The 2013 Anacortes Salmon Derby!

April 1, 2013

You’ve heard it a thousand times: “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” This year, the Anacortes Salmon Derby fell on the final weekend of March, with weather that could only be described as “spectacular” and I’m not sure that word does justice to the conditions, or the event! There’s […]

Northwest Outdoor Report

March 23, 2013

Banks Heating up for the Anacortes Derby Anacortes Derby chairman Jay Field says the banks in the Strait of Juan de Fuca have been putting out good numbers of fish lately. Anglers have been scoring blackmouth on the banks the last couple of weeks on whole and cut plug herring. He also recommended hitting the […]

Steelhead Flies – Fact and Fiction

March 22, 2013

By Dennis Dickson I would venture to guess, one of my most asked questions, the most misunderstood answers in steelhead flyfishing is; “So what is the hot fly?” Steelhead has an allure as an illegitimate son. His noble cousin Salmo Salar, the Atlantic Salmon has a rich and traditional past, fished by kings and nobleman. […]

Boat trailering: Cougar Style!

March 21, 2013

Meet Robert Lee Tobeck: His resume is very impressive. Academic All American lineman at Washington State University, Pro Bowl center of the Seattle Seahawks during the highpoint of the franchise history: the 2006 Superbowl and former host of The Outdoor Line Radio Show. Unfortunately, none of this tremendous life experience has prepared him for what has now […]

Springer School!

March 19, 2013

Just as every northwesterner counts down the waning days of winter looking forward to spring, salmon anglers eagerly await the arrival of our earliest running chinook affectionately known as “springers”. Trying to fit the four-hour springer sojurn to the Columbia into a busy schedule is challenging enough. Add to that the inconsistent, early season springer fishing […]

Northwest Outdoor Report

March 16, 2013

I-5 Stretch Producing Springers on the Columbia Eric Linde from Linde’s Sportfishing in Vancouver, Washington says that about a third of the boats are catching springers on any given day on the Columbia and traffic has been light so far. Linde says he’s been getting a few bites a day fishing just above Interstate 5 […]

Gearing Up for an Alaska Charter Season

March 14, 2013

It’s March 13th and while I should be thinking about steelhead fishing or something “current” my mind is already preoccupied with all the little things that could make my life easier on the boat this summer in Southeast Alaska. If you didn’t already know I own and operate Prince of Wales Sportfishing in Craig, Alaska […]

Rockfish Submersion Devices Required for SE Alaska Charters in 2013

March 13, 2013

One of the regulations that’s been looming for a while for sportfishing charters in Southeast Alaska is the requirement to use rockfish descenders for all rockfish caught that aren’t going to be kept. These devices will be required on all charter vessels for the summer of 2013. That’s me…I’m a charter guy in the summer! […]

Northwest Outdoor Report

March 9, 2013

Cowlitz Slow for Steelhead, Columbia Picking Up for Springers Justin Leach at Bob’s Sporting Goods in Longview says the fishing has been really slow on the Cowlitz for steelhead. Leach says the guys that are catching fish on the Cowlitz right now are working extremely hard for them. He says most of the guides are […]

Flyfishing Leaders – The Steelhead Connection

March 7, 2013

By Dennis Dickson I would like to think my success in helping anglers find and catch steelhead has improved over time. I will openly admit, as a biologist I study  “cause and effect”, “stimulus and response”. I don’t mind adhering to tradition as long as my personal experience concludes that it is the most effective […]