Fishing Turned to Foraging

Hey Everyone,

Well yesterday was supposed to be a nice day on the river with the fly rod. I was hoping to catch a few small mouth since I haven't done that in a while. Well, when we got to the river I immediately saw that the fishing may not be as I had hoped. The river wasn't very high but because of recent rains it was quite murky. I decided to try for a bit anyhow but quite quickly found that even the bream weren't biting. On my way back to the jeep to grab a snack I saw some Hickory nuts laying on the trail. I picked up a few and then decided I would turn a bad day of fishing into a great day for gathering wild edibles. So for the rest of the day Kayla and I tromped through the forest looking for more nuts, acorns, and wild ginger. It was on our way out that we hit the jackpot, muscadine grapes! We gathered enough to fill my ball cap quite quickly. We continued to find more and more vines and soon had two ball caps, a nalgene bottle, and whatever else we had on us to fill up. We headed home excited to get to cooking with our gathered forage. After giving the dog a bath (which she needed) we spent the rest of the night skinning and de-seeding the grapes for muscadine jam. I would have photos of the process but my hands were busy. I have to say that this morning it was awesome on some whole wheat toast. We still have to crack the nuts and I believe Kayla is going to make acorn tortillas. We're also going to give ginger beer a try, and I plan on using the rest of the grapes to make some wine. It just goes to show that if you know what you are doing you can turn a bad day of fishing into a homemade jar of jam.

See you on the trail,
Lance

San Gabriel Mountains

Hello Everyone,

Well I'm back from California. It was quite the trip and I went for several reasons. I flew into LAX and my first impression of Los Angeles was that of too many people, too much traffic, and too much city. You can imagine my excitement and relief once I was in the mountains. We hiked up the East fork of the San Gabriel river. There is a lot of history to this small river that flows through a high dessert just North East of L.A. If you pay attention as you hike you will see the evidence of an old road that was built in the thirties which was washed away in a flood only a few years later. If you are willing to take on a ten mile hike you can hike up the canyon to "the bridge to nowhere" which is five miles from the nearest road now. There are several other signs that this remote area was once much more populated than today. The main goal for our hike was to do some prospecting. This area has a rich history of producing gold that goes all the way back to the Native Americans who settled there. The other reason for going was to do a little fly fishing or I should say Tenkara. There are native wild rainbows which are the descendants of the steel head that used to run all the way up the river before dams were built down stream. The area is truly rich with trout and I spent every morning before the sun and anyone else was up, walking the river casting dry flies to these little gems. Well Ive attached a video and some photos. I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I did taking them.

See you on the Trail,
Lance

The Otter

Hey everyone,

Ive had this video on my camera for a little while now. I was small mouth bass fishing on the fly one day and had seen several otters along the river. I decided to sit on a log and watch one for a while. I had no idea what was about to happen. I wont spoil the video but I will say its one of the coolest things that has happened to me in the outdoors.

See you on the trail,
Lance

Fish, Fish, and More Fish

Hey Everyone,

This is just a short post and video that is in addition to my last post. I wanted to post a video of some of the fish that we have been catching on the fly. Its been a pretty fun adventure, and were not done yet!

See you on the trail,
Lance

Yes Im still here

Hello Everyone,

I know its been quite some time since Ive posted anything. The truth is that even though I haven't been active on here I have actually been quite active. I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm back and should be posting regularly again.  As soon as I figure out this video editing soft wear on this mac I'll be putting up some really cool videos as well. Ive been doing just about everything you can think of from gold prospecting, steel head fishing, hiking, and even catching carp on the fly. Ive caught my biggest bass ever, which happened to be on a 4wt fly rod! Ive also started a personal quest of catching 25 species of fish all on a fly rod. Of course the most interesting thing Ive been up to is watching my daughter get bigger, smarter, and much faster than I remember. Personal note: a three year old, brownies, and nature museums can be an interesting mix and a great workout. Well, I don't want to get too long winded so Ive posted a few photos for you to check out. keep checking back for updates on future fishing trips and even the status on the "25 on a fly" quest.

See you on the trail,
Lance

Gold, Sweat, and a Two Year Old

Hey Everyone.

Well Its been either hot or raining, with nothing in between. Since I don't like to hike in ninety five degree weather and the trout fishing isn't usually the best this time of year I have found a few ways to spend my summer days. I have recently taken up the hobby of gold prospecting and found that standing waist deep in a river shoveling dirt is a great way to spend a hot day. Ive been doing a little fly fishing for bass as well. Catching a small mouth bass on a four weight fly rod can be quite a challenge and a thrill, though I catch mostly small bream. This is great practice for the fall though. One of my favorite things Ive been doing is spending time with my daughter. Taking her to a museum is a great way to get out of the heat and it also gives me a chance to be dad and teach her about bugs, birds, fish, and anything else that she my ask about. Her favorite thing to say is "I want to touch it" even if its a diamond back rattle snake. I did let her pet a corn snake though. I hope you all have found a way to beat the heat and have some fun. I just keep telling myself fall is just around the corner.


