Another Boat We All NEED!

Live in an apartment and want need a driftboat? According to the manufacturer, " the boat ships UPS, fits in a tiny teeny box "...

Inflatable driftboat? I want need one.

Escape From Summer: 110°F - 51°F Temperature Differential!

With home ( Modesto ) temperatures forecast to be 108°F+, we decided that a mountain getaway was in order! The ultimate destination was Crowley Lake ( which was pretty warm in itself ) but the plan was to arrive at Crowley in the evening and return the following evening.

As we made our way towards our destination, we noticed on the car's temperature sensor, that in Chinese Camp, the temperature reached a scorching 110°F! When we reached Tioga Pass, we were greeted by thundershowers and  temperatures in the mid 50's!!


With the Crowley fishing reported to be " epic ", it was not to be! I had only one strike Saturday evening and no strikes on Sunday fishing from 6:30 AM to 11:30 AM. Others that we spoke to had similar results, however one of our buddies did land his first Crowley Lake rainbow, a 22" hog!

To delay our decent to hell ( the Valley heat ) we stopped to get my skunk off at Ellery Lake. We all caught a few and enjoyed the beautiful scenery and the refreshing mountain air.




Our objective of escaping the Valley heat was achieved as the 50-60°F temperature that we were able to enjoy up towards Tioga Pass was fantastic!



The drive back down was beautiful with the thundershowers and the always majestic scenery of the " other " Yosemite.
Anyway, it was an enjoyable time! I guess I'll wait awhile before I go back to Crowley but I will go back this year!

Exception to the norm!

Who said big fish don't live at high elevation! This MONSTER, 31" brown trout was caught in a 10,000 foot elevation lake in the high Sierra on a #2 weight rod with a small wooly bugger! Watch out Google Earth , you're about to be bombarded!

31" brown trout from Craig Coston on Vimeo.

" The River Why "; The Movie ( finally! )

Back when I opened the store in November of 1987 ( yes, it's been that long! ) one of the books that was a good seller in the store was 1983 novel " The River Why " by David James Duncan. For years following, rumors of the screen adaptation circulated. 

Finally, in April of 2010, the film was released but was relegated to film festivals. The film does feature a couple  of well-know actors; William Hurt, Kathleen Quinlan and William Devane ( he actually DOES fly fish in real life! ). Lead actors are Zach Gilford, and Amber Heard. If you are a subscriber of Showtime, you will be able to view the film before it is released on DVD. Here is the Showtime schedule.

" Salmon: Running the Gauntlet " PBS

 If you missed the broadcast, the full episode is available online on the " Nature " website, click here.

This Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 8:00 P.M. ( Pacific time ) on PBS. More information on PBS' " Nature " website.
 

The Lower Sac. NOW is the time!

Now is THE time to fish the lower Sacramento River in the Redding, California! The flows have gone from 50,000 cfs to around 6,000 cfs. This is a great flow to float and wade-fish this great river. Limited wading access makes this river best fished from a driftboat.

The video below is by Jason Cockrum ( formerly of Modesto ). He is a very accomplished guide and is one of Confluence Outfitters' guides and teaches at the Clearwater Lodge in Burney. His dad ( a great guide in his own right ) teaches some of my fly fishing classes.

Get to the Sac, NOW!!!

The 2011 Modesto Fly Fishing Film Tour

What: A fund raising event for sending Modesto area combat disabled U.S. military veterans on all-expenses paid fly fishing trip to Utah's Green River.
When: Thursday, March 10, doors open at 5:30 PM
Where: The State Theatre, 1307 J Street, Modesto, CA