I did a post earlier in the week about the masochistic tendencies of steelhead anglers. Well, guys who chase tarpon with the fly a very much the steelhead angler’s “brothers from another mother.”
The endless, piercing sun; the long days of heaving a 12-weight into the wind; staring into the water for hours, searching for dark shapes on the flats…then, the pressure to make the perfect cast when a Silver King materializes out of nowhere.
Our pal John Klar is a double masochist. He guides steelhead trips all fall and winter and then heads to Florida with fluff chucking gear for some tarpon abuse every summer. He just got back from a epic mission…one in which lots of tarpon were jumped. Here, he pays his respects to the king…
Big salmon like this Smith River king are great for the economies of coastal towns!
Hhey all you politicians that don’t give a rat’s arse about fish, it’s time take note: Healthy salmon runs are good for the economy. Need I break it down further? Okay, here’s one you might understand: Salmon = Money. Got it?
Read all about how the Smith River’s epic king run last fall provided the a good boost to several downtrodden economies of Northern California in the WALL STREET JOURNAL Also, check out the cameo from our pal John Klar.
And for every one of you who benefited from the Smith’s kings (guides, tackle shops, gas stations, hotels and restaurants), it’s time to bust open the wallet and give a donation to the non-profit Rowdy Creek Fish Hatchery…Without it, you’re probably out of a job!
Klar (left) and Moore with a little New Year's Magic!
Talk about a way to get your year kick-started! Curtis Moore of Healdsburg, CA (fishing with guide John Klar) just this morning, Jan. 4 at 9AM, caught and released this beautiful 20-pound wild steelhead in the Smith River.
Klar, via “boat phone,” said that they hooked the beast at the top of Jed Smith Park. “It was an epic fight,” say Klar. The fish jumped several times and just tore holes in the water.” You can tell what Klar was talking about when he called the fish “flawless.”
Moore hooked the big daddy on a peach Fish Pill, some orange yarn and a small cluster of eggs. Nice work!
No need for Alaska when Northern California has kings like this!
We’re not all palm trees, Baywatch and Hollywood down in here in California…we’ve also got some monster king salmon like this 51-pound beast caught on the Smith River Monday, Oct. 25 by Ken Carter on a sardine-wrapped K16 Kwikfish. Carter and Gil Sissons had an epic day while fishing with guide John Klar (they ended up 11 for 12 on sea lice chromers) and fishing looks like it should be good for quite a while.
September was an epic month for our Hawg of the Month Contest and October is getting kicked off in style with this super ‘slab king from Nor Cal’s Klamath River. Angler Steve Bernardi (right) fished with guide John Klar for this dandy. Of course, with Klar holding it, the fish looks like it’s about 70 pounds but it actually weighed 31, which is a really, really nice fish for that drainage.
So there you have it…the challenge has been issued right out of the gate. The October Hawg of the Month Contest…it’s definitely on! Show us what you’ve got!
The epic, “dream season” that was the Smith River’s fall Chinook run seems to have rolled straight into what looks to be an awesome year of winter steelie fishing! The Team FishwithJD boys headed north earlier in the week with guides John Klar of John’s Guide Service and Mike Stratman of Redwood Coast Fishingto see firsthand how steelhead season on the Smith is shaping up. A selfless act of recon, with you, the reader in mind, you might say…
So, I’m not sure who originally thought it was a good idea to go spend all day in the blinding tropical sun, hunting for fish that are only slightly smaller than the low-freeboard skiff you’re in and then trying to hook said monster with a wad of feathers and glue, but they tell me fly fishing for tarpon is a blast!
Our pal and Northern California fishing guide extraordinaire, John Klar is officially a tarpon fishing junkie these days and has been making annual treks down to Marathon Key…the epicenter of South Florida silver king fishing.
Though the cold water denizens of Nor Cal’s Redwood Coast are what put grub on Klar’s table, it’s tarpon on flea flickin’ gear that really tickles his Toad (the fly pattern, Tarpon Toad, that is!). Is it the art of the stalk? The act of making a perfect cast to a fish and seeing him turn? Does the rush come from the instant you stick one with some steel? Or when a fish the size of Rhode Island goes airborne?
Alll bow to the king!!!
Perhaps it’s all about getting up close and personal with a fish…touching it…and then letting it go…
Definatley bigger than a steelhead...and the water's warmer too!
