Life In The Bubble....

[Capt Josh]

I finally have a day off here to get caught up on some computer work and bring myself back up to speed on what's been going on in the "real" world. As usual, most of the news isn't pretty, and after the last few hours of reading about doom and gloom I find myself eternally thankful for the fact that i spend most of my waking hours safely confined to my little bubble, happily catching fish from Canada to Mexico, and otherwise impervious to the somewhat depressing shenanigans that seem to permeate day to day life in the rest of the world.

So, with not much else that i'd rather talk about, let's get to the fishing....

This summer has certainly reminded me that, above all else, it pays to travel (even if by traveling you are really just coming home). I completely forgot about fishing salmon and halibut for a while, but the time i've spent up here in Tofino this season has firmly rekindled my love for the Pacific Northwest, it's bountiful waters, and the seemingly endless fun that one can have up here when the conditions are right.

There's little question that this season has offered up some spectacular fishing. Couple that with the incredible weather, a return to more familiar waters, and an eclectic mix of new friends and old, and i dare say that we have the makings for one of the most memorable summers on record. Truth be told, despite all of the crazy trips and adventures I've taken over the past ten years, nothing, i've discovered this summer, feels quite as good as coming back home.

It's been an absolute blast to reconnect with old friends and clients, catch up on the latest happenings around town, and spend some much needed time with the family. Perhaps i'm just getting older, but these days i'm finding more fulfillment in sitting around a campfire than burning the club scene down. (Though i am wary of making that claim on a more than semi-permanent basis!)

I spent the morning fishing the other day with my buddy Jay and his son Ben. Jay own's one of the most successful fishing outfits in town, and the only real fly and tackle shop, and he and i have certainly rekindled our friendship together this summer. We set off in search of halibut and had an absolute blast watching Ben crank up some feisty flatfish, including a respectable forty pounder on an ultralight set up.

At one point in the morning we hooked and boated a large octopus, and Ben and I literally laughed ourselves silly as Jay wrestled this beast as it tried to crawl up and under my steering console. Jay's a strong guy, but a grown man is hardly a match for a creature with eight arms and hundreds of suction cups. Hand to hand the octopus had Jay beat, and if it wasn't for the large fillet knife that finally came into play i think we'd still be re-wiring my Grady and scraping octopus meat out of the wiring harness. It was an absolute mess, i assure you.

Somewhere in the past two weeks we found time to jam down to Puerto Vallarta with the owner of Maximo for a week of fishing, surfing, and scuba diving in the humid August Mexican heat. While the weather certainly left a lot to be desired we did score one blue marlin and a handful of smaller tunas and dorado for the grill. With a mess of tropical storms and hurricanes brewing south of PV the surf was consistent and challenging, and it was sure a treat to get into the water without 5 mil wetsuits slowing you down.

It's funny to go back to PV after such a long time away, it definitely doesn't feel like home anymore, but it also doesn't really feel like a vacation either. I seem to be floating amongst several different locations lately, living a portable lifestyle between places that i'd once more or less called a permanent home. As usual i try not to pay too much attention, happy to surrender my fate to the whims of the gods. It is funny though when new clients ask me, so where do you live? Well..., i tell them, i guess here in Tofino, and sometimes various places in Mexico, Panama, and most recently PV. Not many people are OK with that kind of recklessness, but it seems to suit the Temple clan just fine.

All in all life is good amigos, as long as you don't pay too much attention to what's going on in the news.

[canyongear]

Great report there Josh..what dya' do with Octoputty?

[Capt Josh]

Great report there Josh..what dya' do with Octoputty?

I took a few legs for bait (caught a 65#er and an 80#er on those) and Jay and Ben ate the rest!

[gottaflylee]

Very cool JT, nothing like getting back to our roots...

BTW, what ya thinking, need a larger live well, nothing better that a foot of water in the cockpit...

[Capt Josh]

HA! It's been a while since i went backwards in a hurry amigo! Gotta love that chit!!!

[CFScheer]

Thats a pretty awesome batch of pics?

Are those kings you're catching wild, hatchery, or a mixed stock?

[Capt Josh]

Thats a pretty awesome batch of pics?

Are those kings you're catching wild, hatchery, or a mixed stock?

Most of the kings are wild, but there are definitely a lot of hatchery fish mixed in.

Tofino is privy to an abundance of Kings all season long, from April through late September, thanks to it's location and the fact that most salmon in the larger watersheds like the Fraser and Columbia migrate and feed throughout the area. The king season is truly 6 months long around here, a rare treat indeed.

Lets all hope that this kind of incredible salmon fishing keeps going, year after year!

[CaptAnthony]

NICE ! Great set of pics with the marlin.

Definitely a blessing to be with family...especially w/all the bs going on in mex.

[Hard Core]

Awesome read and pics as usual. That is truly an incredible fishery in Tofino.

[Capt Josh]

Yes it is amigo, the weather is perfect again and Mike from Pelagic gets in on the plane in about an hr. We are going to tear the chit out of them this week!!! Plans include saltwater salmon and halibut, fly-in fishing to the lakes and rivers for trout, summer steelhead, and salmon, camping, surfing, and some nightly debauchery Canadian style thrown in for good measure.

It's going to be a very, very good week!