Thank you for joining me for another trip recap! I am excited to share with you what I saw and caught in the Caribbean. First, a fair warning; I know (from speaking with other fly fishermen) that my experience in Cuba doesn't align with other's, most of which seem to be overwhelmingly positive. I am grateful to have this platform (as small as it might be) to share my honest thoughts to give you information to make an informed decision about whether or not this trip is for you.
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Booking: The trip was solicited by Jon Covich through Avalon Fishing Center. I was under the impression that Jon would be joining me on the trip but I found out a few weeks before departure that he would not be attending. Not necessarily a deal breaker but I had been under the impression that he was hosting the trip so I found it odd that he wouldn't be there. He was a great host in Colombia and I enjoyed our time in the jungle. Nonetheless, Jon handled all of the booking/invoicing and assisted with the documents needed to enter Cuba. He provided a thorough itinerary/planner so I had a good idea of what to pack and what to expect. 

Cost: The cost of the trip was $4,790.00 + $300.00 mandatory conservation fee for a total of $5,090.00. That included round trip transportation to the resort from Camagüey, all food, drink and lodgings at resort, conservation fee, fishing license and six full days of fishing. It did NOT include airfare ($1200), Cuban Tourist Card ($85), staff and guide gratuities ($400), spending cash ($1200) or fishing tackle. All in, without considering gear yet, the trip cost about $8k USD. 

The Travel: I flew American for this trip. Leaving from Redmond, OR (RDM), I had a 2.5hr flight to Phoenix, followed by a 4hr flight to Miami and finally a 1.5hr flight into Camagüey. I left March 27 at 2:21pm and with layovers and time changes, I arrived in Camagüey on March 28 at 1:37pm. Almost a full 24 hours of travel! I have a terrible time sleeping on planes so that red eye from PHX-MIA kicked my ass. I bought a day pass to the American Admirals Club Lounge in MIA so I could shower and have some breakfast. 

​Camagüey: SKIP THIS SECTION IF YOU'RE ONLY INTERESTED IN THE FISHING REPORT.

I arrived in Camagüey and had 2 full days here before I was scheduled to be picked up and driven to Cayo Cruz. I am very glad to have stayed a few days in Camagüey but wished that I did it on the backend of fishing because the experience there cast a dark shadow over the rest of the trip. That being said, I felt that like my time there was a legitimate look at the "real" Cuba. Unlike the glamorous tourist locations like Havana or Cayo Cruz, it felt as though the Cuban Government didn't bother to give this area a "facelift" because it's infrequently visited by tourists. ​

Upon arrival at the airport, I went through Cuban "customs". I presented my US passport and my Cuban Tourist Card and was admitted entry. They did not stamp my passport which I was concerned about but turns out they simply don't do that. No need to be alarmed. Turns out, they just take your Tourist Card upon exiting the country. I found my checked bag after about an hour of waiting and then grabbed a taxi. The driver claimed to know where my hostel was and we were on our way. The airport is about 15 minutes out of town. Driving in, we passed many horse drawn buggies and tons of motorcycles and mopeds. We left the rural countryside and entered the dense city of Camagüey. After the driver stopped a few times for directions, we reached our destination. 

​I stayed at the Hostal El Paso. Staff was very friendly and took me to my room. They have a small bar there and a restaurant across the street. Weather was beautiful - clear, sunny and about 85-90 degrees. I got to my room to find an air conditioner and fan and was excited to turn them on, only to find out that we did not have power. The Cuban Government shuts the power off during the day so we did not have power from 7am to about 8-9pm. Not a huge deal - I was just excited to be able to use the A/C while I slept. There is no cell service or Wifi here so be prepared for that. I have Verizon and was assured before I left that I would have service. Again, not a big deal. I prefer not being connected but I was unable to contact my wife to let her know that I had arrived and I know that stressed her out. 

I had dinner at the restaurante El Paso across the street from the hostel. I had tequila and steak fajitas. Towards the end of my meal, one of the bartenders, Andy, approached and in good English, he asked if I had plans for tomorrow. He offered a full day walking tour of the city for $10 USD which I graciously accepted. We agreed to meet at the hostel bright and early the next day. 

Meeting Andy was one of the highlights of my trip! We toured the city and I learned a lot about Cuban history. Shockingly, Andy was a government trained medical doctor/surgeon who left the profession because he could make more money working the bar at the El Paso. As a barman, he makes 5000 cuban pesos per month (equivalent to $50 USD). With that, he supports his wife and his elderly parents. I ended up spending both of my free days with him and encourage anyone who finds themselves in Camagüey to contact him for a tour. He can be reached on Whatsapp - +53 5 1829705. 

