I haven't forgotten all of you! I know I've been absent from posting for awhile, but unfortunately been too busy just fishing every day and dealing with the finer times in life like when I get an email like this (I get "love" letters like this about once or twice a week):

Hey Bob how's it going?

I went fishing with you last year and have seen you a half a dozen times
since than. I have a problem with your website. That 28 pound steelhead
you caught on the fly (?) can't be 28 pounds it's not big enough... what
was the girth? Plus there's no way you got it on the fly you don't fly
fish.... I also know what a plus 20 pound fish looks like because I spent
my fall up on the Thompson in Canada. Come on now. You get a 20 plus
pound steelhead a week. Let's not exaggerate shall we?

Also you forget to mention that most or all of your clients catch these
beauties on plugs. What's the fun in that?

Sorry about the above but I'm sick of guides advertising how easy it is to
catch a steelhead and clogging up our local rivers with these ignorant
fishing idiots that guides fail to teach them fishing etiquette.

Good fishing to you sorry if I insulted you but you're contributing to the
down fall of our sports fishing. You're just as bad as the indians, dams
and ignorant fishery biologists.

See you this weekend on the Hoh. Unlike your girlfriend who fishes plugs,
I'll be the only girl out there fly fishing and drift fishing.

By the way you are an incrediable guide and I did have a great time and
learned a lot from you. I just hate false advertising so don't do it!

- ID withheld to protect the ?clueless? ... hmmm, is that a spoon hanging out of the fishes mouth at the top of this page?

Although this person (it is a she) obviously doesn't seem to visit all portions of the site, I was hoping maybe all of you would save me a little time and help her out with her confusion.

I'll help and start things out with the fish that I caught on the fly, but really didn't, because I don't flyfish ... the fish was 43 inches long, with a 22.5 inch girth ... this is how the C&R formula works

43 x 22.5 x 22.5 = 21768.75
divide by 775
equals 28.08 pounds.

And since I "don't flyfish", exactly what am I doing in the picture below - taken about an five minutes before hooking the fish in question?

And by the way ... don't tell my clients for Sunday that I "don't flyfish", 'cuz that's what we're doing ... at least one is female too!

And if anyone wants to see a catfight ... Fishgal and Kimmy (a guide's buddy wife) are floating down the Hoh in search of her ... hmmm, mudwrestling on the Hoh Sunday, be there!





[This message has been edited by Bob (edited 02-09-2000).]

A very entertaining email. I would like to offer one tiny piece of evidence in support of 'Fly Gal's' (whomever's) accusation that you don't fly fish. I seem to recall watching a very, very funny video somewhere on this website that shows you with your first (?) steelhead on fly. I think your dad is narrating the tape, and he's even funnier than the video footage!

In your defense, I think the video was taken a few years ago and maybe your fly technique has improved since then. From the above photo, it looks pretty good but then again it might be a body double, too. (You really can't trust anything a guide says or puts on his website -- it's all a conspiracy.)

Any chance that 'Fly Gal' and 'Fisherman from Kirkwood' (I think that's his handle -- the guy who nailed you for falsifying river conditions so as to keep other fishermen away) are related? If not, they should be . . . but only if they promise not to reproduce.

WOW, Bob, Nice tip you just got out of this fly-fishin'drift fishin' trying to compete with the guide woman. I'm sure she booked the original trip to see how and where to go so she can do it on her own.
I don't do much plugging myself but I fish a few clients in the 80 year old range and I just can't get them to stand up and flip that fly very far. So what's the big deal, ya gotta do what ya godda do. Guides don't have to pay their bills I guess. I have been guideing 20 years so if all the boats ruining everything out there aren't your spin-offs then they could be mine. Sorry.
I have boated many steelhead in the 42" range and I believe that the one you have on your page is a 28#er. I guess it would look bigger if you were 140#'s.
Fishgal is a pretty darn good fishergal. I've seen her fish them Sockeyes and knows what she is doing. Bygolly I fished with her on the Ditch once too!! OOOOPS we plugged. That wasn't fishing.
As far as Indians, Biologists, and the other things she was bitching about I guess she hasn't followed all your posts on fisheries that you have fought for.
I would think that reading your web site pisses her off so much you would think she wouldn't even look at it. Betcha she was looking for a river report to see if she should come over or stay home. My opinion "stay home" The beauty of electricity if you don't like the show "turn it off."
Please post a flyfishing picture next week and show her how you do it.
fp

I might just visit the Hoh this weekend and see what I can catch with my fly.

Got to go to the Hoh this weekend!! Have not seen a cat fight in years!! City cats don't stand a chance out here!!!

------------------
Tight Lines!!

I haven't heard a response from Fishgal on this yet. p.s. I hope they find this chick otherwise my spinner-tossing girlfriend might get acused of writting this e-mail to Bob. She's the only other "regular" female you might find on a Forks area river...go get her Fishgal and Buddy's wife!!

The west end was a lot quiter before the internet came along. Is it all your fault? NO
Are guides commercial fishermen?...Sort of..
Should guides take some credit for bringing in the masses......YES. Hell I could be considered one of the masses. My first trip down the Bogey was with "Codfish" when I was 13. Thats 22 years ago!!! We will be fishing in Kenai conditions if it keeps going the way it has. Flyfish Gal is another example of one of the masses.

I do feel the C&R formula is flawed on larger fish, just because I have seen and measured lots of dead ones. But I give extra credit to you for releasing such a nice fish. Does size really matter? No unless your competing....Besides Canada is C&R on nates.
It should be obvious you fly fish(some), but the strict fly fishermen throw fits about weighted flies. Strict baitfishermen are predjuiced against fly fishermen....Should we care what your style of fishing is? HELL NO its the fun in fishing and thats what is important!!

My girlfriend drift fishes on the westend. So I know flyfish gal is wrong. Good old fashion group pounding....

There are some great people who guide on the WestEnd, but there are some bad apples too. I have never met you but suspect your one of the good guys.

Hang in there Bob..Just keep posting them pictures with smiles on them faces.

Tight lines

That's a nice picture Bob, but isn't that a strange way to fish Plugs????????????

(Sorry, just a lame attempt at sarcasm.)

Hey Bob, I have never seen a sea lion that far up the hump before. Mabey part of the problem with the returns...looks like it has consumed more than its fair share of fish. I will watch for this creature and attempt to photograph it. I will post if successful.