Smith River, here we come.......

Cliff Walls

All alone and quiet

Love this campsite

Photo's of the Day- "Tools and Bobbins"

The messy caddy

Pick a color, any color?

Almost Ready

Water flows are stablizing, weather is getting nicer(not as much rain) and supplies are almost all purchased. Now all we have to do is get to the river and float. Hopefully we will get another little drop in flows, and this river will clear a little. Would be nice to fish a little, but we are prepared to rest, relax and enjoy one of the most beautiful river trips there is.

Really excited to take the new camera and do a lot of practicing with photo's and video's. Trip #6 can't wait. I am too excited to sleep.

Got a little time to go though.......................

Fathers Day

On the Patio with Dad

Fresh batch in the humidor

Basalmic marinated pork chops

A moscoe mule for mom and dad

Random feathers from the bench

Photo of the Day- Large man in stealth mode

Striking the pose! That floatfisher is a handsome fella.

Prepping, Cleaning, Sorting and Piling

All these things go into the annual planning and packing for a Smith River trip. It has begun, we started tonight by sorting all the clothing, as I call it, the presort, before, the final selection. trying on the summer clothing, making sure there are no last minute items that do not need to be purchased and items fit after the diet, yea, we do get a few new things. Tonight and tomorrow will be the clothing, Thursday we will dig into the coolers and dry boxes and do some cleaning and sorting. Can't forget the Big Agnes gear, but that is all in good shape and stored nicely.  Our camp set up and gear is very easy as the outfitter will be doing all the hard work, all we have to do is row and fish.

Weekend will be reserved for a visit to Charlies Flybox for flylines, leaders and any misc. flies that I may need, and do not want to tie before the trip, I will have to make sure the supply of cigars are ordered and in the humidor prior to the trip for proper humidification, and our stop to the liquor store has already taken place.

As you can tell I am anal about packing and being prepared well ahead of a trip, well that is why they are always so fun and successful. Better to be safe than sorry.

Will take some pictures along the way of the mounting piles of stuff.

Happy Highwater!!!

Photo's from the Weekend

Getting ready for the whitewater float, water flowing at 3480 cfs.

Saturday offered the chance to read the new edition of "The Drake,
have a Cigar and enjoy a couple of ice cold PBR's

Lizard stand off on the patio.

Random refrigerator art

Fighting the Fish- Picture of the Day

I think I gottem,  No Wait! Crap

New Toy, recycled from an old toy!!

It's great to have too many toys, that once in a while you actually sell one
of the old one's to get a new one. In this case, we had an old boat frame hanging
in the garage for many years, was recycled in too this beautiful new
Engel Cooler. This is number two for the Floatfisher household, and boy
do we love them. Ice does not melt in these and worth every cent.

High Water means the annual migration of Stoneflies/ Salmonfly's on western rivers

 

 

A very Cool video and great trip!

Thanks Project Healing Waters for taking our veterans on the water for some well deserved time on the water. In addition, thanks to Lewis and Clark Expeditions and our friend Joe Sowerby.

Wallow Fire- White Mountains, AZ

Our hearts and prayers go our to our "old" good friends in Mary and I's old fishing and stomping grounds. Today the officials ordered a manditory evacuation of Greer and Sunrise Ski resort, as well as put the Towns of Eager and Springerville on alert for evacuation. Earlier this year the little town was rocked with the fire at the historic Greer Lodge, obviously, this fire of, at todays writing is 230,000 acres. This would be devastating to the area. Please say a prayer for the fine folks of Arizona.

Mr. and Mrs. Floatfisher have fond memories of Greer and the White Mountains, as this is where we learned to flyfish, fly tie and get in trouble. Many of fond memories and friends were made in this small town. Be safe and good luck..........

Next Trip- Smith River, MT

Now that runoff in Colorado is in full force, Floatfisher will turn to preparing for the next adventure. The next adventure will take us back for our 6th trip down the majestic Smith River canyon. As with the rest of west, we must wait a couple of weeks for the water to subside and trees to quit floating. I am hoping for slightly lower water and sunny weather. As with all Smith River trips, we prepare for weather and enjoy the inspiring canyon that will take us in for 5 days. The fishing will only be a bonus.  Can't wait to see the old familiar campsites, and see some new ones. Meet new friends and see old ones.

In addition, we will be visiting the river a differant time of year than normal, hoping to wear only shorts and teva's, not enduring the normal 18-30" of snow that we plan for. Either way we will have a great time. Time to start gathering gear and getting any new items needed.

New Camera for the Floatfisher

The Floatfisher family invested in a new camera to capture our adventures this summer and beyond. Although I learned today I have a lot to learn ( I mean a lot), I am excited to study and learn this new hobby. We scrapped up the pennies, dimes and quarters, knocked the neighborhood kids off their bikes and took their money, traded in Mary's aluminum beer can fund and sold off my prized butterfly collection. And, oh yea, I only have one kidney now.

We also got a nice macro lens to go with it to shot flies and other neat close shots. Can't wait to start shooting thing. Guess I have to start by reading the manual and figure out how the camera works. Holy schmoly are there a lot of settings and buttons. As mentioned, gotta a lot to learn. Well thats what the non fishing time and winter is for....