Back At Camp: May 2026, Week Four

Hopefully you all will accept an apology for the late timing on this post. Better late than never, I suppose. It’s been a very busy week here on the High Lonesome. Grinding on the oars has led to some incredible success for the whole guide team here at the WFC and we’ve all had the opportunity to fish with some incredible people. Additionally, I’ve had a few photoshoots to knock out, and every other free moment has been dedicated to getting my OUPV+Masters courses completed.

There’s been a lot of talk about an egregious instance of fame-seeking here locally. I would be lying if I didn’t express the sense of betrayal I feel over it all though, I acknowledge that there isn’t much I can do now that the cat has been let out of the bag, long before this most recent bout of worldwide name-dropping.  

Truthfully, I’m not surprised by it. It was bound to happen. Nothing good is kept a secret for long and, once the secret is out, the good is milked from it shortly after. The only thing any of us can do, if we want lasting conditions in an untouched place, is to keep it to ourselves and only share with people we trust to preserve it and keep it a secret as well. 

It’s something I respect when I meet another angler. If he’s quick to spill the beans, I know better than to ever share my gems with him. He obviously doesn’t acknowledge the sanctity of quiet resources therefore, I’d be mad to expose them to him. In expressing that opinion, I’ve been hated a few times. I’ve been called a “gatekeeper.”

I’m failing to see the insult in that.

The Real Heroes

It’s funny, I see this topic come up quite a bit in different media and forums around the Internet. The broad demographic of sportsmen in every niche and branch hold varying opinions about it but among the outliers and top performers of each category, the sentiments remain the same across all the different arenas. I see it talked about much in the world of wildlife photography, where the most successful photographers, and the ones whose portfolio hold the most awe inspiring images; all of them seem to be of the same mind. They work individually as freelancers and contractors but are all in cohesive agreement, that the resource from which they are cultivating a lifestyle and a livelihood from should be protected. They all tend to agree that there is an inevitability that the demise of the resource will come with more pressure from human presence. This, they may or may not realize, is a statistical reality. I’ll touch more on that momentarily.

I’ve noticed the modus of discretion in which these allstars-of-the-lens operate. They take measures to protect what they have by firstly, keeping the name and the location of it quiet. They do not share their locations, or drop pins, or even mention the broad names of the surrounding areas of the places or wildlife they photograph. They hold those things tight to the chest and do everything they can to keep them a hard and difficult thing to access. Much of the time, they go as far as to scrub the metadata and attributes from the files they publish. Haters accuse them of “gatekeeping.” I couldn’t be more of a fan. 

Unfortunately, as history has taught us, the villains are sometimes able to corrupt the weakest of the ranks, leading to epic defection and betrayal…

Et tu, Brute?

Recently, a bomb was dropped on our rural dwelling subsect of the fly fishing community. A podcaster with ambitions of fame was tipped off by one of our own and consequently, he brought the Brutus of our little corner on-record to spill the beans about what we do here, and how we do it; for the entirety of the world to listen in on. This betrayal comes decades after a pact was made between he and the other few commissioned thought leaders who advised managing agencies in establishing this conservation unit, that none of them – nor any guides who worked under their permits – would openly advertise, market or, otherwise draw attention to this venue. 

This agreement they made, it was effective. I’ve known of and fished these waters for the majority of my life but, in that same span, have met very few people who are even aware of this place geographically – let alone the opportunities it presents. Meanwhile, a handful of like-minded conservationists were able to build solid businesses off the resource, only sharing its details or the methods used to have success there, with well vetted enthusiasts who were also sworn to secrecy. 

Brutus acknowledges all of these truths I’ve just described in the episode, going as far as mentioning “I might get in trouble [with the other members of the pact]” yet, he proceeds to spill the beans anyhow. History is littered and, in many cases, defined by epic betrayals. If the rest of us who rely on this resource proceed to gatekeep it, this betrayal won’t materialize into the same travesty as the Blackfoot, the Clearwater or the myriad of other rivers now subjected to 100 boats per day in the peak of season.

As for Brutus, if you’re out there and come across this post; your behavior is gross and it deserves nothing less than a discontinuation of your favorite whiskey and a jock itch that can’t be cured. I hope both find you soon. 

Why are Crowds Poison?

It’s a matter of archetype and the unfortunate truth about the human condition is that the favorable archetype for preserving a sporting resource rests within the minority group. Described simply; the harder it is to achieve success, the more humans tend to appreciate that success and therefore, the better stewards they will be of the things that facilitate that success. It’s an old principle, but it withstands the test of time. The truth is; if you expect it to come easy, you can’t be trusted to respect this water or the fish within it. 

Unfortunately, there’s really only one way to filter the crowd when the managing bodies won’t, which is uniformly the condition we find ourselves in here. Keep this resource difficult to access, difficult to find, and even more difficult to achieve success within.

The guys who know how to fish this water… they worked for it. They’ve earned the great days they have here becuase they’ve overcome plenty of awful ones. This is a brutally harsh environment, with little opportunity and game species that are very difficult to catch. 

That’s what makes this place so great so, if you are one of us please, keep doing the right thing by gatekeeping delicate information about this place. Preserve it for true anglers and conservationists, and protect it from the hoards who won’t appreciate it or respect it.

May-Week Four Highlights

I was on the water a lot this week. Andrew (Drew) and KT came out for their very first guided trip and first time fishing from a drift boat. They were fantastic clients and possessed the right attitude to get the job done. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again here: I can’t promise you even a single fish, let alone a trophy. Any guide who says they can is either delusional or lying. What I can promise you however, is that I will work my ass for you and that if you put forth the same effort and drive as I do, your chances of getting that big-dawg are great. Drew and KT proved that once again, with this absolutely megalithic Brown trout. Good work guys! 

