KIDS FISH FREE!

That's right August is all about the ankle-biter anglers out there. The 1/2 pints that can not fit into waders, tangle nymph rigs into twisted wrecks and catch fish with reckless abandon are all welcomed to fish for free with Animas Valley Anglers during the month of August 2010. All they have to do is talk their parents, grandparents, kid sitter, older sibling or legal guardian into signing up for any of our great angling adventures.

Just mention you spied this special either on our web site or the AVA blog and you can enroll in the Kids Fish Free program. The trip will bill at our single angler rate. A $50 savings, plus you get to fish the best waters in the West during prime time at a discount. A third angler, adult or child, will be the standard extra $150. Drop us a line today for more info and details on the Kids Fish Free program.

photo 1: David Brake and guide Chris Meyer on the Animas with a sweet bow.

photo 2: Guide Will Blanchard and Carson Dellinger with a pretty Rio brown trout. Carson's first float fishing trout. He caught that frisky trout in the first 20 minutes of the float above the train bridge at Wagon Wheel Gap.

steelies heading home

With cool wet days infiltrating the southwest, I feel hints of fall on most guide days. Some local rivers run high; swollen with rain run-off and some continue to flow cold and clear. Fishing has been good, despite varied conditions, but I find my thoughts turning towards the north. Way north. BC north. A place Amanda and I hope to explore by early October.

BC News:
Todd Stockner reports-"Sounds like Hannah and Wayne might have caught the first steelie on a dry fly last evening . . .. they were fishing in that new micro-low-water pool that forms to the right of the log pile on the island just below sweet deke. They came back all excited about this fish, small around four or five pounds by the sound of it, but bright and "with pink cheeks" .. . . what else could it have been eh?"

From the Babine, Pierce Clegg and Peter McMullan will be offering the book "Babine" some time this month. The book cover the long history of this great river. Fantastic art work, words and images. Get a copy from amazon, or a fine retailer near you. All the proceeds go back to the river. Funds will help in the conservation efforts of this great BC river. Click the link below to find a copy or two.


As for the steelies, it looks like a low water year and numbers look good. Get deke deep!



Expert from "Babine", a contribution to the book by Will Blanchard

Stepping into the Same River Twice

..."Last cast, bright hen - Ejnar’s Last Stand. Snow balls and jet sleds. Jet boat wars. Gorilla warfare in your face, snowball stockpile, broken windows, walls tagged white. Guides and guests. Good vibes surging. Night is back. Campfire burning, hot and high; the firelight glows on bearded faces. Sap snaps on glowing embers as flames lick the night sky. Add a log, tell a story. Dark and deep the night rolls on. One last Scotch, just five fingers. Raised glass, giving thanks. Friendships and tall tales of steelie tails and tail-outs. All the stories from all the seasons, mental snapshots, never fading. All the moments melt together, like the rivers currents."



photo: Amanda ripping a cast late season on the Babine 2009