The Sand Hill

Papaw

2012-02-13T15:27:00.000-08:00

A little over two weeks ago, my Papaw died. He was quite the character and I'm glad that I spent a lot of time with him growing up and especially when I was in college and picked up a few of his traits.

Papaw was from Arkansas, but moved to Del Rio, Texas, during the Depression. He lied to join the Air Service Corps (he was too young and an excellent liar) and spent time in Salt Lake during World War II. After I moved to Idaho, he always told me about living in Utah, hunting rabbits and going to the Mormon dances. He apparently really like the Mormon dances.

Taking a break either at a rodeo or trail ride.

He played stand up bass, gunsmithed at night, went on trail rides, had orchards in his retirement, and made crosses from rocks and shells almost until he died. I'd like to think that my interest in too many things came from him.

Papaw playing bass in a band. I think this was in Uvalde or Sabinal.

What was best about Papaw, though, was his storytelling. Texans are proud storytellers; I started professionally telling stories in second grade with UIL events. I'd like to think that most of his stories are true, though as I get older, I think I find myself embellishing my own stories. We always listened with a grain of salt, but you just can't make some of that stuff up.

Papaw literally knew everyone in Texas. In college, I could tell him a friend's name and where they were from, and he always knew their grandparents, or cousins, or some distant relative. He knew people who had camels in Big Bend, country singers, drug runners, and just regular folks. And he had a crazy story about every one of them. Even at his funeral, the preacher told a story about fishing with Papaw when he was little. The preacher had hooked his dad in the ear and they had to go back to shore so Papaw could get it out.

Papaw retired early from Union Carbide and he and Memaw moved to Yoakum and planted peach and apple orchards. I remember looking through his stacks of seed catalogs when I was little and dreaming of what I would plant; I still get excited scouring the catalogs, but now I get to order what I want. In honor of Memaw and Papaw, I'm planting a pair of Honeycrisp apple trees this year.

Helping carry cantaloupes. I used to make myself sick eating watermelons and apples--I guess I still do.

There's so much more I could say, so many stories I could share--dancing with him in the driveway, the wonderful smell of his tobacco, the road trip to Arkansas, or teaching me a rain dance, but I would need to write a book to share it all.

I will miss him a lot.

A bit about me...

2012-02-07T09:54:00.000-08:00

Things are still crazy here in Idaho. We haven't had much snow and I have had any time to fish. I've at least gotten out to ski a few times, but I'm really just counting my days until steelhead season. I have posted an interview I did for Howard at Windknots and Tangled Lines last summer.

Windknots Profile: An interview with guide Morgan Buckert, the Queen of Bitch Creek

I recently had the extreme pleasure of interviewing Morgan Buckert, Idaho fly fishing guide, outdoors woman and (In my words and meant with the utmost respect), the

Queen of Bitch Creek at Bloodknot.net.

WK: First, I would like to thank you and Matt (Coudayre, Editor–in-Chief of Bloodknot.net) for the opportunity to let the readers learn a little bit about you. For those of you who don’t know Morgan, she’s the Editor of the Bitch Creek section of Bloodknot.net. Uh, you are a girl right?

M: Yep, I am definitely a girl, but when a lot of people look at my resume they assume I’m a man. I’m a fly-fishing guide, I grew up hunting, fishing, and riding horses on the ranch I grew up on in South Texas. But I grew up in a culture that expected women to kill something for dinner, cook it, and then serve it to your friends in heels. It confuses a lot of people to see me on the river during the day and then totally made up at night. That’s Texas for you, though.

WK: I understand that you guide in Idaho aside from your gig with Bloodknot.net? Are you still guiding and specifically where and for what? I’m sorry, but I need to ask you this quick question first. Have you ever been an insurance salesperson in Colorado? The reason I ask is I loaned a nice rod and reel to a young lady named Morgan, who sold me an insurance policy a few years ago. I’m not upset, I’d just like the rod and reel back.

M: I guide in Sun Valley for trout and steelhead on Silver Creek, the Big Wood, the Big Lost, and the upper Salmon River. Six years ago I needed a summer job while I was in grad school and moved up here to work for The Nature Conservancy on Silver Creek Preserve and immediately fell in love with the place. Fishing Silver Creek is my heaven, whether it be throwing size 24 tricos on 8x on a summer morning or throwing six inch voles on an 8-weight at night for big brown trout. My ashes will be spread on Silver Creek.

WK: Sorry about getting sidetracked. I’m not a sexist, but guiding is one of those jobs that traditionally have been a man’s domain, how did you get involved with guiding and who is easier to work with, men or women? Can you tell us about your worst client?

M: When I moved to Idaho, I had been fly-fishing for a few years, but I had never fished for trout. I grew up in Texas and spent a lot of time on rivers in the Hill Country fishing for bass and sunfish and a little time fishing in the salt, but there definitely ain’t no trout that far south, except in the Guadalupe, but that’s a whole different story. I managed to get a job in Ketchum working at a fly shop on the weekends to learn more about bugs and stuff and next thing I knew, I was guiding.

You know, I think the vast majority of men and women are about the same, but there’s always that guy who won’t take instruction. And, as a woman, I usually can’t help a man wade across the river or physically help him with casting. One time, I had two older gentlemen—when I called them the night before to make plans, I could hear their disappointment when they heard my voice. I wasn’t looking forward to the next day, but they showed up excited and said they had talked about me and figured I was twice as good as another guide since I was a woman and had to prove myself daily. We had an amazing day and I keep that in mind when I’m working.

My worst client—hmmm—I can’t tell you about them, because I feel like they’re the kind of people who would hunt me down and sue me. I feel like I have to wait until they die before I can share their story, but let me tell you, it was soul crushing—I literally had nothing left to give after their three days on the river. They were sexist, but wanted two women guides, bad anglers who wouldn’t take advice, and tried to skip out on their bill—they didn’t tip either—that’s the short story. I usually only have one bad trip a year, though. People who take a guide out are on vacation and have absolutely no reason to be nasty. What’s better than a day on the water in one of the most beautiful places in the country?

WK: I’m sorry; I just have one other personal question I need to ask. Before my wife and I got married, all she wanted was to learn to fly fish. Once we got married, she would never listen to me or take instruction. So, I sent her to a local fly shop for casting lessons, entomology, knots, etc. Now she reads water better than I do, catches more fish than I do and makes me go with her where she wants to fish. For the benefit of all your male readers, what’s the best advice you give to a man who wants to teach his wife or girlfriend to fly fish?

M: Get a guide. Really. Just pony up and you’ll save years of fighting and crying and she’ll like it. I’d say the same for women getting their men into fly-fishing, or even friends. Recreational fly-fishers usually don’t have the patience or right words to teach fly-fishing. There’s a class that I teach for free and a group of men hound the women during the casting portion. I have to follow them around and re-teach the students and wipe the tears away. I know my boyfriend has made me cry trying to teach me to skate ski. Just get a guide.

WK: That reminds me, did you ever find the fishing partner you were looking for last Christmas?

M: I actually have! I have a wonderful boyfriend who I get to fish with a lot in the off-season (we were just redfishing in Texas), but during the guide season we don’t get to see each other a lot. Since I wrote that piece, I have met a whole slew of awesome ladies who I’ve been fishing with. Everyone fishes in the Wood River Valley and I’ve finally met people who I don’t have to guide. It’s so fun in a different way—last week during the brown drake hatch on Silver Creek my girlfriend and I kept missing fish because we were gossiping. It was ok, though, because it’s so much fun!

WK: I imagine that working for Bloodknot.net must be a dream comes true; at least it would be for me! What’s the best part about working for an up-and-coming magazine like Bloodknot? I mean, does anyone get paid there? I was just wondering if I’m the only one doing this for free. I’m not complaining, because it gives me a little exposure for my blog, but man, I live five miles from Matt! You’d think he’d at least buy me a beer after work!

M: I love being forced to write—ha ha! I’ve had stories cooking in my head for years and I’d never write them otherwise. I also love talking to our writers—I want to be BFFs with all of the ladies—it’s so nice to know that there are other people out in the world just like me. I’ve met a number of them now and feel like we’re brothers from another mother!

WK: I have read several books by and about guides; please share with the readers your best fish story that typifies who Morgan Buckert is.

M: You know, I think rather than tell a fishing story, I think the best way to describe me is by seeing the way I live. There are literally rods in my car, on top of my car, and in every corner of my house. My vacuum cleaner is full of tippet and feathers and fly-tying materials fill an entire room. There is mud and dirty clothes and holey waders and Skagit heads on the counters and zebra midges stuck in my socks and way too many late nights on the creek and death marches with clients. I know so many guides who despise fishing—guiding destroyed what they loved most. That won’t happen for me—I gave up a comfortable life for this and it’s my world. I love catching fish and I love seeing a client catch a fish just as much.

WK: Thank you, Morgan for giving us a peek at your life and your job at Bloodknot.net. One more question. So, tell me, do you know April Volky? I’d really like to get an autographed photo and she doesn’t answer my emails.

