fishing report

Gary and I hit the salt last week hoping to get into some Cutthroat as well as some Kings. We fished the 6wts for a bit looking for the cutts and then as it got dark, switched over to the 8wt & 10wt after the Kings. We saw one King jump but it is still a little early. If you want a fish before they end up in the nets you got to put the time in during the early season. But even if the salmon aren't around yet, these guys are!

fishing report

A couple weeks ago Allison and I went backpacking with some friends into the Buckhorn Wilderness out on the Olympic Peninsula. My first backpacking trip since breaking my leg back in November. My ankle started to give me trouble on some of our cross country jaunts but all in all, I think I'll be on the trails this summer! This wasn't necessarily a fishing trip, but how can one go backpacking and not carry along a rod!

Bridge out!
Everyone has to carry their own gear!

With the bridge out,we had to get creative crossing the river.

The water was flowing high but I managed to find some small Dolly Varden (too small). After several small fish to hand and nothing much bigger around I gave up pretty quick. Even though the headwaters of this river are in the pristine wilderness area the salmon and steelhead runs are almost non-existent thanks to overfishing at the mouth.

Gear Review: McNett Zipper Products

Fishing in the saltwater can be really hard on gear. I fly fish from the Puget Sound beaches and I am wading in the water so it is especially bad. I ruined a wading jacket last year as well as an older chest pack.

This year I've taken a proactive stand against rust and corrosion!

McNett makes some products especially designed for zippers to keep them in good condition and last longer.

Zip Tech Zipper Lubricant is designed and formulated to protect and lubricate all types of watertight and airtight zippers. It is a solid stick that applies easily and doesn't leave a mess. It has no silicone or paraffin in it.

Apply this on everything that has a zipper: Chest Packs, jackets, waders, etc. Reapplying every couple of months should keep everything in top shape.

The Zip Tech stick is great for new zippers to protect them. But if you are wanting to clean up some zippers that have been in service for a while you will need to clean them first. There's no point to putting a zipper lubricant and protector is there is dirt, salt, etc. already on the zipper. You end up just locking in the stuff you want out!

McNett's Zip Care is a cleaning system that is very easy to use and gets rid of all the nasty dirt, sand, salt, etc. After the cleaning gel washes off it leaves a protective film that lubricates without collecting residue. Now even though this will protect the zipper I would strongly suggest (especially if you are fishing in the salt) to then apply Zip Tech or Max Wax after cleaning.

The McNett Max Wax is similar to Zip Tech but has a couple things different about it. Max Wax is a silicone-based zipper lubricant (in a solid stick form). It provides lubrication and protection for wet suits, dry suits, gear bags, luggage, sleeping bags, convertible tops and more. Maintains, protects and prolongs zipper life. Works in all water temperatures and conditions. Max Wax is more of a general zipper product whereas Zip Tech was especially designed for waterproof zippers found on waders, jackets, and chest packs. But if you want your other gear with more standard zippers to last (backpack, tent, etc.) the Max Wax is perfect.

It's great to save money. Doing some preventive care now will make your gear last longer and save you a lot more money later!

fishing report

With the saltwater not fishing so well the last couple of weeks I've been hitting a bunch of the lakes out here on the peninsula. The furthest we trekked was to Bremerton, but the others were all here in Gig Harbor or on the Key Peninsula.
We fished 4 different days. The first day I stuck this rainbow on one of my stinger leeches in dark brown....within 10 minutes of launching the float tube!


I love this picture of Luke with this pig. Look at how fat that fish is!