[juro]

Actually, it sounds like we have a lot of winners. But Dylan had a camera when it counted so is the winner of the Spey line of his choice c/o the Forum.

Please join me in congratulating Dylan!

<font size="1">Dylan - please email me the line choice, and your mailing address.</font><!--1-->

<center>http://www.flyfishingforum.com/expertise/dylan/Fish2b.jpg" border="0"><font size="1">
image bigger than usual but worth the wait!</font><!--1-->

<img src="http://www.flyfishingforum.com/expertise/dylan/Fish3.jpg<font size="1">
Chromer with a capital K</font><!--1-->
</center>

 

[NrthFrk16]

WOW!!!!!!...now that is a chromer. One of the brightest steelies I have ever seen.

Congrats Dylan.

 

[tomd]

Congrats, Dillon!!! well done

 

[sinktip]

Way to go Dylan. That is one nice fat fish.

Duggan

 

[juro]

Those streaks on the tail are something. The fish is as robust as the pacific northwest itself. It's wild to think that some years ago, an alevin wiggled from the gravel far upstream. It fought it's way through the trials of growing into parr, then smolt. It descended the river and wandered the open pacific on pelagic currents as far as the Aleutians. Along the way she survived sculpins, herons, cormorants, sea lions, orcas, man - then suddenly she knew it was time to come home. With all the richness of the sea in her gleaming flanks, there she is.

Truly an amazing fish.

 

[Roop]

Congrats - well done!!

You guys are making me drool!!

How about a fall 2001 New England invasion?

Roop

 

[juro]

East meets west? I'd like to host more folks from the PNW out our way in their dead season - mid summer. We could do our half of the exchange during our dead zone... rIghT nOw!!!

 

[NrthFrk16]

"Dead season"????

We never have a dead season out here. The closest this area comes to a dead season is May when we finishing catching the last of the winter- runs and the first of the summer-runs, all on the Stilly.

Mid-summer is awesome around here. Days passed throwing spades at newly arrived summer-runs on the Upper Southfork Sky and evenings spent drifting small nymphs for Deer Creek steelies.

 

[juro]

After 12 years of non-stop fishin' out there myself I'm afraid I have to agree... especially with the saltchuck salmon in the equation, spring chinook (although tough on a fly I've done it in the Lewis) then the lower Columbia summer run steelhead that start in May and make a strong showing in June, July - Neah Bay and Sekiu starts getting big kings in July and the resident silvers are always around. I usually hit my first summer chromer right around father's day and it got better and better through August. By that time everythings going nuts with the salmon runs out in the straits, and the steelies start looking at the surface for caddis. Fall is the greaseliner's mecca, and the winter starts it all over again. It's a never ending cycle of fishing out there, yup I know all about it.

I guess my point is, if I had to pick a time to swap a trip with us for stripers and blues it would be early summer. That would work well on both sides of the fence IMHO.

When are we going to drag you out here?

 

[October Caddis]

Dylan,
What a beautiful fish! Great work.

Juro,
I think it's time that we start working on a fly fisherman/woman exchange program between the Pacific NW and New England. Like you I've had the same privledge fishing both coasts but in reverse. I grew up catching stripers through out the greater Boston area and now fish for Steelhead in the Seattle area.
I would be willing to give info, vehical useage when possible, a place to sleep if needed and even be a guide,(for free of course)to any of the fisherman from the East that would like to try our fishery. I know that when your new to an area and in a difficult fishing situation as steelhead fishing it helps to have some friends.
I know that the folks I fish with are always interested in wanting to try striper fishing but not knowing the area and not really being able to afford guided trips for a week never do make it out to New England to fish.
An exchange program in both directions would solve a lot of problems and would be a chance to meet new fisher people with many of the same interests. It would be a great way of getting someone pointed in the right direction towards a new and wonderful fishing vacation.

 

[juro]

Man, you just made my day! Great to hear such a strong commitment and will to help from you and I am sure we will get the exchange program going strong. In fact half of the Forum's "reason for being" is sharing homewaters across great destinations. The other half is to enhance the experiences of people who do happen to live near each other. I think those are the two best things the site can do for the people who visit.

Since day one we've had 'exchange programs' informal, but frequent. They were predominantly by chance, but some were very well planned (like Pete from Calgary, and Brendan O'Brien from Boston, etc).

The exchange between the northwest and the northeast has been by far the most frequent, I've done it every year since moving. Brian came out for a week and fished all over the cape. Nate Mantua visited us after a business trip last fall. Heck we've even had Ken Jenkinson from Australia join us on the spring conclave last year.

Your suggestion to make the exchange more defined and perhaps more regular of an event is a great one and I think it's just the ticket to build on what we started last year.

I and many others in the Northeast Region are likewise willing to offer info, lodging when possible, definite guidance and camaraderie, I can evern provide waders, shoes if they fit, rods, flies and the ever-important stripping basket

Let's discuss the options for seasons and lay out a few more of the details and make it happen!

 

[October Caddis]

I'll be out for a week the third week of March for my folks 50th anniversery maybe we could get together then to discuss how we can actually setup a more formal way of exchanging X-country fishing trips. Anyone who has ideas on what could be done to make trips far more enjoyable and easier speak up.
Believe me for any of you NW steelheaders that have never cast a fly on a warm sunny Cape Cod morning to a school of surface feeding stripers or bluefish you are missing something special.
Latter
Steve

 

[juro]

Adn likewise, the raising a summer run to a surface fly as a bald eagle watches from above helps put the magnitude and granduer of the world into perspective too. It would be a shame for us not to see it all!

Sounds like a plan, I will make sure we hook up 3rd week March.