Time to do Some Artwork

It looks like all I do is fish, but I actually stay pretty busy very early in the mornings before fishing and then very late at night after fishing. This week I have been working on a huge Snake River Cutthroat painting. Today I finally put on the finishing touches and I’m pleased with the final product. The watercolor pen & ink is 22” x 30” in size and I sell it unframed for $1250 plus $30 shipping. Unless I sell it in the next 48 hours, it will be headed to the framer and then to Wyoming Gallery in Jackson, Wyoming (307 733-7548) where I display and sell my work.

Snake River Cutthroats are the native fish in the Jackson Hole, Wyoming area and in my opinion one of the prettiest of all trout. I love painting them even though they have so many small spots my eyes start to pop out when I apply them!

This cutty took me about ten days from start to finish. That’s putting a few hours in here and there whenever the artistic mood hits. And of course when I’m not on the water!

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site

Thirty Fish or More

Today is Granny’s day, again. Actually it’s mine too because we went to a place we both love very much, the Piniella River. It’s a river we like to float because there’s not much fishing traffic (although today we saw three other boats) and there’s numerous fish to catch on big stupid looking dry flies. I like to twitch the winged Chernobyl Ant in the seams and along the banks. Once again, this is by no means a location for big trout but the small ones are numerous. We get several species – brook trout, rainbow and cutthroat (both Snake River and Yellowstone cutts) and when you want them, plenty of whitefish.

This was a rest day after the hike of yesterday. Granny made us a heck of a lunch and even squeezed a couple of ice cold beers in my dirty cooler. The rowing is easy here so you can kick back and drift, drop anchor or just steer all while you are fishing. We picked a particularly long float so we got a very early start. I was doing a ten mile bike shuttle before 8 am. When I finished Granny had the boat ready to rock and off we went.

On this river, the fish are generally so small that we keep count and set goals. Today we were shooting for 25 fish. Keeping count may sound ridiculous to some but for us it makes it fun. If we don’t set a goofy goal like this then we tend not to put much effort into our fishing on this river. With the high fish goal each fish means something despite their being small. We even do things like no food until we catch three and no beer until you catch five (that will make you concentrate).

Things started slower than expected. There’s hardly room for one boat on this river in August let alone the three others we saw. Naturally they had the same plan as us of starting early so right out of the gate we kept running into one another. They didn’t seem to know the river so we slowed down our pace considerably to get them out of our sight for good. We dropped anchor on a favorite bank of ours and over the course of an hour we managed six fish – an even mix of cuttys and brookies.

We never saw more much more after that other than lots of birds including a family of owls, a porcupine of which I discovered because I heard some willows getting munched and over thirty fish. To our delight, three of these trout were pretty darn nice. We didn’t get off the river until 7:30 pm and it will go down as one of our most relaxing days of the summer.

During these last two days I wore my Granny out. She always teases me when I’m tired after fishing a bunch of days in a row, but she knows. Fishing and being outdoors all day gives you the kind of tired we all need more of. Now its back to work for Granny and believe it or not, I’m going to bust out some art tomorrow. I’m excited to say that I sold some art in my galleries and received more orders from my website then ever. Good stuff!

Today is Granny’s day, again. Actually it’s mine too because we went to a place we both love very much, the Piniella River. It’s a river we like to float because there’s not much fishing traffic (although today we saw three other boats) and there’s numerous fish to catch on big stupid looking dry flies. I like to twitch the winged Chernobyl in the seams and along the banks. Once again, this is by no means a location for big trout but the small ones are numerous. We get several species – brook trout, rainbow and cutthroat (both Snake River and Yellowstone cuts) and when you want them, plenty of whitefish.

This was a rest day after the hike of yesterday. Granny made us a heck of a lunch and even squeezed a couple of ice cold beers in my dirty cooler. The rowing is easy here so you can kick back and drift, drop anchor or just steer all while you are fishing. We picked a particularly long float so we got a very early start. I was doing a ten mile bike shuttle before 8 am. When I finished Granny had the boat ready to rock and off we went.