​Andy took me to many beautiful catholic churches, art shops, government bodegas, a couple town squares, the Camagüey Zoo and to a local cemetery. On Good Friday, we marched with a procession from the Plaza de la Merced, in front of the Iglesia de la Merced, to the Iglesia de la Soledad. Thousands of people marched through the streets. It was an incredible and surreal experience.​​

We visited the Cementerio General de Camagüey​. The cemetery had beautiful marble tombs near the entrance but quickly devolved to locker style graves that were stacked 5-6 high. We saw many graves had been raided. One of the graves we saw had recently been broken into and we saw the remains of a woman who must've been buried in the month or two prior. The air in the cemetery reeked with the smell of rotting human flesh of the recently deceased. Cuban people often bury their departed with personal belongings which in this case, is the reason that most of the tombs had been opened. ​

I gave Andy $50 for his 2 days of guiding and he was immensely appreciative. We keep in touch to this day. He helped me get to the location that Avalon was going to pick me up at and we said our goodbyes. A taxi showed up a few hours after the agreed meeting time and we started the drive north to Cayo Cruz. 
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Cayo Cruz and The Hotel La Marina & Spa: Cayo Cruz is operated by a Cuban company called Avalon Fishing Center. They have a couple operations on Cuba's north shore. Located about 2 hours north of Camagüey by car, Cayo Cruz is an island in the Jardines del Ray archipelago (Gardens of the King). The island is connected to the mainland by long roads that were constructed through the flats, often called "causeways". Upon arriving at Hotel La Marina, we were greeted with drinks and taken to our room. The hotel, and the area as a whole, is much different than Camagüey in every way. Very luxurious​ with modern amenities, a spa and nice pools. The hotel is within 100 yards of the marina where we left for the fishing grounds every day. 

Pro tip: At night, tarpon cruise the channel at the marina. We casted to them a bunch but couldn't get them to take a fly. Still, very cool to see them so active. 

A Typical Day: 
7:00am: Breakfast at the restaurant buffet. 
Breakfast was generally awful. The highlight was the omelette bar where you could have one made to order with spam, veggies and un-meltable cheese but after the second day, we had to start rationing eggs. A 1 egg, spam and cheese chunk omelette before a long day of fishing was a little depressing. We were given styrofoam to-go containers in which we packed our lunch from the same buffet. 

8:00am: Board skiffs for fishing. Lunch on the fishing skiff. 
A short walk to the marina to get loaded up. Rods and reels were washed and then stored in a locked shipping container every night. I took my backpack back to my room every night. I usually skipped lunch because the food was so bad. I had some protein bars which made for a decent lunch. We would generally fish 4-5 different spots during the day. I had asked to do some wading but my guide preferred for us to stay on the boat for some reason. Don't expect to wade much, even if you ask. 

5:00pm: Return to resort
Haul gear back to the hotel room. I'd clean up gear (if necessary), prep for the next day, shower, change clothes and mentally prepare myself for a dinner of hard liquor and tobacco. 

5:30pm-Bed: Social time around the resort, drinks at the bar, dinner in the resort restaurants
The hotel lobby had a nice, open bar where I would usually drink tequila and enjoy a cigar with the other guests. Dinner was usually awful as well. They have a couple restaurants on site that they'd send our whole party to but we were just served the same buffet food at a different location. I ate the spaghetti and beef on the first night and was sick the following 2 days. I didn't eat much for the rest of the trip. I came home a few pounds lighter which I wasn't upset about. 

​The Flats: Beautiful. What bonefish dream of. What fly fishermen dream of. What housewives in need of a tropical vacation dream of. Majestic flats that stretched for miles, boasting knee deep baby blue water and white sand bottoms. We saw lots of wildlife including: stingrays, conch, osprey, flamingos, lemon sharks, box fish and jelly fish.

The Gear: I took 3 rods and a backup. A Sage Maverick 890 for bones, a Sage Igniter 1090 for permit and a Sage Salt R8 1190 in case we saw any tarpon. My backup was a Sage Payload 1090 which I thought could handle any of the fish mentioned above. For 95% of my time on the water, I was on my 8wt bonefish rod. For reels, I had a nautilus CCF-X2 for the 8wt, a Tibor Riptide for the 10wt and a Sage Thermo on the 11wt all with appropriately weighted Rio Saltwater fly lines. I took an assortment of tapered 9' saltwater fluorocarbon leaders in weights from 10-20 lbs. Typical assortment of bonefish flies. For flies, we mainly used shrimp, spawning shrimp and small tan crab patterns. 

I never had a leader break on me and my guide only liked about a half dozen of the flies that I brought. And we didn't lose any of them. So, I way overpacked. 
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The Fish: The flats had bonefish and barracuda aplenty. Big bonefish too. The highlight of the trip in terms of fishing was finding the largest school of bonefish that I have ever seen. My boatmate and I fished the school for a few hours one day and caught 100+ fish. If my memory serves me, we doubled up at least 40 times. It was a neat experience but didn't feel very sporting. Sounds like it was a known school to the guides as most of the other guests had stories about "working" the school. When fishing was slow, we trolled for barracuda. Again, fun but not what I was there to do. 