M: Oh, god—you and every other man in the world! Ha ha! No, really, I do know April, though not very well. I want to hate her because she’s hogging all of the attention, but I can’t because she’s so awesome. She’s a kick ass lady—she’s funny as hell and outfishes a lot of people. And if it takes a hot lady to get the fly-fishing industry to respect women as equals, I guess I’ll take it. She’s also made it cool for women to look like women on the river.

I’ll see what I can do about a photo—do people still do that?

Check out Morgan at Bloodknot.net and http://thesandhill.blogspot.com/

Blood Knot Blogger Issue

2012-01-24T12:13:00.000-08:00

The Blogger Issue of Blood Knot is out. Check it out here.

Fly Fishing Film Tour Coming to Sun Valley

2012-01-19T11:10:00.000-08:00

I was really surprised this morning when I read that the Fly Fishing Film Tour is coming to the Sun Valley Opera House on February 23. They came through three years ago and I had free tickets for me and my friends--it turned out that we were the only people there. I thought they'd never be back, but I guess a local film helped bring them here.

"Doc Of The Drakes" trailer - by Bryan Huskey | Fly Fishing Movie from The Fly Fishing Film Tour on Vimeo.

I saw Doc of the Drakes at our local fly-fishing film festival last summer. It's a great film about an elderly gentleman fishing Brown Drakes on Silver Creek (my most favorite thing in the world). I also posted another film from Brown Drakes last year here.

I look forward to seeing all of the films, but by then, I'll only be thinking about swinging flies on the Salmon.

Devil's River Trip

2012-01-12T07:48:00.000-08:00

Over the holidays I happened to notice what was on the screen of my parents' alway on tv--fly-fishing. I come from a hunting family so any time fly-fishing sneaks on the tube, I pay attention.

I was shocked to see one of my dream trips was on--along with the first guides I ever had! ConwayBowman's Fly-fishing the World (on the Sportsman Channel) was floating the Devil's River with Marcus and Johnny, The Guides of Texas, and though not neccesarily on purpose, comedy duo. I didn't get to see much, but you should check out the show--it's a remote river on the Mexican border with tons of fish.

Maybe I'll get to go there some day...

Happy Birthday to Me!

2012-01-11T09:54:00.000-08:00

2012 has already been beyond busy. We have almost no snow and have had really warm temperatures, including some record highs. Starting next week I'll start to have some time to fish and ski so that means it will probably turn insanely cold.

I finally went classic skiing for the first time this season last week. I even took some advice from Paddy, who actually knows what he's doing.

Yesterday was my birthday--I'm still on the bright side of thirty, but barely. Paddy and I celebrated with a nice, relaxing day.

I made myself a chocolate meringue pie--one of my favs.

Paddy insisted on putting 29 candles on the pie--I'm surprised the fire alarm didn't go off.

I'm hoping 2012 brings more fun my way. I plan on fishing and guiding more, trying to bike and climb more, and spend more time expanding The Brown Drake.

Almost Back.

2011-12-21T10:44:00.000-08:00

This fall has been a blur: redfishing, the desert, launching my business, and getting ready for Christmas. I'll be back to normal after the new year, but I wanted to make sure Santa knows what I want for Christmas. Thanks to Captain Eric, all I want is a Hell's Bay Glades Skiff in mint green. That will fit in your sleigh, right Santa?

Heading South...

2011-10-11T12:07:00.000-07:00

Since Labor Day my life has been beyond hectic. I've been guiding, trying to fish a little, canning tomatoes and dealing with other things in the garden, and preparing for my grand adventure south.

On Thursday, I'll be teaching a cheese making class at the Sawtooth Botanical Garden and then our seven-week trip starts. We'll have to get to Las Cruces, New Mexico by Friday night for Paddy's mom's wedding on Saturday.

Captain Heard with a flounder--only in Texas!

After the wedding shennangians, we'll be heading south to Rockport, Texas, to fish for a couple of weeks. We hope to get into some redfish and maybe even go offshore once or twice. I'm looking forward to hitting up one of my favorite little fly shops, Swan Point Landing, in Rockport.

Once we're thoroughly sunburned and salty, and have maybe even grown a mullet, we'll be hunting in Goliad with my family and some friends from Idaho. We then head back west to Van Horn, Texas, to spend a few weeks roaming the ranch and looking for pictographs. I'll also be getting ready for my first craft show which will be the first weekend of December in Ketchum.

And then it's Thanksgiving. Whew.

Roughfishing?

2011-09-27T09:10:00.000-07:00

On a recent carp trip to the Snake, Paddy had a trout that kept following his fly around. It's amazing that a two-inch fish can get snagged on a one-inch fly. Does this count as roughfishing? I'll count it.

Keeping my Reuptation

2011-09-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

I sent Alex, above, some photos from our guide trip a few weeks ago. Most people say they're going to Photo Shop in a bigger fish, but I've never had anyone follow through. I love what Alex has done to the pic--I'll keep encouraging it to keep my reputation--ha ha!

New Blog

2011-08-29T09:08:00.000-07:00

My friend Amanda has started a blog, www.amandalikestofish.wordpress.com. She's fairly new to fly-fishing, but totally consumed with it (like any reasonable person). Read about her adventures--and probably a few of them will include me!

A Peek into Brown Drakes

2011-08-25T09:58:00.000-07:00

Big Brown Bugs from Silver Creek Outfitters on Vimeo.

My buddy Jamie Briscoe, a guide at Silver Creek Outfitters, narrates this video which gives you a peek into the Brown Drake hatch on Silver Creek. As always, my favorite week of the year.

Oh my god, I'm tired.

2011-08-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

So, I've totally neglected the blog, the plants, the laundry, the bills, and probably a lot of other stuff. It's summer, though, and that means I'm out on the water. We've had a fantastic season so far. Silver Creek has been unbelievable and I've even been impressed with the Wood. The Lower Lost should be fishable any day now. I realized the other day that I haven't fished myself since July 11, but I've been on the water every day and have enjoyed every minute of it. My schedule is a lot less chaotic after Labor Day and I'm a little sad that it's so soon, but I'm looking forward to a lot of personal fishing this fall. I hope it's not this long until I post again!

What qualifies you?

2011-07-18T18:43:00.000-07:00

You know, it's full-on summer in Sun Valley and it's absolute craziness. I've barely had time to sleep, much less blog, but I was really horrified on the river the other day and thought I'd share.

I was guiding three people last Friday on the Big Wood. We were just out for a few hours and they had never fished before--pretty standard gig. The first place we fished was near a private bridge and a guy riding his bike stopped on the bridge to watch. I waved and he started talking to me. He then proceeded to tell me that I was fishing in the wrong spot and then that he doesn't fish the Wood until August which I thought made him especially qualified to tell me what to do--he kept insisting that we move. I brushed it off--it happens fairly regularly--these men see a woman guiding and assume she has no idea what she's doing.

I'm the one that gets paid to take people fishing.

We moved spots for the last part of the trip and got into the fish. Green drakes were coming off and we were all having a great time. A gentleman was walking along the river and came up to us. We were chit chatting about where he was from and how the fishing had been--he was just hanging out wasting some time. After 15 minutes or so he came up to the client I was standing with and told her she needed to set the hook differently, which, by the way, would ensure that she would never land another fish in her life.

These people would never say this to a man.

I'm the one who gets paid to take people fishing.

So, the moral of this story is to keep your mouth shut. I am a professional. There are professional women all around you and we're probably better than our coworkers because we have to prove ourselves daily.

Keep your mouth shut. You're welcome to take our photo because we're so awesome though--haha!

Expanding my Horizons

2011-07-07T20:31:00.000-07:00

Summer in Sun Valley--whew!

I've barely had any sleep in the last couple of weeks and we're just getting started. I've been guiding, fishing, sewing, having parties, going to parties and fundrasiers, and I did manage to squeeze in a class on fabric dying and printing the last few nights. The dying was a little hippie-dippy for me, but I managed to redeem myself tonight by creating a block with a Mimbres fish and printing with it. It's helping get my creative juices flowing for some new projects.

On the fishing front, things are improving. Tricos have showed up on Silver Creek, though they're not in full force yet and the Wood is dropping--it should be fishable in a few days. I guided in Copper Basin on Tuesday, though, and it's still crazy high up there. All I can say is that we're going to have an amazing fall!

Brown Drakes!

2011-06-29T07:50:00.000-07:00

I finally feel like I've recovered from Brown Drakes...it took a while. It's my favorite week of fishing of the year. This year's hatch was several weeks later than normal, but still caught us by surprise. We used a canoe every night so we went all out. In the photo below you can see our extensive antipasto selection. I kept joking about all the stuff we brought and said I was going to bring a chandelier and an umbrella to complete the picnic!

Nick and Kristina enjoying the heavy hors d'oeuvres.

The hatch in the middle of a thunderstorm. Craziness!

