“Plus ca change, plus c’est même chose.” Like most trout fishermen my age, normal procedure is to find a place to get into some river and wade, an approach that confers a granular view of all on offer—details of bottom, hydrology, insect life, and general atmosphere. On balance, there are better ways to catch fish;…
Episode #3 of The DrakeCast follows guide Donnie Richards down Michigan’s Pere Marquette River. Along the way, we learn the history of the river, challenge a Michigan DNR fisheries biologist, and discover what makes the Pere Marquette River great.
Mid-June after a May-long drought and, weeks before we thought they would, the rivers had begun to “take shape,” an idiom I’ve always loved for its suggestions of primal formation and rebirth. What was just days prior a brown blob squirming primordially down from Rogers’ Pass is suddenly the jade-green Blackfoot, its boulders and riffly…
After just two days of Western Montana’s “Get Your Guide On” Flyfishing Guide School, seasoned two-year vets Maddox and Karter say they can totally separate the future guides from the wannabees. Here’s a partial list of giveaway blunders they have witnessed:
Orvis and the Wild Steelhead Coalition are auctioning a one-of-a-kind McKenzie-style driftboat, hand-built by master craftsman Ross Duncan. Bidding starts at $5,000 and all proceeds go toward WSC habitat restoration and steelhead research projects on the Skagit River. So bring the cheddar.
1. The OCD The OCD boat gets washed at the end of every day, and is always trailered with a cover on. The OCD gets an even more thorough power-washing on days off. The OCD owner will frequently make clients stand around at the takeout ramp while he gives the boat “just a quick sponge…