MOLDY CHUM

Mikey Wier Searches for Steelhead in the Oregon Wilderness

Photo by Justin Baillie

Take a break and head into the Oregon Wilderness with Mikey Weir.

Via: The Cleanest Line LINK

Thunder from Down Under

We just got a few pics of a future Reel Purist and had to share with the Chum nation.  Australia's Allistair McBurnie's shots are pretty ill to say the least.

Ridin Bull Trout

One of the Western Wild Women series by Montana artist Jennifer Bardsley.

 

One of the unique mediums Bardsley works with is the cattle marker. LINK

Daily Dose of Chum

Go Green with your Old Waders

With the Recycled Waders PR carpet-bomb set to launch in a week or two, we were beat to the punch by our brothers in blog.  Further proof that you can't stop a good idea.  You can only hope to contain it.  Since the cat is now out of the bag, let the repurposed wader movement begin.

A few years back, Pat Jenkins (long time Chum friend and Reel Purist) had a vision.  And now, with the help of the Gooch, other potential manufactures, and bug-throwers across the globe, we all have a tangible opportunity to make a difference.  And this difference delivers a pretty nice reward:

After nearly a dozen years of chasing king salmon in Alaska with a vest full of whatever I could pack in it I finally had an epiphany…I only used a few patterns in a few colors, 20lb. mono, bug spray, and nippers, so why the hell am I carrying all this #%*! gear on my back for 12 hours a day! About the same time I had this glorious realization I had just gouged an enormous hole in my first pair of breathable waders while retrieving a fly from a tree behind me. There wasn’t enough patch material and aqua seal in King Camp to fix this blemish, so I finished the week with soggy socks and plenty of fish to hand.

I couldn't bear the thought of throwing away my very first pair of breathable waders - especially since they were pretty pricey to begin with! After a long drive back to Fairbanks, I sat down and sketched out a pack I could wear that would simplify my king salmon fishing. Then I enlisted my mom's sewing skills. A few weeks later, I had the prototype - and it was perfect! It held 2 large fly boxes, nippers, leader, fishing license, bug spray, hook file, and pliers. To this day I use the prototype on every salmon and steelhead adventure I make.

Since the creation of the original prototype pack, I have blown through several pairs of waders. But I've repurposed them to design other prototype bags and packs along the way. Recycled Waders brings my vision to life. We're giving back to the fishing community, but also to the environment by creating practical re-usable solutions for old, leaky and damaged waders.

Messenger Creel Big Fanny 'Nook Sack Greenback Wallet

Kings and Corn

Ski velvety corn in the morning, fish for kings in the afternoon all via heli with Chugach Powder Guides.

LINK

Mixing Executive Strategy with Fly Fishing Has Never Been More Engaging.....

.....or disturbing. LINK

Russian River Blues

Daily Dose of Nostalgia

Abrstract Brown and Not So Abstract Brown

I stopped in to visit our friends at The Bozeman Angler today and walked out with a Derek DeYoung print called Abstract Brown Bugger. The Bennett homestead does not have room for another fish print but this one is #1 of 500 so I couldn't  resist. 

The artist with a Big Stone 28" version of real thing. LINK

We're in Montana to meet up with Straq to work on some Patagonia product development for spring 2010.

We'll be fishing the Big Stone tomorrow.

Heavy Metal

Jason Tonelli, owner of Pacific Angler in Vancouver, flashing some Squamish River steel. Bonus points for the full Gooch ensemble.

Natalie Fobes Photography

Natalie Fobes is known as the salmon lady because of her thousands of salmon photographs.  LINK

Her work documenting the Exxon Valdez oil spill was used as evidence against Exxon in the recent Supreme Court proceedings.  LINK

Renault Fishing

Sunday Funnies - K9 Bonus Edition

           You can't be serious

Sunday Funnies

Jolly Fish

Whitefish Oy!

Daily Dose of Chum

Scientific Anglers' lines reel in fly-fishers

A recent profile of Scientific Anglers.

The company was founded in 1945 by Midland fly-fishing enthusiasts Leon Martuch, Clare Harris and Paul Rottiers. They are credited with developing the first modern fly lines in the 1950s.

In 1973, the company was purchased by corporate giant 3M Co.

Via: mlive LINK

Tasteless Tee of the Week

Dogs and Salmon Poisoning Disease

                               I'll have the steak please.

Don't let your pooch eat raw fish.

Salmon Poisoning Disease isn’t exclusively caused by the ingestion of raw salmon as the name might suggest. The condition can be caused by a dog consuming raw salmon, trout, steelhead, and other freshwater fish.

