Testimonials

Howard has a great blend of roe. It is the right consistancy and color, it also holds up for multiple casts and long soaks. In fast water and slow water, Howard's blend really works. I caught 10 pound, 13 pound and 18 pound natives on the Eel river using Howard's blend. Thanks Howard!

-Jay, Santa Rosa, CA 2009

National Geographic Adventure, published February 2009
"The season's best weekend trips."

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Let a Wild Steelhead Bend Your Hook

Native steelhead are venerated in northern California: They’re the focus of the annual Wild Steelhead Festival in Healdsburg (February 6–8; healdsburgsteelheadfest.org) and the star attraction in the Russian River come February. "Steelhead are one of the hardest fish you’ll ever catch," says guide Howard Binney. "Hook one and you’re hooked for life" (guided fishing, $175 per person, per day; superiorguidefishing.com). Although wild steelhead have been generally declining for years, the Russian teems with both wild and hatchery fish. When they venture upriver, averaging eight to 14 pounds, the steelhead have been at sea for six to eight years, and as Binney puts it, "they’re full of fire, piss, and vinegar."