Fishing, with the exceptions stated above, was fair/poor. I averaged a couple decent bones per day and a couple non-bonefish (barracuda, snapper, boxfish, etc.). Other guests confirmed that fishing was slow for them as well. I am not one to have expectations going into a trip... But, I expected better fishing. 

The Permit (Or lack thereof): I saw one Permit the whole trip. He never took my fly but casting to him was the highlight of my entire time fishing in Cuba. Other guests said to look for large sting rays because there will likely be a permit following, eating the food that gets kicked up but missed by the ray. And that's exactly what I saw. We spotted a large ray cruising a flat about 150 yards away. We began our stalk and saw that he had a lone 17-20 pound Palometa swimming with him! I had my Permit rod in hand and started casting. I was in the zone. Five perfect casts, right onto the ray's back. Small strips resulted in two great follows but no commit. He spooked on the sixth cast and I had to sit down because the adrenaline had jelly'd my legs. I would've traded every fish that I caught on that trip just to feel him on my line. What a rush. 

​Conclusion: Without question, the most important takeaway of my trip (and all of my trips) was the reminder of how thankful I am to be an American. We live in the best country in the world with freedom and unlimited opportunity. It is always humbling to see how others live. I am reminded to not take our liberties nor the men and women who protect them for granted. 

Final thoughts to leave you with:

• Cayo Cruz, Camagüey, the Cuban countryside were beautiful. 
• The Cuban people were so friendly, accommodating and I never felt unsafe. 
• Fishing was fair/poor. To reiterate, this doesn't sound like the norm but that was my experience. 
• Hotel was nice but food was very bad.
• The effects of socialism are sad to see in person. 

This is not a trip that I would pay for again although I would like to spend more time on island learning Cuban history and culture. This was my least favorite trip so far but it still offered so many positives and reminders to appreciate life.

​That's it. That's all I have to say. Done. 

The Travel: The journey to camp was one of the highlights of the trip. I red-eyed, leaving Redmond, OR at 3pm on 2/28 and arriving in Bogota the following day at 11am. I flew RDM – PHX – MIA – BOG. Unless you’re a good sleeper on planes, I suggest avoiding a red eye situation, if possible. A lodge rep picked me up at the airport and transported me to the hotel for the evening. The hotel stay is included in the cost of the trip. There I met the other guests and our host. We all had dinner that night. At 6 the next morning, we boarded a 1.5 hour domestic flight to the town of Inirida. From there, we were picked up in Tuk-Tuks. We stopped at a liquor store, then for lunch and ended up at the “port” in the early afternoon. BUY LIQUOR IN INIRIDA. There is no liquor at camp. The Colombians drink Aguardente which is a liquor that tastes like black licorice. It was awful but if you go to Colombia, you drink as the Colombians drink. From there, we were loaded into a boat with all of our gear for a 5 hour boat ride to camp. We started in the Rio Inirida, then into the Rio Guaviare, then a long stretch North in the Rio Orinoco along the Colombian/Venezuelan border and finally the Rio Vichada which is where camp is located. After about 48 hours of non-stop travel, I was whooped but excited to finally be in the jungle.   

The Lodge: We stayed at the Akuani River Lodge. The lodge consisted of four guest cabins, each of which had a porch, a room with two full beds, and a small bathroom with sink and shower. Other buildings included a large communal area where we congregated with fish stories, ate meals and made plans for each day. I never felt unsafe or worried about leaving things in my room. The wait staff was great. They were accommodating, friendly and very helpful. Food was better than I thought it would be, considering the remoteness of the jungle. The Chef, Juan, was excellent. It is modest and comfortable accommodations and is by no means, a luxury vacation.​

The Peacock Fishing & Guides: The days would start with breakfast around 6am. Breakfast was usually yogurt, granola, fresh fruit, fresh juice and coffee.  We'd gather gear and get ready to depart. The run to the fishing grounds every day was between 15 minutes and an hour. I loved getting to see the jungle this way and sometimes we would traverse up small creeks to get into large backcountry lagoons. Fishing consisted largely of blind casting towards the banks and stripping small/medium streamers. Peacock Bass are angry, strike and fight hard but the fight doesn’t usually last too long. They often get into the air which is always exciting. On average, between the 2 anglers on the boat, we’d typically catch 3-5 fish per hour with 2-3 really good fish per day. My best fish of the trip was around 23 pounds, just smaller than the biggest fish of the trip that my boatmate caught which was 25.   

The guides were awesome and very helpful. We fished with Alexander and “Agua Dulce” which translates to "Sweet Water". Apparently he loved soda as a child and the nickname stuck. Conversing with them was one of my favorite parts of the trip. They were funny, hardworking and genuinely nice people. I urge you to work on your Spanish before going down there as it will make your trip so much more enjoyable. Beyond being able to understand what my fishing guide was telling me to do (which resulted in more fish), we were able to talk and connect about life, music, women, kids, etc.

Days were long and towards the end of the trip, blind casting a stiff, super-fast action 9wt in 100 degrees with 100% humidity became a bit of a chore. Pace yourself and take time to enjoy the jungle and the people around you.
 