Kristina said she came in a girl and wanted to leave a woman. We finally stopped gossiping long enough to make that happen!

Paddy caught this bad boy during the thunderstorm. I love the colors of the fish and the awesome rainbow.

Nick and Ryan, from Salt Lake, drove up to join us one night. They're canoeing down to the take-out to avoid the coming storm, but ended up paddling through some of the craziest lightning I've ever seen as well as hail and really heavy rain. When I picked them up, they were all smiles.

It was another amazing year of drakes with awesome friends. I can't wait until next year!

Texas Style

2011-06-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

I saw this posted several places and it was supposedly in Texas. This October could get interesting...

2011-06-20T13:46:00.000-07:00

Check out the new issue of Sun Valley Magazine--on local newstands and airports around the country. The new issue is the water issue and I saw a variety of familiar face in there whether they were paddlers, fly-fishers, or even Trout Friendly Lawns. There was an awesome photo essay by my friend and fellow guide, Nick Price, and I wrote a short piece about hopper fishing on the creek. Check it out!

Photo by Nick Price.

Early Season Fishing

2011-06-17T07:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been avoiding this, but I guess it's time to talk about the early season fishing in the Wood River Valley. As you know, there's too much water everywhere. We're not as bad as Montana--they have snow pack up to 350% in places. Our snowpack is about 175% and it's coming off very slowly. We've only had one day over 70 degrees and the Wood is at 2300 cfs and not rising. I was expecting a big flood, but I think we're just going to have a slow melt and the Wood won't be fishable for a long time. I did manage to guide it a couple of weekends ago and it was great, but it may be another month before we can get back out there.

Our saving grace, and realy one of the only places to fish in the West, is Silver Creek. We've had a slow start. I think because of the cold weather there haven't been a lot of bugs, but there have been enough to have a nice morning. Last weekend, I was guiding a trip on Lower Silver Creek, expecting Brown Drakes and the wind picked up and blew everything away. In a desparation move, we went to the Preserve and actually had nice fishing throughout the afternoon. There were a few PMDs, some baetis, and lots of midges. By the 4th of July I expect the fishing to have improved greatly.

So...I mentioned Brown Drakes and I'm really disappointed to say that they haven't come off yet. Brown Drakes are one of those BBC documentary freaks of nature events and the hatch is my favorite week of the year. This is my seventh year to fish them and I expected them about two weeks ago...it seems like they may never happen now, but I know I have to be patient.

Long story short, Silver Creek is what's happening and by July it'll be full-on bonanza.

And I thought I could avoid having to post about feathers…

2011-06-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

So, we all know about the feathers in the hair thing. I think it’s cool, but I haven’t gotten any because I know that it could contribute to crazy high fly prices—or even worse—no hackle left in the world. Moldy Chum posted last week that the fad had gone even further to include dogs—ridonkulous.

Anyhoo, I’m an Etsy whore. I love shopping on Etsy and it’s a great source of inspiration for my own crafts. I’ve noticed over the last month a number of feather listings that have knocked my socks off and today was by far the craziest. I’ve seen whole saddles for $400 and today I saw 20 feathers listed for $75. That’s $3.75 a feather!!!!!!!! Of course, to a hair stylist, that’s cheap because they’re charging $10-$20 a feather, but if there’s only the hackle left on our fly-tying desks, there could be a worldwide shortage of flies.

Paddy is considering selling some crazy hackle colors that he never uses so he can buy an iPad. I hope he can sell enough so I can get one too!

New Notebooks on Etsy

2011-06-02T15:41:00.000-07:00

Since it was snowing today, I cranked out some sewing instead of going fishing. You can check out my new stuff on Etsy here.

Opening Day!

2011-05-31T19:27:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was opening day--aka Christmas at my house. I slung flies at Sturtos in the morning (I hadn't done that in a LONG time) and then headed down to Silver Creek for the opening day BBQ and to get a little fishing in. The BBQ was awesome, it feels like home being there and I get to chew the fat with all of my favorites. I headed on the water a couple of hours later, but could barely find a place without some yay-hoo flailing in the middle of fish. It was super frustrating watching so many people doing so many things wrong, but I know they'll get frustrated and never come back so it's cool. My first guide trips are this weekend and I'm feeling good about the 2011 season.

Fish on!

Several generations at the Silver Creek BBQ who wouldn't know what to do without the creek. King, Dayna and her son Ben, Paddy, and me.

Chasing Tail--Texas Style

2011-05-24T07:38:00.000-07:00

The Allied. A sweet Bahamian boat that's mahogany covered with fiberglass. She's heavy, but a beaut.

I've finally recovered from my "vacation" to Texas to do some redfishing. We left Goliad every morning between 4 and 5 and were out on the water all day. It was the first sun my body had seen in over six months, but my sunburn wasn't too bad. We had some funky weather while we were down there--it was downright cool--the people working at the ferry in Port Aransas were wearing coats and stocking hats! That made for some slow fishing, but we did catch some fish--mostly sea trout--and learned a TON for our next trip in October. We all learned to pole--only Pop fell in the water--we learned about different water, different flies, fish behavior, and saw a few new bird species. My favorite is the tri-colored heron--crazy hackle!

The boat broke down on Friday when we were trying to go in--it ended up being the ignition and a short in the engine. I did catch a sea trout while we were floating around the bay.

Being pulled back in to Goose Island by Captains Heard.

Paddy can't go to Texas without shooting a pig. It was awfully delicious on Mother's Day. YUM!

It's taken me a week to recover from my trip, but I'm already planning my next trip south--I see some big bull reds in my future.

Simms at Sturtevants

2011-05-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

We hope you can join us at this awesome event! Bring your felt-soled boots--I can't believe you still have them?!?!?!?!

Mullets and Hell's Bay Boats

2011-05-11T14:07:00.000-07:00

I’m so tired, I can barely type, but the show must go on.

I’ve been in Texas for twelve days—hanging out with the folks and redfishing. Chance, the lovely gentleman at Swan Point Landing was awesome and it’s great to be able to go to a fly shop in Rockport, Texas. I’m exhausted, sunburned, and defeated, but it was great going down south and I plan on another trip in October. I could grow a mullet and buy a Hell’s Bay before you know it.

I’m at home base today catching up; fortunately, the fly-tying class I teach was canceled so that I can do a few things at home.

Tomorrow, I’m heading west for the Sandy River Spey Clave. I’ve been trying to go for years and even though I should be at home, I’m going for it. I can’t wait to see some friends and learn lots. I think driving by myself will be a nice change of pace, too.

Last week, the Blue Collar issue of Blood Knot was released. Check it out here.

We’re 16 days from opening day and I can’t wait. I’ve got so much to do to get ready, but I guess I have so much to do in general.

2011 is a great year, period.

Flat Stanley Visits the Lower Lost

2011-04-25T18:38:00.001-07:00

My cousin Luke sent out Flat Stanley to visit to some places for a little geography lesson. He made it to beautiful Sun Valley and went fishing on the Lower Lost. Amanda and I took a pic with him. He had a few tragedies throughout the day and fell in the river more than once. He dried off quickly and has been waiting on the fridge for another adventure.

Emotionally Distraught Youngsters

2011-04-18T12:12:00.001-07:00

I should be posting about how amazing the fishing's been in Stanley and on the Lost, but I'm too lazy and too busy to download photos. I was looking at a competitor's website, Silver Creek Outfitters, and saw this amazing photo of some really traumatized children--I almost peed my pants from laughing so hard.

It's 10 days until I'm in Texas redfishing, so I guess that means I have ten days of steelhead left--I better make it count!

Texas Redfish!

2011-04-08T06:58:00.000-07:00

Paddy and I are heading south in a few weeks to hit up some redfish on the Texas coast. Redfishing is definitely the cheapest way to hit the salt, especially since it's home for me so I'll have my awesome mom to take care of us, my dad to pull the sweet flats boat we're hooked up with, and Whataburger and Shiner Bock to keep us fueled.

I'm especially Jonesin' since it's snowing here and the high will be 37 today while it's going to be 90 in Goliad, Texas. Ugh!

I need help tying flies...any suggestions?

April Fools Steelhead

2011-04-05T17:34:00.000-07:00

Driving up to Stanley.

April 1 is always a good indicator of the steelhead season. Two years ago, we caught 10 fish in an hour, last year, we counted 180 cars within 20 miles of Stanley, and this year we had an amazing spring day.

Last Friday, I met Keith and Paddy in Stanley for what turned out to be a beautiful day of steelheading. Keith broke his My Rock curse by landing a nice fish early on and Paddy and I followed his lead down river. It was amazingly warm and sunny--it was the only time I've had to take off layers steelheading.

Chillaxin' on the beach.

Keith's first fish of the day.
My wild buck. No, the pic wasn't Photoshopped. He's on his way to make some babies next month!

Days like Friday remind me of why I live in Idaho. It's only one more day until I get to go back! Paddy and Carl have officially moved into the Tyvek Teepee, btw. Fun times.

Another beautiful day in the Sawtooths.