See you on the trail,
Lance

Fly Fishing for Christmas

Hey Everyone,

I had been given a few days off for the holidays as expected. However, I realised that I only had plans for Christmas eve, which was to see my daughter. I soon came to the conclusion that I had no plans for the other few days. Well, it didn't take more than a second for my mind to wander to the stream. So that's what I did I drove to the river to spend a couple days with a fly rod in my hand. Besides, I knew that I would have the river to myself since I figured everyone else would be home eating turkey and playing with their new toys. It was a great couple of days. I'm not going to say it wasn't cold but the fishing was fantastic! Believe it or not but the trout were actually rising to my dry on the dropper. I took to time to shoot a few short clips and here they are.

I hope you all had as good a Christmas as I did.

See you on the trail,
Lance

Big Brown

Hey Everyone,

I was up on the river a few days ago and had yet another wonderful day. The weather was actually pretty warm and the sun was out. I didn't expect such a banner day since it wasn't overcast and certainly didn't expect what I was about to catch. I had landed several trout that day and was just moving along the overhangs drifting small nymphs when out of no where a huge brown slammed my fly. This fish was 24 inches and all of five to five and a half pounds. I'm pretty sure I'll be looked at like I'm crazy for even attempting to film this fish but that's what I did. I don't want to take away from the video that I risked so much to shoot so here it is.



Needless to say it was a real caper on what was a great day on the water. I had the strangest thing happen to me as well. I was standing there casting away and all of the sudden something hit my boot. I looked down and to my amazement there was a brook trout just resting between my feet. Now I'm a very still person and sometimes don't move my feet for hours while fishing. So with that said I had a fishing buddy for about forty five minutes which I thought was pretty cool. Check out the photo I took of my good friend. I talked to several guys on the water that day and even handed out a few pointers here and there since I apparently had the magic touch for the day. I cant wait to get back up on the water and try and beat my own record.


See you on the trail,
Lance

Hey Everyone,

I got out for the first day of fall fly fishing yesterday. I cant even tell you how good of a day it was. I was landing a fish every second or third cast all day long. I even managed to catch not one but two browns one of which was a nice fifteen incher. I began moving around the stream to check on other holes and was having the same success in each. I then noticed three ladies fishing up stream of me. When one of them came walking up I waved her over. I asked her how they had been doing and found that they had had limited success. Well at that note, I not only gave up the spot I was at, I told her how to rig, what flies to use, and where in that hole to cast. Her third cast produced a nice rainbow. She then began pulling them in with regularity. I proceeded up stream to her two friends and did the same. One of the women hooked a very large, very pretty, brook trout that I netted for her. I must have spent at least two hours just talking to and watching them fish. It was as much fun watching them as it was landing them myself. The ladies where very thankful for the the advise and time spent with them. It was possibly the best day on the river I have had not only because of my success but because I was able to help others do the same.



See you on the trail,
Lance

Warm Air Cold Water

Hey Everyone,

Some of you may remember Josh. Last fall I took him trout fishing for the first time and he finished the day with a slam. He just picked up a nice fly rod and was itching to get it on the water. We took off for a very commonly fished stream in hopes of finding a few stragglers. I turned out to be a great day on the water and josh hooked his first trout on a fly. We also caught some species that I wasn't expecting but they were pretty all the same. I personally cant wait for fall to get here so I can really put him on the fish. Its nice to get someone else excited about a sport that you are passionate about. Here are a few photos of our day.



I hope every one's summer is going well and that you have found time to get out.

See you on the trail,
Lance

Ebira

I spent my Friday in the backcountry, on a small trout stream, Tenkara fishing. I was also testing out a new product, the Ebira. All I can say is this thing is awsome! I consider it a must have for the backcountry Tenkara fly fisherman.



If you want to know more about the Ebira or Tenkara. Leave a comment below or chat with Jason, myself, and other like minded folks at backpackflyfishing.com

See you on the trail,
Lance

Steelhead

Hey Everyone,

I'm back from my trip to NY. I was surprised to see how much had changed, and at the same time, how much has stayed the same. Needless to say, it was nice to be back on my home waters. Well, I dont want to steal too much from the video, so here it is.



See you on the trail,
Lance

Have Tenkara, Will Travel

Hey Everyone,

Well after seeing his simple setup and talking with Jason Klass about Tenkara fly fishing, I just had to try it out. I recieved my rod the other day, and I can't wait to get it on the water. For the backpacker/fly fisher, there is no better setup. I have the Tenakara USA "Iwana" rod, which pulls out to eleven feet, and weighs in at a staggering two and a half ounces. This eleven foot telescopic rod collapses down to a mere twenty inches.
The reel you ask, there is none. This is a traditional style of fly fishing that originated in Japan about three hundred and fifty years ago, long before the invention of the reel. Your fly line, which was traditionally woven from horse hair, simply attaches to the end of the rod. The simplicity and compact design is what makes this style of fishing blend so well with ultralight backpacking. So far, the average kit I've seen, which includes rod, line, fly box with flies, tippet, and some basic tools, weighs in at around six ounces. I plan on using it almost exclusively for all my back country streams. If you have any questions or would like to try Tenkara for yourself you can checkout tenkarausa.com or stop by and chat with Jason, Myself, and other like minded folks at backpackflyfishing.com

See you on the trail,
Lance

Hot!

