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In like a lion, out like piece of cold mutton.

April 10, 2012 / Kirk Werner / 11 Comments

March is said to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb. I can confirm that as the month began, I was glad for my beard because the Pacific Northwet rang in March with a certain ferocity (cold, wet, snowy/rainy, crappy). And it didn’t improve much by month’s end. Lions or lambs, either way we’d been screwed by the weather. If you think I’ve been bitching about nothing, check out this graphic from the National Climactic Data Center:

The weather blues, literally.

Needless to say, March was a good month to put in the rear veiw mirror. The end of the month also signals the end of the Washington state fishing license for the previous year. Here in the Ever~~green~~blue state, the fishing license calendar runs from April 1 through March 31, and my son, Schpanky, and I were milking our 2011 licenses for all their worth by fishing on the last day that our licenses were valid. We hoped to get our money’s worth on our second annual trip to Forks for some ~~Spring~~ steelhead fishing.

Last year’s pilgrimage to the last bastion of native, wild steelhead fishing in the lower 48 was a trip with my buddy Joe Willauer of Evolution Anglers that resulted in my son’s first two steelhead, one of which caught under the glow of a double rainbow. It also resulted in a skunk for yours truly, and the regretful, forgetful act of leaving behind a few reels. Reels are essential for steelhead fishing and luckily I was able to avoid an inadvertent introduction into the ways of Tenkara thanks to a reel borrowed from Joe’s buddy and fellow guide, Aaron O’Leary of Angler’s Obsession.

We hoped to repeat some of last year’s antics and avoid repeating others.

First off, we wanted the rivers to be fishable. In an area that sees more annual rainfall than any other spot in the contiguous US below the Canadian border, the rivers of the Olympic Penninsula blow out with regularity. In a year where the weather was worse than normal (whatever normal is anymore), the odds of encountering fishable waters for a one day window of opportunity which had been booked months in advance is a dicey prospect. Last year we fished the Hoh River and were rewarded with a river on the drop. This year I nervously watched the flows the week before our trip. Here’s what the Bogachiel River, which we would be fishing, looked like:

It has blown-out mid week but was on the drop as we headed to Forks on Friday the 30th of March. But would it hold? Not to spoil a surprise, but yes. It held. It was high, but fishable.

As we made the 3 hour drive to Forks, we encountered pretty much what we expected: rain and signs of recent rain. Even a little white stuff as we neared our destination.

Dusting of Olympic Penninsula powder.

To think that fire danger can ever be high in this area is almost laughable.

Duh...

I did not want to forget any essential gear this year, so I was very careful to remember nearly everything. Spey rods and reels, check. On Friday night (well, technically it was Saturday morning at 2:37 AM) I awoke in a cold sweat after realizing that I’d left my single-handed 8 weight rod AND reel at home. While Schpanky slept soundly I tossed and turned until 4:13 AM. I realized there was only one thing to do so at I sent Joe a text confessing that I’d left certain items behind, and asked that he bring an extra rod and reel. Then I fell back to sleep for another hour and a half. When we met for breakfast at the Forks Coffee Shop at 6:30, Joe revealed that he had not received my text. Damnit. Not to worry, Aaron was nearby and had us covered. Again.

My favorite reel to borrow when I go to Forks.

With a fishable river and the proper tackle in possession, the next thing we hoped to repeat was the catching of steelhead. Only this time I actually was more concerned with my own well-being than that of the boy. As a 17 year-old child he’d caught his two fish last year. There would be no more coddling. He was 18 now–old enough to buy smokes and porn: old enough to let his old man catch a fish.Within 30 minutes of our put-in, Schpanky hooked and landed a beautiful 15 pound hen. Even under low clouds and a steady, drenching, 38 degree rain, the day was off to a bright start. Joe would see at least a portion of his $15 tip.

Joe Willauer and Schpanky

The Accomplished and Unaccomplished Anglers

It’s always a relief to get the skunk off the boat early and doing so ensured that the day would be a success, even if no other fish were caught (I kept saying this to myself over and over). I’ll admit that as the day wore on I began to resent the man-child in the front of the boat; the youthful angler who had now caught 3 wild steelhead on the rivers of the Olympic Penninsula, to my none. When I set the hook on a good fish later in the day I instantly felt better about myself until the fish–a bright buck that was clearly much larger than Schpanky’s fish–made short work of me as it made a suicide run right for the bank of the river and broke me off. As we broke for lunch I was engulfed in a dark cloud of angling despair.

