To Our Fallen Brother

Although I have been away for a while and have a lot of fishing to report on I am going to put that aside for now. A couple of days ago I checked my facebook only to find a post that said that,  “one of our own had passed away.” After a couple of clicks I found out that it was my great blog buddy, Bryan Dale from the Rogue Outdoors. I can’t help but miss him as I write this and so I will now take some time to express some thoughts about our fly-fishing brother. 

In an age where people are taught to worry about self interests and making profits or promoting self, Bryan stood out as different. He seemed to do things because he cared for others around him, even if it meant going out of his way to do so. He was the kind of person that I trusted right off the bat. His e-mails and comments were filled with a genuine kindness which is rare now in days. This drew me to him. By looking at his facebook page I can tell this drew others to him as well. 

I don’t remember if I found his page or he found mine but I’m blessed to have known him. I always looked forward to his comments. He was encouraging and never withheld his angling experience from me. Not only was he helpful, but he was extremely generous. On a couple of occasions he sent me some great patterns of flies that he tied and when I tried to pay him, he refused. All he said in response was that “we as fly fishers need to support one another.” 

And thats the type of caring, generous, warm individual he was. Or at the very least thats what I learned about him from our correspondence. You see I never met Bryan in person. I never talked with him on the phone. I never wet a line with him. And even though all of that is true, I still was able to see all of this through our e-mails messages and blog comments. It takes a great man to stand out based only on online communications but that’s exactly what Bryan was; A Great man, a great outdoorsman. 

I never got to fish with Bryan. We talked quite a few times about fishing together in his neck of the woods or mine but unfortunately we didn’t get to do it. And although we only spoke of fishing together, his memory will now accompany me through my travels and he will be with me when I wet a line, go camping or hiking. Bryan’s memory will be with me as I explore the Rogue Outdoors. 

I finish this Post with some words from Norman Maclean and his timeless classic, A River Runs through it. 

“The river was cut by the world’s great floods and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. 

I am haunted by waters.”

1st time at Levis Stadium and a Milestone!

This past Sunday I made it out to Levis Stadium for the first time ever and BOY, I was impressed. Not gonna lie, I was pretty sad to see Candlestick's seats being torn out this month but after seeing this impressive palace, I'm no longer sad. I was so excited just to see the stadium and feel the energy and hear the familiar foghorn sounds! And when I walked up to the top of the observation deck and saw the feild and the seats, it was over, I loved it!

The game was a good one. for a second we fell behind but the defense did their job and the offense did just enough to put us over the top. I've been to losses before and that's never good!

I look forward to many years at Levis watching games with my wife and my friends. Perhaps one day my children will love to learn the game as much as their father does as they experience the environment of the stadium and the roar of the crowd.

In addition, here is a milestone for you. 20,000 views! Yes, yess, I am moving my way up. Thanks for reading my posts and browsing my blog folks. I appreciate all of my readers and especially my commenters!

If you don't hear from me before tomorrow, hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving! God Bless you all!

Spontaneous Reno Trip

Nothing quite like a spontaneous trip with my wife. We decided last minute to head up to Reno for the weekend just to relax for a bit. I figured I would get in a little bit of fishing time if I could, but it wasn’t a priority. Doesn’t mean I wasn’t going to bring all of my fly gear along anyway! 

We packed quickly and headed out on 80. I expected a lot of traffic but instead we had none. Apparently everybody had already arrived before us because when we got there, there was a 45 minute wait in a Disney-like line just to get to the check in desk. Our wait was worth it because the front desk worker ended up upgrading us, which he told us but we didn’t pay attention to until we saw this:

Yessir, V.I.P.! They ended up giving us a huge suite on the 28^th floor with a living room, a separate bedroom with king size bed, three huge windows with an amazing view of all of Reno, two bathrooms and the best part, a tv in each bathroom! Lol

We hit the casinos but only for a little bit. We explored the downtown area a lot. It is a lot nicer than the last time I came out here which was about 8 years ago. The entire time I had the Truckee on my mind and different fishing videos I have seen of people fly fishing it. I decided to wait until the last day on the drive back to give it a try. 

 

One thing that we did that you can’t do in California is visit Cabelas! Every time I go out of state I am looking for Cabelas. It really is an outdoorsman’s paradise and going there is an event in itself. Here are a couple of pics I took there. Always a good time and since I was there I picked up a few things. 

Whenever I am in a new area I like finding new BBQ spots. In the Reno/ Sparks area there is BJ's BBQ, which apparently has won a few awards for their ribs. We ended up ordering ribs, hot wings and Kick ass Fries, Kick Ass fries are fries topped with pulled pork and sour cream. They were pretty kick ass, the ribs were pretty good but i have definitely had better. the texture of the sauce on the ribs was pretty thin, but it was a good sauce. The wings were top notch! The sauce tasted similar to the mango habanero wings at BWW but better. I will definitely visit them again next time I am in town.