On this river, the fish are generally so small that we keep count and set goals. Today we were shooting for 25 fish. Keeping count may sound ridiculous to some but for us it makes it fun. If we don’t set a goofy goal like this then we tend not to put much effort into our fishing on this river. With the high fish goal each fish means something despite their being small. We even do things like no food until we catch three and no beer until you catch five (that will make you concentrate).

Things started slower than expected. There’s hardly room for one boat on this river in August let alone the three others we saw. Naturally they had the same plan as us of starting early so right out of the gate we kept running into one another. They didn’t seem to know the river so we slowed down our pace considerably to get them out of our sight for good. We dropped anchor on a favorite bank of ours and over the course of an hour we managed six fish – an even mix of cuttys and brookies.

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site

Not One Human Footprint

Today was Granny’s day. She’s been working all week while I’ve been fishing. She crossed Teton Pass twice a day and worked retail in Jackson Hole, Wyoming the last five days. It’s exhausting. I know from over twenty years of my own experience. And I remember that when the days off come around you need to get into something good. That’s why I surprised her and said we are going to one of her favorite fishing spots. I’m not going to tell you where it is. I’m not going to make up a lie or a fake name. It’s Granny’s place and that’s all you need to know.

We left the house early this morning and made the drive. Once we got there it’s a good hike. We loaded some chicken breasts in the backpacks to hold us over throughout the day along with a couple bottles of water and my favorite, dark chocolate. Our weather today was the same as every day lately, partly cloudy with threats of thunderstorms. Luckily we didn’t have any storms. In fact it turned out pretty nice. The day started cold and windy but it warmed up and by 2 pm there was hardly any wind. I was actually hoping for some wind to blow in the grass hoppers.

We wet waded today. I hate packing the extra weight of waders even though the water in this river is freezing cold. We always wear long pants because there’s lots of thistle and wild rose bushes to cut you up and normally the mosquitoes and horse flies eat you alive. Today they weren’t so bad.

Our fishing was excellent. Once we got to the river I kicked back and watched Granny tear up the fish. For the most part the fish are small here but you get the occasional 15 – 16 inchers. After she caught a few she kicked back and I fished a few runs and we switched off all day. It’s a very relaxing way to fish and even though we each brought a rod we only needed one – my 4-weight Ross fly rod.

I couldn’t tell you how many fish we caught today but it was a bunch. We fished one of Granny’s favorite flies, the Parachute Madam X (PMX). She tied it on at the first pool and we never changed it all day. All but one fish we caught were cutthroats that never broke 15”s. But they are the coolest and most peculiar looking Yellowstone Cutthroats you ever saw. The day ended very cool. There was a fish rising in a near impossible to catch place. There literally was no way to get a cast to him due to a rock ledge and a draping willow. However it turns out he was what I refer to as a “suicide fish”. Granny landed her fly about five feet from the feeding trout. He wasn’t even facing the direction to see her fly. But he must have heard it land because he screamed from his home like a speeding bullet and gobbled up the PMX like it was a hot fudge sundae. Granny stuck him good and after several leaps she landed a rainbow. I honestly don’t remember there being rainbows here but now we know – there are.

There are a lot of things to love about this place. There’s a lot of fish and the fish are cooperative. But by far, the best of all is there are no other people. Not even a footprint. And as long as no one writes a book chapter or an article including maps and directions, Granny’s river will stay the same forever.

I couldn’t tell you how many fish we Parachute Madam X (PMX). She tied it on at the first pool and we never changed it all day. All but one fish we caught were cutthroats that never broke 15”s. But they are the coolest and most peculiar looking Yellowstone Cutthroats you ever saw. The day ended very cool. There was a fish rising in a near impossible to catch place. There literally was no way to get a cast to him due to a rock ledge and a draping willow. However it turns out he was what I refer to as a “suicide fish”. Granny landed her fly about five feet from the feeding trout. He wasn’t even facing the direction to see her fly. But he must have heard it land because he screamed from his home like a speeding bullet and gobbled up the PMX like it was a hot fudge sundae.

