after work and caught a fish. An emerger did the trick.

Waiting

2011-02-15T20:23:00.000-08:00

These are the strips and the handle waiting to be glued up. Box Elder burl, chokecherry burl, cedar, walnut and maple make up the handle. I glue all the pieces in the handle to make a rectangle 2" x 6". Then I cut the shape out on the bandsaw, and then touch up it up with a drum sander.

Beadhead

2011-02-05T19:07:00.000-08:00

Good day on the Provo. Used the same rig all day, prince and a rainbow warrior. I found a dead beaver the last time I fished this stretch, and I took a pic today. I am terrified of beaver. I'm pretty sure I'd rather run into a bear with cubs than into a beaver. Those teeth are nasty.

Westslope Bamboo Rods and Nets

2011-01-30T23:18:00.000-08:00

Color from White

2011-01-24T07:56:00.000-08:00

Went up AF canyon fishing. I never expect big fish up there, but I do expect colorful fish. That's what I got. It snowed most of the day.

Lunch Break

2011-01-21T21:39:00.000-08:00

Cort an I went fishing for lunch. The water had risen since last week and was a little dirty. I caught one fish after he left. These are a few shots from the outing.

Steaming and Bending

2011-01-18T22:42:00.000-08:00

Steaming the strips. Takes about thirty minutes, then they bend right around the form.

Bending the strips around the form.

Looks like a fire.

Flowin

2011-01-16T20:38:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to get out and play with the new camera, and of course fish. I can't wait til I catch a decent fish, to take some shots of it. Did catch one on a dry today. That will get the blood flowin' to keep you warm.

Net Building

2011-01-12T20:42:00.000-08:00

I am wanting to take photos of the process of building a net. The first steps in building a net is deciding what wood combo you want in your net. I am working with Walnut, Maple and Mahogany. Next I mill some 1/8 inch strips on the bandsaw. Steaming pics will be coming soon. The last pic is me and Lincoln. Since Lincoln got my old fly tying room as his bedroom, I have been put here, in the closet. He always points at the door and smiles as we sit and I show him the tools and materials.

A lot of good that is

2010-12-31T22:03:00.000-08:00

This is my second net built. It still needs the net sewn in. I wanted to get some pics taken of it with my new camera. The hoop is out of walnut and maple and the grip is a nice piece of box elder burl I found next to the stream. The inset is chokecherry burl, which I like alot. I need to find a bigger piece to do the main part out of chokecherry. I tried making the grip a little more grippier. I used a rotory tool to give it some character. I love how it turned out and am starting to work on a third. Plus I am really wanting to build another rod. I also took a few random pics with my new camera to test it out. It is the gopro camera, set to take apic every 2 seconds.

Someday

2010-12-07T22:02:00.000-08:00

Found this pic in one of my folders that I had not looked at in some time. This was taken in my Bamboo Room, or the room I build rods in. I am from Idaho and I love it. Someday I want a VW bus painted with the Idaho license plate scene all the way around. That would be nice. It would have a fly tying desk in it and a place to dry my waders.

Brown Trout

2010-12-04T13:43:00.000-08:00

I finally found some time to get to the river and fish. I only landed one, but had lots of strikers.

My Net

2010-10-27T16:30:00.000-07:00

I just finished my net last night. I am happy with the way it turned out. I learned alot about steaming wood and form design. I am excited to build another one. I can build them alot faster than a bamboo rod, so there is a little faster gratification. I used Walnut, Maple and Chokecherry burl in the construction of this net. It requires you to mill out 1\8 inch strips of wood and then steam it. You then bend the strips around a form. Design a handle and glue the strips up. Then lots and lots of filing and sanding to shape it. I finished it up with some teak oil. Went to the river today to see if there was a fish willing to pose with my net for a few snap shots.

Never Disappoints

2010-10-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

I fished one of my favorite streams today. It never disappoints me. For the first time ever I caught a brown on it. It usaually homes brooks and cutts. This brown makes the sixth species I have caught on this little stream. Brook, Cutt, Rainbow, Brown, Tiger and Whitefish.

My Own Private Idaho

2010-09-11T21:24:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to Idaho to fish with my dad and brother. We had talked about it for years and we finally did it. We rode horses in for the day and did a little fishin. It was a pretty slow day. The biggest fish was a 14 inch Cutt. Beautiful fish, with a nice red gill plate. I was hoping to find a grayling but no sucsess. I cant wait to take my boy up there on a horse and set up camp and fish.

