‘Hey->> here are the keys to my new Porsche 911 – take it around the block and see how she handles.’

(reply) ‘No, no thanks. Thank you though, I have had enough excitement and head turning in the past few weeks to keep me content for some time.’

RIOGHT~ that’s what I said.

I will be clear and up front with a few items of interest. First, never have I done an official review, that will be apparent in less than a few sentences. Secondly, I haven’t used a switch rod prior to this occasion. Third, don’t knock it because it is made by the same company that makes dog beds- Stella and Roxy don’t have the privilege of sleeping on a $200 doggie mattress. And lastly, I have not read any review on this or any other switch rods, so I do hope to be unbiased and honest in my humble opinion.

Off the bat, I was immediately impressed with the brown and bronze hues of the rod as it reflected the afternoon sun when I was lining up the sections for an afternoon chasing some steel on the Boyne River. As usual for most Orvis rods out there today, they conveniently dot both ends of the sections to save you the effort of lining up your eyes after assembled. The shades of amber reflecting off the rod remind me of the 4X4 on the ‘Fall Guy’ with Lee Majors from the 80’s. The reel is equally decked out in gold to compliment the 11 foot 7 weight highly agile switch rod. The Mid-Arbor Access IV has plenty of weight and internal power to properly match the weight of the rod. I felt it was the perfect match for the strength of the rod.

The technical side of the outfit~ The Access rod has utilized a proprietary new epoxy-based resin system with plasticizers for a stronger composite. What does this mean? Bottom line, the $400 rod of today compared to twenty years ago is light years ahead of its predecessor’s and significantly lighter in the hand. Granted, not everyone can afford to drop 4 C-notes for a rod, but this rod would have been closer to $1000 fifteen years ago. For those that are casting all day, whether drifting a stonefly and nuclear egg pattern through a run or swinging grease stains through the prime water, the weight of the rod versus the amount of power/strength in that rod is the difference between fishing a few bends and floating all day for a few days on end. When a rod is cumbersome and hefty, you tend not to put as much into every cast. When the rod is light in your hand, it becomes an actual extension of your arm and it works for you.

Workin the Wood~

I was very intent on getting into some steel and seeing what this rod can do. Upon sneaking in my favorite run that drops into a nice hole, I flipped my caddis and clown egg combo upstream with a quick mend for a decent drift. Bump, bump, bump>>FISH  ON ! ! A decent buck steelhead with fire-engine red cheekplates quickly doubled over the rod. He made  healthy run up stream and encountered the shallow gravel bar and rapidly turned his game around towards me. In a downstream dash, he sped past his holding hole and me headed straight for some downed wood on the rivers edge. I quickly chased and didn’t let him get too much distance between us. Most often I use #4 flouro-carbon, but today I had my leader tapered to #6 Maxima. After  finding the branches and log jam he had taken refuge in, I pulled out the large tree limbs and saw the line dash towards my feet, and then between my legs, and then SNAP~ he was gone. I had his tail in my hand at one time> then, like steelhead do, he found his exit plan and made it happen.  Not a monster of a fish, 26-28 inches of fresh healthy mykiss irideus, but I didn’t feel as though I was in control. I headed back up to the hole where he came from, more likely another male in the mix if a female is in the vicinity. Only two casts into my next set and I lifted on the first bump>> Fish ON!! This one wasn’t as magnificent, nor did it take me on a run up or down the river. It was a sucker, and he ate my blue nuke egg. Some would toss the fish on shore for raccoons or other animals to forage, but why? Really? Who made me judge and jury?

sucker~redhorse

It is simply another creature swimming up here to do the same thing the large rainbows are, except they do eat steelie eggs, I get that resentment. After four more consecutive drifts and as many other suckers, I decided to change my game plan up. S T R E A M E R S~ I would rather seek out an aggressive fish swinging a Boogie Man or Senyo Sculpin any day.

So I headed downstream. Chatted with a fellow on the bridge about the stockers they put in the week before and he told me he was working a pair that were on the gravel just below the bridge. I am not going to preach to anyone about how or where they fish, but once a pair is up on gravel and they are in the act of producing the next generation of fish, please, LET THEM.

