Norfolk Trout Club Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing Outing Yesterday

This is a photo collage from our Project Healing Waters fly fishing outing for disabled veterans yesterday at the Norfolk Trout Club. Today is my last volunteer activity for a while and then I am off to some serious fishing. For more info on Project Healing Waters go to www.projecthealingwaters.org

Panama Big Game Fishing Club Adventures!

My son Bill and I spent last week in Panama fishing with a number of our friends at the Panama Big Game Fishing Club. We flew into Panama City on a Saturday evening and spent the night followed by a tour of Panama City and the Panama Canal on Sunday before proceeding by plane to David (just south of Costa Rica) on the Pacific side of Panama. We then took a drive for about one hour and were transferred by boat to the fishing club on Isla Boca Brava. We spent five nights and fished four days and caught Sailfish, Yellowfin Tuna, Bonito, Cubera and Mullet Snapper. The accommodations, staff, and food were superb. When I got home I told my wife Sue that I now know what it must be like to be the queen of England and have a staff attentive to my every need. Hats off to everyone at the Panama  Big Game Fishing Club who made our experience unforgettable! For more pictures see http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3195578454164.165270.1407053045&type=1&l=5db1c98086

From my number one son, John. Trout fishing and steelheading out in Idaho and Washington.  What a trip.  We drove out to Superior, MT and over Hoodoo pass into the Idaho wilderness.  Once we made it into the woods, my friend Nathan and I stayed in a forest service cabin on Kelly Creek.  Kelly Creek flows into the North Fork of the Clearwater River, which flows into the mainstream of the Clearwater River, near Orofino, Idaho.  Orofino is home to the Dworshak steelhead fish hatchery.  This place is a very popular fishing area because the hatchery grown steelhead run from the ocean all the way back to the hatchery waters to spawn.  

Anyways, Kelly Creek is a world class Westslope Cutthroat dry fly fishery with fish averaging 18-22" during the summer season.  As we get closer to fall the Cutties migrate down river into the N. Fork of the Clearwater and down into Dworshak reservoir to spawn.  We caught mostly resident fish in the 14-16" range, but catching 30 in a day on October Caddis dries made for some awesome fishing.  I highly recommend you look into trying this place out some time.  The access to awesome camping spots is unlimited out there, and once you get tired of catching cutthroats, you can go chuck big streamers on the N. Fork for big bull trout.  And these guys get BIG, like over 30".  A great place to catch a trophy trout in the Idaho backcountry.  

From there we spent a couple days swinging wet flies on spey rods on the Clearwater below Orofino.  The final destination was the Grand Ronde River in Washington.  All in all, an awesome and humbling fishing trip.  

2011 Captain Kirk Fishing Report

Sorry for not making regular post this year but we have a good excuse…………………..we’ve been too busy fishing!
The season started off great with the spring migration of Striped Bass and the Blues have been strong all year long. We’ve also caught quite a few nice Black Seabass while trolling over shallow rips for Blues, Bonito, and Bass. They have been coming up after chartreuse Yozuri Deep Divers as have the Fluke. Most of the Fluke in the rips are small while the Black Seabass that choose to attack a 7 inch lure are good size. We have also done a bit of bottom fishing and taken nice size Fluke, Scup, and Back Seabass.
Bonito showed up more or less on time off the end of Martha’s Vineyard at the Hooter but fishing for them in Vineyard Sound has been slow. We made one Tuna trip to Peaked Hill Bar off of Provincetown and got into some top water action but were unable to hookup. We will be doing more of that in October so stay tuned. Right now we are waiting for the False Albacore to show up.More photos

Cape Cod Bass Bite

The Cape Cod Bass bite is hot!

Check out the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M66Cvdl2hzc

Capt. Kirk Receiving 100+ Hour Bedford VA Hospital Volunteer Service Pin

Captain Steve Kirk received his 100+ hour pin from Mary Ann Petrillo, RN, Acting Nurse Executive at the Bedford VA Hospital at the volunteer recognition luncheon on April 17th at Hanscom Air Force base for his 100+ hours of voluntary service during fiscal year 2010. Steve is the Program Leader at the hospital for Project Healing Waters Inc. a program dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active military service personnel and veterans through fly fishing and fly tying education and outings.

Concord Carlisle Fishing Club March 8th Meeting

Concord Carlisle Fishing Club Tuesday March 8, 2011

7:00 – 9:00 p.m. - Union Hall

First Religious Society, Carlisle MA

PRESENTATIONS

Fly Fishing the Deerfield River
Tom Harrison, Harrison Anglers
&
Atlantic Salmon on Gaspe Peninsula, Quebec Plus Spey Rod Basics by Jim Rusher, Jim Rusher Spey Schools

Tom and his brother Dan specialize in guided float trips on the Deerfield and other Western MA rivers. The Deerfield is a great trout fishery consisting of native species and large stockings of rainbows, browns, and brook trout. The lower Deerfield also holds great shad, smallmouth bass, and “bronze bonefish” (carp). Tom will discuss river access, fly selection, water conditions for big fish, give practical tips for wading and float fishing, and the opportunities for winter fishing.

Jim Rusher will talk about his Atlantic Salmon fishing adventures in Quebec on the Gaspe Peninsula and discuss the basic of using a spey rod for long distance fly casting. Jim owns and operates Jim Rusher Spey School in Routhierville Quebec.

For more information call Steve Kirk at 978-371-0176 or email Stevekirkfisherman@gmail.com

There will be a five dollar admission for room rental.

John Kirk Addresses the Concord Carlisle Fishing Club

While John was home from Bozeman Montana for Thanksgiving he gave a talk at the Concord Carlisle Fishing Club on which rivers to fish in South Central MT during various seasons of the year. Also included were tips on which flies to use to "match the hatch". He followed his presentation with a video from the Montana Wounded Warriors program which brings wounded U.S. servicemen and women to Montana to fly fish. John works at Montana Troutfitters in Bozeman as a guide is a volunteer for the Wounded Warriors program.

Captain Kirk at the Carlisle Cub Scouts

At the November meeting of the Carlisle Cub Scouts Captain Steve Kirk gave a presentation on where the kids could fish in the Concord Carlisle area. The talk included what kinds of fish frequent which habitats and suggestions on which tackle would be easy to use for those new to fishing. The talk ended with a free raffle for three Bass Pro Shops hats and a Zebco spinning rod and reel supplied by Captain Kirk...............and a great round of applause (which caused Capt. Kirk to "beam").

Montana and Idaho Fly Fishing

John Kirk on the Beaverhead River Madison County Montana with a nice Brown Trout caught on a streamer on a crisp November day.