Casting for Trout

2010-08-27T21:05:00.000-07:00

A little casting sequence. I love photos with the line in the air. photos by Roberta Boice

My Brown

2010-08-27T20:38:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pics of our South Fork trip. I think about this brown trout everyday. Just about finished with another rod. I am starting to build my first net too. Mostly just researching and getting ideas, and in a few years I want to build a drift boat. I have to save money for that though.

Casting

2010-08-11T17:45:00.000-07:00

This photo is one of my favorites. Cort and I on the South Fork. It was taken by his mother. Awesome day of fishin.

South Fork

2010-08-09T18:43:00.000-07:00

I had the chance to go to Idaho this weekend with Cort. We delivered a bamboo rod I built for his brother Shawn, and of course we fished. I would first like to thank our wives for letting us have this time to be boys again. Second I would like to thank all of Cort's Idaho family. They all took such good care of us with meals and a place to sleep and really nice company. And a special thanks to Shawn. Shawn woke up at 5:30 in the morning to row for us as we drifted the South Fork. He has years and years of experience floating rivers. He took us to some really awesome spots, on a pretty dangerous river. Then he took us the rest of the day and all of the next jet boating. We would hit these gravel bars loaded with fish. We all landed lots of fish. Two of my favorite came from the same hole. One is the 19 inch Brown that I landed with my 4wt bamboo rod. I felt really lucky to get him in. He fought like a monster. the second was a nice Cutt, really really colorful. Trip of a lifetime. Hopefully we can get back there again. Thank you so much Shawn and Cort for hooking me up.

WestSlope Rods

2010-07-25T21:17:00.000-07:00

A few of my latest Rods

Shawns Rod

Codys Rod

Sams Rod

Corts Rod

Caddis Brown

2010-07-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

Lincoln's first real camping trip

2010-07-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

This was my boys first camping trip in a tent. I am really hoping he loves to fish when he gets older, so I took him to the fish hatchery so he could get a few visuals. The camping trip involved alot of fish and a black bear in camp.

Mountains and Trout

2010-07-20T17:47:00.000-07:00

Dry Fly Dream

2010-06-15T21:35:00.000-07:00

Today on the Provo was pretty productive. Not only did I land quite a few, but there were also alot of strikes and boils. I love watching that flash of color rise off the bottom and connect itself to you. It sure adds to the excitement when the fish takes off to the deep fast water and you got to try and land it. I had two nice ones on that ditched the fly on me. I fished the same two flys all day too. I had two 16 lighter blue wing olives on. Never lost them the whole day. I think that is a first.

Cuttin Strawberry

2010-05-16T11:06:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to hit ice off at strawberry for years now. I finally did it and it was worth it. I thought for sure I would be sharing my spot on the shore with elbow to elbow dudes. We made it up 3 times this year and I think we saw a total of 3 people. I don't know if it was cause we went up on tuesdays or cause it was really really cold. Either way it was fun to get up there with Cort and catch some fish. I stole these pics from his blog. Next year I wanna make a bamboo rod that will handle one of these fish. Most of my bamboo rods I have made are in the 4wt range. Plus Strawberry has some pretty nasty wind most of the time.

Leaky Waders

2010-04-30T19:08:00.000-07:00

I am so happy Cort and Sam invited me to go fishing with them. While Sam ripped it up and caught 8 fish I was still pumped to catch 1, but it was a good one. I wasn't able to photograph Sam's fish. I did get some of Corts.

While this was my only fish it made my whole day.

Can you say football.

A nice 21 inch Cutt.

Cort and his beautiful Rainbow.

One Fish

2010-04-28T18:23:00.000-07:00

One lousy fish in the last two times I went fishing. I haven't really seen any movement in the holes either. It's like the fish are gone.

Cold Feet

2010-04-03T12:09:00.000-07:00

Cort and I woke up early this morning to fish. We tried a new area that I have never fished and he hadn't for awhile. It was super cold and really windy. I was suprised when fish noses were hitting the surface. Nothing like hookin a trout just to keep warm.

Provo Brown

2010-04-03T11:42:00.000-07:00

Westslope

2010-03-23T21:02:00.000-07:00

Messin around with Photoshop, and I came up with these. Makes me want to fish

Brown is my new favorite color

2010-03-20T17:49:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days. A day where you could see every fish in the river rising. A day where a fish was in every hole a fish should be in. It was very nice warm weather. I am fishing a 4wt bamboo rod that I built a while back. I was using a small 7x tippet. With the bigger fish making crazy runs and me not wanting to break off, I found myself 60 yards downstream often. trying to land these fish without to much struggle. I hate muscleling fish in fast. I try to make a gentler landing. awesome awesome day on the river.