Cases of this disease are caused by the ingestion of fish caught in the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon and California).

Salmon Poisoning Disease is VERY serious and can be fatal! If left untreated 90% of dogs who show symptoms will not survive.

Via: Dog Reflections  LINK

El Rio Savegre - Las Montañas de Talamanca

Our friend Dave Skok sent a report from Costa Rica out over the Patagonia broadcast network. As you can see by some of these shots, he and Patagonia celebrity spokesmodel Tom Rapone, caught some beautiful wild rainbows and some larger fare of the salt water variety. We'll post a link to the full gallery when Dave gets it up on his site. In the meantime enjoy these highlights.

The new Patagonia waterproof Stormfront pack got put to the test.

Sailfish candy!

All photos courtesy of Dave Skok.

Generation Fly

Reel Escape Films

Nick Clement, who penned an article in the latest issue of This is Fly, has been working on some film projects.

A River Runs Against It - America's Evolving View of Dams

Former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt writes about creating a balance between the needs of a river and those who use it.

During the New Deal, President Franklin Roosevelt and his Interior Secretary, Harold Ickes, toured the West dedicating dams before large, enthusiastic crowds. Now, at the end of the century, I am out touring the country with a different message - it is time to un-dedicate some of those dams by removing them and letting the rivers run free. For we now have too many of these dams, some 75,000, the equivalent of one every day since Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. Along the way I am asking questions: Is this dam still serving its purpose? Do the benefits justify the destruction of fish runs and drying up of rivers? Can't we find a better balance between our needs and the needs of the river?

Via: Open Spaces Magazine LINK

The Monte Dolack Resurrection print was commissioned by Idaho Rivers United to show what a free flowing Snake River would look like after breaching the federal dams.

Cutthroat in the Crosshairs

The Quiet Pool has put out a call to action based on news that the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is proposing a coastal cutthroat harvest starting in 2009.

LINK

Fly Currents 3D Flys

Run your cursor over the pictures after the jump for some 3D fly goodness from Fly Currents.

LINK

Chum Flounder goes Hollywood

Take Me to Your Leader

Marvin Cutchin of MidCurrent raises a very valid question (or two) about the tagging of Tarpon off the coast of Florida in the wake of former President Bush's 100+ lb. catch over the weekend.  LINK

Slab of the Month

I could swear that's a naked woman reflected in his sunglasses.

Via MidCurrent: LINK

Holy White Bass Batman!

Submitted by Ken Morrow from Project Healing Waters, this white bass was nailed by Michael Kyle, owner of Backcountry Outfitters in Springfield, MO.   It tipped the IGFA-certified scale just over 5 lbs. 

We're far from white bass experts, but that is a slob. 

Update:

Looks like Mr. Kyle is on the verge of topping a 27 year Cory Wells (lead man of 70's rock posse - Three Dog Night) record.  VIA IGFA.org LINK

It could well be the saddest experience Mr. Wells could ever know. 

Did you see that effin fish!?!

With our boy Rowdy behind the lense, the Rooster learns that you'll get nothing and like it with a Bill Dance hookset.  The icing on the cake - we have a long overdue Davey sighting.

Atlantic Taxidermy will immortalize your trophy catch

It's been a while since we've done a replica mount post.

LINK

Where it all began

For old time's sake, we unsheathed the 5 wt. and headed East to the very place I first casted a fly (in 1982).  This time we brought Braughtinwood and crew to capture a bit of Nunnally magic on film.

The Hale Bopp was the protein of choice.

Launch pad

Tiger (just a cub)

Ever wonder what fuels the creativity of the Fishizzle production team?  Billy Dee Williams is one proud bratha right about now.

For more porn - keep your fingers on the pulse of the release of Roll Cast Productions' next film.

CNN Headline T-shirts

CNN is selling t-shirts with their headlines on them.  LINK to this shirt.

 

LINK to the store.

UPDATE: The headlines can be manipulated.

   

Trucker Lids Available

 

For Chum eyes only - a limited number of RP Trucker Lids are now on sale (available in poo brown and navy).  Get some now! 

Going to Alaska, but don't know shite?

From the pen and friends of The Neil Creek Chronicles comes this new sweetheart of a resource.  Information for AK rookies and vets alike, this site serves it to you by fish, regions, and seasons.  Just the way we like it.