The Highway 101 bridge, while perhaps not particularly scenic, did offer a welcome roof over our heads and we enjoyed the chance to get out of the rain and warm up with a Cup of Noodles served up with Joe’s organic silverware.

Nothing but the finest when you're a guest in Joe's boat

Joe and I were both sporting a pair of Redington Sonic Pro Zip waders and posed for a photo which I’m sure will become a new poster for Redington. On a quick note, this was my second opportunity to test the waders and so far, two thumbs up. On a day of relentless precipitation, the waders kept me dry and comfortable, and Joe and I both agreed that the zippers are a must-have. There is no pleasure in getting half-way undressed to relieve pressure on the bladder, especially when doing so in a rain forest.

They come in a wide variety of sizes.

As the afternoon wore on we mostly nymphed on the go, although we did stop at a couple runs so we could break out the Spey rods. Or as Joe refers to them, the “Poles of Futility”. Not surprisingly, no fish were hooked on the swung fly. The afternoon saw a continuation of rain and a couple more hookups with fish. Whereas the morning had resulted in Schpanky landing a nice fish while I lost a nice fish, the afternoon saw Schpanky losing a small fish while I landed a small fish. One doesn’t go to Forks to catch 5 pound underachiever but it’s better than nothing, especially when nothing is what one had come to experience previously. In defense of the fish in the photo, it looks smaller than it actually was thanks to Joe’s ridiculously large net~~, and my oversized hands~~.

An unimpressive fish and an Unaccomplished Angler

When all was said and done, we’d had a great day on the river. Schpanky will be in college this time next year so he won’t be able to make the trip, and because of college I may not be able to afford the trip. If I do go I’m going to catch a bigger fish and remember my 8 weight rod and reel. Just for good measure, I hope Aaron is close by again.

A reward for having waited

April 3, 2012 / Kirk Werner / 8 Comments

It was nothing short of an act of desperation when I called Marck and said, “I need to fish on Sunday.” Fortunately his response was favorable. Too many months had passed since I’d wrapped my hand around the cork of my 4 weight. Too much crappy weather had been endured recently. I didn’t just need to get out and go fishing, I needed to do so on a day that would brighten my outlook on life in general.

I spent the entire day before our trip doing yard work, something I’ve grown to loath with each passing year. You see, I live in fear of our yard. It’s rather sizable and induces head-spinning Landscape Maintenance Attention Deficit Disorder. By the time I finish one project in the yard, all I need to do is look to my left or right and see numerous other tasks needing attention. There is no getting ahead, no sense of accomplishment. Just perpetual hopelessness against a yard so needy that it drains a man. However, with got one task completed, I left on a particular Sunday morning with a conscience that was as clear as the skies.

That was the ticket: clear skies.

Anyone who lives anywhere knows that this time of year is completely hit and miss when it comes to weather, and Mother Nature changes her mood on a whim. One may pick a day based on the weather forecast, but there’s no guarantee the weather will hold up it’s end of the bargain. This time, however, the weather was actually better than I’d hoped as we drove east, across Snoqualmie Pass, which was still tightly in the grips of winter.

As we drove along the river into the lower Yakima Canyon, it was apparent that other angling types had the same idea as us (skwala hatch), and there were several boats on the water already. No worries, we weren’t in a hurry. In fact the longer we waited, the warmer the air and water would get. Red’s Fly Shop was kind enough to sell us a few obligatory skwala dries (we didn’t need them, but we like to drop a few bucks in the shop). We arranged for our shuttle and chatted up with owner Steve Joyce, who happened to be getting ready to hit the river himself. We laughed about botched shuttles in the past and got the low-down on the new shop, which is long overdue. Construction is well under way with a completion date of August (hopefully sooner). It looks to be a really nice facility that will also offer the opportunity to grab a burger and a beer, and a deck on which to enjoy both. I can see myself spending a fair amount of time on that deck once it’s complete. Because I really like burgers.

The new fly shop at Red's Fly Shop

With the water temps headed toward 44 degrees, we fully expected the skwala stoneflies to be popping and fish rising to this first major hatch of the year. Our expectations for perfect catching conditions were exceeded by the weather which was, in fact, perfect. It was one of those days where just being on the water was reward enough, and catching fish was not the foremost concern. That’s what fly anglermen say when the fishing is slow but in this case being on the water under blue skies really was all that mattered. We were able to fish in short sleeves under a bright sun that warmed the day into the low 60’s. Just the ticket for the pasty, vitamin D-deprived skin of winter.