This season has been weird for many reasons, the first is the weather, a record warm March brought many fish in the river systems early. The winter didn’t have much for snow pack to speak of and when we had our first set of seventy plus degree days, the river surged with fish. The second anomaly  this year might be the overall size of the steelhead. They are a very healthy bunch, and they have been feeding quite well. Some propose they have been eating some of the invasive species that have moved into the Great Lakes, like the Ruffe and the Goby. I hope the good numbers and health of the fish show promise for the next few years for Lake Michigan and the runs it produces.

Tight Quarters~

Back downstream and in the water. Into a decent silver streaked hen that took me downstream another 30-40 yards with her head thrashing after she engulfed a Grease Stain and she came unbuttoned. My only chromer that came to hand was a 14 incher

Chunky Little guy

 that was heartily working on his girth after he annihilated my streamer from under the woodwork. The Orvis Access performed well, maybe not the right rod for this type of river- too tight and narrow, not much room to backcast or to really open her up and see what she has the potential to do. I would bet the PM, Manistee or the Muskegon Rivers would allow her to show of her prowess against any formidable finned friend. Bottom line, would I buy this combo for $600? Certainly if I fished Steelhead and Atlantics in the St Mary’s River 40 days a year, totally worth it. But my 9 foot T3 still does the job for salmon and steelhead on the smaller rivers I most often frequent. I would be very interested to see its lighter cousin perform on some quality trout waters near Grayling…

See you on the water. Tight Lines,

Koz

The steelhead fishing has slowed the past week and last week’s rain didn’t bring in a push of fish like most hoped for.  Still, there are some fish moving up and down the Manistee and Betsie Rivers right now but fishing is spotty. Most of the fish are on or near gravel and are skittish to say the least after angling pressure has taught them to be nervous. Targeting drop-back fish has provided some good action and has also produced some fresh fish on their way up to do their spawning thing. I imagine fish will continue to trickle into the river for a few more weeks, just not in the numbers one would expect when looking at the calendar.  Eggs in Oregon Cheese/Orange, and in Sockeye, have been the better egg colors with black stones, hex and steelhead buggers for the nymphs.  With 50 degree water temps, look for fish to be there one day and gone the next — proving, yet again, that steelhead are predictably unpredictable. One thing you can count on are hard-fighting and jumping fish — thanks to the warm water.

The good news about the warm water and early spring is that the trout fishing has been good. Water levels are about right and the angling pressure is light on certain sections of water that are currently open. Streamer fishing is the method to use the majority of the time right now, giving those well-rested trout a mouthful. Tans, browns, white and olive patterns have been the better colors with some larger baitfish patterns provoking territorial aggressiveness. If you are fishing water stocked with trout, now is the time to fish with patterns that resemble the bait – TA Bunkers, Deceivers, CF Minnows and Fin Clips.  Keep an eye on the water’s surface too as there has been dry fly action on the surface with stones and Hendricksons popping off and some fish eating. Look for the dry fly action and hatches to build significantly thanks to the weather forecast.

Ted Kraimer is a professional guide and fly tier, owner of Current Works Guide Service, and field editor for True North Trout. His fishing reports will continue to appear in T|N|T and on his website.

With spring comes hopes of summer.

The rain we needed finally came along with a little snow too. The grass has turned from brown to green and the rivers have a little more chrome/silver in them.

Steelhead anglers will find the Manistee and Betsie rivers to have some fresh fish coming through since they have been waiting out in the big lake for a push of water. Decent numbers of fish have been in the rivers doing the gravel dance and a lot of the females that have trickled in the past two weeks have come and gone with many of the darker males sticking around. So, right now it’s a mixed bag – some fresh, some not, but look for this rain to be just what we needed as far as fresh fish. To boot, the “by-catch” has been varied with suckers, carp, lake-run browns, smallmouth bass and buffalo eating our “steelhead” flies – I think the unusual warm water of 50 degrees for this time of year has a lot to do with this.

