Another Pic of Day
Nothing cooler than a fall steelhead!
Kevin Feenstra
Picture of the Day
The view of Blue lake from the trails of Indian Peaks Wilderness Colorado
My Encounter with a River Otter
One of the hidden benefits of being a fishing guide is the opportunity to witness cool moments in nature. Wildlife photography is a side hobby of mine, and for years I have been hoping to capture a good photograph a river otter.
A lot of times you see otters on TV and they appear to be social, gregarious animals that are friendly and curious. On the contrary, our local river otters are reclusive. Though they are always present, I only see them a few times of the year if I am lucky. Not only are they reclusive, but they are fast. They are as much land animals as water animals. Often when I see them they are running off onto dry land after catching a juicy trout.
Recently, I saw such an otter running down the bank. I had my camera handy and snapped a couple shots as the otter galloped by.
This was a typical otter encounter, and soon the otter disappeared into the brush. They are extremely fast!
I took the boat upriver and started to wade and spey cast, hoping for an early October steelhead. As I waded down the run, I heard a strange crackling noise. I looked upriver into some tangled brush to see the otter. He was crunching on a salmon carcass.
I was amazed to see the brutal efficiency of the animal. Otters are fierce animals. The otter had bright white teeth, and fed undisturbed for about ten minutes. I was able to get fairly close but did not want to ruin the animal’s dinner.
A lot of the wildlife that I see on the river is easily overlooked while fishing. It is often only when you look at the small details that some of the coolest things you can see on the river appear. Soon after they appear, they are gone.
Thanks for looking!
Steelhead iPhone Case
Eric K. sent in his iPhone Case that he had made from our Smug Mug Galleries. If you missed my post about the New Cell Phone Cases you can now make from our Mangled Fly images. Here is the first example of a great looking case. Thanks for sharing this image Eric, your phone looks great now.
Amazing Otter picture
Kevin Feenstra continues to take amazing pictures along the Muskegon River this Otter picture feasting on a dead Chinook Salmon is a once in a lifetime experience and Kevin captured it perfectly with this image.
New Camo Hat and Black Hat in AK
- Jerry Darkes sent in a few amazing pictures from his AK adventure on the Naknek River this past week. Swinging flies for big Alaska rainbows. Jerry has supported Mangled Fly for years, wearing a new hat on his many adventures. The Black Mangled Fly hat is great for fall / winter fishing hat, as black will absorb the sun rays and keep you warm. Hat will also fit nicely under the Mangled Fly Beanie if you need a little extra warmth
- A New Mangled Fly Camo hat is on the way, after a great summer of good luck with last batch of Camo hats , I can’t wait to see New Mangled Fly Camo Hat what we can catch with the New Camo hats. We went with the classic Mangled Fly Logo on this batch with a different Digital Camo pattern. Should have the New Hats on the site in a week or so. I’m current sold out of the original Camo Hats, but if you want one of the last ones, give Justin at Muskegon River Fly Shop a call he has a few remaining in stock.