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site

Storm After Storm

August 8-9, 2010

It isn’t easy rolling out of the sleeping bag when its 39 degrees in August. Yet that’s the exact temperature it was yesterday morning when Derek and I got up at 6 am. Why get out of bed at 6 am for trout fishing? Because Hebgen Lake often produces the best Callibaetis May Fly hatch you can imagine. The hatch typically occurs shortly after sunrise and brings big rainbow trout to the surface by the bucket load. I can honestly say that when I remember my ten best lake fishing experiences, most were early mornings on Hebgen Lake in August. Just the thought of another will get me out of bed no matter what the circumstance is for the rest of my life!

Despite the unusually cold morning, we got the coffee going ASAP. Meanwhile, Derek and I checked our leaders and tied on size 16 parachute Adams, one of the best Callibaetis imitations there is. Once the coffee was done, we filled our cups and made the short drive to Hebgen from our camp on Quake Lake.

We launched the boat quick and in no time were motoring to my favorite spot. The cold temps caused some major fog but it was starting to lift with the sunrise. I was surprised there were no other boats or float tubers. It made me worry that perhaps the fishing wasn’t what it’s supposed to be on a typical August morning. Once to my spot I cut the motor and Derek fired up my stove for another batch of coffee as we drifted and awaited the Callibaetis to hatch.

As we drifted along on the nearly calm Hebgen Lake we saw the occasional rises. They were one time rises not the typical “gulper” rises that rise continuously allowing you to get a cast to them. Although the rises caught our eye, they were not continuous enough for us to put down our coffees.

A slight breeze picked up so I tossed out the windsock to slow down our drift and started slowly retrieving Callibaetis nymphs. I prefer to do this with my Rio Aqualux on my 6-weight Ross fly rod but that rig is on the bottom of Quake Lake. Instead I used my floating line and 5-weight, but worried I wouldn’t get my nymphs deep enough. Derek randomly bounced his parachute Adams around hoping a fish would find it. Miraculously a small rainbow did but he missed him.

We drifted through my favorite area about three times and never saw more than a random rise. Then, just when I was ready to try another spot I saw a rise that continued – a true gulper. I still had my nymph rod in hand so I shouted to Derek. By then I realized there were several gulpers working towards my boat. Derek saw them and dropped a perfect cast. To my delight, Derek’s fly got sipped down by the lead gulper and the fight was on.

Hebgen Lake fish fight hard and are typically larger than the ones on Quake Lake. Derek’s fish lived up to its reputation and I broke out the net to scoop up the gorgeous rainbow. After a few clicks with my camera we released him. Moments later as we were kicking back in celebration, when only a short cast in front of the boat was another gulper. Derek looked to me to make a cast but my dry fly rig had a nymph on it so I frantically told him to go for it. He did and it was another good cast followed by another great eat from a slightly larger rainbow.

That would be the last fish of mention of not only yesterday but also today. Soon after Derek’s second Hebgen rainbow the weather took a turn for the worst. A gust of wind blew us off the lake. We took a lunch break in hopes things would improve but it got worse. Thunderstorms roared through with heavy rain, hail, more wind and way too much lightening to think about wetting a line. The storms lasted the rest of the day and all night. It was bad enough we had to eat our ramen noodles with forceps let alone in the rain. And we even awoke to a storm at our Quake Lake camp this morning. With the weather like this, another lake day was not in order. Instead we drove to the Henry’s Fork and waded the Ranch. Unfortunately by the time we got there the early hatch of PMD’s was over and then the storms moved in again. We each landed a couple of scrappy 13”ers and called it trip – and a darn fun one at that despite the weather.

It was and incredible three days of fishing and great to fish once again with Derek. Now its Granny’s days off and she has big plans to chase fish around some of her favorite haunts – stay tuned.

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site

May My Rod Rest in Peace

When the geese flew over my house early Friday morning I was a bit suspicious. They were in formation as if it were October – about fifteen of them honking away. But it’s only August I thought to myself. It’s just a fluke. It’s the middle of summer. Well, Derek and I froze our butts off from 4 pm until dark today.

Derek Mitchell is an old-time friend of mine. Derek and I met in about 1988 when he joined the fly shop team at the Jack Dennis Outdoor Shop where I worked. We fished hard together that summer and have done so many more since. We’ve traveled the world, smoked cigars and shared a six pack from time to time. And now, despite him having a family and living in California, we still manage to fish together at least once a year if not more.