Look for fish in all types of water, with each day being different. On and around gravel will be best for spawning fish with runs and holes for fresh and drop-back fish coming and going. Flies have been a mixed bag – mostly smaller eggs (Oregon cheese being a favorite) and medium sized nymphs, but look for all that to change with the water having color to it…. It will be time for bigger yarn/eggs and some nymphs with a little sparkle. Just as you change the type of water you are targeting, don’t hesitate to change your flies up too.

Trout fishing continues to be good on the upper Manistee for those looking to cast streamers all day along with a dry-fly rod rigged near by. The warmer weather and subsequent water temps  has made it a good spring for some nice fish. The warmer water temps have provided some early dry fly fishing at times; look for little black stones, small BWO/Baetis and, yes, a few Hendricksons on the surface. With the cold snow and rain, look for the hatching to be tempered a bit until the warm weather forecast for next week continues to influence our early season. Successful streamers have been mixed, but with the rain, I would look to go with dark patterns and some with some flash – obviously, mix it up as yesterday’s hot fly was yesterday’s hot fly – not necessarily today’s.

Ted Kraimer is a professional guide and fly tier, owner of Current Works Guide Service, and field editor for True North Trout. His fishing reports will continue to appear in T|N|T and on his website.

Steelhead are in the local rivers, but not in the numbers associated with the first of April. Fish are slipping up the Manistee and Betsie thanks to the recent full-moon, but a good rain will really kick things off again.  Anglers looking to make lots of good casts are hooking up and are rewarded for their perseverance. The fish we have been getting are a mixed bag: some new ones that are chrome and hot, to spawning fish to drop backs.

I don’t have a “hot” must have pattern right now, but the usual suspects are producing fish as the flies are switched-up throughout the day. Lots of small black stones have been popping off in the afternoon so be sure to have those in your fly box for sure. I am always running a tandem rig: one egg and one nymph.  Water levels are stable in the low 40’s and I expect that to increase with the forecast. With these temps, anglers are finding more than steelhead as the walleye and suckers have started to come in, but not in big numbers – I suspect they too are waiting for that rain we need.

Trout fishing on the upper-Manistee has been decent for those with a sink-tip and streamers. Fish are throughout the water from skinny tail-outs to the deep, lumber infested holes.  Good motion in the fly and diligence not to pull the fly away from the fish are key as there are lots of chasers and the retrieve needs to be a little slower than when fishing in May.

With April 1^st , waters like the upper Platte are open to anglers – check your regulations for more information. It’s also time to buy your new 2010 fishing license.

Ted Kraimer is a professional guide and fly tier, owner of Current Works Guide Service, and field editor for True North Trout. His fishing reports will continue to appear in T|N|T and on his website.

Brown trout in hand.

The high and dirty water that we experienced 1 ½ weeks ago has come and gone. The rivers have come back to near-normal levels and the clarity is just about ideal right now – especially with this high sun and blue skies. The lack of rain is keeping the run of fish to a trickle, but the fish that are hooked are pulling on the line hard with the water temps stable in the low 40’s. While the fishing has been comfortable, we need some of that nasty steelhead weather to bring in some more fish and with some rain, April should be great.

Most of the steelhead are either on or are staging near gravel. The fresh fish are still in the bigger, deeper holes resting as they migrate upstream so you should be able to find fish in all types of water. And with more anglers on the water lately, it’s nice to have confidence in finding fish throughout the river.

The water directly below Tippy dam on the Manistee has the most spawning gravel in it and as such the bigger numbers of fish and anglers. The Betsie has fish throughout the upper sections too from US-31 up but timing is crucial on this river after any precipitation for optimal success. Boardman anglers have experienced a pretty good spring so far if you are looking to get out close to home if in TC. Flies that have been working well are mid-sized eggs in chartreuse and Oregon cheese and nymphs including steelie buggers, caddis, fry patterns, black stones and hares ears.

