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Photo of the day: Frog Legs for Dinner?

Jared Zissu
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During this time of the year, trout from the Soča river move up into the stream to spawn. We had little rainfall that winter, so the water level of the stream was very low. The brown trout in the picture was caught in a small “pool” of the stream.

My friends from our fishing association and I were watching the trout spawn, and we saw a trout caught in the pool that was eating a frog! I took my Nikon D7100 and I had underwater housing on the camera, so I took an underwater picture and then saved the fish helping it back into the river.

The last photo shows what the upper Soca river looks like.

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From the Altar to the Grass Flats

Jared Zissu
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Marriage is many things. In simplest terms, it is a commitment to the one you love through sickness and in health, through stormy and calm moments in life. But marriage is much more. It’s about exploring the world together and learning about other cultures and lifestyles while admiring the world’s natural beauty. It’s discovering passions to explore and share such as fly fishing.

My wife, Lucy, and I dated for eight years before tying the knot this year. Since the beginning, we have grown together through traveling, meeting others, and recently for her, through fly fishing. After we moved to the Mosquito Lagoon area after college, I found myself on the water chasing tailing redfish on the flats more than I was at home. Lucy saw how happy and relaxed fly fishing made me and understood how much the sport meant to me.

It was only a matter of time before Lucy was traveling down the same path learning how to double haul, laying accurate casts, and understanding the feeding patterns of the fish that lurk in the grassy waters. Just as in marriage, we have had great successes: new species caught, epic eats, and finding new spots to fish. But, more importantly, we have had our challenges on the water: getting on each other’s nerves when casts don’t go as planned, stubborn fish pushing our patience, and getting soaked battling sketchy weather conditions. These challenges have created such a deep appreciation for the successes and are ultimately why we continue cruising the flats consistently. Fly fishing has taken us to new places, nurtured new friendships, and created some unforgettable moments that have made us eternally grateful.

The day after our wedding, Lucy wanted to get some wedding pictures that reflected us in our natural habitat. Fellow fly fisherman and groomsman, Mike Kirkland, met us on the water and snapped some pictures as we fought the winds in search of tails. It was only right that we headed out on our Gheenoe to flip some flies after saying “I do.”

For more content from Ray you can find him on Instagram @rayaltmann

Find more photos from Mike on Instagram @shallow_etiquette

5 Tips: Catching GT’s On The Fly

Jared Zissu
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5 Tips: Catching GT’s On The Fly

Sponsored by Alphonse Fishing Company

Tip Number 1: Location Location Location

If you are fortunate enough to target Trevally on the flats, first and foremost, congratulations you make up a very small percentage of man-kind.

The Giant Trevally is in the Jack family, and is distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Not being familiar with solid DIY options, in my opinion, your best bet at getting on a fish will be through a lodge. I have been very fortunate to fish for GT’s on Christmas Island, and in the Seychelles with Alphonse Fishing Company. The Christmas Island fishery is unfortunately not what it used to be, due to anglers chumming and teasing for fish. On the other hand, Alphonse Fishing Co offers some of the best GT fishing on the planet.

GT’s are widely distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. These fish hunt shallow waters along the coasts of three continents and many hundreds of smaller islands. Save your money, because most legitimate GT operations are a bit pricey.

Tip Number 2: Have the Right Gear

Fighting GT’s on the fly is no joke… You need to be prepared with the right leaders, fly line, and rod/reel combo. If you are targeting big GT’s, go as big as you can. I am talking 12 weight rods with large arbor reels that can take a beating and have a really strong drag system. You want as much backing as you can fit, 300 yards should do the trick. 130 lb leaders to avoid being cut on the reef or cut on the small GT teeth. We fished Loop rods and reels in the Seychelles and in Christmas island the gear held up great!

Tip Number 3: Take advantage of your opportunities

Chasing a big predatory fish on the flats is one of the most thrilling experiences an angler can have. Just make sure you take advantage of the shots you get. You may only have one cast at a cruising fish for an entire day or even an entire week. You need to be focused and prepared to send out a nice smooth cast. You want to lead the fish by several feet and let the fly sink slightly lower into the water column. Once you think the fly is close enough for the fish to see, long quick strips should get the fish’s attention.

Tip Number 4: Strip Set

One of the most common mistakes seen on the saltwater flats are anglers “Trout Setting” on saltwater fish. (I have been there plenty of times…) This is one of the best ways to lose a GT on the flats. Your hook set is absolutely crucial when it comes to landing a good fish. Long hard pulls into the fish to ensure a proper hook set is extremely important. Once the fish starts to run, you have lost your chance at a good hook set, now it’s time to hold on, and hope the hook is in good!