Killing it on the Lost

2011-03-28T20:14:00.001-07:00

The midges are pretty small compared to the net, but there were a ton of them.

Lost River Whitey--beautiful fish over there.

Another cookie cutter rainbow on the Lost.

Amanda with her first fish of the day.

Last Monday, my friend Amanda and I headed over to the Lost for some SNOWY fishing. I hooked a fish on my first cast, which is one of the reasons I love fishing over there. The fishing was amazing all afternoon. There were two types of midges, a sprinkling of baetis, and heads up everywhere. The best thing about fishing was knowing it wasn't going to end in April when the river normally closes. The river's going to be open year-round--WINNING!

It's also finally full-on steelhead season. Paddy caught 12 today--an I had to work--poo poo.

In conclusion, the fishing's amazing right now!

A Little Permit Porn

2011-03-23T13:28:00.001-07:00

Some lovely clients of mine just sent these photos from Ascension Bay. They definitely succeeded at making me jealous. At least I'll be in the Texas flats stalking redfish in about six weeks!

Horrible, horrible, horrible...please help us stop the megaloads

2011-03-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

March 21, 2011 in Idaho
Idaho House moves to block anti-megaload lawsuits
Betsy Z. Russell The Spokesman-Review

BOISE - The Idaho Legislature is moving to block citizen lawsuits over giant megaloads on the state’s highways, with legislation clearing the House Monday to require a big up-front cash bond from anyone filing such a lawsuit.

” I think it will stop frivolous lawsuits,” said Dick Harwood, R-St. Maries, sponsor of the bill. HB 193 would require anyone suing over a transportation project on Idaho roads to first post a bond equal to 5 percent of the insured value of the load. Harwood said his bill was prompted by the controversial hauling of giant megaloads of oil equipment on Highway 12, to which local residents and businesses along the route have objected.

Harwood said he included an emergency clause to block more lawsuits over upcoming megaloads; ConocoPhillips has hauled two giant truckloads across the twisting, two-lane highway, taking up both its lanes; ExxonMobil plans more than 200 over the next year.

“The emergency clause was put in there because we felt that there was going to be more lawsuits coming, and we felt that we needed to get this done,” Harwood told the House.

Rep. Marv Hagedorn, R-Meridian, said, “We have a number of frivolous lawsuits now that cost our state money, that don’t accomplish very much but delay our economic growth and viability.”

Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow, objected. “How are these individuals going to come up with the amount of money that is going to be necessary, which could be considerable amounts of money?” she asked. “To me, it puts in place sort of a David and Goliath situation.”

Rep. Wendy Jaquet, D-Ketchum, said, “I think the people that live on Highway 12 and the people that recreate on Highway 12, including the outfitters and guides, have a huge financial stake in this process. For that reason, I think there needs to be an open public process.”

The House vote 53-16 in favor of the bill, which now moves to the Senate. All 13 of the House’s minority Democrats voted against the bill; they were joined by three Republicans, Reps. Tom Trail of Moscow, Leon Smith of Twin Falls, who is the House Transportation chairman, and Lynn Luker of Boise.

Trail said the state’s current permit fees for giant megaloads don’t cover all its costs to process the permits. “So each one of those loads that goes over Highway 12 is partially subsidized by the Idaho taxpayers,” he said. “This legislation is very discriminatory against individuals and businesses along routes like this, as well as other citizens, who might have a legitimate gripe that they want to bring to the legal process.”

Rep. Lenore Barrett, R-Challis, said, “You need to cut to the chase. If we’re going to improve (and) retain what economy we have in this state, we need to get equipment from here to there, we need production. And in order to facilitate that, we need this lawsuit issue resolved. This bill does that. You may not like it, but it’s necessary.”

A week and a half ago, Idaho Rivers United filed a federal lawsuit challenging the ExxonMobil megaload permits.

Beyond the Fly

2011-03-07T12:09:00.000-08:00

I'm a little late in the blogosphere posting this, but I thought it would be better late than never. Beyond the Fly is a new print magazine for women fly-fishers. I am beyond stoked to hear about the magazine to say the least.

On a more local note, I hit the Wood on Saturday with one of my new lady-friends and we had a variety of large bows rising to midges until we froze our fingers off. Also, Paddy popped some steelies on Thursday--I can't believe it's that time already! I look forward to popping a few of my own this Thursday! I just love spring fishing! And using exclamation points, apparently...

Blood Knot Wet Issue

2011-03-02T08:51:00.000-08:00

Check out the new issue of Blood Knot. We've got steelhead, steelhead, and steelhead, oh my...and some other stuff.

The Giant Mayfly

2011-03-01T17:13:00.000-08:00

This is getting me excited about Brown Drakes...

Zone 4 Magazine

2011-02-22T11:22:00.001-08:00

The Spring Issue of Zone 4 Magazine arrived in my mailbox yesterday with an article by me! Zone 4 is an awesome magazine that features gardens and gardening info about Zone 4--my zone and a difficult one to grow in. Check it out if you're in the far north--there's some amazing stuff in there!

All my wildest dreams have come true

2011-02-17T08:39:00.000-08:00

I was scanning the blog roll this morning and saw the third issue of Ten and Two is out. I hadn't heard of it yet so I took a peek and it's a reincarnation of Fish and Fly--the best fishing magazine that's ever been printed! It'll be nice to give my issues of Fish and Fly a break since I've been re-reading them since the mag went out of print. I'm doubly excited about this issue which features the dirty south pretty heavily. I'm going redfishing in Texas in May and have a one track mind right now.

Anyhoo, it's awesome stuff and I definitely recommend taking a look.

March Fly-tying Classes

2011-02-16T09:40:00.001-08:00

Beginner Fly-tying
March 3 and March 29
$30 for both classes, includes materials
6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Join Morgan Buckert, local fly-fishing guide, at The Loft in Hailey to learn the basics of fly-tying. She will start at the beginning and teach some standard patterns for fishing in the Wood River Valley. Please bring a vise, bobbin, whip finisher, and scissors if you have them. A 15% off coupon for fly-tying tools and materials at Sturtevants in Hailey and materials for the class are included in the class fee. Please call 788-5114 for more information or to register. Class size is limited.

Support Mia Sheppard and Casting for Recovery

2011-02-14T09:02:00.000-08:00

Mia Sheppard will be supporting Casting for Recovery at this year's Spey-o-Rama. Held on April 17 in San Francisco, Mia will be kicking some ass and helping out a great cause. You can support her here. I hope to see her skills at work during the 2011 Sandy River Spey Clave.

Governor’s office chafes at treatment over bull trout, considers suing feds

2011-02-11T08:29:00.000-08:00

By Jay Patrick
February 3rd, 2011

State is grandstanding on issue, says an environmental group

Gov. Butch Otter’s office is contemplating suing the federal government over its new designation of critical habitat for bull trout.

“It’s just this overarching, overbearing, overwhelming designation,” said Nate Fisher, administrator of the Governor’s Office of Species Conservation.

The critical habitat areas established last fall by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designates 8,772 stream miles and 170,218 acres of lakes and reservoirs in the state as critical habitat. The rule came following input from interests across the board, including the state. Fisher said the feds flat out ignored the state’s input.

“The final rule included everything possible, everything even remotely feasible. It was breathtaking in scope and it was alarming in its complete and utter dismissal of the state of Idaho,” Fisher said.

The federal government first set critical habitat in the early 2000s, following the listing of the bull trout on the endangered species list in 1998. Environmental groups sued the government back then, saying that areas designated were not extensive enough. Back and forth action since then led to the new designation last fall.

Water users fear the designation could result in new restrictions on irrigation, power generation, and new dam building, particularly in the Boise River Basin.

“This new designation simply could not be much worse for Idaho water,” said Norm Semanko, Idaho WaterUsers Association executive director, last fall in the Idaho Statesman. He could not be reached for this story.

“We feel that it (the designation) was arrived at by the use of sound science with ample opportunity for public agency and state feedback,” said Liz Paul, Boise River campaign coordinator with Idaho Rivers United. “Idaho Rivers United thinks that the state is doing a little grandstanding on this issue and is not exhibiting a full understanding of the role of critical habitat designation.”

Paul did commend Idaho Fish and Game Department for helping bull trout establish a “robust” population across the state since the 1990s.

Jonathan Oppenheimer, senior conservation associate with the Idaho Conservation League, said the federal designation was well thought out and that his organization doesn’t buy the dire economic consequences resulting from the designation predicted by water users (Semanko has said the designation could cost $1 billion.)  ”We question that doomsday scenario,” Oppenheimer said. “Really the designation of critical habitat raised the bar a little bit (but) we don’t really see a huge change.”

Fisher counters: “They really don’t see any more restrictions on land use. The concern that we have is that it opens the door to potential lawsuits.”

Fisher said a timeline has not been set on a decision to sue the feds in order to put the designation on hold and force reconsideration of the habitat designation.

