Fly Gyde

It worked to get me started and it will work to keep me going.

It's been an interesting time the past few weeks with having a personal story about a vulnerable time in my life put out in public called "VISIBILITY" shown at The F3T to be judged, criticized, and best of all, celebrated. I've got thick skin so much of the negativity bounces off and what doesn't is used as fuel.
My story of why I'm here is MY story and I can't change that, and don't want to. If it was different I don't know if l'd be where l'm at and I'm good with what the road has led me to.

Before daily internet sharing of what I'm up to on and off the water, what I'm holding was and still is all I wanted. I fish for my sanity and happiness and because of the quality it's brought to my life. I felt it could be something helpful for others as well and it led me to want to give back through the
FYSH Foundation Who knew it would make an impact or that it would upset some who have a skewed view of my true intentions? The outdoors is something I want available for everyone and l'd rather open doors than hide the key to the gate.

However you choose to hook up with the wild I hope there is some reminder of why you began and that you hold no judgment for anyone else who's on the same chase.

I'mma do me and keep doing this if it makes me crack a smile.

Hope y'all find the same feeling in something, and if it's fishing I'll see y'all on the water!

✌🏾

*twell

In the last couple of hours, before we flew out, we didn't waste any time, ate dinner by the river, and got ready to put everything we had into Home Pool. The sun stuck with us so we could keep going, but the plane won't wait. It's now or never in the last moments of being in this incredible location, and a grab from one of these chrome slabs is all Raphi, and I can think about, even tho we are barely awake...

*twell

Today is the beginning of the end as we search out some new water in the afternoon, start to pack up before dinner, and dig in for another late night trying to crack to code one more time. We put some miles on the boots yesterday and only got some fishy bumps but no hookups. Raphi and I still have some confidence in Home Pool and 100%, but we keep hearing from Rathmus and Hugo that the bridge run can produce. I’m not a fan of it because there is a bridge that gets in my view of such a gorgeous place, but it is what it is.

Reluctantly after we spent some time in another run, I went up to the upper end of the bridge run with one of the flies I had got from Nic earlier in the week. Water is very calm coming around a bend, creating some nice soft water on the inside, and you can only single spey very quietly not to disturb the water and push out whatever may be holding there. I start to work my way down the run and since I’m heading home soon, I check in with my wife , and talk to her with my phone in my wader pocket.

About 10 minutes into the convoy...

“Gotta go babe, I’M ON ONE!”

*twell

Water is up, which is good in my opinion, but too high for some places to get full access to fishable water. Raphi and I did make it up to one of the nicest looking spots we’ve seen since being here, but it would only let you go so far as you are walking over car-sized boulders with 5 to 7 feet deep water in between them. Sketchy sketchy wading and a flow that was just a little too slow on the inside for a good swing without grabbing the rocks. Greasy-looking water but nothing but good views and no pulls.

*twell

Change of pace today for a longer hike to see if the higher water brought some Atlantics up and if some browns were around. Today gave us our longest drive to get somewhere to fish (30mins) and super muddy wet terrain with a hike down to the river. Without the high water, we usually could walk across a small section of water to get to an island, but high water required us to bring a small inflatable to get there. Sketchy crossing with all my camera gear and rods to get set up to fish, but the views and a couple of fish were definitely worth the effort!

*twell

After some well-deserved rest and good food, Raphi and I are starting to sort of figure out the “beat system” pool program and what runs will produce for us at the current water levels. Definitely don’t have this dialed in, but at least we understand what we're getting into when we move from place to place.

Home Pool and this juicy run called 100% seem to be the places that will give us the most action and a chance at a freshie right above tide reach. I figured that out when I left my camera next to a rock on the bank, swung the run, and the water was touching my Sony when I walked back.

Now that we have both connected with a fish we have settled on; they will not come up high in the water column to grab it. We switched up to intermediate lines with medium to light tips and at least 8-foot tapered leaders to slow down the swing after our hero casts to the other bank. This isn’t a “start short” type of situation, and we are really putting some casts out there to reach where the fish are resting.

The sun is still out, and evening is approaching; time to clock back in!

*twell

The learning curve for these fish is real!

