Tomorrow’s superstars will return this summer for the 5th season of Tacoma Tide FC! The schedule will begin with preseason exhibition matches that will soon be released. Divisional play kicks off on May 15 at Kitsap for the first leg of the "Narrows Bridge Bell" competition. The last leg of the Kitsap vs Tacoma rivalry will be on the last night of the season, July 24.
The Tacoma Tide FC will play a schedule of 16 league matches plus bonus exhibitions. The Tacoma Tide will host, at Curtis HS Stadium, 8 divisional home matches year. Their league opponents will be Western Conference rivals from Kitsap, Seattle, Spokane, Yakima, Portland, and 3 teams from Canada. The schedule starts and finishes with games vs “Narrows Bridge Bell” rivals; Kitsap Pumas ~ Winner takes The Bell!
Top 2 teams from NW Division qualify for Western Conference Final 4.
Season Tickets are just $30 for students & $70 for adults.
Season Ticket Holders receive a Tide scarf & free tickets for exhibitions
FULL SCHEDULE - click here

PDL Press Release - click here

Fly Fishing has changed blogging systems and the URL. Please go here to check out the new site.

All old content has found a new home with the new blog.

Make sure to update any bookmarks or RSS feeds you had pointing to our old system as they will no longer work.

New blog URL: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/fish
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We will continue to track all the local talent for 2010 on the Tacoma News Tribune's "Green Scene" blog at this account:

http://blog.thenewstribune.com/golf/

Where: The Beach
When: Saturday
Conditions: Overcast, windy, a few showers
Flies used: Clousers
Species pursued: Sea-run cutthroat and resident coho
Songs of the day: "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap," AC/DC

What better way to bring in the New Year than with a little fishing?

Suspecting a strong on-shoulder wind to be the order of the day, I packed something special to cope with the conditions and scooted off to a likely spot.

A few minutes after arriving, Mike pulled into the lot and we headed down the beach.

Our first expedition of the year and of the decade yielded welcome results:

On the first cast of 2010!

For an hour or so, cutthroat were more than happy to oblige us. Figuring that would be the case, I was surprised when...

...this guy joined the party.

Despite the wind and rain, the day was turning out to be winner. It wasn't the full-on winter fishing we've come to expect over the years, but it was consistent enough to bring several fish to hand, the majority of which were scrappy cutthroat like this one:

Yes, that's a spinning rod and reel in the foreground and yes, that's a fly in its mouth. Confused? :)

After the bite died down, we discussed relocation, finding ourselves at a nearby spot.

Would we be as lucky at this beach?

Ask this guy--it's not enough that he's already a good fisherman, but he was using one of my lucky rods, too!

Happy New Year, Mike!

But our luck here wasn't destined to last--the incoming tide brought in a huge scum line fouling our flies and lines, forcing us to consider yet another option.

We decided on Plan C and dashed off yet again.

What followed was, for the most part, a dismal experience compared to the other beaches.

I say "for the most part" because the fishing wasn't as productive in terms of quantity of fish.

Quality, though...well, that's an entirely different matter. The angle's not indicative, but trust me, that fish is bigger than it looks, Mike just has giant hands. :)

Gotta love starting a new year like this...

Where: The Beach
When: Saturday
Conditions: Sunny, calm, frigid
Flies used: Clousers
Species pursued: Sea-run cutthroat and resident coho
Songs of the day: "Wake Up," Arcade Fire

I hope everyone had a good Christmas weekend.

As some of you know, I view Christmas in two ways. On one hand, it's a chance to celebrate with loved ones, open presents and stuff your face into calorie oblivion.

On the other hand, the holidays are an opportunity to engage in...

...another form of gluttony. :)

Imagine getting this as a belated Christmas present!

On top of the exceptional cutthroat above, Jamie and I managed to run into a few of the other things we'd be wishing for for Christmas...

Resident coho, anyone?

How about two?

Merry Christmas to me! Rockin' my new Simms Windstopper Hoody (in ninja black, no less!) while in the midst of the coho bite.

Within hours, the tide overran the beach and our hands had suffered enough of the cold. Rather than wait out the exchange, we decided to count our blessings and sound the retreat.

But only after a few more casts. ;)

Happy New Year, all, may your graphite bend in 2010.

Where: The Virgin Islands and the Beach
When: The past two weeks; Saturday
Conditions: Sunny, warm in the VI; Freezing, dry and windy here
Flies used: Various bonefish flies in the VI; Clousers on the beach
Species pursued: Various reef fish in the VI; Resident coho and Sea-run cutthroat on the beach

Songs of the day: "Swim," Jack's Mannequin," "So What," Pink

The temperature was in the mid 80's as I boarded the plane. After nine days in the tropical winter sun, I was less than eager to make my way back to the holiday chill waiting for me.