Derek works for Mountain Hardwear. Yesterday afternoon he finished up working a trade show in Salt Lake City. The minute the show was over, he drove his rental to Victor to meet me for three days of fishing. He got to my house at about midnight. Rather than charge out the door at the crack of dawn today we awoke casually and I ran a few fishing ideas by him over coffee. We settled on some of my favorites, Quake Lake, Hebgen Lake and on Monday, the Henrys Fork.

You’d think we were getting old or something. We didn’t leave Victor Idaho for our two hour drive until 10 am. By the time we stretched our legs and drank a celebratory beer on the platform at the Last Chance parking lot on the Henrys Fork, visited with and got our Montana licenses from Kelly Galloup and then launched my boat at Quake Lake, it was 3 pm. Finally I fired up my 3.3 Mercury and putted us up the lake to my favorite spot. There was a light chop on the water and I was sure the fish would be rising. Well, they were rising. But as we pulled into the dead trees, a main feature of Quake Lake, the first of a weekend of thunderstorms hit and we had to beach the boat and duck heavy rain, hail and wind in the trees.

The storm lasted a couple of hours. The lake roared with whitecaps and high winds changed direction at least a 100 times. Safe drift boating with the 3.3 would have been risky and fishing would have been hopeless during the storm. Thanks to some good cigars and icy cold Budweiser’s the time went unnoticed as we remained ashore and caught up on the happenings in our lives. Once the weather settled we pushed the boat back out to catch the evening hatch.

Things didn’t start out so hot. The temperature dropped at least twenty degrees. There were no bugs and not a fish to be seen. While Derek twitched big dries at the base of the eerie looking 50 year old dead Quake Lake trees protruding from the deep, I prowled the area with nymphs using my 6-weight Ross with my intermediate sinking Rio Aqulalux line. Hand over hand I slowly retrieved my Ben Byng Damsel and an English Buzzer three feet below the surface. Neither of us touched a fish.

The temperature continued to plummet so much that I set my rod down and pulled my emergency Tupperware from under the boat seat to get out a sweater. As I was digging around I heard a strange noise. It was as if something was getting pulled from the boat. Unfortunately it was. My rod, reel and line were leaving the boat! When fishing Quake Lake I fish amidst the middle of the dead trees. Sometimes I tie up to a tree but tonight we were slowly drifting and bumping off the trees. Sadly, my second fly that was dangling hooked a tree as we drifted past and my outfit got yanked from the boat. I spun around just in time to see the outfit plunge.

Let’s go back two years. I was in Egypt chasing Nile perch and we got caught in a bad storm in the middle of Lake Nasser. As we sped for shore, my 10-weight rig got bounced out of the boat by a rogue wave. I instinctively dove out of the boat for it because the tip was still in view, slowly sinking between the huge waves. But because of the speed in which we were traveling and my inability to see a damn thing once overboard amongst the waves and wind, the rod was gone. I got tossed around in the waves so badly I nearly drowned during the time it took the boat to navigate back to find me in the rough seas. Worst of all, I had my camera around my neck when I dove so that was lost as well. There’s even another time in Panama when I dove for my 14-weight, but that’s a long story so we won’t get into it. Let’s just say, I don’t dive for rods these days.

So when I spun around on Quake Lake and saw my rod sinking, I had second thoughts about leaping aimlessly into the creepy dark water. Even though I literally had one foot on the edge of my boat gunnels and my weight leaned forward to make the dive, I didn’t do it. The rod sank too fast. And thank God I didn’t because I had my new Canon camera around my neck, my phone and wallet in my pockets and I was already cold enough. I also had on lots of clothes and a full rain suit. Swimming would have been difficult to say the least.

That rod was my 6-weight Ross FC. Although you may not suspect it by the price tag on this rod, it’s one of the best 6-weights I’ve ever owned. I have taken that rod around the world with me this year and taken over 25 different fish species on it since fishing Brazil last March. This was a horrendous loss. Not only that, attached to it was my Ross Airius Reel. This is my lake reel and I have five extra spools for the reel, each with a Rio line of a special sink rate. This was a disaster.