Las Burbujas: Know this word. It means bubbles. Apparently, mommy Peacock Bass create bubble nets (similar to the way whales do) to teach their young how to hunt. If you interrupt the lesson by landing a fly in or near the bubble net, mom will get very upset and devour your fly. We caught several very large peacocks this way. Always be on the lookout for suspicious looking bubbles.

The Payara Camp, Fishing & Guides: After 2 days of Peacock Fishing, the guides loaded up all the guests in the transport boat and took us to Payara Camp on the Rio Orinoco. I remember feeling small as we entered the mile wide river with its enormous white water and planet sized black boulders. We arrived at camp which was comprised of wall tents, a bath tent with running water and toilets and a mess tent.

My guide at Payara Camp was a gentleman named Angelito. This man made a lasting impression on me that I will hold onto for the rest of my life. He was the kindest, purest hearted and hardest working guide I have ever fished with. We talked and laughed about our lives back home and I sincerely enjoyed his demeanor and company for those 2 short days. Fishing was slow to start and Angelito tried many different techniques and moved us around a lot until we got into Payara.
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Once we figured out the technique, it was insane. I hooked maybe 20 Payara and landed around 5 with my largest one weighing roughly 20 pounds. They have bony jaws that are not very receptive to a hook set. Once you do get that hook set just right, they offer a wild fight. Very strong, very fast and not afraid to leave the water for the air. Armando Giraldo from Orinoco flies is a Payara pro and sells the best flies at www.orinocoflies.com.

The "Love Bug": I have a tradition with my wife where whenever I go on a big fishing trip, she will tie a fly for me (with some assistance) and I make it a point to catch a fish on the "Love Bug". This time is was a beautiful little peacock bass colored Clouser Minnow. It caught a single Piranha and was promptly torn to shreds. The piranha was fried for dinner that night. 

The Gear: Turns out, there are no fly shops in the jungles of Colombia. If you don’t bring something or you bring it and break it, you’re shit out of luck. Fly Water suggests you take an 8/9wt and 10-12 weight rod setup and a backup for each of those rods (3-4 rods total). I ended up taking an 8, a 9 and two 10 weights and didn’t have any issues. I also brought several back up fly lines but didn’t end up using any of them. The star of the trip was my Sage Igniter 990. It’s a stiff, super-fast action rod but it would launch flies and fly line like nobody’s business. It was a pleasure to cast. Fly Water provides a comprehensive packing list that covers rods, reels, lines, flies, clothes and other things for camp. I always overpack leaders, line, tools and flies. I’d rather have them and not need them over needing them and not having them. Overpacking (not grossly), also sets you up to be able to gift things to your guides like tools, fly lines, tippet/leaders, flies, etc. 

The Sun & The Bugs: 90-100 degrees every day with 100% humidity. The mornings through midday were very hot but we were fortunate to have rain storms every afternoon which brought the temperature way down and knocked the bugs down as well. BRING A BUFF. I hate Buff's, especially with my beard but I wore one every day. Buy the legit mineral/Zinc sunscreen and use it several times per day. My personal favorite is SPF 50 Zinc Oxide from Sun Bum. Cover yourself head to toe – to hide from the sun but also to protect yourself from the bugs. They have “no-see-ums” (small flies) that will bite you, draw a little blood and be on their way. The real irritation doesn’t start until a few hours later when they start to itch worse than anything you’ve ever experienced. I soaked all of my clothes in permethrin before the trip but that didn’t seem to help much. The only way to truly protect yourself is to cover up.

I ended up getting really swollen due to a combination of bad sun rash and tons of bug bites. It was an itchy, swollen and drowsy few weeks (due to all the Benadryl) but after that, I was all good. 

The Language Barrier: It was advertised that our guides spoke some broken English. That was not my experience. None of the guides that I fished with spoke a word of English. Some of the other guests were frustrated by this but I loved it. Travelling into the jungles of South America and then being upset that the locals don't speak English is a funny concept to me. Being able to converse with my guides and the camp staff was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I urge you to beef up your Spanish before going on a trip like this. You will catch more fish and you will be able to connect with the wonderful people of Colombia. At the very least, familiarize yourself with this list of general fishing terms:

Mas = More
Menos = Less
Grande = Big
Pequeno = Small
Rapido = Fast
Despacio = Slow
Largo = Long
Corto = Short
Bueno = Good
Mal = Bad
Profundo = Deep
Burbujas = Bubbles
Pez/Pescado = Fish
Mosca = Fly
Cambiar mi Mosca = Change my fly
Anzuelo = Hook
Linea = Line
Cana = Rod
Carrete = Reel
Como te llamas = What’s your name?
Tengo hambre = I'm hungry
Tengo sed = I'm thirsty
Tengo calor = I'm hot
Cerveza = Beer

Colombian Libations & Bogota: We spent a couple days in Bogota after we got back from the jungle. Lesson learned - do this on the front end of your trip because you will be too tired to really appreciate what you're doing/seeing. We visited the Museo del Oro (Museum of Gold) which was really interesting. The gold art was incredible but the cultural significance of gold was what really interested me. We also took the aerial tramway up to Monserrate which offered a great view of the city.