Marck took the oars first as he always does (it’s his boat, and he’s a bit of a control freak). Our general rule is that one guy fishes until a fish is caught and he was on the oars for an hour before the first rainbow fell for my skwala dry. Not a large fish by any standards, the Yakima 12 (translation: a 10 inch fish) served to get the skunk off the boat. Normally I wouldn’t waste the time or film on a fish this size, but I had time, wasn’t shooting film, and this was the first Yakima fish of the year. And I was in a festive mood. I gladly swapped places with Marck and promised I’d keep The Hornet off the rocks as much as possible.

A Yakima 12

I ~~bounced off several rocks~~ rowed for quite some time before we broke for lunch, another highlight of the day. Marck has become a masterful meat smoker and the pulled pork sandwiches he brought along were exceptional, especially when paired with a cold beer. After lunch I was back in the bow, trying in vain to fool another fish on the skwala. We saw a few adult stoneflies on the water, but not in any great numbers, much to our surprise. We saw a couple nice fishing rising in a slow seam and anchored up on them. Whatever bug they were taking was small–probably in an emerging state because there were no bugs visible on the surface. These fish weren’t willing to play, so we moved on.

Marck broke out the nymphing stick for a spell but that didn’t produce any more results than the topwater attempts. We traded positions one last time and in one last act of desperation I decided to try something a little different and tied on a March Brown. That might not seem like such a radical idea as it was late March, after all. However, the March Brown hatch wasn’t exactly happening just yet. Throughout the day I’d seen an occasional small brownish mayfly coming off and I figured if the fish weren’t eating skwalas, they probably wouldn’t eat a March Brown either. I had nothing to lose.

There’s one nice stretch of dry fly water just before the take out, but thinking that it would produce a fish was really little more than wishful thinking and it appeared that one fish might be our tally for the day. It didn’t matter, really, that we caught any fish, or that the one fish was caught by yours truly. I’m not competitive.

Within sight of the takeout, a Yakima 14 (meaning a 12″ fish) hammered the March Brown and gave me a two fish advantage over Marck’s skunk.

Perfect day, indeed.

Olive needs a kick start

April 2, 2012 / Kirk Werner / 2 Comments

The Unaccomplished Angler would be remiss if he didn’t use the vast reach and powerful influence of this blog to help his alter ego during a time of need. After all, Olive the Woolly Bugger is kinder, gentler, more likable character, and she catches more fish.

She’s trying to gain funding to develop an app for the iPad, and well, she needs your help. Please check out her Kickstarter project; consider pledging your support and spreading the word.

Olive, and the Unaccomplished Angler, thank you.

Stop this dam project before it gets going

March 28, 2012 / Kirk Werner / 11 Comments

I rarely post topics like this, but this one I can’t let pass unannounced.

I was recently contacted by a friend who I went to high school with. She wrote me to let me know that she recently gave up a good-paying job in LA to move back to the Pacific Northwet for the sole purpose of fighting a dam proposal on her favorite river, the Skykomish, on which she learned to fly fish.

The lower Skykomish is only 8 miles from where I live and I’ve fished it many times for steelhead, having even been successful on one occasion. I also caught a bull trout/Dolly Varden once, so I guess that’s two successes. But I digress…

The Snohmish County PUD has filed for a preliminary permit to build a small hydroelectric dam on an upper stretch of the Skykomish. It’s just insane to even be thinking about adding dams in this day and age where there is widespread opposition to any structures that block fish passage and flowing water. This dam would produce an insignificant about of hydro power but would damage a river that is only one of 4 rivers designated as Wild and Scenic Rivers by the Washington state legislature.

Please take a moment to visit the website for Save the Skykomish and sign the petition.

This damn idea is bad and needs to be stopped.

Thanks for your help.

Signs of Spring

March 27, 2012 / Kirk Werner / 18 Comments

Although the weather hasn’t been exactly Spring-like, save for 3 recent days which have since given way to more cold rain, there are reminders that technically it is Spring.

A disturbing sign of Spring.

Nearly every morning for the past week or so I’ve been awakened by the familiar, disturbing sounds of woodpeckers beating their peckers on the house. Sometimes they pound away on the gutters, which is annoying. Other times they engage in a more troubling practice of using the house itself as a percussion surface. This is not good. They are causing property destruction.

Red-Naped Sapsucker, alive.