The trout fishing is picking up as water temperatures increase. It’s a streamer bite fished slow with patterns that have lots of action on the pause. Fish are chasing a lot and nipping, so set the hook on the bite, not the sight – don’t pull the fly away from that big brown!

Ted Kraimer is a professional guide and fly tier, owner of Current Works Guide Service, and field editor for True North Trout. His fishing reports will continue to appear in T|N|T and on his website.

The good number of fish throughout the Manistee River this winter has taken this high-water as a cue move up and “crash the dam”. Some fish are starting to stage around gravel as water temps are just into the low 40s and a fish landed last week appeared to be spawned out. Fresh fish are moving throughout the river system, but with its volume and lack of clarity – it’s been tough fishing the last few days as there aren’t too many fish settled in their traditional holes or travelling up their typical runs thanks to the increase of water and dirt. Sometimes after a big rain my expectations get a little lofty and I want to repeat those double-digit days; while it’s not easy right now, there are still fish are being caught and they are being scrappy, pulling hard, thrashing and even jumping a bit – that’s why we fish them, right?

The Betsie River, too, had a push of water and a decent push of fish. Dirty, as always, watch your step and look for the holes and slots to hold some steelhead as they rest on their way as the move up stream. The Platte got a few fish to run through the lower river and its clear water reputation holds true – especially in this high sun we have been getting. The Boardman has some fish throughout the system for those of you who can only get out for a few hours and need to fish close to home.  You’ll find them from Sabin Dam to the mouth at the bay.

With the water being off color, the patterns that have been working are some of the tried and true… steelhead buggers, bigger stones, leeches, and yarn – egg patterns in a myriad of colors: Clown, Orange, Pinks and Chart. in Glo Bug, Rag and Krystal Egg styles.

Ted Kraimer is a professional guide and fly tier, owner of Current Works Guide Service, and field editor for True North Trout. His fishing reports will continue to appear in T|N|T and on his website.

In this second part of the interview Tommy talks about the Pere Marquette watershed, the lure of trout fishing, fishing with kids, and what makes for a good guide. Look for Part III of the interview in the next week.

More information about Tommy is available at his website and at Hawkins Outfitters. Tommy is one of the top guides working in Michigan and the information he has to share is quite valuable.

T|N|T: Having fished the P.M. for over ten years myself, I have noticed that it seems like about ninety percent of the anglers who come to fish it fish only about ten percent of the publicly-accessible water. Without giving any actual spots away, what stretches or sections of the river would you say are most underutilized?

T|L: The middle and lower sections are overlooked most months of the year because the upper sections are just easier to wade and more accessable per mile of river. From the point of view of fall steelheading, the lower three-quarters of the river are under-utilized because, again, people believe that seeing more fish equates to catching more fish. But when the bite is on that couldn’t be further from the truth. In a similar way, the upper sections are under-utilized when salmon enter river system in the late summer.

Tommy Lynch and a Monster Brown Trout

In my view, trout fishing is best in September, with the possible exception of June on a good year of Hex. September is often overlooked because those Tuna-like Kings move up in September, and everyone just gets that deer-in-the-headlights look once they see all that girth moving against the current. Kings don’t eat well, or really turn me on, for that matter, and I just as soon fish trout and steelhead, even in September. I even fish to trout for most of the spring steelhead run because the bite really is the best in the fall and winter when it comes to fishing steelhead.

There are certain bug hatches and migrations of fish that are rarely noticed or even discussed, particularly in the middle-to-low sections of the river. On the right week steelhead may push up the river only a few miles – maybe as far as twenty — but if your fishing all fall or spring thirty miles or more upstream, you may never be aware that particular migration is even going on. This isn’t the Manistee or the Muskegon — or the Betsie for the matter – on the P.M. the fish don’t have a concrete barrier to bump their heads on, and they can go beyond even the 150 miles of open steelhead water and all the way into the upper trout and spawning sections. Between the Big South, the mainstream and the various feeder streams attached to the P.M., it isn’t hard to understand why the DNR doesn’t stock the P.M. It is already a sustainable hatchery, without the help of the DNR.

