The Methow

Time has flown by after moving out to Twisp last month, and I hope it slows down a tad or else I will be out of here before I get a good sampling of everything the Methow valley has to offer. The Methow, pronounced MET-HOW, is sorta Sun Valley meets Big Sky country, quieter and quirkier though. It is a unique place, with so much to do, one of those spots that leads quickly to an overwhelming realization that multiple lifetimes would be needed to cover it all.

Right now work is long, and tiring, but fun, rewarding and adventurous. The people that I have met living here are great and the guys I work with are becoming close friends. I was lucky to get this chance. Hiking, floating and wading rivers all day everyday is hard to beat, especially here. Today we surveyed the Lost river, not of Idaho, of the Pasayten Wilderness here in Washington. An upper tributary to the Methow, the Lost closely resembles northern Idaho streams such as the Selway, Kelly Creek and Marsh Creek, but with a little bit of the destructive capabilities similar to west side rivers like the Hoh or Skykomish. I found three new steelhead redds in a dark, heavily forested side channel off the main river, a place that has actually probably seen few people. Big Foot was probably following me the whole time.

It is still cold here, but the trees are filling with leaves and the days are becoming longer and longer. Summer is just around the corner now.

Swing, Step, Cast

Chilly Morning from Bobby F on Vimeo.

Spring Season

The winter season never showed up this year, and it doesn't have much time left to make a mark in Washington. The last few weeks have been filled with warm, bright days as if it were already May. Weekends have been spent road biking, hiking and obviously fishing. Fishing, not much catching, the terribly elusive wild steelhead trout. This time last year I was still learning coastal rivers, the two-handed rod and the confusion that is sink tip and fly selection. Somehow I managed to get myself into a 20 pound monster on the Sol Duc during this rookie campaign. How many more years will I have to wait to find another? Probably shouldn't think about it. Nevertheless, the desire to wade the unknown in search of the great fish remains. This year my season ends due to the new job just east of the Cascades, Twisp and the Methow valley will be home until June. It should be an awesome experience and fun place to live for awhile. The spring steelhead season on the Skagit/Sauk closed, and the coast is a circus because of it. This year is the year of reality, the steelhead and salmon of the Pacific Northwest are almost beyond any chance of recovery. Pretty sad, I have lived here all this time and never knew what I was missing till it was too late. I look forward to doing my best to find a way for these fish in the future.

Only one day of skiing this winter, the lowest total since I can remember, maybe even ever. I can't believe it was only one, be it a great one at Crystal Mountain. Only 2 years ago I was averaging 50+ seasons at Big Sky. Lousy snow levels, half the winter in Southeast Asia, less funds and a greater desire to catch chrome definitely led to the outcome. We'll see what the case is next year.

So from here on out most of my posts will be focused on my time in Twisp. The Wellington Way Station cabin awaits.

Watch this Video

ACID TEST: The Global Challenge of Ocean Acidification from EARTHNATIVE on Vimeo.

Orcas Weekend

Weekend retreat to Orcas Island. Walks, lounge time filled with crossword puzzles and reading, lots of good food and plenty of rest. For once it was nice to be sleeping inside a dry, warm house with firelight instead of the front seat of the little mule.

Montana Winters

After watching the BBC's spectacular documentary on Yellowstone I've been thinking about how much I enjoyed the winter in Montana. These photos take me back.

Bringing back the Bulls

Following the sketchy maneuvers of the Bush administration in 2005, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under Obama is making things right again. The policy change "would mean a more than fivefold increase in the miles of rivers and acres of lakes dedicated as critical habitat for the threatened species, and could mean more restrictions on recreation and development on federal lands."
Salmon, Steelhead and other fish that share these waters should be thanking the Bull trout right about now. Find out more.

Now Obama needs to rethink his Columbia River salmon agenda...