Tip Number 5: Break the fish’s spirit
A common expression used on the GT flats is “You need to break the fish’s spirit as fast as you can”. When you hook up to a big GT it will feel like hooking into a car accelerating onto a highway. You need to put on the breaks as fast as you can. Tighten the drag system with all your might and work the fish in as fast and as hard as you can. 130LB test will be strong enough to stop the fish, but if they take you into the coral you are done.

Photos and words by Jared Zissu, Flylords Founder.

Photos were from our trip to Alphonse Fishing Co. Please send us an email theflylords@gmail.com if you are interested in booking a trip!

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Artist Collaboration: Jake Keeler

Jared Zissu
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Who is Jake Keeler?
A dude from Minnesota who found fishing and drawing as a kid and never looked back.

When did you first start drawing?
Hard to say, but my guess is that as soon as I was able to grasp a mark-making tool I was scribbling something!  My mother is an artist, as was her father.  Her two sisters are also artists, and so is my brother.  It runs in the family…it’s in our DNA.  I was brought up learning how to make things with my hands, my will and my imagination.  My father has played a big role in this as well

When did you first start fishing? What was your first fish on the fly?
I probably started fishing as soon as I took a break from scribbling…

My dad introduced my brother and I to fishing very early on.  I still fish my dad as much as I can.  Fishing, hunting and being outside was also something we were brought up to do, believe in, and not take for granted.

About 11 or 12 years ago two good buddies of mine switched me off spinning gear and onto fly fishing; I’ve been obsessed with it ever since; it all started with a brown trout from the Rush River in WI, on a sulphur dry.

Do you see any parallels between art and fly fishing?
They are one and the same to me – my approach, thought process, highs, lows and ultimate engagement with both intertwine in a way that makes delineating between the two things almost impossible for me.

What is your favorite fish and why?
Smallmouth bass, hands down.  MN native, fierce fighters, rugged beauty, and a symbol of the places I love.  Cannot say enough about that fish. They rule.

Favorite style of art?
Can’t pick one…but if I could only own art by one artist, it would be something from Franz Kline.  The art I really like tends to be work in a vein that I don’t make myself.  I’m a sucker for really good abstraction and gestural paintings…especially big ones.

If you were stranded on an island and had only one rod and one fly what would they be?
A fast 8 weight and a white clouser with some red flash…or maybe an olive and black wooly bugger.  Tough choice.

Tell me a little bit about why you donate so much of your art profits to non-profits.
I think like a lot of people out there over the last 12 months or so, I was struck by a realization that I could and should do more concerning issues that I care about. My wife and I asked each other what we could collectively do, and perhaps more importantly what we could each do individually to take action.  My wife already did a good deal and continues to tackle social issues, but for me it was realizing that I can could do much more in the arena of the environment, conservation and clean water – I can become a voice, and exert my will to help create change. We see it as a balanced approach to individual activism; we’re still getting our feet wet, conscious of the fact that one can get burnt out, frustrated or disillusioned so you’ve got to be practical about what actions you take, and how you set yourself up for a long term commitment.

That translated to making a commitment on my end to donate at least 30% of the revenue I make from my art to organizations fighting the good fight on the side of the environment and clean water.  I’ve also donated some work and hours pro-bono to organizations as an artist, and donated 100% of my sales in February of 2017 with my #get20give100 – that totaled to just over $3000 raised and donated.

I feel the monetary actions are just the beginning; I can do more, and I will do more.

Tell me a little bit about the Flylords Smallmouth design.
Well, like I said…I love smallies. For the last year, I had a simple idea of translating the vertical bar patterns into letters at some point for a design. I thought it would likely be a t-shirt graphic at some point so when the Flylords opportunity came up it fit the bill and away I went.

Do you have a favorite piece of art or project you can highlight?
The projects like my #get20give100 campaign, Great Water Great Beer, and Simms S.O.S. project are all up there – the mixing of my efforts as an artist and voice for clean water/environment.  I like how my art can act as a catalyst.

Favorite drink?
A good espresso

Favorite movie?
Dune (Lynch’s OG version…not that SYFY channel bullshit)

What’s next?
Raise more money. Keep collaborating. Make bigger and radder work. Take shit to another level.

