LO Hosted Fly Fishing Travel 2012

Now is the time to start planning next years fishing adventures!  Consider spending your vacation on a hosted fly fishing trip with Larimer Outfitters.  As hosts, we’re there to ensure you have the trip of a lifetime.  From casting instruction to travel questions, we’ve got you covered.  Give me a call at 541-490-9446 or shoot me an email if I can help you plan your next trip.

BC West, Dean River 

Steelhead with Tom Larimer 8/11 -8/18

I just returned with a group of anglers from BC West last week.  We had ideal water conditions, great weather and a ton of steelhead around. Epic is too weak of a word to describe our trip.  Both the upper river and lower river fished extremely well.  Over all, it was my best trip to the Dean yet.  I’m already missing the hell out of the river (and Belinda’s cooking) -and can’t wait to return to the Dean in 2012. 

Only three spots left and will be booked solid by Saturday, August 27th

Steelhead & Salmon with Jeff Hickman 7/14 - 7-21

Larimer Outfitter Guide Jeff Hickman also hosted a trip to BC West in early July.  This is a unique time to be on the Dean because there are both steelhead and Chinook salmon in the river. Although they didn’t put huge numbers of fish on the beach, they made up for it in size.  There were many big fish in Hickman’s week!  Of course, they lost a ton of fish because you’d be hard pressed to find a hotter fish than a July steelhead on the Dean.

Only Five Spots Left!

Alaska West, Kanektok River 

Salmon & Rainbows with Tom Larimer 6/22 -6/29

I spent an awesome hosted week of Spey fishing for kings at Alaska West this summer.  After a few days of the best salmon fishing we’ve ever seen, we decided to check out what else the Kanektok had to offer.  We were blown away!  We had incredible mouse fishing for leapord rainbows, chums on switch rods and beautiful grayling on dry flies.  It really opened my eyes to how amazing that fishery is.  Not to mention, the guide & lodge staff knocked it out of the park.  It was the most memorable trip Alaska yet... And I can't wait to get back.

Only two spots left and will be booked solid on Saturday, August 27

Andros South, Bahamas 

Bonefish, Permit & Barracuda with Tom Larimer  2/25 -3/3

I spent a week of “re-con” at Andros South Lodge last winter and it was the most relaxing fishing adventure I’ve ever taken.  After most fishing trips, I feel like someone just flogged me with a 2X4! (Anadromous fishing tends to put me in “death march” mode.)  After fishing at Andros, I was totally relaxed and satisfied.  The program at Andros South is totally dialed in… I can’t say enough about the staff, the lodge, the guides and the fishing.  If you dream of beautiful white sand flats, monster bonefish, and cold Bahamian beer during our cold dreary northwest winter, you’ll love this trip!  Six spots left!

FREE Casting Lessons with Tom Larimer!

Book a hosted trip with Larimer Outfitters for the 2012 season and 

receive a FREE two hour casting "tune-up" before your trip! 

Final Thoughts From The Dean

Back in Hood River and I'm already missing the hell out BC West and the Dean.  This was my third time hosting a trip up there and every time it gets a little better.  The staff is continually making improvements to the lodge and the experience.  Everyone left with huge grins on there faces...  Not to mention the incredible memories forever burned into our mental fishing albums.

The fishing was good...  We hooked, landed and lost our fair share for the week.  But you go to the Dean for more than just the body count.  It's more about experiencing a healthy ecosystem where bears are still at the top of the food chain, wolfs are the night watchmen and the run of wild steelhead is strong.  It's an opportunity to glimpse through a window of time and see what our rivers here in the states were once like -and what we would all like to see them be again.  But the reality is unfortunate...  They never will be.  For that very reason, I cherish every moment, every cast and every fish on the Dean... Despite man's attempt to muck this world up, the river and it's mighty canyon are still a stronghold for all things wild.  

-Tom Larimer

Lodge Life

Life is pretty damn good at BC West Lodge.  The food is out of this world, the beer is cold, and living is easy.  It's a great place to relax after a great day of chasing steelhead the Dean.  Beats the hell out of sleeping with the bears...

This Place Breaks Shit...

I've never been on a river that destroys fishing gear like the Dean River.  Mostly, because the fish are just so damn hot.  No other river offers ass-kickings as frequent as the Dean.  So far this week, two Spey rods have blown-up, four reels have gone to the boneyard, sink-tips were snapped, many hooks were bent, three shooting lines were shredded and an entire Skagit head -sink-tip and all, were eaten by the river.  Ya gotta love when steelhead break shit.

-TL

A Nice Fish

Cam Groner with a nice one...  On the Dean.

Day three at BC West

There's something special about this place...  Outside of the incredible food, comfy accommodations, and genuine hospitality of the folks at BC West, there's just a feel to the Dean that's magical.  It's a combination of swinging your fly through some of the most bitchin steelhead water on the planet, while standing under the cathedral of the BC coast range, and the fact that these steelhead are truly magnificent.  More to the point, every one of them kicks the ever living crap out of you.  But it's more than that... There's an energy about this place that can't be described in words or with photographs. 

The Dean River is Heaven

Day one on the Dean and the river is living up to it's reputation...  We had an awesome session of fishing this evening.  Fish were hooked, fish were lost and fish were landed.  The scotch has started to flow and the stories of the day are being told in the club house.  Belinda's cooking is as good as ever and all is well in the world.  We're on the Dean again.

The Road to the Dean... Bella Coola, BC

Glad this guy knows what he's doing...

The flight into Bella Coola, BC has a tendency to make your ass-hole pucker like a balloon knot... It's kind of scary.  You descend thousands of feet very quickly and the nearby steep canyon walls are a visual reminder of why flying into remote parts of coastal BC takes a certain breed of pilot...  They must be a little crazy.  Despite the turbulence, we made it to our jumping off point for BC West and the Dean River yesterday.  Today we fly to steelhead nirvana.

-Tom Larimer

Headed to BC West and the Dean

Dean River Rodeo... Try to hold on for 8 seconds...

Only four more days and I start my journey north to BC West and the Dean River.  I'm taking a great group of anglers up there this season.  Given the email traffic lately, I think they're excited!  Just saw a report on FaceBook from Simon Gawsworth...  It's on like Donkey Kong!  We fly in to camp via chopper this Saturday.  Stay tuned for posts during my trip.

The Dirt on Hickman's Dean Week

Larimer Outfitters head guide Jeff Hickman returned last week from his hosted trip to BC West and the Dean River.  The guests had a blast.  Over-all, there wasn't the numbers of fish like Jeff's week last year, but the average size made up for it... The found some monsters!  Getting stoked for my trip on August 5th!

-TL

Hickman's Dean Trip Update

LO client Jim Greenleaf with one of his Dean River treasures

If the grin on Jim Greenleaf's face is any indication of how the fishing has been on Jeff Hickman's hosted week at BC West, I can't wait to get there!  Check out his other fish of that day on the Deneki Blog.  You can also get updated fishing reports on the Deneki Facebook page.

I head north to BC West and the Dean River in just a few short weeks...  Tying flies like a crazy man!

-TL