There are two species of culprits in question. I’m no ornithologist but I believe the Red-Naped Sapsucker to be the less frequent offenders. They’re also more easily deterred–all I need to do is shoo them away and they don’t return for sometimes days. Last year I discovered one of these dead peckers on our roof. It was sad, and I wept.

Red-Naped Sapsucker, not alive.

As I mentioned, the little red-headed sapsucking peckers are easy to intimidate. I only wish I could strike that sort of fear into the Northern Flickers, which are the serial offenders. These larger, more annoying birds seem to revel in taunting me. If I so much as open the door to step outside, these birds are always one step ahead of me. Before I can level the scope of the pellet gun, the flickers are alreadly flying off at great speeds. They’re crafty little peckers, too. They seem to know the effective range of the pellet gun and perch well beyond that distance.

Norther Flucker, er, Flicker.

I’ve contemplated the skittish nature of the Flickers and have determined that either we can keep going round and round with this never-ending dance as we have for years, or I can step up my game. The pellet gun is ineffective, that much has been proven. What I need is more firepower and more coverage. It may be time to bring out my favorite shotgun and a box of #6 dove load that’s just been collecting dust for years.

Mr. Flicker, meet Signore Beretta.

There may not be much left of the feathers if my shot is not unaccomplished, but let’s assume, hypothetically, that the damage is minimal and there are ample feathers leftover:

What would you tie with the feathers, and what would you all the new pattern?

Discuss.

Waiting

March 20, 2012 / Kirk Werner / 19 Comments

I’m officially waiting for what seems like everything.

I haven’t wet a fly line in months. Steelhead season closed early in these parts except for the Olympic Penninsula and that’s a weekend trip in and of itself. I haven’t had an entire weekend free. I will however, be headed for the OP on last day of the month, hoping to improve on last year’s outing. Translation: I hope it’s me that catches fish this year while my son, Schpanky, tastes skunk. His first time fishing for steelhead and he catches two. That ain’t right. He’s 18 now, I’m done coddling him. The trip has been booked for months, and for months I’ve been

Waiting.

Today is officially the first day of Spring, but round these parts you sure wouldn’t know it. This year is shaping up to be just like last year: a “La Niña bookend”, as the local meteorologists like to call it: colder than normal, constant rain and intermittent snow. It’s ugly. I watch the evening news and see the breadbasket of the country sweltering in 80 degree heat. While troubling, I gotta tell you that it sounds pretty damn good right now. How about we split the difference and everyone can be 60 degrees and pleasant—you know, spring weather? I have no idea how or why, but the grass is starting to show signs of growth. Unfortunately it’s too wet, the ground too soggy to mow. By the time it’s dry enough to mow, the grass will be knee high. While that makes for excellent Lawn Trout habitat, it causes problems for the lawnmower (me). What we in the Pacific Northwet need are a couple of weeks of sun and warm temps to dry things out, like the Midwest. That kind of forecast is nowhere on the horizon so I find myself

Waiting.

I’ve been trying to keep my mind off the weather while keeping busy with work. However, a very important side project has been weighing on me heavily and I’m waiting to hear back from a very influential company. I expected to hear back a week ago. When I didn’t, I figured no news was good news and they were giving my submission some serious consideration. A week later and still no word. I need to know if the answer is ‘no’ so I can move on, so I fired off an inquiry email. It’s eating at me and I can’t help but wonder how much longer I will be

Waiting.

Another important, but less important side project, is slowly moving forward. I sent an email to the president of a particular fly fishing company asking if they wished to be part of the project. After a week of waiting for a reply, I sent another email. Another week passed and yes, I’m still

Waiting.

It’s not about fishing, but recently I wrote a freelance article and submitted it to the editor of the Seattle Times. After waiting for several days without a reply, I left the editor a voicemail. Then I finally got an email reply, to which I replied. The conversation was still in mid-stride. That was over a week ago, and I find myself once again

Waiting.

As I sit here waiting for things to happen, I was looking forward to my first trout trip of the year. I was invited by my buddy Derek Young of Emerging Rivers Guide Services, to join him and another guy for a day on the Yakima. Because it’s been since last fall since I held my 4 wt in my hand, I was really looking forward to getting out. I was eager to try out my new Redington Sonic Pro waders, too. Unfortunately Derek had a little trouble with the axle on his boat trailer last weekend. He told me that if the new axle didn’t arrive in time, our trip would have to be postponed. Well, I got the call today—the axle wouldn’t arrive in time. While Derek waits for the axle, I await my first trout outing of the year. It looks like it will be well into April before I get to dust off my 4 wt. Until then, I’ll be

Waiting.

