Fishing With a Guide

I moved from Kennewick, WA to the Everett, WA area about thirty years ago. I was used to fishing for small trout, bass and perch. Not sure of where to go fishing I first went to different sporting good stores in the area and they all gave me ideas on where to go fishing and what to use. Most of the information turned out good until one sales person said he uses a guide to find the good spots.

I decided to try that and was extremely pleased with the results. The first guided trip I went on was out of Everett and they fished for salmon in the Puget Sound. I chose that because I had never been on the Sound and never fished for salmon. Will that hooked me on fishing for salmon. Even through it is like combat shoulder to shoulder fishing, the deck hands handled everything very well. Everyone was good about following the deck hands orders and we all caught fish. Also, the reason I chose to try this first is because I did not have a boat  and even if I did I didn't know where to go. I enjoyed this so much I started going fishing on the Washington coast using charter boats.

It didn't take long to decide to go with a guide on some of the rivers. The advantage here was I could ask the guide a lot of questions and watch him rig up his line and see how he hooked up the bait. If you pick a good guide you will find they are very good and even eager to share their knowledge on how to rig up and showing their best spots for fishing. All the guide I ever went with would do everything they knew how to get you your limit of fish.

Once a friend and I went out with a guide fishing for steelhead on the Snohomish River. We were early for the run and we knew it. As the day went on with no luck the guide want to know if we had ever fly fished and we both told him we had fly fished a few times but we were not real great at it. He dug out two fly rod and we anchored on a small island in the river. We got out and he gave a few lessons on fly fishing and we walked to the narrow side of the island. The guide showed us where there were several pink salmon and let us just have fun. We were catching pinks on just about every cast. They varied in size from five to twelve pounds. We were doing so well that the guys fishing on the other side of the river wanted to know if we wanted to sell them some salmon. Can't say we weren't tempted even though I believe it is against the law to sell the fish.

Guide fishing has several advantages. One is usually all the gear and bait is provided. Another it is cheaper than paying for your own boat. It seems if you have your own boat everyone is your friend and wants to go fishing but no one want to pay for the gas or anything else. Another good thing is the guide usually will fillet your fish out if you want.

I have moved back to Kennewick and thought I would be disappointed about going back to fishing for the small fish again. Not true. I enjoy trout fishing with the grandchildren and I have found a great fishing guide to take me out on the Columbia River fishing for salmon and I caught my first sturgeon. So, it seems I have the best of both worlds.

Don't Forget Your Camera

   Another very important thing to be sure is in your tackle box is a disposable camera. You might even consider a camera you can put under water. That way you can put your hands and camera under the water when the kids are reeling in the fish and they can have the picture of their fish. You will be a hero for that.

   Beside, once you can talk the kids into using the fishing pole holders and leaving the rods in the holders, you will have a lot of pictures of them goofing around. Those pictures are as great or greater then the fishing pictures.

   The reason I said to bring a disposal camera is because you don't want to pull out your nice digital camera and drop it in the lake. This plays havoc with the camera. You might take your cheap phone too or at least put it in a waterproof bag. I speak on this through experience. I dropped a cell phone in the water and it cost me $250.00 to replace the phone. Please protect your things with waterproof bags.

   It is rewarding to have you camera with you when you go fishing without the kids. It's nice to take pictures of the landscape early in the morning. It is so beautiful and relaxing to just to enjoy it all. I like to put my head into the wind as we are riding the boat and just smell the wind and the bank. On three separate occasions I saw coyotes looking for something to eat, I saw geese trying to protect their nest from a fox. One of the times I saw deer and their fawns playing on the bank. One time we got very close to the river bank and say a miss of antlers in the brush and when we went over there we saw three very large 4 point and one 5 point buck. The antlers were all in velvet. This was beautiful and you guessed it, none of us in the boat had our cameras. Now that memory is just in my head and all I can do is talk about what I saw, not show anyone.