Grayling

2010-03-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

One of my fishing goals this year is to catch an Arctic Grayling. I have been studying where I can find them, and trying to plan a trip to go find them. I think they are beautiful. Here are a few pics I found to get my spirits high.

Part Two

2010-03-12T19:35:00.000-08:00

Part One of the day was spent with Cort fishing warm water. Part two of today was spent in one of my favorite canyons in Utah. Me, Cody and John fished for browns and rainbows. Lots of dry fly action. Sadly I didnt take many photos. Good day fishing.

Warm Water

2010-03-12T19:02:00.000-08:00

I haven't fished for warm water fish hardly at all, but this was fun. I only caught a Bluegill and I was so pumped. Cort landed two nice Bass and Bluegill. Nice for a change.

Short and Sweet

2010-03-09T19:05:00.000-08:00

First 5 casts had two nice fish on. Lost the first and landed the second.

Dry Fly

2010-03-02T16:07:00.000-08:00

So these are pretty much the same pic, but who cares. Today was awesome dry fly fishing. I landed six and lost six. I also had many strikes with no hookups. I was using some 20-24 hooks. I tied them up last night in hopes of not gettin skunked again, like I did on Friday. The 7x tippet is pretty fragile. I broke a few off. Lots of fun.

Winters Shadows

2010-02-24T08:51:00.000-08:00

Went fishing yesterday, really slow. Found a few risers sippin midges. First fish I saw rising I got a nice drift right to him. He came up and boiled the water, but no take. Then nothing for a long time. Found a big hole about 2 hours later with fish everywhere. I only landed two, got them with a 20 adams. Beautiful fish though. Almost purple. I fished with a rod I built a while ago, but haven't used much. I t casts awesome whether casting dries or a two nymph rig up. So that is a good thing.

Good thing I had my horse

2010-02-21T11:01:00.000-08:00

Last year on a little stream in Idaho.

Someday

2010-02-21T10:55:00.000-08:00

Someday I will be so lucky to travel the earth in one of these.

Building of Bamboo

2010-02-09T07:42:00.000-08:00

These are a few photos Cort took of the building process.

Old Photos

2010-01-20T07:30:00.000-08:00

Playin in the dirt. I think lost my socks that day.

This was one of the first years I remember going to Redfish. We always stop at this same spot to take some pics. Galena Summit

One of my first fish with a fishing pole. All previous I caught with my hands.

Brotherly love

Rodeo, I rode the hell out of a sheep that day. Won a scarf.

Christmas with a hippie. I love childhood christmases.

Cort's first day

2010-01-04T10:05:00.000-08:00

I finished Cort's rod close to Thanksgiving. We took it up the canyon to try it out. He caught a brown the first cast. We will be taken more pics soon.

Uncle Morgan

2009-12-08T18:36:00.000-08:00

Sadly, yesterday my uncle Morgan died very unexpectantly. I always remember him smiling or laughing. He died on the mountain with his horse cuttin christmas trees. I will always remember him wearin his pants inside his cowboy boots, sittin in the sagebrush drinkin a DR Pepper, reciting his latest poem and his bright red coat.
I took this picture Oct 10 on a deer hunt. We got an early start and the wind blew cold. We brushed the the first few pockets, with no luck. We stopped in the tall pines and built a fire out of the wind. Uncle Morgan had marshmallows, and it made me smile. We rode through Quake and we rode through Piney, mostly does and a few little buck. I remember he cut through the quakes below me, and I watched his red coat wander through the trees and over the pass. I can hear him hoopin and hollerin as he made his way down the hill, tryin to spook the deer out. There was snow on the peak. We stopped at the creek and inspected who had been there. The trees told us who had been there in the years past. We made our way off the mountain as we watched deer bound through the cedars.
I will never forget the last deer hunt I shared with my Uncle.

Bottom photo
My dad is on the left, uncle Morgan center, twin brother Marvin on the right. Marvin was with him when he passed on.

Panos

2009-12-02T17:53:00.000-08:00

These are a series of panos that I worked on quite awhile ago. Found them in my old pics.

Salmon River

2009-12-02T17:43:00.000-08:00

I found this old pic of the Salmon River and thought is was cool.

