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It it not too often I am on the other end of the stick as far as being guided or going on a destination trip. Normally I'm the one that is the destination and doing the pointing and instructing, not holding the cork.  All a different game. It is hard to make the  cast under pressure on a once in a lifetime shot at a fish. So awesome though. I kept finding myself pretending that I was guiding myself insted of holding cork.  I'd soften up on my fore cast trying too hard to land the fly softly on that incoming bone and lose accuracy and brick it. I could see and hear myself talking to a client on how to drive a dry fly deep under the trees to that trout mugging every natuaral. It would go like this: You cant get under there cause you are over thinnking it and letting up on the gas pedal and dumping it way off targert. Line speed and a tight loop. Don't fish scared. Just charge it and it's either in there and you got em, or we blow it and move on. No big deal, you won't give yourself the opportunity if you don't charge. Don't fish scared, get'em tiger. I like giving the locker room talk, executing is a wee bit different. Monday morning quaterbacking and being mellow is easy standing on some ones shoulder.


As I look back on the trip it meakes me think a lot about what our guests go through and what expectations for a trip mean. The months of planning, tying flies, oogling gear, watching videos on the locale and species is super fun. I think the anticpation and daydreaming is almost as much fun as the trip. It normally last longer than the fleeting days actually there. Awesome trips seem to unfailry speed up as well. Watching the days tick off the calendar till departure time brought butterflies and giggles.

But what makes an epic trip? Course I want numbers of big fish. Is that the yardstick though? The defining end result of the equation? I don't think so. It is the total opportunity and experience. I lost most of the fish of any size and consequence. Coral heads and fish gods must still be laughing I guess. But the exploring unknown regions and species that I had little background and experience with was unreal. Filing that information into the critical "life moments" was priceless. The friends, food and laughter along the way will never be forgotten. I have a feeling the times shared will come back in spades in the future. How does that relate to just a pile of grip and grin pictures?


(little trevally do tug, to check out trip video click)

When you go after big fish, or "world class fishing" it is all relative. What is world class? Shear numbers? Size? My experience has been that normally larger fish, even in destination spots, does not mean "super, easy, dumb large fish". Large fish make you pay for mistakes with speed, power and caginess. Often fleeting moments or shots at them that your ducks better be in a row and your head in the game. That's what makes them rad, and your heart beat faster when it is game time. It is like steelheading or any big game hunting. Even in the steelhead nirvana that is B.C. and considered world class, mother nature, the river, and fish themselves can throw curve balls and make you suffer at the altar of the fish gods begging for just one hook up. 

The overall thrill of the trip and expereince is what it is about. It is the unkown and high pressure stakes of fishing an area that you might never get another chance to fish or only every once in a while. These trips that instantly get placed high on the favorite memories of all time list can feed your soul and fill up the stoked on life tank. I can not encourage one enough to throw a dart at the map, duct tape some rod tubes together and hop on a plane.