Shop Our Collaboration T Shirts: (Click the Images below to be redirected) 20% of proceeds will benefit Pebble Mine Initiatives

You can find more of Jakes work on his Instagram:@jakekeeler

The Perfect Photo

Jared Zissu
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The Perfect Photo

Late last summer during the early stages of South Florida’s annual mullet run I spent a morning walking the beach at Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge. The air was still and humid and the surf was clear and calm. Once the sun rose high enough to backlight the small waves crossing the outside bar I could clearly see snook and small jacks working schools of mullet in the trough between the bar and the beach.

 I pulled out my camera and began shooting the backlit schools of mullet and the small jacks ripping through them.

As I headed back towards my truck after a few sweaty hours of shooting I spotted something larger working along the outside of the bar. It looked like a small bottlenose dolphin and I raised my camera thinking I might get lucky and catch it in the crest of a passing wave.

Sure enough, the ‘dolphin’ turned towards the beach and I started shooting. As it turned across the wave I realized that it wasn’t a dolphin and I started praying that I had managed to capture the right moment.

In a stroke of unbelievable luck, I had captured a beautiful tarpon just as it turned broadside to the camera. It’s a moment and a photograph that I’ll never forget.

We asked Josh what camera setup he used to capture this epic shot:

Nikon D800

Nikon 70-200/2.8G @ 200mm

f5.6, 1/3200s.

The image is the middle frame of a 5 frame burst (the first two are either side of the cover shot).

When you take a perfect photo, there’s a good chance it will end up on the cover of a magazine. And that’s exactly what happened to Josh’s Tarpon shot, gracing the cover of The Drake – fall 2016 issue.

For more awesome content from Josh, make sure to check him out on Instagram @tidalcreativeco

You can also find him at tidalcreativeco.com

5 Tips for Catching Brook Trout in Small Streams

Jared Zissu
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Brook trout are some of my favorite fish to target on the fly. Although they might be on the smaller side, they are some of the most spectacular looking fish, and are not afraid to hit a dry fly!

1. Have the right tools!

If you fly fish long enough you will quickly realize that being prepared will eventually help you catch more fish. I am just talking the basics here; the right rod, flies, tippet, sunglasses etc. Things that will make you happier on the water.

Here is a list of some essentials Ill bring on a brook trout trip:

– Polarized Sunglasses – The new ‘Costa’ Sunrise Silver Mirror lenses are definitely my favorite for low light conditions. Some of the best bug activity happens in those low light situations, you want to be able to follow your fly on the surface for as long as possible.

– Gink and Floatant – If you are planning to fish dry flies, don’t leave home without them. Some brands I like are Loon and Flyagra.

– The Right Rod – I like to fish between a 2 and 4 weight rod, preferably on the shorter side. Having a shorter lighter rod will make presenting a delicate fly much easier. This will also make fighting a small fish more fun. I have been fishing the Loop Rods, and am really impressed.

– The Right Tippet and Leader. I will usually have shorter leaders that taper out to 4 or 5X. I like to fish between 5 and 6X tippet off the leader. Monofilament to my dry flies and if I am throwing a dropper off the dry, I will usually attach some fluorocarbon, to get that bug to sink faster. I am always throwing Scientific Anglers.

– Flies. I like to go as big as I can with my flies. Just because it’s more fun, and they are easier to work with. Start with a medium sized caddis. Then keep changing your flies, sometimes you will have to go pretty small.

2. Hit every pool and pocket.

A common mistake I see anglers make when fishing small streams is skipping the smaller pools and pockets. Don’t be afraid to throw a big fly into a small little pocket of water. These fish are everywhere, and often times they can be tricked easier in a smaller pool.

3. Be Stealthy.

Be as stealthy as you can when you are approaching a fishing spot. Stay out of the water for as long as you can. Try just landing your leader in the water, and high sticking your dry fly, for minimal splash from your fly line. You can also cast over a rock to get a few seconds of a stealthy smooth drift, this is one of my favorite techniques in small streams.

4. Keep Moving

Often times the further you travel into a stream the less pressure the fish have had. So keep moving, and don’t be afraid to take a long hike. Throw a few casts into a pool, and if you miss a fish or don’t get any strikes, keep moving. Be prepared with some water, snacks, and sunscreen. On long days I like to bring a buff to keep the sun off my face, you can also dip it into the water to cool off. My favorite brand is Blackstrap.

