Where: Puget Sound
When: Saturday
Conditions: Sunny, slightly windy
Flies used: Various clousers, Ferguson Green and Silver, epoxy baitfish
Species pursued: Sea-run cutthroat

Song of the day: "Groove Is In The Heart," Dee Lite

"All three of us have old school lines today."

Clark and Mitch had joined me in a little retro-style beach fishing.

Though my equipment was certainly 21st century, its specifications were not.

A full intermediate line, standard arbor reel and medium action rod formed this modern throwback to the days before Outbound shooting heads, large arbors and fast sticks like the Crosscurrent and Xi2. I even had a "classic" Ferguson Green and Silver tied on.

Now you're probably wondering why a new-fangled gear junkie like me would use such an outfit in the salt.

In response, I could wax on about how we sometimes need to step back from the quick pace of modernization and honor the rich lore and tradition of fly fishing, blah blah blah bla--zzzzz...

While that may be a part of my motivation, it's a very, very miniscule portion of it.

The truth is I was bored and wanted to try a new/old twist on something familiar.

And I had a new rod to break-in. ;)

"Man, this looks really fishy," Clark said quietly.

On any of the other days the Sound has offered us of late, he would have had to practically shout his opinion.

But the day's calm carried his voice as if he stood right next to me.

I nodded in agreement.

Unfortunately, it was just an opinion. This particular beach wasn't willing to give up any fish, despite a few taps here and there.

Rather than continuing to work the shore, we decided to move.

And that's when the old school approach became more like a flashback.

Sea-run cutthroat were the first species I pursued in the salt. Back then, I only plied beaches regarded as cuttie hotspots.

As time progressed, new locations appealed to me, drawing me away from my old haunts.

It just so happened that the beach we gazed at was one such "oldie but goody."

In the first few minutes, I hooked one. Its shaking electrified the new rod and I celebrated with excited whoops.

Unfortunately, my elation got the better of me and I wasn't paying attention to what the fish was doing.

It charged me, allowing slack to build and soon, he was gone.

As it swam off, my memories of this place resurfaced.

And I remembered where I used to catch fish.

"Down to the left," I said to myself.

Standing thigh-deep, I watched carefully, determining the speed and direction of the current. The tide moved at three distinct paces and I tried placing my cast on the outer edge of the fastest part. Then I let the fly swing through each section, counting.

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

I started to retrieve and felt a bump, but no hook up.

"One more time."

I cast again to the outside.

"One."

"Two."

I didn't get to three. :)

Glad that memory had served me correctly, I kept working down current.

And found that guy's buddy...

And THAT guy's buddy...

And his little brother. :)

After a few more hookups, I decided not to push my luck and got out.

At first, I tried to simply enjoy the day. After all, the weather was great and I just finished playing with a pod of takers on a new rod.

But looking out on all that fishy water was too tempting.

So I went back for one more.

After all, I wasn't sure when I'd see this place again.

Off you go!

Where: Puget Sound
When: Saturday
Conditions: Calm, sunny
Flies used: Various clousers, euphausiid Gotcha
Species pursued: Sea-run cutthroat

Song of the day: "Don't Look Back In Anger," Oasis

"Wow, this place is beautiful."

"That's what I thought my first time here. And today's perfect."

The wind had died down over the past few days and the forecast predicted it would continue over the weekend.

I hadn't had a tug in a while and the past few weeks of wind had gotten on my last nerve.

Jamie's comment on the view from the shore stopped me from charging and casting away.

He was right, it was beautiful--the sun hadn't been out like this since the fall, nor had we felt this kind of warmth since then.

And the water?

Glass.

"It's supposed to be 50-ish today," I said, unzipping one of my extra layers.

"Yeah, it's nice."

Not much was being said--we were just too busy enjoying the day.

We quietly waded out and worked the shoreline.

"I just got a tug."

"Good."

Soon after, I had a few taps.

They were here, all right.

We made our way down to a point where the exchange runs over a shallow flat and pours into the deeper water.

The swirls of the tide were all too apparent and I tossed a cast into the current, swinging the fly back into the beach.

A tap, but this one stronger than the last.

I cast again and waited a little longer before twitching the fly.

The next touch wasn't a tap...

...it was a grab! :)

"What's everyone's availability like over the next few weeks?"

The forecast was bad--lots of wind and pretty nasty rain.

"I just want to take you guys out with the deck stacked in your favor. We could wait until next month when the rezzies are open again, too."

The class agreed. Better to fish during decent conditions than try your luck during poor ones.

The next morning, I weighed my options.

Spey?

Nah.

Too sloppy out there and, judging by the flows, not exactly good bet.

Head down to the shop?

I was just there last night.

Looking out the window only encouraged my irritation.

I wanted to fish!

What do you do when you can't?

Tie flies, I guess.

I sat at the bench for a few seconds, surveying the materials.

What to tie, what to tie...

Something to get my mind off of the crummy weather.

Bonefish flies, then.

The thought of Bahamian sun, hard flats and willing bones quieted my restlessness as I settled into forming an assembly line of flies.

It started innocently enough.

"I'll just tie 1/2 a dozen and go play Guitar Hero 3."

But the more hooks I tied eyes to, the worse it got.

How it all began...

One fly begat another. First, a few peach Gotchas. Then, with craft fur.

How about Arctic fox?

And, of course, you can't forget about bunny strips!

Things just went out of control from there and, well...

...you get the picture.

So what's the deal with all the bonefish flies?

I just want to get a jump on my Bahamas trip.

Though this will be my third year, I'm still as anxious as I was before my first time.

Not much compares to catching a bonefish.

In fact, the thought of it was enough to get me over this weekend's cabin fever. :)

P.S. We're still looking for a couple of good guys to round out this year's bonefish trip. Interested? Call the shop at 253-839-4119 to ask about the details.

Interested in getting into the salt but don't know where to start?

Join me on Friday night (February 8th) and the following day for a crash course on beach fishing.

Equipment?

Check.

Species?

Check.

Where to find the fish?

Check.

We'll talk about this and more.

Give Puget Sound Fly Co. at 253-839-4119 to sign up and hear about future beach class dates.