Shock hits you hard when you have such a loss. It wasn’t so much the financial loss but the sentimental loss. This outfit was an old friend. It went on every outing with me and let me tell you, that’s a lot lately. As I pulled out my 4-weight and tied on a parachute Adams, I was in a daze. I kept replaying my last glimpse of the sinking rod. Should I of dove or should I of not? Man it was brutal.

About that time I heard a slurp. It was nearly dark so seeing wasn’t easy. But indeed it was a feeding trout followed by another and another and in minutes the lifeless lake came alive. There were brown trout rising everywhere! Before I could clip the tag end of my Clinch Knot, Derek was hooked into a leaping 13” brown. From then until 10 pm in the pitch dark, Derek and I landed over twenty browns and one rainbow on dry flies. It was unreal!

There’s nothing like a difficult fishing day that starts tough but ends big. That’s lake fishing for you. Many times you get to a lake and nothing’s happening. You blind fish with every fly in your box but to no avail. Most anglers pack it up and run to the nearest river. But my advice is that if you plan to lake fish, dedicate yourself. Spend the whole day on the lake you chose. Because every trout in the lake must eat at some point and if you are there it can be incredible. Derek and I gritted out the pain of no fish and a lost rod, reel and line, but the fishing turned on and we were rewarded big time.

It’s now unbelievably cold. It’s easily in the thirties. We had big plans of burgers at the Grizzly Bar tonight but it’s too late. Plus we are exhausted and tomorrow morning it’s up before sunrise and off to Hebgen to see if the Callibaetis will hatch. A couple pieces of this wet fried chicken in the bottom of the cooler will surely cure our appetite. On that note, were sleeping right here at the Quake Lake boat launch.

Jeff Currier Global Flyfishing Web site

One Fly Contest Coming Quick

The famous Jackson Hole Wyoming One Fly Contest takes place this year on September 9 – 12. The One Fly is a friendly competition originally designed to extend the fishing business season of Jackson Hole for fishing guides and fly shops. Since the fly fishing boom of the 90’s that’s no longer the purpose of this fun event because anglers hire guides and buy flies year round anyway. What the One Fly does best now is raise money to improve fisheries nationwide.

In any event, it costs a lot of money to enter a four angler team and for that reason few fishing bums like me get to participate as an angler. However last year, Gary Eckman, the Captain of “Good Times” Team and a customer of mine when I worked at the Jack Dennis Sports fly shop, generously invited me on his team at not cost to me. To prepare, we fished together nearly every Friday and became great friends. Luckily, our team did well and I’m glad to say Gary is having me back this year.

Today was our first Friday fishing day of the season. We planned to start back in early July. That was before Gary nearly died of a blood clot after a surgery. He was very fortunate to survive and after six days in intensive care and two weeks in the hospital, today was one of his first days out. It was a special day to say the least.

We went to the South Fork of the Snake River here in Idaho. I’m not a big fan of the South Fork during summer months because of the enormous amount of boat traffic. You will undoubtedly see at least twenty other boats no matter what stretch you fish. But, like all crowded rivers, the South Fork is crowded for a reason – the fishing is spectacular and today was no exception.

Gary picked me up at my house at 8:30 am and we were on our way. It’s a short twenty-five mile drive from my house to the Irwin Slide boat launch. We were drifting down the South Fork before 9:30. Today was warm but by no means sunny. We’ve had thunderstorms nearly every day this week and this morning the sky threatened to deliver the first storm early.

Normally I streamer fish on the South Fork. That’s because it’s usually October or November. In the summertime the best fishing results come by staking out one of the huge riffles the South Fork is famous for and waiting for the Pale Morning Dun hatch to start. Once the hatch starts you can spend hours fishing dry flies to rising cutthroats, rainbows and browns. Today we got in the boat and rowed directly to one of Gary’s favorite riffles. Lucky for us, the only one there was a moose so we shared the place and kicked back and waited for the hatch.