5. Treat the fish with respect. 

Once you catch a brookie you will probably want to take a quick photo. If you can bring a small net that’s great, and often times it’s easier to keep the fish in the water longer when you have a net. Keep the fly in for a photo and it will help steady the fish in your hand. Also, remember to wet your hands. These are small fish, so you really don’t need to keep your barbs on…

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The Mysterious Case of the Giant Ladyfish

Jared Zissu
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It happened one fine April afternoon 4 years ago, when a bunch of fly fishermen who were targeting GT’s stumbled upon what was described as “an orgy of gluttony” in a secluded archipelago of mini islands in Langkawi, Malaysia.

Few failed hook-sets later, they realized this is something rather different from the GT’s they were looking for. One hefty bugger managed to be brought to boat and many a photos on Facebook later, the place boomed with fly fishermen coming all over Malaysia & the world to have a go at these unsuspecting speedsters.

Schools of juvenile rabbitfish were the main reason. That time of year, these ladyfish (and some other species) were apparently coming exclusively for it; gorging & feasting on this helpless baitfish endlessly. And while they’re so occupied doing that, the fly fishermen came up with the closest imitation of the prime food source, and hauled up one massive Ladyfish after another.

The 8WT-10WT were selling like hot cakes at the adjacent fly shops. The 1st (known) run of the Ladyfish lasted for 2 months ‘til the end of June 2014 and almost all of us had a taste of what it’s all about. Then came 2015, and they were nowhere to be found. Small pods appeared here & there, and some lucky guys managed to land a few, but the size were nothing close to the ones we had in the previous year. 2016 also marked more disappointment as the fish was getting scarcer and the alleged run lasted less than 2 weeks.

By this time, all of us have lost hope, as the unique species that is partial to fly fishing, is as good as gone. Come 2017, Beq Zubir, the only guide in Langkawi, whose life is specifically dedicated to learning & looking for this fish, came upon a huge school just further up form the usual spot – and we were only in April, by early June, the fish were everywhere. Specimens up to 8 kg were recorded.

We anticipate this season would be as good as, if not better than the one in 2014. Looks like the Ladyfish are gonna be around for another month or so… As I am writing this I am thinking about when I will have my next shot at a giant Ladyfish…

For more content from Riki, make sure to check him out on Instagram @riki.liskandarsyah.

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Spring Runoff: The Best Time of Year to Fish?

Jared Zissu
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Sometimes opportunity falls into your lap, sometimes you have to work your ass off for it. With Junior year of college in the rearview, we trekked 26 hours to Colorful Colorado with a rather large trout boner. Pit stops were minimal, only for energy drinks, piss breaks and a cold beer (in that order).

When your buddy has time to kill before guiding trophy tailwater all summer, you fill his tank and ask for first dibs on the hole you’re wanting to hit. And when he hauls in a gluttonous pig rainbow on the first dead drift, you realize just how small your net is.

Goose Creek- Creede, Colorado. If you ever get the chance, do it. Seriously.

With runoff in full swing, we were unsure what to expect from the trip. The high water blew out most of the usual honey holes and the fish were playing hide in seek in new territory. What better time to tie on a purple San Juan than being up the road from the San Juan River. Simple and incredibly effective. By the end of the first hour, I had realized my stockpile of 4x and 5x tippet was no match for energetic fish in a strong current.

We ended the day at the local watering hole for refreshments and bullshitting. Turns out, local guide “Party Marty” can out-bullshit you tenfold. He’ll buy you a drink then hook you up with behind-the-counter mouse patterns at Rio Grande Anglers. Small towns and good rivers produce some awesome communities.

“We could go up to the high alpine lake cabin… it’s just… well, the gate is closed so we have to hike.” Seven gruesome miles later and some huffin’ and puffin’, we arrive to a frozen lake. Dammit. “Dude, I think I just saw a rise over by that feeder creek.” Streamer? Streamer. Strip, strip, zing. Beautiful Greenback cutty. This melted portion of the lake by the creek must have held the entire Brookie population. Fresh seasoned Brooke trout on a old wood-fired stove, french pressed coffee and some of Colorado’s finest. We were living large in an isolated cabin older than your great-grandma.

Ah, fresh snow. A few inches later and we’re planning out how we’ll survive off of Brookies and oatmeal until we get rescued. After some exaggerated calculations, it is agreed upon that we could catch and eat fish for six months before starving. How could we take down a bull moose? Mousing theories.

Freeze-dried flatulence. Rock-paper-scissors tournament for the last pull of Evan Williams. Who can tie a loop knot the fastest? After a freezing few casts into the lake, we conclude that 1) Maybe mousing is a myth and 2) Casting in the dark is easier than daylight.