There aren’t many times I have a spey rod in my hand with fish jumping, and I’m scratching my head like, “huh???”. I had been fishing large to medium Sunrays, and a mix of small steelhead flies with only a bump to show for it. I even dug in my bag of tricks and threw on a Night Crawler with an intermediate head and some T-17 that is now referred to as “COMCAST CABLE” to dredge something up, but it did nada.

Then the “listen to your guide” kicked in when handed me a crazy small fly that almost precisely resembled the fly I used to catch my first steelhead on the fly when I was fishing the Stillaguamish years ago. I made it halfway down the run and honestly didn’t have much confidence in something so small, but I keep putting loops out there. The rain was going back and forth and started to pick up, so I asked Hugo to hand me my jacket, so I didn’t have to step out of the run. As soon as I turned my head, I got mobbed!! Great grab and a good fish to get me on my first Atlantic Salmon!

*twell

Fished hard throughout the day at a new pool to us, but no takes, so we had to head back to the lodge as our time slot had ended. Definitely gassed from jet lag and being up late, but when you are on a trip like this, EMPTY THE TANK!

We got to Home Pool in the evening for the second shift and got ready to lock in another all-nighter, but the weather got nasty and forced us into the shack at about midnight, with the river rising quickly. Water clarity is still super good even with the water going up but getting swept downriver in low light is not a good idea.

Nic had to leave in the evening to meet other friends, but Raphi and I weren’t tired, so we built a fire and told fish stories until the whiskey was gone. I’m usually on the move with not a minute to spare, so it was nice to go on straight chill mode with a fire and nowhere to go.

*twell

Early morning wake up for us after a late night and a quick sleep to see some new water. We have some weather rolling in and a chance for some good rain to move some fish in the low water. Some of the pools are moving slowly, so Nic decided to give the single-hand rod a go with a riffle hitch skated fly to see if we could get a fish to go. We had some chases that were inches away from breaking the surface to hook up, but no commitment yet. There are a few fish around, but it’s not like fishing for a run full of steelhead where you’ll get a few players. Many techniques and fly changes are required to get one on the hook, and we are going through different lines, tips, flies, and casts. Not easy, but definitely interesting!!

*twell

Most of the time, when the sun goes down, you are thinking about your last cast, but summer in Norway lets you keep casting. Many cups of coffee to get you through the midnight sun, to stay awake because you can’t catch ‘em in a warm bed. The scenery around here is reminiscent of things I see on coastal rivers in Washington and B.C., but you quickly get reminded by the mountains you are in old-world Europe. First fish for the crew is a Sea Trout on this adventure, and I’m still waiting my turn to get cranked by an Atlantic.

Much more story to tell as we keep swinging!

*twell

A little over a year ago, I met Nic, through IG, who lives in Norway and is a guide for . In my planning for knocking Atlantic Salmon off my hit list, he invited me to come to visit, but because of I had to change gears to fish with him after Paris. With me still going to Norway, I figured there was some possibility that I could at least meet or fish with Nic on my trip. We both thought it could happen, so I had his buddy tie up some flies for me to go on the chase, and Nic was going to give them to me if we could link up.

As I was leaving Paris on my way to Trondheim, I hadn’t heard from Nic and figured he must have got busy, and I was going to miss him. This is where it gets EPIC!!

I land in Trondheim late and get picked up by .flyfishing, one of the guides for Horstad Gard, and head out. As I’m just starting the drive about 30 mins out from Trondheim, I hit Nic through WeChat, and he answered back that he was on the road from Trondheim 15mins behind me!! Couldn’t believe it!! We met up at a gas station, I snagged the flies, and we figured out a way he could go fishing with Raphi and me before he started his trip with some other friends.

Game on!!!!

*twell

Usually, when traveling to places to fish, you pass through some pretty cool cities, and most fisherman don’t leave enough time to sightsee to see some cool things in the area. During this trip in Europe, I had to leave some time in front of and behind my trip to Norway to see Paris.

I hope this fishing is on fire 🔥 in Norway, but that’s not always how it works; it’s fishing. Whatever happens next, I can definitely say I’ve already had a great trip by just taking some time to blend in to see all of the people that make French culture.

Little more travel, and then it’s time to get some lines wet!

*twell

What an incredible city!

*twell

Paris? What the heck are you doing in Paris? What does this have to do with fishing?

Let's get into that story!