Hey Everyone,

Well I spent the day in the sun, on the river, catching fish, getting burnt. I started the day with a little shiver, while I stood waist deep, watching a light fog come off the water. However, by that afternoon I was dying to just get out of my waders and "wet wade". I figured that the afternoon might die off a little, and we could get out of the sun for a bit. Well luck would have it, that at about one o-clock the bite came on again so we stayed. I did put on sun screen eventually, but by then it was really too late. I am glad to say that Ray landed a nice Rainbow that filled the net, and I held my own catching some healthy fish as well. I have always considered myself pretty hard core as far as the outdoors. I mean I kind of look forward to the rainy days because I know I'll have the river mostly to myself. However, I now know that rainy days don't make you that die hard, because getting wet is a whole lot easier to forget about the next day.

See you on the trail,
Lance





p.s. I think I might change the saying from "rain or shine" to "soaked or sun burnt". whadya' think.

Eighteen and Eighteen

Hey Everyone,

I spent yet another day on the water. It was a great day for fishing with overcast skies and temperatures perfect for a light fleece shirt. I brought along a buddy of mine to share in the fun. It was a very eventful day. I caught around eighteen fish. I also landed a beautiful eighteen inch rainbow that just made the day for me. I have noticed that this site is slowly becoming a backpacking/fly fishing blog, although, most information is relevant to backpacking. If you're interested in fly fishing and hiking, Jason Klass now has created a web site www.backpackflyfishing.com that covers just that. I will be a regular visitor there so come check it out. Now if I can just find some hike in fly fishing spots I'll have it all.

See you on the trail,
Lance

The GREAT Outdoors

Hey Everyone,

I had an exceptional day on the river. I caught well over twenty trout. I showed Christi how to tie a fly and promised to use it when I went yesterday. Well not only did it catch fish, it caught the biggest one of the day. Here are a few photos from my outting. A day like this is just another reason they call it the great outdoors.

See you on the trail,
Lance

Rainy Days and Rainbows

Hey Everyone,

Well, I spent yesterday on the stream and in the rain. It started out as a nice day- good temperatures, overcast skies, and quiet. I managed to do quite well, by catching some nice rainbows. As far as I know, I only shared the stream with one other person, whom I ran into and chatted with. I learned a valuable lesson yesterday about rain jackets. I have a very nice Stearns "rain coat", but after about eight hours it reached its limit, and by the end of the day the only dry part of me was under my waders. Think about this when purchasing a jacket for hiking or fishing, what looks good and works from the house to the car may not be so good for long term use. Needless to say, I will be looking around for a new fishing jacket. Do you think they will let you return something if you've had it on in the shower? jk.

See you on the trail
Lance

Rookies, Brookies, Rainbows, and Browns

Hey Everyone,

I took Christi's brother Josh trout fishing for the first time yesterday. The weather was perfect, temperatures in the low 60's, overcast skies, and the water was in the mid to low 50's, a little cool for wet wading but we toughed it out. I had no idea that he had never fished for trout until we were almost to the river. (needless to say the pressure was on). Once on the water, I tried a few different flies and techniques, and soon landed a nice brown trout. I explained what color lure the fish were likely to hit, and where each species was holding in the pool. Taking my advice, Josh soon landed his first trout ever (another healthy brown). Josh's second fish was a net worthy rainbow, that ended up being the biggest fish of the day. We where soon pulling in fish quite regularly, and I'm happy to say, not only did Josh catch his first trout yesterday, but he ended up catching all three species. I found that changing flies (sunken drys and nymphs all in light colors) every few fish was the trick, and by the end of the day, I had landed several rainbows and brookies. With the combination of good fishing and beautiful scenery, I'm pretty sure that Josh is hooked on trout fishing! I for myself cant wait to get back up on the stream.

See you on the trail,
Lance

Natives on the Fly

Hey Everyone,

Well, I finally received my custom fly rod, and have already had it on the stream a few times. I headed out the other day to a quiet, native trout stream. I managed to do a lot of climbing, crawling, and a little bit of fishing. Besides taking in the beautiful scenery of small water falls and rippled pools, I managed to catch a few small rainbows. Tomorrow I am heading out for another day of slipping and stumbling in hopes of catching a few more.

See you on the trail,
Lance

Other Adventures

Hey Eveyone,

I have decided to add a label of "other advetures" to the site. Although the site is primarily backpacking, I do many other outdoor things and figured that I should share them on here. This label will have everything from caving and rock climbing to paddling and fly fishing. I hope that you will all enjoy the new section, and hopefully I'll get someone to try something new.

See you on the trail,
Lance