Realization

In the Pacific Northwest, this land of deep-V aluminum boats, my skiff draws attention. She's a fine little boat and gets quite a few complements, but only a handful of people have recognized her for what she is. One of those people was Trevor, who was doing some tree-work on our property last fall. He … Continue reading Realization →

Cold Soup

The water in the river is warming up, but there is still no sign of fish in the shallows. Carp aggregate during the winter and, once the water warms sufficiently, probably move as a group towards the shallows in anticipation of spawning. I think it very likely they will appear all at once. Flats that … Continue reading Cold Soup →

Temperature Obsessed

Disclaimer/Nerd-Alert: I am currently obsessed with water temperatures. I can't imagine that anyone else will be even remotely as interested in this as I am. You've been warned. Read on if you dare... In the classic book Carp on the Fly there is a temperature chart that lists some remarks about carp biology corresponding to … Continue reading Temperature Obsessed →

How to Winter

Today was one of those deceptively nice days that make you think crazy thoughts like "gee, maybe winter isn't so bad, after all." The fog blew off and the sun came out before lunch so I grabbed a rod and drove to one of my little winter carp lakes. The lake has an outlet to … Continue reading How to Winter →

First Fish of 2026

Everyone here seems to agree that this has been a mild winter so far. We had a few sunny days in a row during January with highs around 50 degrees. The river, however, was pretty chilly. Army Corps of Engineers data claimed the water temperatures were in the low forties, but I took the boat … Continue reading First Fish of 2026 →

Catch and A Release

Looking back through my journal notes I think I am forced to admit that the carp fishing season on the Columbia River ended in September. I still saw a few carp in October, and even caught one on November 2, but September was the last time I saw decent numbers of feeding carp in the … Continue reading Catch and A Release →

Memory Weeds

I remember this fish. I spotted it from the road, rooting on the bottom in a small bay. I clambered as quickly and quietly as I could down the rocks and managed to hook it without getting my feet wet. I also remember that the hook pulled and I lost the fish. What had me … Continue reading Memory Weeds →

Re-entry

It has been a bumpy return to the United States after finishing up our Peace Corps service. Here is the short version: The state of our home upon arrival 20 cubic yards of rubbish left by the squatters we had to evict The wildfire that almost burned down our house The new floor I had … Continue reading Re-entry →

She is Born

We bought a boat! She is being built in Florida and will be ready for pick-up just about the time we head back to the U.S. While it is the most exciting thing going on in my fishing world at the moment, I realize that not everyone will be as excited as I am. So … Continue reading She is Born →

Across the Pond

I often read the front page post at sexyloops.com. They are an entertaining crew and are scattered around the world so you never know what interesting fishing you might learn about: Scandinavian salmon, Japanese maruta, or maybe Malaysian giant gourami. Recently, there was a series of posts made by two different contributors that resonated with … Continue reading Across the Pond →