There are 2 beverages there that you must try - First is limonada de coco (coconut limeade). It is the most refreshing drink I have ever had. A little tartness from the lime paired with some sweetness from the coconut, served as a "slush" in the hot Colombian sun. I got one with just about every meal. Second is Cafe con leche, simply coffee with milk. The difference here (other than legit Colombian coffee) is that they scald the milk which gives it a sweetness and velvety smoothness. I have been searching for both of these beverages stateside without much luck. Guess I have to go back to Colombia.

Buying your first fly rod can be intimidating. Fly rods come in different physical weights, line weights, lengths, actions and materials. If you're from Central Oregon, I'd bet money that your first rod was a graphite 590-4 which in English means you bought a 9'0" long rod suited for #5 size fly line that breaks into 4 separate pieces. The 590-4 is a perfect all around trout rod for our area and graphite is the best all around material to build a modern fly rod from. As your collection of rods grow and you gravitate towards the niches within our sport, you may be interested in exploring rods made with different materials. We'll start at the origins and work our way forward. 

HISTORY
The earliest rods were made of wood. They were heavy and had a tendency to break. Seeking a better product, fishermen found that Bamboo (AKA Grass) offered a reduction in weight and an increase in strength and elasticity. After experimenting with different shapes and types of bamboo, the hexagonal design of four to six cane strips became the standard. Fun fact: The originally used Calcutta Cane Bamboo was very fibrous and prone to boring insects so the strips were scorched to kill the bugs leaving the tan/brown hue that is found on most bamboo fly rods. 

WHY BAMBOO?
Many fly fisherman begin and spend a majority of their journey in the sport with graphite rods. We tend to find ourselves chasing whatever the latest and greatest technology is and what will help us catch the most fish or cast the furthest. I'm guilty of this myself. However; all it takes is a moment of clarity. I'm here for more than just the fish. I'm here for the water, the wind, the bugs; I want to connect and be a part of something greater. Let that sink in... Now, picture this: you're barefoot in a small creek and you're using a literal piece of grass to cast a fly you tied to a small native trout. Bamboo is an organic material that offers a slow and natural casting speed which is perfect for casting small dry flies and unweighted nymphs. Most current day bamboo rods are $2-3k because they are custom made to order. I recently got my first bamboo rod from Headwaters Bamboo Rods. They are mass producing bamboo fly rods (overseas, unfortunately) but are a great low-cost entry-level option to "grass" fly rods!

HISTORY
Fiberglass (AKA Glass) came around in the 1940's and was the most common rod material through the 1970's. It was cheaper and more readily available than bamboo. Fiberglass rods are much lighter, much more durable and require much less maintenance than bamboo rods. They are incredibly strong yet flexible. This material was much easier to work with and therefore allowed rod manufacturers to produce fly rods on a much larger scale.

WHY FIBERGLASS?
Glass rods are ideal when presentation is necessary and when casting distance is of less importance. While most people tend to equate fiberglass with trout these days, I can confirm that I had an absolute blast catching Milkfish in Christmas Island with a 12wt glass rod. I was amazed when the tip was bent over to the point that it was parallel with the butt and the rod didn't break. Also, since glass rods are so easily produced, they are often cheaper than bamboo or graphite. I have a few very whispy 2-3wt glass rods that I love using for Central Oregon creeks and high country streams. 

HISTORY
Graphite (AKA Graph) rods started appearing on the market in the 1960's. This material still dominates the market today and is stronger and lighter than it's predecessors. These qualities allowed rod manufacturers ​to use less material resulting in lighter rods. The became insanely popular with the incorporation of graphite ferrules which essentially eliminated dead spots both in the bend and the feel of the rods. As mentioned, this material continues to dominate the current market. 

WHY GRAPHITE?
Due to their weight, their strength and their fast action, you can find a graphite rod for literally any fly fishing situation you may find yourself in. From small dry flies/nymphs to large heavy nymphs and streamers, there is a graphite rod for any application. They are more adept for longer distance casting and casting in adverse conditions like wind. Graphite is also used for the recently popular euro nymphing craze. The weight and strength allow for 10, 11 and 12' ESN rods with manageable weights. Graphite rods make up about 90% of my rod quiver. 
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After COVID had ruined a number of vacation plans that my girlfriend and I had, we were desperate to get out and do something fun. While perusing the "For Sale: Sporting Goods" section on the Bend Craigslist, I stumbled upon an ad for a bow building class in Chiloquin, OR. Having an interest in Native American culture and history of the High Desert tribes, I halfway jokingly mentioned it to Cheryl.  To my surprise, she was interested and we decided to consider the bow building retreat despite neither of us having ever shot a bow.

