So this is the place?

This last week we were dropped off in the middle of nowhere. We didn't know what we would find, we had heard rumors of fresh steelhead, untouched, unfished. We arrived to a river, low like the previous stream we had fished. But we couldn't get picked up for another week, so we had to make the best of our stay. We explored all of the water we could, bounced our way up and down the creek, and even had the sense to bring a crab trap. Here are photos from the week.

The crew.

Part 1.

Part 2.

And we managed to catch a few of these...

Owens cracking the 20lb mark.

Brian, showing us how to do it.

- We are back out again tomorrow...reports to follow.

-Justin

Stuck!

Here is a short summary of last week. We launched our boat into the saltwater to do some recon on a few creeks and rivers that are rumored to have steelhead. We made it to our first , found low, cold water, and made camp. The next day we planned to leave and explore another, we were met with severe wind and pounding waves which made us head back to our little creek...we were 'stuck' there for 6 days, too windy to leave. It also rained, and snowed, and was generally miserable from dawn to dusk..we did find a few fish though. Here are a few pictures from the trip, all photos by Erik Argotti.





We are back out to the wilderness again tomorrow...I will post an update on our return.

-Justin

The search has begun

After 25 hours of driving, three road side camping stops, and nearly 90 gallons of special veggie fuel we have made it to where we start our trip. Here are a couple photos from the last few days.

Our one and only day with blue sky...river side base camp.

A typical day, mid 30's, rain, wind, and the occasional snow shower.

Fishing the clean water line.

Argotti, the 'photographer' scores...

We are off in a few days to a week of exploration, we are following a few hopeful leads, but nothing is ever for sure in steelhead land. We will post updates when we get back.

The New Ride

The last time we checked with our boat building fanatic, Johnny Wolden, the boat was still coming together. After a trip to visit his shop last weekend, we were surprised to see the progress. The next series of photos are from our test run (with 9.9 motor..) through the paint process, and then to our first run, right here on the Rogue.

Here is the boat after it's maiden voyage. Who's that near the bow of the boat? Its Auggie, all the way from Mongolia!

Here is what the boat looked like when it first entered the paint shop. Steve Maris from Enumclaw Auto Rebuild did the painting.


The materials for the job.

After one coat.

And the second coat.

After paint, we took the boat to 4 Seasons Marine to get the new Evinrude installed.

And finally the test run...she moves, very quickly!

Next week we head north, boat in tow, to see what kind of action we can find with the local steelhead populations of British Columbia. Stay tuned for updates along the way.

Fish Bum Vol. 1 Mongolia is FINISHED!!!!!!

Enough is enough! We’re calling it a wrap on this feature; the post-production brutalities of creating Fish Bum I Mongolia are finally over!!! I guarantee you that Brian Jill, Chris Keig and myself would still be here today plugging away on cutting and pasting, mixing music, looking for new shots, recording comm. etc. well into next week if my fellow colleagues hadn’t thrown the towel down on this project. The punishment of sitting in one position for fifteen + hours a day has finally ended! For the last four months my most energetic activity has been brushing my teeth. It’s indescribable how much your body can change when one refuses to move.



Our wellbeing and current state of health was on par with the worlds most devoted video gamers. I seriously wonder at times what would happen if we were to devote the hours it took to make this movie towards mastering the video game ‘World of War Craft’? Brian and I would probably be world champions by now… or not. Who knows? All I know is the metamorphosis of Brian’s body over the course of this project was very impressive to say the least. It looks like he swallowed a small bowling ball. He’s not very happy about the situation either. I keep telling him it’s an accomplishment that’s noticeably displayed by the physical change your body undertook, which in-turn vividly marks your commitment towards this project, you should feel proud! My physique most resembles a little Irish Jaba the Hut who’s afraid of sunlight. You don’t see me complaining.


Our new DVD series title name Fish Bum has bumped the old Trout Bum Diaries title name into an early retirement. It took us a while to let go of the Trout Bum Diaries name; it also took a while to accept the reality of there’s more to the sport of fly fishing than just catching trout, hmm. My apologize if I offended anyone, but you can’t let Howard and all the other saltwater guru’s have all the fun. Many PBR’s have already paid homage to this retirement.




I’m excited about the first DVD release of the Fish Bum series. Filming Vol. I Mongolia was an unbelievable experience. It’s hard to describe the Mongolia adventure in words, which is why Brian, Keig, and myself have been locked underground since Nov. assembling this feature. I just finished watching the feature on my computer for the first time in its entirety and I like how this project came together. Anytime you mix Russian convoy vehicles, rafts, camels, horses, nomadic Mongols, 5 dirtbag’n fish bums, and taimen (the worlds largest trout), together in the same film its bound to be an interesting story. -Buckle Up!




Ps: I would encourage everyone to take a moment out of your day to exercise. Practice what I preach not as I do.

-Owens

Only 14 Days....

Until we start the production of our next film...Fish Bum 2: The Journey

We will be traveling up and down the west coast during the end of March and throughout the month of April. Our goal will be to find steelhead, throw flies to them, and capture some of the craziness on film. These trips include a 3,000 mile road trip, a tug boat, and a two hour float plane ride, not necessarily in that order...

A buddy of ours, John Wolden, is building our new ride inside his barn in Mt. Vernon, Washington.

Here are shots from the first day of welding:

Las Buitreras

We are now staying at Estancia Las Buitreras at the Loop Adventures camp, saying this place is 'nice' doesn't do it justice, it's beyond nice, too nice for us actually! So why are we here you ask? We have been traveling with Martin Falklind of EcoFilm ( a Swedish fly fishing media company...), he is producing a series for Scandinavian TV, and for one of the segments, we are his subjects. So here we are, staying at a nice camp, eating nice food, and fishing for resident and sea run browns. Life is good.

Here are a few photos from yesterday:

photos by Erik Argotti