A True Work of Art

As you've seen in previous posts, I targeted kokanee salmon (landlocked sockeye) pretty heavy a few months ago. My goal was to catch a big spawning male so I could get a replica mount done.  A lot of research went into finding the right person to do this mount, including craftsmanship, turn around time, and price. I found several people that fit one or two aspects of what I was looking for, but one person met all the criteria.

Skips Carving is out of North Carolina, and he hand carves and paints each piece that he does. I gave him a few pictures and measurements to go off, and he did the rest. He truly creates a work of art, not just a run-of-the-mill fish mount. I received my mount earlier this week and couldn't be happier with the results. If you are looking to get a replica mount done, check out Skip's page to see all the different species he's done. He's easy to work with, and does an incredible job. You can see the progression of my mount below.

 

Another Report From the Weber

The browns are still very active on the Weber. They are in full spawn mode, so be extra careful when walking the river so you don't walk on any beds. They took Jigs and Rapalas.  I was able to catch quite a few browns, but nothing too big. The weather was perfect, and all-in-all it was a fantastic day on the water.

 

 

Fishing and Friends

This past weekend, Kevin and I headed out to the Weber to catch some fish. We have been friends for several years, but this was the first time we had fished together.  It was also Kevin's first go on the Weeb. We arrived at the river early, and the fishing was a little slow starting out. As we made our way up river, the fishing seemed to pick up. By the end of the day, we were getting fish out of just about every hole.

It was amazing to see the browns jockeying for position on their spawning beds. You could see them splashing around up river, and their wake as they cut through the shallow water. At times, there were beds in such shallow water, that their backs were out of the water! It reminded me a lot of fishing for salmon in Washington.

We were extra careful of our footing as we made our way along the river, as to not step on or disturb the beds. We picked off fish from several holes, and were able to land several quality fish. The fight that a feisty brown gives will never get old! It turned out to be a great day, and I'm looking forward to fishing (or hunting) with Kevin again soon.

 

Almost to the net!

A nice 20 inch Weber brown.

Kevin with his first fish from the Weber!

Feed me!

A stout brown that slammed Kevin's offering.

This brown was quite acrobatic, jumping several times out of the water.

Snapshot of the Week Contest Winner

This past Saturday, I found out I won KSL Outdoors Snapshot of the Week contest. You can see the video here. Below are the pictures I submitted. A big thank you to KSL Outdoors and Camp Chef for the honor.