As we got closer to the date of the retreat, I decided to call Dave Cheney, Owner of the Painted Bow Ranch (PBR) in Chiloquin, to get more information. His passion about bow building was contagious and the video below got me excited enough to sign up for the class. The course is Thursday-Sunday (4 days) and is held at Dave's beautiful property about 2 hours South of Bend.

Flint Knapping
Billy Berger (@bigbad93) is a film maker, writer, archaeologist & primitive survivalist. He also starred in an episode of Naked & Afraid. Billy is good friends with Dave and he flew in from Georgia for our class. He is a primitive hunter and expert bow and arrow maker and flint knapper. Flint knapping is the making of flaked or chipped stone tools. With Billy's help, I was able to leave the course with 3 Obsidian arrowheads. We used copper tipped flakers and "boppers". I was surprised how much strategy, precision and planning it took to shape organic glass into a point. Essentially, you remove flakes to build ledges. The ledges allow placement of your tool so that you can use pressure to remove larger amounts of material. You flip your glass over often, building ledges on one side and then removing them from the other side. I got several cuts because the flaked Obsidian is so sharp. 

First Shot
With the bow and arrow now complete, I was ready to make my first shot. This would be my first shot ever with any bow let alone a hand built primitive Juniper long bow. The guys give me some pointers so I'd know what to expect. I pull back on a Rinehart 3D Pronghorn Antelope target and let it fly. A gut shot albeit but I was so proud to hit the target. My work was done except for shooting Dave's 3D target course a few times, swimming in the river nearby, making homemade sourdough pizza in the brick oven and breaking down my camp. Dave and Billy were great hosts and have opened my eyes to a more simple, or dare I say primitive, way of life and a newfound respect for those who lived and hunted these lands before us. 

Bow Building Class 2021? 
Leave a comment or contact me on social media if you'd be interested in attending a bow building class in 2021. We have the option to do it in Central Oregon on evenings and weekends or travel down to Chiloquin as a group to Dave's property. Cost would be $300-400 depending on what we choose to do. I will post updates as we get closer!

I’m writing this recap (one and a half years later) of my first ever saltwater fly fishing trip to provide an unbiased account for anglers who are considering booking the trip of a lifetime and also to provide some tips to get the most out of that trip. All photos in this thread were taken and edited by my good buddy Kyle Schenk. He is a terrific photographer and fisherman. He can be reached at: @bendflyguy, @troutdoorsmarketing and www.troutdoorsmarketing.com. 

Booking: The trip was hosted by Fly & Field Outfitters through flywatertravel. Fly Water handled all of the transactions, reservations and trip documentation. They were great and really easy to work with. They send tons of people on this same trip every year and have it really dialed in. They send you a helpful folder with documents outlining travel info, gear lists, what to expect, etc. The trip was $2570.00 which included lodging, food, guides and on-island transportation. That did not include the flight to/from Honolulu ($500), hotel in Honolulu ($150), the flight to/from Kiritimati ($1100) or tips for the lodge staff and guides ($400-500). All in (assuming you have all of your gear), you’re looking at about $4500.00 for 6 days and 7 nights of premier guided saltwater fly fishing.

The Travel: Kiritimati (Pronounced Keer-iss-ee-muss, aka CXI) is a coral atoll in the middle of the Pacific Ocean about 1350 miles South of Honolulu, in the Republic of Kiribati. To get there, I flew from Redmond to Seattle to Honolulu on a Monday. The Fiji Airlines flight flies from Honolulu to CXI every Tuesday so you spend the night in Waikiki and catch the flight the next morning. The big jet stops at CXI, drops it’s anxious anglers and all their gear, and then continues on to deliver the remaining honeymooners and elderly to Fiji. Once we landed, it was a long wait to get everyone past the single Customs Agent but once cleared, we were excited to find that all of our luggage had made it to the island. It was advised to carry on as much as you could. I carried eight rods and ten reels (not all mine) and some of my smaller flies. We were greeted by some of the lodge staff who helped load us up into open air trucks with benches in the beds and we were off to the lodge.

The Gear: There is no gear at the lodge, or on the entire island for that matter. If you don’t bring something or you bring it and break it, you’re out of luck. Fly Water suggests you take an 8, 10 and 12 weight rod setup and a backup for each of those rods (6 rods total). I ended up taking two 8’s, a 10 and a 12 weight and didn’t have any trouble. I owned one 8 weight and rented the other three rods from @finandfire. They rented me a G Loomis Asquith, a Winston B3+ and a Scott Meridian, all with nautilus reels and Rio lines, for $300 total for the whole week. They really took care of me and this was a great option if you’re not quite ready to invest $5000+ in saltwater rods. I also brought several back up fly lines but didn’t end up using any of them. If I go again, I’ll go a little lighter; I’d take a 6 or 7 weight, an 8 or 9 and a 11 or 12. Fly Water provides a comprehensive packing list that covers rods, reels, lines, flies, clothes and other things for camp.