I’m on the flight home now, calculating just how much money I need to save up to become a trout bum for the rest of my life. If I paid more attention to my backcast I could probably save money on flies, and keystone light is my favorite beer anyways, so I could definitely make it work.

Three South Carolina boys got to fully experience trout country during runoff season, we could not have asked for anything else. Thank you, Colorado, I’ll be back sooner rather than later. As long as United doesn’t lose my 2 pieces of luggage.

For more content from Jackson make sure to check him out on Instagram @jacksonbland23
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Photo Essay: Stripers in New Hampshire

Jared Zissu
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Surfcasting the diverse New Hampshire seacoast is an endurance game; strong winds, hard strips, long casts, and even longer days.

 On this 90 degree Sunday, changing locations was also an integral part of the equation. We were sweating in our boots, craving some cool refuge–and apparently so were the striped bass.

After an unproductive morning on the rocky, windswept shores of Odiorne Point State Park, a change of scenery was vital to our prospects of finding a tight line. Everything was working against us. However, we found that enduring an 20 mph winds, an hour and a half in weekender traffic, and a strenuous uptide paddle was the price to pay.

We finally beached our kayaks and paddleboards on the glassy flats of Hampton Harbor just in time to catch the swing tide and the sunset, and it was as if some fishy power flipped the switch on us. In a matter of minutes, Steve, Chris, and I were singled, doubled, tripled up on a ravenous pod of schoolie stripers.

And just as the burns on our stripping fingers grew deep and red, our homie Ryan stole the show in the 4th quarter with a 27″ cow that took him halfway to Europe. After all those hours passed and miles trekked, we walked off that beach with torn up thumbs and ear-to-ear grins. Happy not just because of that beauty of a fish… but because our beer was still cold too!”

For more content from Jake and Steve follow them on Instagram!

Photos by: @s_passarelli 

Words by: @jawnberg

Photo Essay: The Trip of a Lifetime

Jared Zissu
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The Beginning of the Idea
It was the trip of a lifetime. Spurred from a late night idea, poorly planned, but executed to perfection.

The idea just kind of developed. I never had an “aha” moment, but I had a point where I just said “I’m going whether someone joins me or not”. Nick Gragtmans and I had talked about traveling somewhere around the world when I finally just suggested we go see America’s Northwest and fly fish; he wasn’t about it.

Photo by Sean Sullivan. Location: Ashton, ID

It was that point when I contacted my good friend from home Michael Shield. Mike and I played football growing up and had stayed connected mostly because of our affinity for the outdoors. He was a spin gear guy and had never thrown a fly rod in his life. A few hours after an immediate rejection to the idea, I received a call that he was in. About a month later and a whole lot of convincing, Nick finally hopped aboard.

I had two good friends (who had yet to meet each other), a 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser (Pumba – after the character from the Lion King) with 277,689 miles on it and what I would like to consider a good amount of knowledge about fly fishing. What could go wrong?

My previous experiences fly fishing out west were brief and of limited success. I went out to a family friend’s ranch in Freedom, WY with my brother and father one October only to spook cutthroat for three days and catch two fish with a guide on the fourth. As far as I was concerned, exploring new water, and catching fish all in a short period of time was no easy feat, hence the guiding industry success, but we were going to go for it anyway.

The Plan
Just go West, and stay open to anything. Oh, and no GPS.  Our National Geographic Road Atlas & National Park Maps were our trusty guides. We had to meet Nick’s brother, Chris, in Whistler, get to Craig, MT at some point, and just be back home by July 20th (five weeks later) so Mike could move to CA to work for some small startup named General Electric.

The Gear
Getting set up took a bit of an investment. We all kind of viewed it as “cheaper than a plane ticket” but in the end, when you’re surviving in the outdoors, you rely on your gear to perform. Especially when you’re going to push it to the limits for five weeks straight. Fortunately, the three of us were able to pool in what we had to cut costs. I don’t want to bog down this write up with a hefty list of everything we used over five weeks, but here are some highlights:

  • A reliable vehicle (277,689 mi & counting)

  • Thule roof rack (would have brought two if we could have)

  • Fly Rods: varying 4-9wt and a spey because you never know.

  • Flies: We stocked up on the go to’s and most commons, figured local fly shop expertise would have us buying there anyway.

