1993 – 1997

Large male Rainbow Trout landed on the Upper Left Fork in a run I called the Lava Beds. Note the mouth full of weeds. After being hooked with one of my Antelope Hair Mice patterns, it put on a great fight ending with trying to rub me off in the weed choked, underwater lava crevices.
This is a typical example of the Sea-Run Khundza (aka. White Spotted Siberian Char). My longest was a 39″ hen and a client landed a 42″ beast shaped like a big Steelhead. Not jumpers and total suckers for a well swung steamer.

  Thanks to my ol’ buddy George Cook of Sage Fly rods, I got to be a part of the first joint venture on the Kamchatka Peninsula, in the Russian Far East. I guided George at Alaska West in 1992 and also hung out with him at Sports Shows – like a groupie). The first season started on April 18, 1993 on the Zhupanova River. I was able to stay after the clients left in late August and fish the river until the 15th of October to map out the Fall fishery.  
An average length Rainbow Trout caught on the Zupanova River throughout my five seasons. 24 1/2″. Notice my custom made Russian cap that I traded some magazines for. Shed rain like magic and looked pretty cool with Spey Rod in hand.
The Russians liked my work ethic and wilderness skills and I was invited back for the next four seasons to guide and manage Cedar Lodge on the Zhupanova River. The last two seasons I was able to manage my Russian staff without the aid of an interpreter, thanks to my new found language skills which were good enough to get me in trouble and good enough to get back out of it!