While I wait for one or all of the aforementioned things to happen, I thought I’d watch some paint dry. Luckily there’s a website for that, complete with a time-lapse camera. Check it out HERE. It’s riveting stuff, really.

Go ahead, what are you waiting for?

Dealing with two types of silence

March 13, 2012 / Kirk Werner / 13 Comments

I’m very excited because in a single day I eliminated one kind of silence and added another. It’s not as complex as it may sound—read on.

Please.

The first silence was of the deafening variety brought on by a lack of music. You see, over the course of the last year the 4 speakers that make up the stereophonic high-fidelty surround-sound in The Fish Taco have been gradually dying off. Ultimately I was down to one. Listening to music or anything else out of one speaker is downright unpleasant. It blares annoyingly, thinly, into one side of your head. With multi-channel studio recording, underlying music tracks are all but inaudible in most songs. About the only music unaffected by this are Johnny Cash songs, which I have plenty of. But I do like a little variety–mostly the Allman Brothers Band. As I said, annoying. Because of this the last month or so has found me been driving around without the stereo on. The lack of tunes detracts from the pleasure of driving; the silence affords too much time to think, which always gets me into trouble.

Keep reading.

The second silence, which I added, is music to my ears. Because my tires had become quite worn, the hum of the road surface permeated the cab of the truck and the surround-sound, high-fidelty drone was getting unbearable. The whine of the highway wouldn’t be such a bad thing if not for a certain lack of music. Alas, I’d become stuck between a rock and a hard place—or more specifically, stuck between a lack of rock and a hard surface (that was either very clever, or shamefully stupid).

So, what I did in a single day was go out and get new tires put on my truck and install new speakers. Now the hum of the road is drastically muted, which I marveled at as I drove home from Discount Tire, where I purchased the Cooper Discoverer AT3‘s. Dating back some 25 years, I’ve been a fan of Cooper tires. I had a pair of their Cooper Radial Discoverer AT’s which seemed incapable of wearing out. A friend of mine had the same tires, and the same experience. After reading a review of the AT3’s on a blog called River Mud (how could it be bad, right?) I decided to look more closely at the new Coopers. After discovering that they were significantly cheaper than the competition I decided to bite the bullet. I’d like to add that Discount Tire lived up to their billing and matched the much lower price I’d found online. Buying new tires, while it thrills me on many levels, is no cheap endeavor so saving nearly $70 per tire makes the pill a little easier to swallow. I could have limped down the road for another few months on my spent rubber, but I figured with gas prices going through the roof I better get tires before they follow suit. You should, too. Misery loves company.

Stay with me.

After I got home from the tire shop, I took advantage of a rare dry, warm day and installed the 4 new Polk Audio DXi570 speakers, which I’d purchased from Crutchfield. Since I’m plugging companies (and shamelessly hoping for some kick-backs) I’d like to note that Crutchfield has the best customer service of nearly any company I’ve done business with. I’ve purchased from them before, and will do so again if the need arises. No do-it-yourself vehicle-related project is ever as easy as it sounds on paper, but with Crutchfield’s detailed instructions, it went as smoothly as possible. A little custom fabrication was necessary on the rear speakers, which made me glad for the Dremel Tool, the single best invention since the microwave oven, and beer.

Are you still there?

I realize this is a blog about fishing, or at least it’s supposed to be. So when you stop by and find me writing about things like new tires and speakers for my truck, I fully accept that I’m likely to alienate some of my faithful 13 readers. So, if you’re still reading, thank you. After all, this is about fishing, indirectly: I need my truck, the Fish Taco, to get to and from fishing locations. And as I drive to and fro, tires and music are important part of the journey.

Now, to fish.

But first I’m going out to the garage to take a big whiff of that new tire smell. It’s music to my nose.

OK, now you can go.

You can see the new tires, and because the window is down you can almost hear the new speakers.

Note: after 5 days of owning the tires and speakers I can happily report that the tires handle exceptionally well in cold rain, of which we’ve had plenty, and the speakers fill the cab with goodness. I’ve been playing “Blue Sky” by the Allman Brothers over and over, and it sounds great, although it’s just wishful thinking.

A pant rant.

March 5, 2012 / Kirk Werner / 12 Comments

Over at Up The Poudre, blogkeeper Sanders inadvertently opened up a whole can of worms with his review of the Redington Sonic Pro Wading Pant.