​The Sun: The island is about 150 miles from the equator which means the sun is BRUTAL. The first day, I wore a sun hoodie with the sleeves rolled up to my forearms, Simms Ultralight pants, sunglasses, a baseball hat and applied Sun Bum 50 SPF sunscreen once or twice. My face, forearms and hands got burnt to a crisp and I paid for that the rest of the trip. I still have the tan line on arm as I'm writing this 1.5 years later. BRING A BUFF. I hate Buff's, especially with my beard but I wore one every day after that and didn’t get burnt again. Cover yourself head to toe. Buy the legit mineral/Zinc sunscreen and use it several times per day. My personal favorite is SPF 50 Zinc Oxide from Sun Bum. I also found Drip Drop electrolyte hydration powder sticks on Amazon which were lightweight in my pack and really helped with staying hydrated. Make sure you bring the water that they put in your room out with you for the day. They don't charge you for them and you're going to need them.

The Flats: We left the lodge everyday on trucks. We’d either drive to our fishing location or to a marina where we would board a boat that would take us to a flat. While there, I got to fish several flats (Paris, Texas, Orvis, and others). It usually took about 30 minutes from leaving the lodge to being in the water fishing. The flats were knee to belly deep and were expansive. It was a lot of fun to “hunt” for fish. You walk and stalk the flats all day. After the first day, the bonefish were relatively easy to spot and there were lots of opportunities for other species like triggerfish and Banded/Bluefin/Giant/Golden Trevally.

The Refuge: We spent two days at “The Refuge”. It‘s about a 1.5 hour drive to get to the refuge. Round trip is 3 hours so it's a big chunk of your limited time on the island. It’s a beautiful and very bumpy drive (bring a towel or something to sit on) but the fishing makes it worth it. Lots of opportunity for barracuda and Giant Trevally. I caught a #45 GT at Huff Dam. There is a manmade dam that milkfish get trapped behind. As the tide rises, the water will get high enough for the milkfish to spill over to the other side where the hungry GT’s wait for them. It was one of the highlights of my trip. My 12wt Winston was bent over for about 15 minutes before we brought it to hand. We also had lots of shots at Barracuda at the Refuge. The first day, we went without wire leader. The ‘Cuda bit through #60, #80 and #100 mono. The next time, we borrowed #100 wire from another angler and still got bit off. It was very exciting and I would spend more time targeting "The Wolf of the Flats" if I go again.

Conclusion: If it's your first trip, enjoy the variety that CXI has to offer and touch every species you can! If it's not your first trip, spend your time targeting one of these three species - GT, 'Cuda or Trigger. For me, 100% and without a doubt or hesitation, if I go back, I will be after the fish that has the trigger protruding from it's head. Christmas Island offers a unique, budget friendly opportunity to target the saltwater species that us regular folk only see at the annual fly fishing film tours. It is definitely a trip that every fly fisherman or woman should do at least once in their fly fishing career. I had a great time and would love to go again, however there are a lot of other trips on my bucket list so it may be some time before I get back there. Some final thoughts:

​Pack light - in terms of both weight and gear. 
Don't go with expectations - Especially if it's your first trip. 
Tell your guides what you want to target but go with the flow. 
Enjoy the food, the locals, the guys or gals you're fishing with and the island. 
Pack plenty of libations - cigars & alcohol. *Ask me how I got 3 cases of White Claw to this remote island.

Enjoy. It's a great saltwater trip for a first timer who is looking to break up the monotony of winter. You won't regret it. 

After three or four weekends of hard and unsuccessful turkey hunting in Central Oregon, Cheryl and I decided to engage Fins & Feather's Guide Service to get us into some late season Thunder Chickens. We signed up for a 1-day hunt over the Memorial Day weekend with Head Guide and Owner Craig "Gus" Augustynovich. We drove about 3.5 hours to the recently constructed Fins & Feather's Lodge in Roseburg, OR. The lodging was incredibly comfortable and had one of the most impressive collections of taxidermy that I had seen. We ate dinner, got our gear ready to go and went to bed early after Gus casually mentioned that he wanted to be on the road at 3:30am. 

3:00am came quickly and after some coffee, we were able to sleep-stumble into the truck by 3:30am. Gus has been hunting the Roseburg area for turkey, deer and elk for over 30 years and has access to what seemed like every piece of land in the area. Although the land we were hunting was mostly private, these properties were vast and we would soon find out that tricking a mature tom into the range of a shotgun would not be easy. We drove about 45 minutes to the first ranch and set up our first stand in a tree line overlooking a meadow. We didn't make a call until the sun was about to rise and we could hear birds starting to come down from the roost. Across the bowl about 200 yards away in a group of trees, a gobbler started sounding off. We began making hen calls and getting responses from him and another gobbler about 500 yards away directly to our right. We converse for a while with both birds until the one from the right comes into view and is standing right between us and the other gobbler. Instead of coming towards us for some potential love making, he turns and runs into the trees to get into it with the other gobbler. They stop talking to us despite our best efforts so we decide to change stands. 

