I would have to second Rex's assessment of Dennis. He is a superb teacher and a really nice person to boot. I met Dennis many years ago at the Seattle Sportsmans show when I was practice casting a rod I was thinking of purchasing. He watched me for a few minutes and asked politely if he could give me some advice on my casting. I accepted and he proceeded to show me what I was doing wrong with my haul.
About 4 years ago one of the guys I was working with wanted to learn how to fish for steelhead with a fly so we signed up for one of Dennis's classes on the Skagit. Dennis pulled us all up on a bar to show us where he thought the fish would lie and how to go about bruising a lip or two. He first asked us to show him what we had on our rods. One of the hooks someone had was very dull and of a type that he didn't particularly like and he said something to the effect that every time he used a fly tied on that hook he lost fish. He then went on to describe where the fish might be and how to go about getting the fly in that location. I was standing down river a little ways and as Dennis swung the fly down I saw a big flash and swirl and the fish took off. With a surprised look Dennis asked if anyone had seen that! He then reeled in the line of the rod he had borrowed and looked at the fly. It was tied on the hook he had just been talking about and was not very sharp! BTW: The fly was immediately changed to one of a similar pattern but on a different hook. Of course no one else touched a fish the rest of the day :( If I get the chance I will probably book a full day trip with Dennis just to fish with him as he is very knowledgeable and very entertaining as well. Gary Johnson -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Rex S. Takasugi Sent: Sunday, January 11, 2004 11:39 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: Steelheading, where to start ... Hi, Mark! I have Trey Combs big book and it is a great book, for sure. However, for practical, on-the-water advice, I'd suggest hiring a good guide. It's expensive, but the educational experience is great. It is one thing to read about fishing a "current seam," but it is another to be actually shown where it is and to hook a fish there. I learned most everything I know about fly fishing for steelhead from a guide named Dennis Dickson, who lives up in Arlington on the N. Fork Stillaguamish. There are other good guides like Dennis, but he is the one I hired. If you can't afford to hire a guide like Dennis, then at least visit his web site at www.flyfishsteelhead.com and go to the Links, then Stories and Articles www.flyfishsteelhead.com/stories.htm and you'll learn a lot of practical tips on how to fly fish for steelhead, at no cost. Best, Rex
