Fishing high water has all ways been part of steelheading over the years but with two seasons in a row having December rain in Feb and March we have perfected the high water technique. Honestly I believe that swinging a fly is more effective in high water than mean flow water. It is all most as effective as nymphing and at some speeds and turbitity levels I believe it can be better than many other techniques.

The fish gods are shining on us these days, today the shitshow express crew jumped in at the early hour of Noon and landed 6 steelhead in three hours including this 20 plus for AO,,,,oh yea we have some GO PRO vid coming soon….

                              Getting a day off should not be so fun, but someone has to do some fishing!

                               Getting it done on the Bogy

 Annie came out last season as a guest, this year she decided to come back and work, yea this is WORK!

Thanks Jeff Brazda

253-307-3210

Jesse trying out the goose game...

For starters, the early waterfowl season was impressive to say the least. As some know I have a wonderful labrador named Jesse, I bought her last May from Longhollow retrievers, she is better than I could have ever imagined, even with me, an un-experianced trainer she has become an incredible retrieving machine. She soon tested out her new love as limits of Wigeon and bluebills were quite easy til nearly Christmas. Now not so much, but we stayed the coarse and gave her every experiance I could on her first season afield, Ducks on the Columbia, Geese in Montana and a few chucker and quail in the back yard. We are looking forward to out next trip here real soon…She’s out rolling in the snow right now.

2011 Fall steelhead was better than 2010 as angler pressure was way down and we had some good water volume, could have done with out the early freeze but thats fishing. I feel that in the next few season we will see an evening off of the status quo from that ridiculously easy season of ’09. By then we will be feeling good about 6 fish days again.

Nice chromer nate in January

On a more recent note Aaron , YT, and I made a shake down cruise to Forks last week before the big snow hit and came away with 6 fish a day, pretty damn good for January even found a few in the high teens. The Hoh river is looking awesome for the swing game and the Sol Duc has loads of natives already running its emerald waters. I think we are in for another year of wild fish up to our ears and maybe the weather will accommodate. As for now we are waiting out the next storm hoping the warm up will not produce a two week flood.

Once again the Puget Sound rivers are closing early due to poor wild fish escapement, (according to WDFW). Now would be a good time to send off some cash donations to the wild steelhead coalition, CCA or whatever your favorite charity would be I like the more radical ones of coarse. Along with that, drop a letter to the Gov telling her shes nuts for letting the Icon of the NW down and maybe the wdfw director @ director@dfw.wa.gov asking him to use whatever resources the state has to figure this thing out, as the bullshit politics ain’t working. Maybe if the dept would grow some balls and look into the fish farming they have approved they might find the cause. I know that if the feds can turn around the Upper Columbia the WDFW should be able to use that technology to help the Puget Sound Rivers..OK off the soapbox for now.

It looks like we have some Geese back into the basin and them Mallards that have been in Canada all year should be moving down we, will see, heading out for another go soon.

We start out on the Olympic Peninsula Feb 3 -7 with spey fishing classes and have a few spots open, this goes for 300 a day fully hosted at the Bogy House Lodge, as good as the early wild run is I predict we will catch a few wiley ones while getting our snap T on…Note I said fishing classes, you will learn to fish the swing not just throw it accross and hope!

Last day or my 2011 spring Season April 17

This season we will be guiding later into April than in the past. In the last few seasons I have left Forks with good numbers of chrome bright steelhead still pushing in and with the NO NETTING schedule in April we have a good chunk of time without them intercepting there 50% .

We have good chunks of open dates after April 15 and a few in primetime yet to be filled, come and see what steelheading on the Olympic Peninsuila is all about, book a trip today. Jeff@Brazdasflyfishing.com 253-307-3210

Hope to see ya on the river, Jeff

Brett Seng Photo

Another Montana trout season is in the books, Rooster is chasing fur and feathers, Joeis mopping up every last brown trout, Gary is sanding and building hot rods, Bubba is chasing a different tail at Montana State, Brett is of guiding elk on some mountain top, myself ,I am off to do what I do best,,,catch steelhead on the river of my childhood.

I will have to wait till November to fish with big Joe and Brett Seng aka Hollywood, they are coming out to hit every steelhead pool west of the Clearwater, that I am jealous of. I hope to head back to MT in late November-December for some Goose and Duck hunting but we will see how the steelhead runs hold up.

