Best and Worst of Fly Fish Food for 2013

Drum roll, please...

In looking back over the year, we wanted to throw out some of our most memorable moments, fish and patterns -- both the good and the bad. We're also stoked to be a part of some exciting things for the coming year, so stay tuned for some announcements in the next few days!

In the meantime, here's the list....

Worst (not much was "bad" this year, but you gotta know the bitter to appreciate the sweet).

1. Socks aren't necessarily made to be good toilet paper. Nature yelled hard when Cheech had to make a quick and urgent run to the rustic 1920's era outhouse on a remote lake to get rid of three days of gut-busting convenience store and camp food. As he emerged from the woods, a greatly relieved man, he lifted his pant leg and asked "Hmmm...where's my sock?". Lucky for him, there was a nearby campsite that had some extra man-sized wet wipes so he could finish the job.
2. Wader Farts. The. End.
3. Fly eating, rod-breaking trees. We broke a few rods this year, but Cheech, as usual, did it in the most spectacular fashion, yanking a two-dollar fly out of a tree, breaking his $600 rod in the process.
4. Fishing for Musky in a river of chocolate flowing into Willie Wonka's chocolate factory.
5. Hiking to a "secluded" lake full of enormous trout, only to be run off by a huge pack of venomous scouts.

Best

1. The response and support from all you that read our stuff and watch our videos. We throw some crazy stuff out there and it's nice to see people digest and appreciate it. We have a lot more to come, so stay tuned!
2. Streamer Fish. We fished a lot of new streamers this year and had a ball pulling out some nice fish from some really awesome and varied waters. Check out here, here and here

   

   Hungry Splake that chased down a big streamer

   

   A cutthroat stuffing his face with a Cheech Leech

   
   

   

   Honey Badger Don't Care.

3. Some incredible Salmon Fly Fishing. We lucked into some of the better salmon fly action we've seen in years. Big dry flies and aggressive fish! Read more here.
   

   

   Peekaboo, Mr. Pteronarcys Californi

Mouthful, a Salmon Fly pattern inhaled by a brown trout

Year of the Bluegill. We had some fun throwing out patterns and hitting the local bluegill ponds as part of the "Year of the Bluegill" (see TFM for more details), which Cameron summarized nicely today here. In addition to the chunker below, there were some good fish this year and fly patterns were rolling off the vise for testing on a consistent basis. Read our bluegill content here...

Bluegill taken on a white popper

The Foam Dragon, Bluegill Fly pattern

High Country Trout. 2013 proved to be a great year of bush-whacking, hiking and exploring waters new and old in the waters of the back country. We spent many o' night under the stars and had some cold mornings, some tough hikes but most of all, some awesome fish. The fish weren't always big, but the scenery was usually insane and the beauty of these fish remind us of why we pursue these crazy fish. Either way, we're counting the days until the snow is melted and once again, we can head for the hills. See more content, here, here and here.

Colorful Brook Trout taken on the Chimera pattern

High Mountain Cutthroat who has a taste for Damsel adults

Colorful cutthroat taken from a very small remote stream

A beautiful splake taken on a cold mountain lake

Dry fly action with cutts on a high elevation lake

Thanks again for being part of Fly Fish Food in 2013. This next year will have a lot more in store...