Natural reproduction on the P.M. is greater than most rivers just because the river runs free throughout the entire length. Trout and steelhead can, and do, roam in-and-out of fishable sections all the time. There are literally hundreds of miles to navigate, if you’re a finned-critter living in the Pere Marquette watershed. It is because of this that the P.M. gets returning and naturally reproducing wild fish in such huge numbers – it is of all those miles of open, quality water.

It really is quite amazing just how small a piece of water a spawning steelhead can choose to use, if given the access. I have found steelhead in creeks that weren’t half as wide as my fly rod is long, and this is where quality reproduction is taking place in the P.M. watershed — contrast that with “The Fly Water” where the fish are constantly harassed throughout their spawning ritual. Big difference.

You know, there really aren’t any bad sections on the P.M. If you get blanked in a given section, it is really more a matter of being there at the wrong time. Every section has its “moment in the sun” at some point in each year. Developing an understanding of good timing in fishing is a big piece of the puzzle of the P.M., and with added miles of water to consider and understand, the puzzle just has more pieces … but the more pieces you find, the clearer the total picture starts to look.

T|N|T: The vast bulk of the angling pressure on the P.M. seems to occur during the fall salmon and spring steelhead runs, but it’s also a tremendous producer of large brown trout (the best in the state, in my opinion). Which do you enjoy guiding folks for most: trout or steelhead, and why?

T|L: Well, I am not sure if I would say that the P.M. is the best big fish river in the state. That honor would go to a toss-up between the Manistee River and the Au Sable River, or maybe even a couple of other watersheds that I know that will remain anonymous. I will say that from the standpoint of looking at it as a full-year watershed, that, for its size, it is a very good piece of water. And from a hopper or egg standpoint, in particular, is second-in-line to only a couple of other streams in the state.

For myself, my favorite adversary is, no doubt, trout — because of the variety that they bring to the game, especially when it comes to looking at the variety of habitat, diversity of flies, angling techniques, rod and gear selection, etc. As you know, hundreds and hundreds of miles of water are opened-up on that last Saturday in April, and that means that I can get off the P.M. and travel around a bit looking for the next “best” happening — whether it is streamers here or a Sulfur hatch there, a good trout angler will stay mobile and travel to “tame the toads” or to “tango with a bunch of ‘teeners.”

There is no other fish I have ever fished that has kept me up at night thinking up new ways to persuade them to take a fly than brown trout. It’s as bad as thinking up novel “one liners” to toss at gals at the bar, and it will mess with your head — just as bad as that girl who turns you down or who looks at you as if your missing the boat in some way. Trout — especially brown trout — are very personal that way. They will cause you to lose sleep and, like woman, are very good at “refusals.”

In contrast, steelhead are more like “the best ride in the park.” They pull and run harder than any other freshwater fish, and they do it with flashy style — jumping, rolling, and running as hard, pound-for-pound, as Alaska ‘bows during the fall months of the year before water temperatures fall off. Larger fish are caught in the winter when cold water dowse their fire a bit, but they can also be fun again in the spring.

We catch steelhead quite often fishing for trout during our Hex hatches up and down the river, and though many are spring drop-back fish, every once in awhile you will hook a true Skamania while mousing in August on trout gear. It has happened to me a couple of times, and, as I said, there is simply no better ride on a dry fly of in Michigan.

T|N|T: I’ve got a son and a daughter, both age eight, and they are showing some interest in learning to fly fish. I’ve read that Hawkins Outfitters – the company for which you guide — is one of the only outfits in Michigan who will take-on the task of working with kids that young. What’s your personal viewpoint on when and how to bring kids into fly-fishing?

T|L: In my boat, a kid is really never too young to try – all they really need is an attention span lasting at least a few minutes. Sometimes I see a parent try to force it a little too early, and that can cause a poor experience, and that child may not want to re-engage at a later age because of that negative event. But others will shine to it right away, kind of like me, and then it never seems too early.