As I fish my way closer to the age my Grandfather was when he planted the fly fishing seed into my life of angling. I realize that this whole jurney is that of a lifestyle choice, friends, family and most of all fishing clients and guests make it all possible.

As I think back on the season I acomplished all that is required and most of that is not: forgot my luch and did the hike back, left the bugs I spent hours tying till midnight on the desk, lent out the rain coat and needed it, ran out of 3x (this can be brutal with big dries) and on the final day I was left with a fine anglers waders in the dry box UPS loves that one.

This is to thank all of you at the Stonefly Inn and especially my comrades for without them the journey would not be the life it is.

About a month ago Brett Seng and I were standing around The Stonefly Inn waiting on guests to arrive for our fishing day, since they were still in Indiana we had a day to go fish…Nothing of the ordinary type of  trip would do!

SO the boats rated at about 300 lbs,,,we had that covered with the cooler and just me. This little drifter would detail a little getting used to as it would nearly capsize with a good hook set.

If you don’t know, Brett is a fantastic photographer and these are what we ended up with, it also helps that the Brown Trout were nearly jumping in the boat it was so good!

Shannon with her first Beaverhead brown trout

KT and Shannon,

The dry fly game begins anew,,,after some well needed leveling off of river flows and a month long disco ball in the sky we now are experiencing the normal weather patterns of SW Montana, afternoon thunder clouds!

With them come the occasional torrential down poor resulting in a slowdown/ complete stop of angling success but,,,,prior and post of the fast climactic change the dry fly fishing can be phenomenal. As trout fishing goes this will all change in a week or two and again make no sense what so ever.

The nymphing on the Beaverhead has become,,,,well,,, “Rictor Dude” as the young cool guides all say,,,I must have lost that with my hair on my dome long ago!

A good cloud cover brings on the caddis and mayfly hatch depending on daytime occurrence.

Fishing for GAY trout, another lesson in the nonsense of trout fishing, overcast on the Big Hole throw anything Purple on the surface = brown trout on the dry.

No Hoppers on parade YET.

The Big Hole Spruce Moth has not yet gotten the message; he fly’s around but will not fall dead on the water.

We started the season with a Pig roast Party at the Roost and the rivers promptly blown out for two more weeks. Sometimes it’s tough to bring on the summer, we must have tried too hard as now we pray for cool temps and some clouds.

With high water we don’t get much picture shooting time as finding a stopping spot can be troublesome. ½ A dozen dropped strokes and were around the next bend and into the trees, that’s not easily forgotten, come tipping time. Attached are a few of the less risky ones….

More recently; the Beaverhead is flowing nice at around a grand and the POGO rig is in play, the water needs to flush out the silt from run-off below Monkey face rock then we should see some short leash opportunity. The big boys are out between the Dam and High Bridge and may have flushed down towards Hennaberry as we have been catching some nice bows down that way.

The Big Hole is finally down below 2k and the dry fly game is incredible with some clouds. Summer stones are very active and the early AM deal was rolling good back during the full moon.

The Madison? Well it’s the Madison and fishing every other day, best results around the West Fork and down to Mac.

 Hoppers are on deck and growing fast maybe we will get the hopper love this season, none as of yet though.

Fish allways, “Brazdas Fly Fishing”

20 inch Rainbow

   Hot weather brings hot fishing. Seems we went from February to August in two weeks. The Big Hole is big water (still over 5k) and fishing with streamers on most days even in the bright sun and 90 degrees. Most recently (yesterday) the whitey bite has been insane and avoiding them is like avoiding rain in Forks or wind in Ellensburg. Large browns are on the streamer/little bug combo in the AM and again after 3 pm.

   The Beaverhead is as good as I have ever seen it both the pogo and the short leash are producing. Fished with an old friend and prior neighbor from 1980 Rodney Roland, we had a stellar day on the Beaverhead fly fishing his first time and landing trout over 20 inches a few times in the day to cap off an insane Sally bite.

   The guide story of the month comes from the Big Hole River a week ago Monday. As if fishing could not get any better, brown trout are attacking boats. We had a 2 ft brown trout surface on a streamer as the angler was recasting, as they do sometimes, while this one was doing its best impression of a Great White at the surface searching for the removed streamer it catches the disturbance of my right oar as we stroll down stream with me verbally wishing the streamer back to the searching brown. It literally turns on the oars entrance and attacks the tip then runs off.

   More from Twin and SW Montana on my next day off the river.