The actual trip back didn't help--a forced checking of my rods, multiple gate changes (from one end of the airport to the other, no less), a prolonged delay due to a broken plane and finally, a delay of disembarking, all courtesy of your less-than-friends at Delta (who I will never fly with again if I can help it) left me exhausted, frustrated and, by the time I arrived at SeaTac, freezing.

Boarding the parking shuttle, I asked the driver what my drive home would be like.

"Icy," he said. "It's 29 degrees outside."

Great--about 15 hours prior and 56 degrees higher, I was on a beach, enjoying the sun and one last snorkeling session.

While I was hoping to find some bonefish, I ended up fishing for a variety of beach and reef fish instead (though I did fish a nice, albeit unproductive flat one morning).

Rather than go through the entire 9 days, let me simply summarize things for you:

1) Sitting in the sun
2) Snorkeling
3) More snorkeling
4) A little fishing
5) More snorkeling
6) Getting eaten by mosquitoes during 1-5

Despite the lack of time devoted to fishing, I can assure you that my excursions were still productive, and I already have an idea of how to set up my gear for the next time I go.

So without further ado, here's the visual re-cap of the trip:

I saw lots of these guys while snorkeling.

Lots of fish like this, too.

What's a winter vacation without a snowman? :)

Everyone loves needlefish, right? Right? :)

Another tortuga.

I thought these were called pompano, but I guess the correct name is palometa. Regardless, they were a bunch of fun on my 6 weight. I bet they would've felt better on a 5 weight. Hmmmmm...

I think these are glass minnows. It was like swimming through a disco ball--there were literally thousands of them! I wish I had brought my vise...

You can't visit the Caribbean without eating some conch fritters!

Imagine having a whole island to yourself--never mind, we had this one for about an hour.

Smoke time!

No bones, but check out what I did see on one beach! If I'm right, that's a permit. If I am, then there have got to be bigger ones or more out there.

Remember number 6 on that list above? This is one of them--I had to the whole frickin' DEET bottle, LOL!

Self-indulgence--I was on vacation, after all.

No need to buy food when dinner's running around everywhere. Wild pigs abounded, too. Anyone know how to make adobo? :)

Seeing more of these really got me thinking. Next time.

Obviously, I was bummed about having to come back, especially since...

...I had to come back to this guy outfishing me! :)

Where: The Beach
When: The past two weekends
Conditions: Chilly, wet, windy
Flies used: Clousers
Species pursued: Sea-run cutthroat

Song of the day: "Scar Tissue," Red Hot Chili Peppers

The wind cut sharply across my face. At odds with the direction of the tide, I had little choice but to muscle my line obliquely into the breeze and hope for a halfway decent setup.

"This is as good as it's going to get."

Rich nodded, knowing that anywhere else we went would be just as challenging.

"Let's hope it's as productive as last week."

Under similar conditions the weekend before, the two of us had wandered the Sound in search of bites.

We were lucky enough to find what we were looking for...

...as well as get a preview of things to come! *hint* That isn't a cutthroat...

Figuring last week was more a result of luck than perseverance, I regarded our current situation with doubt.

On one hand, this would be a likely spot to find fish while finding shelter from the brunt of the wind.

On the other, what wind we had escaped from wasn't enough to make things significantly easier, much less more comfortable.

Regardless, we agreed that throwing in the towel before wetting our lines was, ironically, an asinine decision and not an option at all.

So wind be damned, we hucked our flies across, into and between gusts.

And before we had worked 10 yards of beach, Rich was into the first fish of the day.

So much for doubt! :)

On the very next cast, he was into a second fish.

"Do you think this is the same one?"

I caught a glimpse of the fish as it struggled to get free.

"Definitely not, this one's bigger."

Two casts, two fish!

While letting the little chunker go, it became clear that our choice was the correct one.

"Good call coming here!" he said, the fish slipping back into the clear current.

"No kidding."

Continuing down the beach, the winds increased, seemingly punishing Rich for his spiteful success.

But short of an on shoulder or headwind, there was nothing to stop our advance--there were fish here and we were determined to find more of them.

And we did. :)

Our window was short, however, and as the tide slacked, other factors came into play that encouraged us to simply be content with our small victory.

Given everything, it was an easy choice to make.

At least for a few hours...