   One time I was standing on the bank, drift fishing for salmon on a small river by Everett, WA, Nothing happening so I cast my rod and let it set on the bottom and put my rod in the rod holder and I set down. After a while I heard the brush and the small trees move and something was coming towards me. I was a little concerned since we do have bear up there. Will as I was planning my escape a big doe came out of the bushes and when she saw me she froze. After about a minute the doe started very slowly backing back into the brush, not taking her eyes off me. It took a couple of minutes but she backed to where she felt comfortable  about turning around and leaving. A little while later I heard something coming up the river and when I turned around it was the doe walking in the water coming straight at me. She saw me but did not seem afraid and continued to walk up the river past me. Again, a Kodak moment lost.

   So, sit back, enjoy the scenery, put your rod in the fishing pole holder and wait for the action on the banks or in the water. Hopefully, it doesn't all happen at the same time. At the very least you want to take pictures of the fish caught.

Fishing with the Grandkids

   I never got to go fishing with my dad. He was always working trying to pay the bills. My brother and I  had to work after school and on the weekends with dad. He had a landscaping business on the side and we mowed lawns and removed trees from the clients yard. So there was no real play time.

   I never went fishing until I got married and several of my high school classmates and their wives got together and went fishing. I had a ball. When children came along we still went fishing but mom stopped going and stayed home with my daughter and then work got in the way and then another child, a boy. I worked in the retail field and was always promoted to management and that meant  a lot of hours and weekend working. Then a divorce came along when my daughter was seven and my son was two and I moved away so no fishing with my children.

   I moved to Wenatchee to work in the jewelry retail field as an assistant manager. That meant a lot of hours too. I meet a guy in Wenatchee who just fished all the time and I started going fishing with him. We fished for about every kind of fish, mostly trout, salmon and a little steelhead.

   I meet a young lady who after a period of time fell very much in love with. We got married after a couple of years and I bought a small 12 foot boat. I put on a fishing pole holder on both sides and fished the Icicle River up in Leavenworth. No motors allowed so I learned how to row a boat. Not an easy thing in fast water.

   My wife and I moved to Lake Stevens, WA. Most of my fishing ended except for some charter fishing. It was good and probably cheaper than a buying a bigger boat. That went on for several years. One day I went to my wife and said our grandchildren were growing up and I didn't want to miss their childhood like I did with my children. She agreed and we put the house up for sale and a week later it was sold.

   We moved back to Kennewick, WA  and bought a new home. Going fishing with 5 grandchildren is a challenge. There is really no need for you to take your fishing rod because they want your attention all the time. After all, the fun is watching them.  If you can get them to put the fishing pole in the fishing pole holder for any longer then a minute you have made quite an accomplishment.  I'm hoping that some of what I tell them gets thru to them. Especially that they learn patients and leave the pole in the fishing pole holder a little longer each time and maybe they will catch a fish. They are awesome.

   I have made from scratch each of them a fishing pole. They got to pick out the color of the rod and the color of the thread. I am hoping they will teach there children to fish and maybe pass the fishing rod down to them if the pole last that long.

Building a Fishing Rod

   About 10 years ago, when I was living in Lake Stevens, WA,I noticed an ad in the paper about a class on how to build your own fishing pole. That sounded interesting so I called to sign up and the gentleman suggested that I come in before the class and pick out my rod blank, color of thread to use and the type guides I wanted to use. I went in to the shop Craig's Custom Rod's in Lake Stevens and the owner Craig was tending the store and helped me pick out everything I needed. I picked out a rod for trolling the big water there in Puget Sound. Total bill came to about $100.00 dollars. I almost fell over but Craig said when I was finished with the fishing pole it would be worth $150.00 to $200.00  if I were to buy it already made in his shop.

   The night of class I showed up and there were a total of  5 people taking the class. Not everyone came in early and picked everything for the rod building project, so we waited tor the others to get all the needed to do this project. I ended up spending more money for a fishing pole holder to put the rod blank on. This way I could lay the blank on the fishing pole holder and turn it with one hand and put the thread on with the other hand. The fishing rod rack had a place to put one or two spools of thread on it. Once we got started I found out this really was not as difficult as I thought it would be. Thankfully Craig gave us a sheet with the measurements we need for the guides for the different types of fishing rods we could build.

