So I had the extreme honor and privilege to guide country great Dierks Bentley last week. What a hoot! He had a few hours to fish before he had a night show at the Douglas County Fair. He wanted a small taste of the goods and he knew that catching a steelhead on the spur of the moment was probably not gonna happen. He didn't care.For him, it was a chance to jump in the old Jeep CJ that he tows behind the tour bus and flee the "scene" for a while. He just wanted to see the river,get in the water and see what all this steelhead talk was about.We met in the early afternoon and it was warm enough so he just wet waded. He was a good caster and he covered some nicely shaded water in the small window of time we had. The fish were not willing but we had a great few hours together in the beauty of the river I love....I think he loves it now too!A super down to earth guy that couldn't have been nicer. Just a regular guy who just happens to be super talented in the music department.

He generously invited my family and I( who were all on the river camping) to the show and took care of all the arrangements. He got us reserved seats down front and we were treated to an absolutely killer show! A great showman and singer he had the rowdy Douglas County crowd whipped into a frenzy in short order.He has a very tight band that was high energy and very animated. They were all having a great time up there and obviously love what they are doing. I was surprised when after the show, he invited us all on the bus where we met the band and just hung out with them for about 45 minutes. We were the only ones on the bus besides the band despite the hundreds of rabid fans still trying to get him to come out. We felt pretty privileged to be there that's for sure. It was just so cool. He gave my kids a tour of their rolling home which was quite impressive. They will never forget it that's for sure. I can't say enough about how humble and mellow Dierks and the whole band were. They made us feel right at home and were in no hurry to see us leave.But, eventually we had to go as they were heading North for another show and were heading out soon. My son wanted to ride in the bunk bed to Lake Chelan. We dragged him off the bus. An amazing night of fun!




Now to the fishing. As is typical for August it was tougher fishing for sure. I of course was fishing dry lines and dry flies and a muddler or two and couldn't get a sniff for a day and a half. I didn't fish super hard, and was enjoying some time running with the family. It was fun to watch my wife fish and try not to be a guide while I watched her. She is a great fly fisher and I wanted to see her get one.






 Debi fished hard in the afternoons and didn't get a sniff. I rose a fish one morning and then got one to go on a dry this morning. Despite heavy pressure on the river, I slipped right in to a spot that is often overlooked. It is a very difficult place to fish but it works and it didn't disappoint today.It was a way cool take. I watched as the fish moved from his lie and slowly circled the fly and then lazily grabbed it of the surface and went back to his lie. It happened so slow I actually let him almost get back to where he was sitting before sticking the hook in him. After a quick tussle,I released a nice buck. A great long weekend and I am feeling very blessed to live where I live and have the family that I do. Making memories can be very fun.