The next morning, I couldn't help but sneak away and see if I could duplicate the experience. With the wind down, the rain stopped and the tidal window generous, I stepped in, stripped line off and worked a nearby rip.

Letting the fly swing for a few seconds as I scanned the area, the initial signs were good--a couple of splashes and even one fish going ballistic a few dozen yards away got me in the right mindset.

I started the retrieve and met some resistance but set the hook too late.

Another couple of casts and the same mistake.

A few more but this time, no mistake!

Excellent--two days of unlikely yet satisfying success and to top it all off, I was heading back in to have a few of these bad boys:

If you don't know what these are, good for you. But if you do recognize them, don't ask me if I have any left over! :)

Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone--don't forget to try and find some resident coho over the holiday weekend, a few of them are already around. Unfortunately for me (heh), I won't have the opportunity as I'll be trying to find some bonefish in the Virgin Islands! :)

See you in a couple of weeks!

New blog system at 2010 Olympics

Olympics has changed blogging systems and the URL. Please go here to check out the new site.

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Where: The Beach
When: This past weekend
Conditions: Chilly, breezy, overcast, rainy
Flies used: Clousers
Species pursued: Sea-run cutthroat

Song of the day: "What's My Age Again?," Blink 182

The itch was getting unbearable--the prior weekend forced me to remain indoors, partially for health, but primarily due to blustery weather.

Ironically, chum weren't the focus while I bided my time tying flies, the wind howling through the alleyway, whistling as it raked across the windowpane.

Instead, I had cutthroat on the mind and as the weekend gave way to Monday, thoughts of catching a few more of them haunted me as the work week plugged by.

Mercifully, Friday came quickly and my plans would soon come to fruition.

There's been a beach of been meaning to get to for some time, a place I'd long since abandoned as my list of favorite spots grew and my focus shifted to other quarry. But cutthroat were the soup du jour and I knew of no better place to find them and to ease the suffering of having to go two weeks without wetting a line. :)

The following morning I crept along the shoreline, amazed at how the place had somehow escaped time's passing. Everything was exactly as I remembered it from years ago--the clear water, the impossible-to-fish high tide and, as if on cue, the jumping cutthroat.

When last I visited, I was in my 20's. Though that may not seem so long ago, the change from then to now is all too obvious. Somewhere along the way, I picked up more rods than I need, more lines than I can spool and more jackets and waders than I can wear. To justify all this, of course, I developed some skill and acquired experience, or so I thought.

Back then, things were much simpler--a floating line, some poorly tied flies and a 5 weight was all I needed to play the game.

I wondered when the fun in that had given way to everything else.

The real question was if I'd get it back today; if the beach would be as generous as it had been when the focus was on the important things.

A response was quickly issued. A few minutes after the jumper, I was into a fish. The little trout came in, kicking and screaming as it were.

Soon after, Don hooked a nicer cutthroat and periodically, as we covered teh beach, the fish would remind us of their presence, jumping here and boiling there.

For all intents and purposes, life was good.

Though the action wasn't necessarily on fire, it was consistent, and whether it was the fact that being back here had put me in an especially good mood or that I was catching up on lost fishing time, I was having a ball.

It was almost like going back in time. :)

A new sponsor in tow, and three top-10 finishes in hand, including a third-place finish at the WGC-HSBC Champions event in China has Puyallup's Ryan Moore.

Now the latest good news: He's in the top 50 in the world rankings for the first time in his career.

He's seen a huge jump in 2009, starting the season ranked 163rd in the world. A recent surge had him at 75th entering last week's tournament, but a high finish against a strong field were the two biggest reasons for the move to 49th.

The PGA Tour season has one more tournament this week – Children's Miracle Network in Orlando, Fla. – and if Moore remains in that spot, he'll earn an automatic berth to the British Open next year at St. Andrews.

This week: PGA Tour/European Tour WGC-HSBC Champions, Thursday through Sunday, Sheshan International Golf Club, Shanghai, China.

Fourth-round score: 4-under-par 68.

Position: Moore (15-under 273) finished alone in third, two strokes behind winner Phil Mickelson (271).

Recap: What a debut in the World Golf Championships events for the Puyallup golfer, who played in front of the Mickelson-Tiger Woods grouping. He was solid throughout the round, birdied the 17th hole and, by his own admission, should have finished with another one to tie Ernie Else for second, saying afterward, "I hit a heck of a putt on 18 … I really can't believe it didn't go in." He earned a paycheck of $430,078, and will move into the top 50 in the world rankings Monday, making him eligible for next year's British Open.

Next: 2010 SBS Championship starting Jan. 7 in Hawaii.