Juneau, AK, April 14th, 2008 - Alaska Fly Fishing Goods (NASDAQ: GETURASSUPHERENOW)

Coming to Alaska, but not quite sure where to go or what to bring? Do you want to know when the best Rainbow trout fishing happens in Bristol Bay, and what they are biting on? Look no further...We are pleased to announce the launching of the Alaska Fly Fishing Goods website on Monday April 14th, 2008 at www.alaskaflyfishinggoods.com

The site is the brainchild of Brad Elfers, the longtime owner of Juneau Flyfishing Goods, a brick-and-mortar establishment in Juneau, AK. After 10 years in the biz, Brad figures that he has answered many thousands of questions from folks eager for information on fishing in Alaska, and this site is built around what he considers to be the three questions he hears most frequently:

1. When is the best time of year to come to Alaska to fish?
2. Where should I go to fish in Alaska?
3. What flies and gear should I bring to Alaska?

The site is organized around 3 main themes: Fish, Regions, and Seasons. In each category is information that should prove to be helpful to both the cheechako (newcomer) and sourdough (grizzled veteran) alike. In addition to the information, the site is the home of a full-service flyshop, with many products for fishing in Alaska that can be found nowhere else.

For the beginner or the expert, Alaska Fly Fishing Goods features 11 Rod/Reel/Line packages for all species, ability levels, and pocketbooks. Also available are 15 hand-picked and time-tested fly selections geared towards all the major species and fishing seasons in Alaska. In addition to the pre-filled flyboxes, Alaska Fly Fishing Goods stocks one of the largest selections of proven Alaska patterns in the world, as well as Alaska-tested rods, reels, lines, and clothing.

Although catering primarily to the angler visiting Alaska, anglers that pursue anadromous fish the world over can find something useful at the Alaska Fly Fishing Goods site. Many of the time-tested Alaska fly patterns are little known outside of the state, and some will translate quite well to other regions and fisheries. Bull trout anglers in British Columbia, diehard Steelheaders in Oregon, Austral anglers fishing for Patagonia's giant sea-run Brown Trout...all of them can find something new at Alaska Fly Fishing Goods.

Whether you are coming to our great state for your first visit and are new to fly-fishing, or a 30-year resident and a veteran angler, Alaska Fly Fishing Goods has everything that you need, all in one convenient location - www.alaskaflyfishinggoods.com

Belize Please

Just another day - away from the office.  Chris Bamford and Belize River Lodge guide Pedro caress a freakish minnow on 4-8-08.  Chris my man, you have a nice shot at the April shwag.

Salmon Closure 2008 - NEVER AGAIN: Ten Actions You Need to Take Now!

Dan Bacher outlines the steps you can take to help restore Central Valley salmon. 

LINK

Best Fly Fishing Yellowstone team bids farewell

The demands of real jobs, new media opportunities, and a desire to fish more than write about it, has convinced the team team to pack it up and ride off into the Greater Yellowstone sunset.

Their final post wraps it all up with some words of encouragement. LINK

Patagonia in the News

In the second half of this N.Y. Times article adapted from the book, The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker, Patagonia is recognized as a model for corporate America.

Patagonia is not like anywhere else. With 1,300 workers and $275 million a year in sales, it donates 1 percent of its annual sales to environmental groups. Four days a week at lunchtime, the company offers yoga and Pilates sessions; there are also occasional classes on fly fishing.

Via The NY Times  LINK

He described catching Two Tone as a very emotional moment

If the British Record Fish Committee verify the catch, it will break its current record for the biggest freshwater fish landed in the UK. Via: BBC News  LINK

Sunday Funnies - Bacon Edition

Click to enlarge

Chicken Fried Bacon

Steelheaders are Tough - Take a Licking and Keep on Ticking

Steelhead angler survives fall into Brule River and a heart attack

Burling “conservatively estimated” he spent 35 minutes in the cold current before being rescued by a passing angler. He was flown to Duluth’s St. Luke’s hospital by helicopter that evening. Doctors were treating him for hypothermia when he suffered a mild heart attack, said Dr. David Sproat of Duluth Internal Medicine Associates.

“I’m too ornery to die,” Burling said.

Understand, the man knows adversity. Since his early 50s, according to his family’s accounts, he has had two triple-bypass heart surgeries, six heart attacks (including Tuesday’s), three strokes, carotid artery surgery and surgery for colon cancer.

Via: Duluth News Tribune LINK

Fishing Down a River

Fly Recipes Dot Com

Chum addict John Testor recently turned us on to this new site: Fly Recipes.  Looks like these boys are on to something special.  We'll keep a finger to the pulse of this one and fill you in on its official launch.

Spillway Steel

I caught a fish bigger than me...honestly.

Here's a gnarly Spanish feline story sent to us by Marcus at the horribly delicious Swim at Your Own Risk.  Full story can be found here.