Fly fishing guides hold a special place in the angling community: they spend time teaching new fishers and fine tuning experienced vets alike. There is much more that goes into the profession than just being able to catch fish, and that quickly separates good guides from great guides. One of the best in the business is Israel Patterson, a full time guide out of Colorado. ​

The alarm clock (yes it was still an actual clock back then!) started blaring at 4 AM signaling the day of fishing was about to begin. The truck temperature showed 17 degrees but it felt colder than that while my dad and I waited an eternity for the truck heaters to thaw the windshield. Two hours and a gas station stop later we were at the stream in the pre dawn light rigging rods inside the truck, savoring the last ounce of warmth. There were already two cars parked near us so we quickly tied on our double egg pattern rigs and started off downstream to the pool we knew held fish all winter. It didn't take long before my strike indicator bobbed ever so slightly and after a sharp hook set the fight was on! A few minutes later we both sat there admiring a 32 inch colored-up male steelhead in the net. Nearby was a fellow fisherman who said since I was a kid that was probably a "citation" fish and I could get a certificate from the state if I pursued it. That was the furthest thing from my mind though, as we snapped a few pictures and got back to casting, somehow forgetting how cold it was.

I've been lucky enough to cross paths with some really remarkable individuals that are incredibly talented in a number of different ways pertaining to fly fishing.  It only seems fair that I share some of these folks with you, the loyal readers of our blog!  So, without further adieu, here is our first installment of Fly Fishing Friends Friday!

I was recently asked why the fish in the pictures we post are so small. "Why don't you post pictures of the BIGGER fish?!" It's a great question, and there's a few ways to tackle the answer. Hopefully I'll be able to properly convey why those little fish are blasted out on our Instagram and Facebook so often and why we love to catch them!