Up The St. Joe Again

I told Sean that I wanted to leave town between 8 & 9 AM. At 8:10 we were both loaded up and ready to go. After a quick stop at the grocery for road snacks and incidentals, we were on the road. Sean is new to fly fishing and had never been to the St. Joe before. There was a lot of conversation about how pretty the river and the surrounding terrain was. I've been there several times before but had never noticed a barn on the far side of an irrigation pond. It seemed fitting to get a photo, so I did.


A few more miles up the river we came upon one of my favorite views. I took this photo last year but still like it.


When we reached our destination, luckily there was nobody there. So we geared up and started working the water. Here's a shot of Sean trying to figure out the knots.


At river's edge, the pool I want us to fish looked perfect. There weren't any fish rising, but there wasn't last year either. Not until I started casting to the pool with a Royal Coachman did any fish start feeding. Then it turned into a frenzy, but that was last year. This year there was no action at all. We worked that spot for about an hour with no results. The wind was blowing so hard upstream that the fly always ended up above our lines. That way the fish would always see our lines before they could see the flies. So, we moved on. Just past a steep switchback and river overlook we stopped for lunch.

We found a place with some rocks acting like guard rails and one of them was just right to use as a table. Hence the name table rock.


The scenery there was remarkable. It looked like the Tamaracks were on fire when the sun shone from behind heavy clouds.


It was a perfect place to stop and enjoy brats on a bun with kraut and chips.


We stopped at one more place to fish that looked like it held fish. And again there was no action. Some locals stopped by and asked if we were having any luck. He explained that the fish in the St. Joe are migratory and have moved downstream. I told him about the great luck I'd had last year and he said that opposed to last year, the freak 10 degree cold snap we had a couple of weeks ago had moved the fish early this year. So that's my reasoning (excuse) for us getting skunked on this outing. It was a great day however and we both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We were close enough to the upper end of the river that we decided to continue upstream, over the hump to St. Regis Montana. Then I-90 back home to Liberty Lake, Wa. On the way over the hump we came across a reminder that whether you are ready or not, it's on it's way. Winter, ugh.


We are already making plans for next year and we really enjoyed the day. I hope you like the report and photos. Autumn is beautiful on the upper St. Joe.

Alpha Quilt

One of the programs available at Eastpoint Church in the Spokane Valley is a program called Alpha. It is presented by Nicky Gumble, a vicker at a church just north of London England. It is a 12 or 13 week class and everyone is invited. All questions are legitimate and respect is shown to all in attendance. Some of the classes are "Who is Jesus?" and "Why Did Jesus Have to Die?" There is a weekend away, usually at a bible or church camp, and if you ever want to experience the presence of the Holy Spirit, that's the function to attend. In short, it's an awesome experience. I have attended Alpha 3 times now and have always looked forward to it, and always come away with a fresh perception of Christianity. It is however, expensive for the church to do, so this year Linda has made a quilt to be raffled off, and hopefully defer some of the expense. She has had some problems with a pinched nerve that is effecting her ability to finish the quilt, so she has enlisted the help of her friend Wanda Wemhoff from St. Maries, Idaho to help her finish the quilt. Their collaboration has produced a beautiful quilt and it will be raffled soon at Eastpoint Church. Linda & Wanda, you are both blessed for what you have accomplished. Thank you!

FISHING WITH FAMILY

July of '09 was a day on Newman Lake. I'd never been able to catch anything at that lake but today was different. Rick & Debbie know the secret to that lake and they were willing to share. Lucky me. They have fished that lake many times and today was my turn to go with them. I think Debbie is the best of the two at catching fish, but I won't tell Rick. After all was said and done, I caught the biggest crappie I've ever caught and 5 bass. Rick & Deb probably caught 6-8 bass between them, 2 or 3 crappies and a bucket full of perch and bluegill. Most of the perch and bluegills went back in the lake. We launched at about 6:45 AM and we were off the water before 10:45 AM. It was a great day on the water, and I can't thank Rick & Debbie enough for having me tag along with them.

James Gang Reunion

Last Saturday, we hosted a family reunion for my family and for Linda's family. We also had a bunch of friends over. Linda and I worked for about 2 weeks solid in preparation. The work was really tough, but the gathering was well worth it. I think we had between 35 and 40 people show up.
A few months ago, Linda and I met some people at church, and because we both liked fishing, that was the subject of most of our conversations. We had been sitting next to them during services for a couple of months. Because we both had interests in fishing, I shared my blog address with them. As stated in the beginning of this blog, I stated that I was a descendant of the James family out of Oakesdale Washington. Well, the next Sunday Deb (the lady that had been sitting next to me) showed up and grabbed my arm and said, "Tell me you're a James." So I said I'm a James. Turns out she is the daughter of my grandfather's brother. Someone my family has always called Uncle Orville. She is Mom's cousin. She and her husband Rick, along with her sisters Donna, Sheila, Dureen and Marsha were all there at the reunion. Also there were several of Linda's kin including daughters Kerry and Kristy, Sister Anita, grandsons Mike and Ron, and nephew Jon with his wife Diane and their two boys Quinn and Jack. Then of course there was a passel of friends. We had BBQ burgers and bratwursts, potato salad, green salad, fruit salad, beans, cake, pies, and too much other food to remember. We found out that some of our friends and relatives really know how to cook. We had croquet' in the back yard and badminton in the front yard. Kids brought skateboards, balls and frisbees. Everyone had a top notch time, and Linda and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

QUILTS FOR THE GIRLS

The Girls Quilts
Linda has been building quilts for our two daughters. They aren’t easy patterns, but the kids are worth it. She has had to concentrate very hard to get all the patterns just right. Both girls were allowed to choose what colors and what patterns they wanted. So, her efforts have been monumental in order to give the girls what they want. She is done with the first one, and now working on the second quilt. I really like both the quilts, and I think the girls will like them too. Here are some pictures of both quilts. One is complete, and the other is in progress.

It Was A FUN Show

Mike, Aaron & Anglin' Archer


Inside Our Booth


The Four Cabelleros


Lotech Joe @ The Vise


Well, the show is over, and it was a great event. We welcomed some new premium members and a few really nice sponsors. It was great being surrounded by nothing but people who fish. All four of us, (Mike-Aaron-Marc-Me)were there all 3 days and we met a lot of really great people. Many of those folks have been casual members for some time. Many have been participating members, and it was great putting faces to names. Some family members and some new members, have upgraded to premium membership. I wanted to buy everything I saw but I only bought one cheeseburger and one ham sandwich. I didn't tie up near as many flies as I thought I would, but I talked way more than I thought was possible. I wish you all could have been there. We're a great family and we're going to get a lot better in the future.
GREAT SHOW

Great Western Sportfishing Show

I went to the 1st annual Great Northwest Sportfishing Show last year and I was thoroughly pleased with it. This year the show is scheduled for March 6, 7 & 8. I'm privileged to be going as a member of washingtonlakes.com and I'll be there all three days tying flies. The venue is at the new convention center in Spokane, on the N/W corner of Division and Spokane Falls Blvd (old Trent). Here is a link to the show's announcement; THE SHOW
If you get the chance come and see the show, and me, and experience what the Inland Northwest has to offer in the way of outdoor pleasures, then come and enjoy.
God truly blessed us when He made our home.

HOW I WISH I COULD FISH

When I go fishing, I see a lot of wildlife. Deer, Ducks, Coots, Redwing Blackbirds, Otters, Beavers, Great Blue Herons, Eagles and sometimes the best fisherman of all; the OSPREY. HERE is a link to photos that prove it. Fishing by itself is great. But watching nature adds frosting to the cake. Enjoy.