   Craig is a great guy. He spent time with each one of us and gave tips on how to do it better then we were doing. The rod came out great. I had a reel at home already my father-in-law had given me that fit the new rod perfectly.

   I enjoyed doing this rod that I decided to make each of the 5 grandchildren a rod. I started with the oldest to the youngest. Well, each time I did one the better I got at making them. This worked out great for the youngest because she got the best one. I enjoyed making those so much that I signed up for an advanced rod building class. This class showed me how to do fancy weaving and engraving with the thread I used.

   I asked my son what type of rod he wanted and he said he wanted a fly rod. I had never made a fly rod but decided it couldn't be that much more difficult so, I went out and purchased all the parts and got the color of thread he wanted but decided to do two colors and a fancy weave at the bottom. It came out so great I decided I want one too.

Columbia River Fishing

   For the last 3 years I have gone salmon fishing for the fall run of king salmon. I try to go with my son, Chad, and my son-in-law, Monte. We generally go the end of September or very beginning of October. We this last year both Chad and Monte went with me. I chartered a day trip with Chris Benson from Tri Cities Guide Service.

   I have chartered a day trip with Chris for the last 3 years and will continue to go out with him each year.  Chris is a great guide. He teaches his  techniques for fishing, know where to go and is just a great guy to go fishing with. We have been out with Chris when fishing was a challenge but at the end of the day we have fish when other guides don't. Its is a good feeling when you go to the loading dock and you have several fish and the other boats don't.

   This year, we had just gotten to the first fishing area and Chris was baiting the hooks and Monte said I think I have a fish. I had my back to him and said you just put your bait in the water and it is probably just bouncing off the bottom. Well, I turned around and the pole took another hit while in this fishing pole holder. Monte quickly grabbed the pole and remove it from the pole holder and sure enough he had the first fish for the day before Chad and I had our bait in the water. It was a nice fish and started the day off great with us all thinking we will be done by noon today.

  We finally got another hooked just before noon and this time it was on Chad's pole. The pole jumped in the pole holder and scarred us all. He landed his fish and it was a little bigger then Monte's. This got the adrenalin going for us all and again thought things would pick up.

   Mid afternoon I finally got a fish on and that brought us to 1 each. My fish was smaller then the other fish. That is pretty typical of my fishing. We decided to continue fishing but just burned up gas. The day beautiful outside and we all did enjoy that. It finally got late after noon and we decided to make one more drift thru the hole when my pole jump in the fishing pole holder. I grabbed the pole and landed a great fish.

   With the day over the count is one each for the boys and two for Randy, that's me. This too is typical of my fishing. Generally,  I out fish those who go with me. Not always, but generally.

Giant Fish

  My wife and I went to a dinner/auction with our Small Group from our church. It was sponsored by our high school kids. Well, Steve won the bid at $250.00 for a day fishing trip for 2 people with lunch and snacks furnished. The gentleman giving the trip was kind and offered 2 trips if I wanted to do it. I agreed and paid the church.

   I told the guide I wanted to do a sturgeon fishing trip. I chose a buddy I hadn't gone fishing with in years. On the day chosen we got there early in the morning and went up the Columbia River to what is called the Hanford Reach. I was very quit and a beautiful morning. It took about half an hour to get where we wanted to be.

   We fished for a couple of hours with little to no action but that was ok because we were enjoying the beautiful day and good conversation. Suddenly my friend hooked a sturgeon and finally landed it. It was 1 inch short of legal. Well, we took pictures and let it go. Perked up the morning and we continued fishing hoping to hook a legal fish. This is how the rest of the morning went.

   We ate lunch with no other action. Later that after noon my friend hooked another fish and when landed we measured and it was just short we thought. Mark released it too. I asked the friend who took us fishing if he had a fishing regulation guide and he looked around and found it. I looked thru the regulation and discovered that Mark's last fish was legal. Oh well, our fault for not knowing the regulation.

