Hackle & Hide

1975 – 1982

For my tenth birthday I was given fly tying lessons from famed Steelhead fly tyer, Dave McNeese. By the age of 12, my best friend, Glenn Young, and I started a fly tying company. We sold to as many as five sporting goods stores at a time, as well as to a core group of customers from the local fly fishing club. We even had both at some NW sports shows.

Anyone remember the Seal-Dry waders? You only had to look at a thorn bush to get a leak.

Glenn’s dad, Dez Young – from ‘Hunting with Hank’ fame, worked at an advertising agency at the time and had these cards made up for us. Years later, long after Dez had left the agency, I worked for the same agency during college as a Graphic Designer.

Hosmer Lake and a freshly planted land-locked Atlantic Salmon landed from one of the very first of two float tubes in Oregon waters circa 1979 (Glenn’s was the other). We both had this ‘Mountain Trader‘ float tube which utilized a big-rig ‘truck inner tube’ as the bladder, which was not included and you hunt one down from the local tire shop. It weighed at least twice as much at today’s float tubes, but never failed me during hundreds and hundreds of hours of use.

Guiding Oregon

1980 – 1984

Cut my teeth on guiding and teaching fly fishing with my family and friends. Got braver and ran a handful of trips for a local shop, doing walk-n-wade trips, along with some float tube trips. Decided I needed a real career and gave it up to focus on College. The spring that I was finishing my undergraduate degree, Glenn invited me up to Portland, Oregon for the biggest annual sports show in PRI to meet some lodge owners that were interviewing for summer guide jobs.

So instead of going after a masters program offered to me, I headed off to remote Western Alaska for the summer instead.

SEE NEXT.

Alaska West

1990 – 1992

Guided at the original Alaska West camp in the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge at Fox Bar, on the incredible Kanektok (CHOSEN) River in Western Alaska. This was back when the founder, John Garry still owned and operated the camp. He had also founded and built the famed Bristol Bay Lodge.

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.

Kamchatka Fishing Adventures

1993 – 1997

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!

Mission Lodge

1991 [Fall], 1997 – 2020

Guided the Fall season after closing down the Alaska West camp in 1991. I would later rejoin Mission in the Fall of 1997, working year round in permitting, marketing, sales and logistics. Guiding and managing during the summer seasons.

Southern Chile Expeditions

1998 – 2000

Helped develop the fishing operations for South Chile Expeditions at both of their locations near Puerto Varas and La Junta. Besides exploring and sorting out the logistics in country, plus working on the sales and marketing for the first few seasons.

Ascension Bay Bonefish Club

2000 – 2015

Part owner, general manager of this great little club in the Yucatan Peninsula region of Mexico. Worked on sales and marketing year around and helped with projects and logistics and hosting onsite during the seasons.

I literally designed and commissioned the ‘first ever’ poling platforms in the Caribbean [or at least the Yucatan Peninsula] for the Panga-style boats. They were built by an interesting Ex-Pat in old Cancun.

Typical Spring Steelhead hen landed with my best friend, Glenn Young during the inaugural season near the lodge.

The Lodge at Whale Pass

2003 – 2007

Re-Opened an abandoned lodge in SE Alaska and turned it into the first Fishing & Adventure lodge in the region. Worked with the Tongass National Forest to receive their first ever Eco-Tour Permit awarded in the Tongass.

Florida Keys Guiding

2008 – 2018

Given all of my other duties, my guiding in the Keys was just for Mission Lodge guest and their friends (aka. future Mission Lodge guests). Moved back out to Oregon in the summer of 2018.

Never hold a Tarpon like this, unless you want your nose broke. I survived this early encounter, but I know a few of the legends with great stories of blood and chaos.
Prior to the big freeze of 2009, we kind of took these giant Bonefish for granted. Kind of. Not really. Ten pound fish regularly swam a lot of the flats, with the occasional, well educated, mid-double digit fish like this showing up to either humble you, ruin your day, or the stars aligned and it became your personal best. Stew Apte has the twin of this one mounted and sitting on his coffee table in the Keys.

Bristol Adventures

2012 – Present

Helped sell Mission Lodge to the Bristol Bay Native Corporation as they entered into tourism. I worked with them to develop their tourism division, now known as Bristol Adventures, which is comprised of four remote lodges and a ‘bush’ flight service. I continued to work at Mission Lodge as the Operations Manager for another four years and now work in the Bristol Adventures Sales Department.