Idaho Reporter

Something Fishy on Etsy

2011-02-07T12:58:00.000-08:00

I put together a treasury of awesome fish stuff on Etsy last week. Check it out on Blood Knot.

When it's too cold to fish...

2011-02-03T11:11:00.000-08:00

It has been bitterly cold in Idaho for the past month. We started winter off with some awesome snow, but it's been so cold that we haven't had any snow in well over a month. It's even been so cold that the river has frozen over for days at a time. I've managed to go out twice since the new year and it was fantastic, but it's just too dang cold. Instead of fishing, I've been trying to build my Etsy site and finish some sewing orders. I've been wanting to try to make something out of waders and made myself a handbag a couple of weeks ago. The waders were surprisingly easy to sew and the bag looks fantastic, but looks horribly crooked in this photo for some reason.

I'm hoping for some more snow--both for the skiing and the fish--and some warmer temps so I can fish a little more. I guess it is winter in Idaho, though.

P.S. It's only about a month until steelhead season!

2011 Christmas List

2011-02-01T08:51:00.000-08:00

I was scrolling This is Fly this morning and saw a super pimp reel with skull and crossbones. It looked like an Abel so I went to their website to check out what was going on besides the insanely expensive nippers that everyone's in a huff about. I didn't see the skull and crossbones, but I think I need everything else...

WOW! I want everything!

Flashlights!

Belt Buckles!

Derek De Young!

And Tribal Salmon, oh my!

On a much more reasonable note, it hasn't snowed here in over a month, but the backcountry skiing is still great on north facing slopes. Also, the midges have been insane even though it's been to cold to really have anything on the water. I hope they don't peter out before it gets warmer in March.

Also, I'm super stoked that the Lower Lost will be open in April and May! There will be insane spring fishing that we've never had before. I'm really looking forward to it--and steelhead season!

Sandy River Flood

2011-01-19T17:14:00.000-08:00

The Sandy River from alexandra erickson on Vimeo.

No More Felt Soles

2011-01-14T10:28:00.000-08:00

This week, both Oregon and Montana introduced bills to ban felt soles. I've worn Simms sticky rubbers for over two years now and will never go back. Hopefully Idaho will be next on the list. Call your legislator in support of the bans.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-01-10T13:21:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to me! I'm still on the bright side of 30 and I was REALLY stoked to go to the mail today and pick up my new tap shoes. It's taken 28 years for me to get to go to a tap dancing class and I hope to tap the rest of the winter away and then make some coffee with my new JetBoil that Paddy gave me. Pretty strange birthday combo, but I'm a pretty strange character.

Looking forward to another great year in Idaho!

Happy New Year from Blood Knot!

2011-01-03T11:10:00.000-08:00

Check out the new Blogger issue of Blood Knot! Representin' da ladies are Rip Lips, The Outdooress, and Fly Gal. Also, check out the awesome Sumo Rod Mounts. Happy reading!

Happy New Year from Snowy Sun Valley!

2010-12-31T08:24:00.000-08:00

A Letter to Santa

2010-12-13T11:33:00.001-08:00

Dear Santa,

I’ve been very, very good this year, and I have something special to ask you for. I want a fishing partner. You might ask, “Morgan, didn’t I already give you a fishing partner?” Well, Santa, I guess technically I have a fishing partner, but I need another one.

My kick-ass man-friend has been my fishing partner for over five years; but since we both guide, we rarely get to fish together more than once a week. During the summer we’re just strangers in passing. I need a real, honest-to-god, full-time fishing partner.

I tried asking our mutual friends to go fishing with me, but it was just too weird. I once asked one of my man’s friends to go fishing and fortunately he quickly replied that he had to work. It’s not weird when we’re fishing as a group, but something just isn’t right fishing with each other. I think there was a Seinfield episode about that. You would think that there’s someone in my town who needs a fishing partner, but I haven’t found them yet. I guess meeting new people requires socializing, but I’d much rather fish by myself than have to talk to strangers.

My new partner can be young or old, male or female, but having a woman to share layers and layers of fishing clothes with would be awfully convenient. Someone strong and dumb enough to wade with me during run-off would be cool, too. Personal hygiene is key since there will be close quarters in the car and in a tent.

On the river, I want a partner who knows what they’re doing. Someone to compete with and heckle each other endlessly would be super rad. I think that’s probably one of my favorite things about fishing (when I’m not being paid). Call me a dork, but I’d like to be able to discuss the fine qualities of Frogs Fanny or compact Skagit heads while I’m fishing. Chit chatting on the river is absolutely mandatory. Oh, it’d be amazing if my new partner attracted more mosquitoes than I do, but I really don’t think that’s possible.

I often feel the need to run over to Yellowstone or somewhere to pop a steelie. So…I guess a fishing partner who still charges their gas to their parents would be the shiz-nit. Hopefully we could put beer on the card, too. On said road trips, my new partner should have the same enthusiasm I do for side trips for Blizzards, Bar-B-Que, and fly shops. I think I stopped at 13 fly shops one winter between Ketchum and Livingston—a few were even closed. It also takes a special person (or a Southerner) to appreciate the countless playlists of alternating Jerry Jeff Walker and Cypress Hill.

Please, please, please, Santa, I really want a full-time fishing partner. I ate all my veggies and released all my fish. If that doesn’t work out though, I’d like a new iPod.

Love, Morgan

A South Texas Christmas Eve

2010-12-09T08:40:00.000-08:00

10:00 AM

Pop “wraps” Mom’s Christmas presents and delivers paper bags at the ranch

12:00 PM

Mom prints coupons for free Whataburgers and Pop makes stranger take iPhoto of us with our coupons while at Whataburger

Caleb is embarrassed

1:00 PM

Put on White Christmas or horrible Lifetime Christmas movie for napping

Pop or Andrea-Icebox blanket

Mom-Red quilt

Morgan-Pink quilt

Caleb-I’m not sure what blanket has been officially titled his

3:00 PM

Used to be time to bathe, but Morgan and Andrea have revolted

They sing Christmas songs and then fight in the bathroom

4:00 PM

Family photo in front of the Christmas tree, handguns optional

5:00 PM

Church at St. Dennis, leading Sheriff to ranch hands optional

Sing in Spanish

Chit Chat after church

7:00 PM

Stop at Moo-Moos for Dr. Peppers

7:15 PM

Go-Go yells at us because we’re late—we tell her that we like to go to church at

the ranch

7:30 PM

Gorging on tamales, cheese dip, various pickled items like herring, shrimp, and pickles

8:00 PM

Family photo—assigned seating

8:30 PM

Gift opening

New tradition—Caleb gets everyone drunk

10:00 PM

Drive home with the windows down

11:00 PM

Santa comes early (only after 2004 snow)

Fire is lit even though it’s 85 degrees outside and we burn all trash whether appropriate or not

2:30 AM

Morgan’s the last one to bed

Merry Christmas Y'all!

Oregon, Part Two

2010-12-06T14:09:00.001-08:00

Steelhead still life

The second half of my trip to Oregon was pretty crazy. I floated the Kickitat River in Washington with Marcy Stone from the Fly Fishing Shop in Welches. The river was absolutely gorgeous, there were salmon all over the river, and I got some awesome casting lessons. It was by far the best part of the trip. After my float, I drove to Portland to stay at some awesome clients' house. Unfortunately, they were out of town, but I'll definitely be back to Oregon to fish with them. The next morning I was so exhausted, I couldn't manage to get up to fish so I explored a little in Portland, including a trip to Powell's, of course. I headed out the next morning and hit the John Day and the Owyhee on my way back home over the next couple of days. Nothing exciting, but I got to see some more amazing country. I really look forward to going back.

Swinging on the Klickitat.

Some moldy chum action.

Quiet day on the Owyhee.

About a Year Late, but...

2010-11-30T15:37:00.001-08:00

Heading West.

I've finally had a moment to put up some pics from my trip to Oregon. I went for nine days and it was absolutely amazing. I hooked a fish my first hour of fishing, but that was it for steelhead.

I started on the Deschutes and stopped in Maupin at the Deschutes Angler. John and Amy Hazel, as well as Bruce Berry, the Oregon rep for Montana Fly and Beulah Fly Rods, were absolutely wonderful to me and gave me more detailed information than I would have ever expected. Bruce said I should burn that map that John made for me, but I kinda wanted him to autograph it! I fished up and down the Deschutes for three days. There were a few people out, but it was easy to get in wherever I wanted. The weather was pretty pleasant--about 50 with some rain, but the water temperature was about a million degrees warmer than at home.

First afternoon on the Deschutes.

The road goes down river right and the railroad on river left. Supposedly, two competing railraods built on opposite sides of the river and the one who lost had theirs turned into the BLM road. I'm not used to Double Speys, so I had to work pretty hard on my casting, but that was really a good thing. I had never fished without a sink tip either--it's a whole new game with a floating line.

Dinner for one.

A beautiful Deschutes run. Lots of deer, but no tugs.