   Well, it was getting late afternoon and I still hadn't had a bite even. I was setting there eating the snack when my rod jerked so hard in the pole holder, I thought it was going to bounce out of it and into the water. Boy did that start the adrenalin. I grabbed the rod and when I felt the weight on the rod I was sure the fish was legal.

   I want you to know that when a big fish wants to go in another direction there is nothing you can do to stop it. I continued to put pressure on the pole and he continued to fight back. My arms were getting very tried and after about 30 minutes I gave my fishing pole to my friend. I gave my arms a rest for about 5 minutes and took to pole back. The fish still strong, I kept putting pressure on him to come to the surface. He finally came to the surface and I about fell out of the boat. This was a giant fish to me. The fish took one look at the boat and went back to the bottom. I continued to put pressure on him and he finally gave it up and came up to the boat and we hooked his tail and went to the bank and took pictures and measured him. He was 6'10" and was 150 pounds. This is the biggest fish I have ever caught in freshwater. But he was to big to keep, so I released him.

   The Columbia River produces sturgeon much bigger then this. I know of people catching sturgeon well over 12 feet. This was my biggest fish caught on the Columbia and it was a great day. The captain took us on a trip up further up the river and we ran into a group of foru mule deer. Three of the had four points on their antlers and one deer had five points. Beautiful day and thanks to the captain.

The Family That Fishes Together Stays Together

Back at the beginning of February I ran across and great website fishinghistory.blogspot.com hosted by Dr Todd Larson. I E-Mailed him and asked him if I could do a posting on his blog and graciously agreed to letting me do a posting. After that I asked if he had the time to do a posting for my blog and he said yes. The following is what he wrote.

The Family That Fishes Together Stays Together

by Dr. Todd E.A. Larson

I grew up in a family that fished before they could walk, so when I had a child of my own, I wanted desperately to introduce her to angling as soon as I possibly could. After all, she was going to grow up in a household surrounded by hundreds of fishing rods, reels, and thousands of lures. 

But as I watched my daughter grow from an infant to a toddler, I was at a loss to figure out how to accomplish the very act of turning a child into a child angler. I knew I wasn't going to force it upon her, as that rarely has positive results. So how to get her interested in fishing?

The answer, it turns out, was simple, at least in my daughter's case. I introduced her to the wonders of the outdoors first. While I was fly casting from shore for bass, she would wander the shorelines looking for tadpoles. When we were out in the boat, I let her feed the sunfish off the bow. And most of all, when she wanted to hold a rod and actually fish, I tried to make sure that she would catch a fish. 

I can't emphasize this enough. Children who fish MUST CATCH FISH or they will tire of it and never want to fish again.

Of course, for me this meant a whole lot of fishing for sunnies and perch, and not very much chasing after trophy smallmouth or pike. But the sacrifice was worth it--my daughter grew to love fishing very much.

Lots of kids love fishing. How do you keep the love of angling alive as they grow older? That remains the most important question. I think of this as my daughter grows older. Will she still be an angler during her teenage years? When she goes to college? 

She is growing before my eyes and I suddenly realize how ridiculous these questions are. 

As I watch her cast, I realize I cannot worry about tomorrow. I must concentrate on today, and remember that my daughter has a love of angling that is deep and abiding. That is something I am truly thankful for. 

I will, of course, encourage her to continue her angling journey, but without forcing it on her. Because if there is one thing I have learned it is that a child's attraction to fishing is natural, and all an adult has to do is simply encourage and support them and they will turn into lifelong anglers.

There is no simpler truth than a family that fishes together stays together.

http://www.pixelarchitecture.com/todd/fish01.jpg

http://www.pixelarchitecture.com/todd/fish_june_2010_11.jpg

http://www.pixelarchitecture.com/todd/asa_fly_fishing.jpg

Dr. Todd E.A. Larson, Publisher
The Whitefish Press (http://www.whitefishpress.com)
The Classic Fly Rod Forum (http://clarksclassicflyrodforum.yuku.com/)
The Fishing for History Blog (http://fishinghistory.blogspot.com)

If you have anything interesting to post please contact Dr Todd Larson at the above websites. He also listed three other interesting sites.

Thanks again to Dr Larson

Randy Wright