There was an article in USA Today recently detailing the decline of golf. Apparently there are fewer people playing the game. The number of golfers had declined 13% in the past five years. Some golf courses are closing altogether. The Sikeston Country Club near St. Louis closed after being in operation for 55 years. One avid golfer they interviewed said “If I couldn’t play, I’m not sure what I’d do”.
Don’t despair ex-whackers – grab a fly rod! A fishing license is way cheaper than the thousands you could spend on golf club memberships, trout live in even more beautiful places than golf courses, and you don’t have t be stuck fishing the same river all the time. Hey, you won’t have to worry about your handicap any more either. One last point – fly fishing is a lot less stressful than whacking that little white ball around and you can still drink like a fish (ok, that’s two points).
While I think lobbing lures is a crude way to fish – compared to floating a fly – I have to admire the tenacity of the two steelheaders who were out on the Snoqualmie River today in the snow. They were tucked under the bridge at Fall City with their lines in the water. Hey, if every time a bell rings an Angel gets their wings, then the bait-chucking steelheaders with bells on their poles are are doing good work in that area. More Angels is a good thing. Of course they hardly ever actually catch one, but again, I admire the effort.
Snoqualmie River in snow
One of the goals of Hops & Hackle is to get people interested in fly fishing. We want you to see the fun, excitement, and raw manliness of fly fishing. Well, raw manliness may be a stretch, but it is a lot of fun. So I was thinking of the reasons I go fly fishing and came up with my Top 10 List. Everybody should have a Top 10 List, about something, doesn’t really matter what, just a Top 10 List.
So here is my – Top 10 Reasons to go Fly Fishing in a River
- It’s a legitimate reason to get out of the house (and away from the spousal unit) and quit watching TV. There’s nothing good on anyway. If you have ever watched a reality show on TV or anything close to Maury, you need to consider taking up fly fishing (and getting a life in general). Read more »
Hey everyone, Marty Mykiss here with an introduction. I’m an 18 inch Rainbow trout currently living in the waters around North Bend, WA. I’m also known as “The Monster”. I’m the trout you wish you could catch. I’ve been around a bend or two and have the lip piercings to prove it. You fly fishermen have been after me for years, and I have to tell you it’s been fun watching your antics. The boys at Hops & Hackle have asked me to post a view articles now and then and I’m happy to do that cuz you all provide some fin-slapping fun.
Like just last Sunday, the H&H boys were out for some fishing (and it’s definitely “fishing” for them and not “catching” cuz they can’t catch squat) and I saw that Hackle was tossing a yummy looking article that looked just like one of my favorite nibbles – a crawfish. Well, Hackle had committed the first Cardinal sin of fishing – he did not rig his gear in an artful manner. He missed an eyelet when he put the fly line through the guides. Ha ha, what a rube. So I waited around until he noticed the problem and while he was screwing around with the line I hit that puppy as hard as I could – BAM. You should have seen the look on his face – total shock and awe. I just about got him to drop the rod and pee his pants. I don’t think he ties knots very well either since I was able to rip that dog right off the tippet. My jewelry collection is getting rather large thanks to the Hops & Hackle boys. I am going to make a killing at the local pawn shop. Ahhh, are you H&H boys having a tough day? Well you can kiss my tail. More posts to come. See you on the river (…NOT).
Well, It seems, that for the past fifteen years or so I’ve been able to get out fishing maybe a dozen or so times a year. Usually to the Yakima river or around home up in the San Juan Islands. The Yakima river is fun, but it’s a full day. It always seemed like we’re in a hurry. That all changed in August when we started fishing around North Bend, and it’s been a blast.
The places we’ve been fishing are only minutes away and we very seldom see anyone else fishing there. Places like the North Fork of the Snoqualmie all the way up to Sunday creek. Three rivers, the middle fork with spots like the “turn hole”,”the bridge”, Even in downtown North Bend at “the Troll Hole”. And all of these places have produced great fishing. But what’s really great is that most of these spots are only minutes away from a bar, and a cou
ple of them you can walk to in your waders, have a couple IPA’s and then get back after it.
You won’t feel like you have to be on the river 100% of the time because you made this effort to get all the way over the mountains. Plus it gives you time to do some exploring and of course you can always get back to that great little hole in the wall tavern that you just discovered.