Bill and Bodhi hopped in my boat early in the morning, while their four other counterparts mingled in the parking lot with Jax and Jake. They were hungry for a shot at the bruisers and I was infected by their enthusiasm like it was Covid. We pushed off from the ramp, wishing the other two boats luck, and went straight to work. Within the first few drifts, we had an aggressive eat on the surface. I knew then it was going to be a great morning. The wind forecasted for the afternoon worried me but, that was a problem for “Afternoon Kurt” and at that moment, I wasn’t going to worry about that asshole’s problems. We fished hard and found a few picture-takers. The fellas even doubled up on Browns, netting one 24” and one 20” in the same scoop. I had a fantastic time with these guys and I really hope to see them again soon. 

John and I shared a lot in common. We’ve both seen our death and we’ve both flipped it the bird before persisting on. Since his incident, he hasn’t been back to work and he struggled to find words to describe the feelings he was having about his purpose and future but, he didn’t need to. I know exactly how you feel John. He and his wife have been dreaming about visiting the western states for a long time and now, with a new realization of how fragile life can be, they decided they’d splurge for the 40th anniversary. I’m so grateful to be a part of your celebration of life and love, my new friend. Great work on completing the SLAM, with all three trophy species netted that day! I’m looking forward to our future adventures. 

Joe and Stan are a couple of longtime pals who travel and fish together all over the place. What a great pair of dudes, I mean, they had my spirits up all day. The wind was brutal and the fish were stubborn but, they each found a trophy trout and got to experience the heart break of a few opportunities missed. All-in-all, you really can’t ask for more than that of this hellacious place. Fellas, I appreciate you coming out and I’m looking forward to chatting with you about Alaska in the near future.

Patrick and Teri are the power-couple and brain-children responsible for one of (in my humble opinion) the handiest and most effective pieces of equipment on the market today, for fly fishing enthusiasts and guides. I’ve been a fan of the Oros Indicator systems since the day I, in a spout of frustration, decided I would never kink a leader under a Thingamabobber or lose that stupid rubber o-ring from an Air-Lock again. It was an absolute pleasure to have these two on the boat, along with the happy times that came from fishing alongside Jake’s boat, with Curtis King of Restorline and his lovely wife Lucy. Patrick was ready to play ball from the get-go but, Teri’s confidence wasn’t quite so solid in the beginning. I think this vicious river had put its cold hands on her the day before but, I didn’t care to ask. As my old man used to say, “we don’t have yesterday, we only have today and tomorrow.” If I had anything to say about it, today we would change her perception of the High Lonesome. At least, that’s what I told myself when she expressed to me early on that her goal for the day was just to get proficient enough to catch a White Fish. I’m proud to say we finally met that goal for Teri…

We just had to wade through a few gigantic trophy trout to reach it. 

Thank you everyone who spent time on the CaddisLack this week. I really appreciate you coming out to visit.

Current Program Happenings:

At the Wyoming Fishing Company

At WYAK Outfitters

Alaska is a truly wild place that everyone should experience at least once in their life. Once you do so, I doubt you’ll decide that just once was enough. I’ll be on location there, full-time, beginning in late-July. Coho should be starting to run by then, as well as Pinks. Fall Steelhead to follow in the coming months after. I have available dates throughout the Summer & Fall season, with ample opportunity to experience my home state with plenty of lasting daylight. We have tapped into one of the last authentically wild anadromous fish resources in the world, in establishing this program. Unlike much of the Pacific Northwest, Valhalla boasts an unihibited return, unburdened by competition with manufactured versions of the aquaculture there. This beautiful liberty presents itself in the moments when you’ve connected with one of these brutish fish, and the power of such a critter far exceeds the which one would be sure to expect.

Contact me about your next Alaskan adventure by using the form below or, any of the details on my “About Me” page.

2026/2027 Hosted Trip Calendar.

I have three trips locked down for which I will be hosting anglers in the coming year. All of them have limited availability remaining so, if authentically wild adventure peaks your interest, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Recently Published or Featured Work

• Rising recently featured an action shot I captured on my 360 degree camera, mounted to their exclusive “Mega-Net.” My client that day, Joe, was able to basket his big rainbow thanks to their large frame net design. Check it out here.
  
• Andrea Smith Tattoos recently featured a photo I snapped while Andrea was deep in focus in her craft. Andrea recently commisioned me to photograph her, in her element, and develop an artistic collage to be framed in her studio. Things are in the works now and I’m stoked to see the final result. Stay tuned! See the photo here.
  
• Wyomig Fishing Company recently posted the same photo I used as the feature of this week’s BAC, which illustrates my pure entusiasm over a giant Brown my client caught this week. Check it out here.
  
• Angling Frontiers added me to their team roster, making my inclusion official. I am extremely excited about this, and I’m looking forward to the work I will do there in both hosting wild adventures and, serving as a content creator. Check out my bio here.
  
• Whiskey Goats Outdoor Co. has added me to the team and I am now supplying them with partnership collaborations and content made with their products in the field. I’m stoked to be onboard and I plan to put their gear to the test in the real world of professional sporting. Check them out here.

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Equipment and Organizations I Advocate For:

There’s only one reliable shuttle service in the Green River basin.

My wife and I started Laughing Bear Shuttles to meet a desperate need throughout this watershed, for a professional and reliable boat ramp shuttle service. We are a small organization, with few committed employees of good character, who operate to deliver service excellence for the fishing communities of Sublette, Lincoln, and Sweetwater county.

If you’re coming out to fish or hunt, don’t forget your license and stamp!

Don’t get caught between a rock and a hard place! Research first! The laws and policies surrounding our game, access, boating, and industry are a huge contributor to maintaining our plentiful resources. APPLY HERE for all your licenses and tag needs.