Jeez Rico, you make me ill! All you guys fishin' my river while I'm getting the place insulated, sheetrock hung, - taping and mud begin today. I'll fish again, but it's gonna' be a while. Then I'll remind you why some of us fly flickin' guys don't bother fishing with crutches like spoons, worms, etc.

Sg

Oh my...a zing from Mr. g


Sorry Steve...some of us gearheads "need" more gratification then a few grabs....maybe....whenever. I'm sure Frued, if he was an angler, would have a comment about "crutches".

Get that house done and get back fishin for cristsakes!

Beezer

Skysteelhead: Obviously you don't know me well, cuz' if ya did, you'd know I'm not an amazing dude, I'm just a dumb ass dork who loves to fish, amongst a few other things.

Salmo: I've fished with crutches plenty of times, the real crutches. I own about 7 fly rods I'll have you know. I caught my first western Washington steelhead fly fishing a small Snohomish county river. It was pure luck. I quickly realized that to be a good steelhead fly fisherman, you just have to cast beautifully, and go fishing, a few hook-ups a year is good. I like fly fishing. I like it a lot, especially for tiny beautiful trout in small mountain streams. But back to them steelhead. I like to catch them too much and see them in my hands, so, I'll continue to use the crutch that is gear, even PLUGS! And if ya want, you'd be very welcomed to come use a crutch on a river with me. I PROMISE to post no pics of you on the internet CATCHING steelhead on gear.

Tomorrow, Ripples is gonna get some shrimpies with Tom and I in his sweet new boat , and most likely some other sea creatures. We'll make sure to post pics of crutch caught sea creatures for ya.

P.S. I watched my dad build his house for years, and miss so much fishing, when others were catching, he was working on the house. I am not a fan of that philosophy. Go fishing, it's good for ya.

Beezer,

No worries. Sure I miss the fishing a bit, especially with Rico flaunting the good times with his photos. I was just giving him a little scat. Truth be told, I enjoy building, making stuff, and woodworking, almost, but not quite as much as fishing.

Rico,

No excuses necessary. Holy smokes, that's right, you were on crutches when I met you. I thought Jen came on that trip with you cuz she felt sorry for you and to drive you around. BTW, the best steelhead fly fishermen I know are just so-so casters. They understand where steelhead live and know how to present to get a grab. We can go fish crutches/gear sometime, but you won't see me catching steelhead on gear because it won't happen. I'm not trying to prove any points; I just try to get the most satisfaction I can when I'm fishing. Sometimes people mistakenly think I'm a purist (whatever that is), not realizing I've got a bunch of crutch type gear for salmon fishing, and even some ancient bass (Oh! I said that word!) gear. So keep using whatever gear type yields the most satisfaction.

Don't worry about that house. Contractors are doing most of it. I just work on the parts I enjoy the most. Not to mention I'm too damn old for some of that work.

And Stam's right. You're not a dumb ass dork. You're a cool dork!

Sg

+1
Rico, you're cool!

Nice pics. Spring is really here to stay. I was lucky enough to row that new Riv Tech DB the day we dropped it off. By far the nicest rowing boat I have rowed. Super smooth on the water and very responsive, fast and good looking.
Thanks to Randy at Riv Tech for the BBQ and Beers. Thanks to Margie at the Rock Port Pub for the baked potatoes and use of the BBQ. Next time there will be grilled vegies with all that meat.... Tight lines....

Thanks Chuck S.

Funny thing, I've got a little jinx going right now. 4 people out yesterday linging it up, took all day to get 3 keepers, I did not get a keeper ling. Too many small ones, lots of rockfish, I got a decent cabezon, and a huge greenling, but no keeper lings. Two days before that, quite a few hours on the water, same thing, no keeper lings, oh well, guess that's the way it goes, last year only one day did we not limit out on keeper, and some very nice lings. Seems yesterday there was an abundance of 25 inchers, gotta find where they're big brothers and sisters went.