The river was so beautiful and there were so many colors--it was a nice change from Hailey, which is already pretty wintery. At the run above, I saw about ten whitetails swim across the river--I've never seen that in my life. I would have bet money I was going to catch a fish here, but I only lost a fly on a rock. I guess that's steelheading.

Can't beat a first cast trout.

One afternoon, I was swinging through a run and there were trout going crazy everywhere. I finally had to stop and pull out a trout rod and caught a fish on my first cast. I had to beat the trout and whiteys off my standard ParaWullf with Zebra Midge dropper. It's amazing how a few trout can lift your spirits on a slow day.

Part Two is coming soon...

A Little Thanksgiving Reading...

2010-11-23T14:25:00.000-08:00

I've been back from my steelhead trip to Oregon for a week now, but I haven't even unpacked the car! I've been SO busy with work, work, and work (there are actually three types of employment at the moment) I don't think I've even downloaded pics yet.

Anyhoo, check out an awesome story by Peyton Baker on Blood Knot. It's a familiar story for a lot of ladies...

I hope to be back to normal after the holiday week.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Oregon Trail

2010-11-04T09:18:00.000-07:00

I'm heading to Oregon for 9 days of steelheading on Monday morning. I'm just rocking it by myself--camping in the car and keeping warm with a bottle of scotch. Last night I was reading about flies and I got so excited I was a little nauseous! I have no idea what I'm doing--I just had images of me walking in to the first shop in starched Orvis clothes, asking, "Excuse me, but is there anyone who can teach me how to Shadow Cast?" I guess it's not that bad--I have a pretty bomber Snap-T and an acceptable Double Spey, but the learning curve is pretty steep. My goal is to catch one fish--anything else will be icing on the cake. This will be a great learning experience and a grand adventure. I can't wait to see what I find...

If you haven't yet, check out the new issue of Blood Knot!

Blood Knot--Issue 3!

2010-10-31T22:04:00.000-07:00

Issue 3 of Blood Knot is out and is representin' the ladies. April Vokey's on the cover, Casting for Recovery is featured, a holiday song from Marcy Stone, and a letter to Santa from yours truly. Check it out here!

Fly-tying Binge

2010-10-28T08:24:00.000-07:00

In the last two weeks, Paddy and I have managed to blow $900 on fly-tying materials. That's $900 of guide prices--seriously. There are so many new kins of shiny dubbing to get stuck in the carpet now--I can barely contain myself.

Yesterday, we received our Hareline order and I finally got a new vise (my Renzetti has been rubber banded together for two years). I went for Griffin's Montana Mongoose. I had heard bomber things about it and I was not disappointed when I opened the box. I couldn't figure out why there was a pistol on the table when I got home, but my vise s so heavy duty it came in a gun box. It came with a pedestal and c-clamp and has one of the best roataries I've seen in a long time. The clamp to tighten hooks in is bomber and super fast to use. That will be super handy tying all of the 30 dozen zebra midges I'll look forward to this winter.

I'm really looking forward to tying a few steelhead flies tonight. I'm heading to Oregon on November 8 and I've already had two steelhead dreams. Last night, Brian O'Keefe guided me into a nice wild hen on the Deschutes.

My life is messed up.

Some Sweet, Sweet Steelhead Action

2010-10-25T08:15:00.001-07:00

Paddy and I went up to Salmon last week to swing for some steelies. Paddy popped two (on nymphs--shame) and there were over 100 people swinging in a ten-mile area. WTF! I was really excited to see that many double-handers, though. I also managed to get a Green Butt Skunk all the way into my thumb--super fun. The fish were super hot--it was an awesome trip.

I'm so excited about heading to Oregon I can barely contain myself! Only two weeks...

Blood Knot

2010-10-19T16:55:00.000-07:00

I'm super excited to say that there's going to be some sweet, sweet Blood Knot action soon! Check out our website at www.bloodknot.net.

And...I hope to pop a steelhead on Friday. I can't believe it's already that time of year!

A River Runs...

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

"Do I look like Brad Pitt?" says the hungover client. If I had a nickel for every time I've been asked...

It still never gets old.

Another Excited Angler

2010-10-05T17:00:00.000-07:00

Another BBT...

Finally Summer?

2010-09-27T16:28:00.000-07:00

We had a super late start to our summer (I wore a jacket on the 4th of July), but it looks like our late start is turning into a warm fall. Tomorrow we're expecting 87 degrees on Silver Creek. I am so stoked that we've been able to extend our crazy hopper fishing at least another week! Here's a photo of a not-so-big (but huge by other rivers' standards) Silver Creek brown trout.

I do hope we get a crappy weather day soon so I can start tying flies for some steelieboppers on my new Griffin Montana Mongoose vise!

Carpin' Crunch

2010-09-21T19:45:00.000-07:00

Paddy and I tried to catch some delicious carps on the Snake the other day and things went horribly wrong. There were white caps on the off color river (there was a fire) so we shopped the stink bait at Sportsman's Warehouse and watched about 12 base jumpers on the Perrine Bridge. I guess it wasn't a total failure and now I know about fish bats and Sturgeon Stank.

Post fire with lots of white caps. Not so good for the carping.

All of the delicious choices of PowerBait. So many flavors and so much glitter!

Right after I found the fish bat. For $4.99 you can beat thousands of fish to death. Sounds fun...

The Perrine Bridge. The only place in the U.S. where BASE jumping is legal. It's also visible from the parking lot at Sportsman's Warehouse.

More BBT

2010-09-19T21:27:00.001-07:00

Mary Ann, one of my favorite peeps, popped this big boy on the creek last week.

Ouch!

2010-09-15T20:06:00.001-07:00

Another Big Brown Trout munched Ian's thumb...

Blood Knot

2010-09-14T08:13:00.001-07:00

I'm excited to share that I've been bought on as the editor of Bitch Creek at Blood Knot Magazine! We're working on our third issue and I'm really excited about the great stuff we have coming up. On that note, I'm looking for women to write for Bitch Creek and need you! Please send me story ideas to morgan@bloodknot.net.

Munch!

2010-09-08T19:14:00.000-07:00

Garrik Lo enjoying the fruits of the vole explosion on 'da creek.

It Ain't My Fault by Mos Def & Lenny Kravitz | stupidDOPE.com

2010-08-31T06:22:00.000-07:00

Definitely on the playlist when I'm Third Coasting...

Steelhead Bonanza 2010

2010-08-30T18:57:00.001-07:00

After working basically every day for the past five years and being unemployed for a lot of the last year, I've decided to embrace the leisure lifestyle and hit the road for steelhead this November. It's really overwhelming, however; I have to decide where to go, for how long, what rivers to fish, where I can camp, bathe, eat, etc. There are flies to tie, probably a new rod to buy, and tons of other stuff to consider. I'm leaning towards Oregon, but am willing to go anywhere.

What should I do?

Brodin!!!

2010-08-24T12:01:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure that I've ever had a new net and definitely never a nice one. After Paddy lost TWO of my nets this year, I splurged for a Brodin MacKenzie and I'm in love. At 49", I can finally land all of the ginormous fish I'm used to catching. It even made it's way into my bed last night. I feel like a kid with a new toy. I love that sweet smell of varnish, the smooth handle, and the net with no holes in it (yet).

I Love You, Moldy Chum

2010-08-19T18:38:00.000-07:00

So I was checking out the Chumster after getting home from guiding today and saw 20 Minute Magic Hour on today's posts. I called Paddy over to show him and he was totally stoked so he gave Carl a ring to share the good news. After discussing their mutual awesomeness (for a really long time considering that we had spent the last twelve hours together) the conversation was ending and Paddy said, "I love you."

Bahhahahahahahahahahahahah.

I always knew Paddy loved Carl more than me.

Silver Creek Tricos

2010-08-13T16:05:00.000-07:00

Here's another clip from Paddy. We're fishing tricos on the creek, but there's not much going on because so much was edited from me cussing like a sailor (Paddy hasn't figured out editing with music, yet) and both of us farming fish like it's our job. Some sweet, sweet trico action, though.

20 Minute Magic Hour

2010-08-09T13:20:00.000-07:00

This is a pretty slow clip, but the fishing's pretty fast. Featuring my guide bffs (and bf) Paddy and Carl.

Hells Yeah!

2010-08-05T14:59:00.000-07:00

Summer 2010: The season of the vole

Small rodents appearing, dying in large numbers south of Bellevue

By KATHERINE WUTZ
Idaho Mountain Express

A vole sprints out of a burrow at the edge of an alfalfa field just south of Bellevue. Photo by Willy Cook

Driving south of Timmerman Hill? Look out for crossing voles.

Motorists driving along state Highway 75 and U.S. Highway 20 in southern Blaine County have reported an unusually large number of vole casualties on and along the roads.

Lauren Hunter, an extension educator with the University of Idaho, said that the number of voles has been especially high this year, even compared with last year's substantial numbers.

Voles—small burrowing rodents—have been reported overrunning fields and gardens, she said. Gary Wright, who works for the Shoshone Field Office of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, said there have been numerous reports of a major vole problem in the area.