We set up and leave a few more inactive stands and at his point, it's about noon. It's 80-85 degrees and we're in full camo. We've been up and hunting for about 9 hours now. Gus is working his ass off to put birds in front of us but they're uncooperative. We're hot, sweaty, wet from sitting in damp grass, thirsty, tired, hungry and a little disheartened that we haven't had a shot at a bird despite talking to them all morning. Ken's Sidewalk Cafe was the perfect place for a break. Between the three of us, we had buffalo burgers, elk burgers, hand cut fries, milkshakes and the biggest sodas they had. After refueling, we head towards the next stand. 

The hunt might be over, but the journey was not. We still have an hour drive back to the lodge and another 3.5 hour drive home to Central Oregon. After 13 full hours of hunting, the drive home sounds exhausting, but the adrenaline from our hunt is keeping morale high. We hustle back to the lodge, take care of our birds, shower off a thick layer of sweat, dirt and poison oak and we head home after a long, hot, hard and extremely satisfying day. My bird had the longer beard but hers had the longer spurs. We'll call it a draw. 

Thank you to Fins and Feather's Guide Service for their hospitality and use of their incredible lodge and a huge thank you to Craig "Gus" Augustynovich for working so hard to make sure we were successful. He went above and beyond what should reasonably be expected from a guide. Gus' number is 541-974-6567. Through F&F Guide Service, he guides Columbia Blacktail and Whitetail, Sturgeon, Salmon and of course, the Rio Grande Turkey. 

​***UPDATE as of 4/25/19 - Sunday 5/5 is full and there are 4 spots available for Saturday 4/4***

​I’ve booked 2 days of the finest varmint shooting Oregon has to offer for the first annual Oregon Outfitters Sage Rat Hunt with our friends at Diamond A Guides.

Diamond A Guides operate out of Crane, OR which is about 20-30 minutes southeast of Burns. We meet, stay and eat at Crystal Crane Hot Springs (address below). Nikki feeds us 3 hot meals a day and we hit the fields between meals with our guides.

I’ve been going on this hunt for the past few years and I look forward to it every spring. The fields are overrun with Belding’s Ground Squirrels AKA Sage Rats. Last year, we planted the platform trailer in one spot and did not move the entire day. From that spot, 6 shooters including myself were entertained for over 8 hours. I personally shot over 700 rounds of .22 and 17HMR that day which resulted in 500-600 dead sage rats. I mainly shoot a bolt action 17HMR rifle but I also usually take a 10/22 type rifle, a 22LR handgun for close shots and an AR-15 chambered in 22 Nosler. I normally shoot less than 30 centerfire rounds as there will be tons of action in the 50-100 yard range.

Oregon Outfitters' involvement on the trip is only to round up enough shooters to fill a platform or two. In addition, if you are in need or firearms for the trip, we'd be happy to assist you with your purchase. Diamond A Guides will be providing all of our food, lodging and guiding for the weekend. Depending on number of people attending, we may have 2 elevated trailers which will be stationed in different fields. Shooting groups can shift around each day depending on guest preference. 

​What’s included:
1 or 2 full days of varmint shooting on an elevated shooting platform
Dog-Gone-Good shooting bags
1 night lodging (if hunting 2 days)
3 hearty, home cooked meals per day
Access to Crane Hot Springs

Where:
Crystal Crane Hot Springs 59315 OR-78 Burns, OR 97720
https://www.cranehotsprings.com/

When:
May 4-5, 2019.
The Hot Springs/Diamond A Guide HQ is about a 2.5 hour drive from Bend, OR.
I plan to drive up on Saturday morning leaving Bend at about 530am. Breakfast is served at 8am.
We'll drive home late afternoon - Leaving Crane around 6-7pm at the latest.

What to bring for shooting: 
Rimfire rifles and handguns (22LR, 22 Mag, 17HMR, etc.)
Small bore centerfire rifles (.223, 22-250, 22 Nosler, etc.)
Multiple magazines for each firearm
750-1000 rounds of ammunition per day of shooting
Suppressors for any of the above firearms (optional)
Eye and ear protection
Closed toe shoes
Firearm cleaning kit
Camera
Binoculars

What to bring for camp (if hunting 2 days): 
Sleeping bag and pillow
Swimsuit
Camp chair
Warm clothes

Cost: 
$515.00 for a 2-day hunt, 1 night lodging and 6 meals
-OR-
$315.00 for a 1 day hunt (Saturday ONLY) and 3 meals
It is customary to tip your guide $20/day as they work hard to get us on rats and often help loading mags so we can stay shooting.
Call [REDACTED] or bring a check to the shoot. Mention “Oregon Outfitters May 4-5 Sage Rat Platform Shoot” and whether you're going for both days or for a single day.
​
CONFIRM ATTENDANCE WITH RYAN AFTER PAYMENT IS MADE. 

Questions: 
Ryan Johnson, Oregon Outfitters - Call or text at (541) 977-9707 or email [email protected]