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On the Road and the River
Posted by: lostzac
on Apr 12, 2012
Tagged in: Untagged
Storm clouds dissipated, but the thundering winds still whirled snowflakes about my face. The western mountains were black, and the clouds seemed as shadows fleeing the valley. My hands were purdy cold and the fish had quit biting. But I kept fishing.
Sometimes the river keeps me. Who am I to fight it? I stepped cautiously over boulders, barely keeping my footing as my concentration beamed toward the back-eddy, black in front of me. The rhythm of cast - retrieve - lift rod tip - cast, in an almost waltz-like tempo was all that I felt -- besides my cold hands. My really cold hands. And just as it seemed the dance about boulders was about to end, my line went tight, and I set a deep bend in my Sweetgrass four weight hex.
The dance continued, this time fast circles and leaps in relentless and unforgiving timing -- a black night disco inferno. Yes I was alive in the 70s. Not old enough to really disco, though.
Anyway, the last leap from a chubby Rainbow, ended as I escorted it to my hand.
A beautiful being and casting partner, in my hand and on the boulders:-)
In Wild Waters,
Zac Sexton
The Meandering Booboy
Posted by: lostzac
on Apr 09, 2012
Tagged in: Untagged
I should have been helping Sarah move all our belongings in to our new home. She was working hard getting everything organized, and I was working equally hard -- tying a size 20 wire midge dropper to a size eight bead head stonefly nymph. I wanted just a few casts with the Sweetgrass four weight hex rod before the deep orange sun slid behind black Cottonwood silhouettes. The first pocket I tried did not produce. I was a little concerned. The valley grew darker, as light began to fade. A couple more casts, and these precious few, stolen minutes on this small stream would be over.
I hustled up to the next pool, cast to a riffle's tail, and let the flies slough to deep olive water. And I felt a tug!
Back to moving....
In Wild Waters,
Zac Sexton
The Meandering Booboy
Posted by: lostzac
on Mar 31, 2012
Tagged in: Untagged
I have not fished for three days during the past two weeks. And they were a sad few days. Ok, dry your tears and I'll continue to describe a couple days I got some fishing done.
A little while back, I got to float a river with Scott Anderson of Montana Fishing Company. He is the outfitter I will be guiding for this season, and being that we both love Sweetgrass bamboo and fish, we thought to spend a couple days testing rods and waters. I primarily fished the prototype four-piece, six weight rod that Glenn and I have been working on. It turned out to be a smooth-casting, powerful and sensitive rod. It will be the perfect traveling rod and available this season from Sweetgrass.
Getting ready to launch, and hanging loose. Or, that was the size fish Scott caught.
Check the bend on my back-cast! As a rod designer and maker, I pay lots of attention to what the rod and line is doing most every cast. Fishing is as much enjoying the outdoors as it is enjoying your equipment. We hooked up with many fish on this day, primarily swinging wet flies. Once Glenn gets back from fishing this rod in the Bahamas, we will discuss any changes that we need to make, and get to the second round of prototypes. Might mess with the ferrules a bit...
And later that week, I made it to another great river, but waded around some islands. I used my three-piece pent with the five-weight tip, and had a great time fishing midges, and stoneflies. I had some luck in the surface, but most the fish were feeding on midge pupae just below the surface, so that's what I fed them!
Ariell watches as I show her how to catch fish on midge pupae. It was an over-cast day that varied from calm gray to blustery gray, that ripped whitecaps on the main channel. I stayed on a side channel, and fed flies to rising Rainbows most the afternoon.
"Look at this fine Rainbow trout! Can I eat it?"
Even though Ariell could have eaten this little beauty, we released it, hoping that it will grow a bit larger. I was not able to get to all the water I planned to fish, as we were surrounded by other anglers (weekends are not the best time to fish alone...), but I stayed on my side channel and landed around eight fish with the Sweetgrass pent, while none of the other six anglers that worked around me caught a thing, with their silly graphite sticks! It's all in the grass, eh. It's all in the sweet, sweet grass.
Then it rained really hard and blew harder and harder.
In Wild Waters,
Zac Sexton
The Meandering Booboy
Posted by: lostzac
on Mar 17, 2012
Tagged in: Untagged
Glenn is off to the Bahamas for his annual, saltwater research trip. And as Ariell and I await the first, promising Spring days, shivering after we fall in rivers, at least we can think of Glenn casting away in sweltering sunshine. He is packing a couple four-piece bamboo rods that I am excitedly waiting to hear his report on. I took one prototype hex rod to Argentina, and it worked beautifully. It slipped right through security and in to overhead bins, allowing me to cast, fish for, and fight fish in to my grasp. We are sure we have figured how to make a great-casting rod that is able to be taken anywhere. My version is a hex configuration, while Glenn continues research with his eight-sided rods -- this time with four pieces. I will update as Glenn's reports trickle in.
In other news, I am still working on the raw footage I shot with my friend Farhad, while filming a movie in Argentina. The movie follows the journey of Rainbow trout from the McKenzie river in Oregon, to the many watersheds throughout Patagonia, Argentina. It will be a lengthy project, but I will share glimpses along the way, here at Sweetgrass.
Lastly, recent winds have destroyed my internet connection. So, before this coffee shop closes, I will end by saying I am about to go fishing, I can't figure out how to post any frickin' photo or video, and so will work on it later. After I catch a fish!
In Wild Waters,
Zac Sexton
The Meandering Booboy
Posted by: lostzac
on Feb 28, 2012
Tagged in: Untagged
I am just back in Montana after my first fishing trip anywhere outside the lower 48! It was an amazing time, made even better with new friends and testing a prototype travel rod Glenn and I have been working on designing. I think you'll love it fishing anywhere in the World, as much as I did testing the first prototype in Patagonia, Argentina. Below is a pic. from one memorable trip. More to come later, as I download photos and video.  Me with a typical Collon Cura river Trucha Arcoides (Rainbow trout)! The prototype rod is resting behind me. Stay in touch. In Wild Waters, Zac Sexton The Meandering Booboy
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