Hunter said that voles tend to follow a three- to five-year population cycle, sometimes increasing 100-fold in a single year. The cycle is most likely due to resource limitation and other factors, according to Gary Witmer of the National Wildlife Research Center in Fort Collins, Colo.

Populations are normally held in check by natural predators such as foxes, owls and hawks. However, Hunter said she has had reports that foxes have not been as active or as visible as they normally are.

Hunter said that no official control actions have been waged on the voles. Private landowners might be using zinc phosphide, a pesticide, to control the vole population.

Hunter advised caution to those who may find the use of this chemical an appealing method for dealing with the pests, as the chemical can also harm cats, dogs and horses.

A Few Lovely Ladies

2010-08-02T11:23:00.000-07:00

The summer is finally busy! I've been guiding non stop and am trying to increase my inventory for The Brown Drake. I had a few minutes today to post some photos of some lovely ladies (sorry guys) I've had on the river in the past few weeks. I guess it's my ode to Rogue Angels and Fly Fisher Girl.

Fish on!

A Little Non-Fishing Entertainment

2010-07-28T16:52:00.000-07:00

My mom forwarded me the "Turtle Burger." Perfect for when you want your client to have a heart attack because you can't deal with them any more. Yes, it's burger wrapped in bacon with hot dogs.

Delish! (Vomit)

Bad Day on the Creek

2010-07-22T10:45:00.000-07:00

This morning, I headed out for Tricos at about 6.15, which is always a feat for me. Paddy and I signed in at the Preserve, then were beat to the place we wanted to fish by three dudes who did not sign in (technically tresspassing). Then we passed a guy guiding illegally (I'll spare the neighboring state--all four cars at the preserve were from there). We each found a spot--a reasonable distance from each other and from the illegal guide below me. Then there was extensive waiting for tricos, so I took a seat on a little island while I waited.

Some dude then saw me and walked in on me about twenty feet below where I was sitting (tricos are always a downstream or across cast). He rigged up and watched--I think he was waiting for me to get out of his way. He never got in the water, but waited for a looong time before he left. He then turned around and said, "Excuse me." "Yes," I said. "If you moved to the top of the island, you would be able to cast to the fish that are right where you are." I replied, "There aren't fish right here, but they are rising all around me." "Suit yourself," he retorted.

The dude not only walked in on me, but wanted me to move so he could fish to the BIG fish directly below me! I was so mad, it was all I could do to control myself. The tricos ended up not being that great and I was so mad, I just left the preserve and found much better fishing elsewhere.

Lessons of the day:

1. Follow the rules (sign in; don't guide illegally)--they may not be convenient, but they are there for a reason.

2. Get up early--I was on the preserve at 7 am--that's an hour and a half before you, old guy.

3. Be courteous--The guy who walked in on me slept in and took it out on me. I'm pretty sure he would have never walked in on or commented to a man.

Sorry about the rant, but I'm tired of being treated like a second class citizen by old dudes who don't know how to fish on Silver Creek.

Eastern Rises Pemiere

2010-07-16T22:10:00.000-07:00

I saw the premiere of Eastern Rises tonight. Wow. It was definitely worth waiting two years to see. Kamchatka has been at the top of my fishing list for a few years now, but the film was basically life changing. The film was beautiful--the music, the commentary, and most importantly, the fishing. I also think I'm in love with Ryan, the guide. Definitely pre-order for an August release.

Flatstaker

2010-07-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

I've fished the past couple of days with family friends from Corpus Christi, Texas. Clark is a huge redfisher and was telling me about the thing he fishes out of. I was really confused, but looked it up and am dying to get one. The Flatstalker looks like the perfect flats (including carp) rig. It also comes in more appropriate colors than yellow. I can't wait to try one out at Thanksgiving. Check them out here.

Silver Creek Sunset

2010-07-11T14:11:00.000-07:00

The fishing's finally awesome. We have some tricos in the morning on Silver Creek and PMDs and baetis in the evening. Other than the mosquitoes, it's pretty much perfect down there.

The Wood is highly fishable with lots of green drakes in the afternoons. Up in Copper Basin, the flavs are going insane in the late afternoon.

I couldn't ask for anything more.

Slab of the Month

2010-07-08T12:38:00.000-07:00

Y'all need to vote for my hot boyfriend (even though he doesn't know how to hold a fish for a photo) on Moldy Chum for Slab of the Month. Check it out here.

Back from Alaska!

2010-06-27T22:14:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure where to begin.

Alaska was awesome beyond belief. Calving glaciers, bubblenetting humpback whales, tidepooling, bears, birds, seals, sea lions, waterfalls, hikes, kayaking, and every other cool thing you could imagine. We did miss the King salmon by a few weeks, though. We caught sea-run cutthroat and Dolly Varden, as well as a few small halibut. The yacht was amazing, as was the crew. It was sad having to get off the boat, but coming back to heat, blue skies, and a green garden made it worth it.

It's nice to be back and I'm ready for guide season!

Packing for Alaska

2010-06-09T15:56:00.000-07:00

How many rods should I bring?

We're bringing an arsenal and hope to break them all.

Winston 9' 6 wt.
CD 9' 6wt.
Echo 9' 8 wt.
Loomis 9' 8 wt.
Echo 9' 10 wt.
Reddington 9' 10 wt.
Echo 11' 7 wt. Switch
Thomas and Thomas 13' 8/9 Spey
Echo 13'6" 8/9 Spey

It's starting to look like we're sponsored by Echo! For the price, you definitely can't beat the rods and since we don't get to spend much time fishing for big fish they are perfect.

Packing was really easy since the weather's been almost the same as here. Lots of rain, but a little warmer.

I'm so freaking excited, I'm starting to shake a little. No phone, no internet, lots of water, lots of fish, lots of fun.

Check ya on June 26th!

Oil Spill Pics from The Daily Beast

2010-06-09T14:15:00.000-07:00

Shocking Oil Spill Scenes

All I can think about are the Tarpon that were finally coming back to South Texas...

Blood Knot!

2010-06-02T18:21:00.001-07:00

The first issue if Blood Knot is finally out! I have an article on steelheading (though a little late) in the Bitch Creek section. There's lots of awesome stuff--check it out!

Opening Day!

2010-05-31T20:06:00.000-07:00

Saturday was opening day for trout season and was the first time I've ever been able to go fishing during the day.

Of course, I went to Silver Creek to fight the crowds, but all of the people were concentrated in the S-Turns or within 100 yards of the Visitor's Center so I had a lot of the Preserve to myself. The fishing was awesome and beyond easy. Catching a fish on my first cast always makes for a nice season opener. I was throwing a PMD that was two sizes too small and a huge un-weighted pheasant tail and they ate both basically every cast. The fish were so easy it was like the fall on the Lower Lost. There were a few size 13 PMDs floating down the creek as well as a few baetis and lots of microscopic tan midges. Other than the rain (I'm tired of being wet and cold), I couldn't have asked for a better day. On my way out, I even stopped in for a burger and beer at the Visitor's Center and caught up on the gossip.

I took a quick pass through the Willows and Point of Rocks to check for Brown Drakes, but I don't think they're be around for a few more days.

I figured I might as well hit the Wood too since it's pretty rare that it's fishable on opening day. The water was running about 680 cfs so it wasn't crossable, but it was definitely clear and fishable. I fished just south of Ketchum and caught a nice bow on my first cast. I was throwing a small Montana Fly Juan Worm with a red bead and threw on a Bacon and Eggs for shits and giggles. They didn't like the Bacon and Eggs, but I didn't expect them to. The fish were also rising to some midges, but I didn't even bother.

I'm so excited to be back into trout and can't stop thinking about all the Kings I'll be catching in Alaska next week!

SE AK--T-minus two weeks!

2010-05-27T11:16:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's only two weeks until I'll be in Alaska! The boat we'll be on so so pimp. Fishing, kayaking, whale watching, climbing glaciers, etc. I haven't tied a single fly, though. I guess I better get on that...

Fly-Girls 2010!

2010-05-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

Fly Girls, Sturtevant's women's only fly-fishing school has announced our dates for 2010. There will be three sessions this year: July 16-18, August 7-9, and September 11-13. I hope you can join us! Check out all of the info at www.sturtos.com.

County Declared in Drought (We saw this coming)

2010-05-03T19:56:00.000-07:00

County declared in drought

By TREVON MILLIARD
Idaho Mountain Express
April 30, 2010

Blaine County is officially experiencing a drought emergency, according to a declaration approved by Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter and Gary Spackman, interim director of the Idaho Department of Water Resources.

The drought declaration authorizes Spackman to make temporary changes to water rights, including diversion of water and restricting place of use and the purpose of use.

"Temporary changes shall only be approved for the purpose of providing a replacement water supply to lands or other uses that normally have a full water supply," the declaration reads.

These changes cannot be done to provide water for new development.