Finally Friday arrived and I was excited. I couldn’t wait to cross into California and do some fishing. I pulled off of the freeway, found a nice spot with a nice run under a bridge. I pulled out my fishing gear and I realized… I forgot my F*&%!ng fishing license! Pardon my French there but I was super pissed. Oh well, it was my fault for not remembering! 

So no I didn’t get any fishing in, I just thought about it a lot. Maybe next time I am in reno, which should be a few years from now. 

Thanks for reading!

No fishing But a Lot To Do With My Life!

This post has nothing to do with fishing but a lot to do with my life. I'm hoping some of you haven't stopped reading after seeing, "nothing to do with fishing," haha.

As some of you may know, I work at a local non-profit agency called Empower Yolo. Empower Yolo Helps people whao are victims of Sexual Assault and Domestic and Teen Dating Violence. In addition we offer prevention programs for teens and educate them on the dangers of teen dating violence and sexual assault and how to prevent these things from happening.

Specifically there is one component to the teen prevention portion of the program and that is near and dear to my heart and that is the "My Strength" program.

The professional explanation of what we do is: My Strength helps engage young men in the fight against sexual violence by encouraging them to stand up and speak out against sexual violence.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/save-my-strength-empower-yolo

Yes, we do this but the program is about so much more. It is about taking young men and teaching them positive masculinity and positive values. It is about teaching young men about respect, hard work, responsibility and healthy relationships. It is about making good boys into great men by teaching them that life is about more than video games, fights and drinking/drugs but about standing up for what you believe in and helping out those going through difficult situations. Really we are teaching young men positive values and encouraging them to be the best they can be in a world where most teens seem not to care about anything.

Well, due to changes in the funding source, they are looking to get rid of this program but not without a fight! I never ask for anything from you all because I'm here to fish and teach others to fish. In fact, feel free to ignore this if you want. But Since it means something to me, I figured I would pitch it to you all and if you think it is a worthwhile investment, please take the time to donate a few bucks.

If you would like to pitch in a few bucks, please follow the link to our indiegogo campaign (underneath the picture of our logo).  Honestly, anything from $1 to $10000 will hep and is greatly appreciate it.

Well, that's it from me, I will post about fishing as soon as I make my way out to the fishing hole.

Thank you for taking the time to read this!

Post #100: How Fishing Changed My Life

We walked into a small bar and grill down the street from Kirkwood ski resort. As we sat down and had lunch I wondered how many would know the miles I had traveled for the mere pleasure of catching fish. It wasn’t only the lunch that I enjoyed but the company and the journey itself. I have been to foreign countries and different states but always for a specific purpose or passion, never for a past time. I stood outside and stretched, my lungs filling with fresh mountain air. I looked around and my eyes took in the scenery. I wondered how many locals had come to take that scenery for granted, driving by it all the time like when I drive by inundated rice fields or the Sacramento river. I was captivated by what I saw but even more by the mere fact that this hobby that had brought me out to El Dorado National Forest, a place that I have passed up on my way to Tahoe but never really appreciated.

22" Striper

First time Fly Fishing

There are many things that I never appreciated about fishing as a kid which led me to abandon this sport by the time I became a teenager. I left fishing for a life of video games, computers, vices and girls. All of these became more important to me than standing on the banks of a river with my dad occasionally catching fish. When I entered the world of higher education at CSU Chico, fishing became a distant memory of my childhood. In fact, it was replaced by going to the movies, hanging out with friends, and occasionally visiting a downtown Chico bar or two.

PB 16" Rainbow Trout

Fishing with my love

As I got older I took a job in Woodland, Ca and began the daily grind just like every other adult I knew. At this point, I was over the bar scene and the loud college kids. I adjusted to the monotony of everyday life, going to work, sitting at a desk for 8 hours staring at a computer screen and coming home to eat and then squeeze in an hour at the gym before going to sleep. My days became routine until one day  I happened to be looking out my window at work and noticed a man unloading a mammoth fish from his truck which I now know to be a white sturgeon. It’s amazing how one sight has the potential to change your life as much as the sight of that fish did to me.   To read a little more about that experience, please refer back to my first post, “Enter the Angler.”

On the surface I can say that what fishing has given me is the ability and privilege to catch hundreds of fish throughout the years. This however would be the understatement of a lifetime. As of right now fishing has given me so much more and since this is my 100^th post I figured I would cover some of the things that fishing has given me or returned to me that I would have lost had I not started fishing again.

