back in the saddle June 10, 2009
Posted by saltcastings in Family, Fishing.Tags: Leadership Tomorrow, Picnic Point, sea run cutthroat
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I know. Been a while. Whatever.
The boys started swimming for Innis Arden a few weeks ago and love it. The coaches are great and practice runs from 7-7.40 weeknights — a great way to end the day. They’re still not sure if they want to swim in the meets, but I think once they see one and all the excitement, they’ll be right there in the blocks with the rest of them.
Can hardly wait for the salmon to come back. The Game Dept. estimates there will be north of 5 million pinks this year through the Sound. I caught a dandy sea run cutthroat the other day at Picnic Point. Around 16 inches or so and beautiful. No sea lice at all. Picked him up on a simple white and brown baitfish pattern.
Heading to fish the Deschutes at the end of July. Yeah, baby.
Lucy started walking a few weeks ago. Still prefers crawling — well, being carried, actually — but seems to be stretching her legs more every day. Amazing how little she still is. 16 months old on Saturday and maybe 19lbs?
Leadership Tomorrow is almost a wrap. We’re presenting our project to our client, Seattle Education Access, next Tuesday and to the class on Thursday at our last challenge day. Graduation is on the 23rd at Woodland Park Zoo. Really glad I did this, but man, was it a lot of work. Love the people.
24 random things about me February 10, 2009
Posted by saltcastings in All-purpose, Family, Fishing, Friends, GS.add a comment
Copied from my FB page.
- I eat peanut butter almost every day and once bet a co-worker $50 I could eat a pint of Adams in one sitting. I would have done it if I hadn’t looked at the fat content and worried if my heart could take it.
- My oldest son, Jack is an amazing athlete and will be twice the soccer player I ever was.
- My youngest son, Noah, will invent something that will change history.
- My daughter, Lucy, will make me bald.
- I would fly fish every day if it would pay the mortgage.
- Dawn and I skied at White Pass for our second date. In the afternoon we hiked up a hill and threw snowballs at people going by and laughed until our sides hurt. I knew at that point she was the girl for me.
- My favorite TV show of all time is 60 minutes.
- There is nothing like the sight and sound of a ringneck pheasant exploding out of tall grass.
- I believe good people find each other.
- If money wasn’t an option, I’d have five bikes in my garage right now: silver ‘02 BMW GSA, ‘01 Ducati 996R, late-90’s Ducati Monster, ‘66 Ducati Mach 1 and an MV Agusta F4.
- My wife is the strongest person I will ever meet.
- When I was 12 I jumped off a 20+ foot cliff trying to catch a tree to impress my friends. I missed the trunk and caught my leg on the last branch. My head swung past a rock that probably would have killed me. I worry daily about the cliffs my kids will face.
- I wouldn’t be half the person I am today if I had not spent as much time with my grandmother as I did.
- I subscribe the theory that one can never have too many fly rods. Or shotguns.
- I have zero time/interest in watching sports on TV, so for years I’ve watched Sports Center highlights to keep up with my peers at the water cooler. Figure I’ve saved years of my life and they are none the wiser. The only exception to this is the World Cup.
- I can’t wait to get a dog.
- The anthems of my youth can be found in the lyrics of Minor Threat, The Cult and Public Enemy.
- I only wear shoes when I absolutely have to. Otherwise its flip flops.
- I love to cook, especially things that come with a chance to learn about another place, time or culture.
- I have been overserved in six of the top ten U.S. cities.
- You can find a picture of Tiger Woods and me in a 2-page Accenture ad in the January-February 2009 issue of the Economist.
- I once hauled a brand new surfboard all the way to Fiji and never put it in the water. There were no waves that week anywhere in the islands. Not even Cloudbreak.
- I love to win, learn from getting beat, and hate to lose.
- I’ve managed to catch crabs three times in the past three years. Dungeness, that is.
Noah’s first sea-run! November 30, 2008
Posted by saltcastings in Family, Fishing.Tags: Carkeek, mini-ceiver, pink comet, sea run cutthroat
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Noah and I tested the boys’ first pair of waders this morning at Carkeek. John, the old guy from Patrick’s, was just coming off the water after a shutout as we were gearing up in the parking lot. After he identified
my mystery fly as a pink comet, we scampered across the bridge. My plan was to do the casting and let Noah start getting the feel for managing the rod and stripping in the fly. I tied on a trusty pink and white mini-ceiver on my 4-5wt with a floating line and leader. The first cast and retrieve was rough. The second was a little better. My third cast was a bomb, the kind when you wish you had another five feet of line pooled at your feet. Noah stripped it a few times then bam, a little sea run cutthroat hit. He held the rod while I pulled it in. It was hard to say who was more excited – me or him – though I think I was the one doing most of the hollering. Bright fish, about eight inches, but the poor thing was covered in sea lice.
We worked down the bank a few more yards and saw a fish roll within range but couldn’t get it to rise. A couple of casts later we had another fish follow the fly in and make a pass just at the surface before spooking at the sight of us. Couldn’t tell how big but loved the sight of the bow wake.
Noah decided after that he wanted to play with some other kids on the beach, so I picked up my rod and gave the pink comet a bath. Got one solid hit but that was all.
