Male, 73 cm, two visible tags behind the dorsal, clipped already. The data is entered. We drive the holding tanks upstream about a mile above the work area, then carry them to the stream and gently release a couple more.

Photo: Jay Humphrey

A sometimes guide on the Methow, as well as on the Olympic Penninsula and elsewhere, Matt sent us this lyrical gem on the nuances of getting your ass kicked in Spokanistan, WA.

He spent twelve months evading Himalayan storms, honing his photography skills, learning how to live out of a pick up, and fine tuning the art of making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

If you expectafish it happens, if you dont it doesn't. My dentist, Doc Covello, who got the BASS bug several years ago, was good enough to fill a giant whole in one of my teeth. He's been using his dental tools to make BASS jigs, and we  were talking about coming up with some kind of a buzz-bait you could huck with a fly rod.

We anticipated heavier-than-usual Fourth of July boat traffic and wanted to be in the right place at the right time to scrutinize any ensuing PMD or bikini hatches the river gods decided to give up. Unfortunately neither fully materialized.

Hours are punctuated by rises, hookups, and releases. Bugs emerged late each day. Sallies, small caddis, and some mays. The fish were more aggressive between 4 p.m. and dark.

Photo: Jay Humphrey

The stripers are in, they're big, and ready to eat an assortment of Mushies, Clousers, Walking Sticks, and Slug-Gos (just get on with throwing softbaits and stop the moral high ground whining).

Photo: Liz Steketee