Father and son

Pops and his first Largemouth

My first fishing pole

One thing I remember from fishing was that my old man (or Ol’ Pops as I call him) taught me how to fish. Being From El Salvador, He didn’t know anything about football or baseball and he never really taught me a whole lot about soccer either. The one sport I do remember sharing with my dad was fishing. When I was a little boy I remember him buying me a little Micky Mouse pole and then graduating to an abu Garcia rod and reel that I used until I was a teenager. 

Perhaps the most important thing that fishing gave me back was my father.  At some point when I was a teenager I thought I was too cool to hang out with my old man. Over time I noticed that our communication was stunted. We didn’t have a whole lot to talk about and so sometimes our time together was somewhat awkward especially since Ol’ Pops is kind of a quiet guy. 

18" Striper

When I came back to fishing I would often ask him to get his license and come with me but it wasn’t until I came home with an 18” striper during  summer that he decided it was time for his return. Our communication returned with old stories as well as conversation on how to catch striper.  This eventually led to conversation about things other than fishing and led to a few heart to hearts with my dad that have changed our relationship forever. On a side note,  my father had never caught a largemouth bass until I taught him what I had learned about bass. The student becomes the master! That of course is another post.

Drink one for me!

Chico buddies at Usal Beach - 3/13

I left Chico with a heavy heart. I had a large social group out there and I was coming to Woodland where I knew nobody but family. I went up to Chico to party a few times but it just wasn’t the same. After I began fishing and posting pictures of my catches, I realized most of my chico buddies were either outdoorsmen or willing/ wanting to start camping/fishing. Sure enough I began to reunite with them and continue to keep in touch with them and go camping and fishing.  

Surrounded by my best friends that I just met today

Mark from NCT

Me and Russell fly fishing the Yuba

It all started when I began blogging 100 posts ago! Specifically, my second post received two replies from two guys that have now become regulars at my blog. In those days they went by the monikers: Shoreman and Rainbow Chaser. Today they are known as Mark from Northern California Trout and Mel over at Pond stalker blog . They were my first two blog buddies and I’m proud to say they are still my good blog buddies! I have been out fishing with Mark a few times and I look forward to many more! I have yet to fish with Mel but I’m sure we will throw a fly or two in the future. After them came Shawn, Russell, Howard, Bill, Daniel, Bryan, Jay, Etc. Come to find out that fishing folks are the coolest folks you can ever meet. I never would have known this if I had not gotten into fishing. Cheers to all my current fishing friends, blog buddies and to all I will meet in the future.  

Adventures/ Scenery

Fly fishing Dry Creek

I have ventured into beautiful valleys, wonderful waterways and fished everything from clear creeks to dirty ditches. I have explored, walked and hiked to fishing spots. I have seen beautiful sunsets and driven up breathtaking mountain roads. I have camped just to fish at the crack of dawn. I have fished rivers, ponds, sloughs, lakes and the ocean. I have had the time of my life and I look forward to many more adventures and finding beauty in nature. 

 

Therapy

I have breathed deep the unpolluted air of many fishing holes. I have allowed the water to soothe my soul. I have become dazed by patterns swirling in the water until they disappear and with them my anxieties. I have read the word of God, I have listened to music, I have had heart to hearts with friends and family. My eyes have been opened to a whole new world where the worries of my work desk and home life are processed on neutral ground. The sounds of water traveling and sunsets falling have given me peace during difficult situations, allowing me to sort through issues of the day. I have learned to relax.  

Sunset over the Deep Water channel

I know this is an entire book you are reading here but if you are still with me, not just on this post, but on my blog I want to tell you that I appreciate you. My life has changed since I first stepped back out onto the banks and you have been along for the ride. You have read my experiences, given me tips and occasionally corrected me, you have commented on my words and pictures, you have gifted me flies and your time, you have fished with me and taught me more about fish. I am forever grateful to all of you who are reading this and to the sport that changed my life.

I Ain't Ever Going Back Again...!

"I ain't ever going back again
I'm happy in the place I'm in
Surrounded by my best friends, 

that I just met today..." - Kenny Chesney

While answering a post on the sniffer, I ran across a guy that needed information on where to buy a house in woodland. I gladly helped him out to find a nice part of woodland in which to live. After Sean moved to woodland we went out fishing a couple of times and he turned out to be a great guy. He will be teaching me to catch Salmon when the season opens up.

While fishing with my buddy Jacob I ran across a Rastafarian gentleman fishing the banks of the delta in Suisun. At first Jacob was a bit skeptical of the guy but I extended a friendly hand and the guy ended up being really cool. After having a few beers with him and exchanging fish stories, we ended up having a grand old time with the guy!

Finally, While writing on my blog here I ran across a gentlemen who was willing to help me with my trout fishing. He had great advice on catching trout and even taught me the basics on fly fishing. As I said before, Mark ended up being a great guy and a good friend.

