Scars and Steelhed on Washington’s Grande Ronde

Posted on October 29, 2009 by Greg Thomas

Grande Moments on a River Ronde

By Seth Norman

February, 2003
Greg’s stopped bleeding, pretty much; but even though I’ve apologized sincerely and often, each time trying not to laugh at the wad of something pasted to his forehead, he still seems a tad cranky to me. I mean, how often can someone mutter “I can’t believe you did that!” and “This better not scar” without dimming an otherwise festive fishing mood?

Never mind. A fat raft drifting southeast Washington’s Grande Ronde River Continue reading →

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Chromatose on The Clearwater

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Greg Thomas

Karaoke and Chromers on Idaho’s Clearwater
I can say this with certainty: if you want to hit the steelhead early in the morning don’t visit the Oasis or the Clearwater Club in Orofino, Idaho, especially if you see some revved up youngsters heading down the path of prescription-laced personal destruction, right off the shuffleboard table no less.

I didn’t have that bit of advice so I found myself thoroughly entrenched Continue reading →

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Steelhead on Alaska’s Anchor River

Posted on October 3, 2009 by Greg Thomas

The strippers were pissed off. Apparently we hadn’t given them enough money. And now their pimp had a microphone in hand and was calling us out as cheapskates.

What were we supposed to have done, we wondered? We placed ones and a couple fives on an elevated dance floor like we’ve done everywhere else we’ve seen women take their clothes off while dancing to music we’ve Continue reading →

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Tom McGuane’s The Longest Silence

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Greg Thomas

There are very few writers penning consequential angling essays these days, mostly because there are few outlets in which to sell those words and because there is a lack of imaginative writers on the angling scene.
One exception is the Montana-based Thomas Continue reading →

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Simms’ Dry Creek Day Pack

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Greg Thomas

A hard-core pack with rain protection

Let’s say you’re in southeast Alaska and you’ve borrowed a john boat with a jet outboard. It’s May and the salmon smolt are headed out of the creeks to the estuaries and there are scads of sea-run cutthroat and dolly varden there to greet them.

Keep you gear dry, look cool.

So you stop at the mouth of a big creek Continue reading →

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Whitefish Love/Whitefish Hate

Posted on September 26, 2009 by Greg Thomas

There’s only one place in the world where the Rocky Mountain whitefish gets its due. That’s in Idaho, in the Big Lost River drainage, where whitefish are towing the line Continue reading →

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Sucks to be Whitey

Posted on September 26, 2009 by Greg Thomas

Whitey Saves the Day
There’s only one place in the world where the Rocky Mountain whitefish gets its due. That’s in Idaho, in the Big Lost River drainage, where whitefish are towing the line for listing as an endangered species. Nobody wants the whitefish to be listed because the non-native rainbow fishery might be compromised. Catch a whitefish on the Lost and you better handle it properly. Continue reading →

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The Essential Johnny Cash

Posted on September 23, 2009 by Greg Thomas

The Man Comes Around

“Hello, I’m Johnny Cash.”

Those words echo familiar to every warm-blooded American and with his choppy, melodic guitar riffs and massive faithful following, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more beloved artist than the late Johnny Cash.

I’m a hard-core Cash fan. When I’m headed Continue reading →

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Taimen Lust and The KGB

Posted on September 22, 2009 by Greg Thomas

How we won the cold war and lost the world’s greatest trout.
Editor’s Note: This amazing story tells about a few American angling junkies, including Alaska author Rene Limeres, who opened the Russian hinterland to angling for taimen. It’s a long read so our suggestion is to print it out, grab a glass of vodka and find your favorite chair. Well worth your time and not a bad excuse for a drink.
By Rene Lemiers

It was getting late, and through the vodka haze Continue reading →

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Northwest Trees

Posted on September 20, 2009 by Greg Thomas

Northwest Trees The Mountaineers Books 246 pages, Softbound, $18.95
Northwest Trees arrived in the mail the other day, for some odd reason. That’s one of the perks of being a writer—authors and publishers want free ink and we scribes serve as a conduit to the public. As an avid reader I’m happy to oblige. Half the time, however, I ask, “Who wants to read this crap?” I had a different reaction Continue reading →

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