Even when there’s not at hatch, if you watch the shallows closely on the South Fork you’ll see fish. As I gazed into the riffle I quickly spotted two nice cutthroats swerving side to side, obviously feeding on nymphs. After watching them for about ten minutes I tied on an ant pattern to a 12’ 4X Rio leader and made some casts. The two trout ignored my fly but then a rainbow I didn’t see lifted half way to the surface as if to give my fly an inspection. While most anglers continue to cast in such a situation, I like to make the trout wait before he sees my fly again. I don’t want is for the fish to get another good look right away and also, South Fork trout don’t see huge numbers of ants drifting downstream. Two ants drifting by in a row could make any trout very suspicious. So, I relaxed about five minutes then cast again. Immediately the rainbow came up and ate the ant. He was a decent bow of about 16”.

Gary and I caught fish steadily from that point on. I even accidentally snatched a mammoth dragon fly from the air during a false cast. Because of the warm temperatures and overcast skies (we had one thunderstorm) the PMD’s hatched like crazy. I fished one of Vladi's CDC mayflies he designed for fishing his waters in Poland. It’s a fly pattern South Fork trout haven’t seen and therefore it fooled them all day long. In that first riffle alone I landed a dozen or so cutthroats from 13” to 18”’s along with two of the fattest rainbows I've seen this season.

Our day was superb to say the least. The large number of boats and fellow anglers didn’t get to me at all. In fact, we ran into many of my friends that guide the South Fork every day. Most I haven’t seen since the season got busy so that added to an already great day. I guess summer on the South Fork aint so bad after all and I hope to get back next week. Late tonight one of my best friends, Derek Mitchell arrives in town and during coffee in the morning we will plan a two day fishing trip that will begin tomorrow. We are thinking somewhere in the Yellowstone backcountry.

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site

Cliff Fly Box Art Madness

Jack Dennis is a last minute kind of guy. On Monday he sent me a box of twelve Cliff Fly Boxes to put my fish art on. He planned to get these boxes to me on May 1st but just kept putting it off. Finally, last week he got around to ordering them and of course he wanted them drawn up ASAP! Well, I’m a man that comes through in the clutch – I got them all done in less then 36 hours.

Cliff Outdoors is a family owned business located in Casper, Wyoming that designs and manufactures unique practical outdoor gear. Their current product line is geared to needs of practical fly anglers.

If you want to order a decorated Cliff Fly Box or send me your own box so I can spice it up, then feel free to contact me. I charge $25 for one side or $50 for both. And I’ll do any fish species you want from the hook jawed brown trout to the fattest carp you ever saw!

You name it! You’ll find a “Contact Me” button on the right hand side of this blog.

Check out even more information on my web site.

Jack Dennis is a last minute kind of guy. On Monday he sent me a box of twelve Cliff Fly Boxes to put my fish art on. He planned to get these boxes to me on May 1st but just kept putting it off. Finally, last week he got around to ordering them and of course he wanted them drawn up ASAP! Well, I’m a man that comes through in the clutch – I got them all done in less then 36 hours.

Cliff Outdoors is a family owned ine is geared to needs of practical fly

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site

Put Down the Rod and Pick up That Brush!

Two weeks ago it appeared this summer was going to be a slow one for art sales. Boy did that change. In the last two weeks, both galleries that sell my work have sold my paintings and there have been several orders through my website. It’s very good news.

Although I’ll still be fishing frequently, much of my time will be dedicated to painting. Keep an eye here as I post some of my most recent works such as the saltwater flats “Grand Slam” I completed today. Be sure and contact me when you’re ready to have your special catch painted. You can reach me via the contact button on the right hand side of this page.

Some of my artwork appears at South Fork Outfitters inside the fly shop, right above the beer cooler!

South Fork Outfitters is one of Idaho's authentic full-service, specialty fly shop and guide service. They are located on the bank of the South Fork of the Snake River in Southeast Idaho. They offer their lodging guests and anglers full and half day fishing trips, exclusive overnight riverside camping, scenic float trips, and package guiding for the South Fork Lodge, located at rivers edge in Swan Valley, Idaho.

More of my original artwork is at the Jack Dennis Art Gallery in downtown Jackson Hole Wyoming. Located on the Town Square in the heart of Jackson Hole, upstairs in Jack Dennis Sports, Wyoming Gallery is a long- established Jackson favorite specializing in landscape, wildlife, and sporting art.

For my complete collection of artwork, visit Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing on my personal web site. You'll also find several hundred pages of stories, photos, tips and more. The web site is constantly growing and adding new features.

