The Secrete To Life

I was asked the question the other day how I do the things i do,fish the places I fish and just go at life like a kid hitting the playground at recess,now don't get me wrong i do have bills to pay and responsibilities I just don't let them run my life.It got me thinking about something I had not thought about in years,now for those of you that have seen the movie city slickers(Jack Palance,Billy Crystal)then you will know what i'am talking about,if not then watching the movie might help.There is  a scene in the movie were Billy Crystal asks Jack what the secret to life is,Jack holds up his finger and Billy says the secret to life is your finger,Jack replies with a look of frustration and says no its one thing the secret to life is one thing ,Billy asks what is that one thing,Jack responds that's what you have to find out.Now I know at this point your thinking this is getting pretty deep,but hang in there I promise there is a point.Some years ago I was faced with one of the scariest things I think one will ever have to encounter,I won't go into detail but my wife was in the hospital and I didn't know if I was going to get her back.My wife is fine now and we couldn't be happier,but at the time this was all going on I found that one thing.That is when my life started to change and I started to see things from a different perspective.That's were all the fishing adventures come into play, me and my wife decided that we would start doing the things we want to do and not let life pass us by.That is what took me to Alaska this past year something i have wanted to do for years and just let me say it is exactly like in the books AMAZING!!!What a trip and its just like they say getting there is half the fun,from the bush planes to the boats the place is unreal.We flew into Anchorage and that is pretty much were the world as we all know it ceases to exists,we boarded a small plane or what i though was small till I saw the next one,no long security lines,and for that matter no security to go thru at all.That was nice to see how things could be in a better world.We landed in Homer and from there we took a boat ride to the small fishing village of Port Graham,now we were in the backcountry of Alaska.From there we took a very scenic drive to the lodge and mind you this is a old road that goes from the lodge to Port Graham and that is it.The lodge was top notch the food was five star, you stay in two person cabins that where tended to daily and the best part the fishing is crazy,salmon and dolly varden everywhere.I know some people think with that many salmon in the river you are snagging fish, not true these fish are fresh from the ocean and they are aggressive and ready to take a fly for what ever reason.Also these two rivers the Rocky and the Windy river are miles of private water owned by the Port Graham corporation,so the people at the lodge are the only ones fishing them.This truly is a trip to see Alaska as it was meant to be.I could go on for hours about the trip but seeing how I dont like typing on the computer as much as  Connell does(just kidding)we have planned a presentation at the fly shop on the the 19 of April from 6pm to 8pm.So if you think a trip to Alaska might be in the future or just want to come hear some cool stories and see some great pictures,do you self a favor and try to make it,you never know that one thing just might be in Alaska.As always your friend on the water Freaky Frog.

 

Just Around The Corner

 I want to start with an apology for not writing more,I would like to thank everyone for reading and I will try to stay up on my blog more.As some might know I have a bit of a fishing problem,Some might say an obsession I like to say passion(ok obsession probably fits better).I love to chase big fish all over the country and I say country just because I haven't fly fished in a far away lands yet,some day soon I hope to change that.With that being said big fish in your back yard are pretty dang good,and sight fishing for these guys is a blast.Covering water this weekend seemed to be the ticket,me and a good friend hit the water about mid morning the fishing started fair but no big fish to speak of came to the net.A quick chat with Cat and Connell revealed more of the same.So we went on the hunt and made tracks down river,what we saw next was just short of amazing,big fish off there beds(redds)and moving into feeding lanes.Game on is all that came to mind, this is my favorite way to fly fish,now i am a big fan of indicators but this day I would have to do without.The fish were in gin clear water and the sun was high in the sky,spooky fish, stealth was the name of the game.This is were a good fishing buddy who can spot fish well is invaluable,that is exactly what we did one would spot the other would fish.Seeing fish in low clear water is not the hard part in my opinion,but getting a good presentation without spooking the fish and seeing the take with no indicator is the challenge in my book.But like I said there was no shortage of opportunities,the fish were on the feed and the fishing was great.Plenty of 17''s and 18''s and a nice 20 to top it all off,there were some big fish that got the best of us those were the 22s and 23s right,that's how i like to tell the story after all we are fly fishermen and women we cant help it.No but all kidding aside what a great river we have,and I can't say it enough if the fish are on there beds please let them be it will only make the river better.Now sighting fish is not always easy but if you know what your looking for and with practice it can become the best skill you have anywhere on any water.I would also like to give a big congrats to Connell who landed an absolute pig of a fish,that he spotted and made it happen.Cat got it on film and I know everyone will get to see it soon on there blog.From all of us at the Drift thanks for reading, your friend Freaky Frog.

New and Improved

The new Arkansas tailwater,with the new improvements comes new water to fish and a river to explore.Me and Alex got a chance to get out last Friday and it turned out to be a great day on the water,the fish are spread out and have taken to the new improvements well.As we all know this river is very special and these improvements only add to that,so me and Alex shot a little bit of  video, when one of us could but down the rod long enough to run the camera.There are alot of fish actively spawning,so if you come across some pull up a seat and enjoy the show,but please let them do there thing.I also got out on Sunday and had some good streamer action.I will write more about that on my next post,but for now enjoy the video and as always thanks for reading,your friend on the water Freaky Frog!

Freaky Frogs First Blog

First I would like to thank everyone for checking out the new blog.My hopes are that this blog will both inform and entertain.If anything I think my spelling and writing skills should get a few laughs.Now I hope everyone will bear with me as i grow this blog and learn how to type.Cat and Connells blog is amazing and will be hard to keep up with.But if anything it will be more fish pics and stories from the water.Now the story behind the name of this blog.(Thanks Cat)The freaky frog comes all the way from Arkansas.A friend of mine Chad Johnson who is a guide and innovative fly tier on the White River came up with the frog.Chad along with another very good friend of mine Justin also a guide on the White River fish for everything they can with a fly rod,so the freaky frog was born taking big bass along the shores of Bull Shoals lake.The freaky frog will no doubt get its fair share of swim time on pueblo reservoir.But for now the river is were the action is and this week was outstanding I hope everyone saw the great footage Cat and Connell got on the river last weekend.If you haven't your missing out go to there blog and check it out.The fishing this Friday was amazing with multiple fish in the 17'' to 18'' range and my personal best a gorgeous 24'' male all colored up and ready to go.Now that brings us to Sunday me and some of the gang got to the river early geared up and headed down to the river.As we left the parking lot the army's where already massing for the charge to the river.My move at this point is to move and hit water that might not be the prime areas, but the way i look at it big fish don't like pressure either.So as we heard the the cry to charge (just kidding)we went on the hunt looking for feeding fish in unlikely places.The river was very crowded but not unfishable by no means, the great weather and the fact that we live on one of the best tailwaters in the state of Colorado makes for some busy days.But don't let that discourage you there is always a place to fish.Remember try to be courteous to others and enjoy the fact your on the water fly fishing and not at the the 9 to 5 for  now.As always from the gang here at the drift if your struggling or just want some pointers stop by the shop book a trip or just geat some info we are here to help.Thanks again for reading more to come real soon your friend on the water FREAKY FROG!!