  • Good Waders & Raincoats because Dry=Happy

  • My neighbor’s used Wal-mart tent, because free=free

  • Animal T’s, duh.

  • Costas #seewhatsoutthere (no, costa didn’t pay us to do that)

  • YETI Tundra 45 & Hopper 30 because who likes warm beer

  • Two Canon DSLRs (One worth more than the Land Cruiser)

  • Two GoPro Cameras.

  • Backpacking Packs

The Push West
Our first push west was incredible. From the moment we left Chicagoland, the views only got prettier and the roads less crowded. Wall Drug (if you know you know) wasn’t as cool as we thought, but definitely worth the stop. After a few days in South Dakota’s Badlands we set forth toward Grand Teton National Park in Northwest Wyoming. Although known for the famous Snake River, we found that without a boat it was much easier to fish the surrounding tributaries. Our tips weren’t as successful as we had hoped at first, but after scanning the maps for some more blue lines, we eventually found what we came for, cutthroat, and they only wanted dry flies. The scenery in this region was stunning.

Idaho
From Ashton, to Salmon, to Sand Point, Idaho was one of the places we all agreed was our favorites. Idaho started for us as a detour. We always knew we had to to drive through it, but never had we heard of a town called Ashton before. An associate at High Country Outfitters in Jackson Hole told us we had to head there to fish the South Fork and try Harriman’s Ranch. We had the night of our lives fishing dry flies only to some monsters, and shot the shit with some new friends at the parking lot.

Canada, BC, Alberta
Canada was gnarly. Wild Brook Trout, Mountain Biking in Whistler, Kayaking Drainage Chutes in BC, the Calgary Stampede (a great time). By the time we got to Canada we were in full swing of the trip.

We spent the first week in western BC kayaking, mountain biking, and recovering from the induced injuries from each. Then we just started to drive toward Banff. The drive from Whistler to Banff isn’t something that should be rushed; we took a swim in Pavillion Lake, known for its freshwater coral, stopped for long lunch by Kamloops Lake and just kind of made our way leisurely.

Once we got to Banff, we prepped for our four day backpacking trip out. “Bear Aware” had been our motto most of the couple weeks, but turned into our livelyhood up there. This was Mike & my own first real backpacking trip, so Nick showed us the ropes the whole way. With some of the most stunning scenery I’d ever seen, mike and nick dragged in some brook trout that looked like they were from a coloring book. Then after a couple days in the woods we freshened up into cowboys for the Calgary Stampede, in my opinion, the world’s greatest rodeo. You’ve got parties from sun up until sundown at Cowboy’s casino and club and a incredible rodeo all day long.

Craig Montana
“Craig who?” my mom replied when I told her where we’re going west. I should have just told her we were heading to “The Last Great Place”. Our good friends, Dorn Brown and Teagan Jendro (the guys behind @yellowtreeflyfishing) from Crosscurrents Fly Shop put us up for a week on the grass plot outside of his 1982 Itasca Sun Cruiser.

Dorn went to Clemson with Nick & I but is now a full time guide. Drift Boats are designed for three people, but four is a party, right?These guys helped us make our time in Craig arguably our most productive time on the water. We lucked out to catch Craig right when the major Trico hatches occurred, and we fished from sun up to sundown every single day. The fish would just sip, and sip, and sip (just like us but on trico’s instead of Budweiser). It was hard fishing, there were so many bugs on the water that you had to really make sure they took yours. We even had to get Dorn’s tahoe shuttled back to Craig twice because we weren’t moving down the river fast enough, the fishing was just too damn good where we were.

Wrap Up
If you’re thinking about irresponsibly taking a month-long road trip with some buddies this summer, DO IT.

As corny as it may sound, I daydream about my memories from this trip at least once a day.

If you want to see some more of the pictures from our trip, check out @PumbaGoesWest on Instagram. Using a custom instagram account was a great format for us to highlight our memories and post some of our favorite photos. I think the only downside was our limited cell service throughout the trip.

Thank you to all the people who supported us along the way. The people who showed us hospitality, and the we met in fly shops and everywhere else who tipped us off on great  places to go and things to see, you truly made it an adventure to remember, the trip of a lifetime.

Follow the Pumba goes west boys on instagram!

Sam @skaroos - Sam is now in dental school at U Penn. 

Nick: @nickgragtmans - Nick is a Sales Representative in Greenville, SC. He also provided all the badass photos for this article!

Mike: @michaelshield2 - Mike is currently working at GE in San Fransisco. He is also the web developer for theflylords.com

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