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site 

The Man Behind the Scene

July 30, 2010

There wouldn’t be a jeffcurrier.com if there wasn’t a man behind the scene. There may even be one less fly fishing blog in the world if it wasn’t for that same man. That man is, Ken Holder from California and Jackson Hole Wyomig. I met Ken over twenty years ago. I sold him a pair of Simms wading shoes back in the late 80’s out of the Jack Dennis Outdoor Shop. I was just a young fly fishing maniac trying to earn enough for my next days off and Ken was desperately trying to land a size 14 wading shoe.

Over the years we got to be friends and one day he suggested I have website. It was the thing to do and he could build it and keep it going as a hobby. He suggested that perhaps if I didn’t have enough material to post I could share the website with a friend. I blew off the idea but Ken went ahead and got it started for me anyway. The site was pretty cool and I started adding things like my books and art and the occasional story or article. Maintaining it was a simple side project/hobby for Ken when he was out on the road working for United Airlines.  Neither of us dreamt that little website would turn into a huge 500 page step towards my self-employment and what is now Global Fly Fishing.

Ken works hours upon hours on the now massive website and that’s why whenever he visits the Yellowstone area I take him fishing. Today was one of his fishing days. He brought along his girlfriend Nati and asked one favor of me, help Nati catch a fish. We got an early start. The sky was deep blue and clear like the days of September even though its not. Throughout the day the clouds built up and it was hot. There were times today I couldn’t believe I was in the Rocky Mountains it was so hot. Regardless of the intense heat, the Pale Morning Duns and the Yellow Sallies hatched all day and the  brookies, rainbows and cuttys were out in full force to eat them.

One of the best ways for me to get a fly fishing newcomer into some fish is to put them in the front of my boat where I can keep an eye on them. I went over some of the basics of casting with Nati and showed her how to manage her line and eventually how to go about fighting and landing a fish. Once that was done we were off and I gave instruction while I was rowing throughout the day.

While all this was going on up front, Ken fished from the back of my boat. He tossed a 5-weight and an elk hair type of yellow sally I chose from his box. In no time Ken was hooked up. While most the fish on this river are small, I heard the trout sip his fly and  I could tell by the sound it belonged to a big one. By the time I looked over, Ken’s line was headed for some sunken trees. The last thing you want is for your fish to get into a snag so Ken prevented this by turning the fish. You accomplish this by putting as much pressure against the fish as you can based on the strength of your tippet by holding your rod tip low and bent. I like to pull downstream and get help from the current. On most trout, once you change their direction from going back to their home, they will usually fight you in from the middle of the river. Ken went on to land a spectacularly colored cutthroat-rainbow hybrid of which I netted and popped a few pictures with my new camera.

I knew I was in trouble the way Nati was looking at Ken's fish. It was the first trout  she’d seen in her life and now she had to have her own something  fierce. Fortunately her casting was getting good so I tied on a sally for her and sure enough the fish liked the fly. She didn’t exactly start putting fish in the  boat. Like anyone learning there were a few mishaps, such as not setting the hook at all, setting too late and completely forgetting what to do when you finally do hook one. Then, Nati got so excited on her first good hook up that she nearly back flipped over the side of my boat!

Nati went on to land some fish and get pretty darn good at fly fishing. In fact, we had a stroke of beginners luck when she boated one of the nicest brook trout you will find in these parts. Ken caught at least a dozen trout of all sizes however he was most happy  with Nati's success and the catch of his big cut bow. As for me, it was another great day on the water with friends.

There wouldn’t be a jeffcurrier.com if there wasn’t a man behind the scene. There may even be one less fly fishing blog in the world if it wasn’t for that same man. That man is, Ken Holder from California and Jackson Hole Wyomig. I met Ken over twenty years ago. I sold him a pair of Simms wading shoes back in the late 80’s out of the Jack Dennis Outdoor Shop. I was just a young fly fishing maniac trying to earn enough for my next days off and Ken was desperately trying to land a size 14 wading shoe.

Over the years we got to be friends and one day he suggested I have website. It was the thing to do and he could build it and keep it going as a hobby. He suggested that perhaps if I didn’t have enough material to post I could share the website with a friend. I blew off

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site