The upside to downer steelhead

Are downer steelhead really…well…”downers?” Lots of folks think so because when you catch them they’re usually skinny, colored up and not the greatest of fighters. Some people even get bummed out when they hook a downer (also known as runbacks, kelts or spent fish) but there’s actually a lot to love about ‘em.

Read more

Catch more American River chromers, learn why kings bite in freshwater, how to fix you old oar blades and how to bring a river back to life!

Check out the Feb. issue of Western Outdoors Magazine for my article of fishing the American River for steelhead like this one and all the other species that call the river home (though I left the carp and squawfish tips out). And if you’ve got a rotting old set of oar blades on your driftboat or raft shafts (like I once did), you can learn how to quickly replace them in my Tips of the Trade column in the Feb. issue of Salmon Trout Steelheader Magazine.

Also in that same issue of STS, look for the photo essay I did on the Stanislaus River Restoration project I worked on last fall.

In the Feb. issue of Fish Alaska Magazine, you’ll find my article about chasing road-side silvers in Cordova and the first installment of my Salmon Sense column in which we’ll take a look at why kings bite in freshwater.

Whew…just thinking about all that makes my typing fingers sore!

Wastin’ Away in Cohoville

Looking for an awesome do-it-yourself Alaskan fishing trip this summer? Look no further than Cordova and it’s sick, off-the-charts coho fishing — most of which can be easily accessed by car! Trusty side-kick Reilly and I explored the Cordova road system thoroughly last fall and found 60-plus fish days without much trouble at all…on chrome, snowbelly silvers. Read the full report in the January issue of FISH ALASKA Magazine.

JD on Tour!

Hey, don’t forget that I’ll be doing seminars at the International Sportsmen’s Expositions over the next couple of weekend. The San Mateo show starts today and I’ll be there yakking away about steeies @ 4 PM. Here’s the rest of the schedule:

SAN MATEO
• Jan. 10 @ 4 PM: Steelhead Techniques for Success
• Jan. 13 @ 1PM: River Salmon Techniques

SACRAMENTO
• Jan. 18 @ 6 PM: Steelhead Techniques for Success
• Jan. 20 @ 11 AM: River Salmon Techniques

I’ll expect to see all my buddies out there again, in the audience, acting as hecklers….as usual!

Catch more steelhead now (at least in theory!)

So, if you want to hook into more metalheads (the fish…not the afficinados big hair and loud, distorted guitars) this winter, grab a copy of the January issue of Salmon Trout Steelheader Magazine and check out my “Tips of the Trade” column — this month’s topic: Pulling plugs for steelies.

And if you’ve got even more time to spend on the john, read my “Angling Adventures” column on Side-Drifting for Steelhead and my feature on fishing Nor Cal’s Smith River, both in the Jan. issue of Western Outdoors Magazine.

Catch me on the radio in the Northwest Saturday

I’ll be yakking with the motley crew (that’s c-r-e-w, not c-r-u-e) of the No. 1 rated outdoors radio show in the country, Northwest Wild Country Radio, Saturday morning sometime between 6 am and 8 am. If you’re in the great Northwest, tune into Sports Radio KJR 950 AM in Seattle.

Redding, CA: Angler’s Paradise!?

Redding, California doesn’t usually come to mind in conversations about top-notch fishing destinations, but it should. Whether it’s the world-class rainbow trout fishery below the Sundial Bridge on the Sacramento River (seen here), the huge number of big Chinook salmon that come back to the river each fall, the varied and exciting salmon, trout, bass and panfish possibilities in huge Shasta Lake, California’s largest kokanee in nearby Whiskeytown Reservoir, the salmon and steelhead of the Trinity River or all the classic blue ribbon trout fishing within easy reach at places like Fall River, Baum Lake and Hat Creek, Redding’s got it all.

Check out the latest issue of Western Outdoors Magazine for the in-depth article I did on fishing the Redding area.

So you want to be a fishing guide, eh?

Before you quit your day job and give full-time guiding a go, you first need to get an inside glimpse of what the gig’s really all about. Hint: being able to catch fish on a daily basis is actually a very small part of the whole deal. To find out more, check out my article on guiding in the latest issue of Salmon Trout Steelheader Magazine .

In mailboxes this week…

Check out the June issue of Salmon Trout Steelheader for my latest photo essay, “Distant Waters.” Also in that issue is my monthly tips column…this time around it’s all about how to better understand your fish finder (they’re kinda like women, you know…mysterious and sometimes tough to read!).

If you’ve ever wanted to do a self-guided dream fishing trip to Alaska or Canada, look for my Angling Adventures column in the June issue of Western Outdoors Magazine.

Monsters in Lake Tahoe?

Are there monsters in Lake Tahoe? Well, the not-so-simple answer is yes and no. I get to the “bottom” of it in my article in the May issue of Western Outdoors Magazine. Check it out!

Also, if you’re into trout fishing, read my column in the May Salmon Trout Steelheader on spring river techniques…tips that may just get you a nice bonus steelhead while you’re at it!

Next Page »