As far as Hawkins being one of only a few guiding outfits to take out young kids, I didn’t know that was the case. Why wouldn’t you want to take a little kid out? Have you ever seen the face of some little guy out on his first salmon trip with “chuck & duck” gear and he hooks up with a fish that is half his weight? Wow. If you could bottle the sensation that little boy gets the first time that rod almost gets pulled out of his hands, and that sense of awe that is written across his face, and that grin from ear-to-ear … Well, let’s just say that, if you could sell it, Starbucks would be going out of business.

When I watch a young boy or girl hook up with whatever we might be fishing, I get to relive my first years of angling just by seeing their faces light-up with that same sense of mystery and awe I once had. The mystery was always what was on the end of the line, and the awe always comes just the grand event of getting to go where those trout and salmon take us.

Actually, the biggest smiles I see in my boat don’t come from guys hooking-up on their tenth steelhead — it comes from the ten year-old boy that hasn’t seen a fly rod before and has his father’s hand gripping his suspenders so he isn’t pulled from the boat by the big King he is playing tug-of-war with. Those really are the biggest smiles.

Like many others, I was young, dumb, and full of spunk once — and when you’re at that point in your life you never really can see that far ahead. But as I get older I realize I am not going to live forever, and I have been trying to re-live some of the best years of my life in fishing. And many of those years were when I was a little guy myself, and I could barely fill-out a pair of waders.

Since “little” Tommy’s arrival just six months ago, I can think of no other event that gets me as geeked and teary-eyed as that first time I get to walk down to the river with my son. There may be nothing else quite like it, and I count the days!

T|N|T: One of your clients commented in his testimonial that your boat was “organized by a guy with OCD.” Besides being highly organized, what makes you a good guide, and what qualities should someone who’s not gone out with a guide before look for?

T|L: Yep, I am a neat freak. The funny thing is that I used to be a complete slob until I had to clean up after myself, but then I just ran with it.

What makes me a good guide? Well, for one thing, I am always trying to make myself into a better and better trout angler; I do believe if your going to do something well, you have to give it everything you’ve got. I am not into bowling, hunting, biking, skiing, ice fishing, scrapbooking, or even warmwater fishing. I basically just fish for trout – all the time.

Although this may be a little obsessive/compulsive, or even repetitive, because I am so one-tracked, you will never find yourself question whether I am at least trying to steer you in the right way. There are a number of very good guides in this state, some with much longer fuses, with larger boats that fish bigger rivers and catch more fish — and sometimes even bigger fish — but I dare say you will not meet but a handful of guys like me that do nothing but eat, sleep, ****, and fish. It’s an obsession.

Lots of guides will tell you that you don’t have to catch fish to have a great day, and this is true, but you had better be a guide that at least knows how to catch fish, or it will be tough to insure that your clients will regularly be able to say that they have had a great day with you on the river. Another thing: Having confidence in your gear, strong rowing skills, tying skills, and even “lunch skills” are all components of being a great gillie; but if you don’t have good people skills you can never be a good guide no matter how many fish you can put them on.

All good guides are somewhat cocky — almost arrogant — because of their self-proclaimed expertise or knowledge on a particular section of river or a particular type of fly fishing. This really isn’t all bad as it can add a little color and character to a trip, and in turn clients shine to it, and they will frequently take advice without second-guessing it, which can help to make for a quality guide trip. Guides that are cocky and arrogant but that lack strong angling skills often also lack the needed confidence. They will become frustrated and this, too, is something that clients notice, and they will retract, second-guess, and slowly slip through a guide’s “professional” fingers. That is a big difference between professional guides and amateur guides.

All I am saying is that you have to “walk the walk” as good as you “talk the talk” or, in particular, the better-skilled clients will see right through you. As a guide, as much as you love new clients or little ones out for their first time, you really get to be a guide instead of an instructor when your client for the day turns out to already have the basic skills down before hopping in the boat. And they are looking to spend the day with a really qualified, knowledgeable expert who is willing to share their years of experience on that particular watershed.

