I have some catching up to do. It has been a very busy fall and summer and I found myself with very little time to blog. Since things are starting to slow down, I will have more computer time.

About a month ago, I guided a young man named Jake. He lives in the Boston area and came out to spend some time with his grandfather. We spent three days on the water. Jake told me that trout were his nemesis. He had been fly fishing for two years and has spent countless hours on streams trying to catch one with no success. He has caught bass and blue gill, but the trout always seemed to evade him. My job for those three days was to teach him about trout and their behavior so that he could get them on his home waters.

We spent the first day chasing wild rainbows on a very remote stream. We were able to work on where trout live, hide, and how to get good presentation. These were the things that were missing when he was fishing on his own. We covered a couple of miles of wild trout water and had a great day.

Day two was spent on Silver Creek. Since it had just opened, the fishing was pretty easy. There is nothing wrong with having an easy day of fish catching. We caught on the usual SC flies- white

bunny leeches, black bunny leeches, egg patterns, San Juan worm patterns, etc.  This stream gets pretty pounded but you can expect any piece of water with trophy fish to get a certain amount of pressure. Jake did a great job and we were able to put a lot of fish in the net.

Day three was my favorite. We hit the reservation for some wild Apache Trout. This was a very technical stream where the fish sit at undercut banks and you have to get perfect fly placement and good presentation. It turned out to be one of the better days I have seen on this water. Jake landed some better than average fish and it was a great way to end the week.

It is always fun guiding young anglers who are passionate about fly fishing and conservation. There is nothing better than helping them improve their skills and watching them learn and grow right before your eyes. I have no doubt that Jake will continue his fly fishing journey and have many years of enjoyment on the water.