In this day in age, you never know who you are going to meet and what their intentions will be. It is normal to be skeptical and wonder if the person will be a weirdo or anything. But my experience with meeting people and fishing has been a good one.  I try to talk to everybody I run across while fishing and most of the time they are willing to talk and share their experience. Of course you will always run across the occasional jerk who thinks you are out to steal his spot or is so intent on fishing that they want nothing to do with socializing, and that’s cool. Not everybody is the same.

But my experience meeting folks through blogging or responding to forums has been a great one so far. I can’t help but think that if it weren’t for fishing and writing I never would have met such fantastic people. Fishing has been a catalyst in my life for many changes and one of those has been meeting amazing folks.  I look forward to one day meeting many of you that visit my blog and wetting a line with you.

Cheers!

Fly Fishing with Mark!

Last week I wrote a blog post talking about my expectations for my fly fishing trip with Mark Kautz over at Northern California Trout. The trip not only met these expectations, it exceeded them!

I left my home in Woodland at about 540am. I took the long windy road out to Marks house and arrived at around 7:30. We then took off and started up the day with a cup o’ joe from The famous Cook’s Station which had a very nice staff. 

As I sipped my cup of coffee Professor Mark shared an impressive amount of information with me about everything from knots to fly fishing waters. I was there to learn and I knew I had come to the right place and the right person. 

After a short drive we arrived at the Middle fork of the Cosumnes River, a beautiful small stream with large boulders and tall trees nestled in a valley that looks like heaven on earth. Mark immediately pulled out the fly rod and showed me what he was talking about. Within minutes I was casting a fly rod for the first time in my life. 


We walked to the first hole. When mark took his first couple of swings I saw an unmistakable sight, a fish striking after the fly! 

I took a shot at the fly rod and within minutes I landed my first fish on the fly rod! If that had been the only fish I caught the entire time, the trip would have still been a success. But that wasn’t it, in fact, I ended up catching four that day! 

I must confess that fly fishing is more difficult than I originally thought. It certainly is more demanding than spin fishing or bait casting. I had problems with casting as I was instinctively trying my hardest to fling the line out into the middle of the river. Mark continuously reminded me to allow the weight of the line do the job.

While I was there we trekked through many yards of gorgeous untamed forest along the riverside. At one point mark fished a hole with the Tenkara Rod and I kept walking.  Each few yards were more beautiful than the next. The crisp cool air along the meandering riverside accompanied by a soft breeze hooked me just as much as the actual act of fishing. 

When I stood on a large rock and focused on my technique i realized how hard i was trying to force the line out into the middle instead of doing what Mark had told me. Instead I made myself swing the line back and forth keeping the line at 10 and 2. Slowly but surely the line made its way to the middle and I watched the fly slowly drift on top of the stream. The next cast i did the same thing. After a while I was flowing through the motions effortlessly. I was pulling line, whipping the line back and forth, stopping, watching the fly drift, watching if it sank, pulling it back in, drying it off and casting it back out. I caught another trout and I looked at mark but he wasn’t watching so I got some water on my hands, unhooked the little guy, placed him back in and continued on with the pattern. 

Although i was still having trouble with my line tangling, it was that moment of complete serenity sitting in a deep valley surrounded by walls of rock and tree that i realized that i had become a fly fisherman and although i loved spin fishing and bait casting, I wouldn’t soon be forgetting fly fishing. It had become a part of my life. Just then I got a nice bite and fought my biggest fish of the day. Although the fish wasn’t huge it still put a smile on my face. 

We drove away, had lunch and talked about fishing, life and fishing as a lifestyle. At one point i realized how much fishing has changed my life. Four years ago I was sitting at a desk and watching countless movies, hanging out with friends in the big city every weekend. Today I still sit at a desk but my weekends are spent on the water, surrounded by beautiful scenery, meeting new people i never would have met, taking trips i never would have thought of taking, learning things that I never had in the past. Oh and I also catch fish, which is a huge plus. 

We finished up the day soaking some power bait out at beautiful Silver Lake. At that point I was tired and dozing off on the drive home. Mark gave me a tour around his beautiful home. Mark is an experienced angler, a gifted teacher and a great person. He would be a great fishing guide to anybody and should probably charge folks to share his expertise. I of course say that after I already got my free lesson! haha I also just wanted to take the time to thank him and promote his outstanding blog “Northern California Trout.” 

My first experience with fly fishing was unforgettable. Now it will only be a short time before i buy a fly rod, learn from experience and research and teach everybody I know or anybody willing to learn about fly fishing, because that’s what I love doing. It was only a matter of time before I picked up fly fishing and now it has become part of my wonderful fishing way of life.