Waters West

The proprietor, Dave, is an experienced angler and guide. The stock in the store is spectacular and Dave knows how to show you the right way to use it. If you’re into fly tying, the store stocks more than any other store I’ve been in. Well worth the trip.

+ you can rent a fly fishing rod for $ 25 and waders for $ 20
— I found the man who ran the store a bit rude. The young man (maybe his son?) was much nicer and taught us how to use the rods after we asked for some tips since neither my boyfriend or I had gone before. We weren’t looking for a full blown lesson, just some tips. The young man taught us how to cast but kept saying anything beyond that would cost $. Fine. However, it got to a point where we were apologetic for asking any questions. They just weren’t very friendly.
— They recommended that we go to a lake, even though the fishing lines they gave us were not made for lake fishing. A man who was watching us fish, later came to us to say we were pretty good at casting (thanks young man from the store!) but our lines were meant for the river and thus, not heavy enough for lake fishing. Also, the lake was not that great for fishing since the water was too warm. Sigh. Nonetheless, I had fun despite not being set up for success.

We stopped in quickly, new to fishing in the area, and they were very nice in explaining what we may need and where to go. They have a massive selection of flies and very knowledgable and friendly.

Dad and I went Steelhead fishing in July and we used this place to supply our gear and guides.
The first issue I had were with the rented waders. The first pair had a note inside that read «Left foot has a leak.» Had I not gone into that breast pocket out of boredom, I’d have had a wet left leg. The second pair they gave me turned out to leak in a much worse area — the crotch! I spent the day feeling as though I’d wet my pants, and without the warm comfortable feeling you get when you actually piss your pants.
The second, and much more serious, involved the guide they stuck us with on the first day. Sean means well I think, but he’s got serious anger issues and lacks any kind of patience. He can be downright mean.
1. Sean repeatedly asked me to look at him when he was explaining something. This happened probably 20 times that day. Guess what Sean, I can listen to you without looking at you.
2. Sean made me feel anxious due to his excessive hounding about my casting abilities. I pick up things quickly, but two-​handed fly casting proved to be difficult for me. He even went so far as to make fun of me. I was always looking over at him to see if he was watching me. This took all the fun out of that day because I was obsessed with his criticism of me. I only wanted to cast correctly and continually wanted his approval for some strange reason.
3. We had to make our own fucking sandwich. That was a first for me after 7 or 8 guided fishing trips. In addition, they were half sandwiches, leaving us hungry. No snacks and only water was provided. When you have breakfast at 4:30am and then have to wait nearly 8 hours to eat again (after casting and walking on slippery rocks for that entire time!), you’re gonna be pissed.
4. Sean never backed off of anything, constantly behind us telling us what to do. I’ve been fly fishing many times, and my father goes twice a year. We’re not noobs.
5. Sean got visibly angry at himself at least twice, screaming and swearing loudly. On one occasion, the net was stuck next to the cooler (no fish around, no reason to get upset). Another time getting stuck in the rapids/​rocks. I swear a lot, but it’s still unprofessional.
6. Sean’s boat was old and out of shape. The bow seat i was in would recline back sharply, causing stress on the support beam. He continually chastised me for leaning back as well as many other things.
7. Sean’s stress level was out of control during one part of the fast-​moving water — the wind had kind of poofed-​out my wind breaker and he batted it down sharply with his left hand so he could see a bit better. That was very jarring for me.
8. My Dad hooked a HUGE Steelhead and even after my Dad had told him how experience he was, Sean talked him through it non-​stop. Barking orders like mad. Dad was doing a great job and got the monster fish (11 – 13 lbs approx) within about 8 feet. Sean took the leader in his hand and moved toward the fish. The fish responded by spazzing out, but instead of letting him run a bit, Sean jerked back and the fish wriggled free, getting away — robbing my Dad of a great picture. It’s impossible to blame Sean completely for this particular situation, but I think it would have gone much better if he’d just stayed behind my Dad.
He was so bad that I didn’t want to give him a tip. In the end we decided that a 12% tip would send a message, especially if we gave the other guide more the next day (and we did, 20% or $ 100, even though we caught NO fish).
The only reason this review gets an extra star is due to Curt, the guide we had on day two. The owner of Waters West screwed up big time by hiring Sean and should have done a more proper job of vetting his guides. My Dad and I had a very bad time because of this guy.
Curt, who was amazing in every way possible. Well mannered, patient and kind, I never felt belittled in any way. This guy is a true professional. Even though I caught no fish that day, Curt made it a great day anyway. He was a pleasure to be around and allowed me to just take in the beautiful scenery and weather without being worried about someone breathing down my neck. Oh yeah — he had a HUGE assortment of snacks, drinks and a large and tasty sandwich for lunch. If you’re paying this kind of money, you need to make it first class all around.
TL;DR: For $ 500 bucks a day (most I have ever paid, including a trip to New Zealand and NewFoundLand), this was nearly a complete disaster. If you can somehow ensure you get Curt as a guide, I would highly suggest this place.
EDIT: We spoke to the owner about the problem and he refunded the $ 500 for the day. We didn’t expect that and he really listened and seemed to empathize with us. Thanks Dave!