There are no savants in this sport — you are only as good as the time that you have put into it, and I can tell you there is a great deal of “new meat” out there.

Here are some hints: Watch your guide’s knot-tying speed, his comfortableness when it comes to carrying-out his lunch duties, and how he manages when someone doesn’t understand the directions he is giving. If he starts yelling or belittling in anyway, he is likely a rookie. If in the same situation you see a guide who reacts with a more fun or humorous direction to fixing or discussing the cast, he is more likely a seasoned oarsman.

If he says nothing at all and goes and sits in the back of the boat, ask him to take you to the launch because you hired a guide that day and we get paid pretty good to take people out on the river and teach them something about fishing. If he doesn’t see the opportunity in each guide trip he gets to make it a fun day instead of a tough one, he needs to go look for other line of work because there are a thousand other guys that would trade spots with him in a second.

There are many good guides in the state that have diversified their interests to include biking, snowmobiling, skiing, and even guiding other venues like fishing in the salt, but a great guide is the guide that not only knows how deep the pool is, but even the size of the rocks and how they are spaced out on the bottom of it, and you will only learn that if your guide is living where their guiding year around.

Confidence it what makes a guide know there is a fish over there, and a seasonal or unseasoned guide in the same situation will be unsure and second-guessing even himself. Clients can sense that and it leads to awkward questions, and then a loss of trust, and no matter how talented a client is, he can’t learn from you if he doesn’t believe in your skills as a guide, just as he will rise up and listen and respond when he does.

One good rule to live by as a guide is this — no matter how much you want that client to cast a certain way, no matter how good of a fly caster you are, or think you are, or how loud you are willing to yell at someone (and you should remember who is signing the check that day), your client will never develop your exact casting style or profile.

If you don’t accept this, both you and your client will have a poor experience in the boat, and neither of you will want to repeat it. And that means that you’re lacking as a professional guide because you simply not going to get that re-booking. And, right now, I can tell you that the only guides that know how to get a client back in the boat are surviving these days, not the ones that live almost exclusively on new business.

Secondly, it is important that a good guide have an arsenal of different teaching strategies instead of some “foolproof way” that “works on everyone” — because there is nothing like a “one-size-fits-all” teaching strategy. Great guides have a dozen different ways, or combinations of ways, to cater to each person’s unique learning style.

It really comes down to taming and using the client’s muscle memory as it is, and not how you might wish it was — and every person uses different muscles, which impacts their various casting habits in different ways. As a guide and an instructor, your teaching agenda has to respond to the unique needs of the situation, rather than trying to bring the client over to a single way of seeing and doing things. Good teaching is teaching that really responds to where the student is in their individual development.

The weather the past week or so has been great; however, the high pressure system combined with clear water and high sun has made the fishing tougher than one might think. Our lack of snowfall is having its effect on water levels, and there has been very little run-off to warm-up the water and reduce clarity. But help is on the way – or at least it is forecast — some rain and snow should really make for some great fishing in the weeks to come.

The indicator fishing for both steelhead and trout is an angler’s best friend; it helps to monitor a drag-free drift and also suspend flies above the sheltering timber. The slower and deeper water is best, but with more people out enjoying this weather, the smaller in-between spots should be fished too.  Pale egg patterns have been working lately, but look for that to change as the water comes up and gets a little dirty. Small black stones are coming off the local rivers and with the increase in solar temps – more nymphs are moving around the bottom. Have your favorite hex and caddis larvae patterns in your box.

Trout fishing has been tough at high sun, but when the sun is low or covered up, it’s significantly better. Nymph fishing is your best bet, but some of the bigger fish are looking to eat a streamer. Still, the clear water is making presentations of both techniques demanding. Lighter lines, drag-free and slower retrieves.

Ted Kraimer is a professional guide and fly tier, owner of Current Works Guide Service, and field editor for True North Trout. His fishing reports will continue to appear in T|N|T and on his website.

NOTE: Ted is offering a great winter fishing special of five hours of guided fly fishing and lunch for only $250 — available through March 15th. Check it out.