2011 Fly Fishing Film Tour - First Leg...

Friends, Fish and Fun

And Film about Friends, Fish and Fun...that is what the 2011 Fly Fishing Film Tour(F3T) has been all about for The Musky Tribe on the West Coast Leg.

Forgive me for the shitty snap shots but they are all I have for now. I even borrowed a few from friends to make this as complete as I am able. Being a Touring Fly Fishing Tramp is grand but it does challenge my process.

Lucky Porter showed up on an airplane in SAC just before the F3T kicked off down in Ventura Beach, CA on Feb 3rd 2011.

Lucky, Penny the Setter and me - The Afton Angler loaded up the trusty 'new' Landcruiser and made tracks SOUTH from SAC down Highway One - The Pacific Coast Highway...one of the most beautiful drives you can take anywhere!
Gas Station/Coffee Shop @ Big Sur...$4.98/gal GAS! FUCKME!!
Lucky and Penny enjoying one of the many pull-overs along the Cali Coast on Highway One
Penny catchin' some Pacific Wind!
The Beautiful Coast as it lays out before the driver all down The One...

Well, we made it to Ventura in one piece but not without some drama...the Landcruiser had some issues with a broken Oil Pressure Sensor and was spraying a fine mist of 10w30 and causing us some tense moments as there are long miles on the One with no services what-so-ever...Lucky picked up a case of Poison Oak/Ivy or something like that and we had to go to an Urgent Care...and the traffic on the CA freeways as ones gets down south is just utterly white_knuckle for this hick from the sticks!

But we plodded onward and it was a gas!

Our old Musky Tribesman Dynomite Dan roadtripped up from way south CA to meet up with us. It was GREAT to have the quartet of Lucky/Dyno/AA/Penny together again. We all lived and worked together up on the Brule River at the Winneboujou Club when I was the Caretaker there a few years back.

Dyno, Penny and Lucky outside our lodge in Ventura Beach

Not a bad view from the lodge for a couple of Wisco hicks to enjoy!

Well the Opening Night of the F3T in Ventura was a thrill. I'll keep it at that! THANK YOU VENTURA!

AA gets a bit soused...


We...um called it an early night and got to business first thing the next morning up the coast a bit. A fellow fly fishing guide named David Wratchford aka Unskunkable took us under his wing for a few days and showed us around his hood!

David and I are fellow Drakians and if you have to ask what that is too bad! Drakians are a crew of fly fishing brothers that just click no matter where in the world we find one another...and it has been one of the great privelidges of my fly fishing career to be included in this brotherhood!

Like I said David showed us the nines all around So Cal...





There are some really cool fly fishing connections down in that neck of the woods! But the fishing is what keeps everything grounded... David was a superior host and guide!! And he managed to not embarass us too badly with his prolific surf fishing abilities...they don't call him Unskunkable because he is a Ronnie sportsfans!


The boys getting set to get at it...

Dyno gets some action!
Lucky hooks up!
Sun and Fun as fishing fools in SO CAL!


Surf Perch...




David outfitted us all and proceeded to outfish all three of us about 20-4 or something like that! Surf fishing with a fly rod is all about TOUCH. Something that ham handed 10 wt slingers from Musky Country had to develop slowly...

No worries. We each managed to get a few perch to hand. There were some leopard sharks about as well but no hook-ups. Lucky did manage another exotic species...some kind of 1/2 ray - 1/2 skate bugger called a guitar fish or something like that...thing came in ass hooked but it was still cool to see...

Long Beach was the next stop on the F3T and the Musky Tribe kept it well under control for the show that night. Actually we did a little Lie-N-Tie at a great fly shop on the edge of LA called Fisherman's Spot(http://www.fsflyfishing.com/).




I love to be in a fly shop! This place was super cool. The owner Ken treated us as sons. His lovely wife cooked us diner and they put us up at their house for the night...and introduced us to some of their SO Cal clients...we spun our musky concoctions and told our tales. Penny actually took over the shop for a spell and they let her do her thing!

THANKS - FISHERMAN'S SPOT for the great Hospitality!

The show in LBC was fun. David got to spank JJ! Snicker...


BTW - JJ is one of the coolest cats you will find. A REAL good guy!

Our Drakian crew had some more company in LBC...a couple from Vegas came down to rock with us...Blumpkin and his Mail Order Bride!!

Now we were rolling...and all I can say is WOW!!! At this point it was all about seeing the town, making new friends and just throwing down and enjoying LIFE;)

Lucky and AA with a new ginger friend who poured great Zin and sang us a song from her soul...
Drakians in the LBC!
Lucky and The Mail Order Bride...SHE ROCKS!!
Snoop Luck and Unskunkable rappin' to the gangstas...Lucky brought the house down...SERIOUSLY!!
AA belted out some GOD BLESS THE USA...and was told to shut up and sit down...haha;)
AA manages at least one fan though...
How you end the night in LBC...Roscoes Chickin' n Waffles!!!

Well after Long Beach F3T went up to SAC...nice time but a little anti-climatic...The Musky Tribe got to hang with the F3T road crew and that was cool. Those guys travel hard for this thing. They are excellent Amigos to tour with. My Ma and Pa got to see the show.

That made me PROUD! Such wonderful support on the home front...THANKS FOLKS!

After SAC I went solo up to Portland for the show. I have a special woman in my life...that some might recognize as a Mermaid...and she is in PDX for now. Stella - THANKS for such a memorable time...you put wind in my sails Baby! I love you!



Well, that's it for now from the F3T/Musky Country Road Trip...

Last but not least...a little love for one of our great sponsors PIKESABER!!
Thumbs up from The Musky Tribe for PIKESABER!!!