Browns

2009-11-04T16:13:00.000-08:00

I had to take out my Quad since I had broke my Hex. Need to get some more bamboo so that I can build me another tip. The quad is a fun rod to fish with, it has a slow/med action. You can really get into feeling the whole cast. I was raising so many fish today with dries. Perfect day of fishing.

Cort's Pot of Gold

2009-10-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

Black Gums

2009-10-24T19:07:00.000-07:00

I fished for most of the day. I hit my favorite spot up high and got into a bit of snow. Well worth it though. I love those wild cutts and brookies. Stopped for a bit and just watched the brookies get their spawn on. One of the coolest things to witness in nature. They are so beautiful this time of year. On my way home and a little bit lower in elevation I stopped and caught a few browns, nothing to big.

2009-10-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

Tied my fly on, got the line in the air, and on that final backcast "SNAP" I caught a tree and snapped my repaired rod. I was bummed cause I hadn't brought another rod. I thought well I might as well try to fish the rod I had just shortened. I broke the extra 3 inches off to get to the last snake guide. It took a few casts to get the hang of the new style. I was glad to see that I could still cast a pretty good distance. I caught this nice brown with a light blue-wing olive and a short rod.

Idaho and Nevada

2009-10-20T09:56:00.001-07:00

Last week I went Idaho to work with my Dad. Well we hunted in Idaho and worked in Nevada. We were in alot of nice country. I only saw like 3 other people the whole time. We saw alot of deer elk and antelope, and a few coyote.

My horse took this one.

Hiked In

2009-10-02T16:49:00.000-07:00

Really Really fun outing last week. My buddy Cort and I were able to get out and into the mountains. We hiked in 3 or so miles and did some fishin and campin. Beautiful leaves were everywhere. Cort caught the nicest rainbow I have ever seen come out of a stream of that size, he's like a leprechaun. Good times.

Westslope Rods

2009-09-23T21:45:00.000-07:00

I had a few more pics to post of the new rod. It's about time to start on the next one, but I think I will have to wait until next week. It is campin time. With rods and bows, we wil be sure to have a good time. Hopefully I come back with some fish pics. Oh yeah I fell in the river the other day too. Really woke me up.

New Rod

2009-09-21T17:55:00.000-07:00

This is the newest rod I finished. These photos were takin by my good friend Cort. He did an amazing job with these pics. A fly rod is so hard to photograph, because it is so long and narrow. I love how they turned out. This rod was built for my dad. The reelseat and two caps on the grip are made out of Chokecherry Burl wood. When I was younger living in Idaho, I used to go pick Chokecherries with my dad and grandpa in the fall. Then grandma would make us some jelly. I always thought it was neat that we could go to the mountains, bring these berries back and make something with it. The rest of the grip is cork with a cottonwood and birch bark inset. I flamed the rod with a torch. It reminded me of a rattle from a rattlesnake. Bamboo ferrules are my favorite. It let's there be a little art in the middle of the rod. Most bamboo ferrules are made of nickel silver which is good looking, I just like how much more natural bamboo is. On the signiture wrap I used some horse hair from my dads favorite race horse that passed away earlier this year. Luckly I pulled some hair last year to tie some flies. The case is made from cedar, another Idaho touch. Growing up in smalltown Idaho and having my dad and grandpa build stock fences for a living meant that we needed to cut alot of cedar posts. So with this case having cedar and chokecherry together was cool. You can even take a few flies with you too.
Thanks Cort for the awesome photography.

Gray Ghost

2009-04-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

My newest rod I built for catching brown trout. The last five photos are the new rod.

Fishing is fun

2008-12-01T20:15:00.000-08:00

Fishing during the spawn is so fun. The fish it the fly so hard. gotta be careful of the redds.

Firewood

2008-10-04T09:25:00.000-07:00

A few pics from cutting firewood in Almo. Almo is the little town you see between the trees. And a photo of me, bro brandon, sis Cami and dad after we got the truck load of firewood.

Saved horses

2008-10-04T08:34:00.001-07:00

While I was in Idaho at my parents house, my dad got a phone call. The Veternarian in the area had been out to this ranch checkin someones cows, when the people asked him if he could put the horses down, "kill them". The vet said no. They are good horses. So he called my dad to see if he wanted them. Of course my dad could use more horses. Plus seeing the horses this way just makes you want to take care of them. So with in an hour my dad was on his way to get the horses. 3 in all. I took these pics to see how much they will improve. He has been givin 6 horses this year. people just don't have enough money to feed them.