Where: Juneau, AK

When: Friday through Sunday

Species Pursued: Dollies, Kings

Song of the trip: “Vacation,” Belinda Carlisle

Fishing trips and the expectations they invariably create must always be managed.  Nothing is guaranteed except what you decide to make of your time away.

In this instance, just being away was enough–the fact that I had the fortune of hanging out with a couple of good fishing buddies while doing so was gravy.

That said, I will be up front and say that fishing was tough.  Dollies weren’t very cooperative (at least not for me) but I was able to …

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Where: The River

When: The past two weekends

Conditions: Ranged from overcast and cool to foggy then sunny and warm

Species Pursued: Steelhead

Flies used: General Practitioner in Orange, Black, Purple

Song of the day: “Joker and the Thief,” Wolfmother

Steelhead are back on the menu (figuratively, not literally) and it’s been all I can do not to obsess about it since the rivers re-opened.

And I am nothing if not obsessive when something captures, or in this instance, recaptures, my interest.

So it is with steelheading–so much so that the thought of bailing on my upcoming AK trip …

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Where: The beach; a lake

When: The past few weekends

Species pursued: At this point, anything willing

The title says it all.

I wish I could say I’ve been neglecting the water–it’d certainly make it easier than accepting the fact that the fishing’s been pretty sketchy lately.

Seeing as I’m chained to a desk 5 days a week, I have to fish when I can, weather permitting or not.

Sadly, this reality has been extremely stark over the past two weekends, manifesting itself in the form of every fly angler’s best buddy, the wind.

From the beaches to the local …

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When: The past two weekends

Where: The beach

Conditions: Breezy but fairly warm

Species pursued: Sea-run cutthroat

Song of the day:  “Faint,” Linkin Park

Being sick is never fun; much less so when the sun is bright and the weather has finally warmed up.

Unfortunately, such was the case this past weekend.  Having to work in the typical rat maze of cubicles indicative of any Korporate Amerikan environment, one can only hope to avoid the various coughs, sneezes and other assorted maladies that you’ll find circulating in such a place.

As the ever-anticipated weekend grew closer, so, too did …

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Where:  A lake

When: Sunday

Species pursued: Rainbow trout

Song of the day: “If It Makes You Happy,” Sheryl Crow

The general lake opener.  For many freshwater anglers, of all persuasions, this marks the beginning of the fishing season.  In an attempt to find a sheltered beach, I stopped by at least one lake to get an eyeful of the spectacle.

True to tradition, both the parking lot and put in teemed with fishermen, an undercurrent of pent-up winter angst punctuating the chaos.

I know, it sounds crazy, especially to those that treasure solitude, but I can relate to …

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