Yes, you read correctly: Pant. Redington refers to the product in the singular:

In casual, everyday conversation we always refer to the garment in its plural form. When was the last time you heard someone say, “Hey, punk–pull up your damn pant!”?

A couple pairs of baggy pant.

We wear pants, or a pair of pants, but that doesn’t mean we’re wearing more than one even if we have two legs. If ever there were an instance where it should be referred to in the singular it would be the one-legged pirate, but even he wears pants.

Where does the plural come from? Is it because one pant has two legs? Fine. But if so then what about shirts? A shirt has two sleeves and yet remains, in reference, a shirt. Singular. If you say to a person, “Hey, nice shirts!” it suggests they’re wearing more than one shirt. And maybe they are, although I can’t imagine why someone would need to wear multiple shirts. For the record a t-shirt worn under an outer shirt is acceptable.

The matter of shoes just adds fuel to the fire. One shoe is just that: a shoe. Two shoes, or a pair of shoes, are plural, obviously. But shoes are different than pants. Shoes may be a pair, but they are individually separate, whereas pants are conjoined. Even though he wears only one pant, he’s not Spongebob Squarepant. Or is he?

When you buy a pair, you’re actually getting one. One way to make sure you’re getting more than one is to buy several pairs of pants, but who has that kind of money burning a hole in the pocket of their pant?

But back to the Redington Sonic Pro Wading…apparel. It’s an interesting “in-between” product and I can see the appeal for when you need some protection from the cold water but don’t want to end up panting in the heat while wearing a pair of full-on waders. Or is it wader?

It’s all so confusing and the complexity will drive you crazy if you let it. Or at least I speak for myself.

Anyway, Sanders clears up any confusion with a solid, honest review HERE.

Whiskey, Prozac and La Niña

February 28, 2012 / Kirk Werner / 8 Comments

Before winter even began, those that get paid to predict the weather were telling us that another La Niña event was imminent. Great—just what I wanted to hear. La Niña is a cold-hearted bitch. Last winter, she imposed her will upon us (those that inhabit the western US). She took us into her icy grip, applied a choke hold, and refused to let go. Winter turned into Spring without changing much at all. It seemed to go on forever, which wouldn’t have been so bad if I’d been able to get out and chase fish. But another biproduct of the winter was an extended Spring runoff that pushed well into summer. Good for fish, bad for fishing. So, yes, when they told me we were in for another La Niña winter, I made sure I had an adequate supply of medicine on hand.

Lo and behold, winter got off to a lazy start, unlike last year when we had a cold snap and snow before Thanksgiving. This year appeared to be a piece of cake as we breezed through December with mild temps and modoerate precipitation. Even into the New Year, things were mild and manageable. From my office I often gazed outside and thought to myself, “This isn’t so bad. I can do this.” Sometimes I even went outside. “Pleasant” comes to mind, particularly one week that seems so long ago.

And then she arrived. The Bitch herself. She dumped snow, then more. She forced me to buy new tires for Mrs. UA’s Exploder. She blew out rivers. She flooded roads. She convinced a ground hog to declare 6 more weeks of winter. Damn her. Fortunately I was distracted by work. But after a while of that, well—you know.

It’s going to be a while before she’s gone. I need to go fishing, clearly.

A contest: win a FREE Fishpond Nimbus Guide Pack

February 17, 2012 / Kirk Werner / 9 Comments

Water bottles not included.

The headline is perhaps a bit misleading so I feel as though I should clarify: Yes, you can win a Fishpond Nimbus Guide Pack, but it’s not free.

Not exactly.

If you read my review of the pack, you will see that an UA sticker is required in order to enter the contest. The stickers cost $3.50 and you can get them right HERE.

Required.

CONTEST RULES & DETAILS

Place your UA sticker on your vehicle or vessel: car, truck, SUV, rock-crawler, soccer mom van, boat, bicycle, motorcycle, Radio Flyer wagon or other mode of terrestrial or aquatic transportation.
Snap a photo that shows the sticker in place (remember, creativity can influence the vote)
“Like” and then post the photo to the Unaccomplished Angler Facebook page
If you have yet to order your sticker you best act fast because the deadline for entries is March 1st.
On March 1st I will place all photo entries into an album and open the contest for likes/comments. Because I lack the integrity to fairly judge, the people will decide: the photo with the most “likes” wins.
On March 6th I will declare the winner.
On March 7th I will ship the Fishpond Nimbus Guide Pack to the winner
Upon receiving the pack, winner will be on Cloud Nine.