Jack Trout’s Weblog

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Here we go again Sizzlers, another week of Shasta style adventures! Seth here was just casting, minding his own business when a big trout hit his nymph and the races began… We’ve been mainly catching trout nymphing with Poxy Back Hairs Ears size 14 and Fox Pupa size 14, with great dry fly fishing using a size 14 Stimulator dries after 3 pm. It’s always a fun day when Seth and Jim Collins come up to shake a stick, Jim has the funniest stories and Seth and I just listen and laugh! Check out the old bridge to Simeon Southern trading post and mule dealership. Sims is named after
a man who struck it rich by selling mules and mining supplies to miners heading up the Siskiyou trail in the 1850’s in search of gold. There was also at one time a resort
at Sims, what a great area!

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What a nice Kamloop Trout! These were planted in Shasta Lake back in the 1960’s and make their way up the Upper Sac for cooler water temps, spawning, and the smorgesborg of insects
offered up daily by the Upper Sac Cafe. The only restaurant in the region open 24 hours per day. I hear the trout prefer the Stonefly Souffle!

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Here’s Jim with a hot one on. Jim and Seth were talking all day about who was going to be the Sizzler of the Week? Seth landed the three pounder and thought for certain he had the Sizzler of the Week Award in the bag! We pulled up to another hot spot and Jim had on a very respectable fish himself when Seth accidentally dunked the camera in the river? Jim always has conspiracy theories and this time he was right!

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Tim Tatum came to town with his rock-n-roll fun son Ian, or I-Bo (ee-bow). Tim here has a nice big trout on in the same place that Seth caught his. I think this spot is a lunker crib! I’m going to have to send these trout off to Whale Watchers.

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That’s what you call a 5 lb Kamloop folks! This trout is definitely eating 4 solid meals a day from each of the four food groups! Tim Tatum, you’ve achieved the Sizzler of the Week Award. CONGRATULATIONS SIZZLER!!

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Not too far down stream from the other hook-up, Tim laid eyes on another screamer that took off like a high speed chase on the 101 freeway!

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After a good 5 minute fight Tim’s catch drew near and we all
gasped in anticipation for Tim was on a hot streak on one of the best big fish rafting days of the season!

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What an absolute beauty! This trout needs to try out for the Miss America pageant. Wow, what a hottie!

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Not long after that, I-Bo got into the act with a missile heading down the Pollard Canyon. I-Bo loves listening to Led Zepplin while driving up to Mt Shasta from Petaluma.

I-Bo with a Upper Sac lunker! Thanks I-Bo for burning me, In through the outdoor, Led Zeppelin. It’s great rafting C.D. and brings back all those old memories. I think it’s great that dad says he listens to Led Zeppelin more than ever. Having things in common like music, fly fishing and memories are great things between a father and a son.

Shasta Trout the Fly Fishing Dog looking on as a nice trout is caught on the Upper Sac!

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Just then Tim hooked another Kamloop! What a classic adventure for the Tatum Tribe.

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This was the only bummer on the river that day, a little U.P. laziness. Union Pacific Railroad leaves their old rails on the tracks and eventually this garbage erodes into the Upper Sacramento River. This stuff is all over the place and it could be avoided if Union Pacific just would take out all the garbage they haul in……?

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Meanwhile, Matt Hill, has our customer Drake Ferarri in his boat and is heading through the Upper tressel stretch.

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Drake with a nice ripper on!

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The Mike Levinson group came to visit us this week and Siskiyou County will never be the same! This is a group of characters from the Marin and San Francisco county areas. They know of, and have seen my friend Jerry Hannan, who plays for the famous Mad Hannans, the hit band from San Rafael who has been headlining such acts as the Doobie Brothers, Huey Lewis and John Hyatt. They were all fired up and ready to try their hands at fly fishing for the first time!

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Right off the bat Niko hooked this nice chunky monkey that took him for a run in the fields. This was the very first fish he’d ever caught fly fishing! He listened well and let the healthy steely run and eventually the whooper-snapper gave up!

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Way to go Niko, you caught a nice steelhead!
This was the email I received after the trip from Niko;
Hey Sizzler,
The great thing about fly fishing for the very first time with you was feeling as relaxed as if I was spending the day with my Grandpa, who was the finest fisherman I ever knew. Getting to eat lunch at the Fish House and pounding a few brews with the tribe on the beautiful Klamath was all the more reason to be there. Not to mention the “fun house” in Weed. My most treasured moments are those I spend with my friends, and none will remain so vivid as our weekend at Mt. Shasta. You’re a classic!! Thanks, Niko

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I had Mike Levinson out of the boat wading against the willows, casting his huge salmon fly, when from out of nowhere a trout with lips like Monica Lewinski came out and grabbed his cigar! ( I mean his fly)!

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Nice Sizzler! A Steelhead as big as the sky! Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Mike Levinson. He entertains guides with his crazy child-like humor matched with a deep concern that he is catching one more trout than any of his friends. What a riot, this guy needs his own reality show!!!

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Heading into the Fish Hook for lunch, things couldn’t have been better. The stone fly hatch was going off and we had so many hook ups and happy customers ready to slam a few beers down before heading back out amongst them. Right as we pulled in a dude in Steven’s book got a hook up! Do you recognize that it’s my old drift boat?

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After lunch things got really funny and the group hooked and landed countless steelies. I would like to thank the Iron Gate Fish Hatchery for doing such a great job this spring with the river. I have caught lots of larger hatchery steelhead with groups like this one that come up, and stay at the Mt Shasta Resort, eat at the Fish Hook, spend thousands of dollars in our area and create jobs and opportunities. We are about recreation here in Siskiyou County. We hope to entertain your group. This one caught and released over 100 trout in one day using stone flies on the surface! I call that priceless! Thank you again Iron Gate Hatchery, “I LOVE YOU MAN!”

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This group was so awesome I set up a special tour for them to the Mt Shasta Brewery in Weed, California. They had a blast and coined it, “The Fun House”. They bought growlers full of the best beer west of the Rockies and managed to have
a grand ole time in the heart of the Mt Shasta area. What a grand memory I will always cherish. I love my job and folks and times like this make it all the better! Cheers Levinson Tribe, you folks are from another planet! ***** HOPE YOU LIKE THOSE APPLES, STAY TUNED FOR SHOTS FROM HENDERSON SPRINGS, UPPER SAC AND KLAMATH LUNKERS CAUGHT ON STONE FLIES!!*****
MANY RIVERS TO YOU, JACK TROUT

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