Recent content by Grandpa Jim

I used my NRS Wrangler for the first time 2 days this week while gear fishing from a drift boat on OP rivers. My buddy also wore my 2nd jacket. We did a lot of casting and twitching jigs. Both of us felt like the NRS Wrangler did not hinder us at all in fishing. I used the left pocket for my...

Just found out that they don't carry the S2/S4 lines for the US market. Only the intermediate. Since their intermediate didn't sink much when I fished it on Friday I thought the S2/S4 might work out fine. Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I recently ordered an ArcticSilver Compact 2.0 Intermediate (27' head, 245 gr.) in a 7wt. as an alternative for my OBS Intermediate line. The OBS full intermediate running line is the same material as the intermediate head, is thick, seems to tangle easy and knots up and jams into the 1st...

I drove by Gorst with a buddy yesterday. Saw two set nets from shore out about 100 yards. They were by the railroad tracks heading to the shipyard. In between them I could see some movement on the surface from what I assumed was a pod of fish...and then a decent size fish rolled...which I...

Thanks for posting this. Really got me thinking. I've been using a Cabela's inflatable pull tab PFD when I have gone on steelhead guide float trips. I liked wearing the inflatable PFD but never really tested it to see if it would work. I also wondered what would happen if I fell out of a...

Thanks for the information on the Skagit dams. All my fishing is out on the OP so know little about the Skagit, although I re-read Dec Hogan's A Passion For Steelhead every steelhead season and dream about what it was like to fish the Skagit for steelhead in it's glory years...with Dec putting...

That's disappointing. I was hoping to fish the Sauk in April for steelhead but wasn't able to. I've never fished the Skagit River system but have read a lot about it and watched a number of YouTube videos. Stupid thought/question: Seattle Power has dams on Skagit tributaries that have...

I'm 3 years (couple multi-day trips/year) into OP river salmon gear fishing from the bank. I do OK chucking spinners, Wicked's or spoons but I'm having a hard time hooking coho that grab my twitched jigs. I'm using self-tied marabou/rabbit 1/2 oz. ball jigs on 5/0 Owner Saltwater hooks. I'm...

I like medium heavy spinning rods for 8-17 lb. test line in the 7.5 - 9' range for beach casting lures. Shorter rods cast easier but longer rods cast further. Okuma and Ugly Stick are rod brands that work well, are inexpensive and hold up. I like to use 30 lb. braid and tie in 4' bumper of 20...

I heard that scented dryer sheets work, too...so now for the last 8 years my 2001 Civic which is parked outside with woods all around...has had scented dryer sheets stuffed into spots within the engine compartment. So far, so good. A neighbor with a nice late model truck did not use the dryer...

I keep a few pre-tied flies in individual sandwich baggies inside a ziplock bag that I keep in my wader pouch along with a cell phone in a ziplock bag and pliers while fishing. I change flies on the water by resting my rod in the slots on my shooting basket and take the looped leader of the old...

I've been looking at Intermediate lines on internet for a newer TFO Axion II-X 7 wt. I bought at end of last season. The OBS 7 wt. Intermediate is 260 gr./30’, Cortland Compact 7/8 Intermediate is 275 gr./26’. The TFO Axion II-X 7 wt. is a fast rod so I wonder if I would be better using the...

I made larger diameter tubes out of the same material in different lengths to store all of my gear rods when not in use. I don't put foam in them but that is a great idea. My gear rods in those tubes survived my last military move intact where other rods not in tubes did not. You could...

I don't use a fly box. I have a few selected flies for how I am fishing that are pre-tied on looped leaders that I store in single plastic sandwich bags. I switch out flies while on the water by taking out of plastic bag stuffed in my wader pouch and just changing out the loop to loop rigging...

Coastal rivers in the winter: Don't care about the weather as long as it's not blowing 25 mph or cold enough that ice forms in my guides This would be nice too: Rivers on the drop Steelhead green color