7 years ago, I was working an event for at a Seattle outdoor retailer and met . I helped him choose a rod that would best fit his needs, and then we scheduled a trip out to Olympic Peninsula trip for steelhead. We had a great first trip, and after that day, me and this cat have been fishing together ever since, and both have seen some epic moments of each other catching fish on the swing. Some people you click with on the water, and when you fish with them often, great things happen!

Fast forward to current-day Paris. Raphael, or “Raphi“ (as all the homies call him), is from Paris and is one of my absolute best friends and fishing buddies. I always told him that if he ever went back to Paris, I would tag along while he was visiting family to see where he grew up and how he got into fishing in such a densely populated major city in Europe. He showed me his spots where he would fish in the middle of the city, and it just showed me that for a , it's not about the location; it's about the drive in the person to get fish.

During my time here, I was able to stay at his parent's house, eat his mom's wonderful French cooking and drink some wine and eat cheese with cousins, aunts, and uncles at a belated baby shower for his daughter.

This trip worked out because I was planning to go to Norway to fish for Atlantic Salmon around the same time he was in Paris. Somehow in the wildest of ways, Raphi and I were able to figure out how to go to Norway together after Paris and chase Atlantics on the swing for the first time. A big journey ahead, but first, I need more Paris; I’ll show you what I see!

*twell

Incredible day on the Olympic Peninsula in search of Salmon and an incredible shot from
•
Send it. // Outtakes from a shoot with and .

Screaming 🗣”I'm ready for fall too!”
•
Repost from
•
Dreaming of fall days on the river with this heat wave coming through the PNW… soon enough. // Outtakes from a shoot with , and .

Even though they are never far, I wouldn't say I like it when they are out of sight. Bear or Noble usually come pretty quickly after a short whistle, but if I start messing with this bag, they pop out of the brush like a rabbit!




 

Giving someone an opportunity to succeed in the outdoor industry that looks like me has always been a dream of mine since my first day in the guide chair. The dream was realized recently as I was able to provide with his first day of guiding to start his career.

Since last fall, when I met Jordan, he spoke of wanting to enter the fishing industry in some capacity, and because of some of the hardships I went through, I wanted to help him get where he is going. In the process of getting to this moment, we had some great days on the water in Washington, and on a special trip, I was able to put together in Alaska with where he caught his first steelhead on the fly. The incredible moments of prepping, teaching, learning, and moving from A to B we endured to help him join the industry of pros, I am more than happy to be a part of his transition.

On his first guide day, he did a great job and put my guest on a solid bull trout this past weekend, giving them both a memory to remember!

*twell

Every now and then “I want you to cast it like this…” turns into something!

📸 ._.johnson

*twell

Where it starts for us all….

*twell

One of the best things about going from location to location is the fantastic people you meet during traveling. On my recent trip to the Washington Coast, I met a modern-day swordsman with a filet knife. His name is Ralph, and he is magic with taking down your pile of fish to manageable filets ready for Fish Taco Tuesday or a summer BBQ.

After waking up way before the crack of dawn, spending 8-10 hours on the water, and prepping the boat for the next day, Ralph is there to save you from one more task before you head back to camp. He couldn’t be a more likable guy, and just hanging around him and seeing him enjoy his work is a pleasure in itself. Right before this trip, I recently received something I had wanted for a while, a Meat Crafter, and letting Ralph get the first cut with it was what a knife of this quality deserved.

*twell

We got after the salmon pretty good after a saltwater face blast heading out to the fishing grounds. Knocked out a king limit and grabbed two legal coho, and then went on the hunt for a rockfish limit. The lure of choice was a skinny green Point Wilson Dart as we saw thousands of small bait fish school up in a small cove where the average water depth was around 50 feet. Many doubles and triples of rockfish filled the cooler quickly, and we saw some salmon popping on the surface, getting a quick meal while we were on the hunt for bottom fish. It didn't take long to get the bass, and when we were close to our limit, my buddy Jimmy hooked into something with much more pull than a rockfish!

👑 👑

*twell

I’ve been out on the saltwater many times, but after all those trips, I still always choose to fish in the river more because of all the great memories I’ve had there. This trip was different and totally changed my perspective because WE SMACKED EM!! Action through every part of the day, and the best part was we had to find em, and we did that repeatedly. It had me so jacked up to do more saltwater fishing I was cruising the Internet looking at rods and mooching reels to buy on the ride back to the dock!

*twell