It Ain't My Fault by Mos Def & Lenny Kravitz | stupidDOPE.com

Definitely on the playlist when I'm Third Coasting...

Steelhead Bonanza 2010

After working basically every day for the past five years and being unemployed for a lot of the last year, I've decided to embrace the leisure lifestyle and hit the road for steelhead this November. It's really overwhelming, however; I have to decide where to go, for how long, what rivers to fish, where I can camp, bathe, eat, etc. There are flies to tie, probably a new rod to buy, and tons of other stuff to consider. I'm leaning towards Oregon, but am willing to go anywhere.

What should I do?

Brodin!!!

I'm not sure that I've ever had a new net and definitely never a nice one. After Paddy lost TWO of my nets this year, I splurged for a Brodin MacKenzie and I'm in love. At 49", I can finally land all of the ginormous fish I'm used to catching. It even made it's way into my bed last night. I feel like a kid with a new toy. I love that sweet smell of varnish, the smooth handle, and the net with no holes in it (yet).

I Love You, Moldy Chum

So I was checking out the Chumster after getting home from guiding today and saw 20 Minute Magic Hour on today's posts. I called Paddy over to show him and he was totally stoked so he gave Carl a ring to share the good news. After discussing their mutual awesomeness (for a really long time considering that we had spent the last twelve hours together) the conversation was ending and Paddy said, "I love you."

Bahhahahahahahahahahahahah.

I always knew Paddy loved Carl more than me.

Silver Creek Tricos

Here's another clip from Paddy. We're fishing tricos on the creek, but there's not much going on because so much was edited from me cussing like a sailor (Paddy hasn't figured out editing with music, yet) and both of us farming fish like it's our job. Some sweet, sweet trico action, though.

20 Minute Magic Hour

This is a pretty slow clip, but the fishing's pretty fast. Featuring my guide bffs (and bf) Paddy and Carl.

Hells Yeah!

Summer 2010: The season of the vole

Small rodents appearing, dying in large numbers south of Bellevue

By KATHERINE WUTZ
Idaho Mountain Express

A vole sprints out of a burrow at the edge of an alfalfa field just south of Bellevue. Photo by Willy Cook

Driving south of Timmerman Hill? Look out for crossing voles.

Motorists driving along state Highway 75 and U.S. Highway 20 in southern Blaine County have reported an unusually large number of vole casualties on and along the roads.

Lauren Hunter, an extension educator with the University of Idaho, said that the number of voles has been especially high this year, even compared with last year's substantial numbers.

Voles—small burrowing rodents—have been reported overrunning fields and gardens, she said. Gary Wright, who works for the Shoshone Field Office of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, said there have been numerous reports of a major vole problem in the area.

Hunter said that voles tend to follow a three- to five-year population cycle, sometimes increasing 100-fold in a single year. The cycle is most likely due to resource limitation and other factors, according to Gary Witmer of the National Wildlife Research Center in Fort Collins, Colo.

Populations are normally held in check by natural predators such as foxes, owls and hawks. However, Hunter said she has had reports that foxes have not been as active or as visible as they normally are.

Hunter said that no official control actions have been waged on the voles. Private landowners might be using zinc phosphide, a pesticide, to control the vole population.

Hunter advised caution to those who may find the use of this chemical an appealing method for dealing with the pests, as the chemical can also harm cats, dogs and horses.

A Few Lovely Ladies

The summer is finally busy! I've been guiding non stop and am trying to increase my inventory for The Brown Drake. I had a few minutes today to post some photos of some lovely ladies (sorry guys) I've had on the river in the past few weeks. I guess it's my ode to Rogue Angels and Fly Fisher Girl.

Fish on!