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 

Packing for Norway

July 5, 2010

The 4th of July came upon us fast this year. It was such a cold and nasty spring followed by a cool and windy start to the summer that when the calendar dropped to July the other day I was shocked. It will be winter before we know it!

While Granny had to work, I partook in some of the July 4th celebrations with friends Pat and June. We took in the Victor parade followed by pizza, microbrew beer and a game of darts at the Wildlife Brewery. Then we caught several of the live outdoor bands with the rest of the town of Victor at the Knotty Pine. The Knotty has a fantastic party every 4th of July and if you’re out this way for Independence Day be sure not to miss it.

Once the fun was over it was time to pack. I’ll be traveling again here soon. This time to Norway to meet up with my friend Vladi Trzebunia from Poland. Vladi used to be an Atlantic salmon guide in Norway and has been meaning to return to see his friends and catch salmon again. Last time we were together Vladi asked me if I’d like to join him on an adventure back to Norway. Naturally I wanted to go, but when you run a fly shop in Jackson Hole, summer is not the time to go on vacation and the trip never happened. This year is different. Since I left my fly shop job I have yet to let a travel chance slip by. And although I could certainly be working on my art, Norway with Vladi is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Packing is never easy. Especially when you go to unfamiliar territory for a new specie. I’ve never been to Norway and although I’ve fished for Atlantic salmon, I’ve never caught one. I need to make it happen this time around. What is most difficult for me is choosing my fly lines. I do so many different types of fishing from chasing trout on my home waters to jungles of the Amazon to pike to saltwater etc. I have hundreds of lines for various applications. One great organizing tip that works for me is to mark my lines. I simply take a sharpie and code color both ends of my fly lines with the line weight. A thick line stands for five and each thin line equals one. The example I have shown is a 9-weight line.

If you frequently take lines on and off marking the lines is essential. Don’t wait until you mix up your arsenal. I also recommend that you save all your fly line boxes and plastic spools until you toss the line. That way when they are off the reel it’s even easier to identify them. Last, get yourself a Rio Cranky. This simple tool makes it easy to change and store your lines. You will also avoid twisting and adding unwanted memory to your lines. I’ll be packing throughout the week and if I have any other good tips I’ll be sure to share.

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site

Baldies, Beaves and More Good Fish

November 27, 2009

This is insane! A week ago winter set in but yet again disappeared. We floated the South Fork in Swan Valley Idaho once more and didn’t get even a flake of ice in the fly rod guides. Float fishing and ice-less stripping guides should have been a thing of the past three weeks ago, but our season keeps going and going and going . . .

The weather was mostly cloudy with temps reaching about 42 degrees. There wasn’t a breath of wind and when the sun occasionally broke through it felt like 50. You wouldn’t expect a better day in early October.

I fished with Tom Montgomery, whom I introduced in my November 24th report. We expected a third to join us, Andy Asadorian, but not only did Andy not show up but we didn’t even hear from him. A little weird but it’s a fact. And when a fishing partner drops out at the last minute, fishing is always good. Today was no exception.

Despite a late start of noon, Tom and I agreed upon a goal of twenty fish to the boat. That was a bit eager, and although that didn’t quite happen, we managed fifteen. We floated from Husky, also known as Palisades Creek launch to the highway bridge. This is about a nine mile float and with dark setting in by 5pm these days there’s no time for stopping. This meant a constant drift with the most effective method of fishing, stripping streamers. I used my usual rig of several streamers on straight 0X Rio Flouro-Flex Plus tippet. Normally my best streamer color on the South Fork is olive, but today the black and silver screamer streamer knocked them dead. It was an even mix of rainbows, browns and cutthroat. Although we caught at least one quality fish of each specie, our nicest fish was a cutthroat. What was amazing about this cutthroat (in photo), while I was fighting him he spit up an 8” white fish! Impressive!

Fishing was so good today I forgot to mention the wildlife. November on the South Fork never disappoints. I’ll guess we saw hundreds of ducks and swans, at least five bald eagles, a family of beavers and a whitetail.

That’s about enough for now. Supposedly it’s going to snow and get nasty tonight, but with all this talk I’m going back to the SF tomorrow!

Global Fly Fishing Web Site