Eglon road trip November 16, 2008
Posted by saltcastings in Family, Fishing.Tags: Eglon
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The boys and I jumped on the Kingston ferry this morning, javanated when we landed and used the power of Google Navigator to wind our way up the coast and down to the beach at Eglon. Great little saltwater park with a covered eating area and fire pit. I was pleasantly surprised to find it had a public boat launch, though the lot was small enough to make you realize it could easily turn into a pre-dawn rodeo of tail lights and fisticuffs on a busy summer morning.
I waded in just north of the launch in the outgoing tide, working my way over to a small gravel bar, then out as far as I could go before heading up the beach. Just after I switched out a pink mini-ceiver to a pink candy/clouser I hooked a decent fish, probably in the 14-inch range. Guessing it was a local salmon given the fact it was very silver and it didn’t immediately come out of the water like most of the sea runs I’ve caught. Regardless, he spit the hook as I was taking in the slack and making my way back to shore so Noah could muscle him in. My long-distance release skills seem to be improving, unfortunately.
Saw two other nice fish jump within casting range but couldn’t get either to take a fly. Our plan was to motor north to Point No Point but certain crew mates got hungry so we turned back to Kingston for burritos at Salsa – one of our faves.
Shutout on the Stilly October 21, 2008
Posted by saltcastings in Family, Fishing.Tags: sea run cutthroat, Stillaguamish, Stilly
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The boys and I headed north on Sunday to fish for sea run cutthroat on the Stillaguamish. We met Gary K. at the Denny’s just outside Arlington, and after a quick map consult and a cuppa, decided to try our luck around where the river intersects the town of Silvana.
Our first attempt at gaining river acess came up short when the friendly caretaker of the town’s nicest trailer park reminded us we were on private property. And that we had also been driving over the park’s posted speed limit. Apparently the cordless phone he was waving around also doubles as a radar gun.
We found some legal ground just north of where Larson Rd. crosses the river and dropped in to fish a long sweeping hole. Beautiful water, semi-clear, perfect temp. I was carrying both rods set up to fish different depths while the boys were armed with a Zebco and Mepps spinner.
Thirty minutes after we hit the water, the boys had given up on fishing. A while later I could see them badgering Gary at the far end of the hole, then they slipped out of sight. When I caught up with them about a half hour later, they were covered in wet sand, shoes off, hurtling themselves off a sand cliff and tumbling to the bottom. Thank god I’d brought changes of clothes for the trip home.
In the meantime, I threw everything but the fly box to no avail. Muddler, yellow spider, reverse spider and even an egg pattern in frustration. Made some great casts, too, and even made a game out of hitting the eddys on the far side of the river. Gary picked up a steelhead smolt and a decent sized cutt from a hole down the way, though he had to cover a bit of water for both of them.
Fantastic day on the river. Can’t wait to go back.
Hike to Heather Lake August 10, 2008
Posted by saltcastings in Family, Fishing.Tags: fly fishing, Heather Lake, hike
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The men of the house made short work of the 4-mile round trip to Heather Lake today.
Still lots of snow at the top. And mosquitos. The trail was fairly slippery as it rained hard Saturday and overnight before we set off. Time up was around 2 hours and time down almost 1.5. We rallied afterwards to catch a few brook trout on the north fork of the Stilliguamish outside Verlot. It was the first time the boys had casted a fly rod over moving water. Amazing how big an 8-inch fish feels on a 4-wt. rod when you’re five…
The ultimate fly fishing machine July 27, 2008
Posted by saltcastings in All-purpose, Fishing, GS.Tags: fly fishing, Picnic Point, R1100GS
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BMW: the ultimate fly fishing machine
Caught four flounder and a juvenile blackmouth yesterday morning at Picnic Point. I also hooked and lost a decent sized [12"-14"] trout that hit, swam straight at me and then jumped and spit the hook before I could get the line tight. It’s nice to be seeing some fish again.
Picnic Point July 7, 2008
Posted by saltcastings in All-purpose, Family, Fishing.Tags: fly fishing, Puget Sound
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First pull of the year July 4, 2008
Posted by saltcastings in All-purpose, Family, Fishing.1 comment so far
Crabbing is off to a great start. The boys and I need to work on our counting though: thought we had five in the keeper bucket and ended up throwing back our Royal Flush with the ladies.
This one’s for you, AK.
It’s on like Donkey Kong July 3, 2008
Posted by saltcastings in All-purpose, Family, Fishing.add a comment
The Puget Sound dungeness crab season opened today so the boys and I loaded up the Camper and pushed off RBC to drop the trap tonight. I need to get down to Outdoor Emporium this weekend and pick up another one to match as the neighbor’s trap is too heavy and unweildy to manage. The rack I built for the truck last year went together ok again, though I think I’ll reinforce it a bit more to combat the loosening joints. Crazy weather: super humid, intermittent downpours and lightning. Perfect for three wingnuts in a 16′ canoe. This summer is supposed to be a bang-up season according to the Times. Melt the butter, Lucy!
Oh, and Super G finally found the fish last weekend off the Point — a dandy trout, a basket full of juvenile blackmouth, and even a wayward 18″ skipjack. I love it when a plan comes together.