Blaine County was one of five that have received the drought declaration so far. "Significant" drought conditions due to below-normal precipitation and snowpack levels are occurring throughout central and eastern Idaho.

As of April 1, the Big Wood and Little Wood River drainages had respective snowpack levels of 69 percent and 68 percent of normal.

The Department of Water Resources has forecast April-through-July streamflow volumes for the Big Wood River above Magic Reservoir to be only 38 percent of average. The Little Wood River near Carey is predicted to have 46 percent of its average volume.

Blaine's two adjacent neighbors to the north and east, Custer and Butte counties, have also been issued drought declarations. The three river drainages in that area are averaging 63 percent of normal snowpack. Summer river volumes are expected to be 47 percent of normal in the Big Lost River drainage, 61 percent in the Little Lost River drainage and 52 percent in the Salmon River drainage.

The eastern Idaho counties of Teton and Fremont are also officially experiencing drought. Snowpack and precipitation levels in the Henry Fork and Teton river basins is only 61 percent of normal. Summer river volumes there are forecast to be a little more than 50 percent of average.

Those five counties are it for Idaho, so far.

Trevon Milliard: tmilliard@mtexpress.com

Twilight Fever

2010-05-03T19:46:00.000-07:00

I was recently watching whatever the second Twilight movie is with my friends (who are all obsessed) and all I could think about was the steelhead they weren't catching. There were so many longing looks and so little fishing. I'm pretty sure I had a dream that night that I was swinging on the river and the warewolf was there (I'm madly in love with him). Oh well. I'm sure I wasn't the only person who saw the movie who was thinking this, but there couldn't have been many of us.

Carp-tatstic!

2010-04-25T17:28:00.000-07:00

I thought about going capring today, but it was super windy on the Snake so I passed. Instead, I just received an e-mail from my dad with a photo of my mom with a carp she shot with a bow! I am so shocked--my mom's not much into fishing and I didn't think she had ever shot a bow before. I guess the family who carps together, stays together.

The Homeless Steelheaders

2010-04-20T09:32:00.001-07:00

Last year the Steelhead Mafia was housed in a warm structure with running water. It was by no means nice, but you could come home and warm up, have a hot shower, and cook something warm at the end of the day. The Steelhead Palace was not available this year and after lots of looking, Paddy and Carl decided that they would be camping in Carl's new tent.

Made out of discarded Tyvek, this tent has advertisements for Idaho Lumber around it, but it is warm, dry, and has a camp stove. Needless to say, I have not fished as much as I should this year because I won't sleep in the homeless tent.

Fish Ready

2010-04-12T16:22:00.000-07:00

It was time for me to get some new luggage and I researched quite a bit in the last few weeks. Of all of the companies I get deals from, I chose Eagle Creek and got these two awesome bags. Some of the requirements I had for new luggage included:

1. To last as long as my King Ranch luggage without weighing as much;
2. To be long enough to stash rods,
3. To be able to keep my waders and boots separate from less gross items
4. To be pirate proof in the Seychelles,
Helicopter proof in Kamchatka,
Sheep proof in New Zealand,
Camel proof in Mongolia,
and to be able to weather less exotic locales like Alaska, Patagonia, Cuba, Christmas Island, Africa, Europe, and Texas, etc...

While I was picking up my luggage at Backwoods, I also scored some really rad Gore-Tex tennies that someone had thrown away after wearing like ten times. I'm pretty sure that made my week.

Thank God, A Little More Water

2010-04-07T08:46:00.000-07:00

Spring storms have helped water supply

Summer outlook still guarded

By JON DUVAL
Idaho Mountain Express

April 7, 2010

A recent spate of storms has increased the snowpack in the Big Wood Basin, but not enough to assuage concerns about this summer's water supply.

Snowpack in the basin, which includes the Wood River Valley, is up to 72 percent of average, a significant increase from the 63 percent calculated at the beginning of March.

"Late March storms brought a glimmer of hope to Idaho's water supply outlook," stated the Idaho Water Supply Outlook Report, released on April 1 by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. "If it weren't for the March precipitation, many more record low April 1 snow levels would have been set."

The report notes that the storms, which combined to drop more than 2 feet of snow in most of Idaho's mountain ranges, including those throughout the valley, increased precipitation to nearly 80 percent of normal for March.

Still, with the snow season almost over, forecasters are painting a less than perfect picture for this summer's water supply.

"The majority of streams in Idaho are forecast in the 40-65 percent of average range," the conservation service report stated. "A wet and cool spring would reduce and delay irrigation demand and extend our limited water supply."

The current forecast is dire enough to cause the Blaine County Commission to request that the state make an emergency drought declaration for the area.

At a meeting at the Old County Courthouse in Hailey on Tuesday, the commissioners authorized a drought declaration request, which needs approval from both Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter and the Idaho Department of Water Resources to be enacted.

If approved, the declaration would provide surface water irrigators with some relief during a difficult water year.

Kevin Lakey, water master for the Big Wood River Basin, said the declaration would allow irrigators to process requests to transfer water uses, such as switching irrigation rights from one field to another or even to a neighbor, much more quickly. He said that whereas it could normally take up to three months for a rancher to be able to make such a transfer, with the declaration it would take only days.

According to the report, the Mackay and Little Wood reservoirs are near capacity, while Magic Reservoir south of Bellevue is about half full.

"Water managers are storing as much water in Idaho reservoirs as they can because of the limited amount of snow in the mountains," the report stated. "Unfortunately, water supply shortages will likely still occur and some reservoirs that typically fill will be challenged to reach their capacity without abundant spring precipitation."

In an interview last month, Ron Abramovich, a water supply specialist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, said spring's impact on the water supply remains uncertain.

"We can't forecast spring precipitation like we can monitor the snowpack," he said. "Not all the cards are dealt yet, but we're going to need it. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees."

Jon Duval: jduval@mtexpress.com

180 Cars

2010-04-05T16:12:00.001-07:00

Last Friday was my first day of the season on the Salmon. I thought there may be a lot of people because of Easter weekend, but I couldn't have imagined there would be so many people. I counted 180 cars in about 25 miles of the Salmon. We had to fish the most obscure buckets because we could not get into any we normally fish. Both Paddy and I managed to have a few tugs, but we didn't catch any fish. I was so disgusted by the number of people on the river that I gave up about lunch time.

I'm hoping to spend a day up there by myself this week and see if I can pop a fish on my Echo TR 13'6" 8/9 spey rod. I've really enjoyed fishing with it so far and it's definitely the right price since I don't get to fish spey water very often.

Ketchum on the Fly

2010-04-01T17:50:00.000-07:00

I was employed by Ketchum on the Fly, the newest fly shop in Sun Valley, for over two years. In October I was "laid off" and made "head guide." I received only one trip as "head guide." I then had to re-interview for a guide position and was not rehired. I was treated very poorly throughout this time and desperately urge you to never take your business to Ketchum on the Fly.

Trout are Out; Steelhead are In

2010-03-31T17:11:00.000-07:00

First cast of the day.

The Lost River range with some freshies.

Cool clouds rolling in at Craters of the Moon.

Today was the last day of regular trout season so I headed to MacKay to hit the Lost up one more time. It was really nice to make the drive by myself--I caught up on some podcasts. The midges were prolific and the baetis were about a size 14. The fishing was fantastic and it was a great day to end the season. I've already pulled out my spey rod and steelhead boxes. Super excited about our awesome steelhead season.

Awesome

2010-03-25T08:57:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure this was on the Salmon--or at least there are plenty of hoodlems like him out there this year.

I found this on Buster Wants to Fish.

Inglorious Steelheaders

2010-03-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

This year the Steelhead Mafia has apparently taken on a new theme, the Inglorious Steelheaders. I think the combination of insane numbers of fish and our new desire to kill the hatchery bastards have influenced our behavior.

Paddy took my crew out last Thursday and they went to town. I think after my dad landed his first steelhead he gave up on all other forms of fishing. Above are a few fish pics, including an awesome whitey.

Neglecting the Blog

2010-03-21T11:27:00.000-07:00

I've totally been neglecting the blog for the last couple of weeks, but I guess it's good that I've been too busy to deal with it. My parents were here for a week. We went skiing, ate good food, crafted, and my dad even popped two steelies.

The trout fishing has also been great and I've had a couple of trips and have a few more booked through the month. The midges have not been out for long, but they've been pretty prolific mid afternoon. I've been throwing a size 12 Para Wulff with a size 14 red and black zebra midge and it's been doing the job. I'm hoping to get to MacKay tomorrow and have some bad weather baetis.

We only have about 10 days of trout season left, but the steelhead are here and it's only a few weeks until we have spawning carp on the Snake. Almost all of the snow is melted, unfortunately, but the birds are out and there are signs of come bulbs popping up. Looking forward to a fishy spring...and more consistent blogging.

Yurting

2010-03-08T20:13:00.000-08:00

Photos from the Fish Hook yurt last week. It wasn't that fishy, but the skiing was awfully good.