Guides:
Brad
McClain
Veteran Drifters guide Brad McClain has been
fishing the waters of the Eastern Sierra and creating fly patterns for
this region for over 20 years. He is a long time tennis instructor
and tennis coach for Ventura High School in California. His
exceptional people skills and coaching ability separate him from the pack.
"Mothra" has a work ethic that is unrivaled. The more expert anglers
will pick up the small things that will further enhance their angling
prowess. His clients often give up long before Brad is willing to
get off the water.
Bradley enjoys the
teaching of fly fishing to young children. His son Brendon has
embarrassed more than a few so called "experts". Bradley rates as
one of the best instructors for both beginners and experts in this area.
Brad has a custom 18 foot Willie drift boat and a 22 foot state of the art
flats style bay boat to accommodate his clients in style.
Brads Bio...
Graduate - Westmont College,
BA...Business/Economics
Born & raised in Ventura, California.
Married with 2 children.
Tennis Professional at the Pierpont
Racquet Club and Varsity Tennis Coach at Ventura High School.
I
enjoy working with people...whether it's how to hit a backhand, place a
fly in just the right spot or share a few laughs on the water. I'm an avid
trout and bass fisherman who believes in catch and release fishing. I've
been fishing the Eastern Sierras since 1979. The Eastern Sierra is a very
special place for me and I hope it will be for you as well.
We Let Our Clients do the talking...Here's
What Some Have Said About Spending their day with Brad:
Sent: Sunday, September 16,
2007 3:01 PM
To: Sierra Drifters
Subject: Thanks to Brad
I appreciate Tom's
choice to assign Brad to guide Dennis, Don, and me on Crowley on
Thursday, Sept. 13. After teaching elementary and high school student
for 34 years, I know when I am being taught by an excellent teacher, and
Brad is an excellent guide/teacher. We listened, learned, and hoped to
put the lessons to work during the Double Haul. While we caught 37 fish
with Brad, being on your own, in a little pontoon, with about 150 other
anglers in the same area certainly had its effect.
Well, Brad, none
of us had any qualifiers, but Dennis landed two, Don got two hits
stripping before he found the skunk, and I netted six out of seven that
I hooked. Fishing in the Green Banks area, I got one 12" stripping near
where you had our boat on Thursday. Returning to the area later, I saw
one fish surface and three guys had quick hits, but the other anglers
left and I settled into the spot and set my anchor. I pulled out my
6wt. XP and midged with your two flies. I hooked up in three minutes,
released the fish, and caught another within ten minutes. The action in
the area was really slow and the guys in the measuring boat came over
every time I hooked up.
In the last hour of the Haul, I hooked
into six rainbows! I released five and one
other made a quick 180 turn and popped the line at the hook. I was
surely sorry to lose that fly. I kept casting within 15 feet of my rod
tip and let the indicator drift from south to north. I used your
technique of popping the indicator at times and I had instant takes two
times.
Wow, Brad!!! What
a great feeling! Your lessons really paid off! The one guy in the
measuring boat stood up on the boat's casting platform and
shouted out that I
was where the action was!! He even waved his
arms at the crowd and pointed down to me! He was sure that eventually I
would get at least one qualifier.
I had planned to
leave the area earlier to fin my way back to the muddy eastern shore of
Green banks where Dennis's truck was parked. But how could I give up on
my hot spot? The angler that owned the anchored boat about 20 yards to
my right told me to keep trying for a qualifier and he would load me in
his boat and drive me across to the eastern side.
Everything worked
out! The measuring boat stayed with me and I
landed my last of three 15" fish in the last ten minutes of the
tournament. I then made three new friends when the guys from the boat
saved me a long paddle across the bay.
Thanks again,
Brad. Four years ago I was using a cane and could not drive (until
October) after having two strokes in June, 2003. Much of my successful
therapy was fishing out of a u-tube a little at a time until I built up
my strength and confidence.
Now I have had one of my most memorable fishing experiences and I owe
the experience to your teaching and proper use of your flies and
technique.
Thank you, Sierra
Drifters!
From: Bill DeWalt
~Hi,
Just a quick note to thank Sierra Drifters, and especially Brad McClain,
for a great first experience in a drift boat yesterday on the Lower
Owens. Moose Peterson and I had a great time with Brad, even though the
trout were down (due to the cold temps?) in the middle of the day. Brad
is a great guide and we enjoyed his company. I am attaching two (reduced)
photos--sorry none w. fish; we preferred to release our 11 rainbows w/o
subjecting them to the indignity of mugshots. It sure would have been
nice to catch one of those lunkers photographed on your web site though. I
hope to come back to the Owens River with Sierra Drifters some time with
my two boys Kieran (14) and Conor (9); maybe my wife Cathy can even be
persuaded to take up fly-fishing for a day. Who knows! With an
instructor and guide like Brad, anything is possible and they would have
fun too. Thanks again and best wishes. Patrick Kelly
~Dear Tom,
I thought you might like to see
troutzilla. We had a great time fishing with Brad today. Brad estimated
that the trout was about 7.5 lbs. Needless to say my best ever. Papa and I
want to thank you and Brad very much. D.J. Frees 13 Years Old & Grandpa,
Dan M.~Thanks Brad,
We really enjoyed ourselves this past weekend, and already look
forward to having you guide us again anywhere there is fish. The fishing
was great, the conversation was witty and except for Jim catching more
fish than I, it was perfect. Strip and dippin, Ken Spint and Jim Rice
~Thanks for the great fishing trip. We all had a great time. I wish
my brother could have made it. We'll be booking more trips in the
future, so I'm sure he'll make the next trip. I got the pictures.
They came out great. Darin and Bill had a great time tell Brad that we
said thanks for a good trip and thanks for sharing your knowledge with
us. See you next trip. Your friend Mike Coburn
~I AM
INTERESTED IN DOING A TRIP W/ TWO OF MY BUDDIES ON THE LOWER OWENS. WE ARE
LOOKING TO BE UP THERE THE WEEKEND OF FEBRUARY 19 OR 26. WE WENT LAST YEAR
AT THIS TIME AND HAD A BLAST! I WAS WONDERING IF YOU ARE OPEN THOSE DAYS,
AND I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO REQUEST BRAD MCCLAIN AS A GUIDE. HE GUIDED US
LAST TIME AND MY BUDDIES AND I REALLY ENJOYED HIM, AND WOULD LIKE TO SPEND
MORE TIME ON THE WATER W/ HIM. PLEASE GET BACK TO ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE,
THANKS AND GOD BLESS. RYAN SUCHANEK
~I just wanted to say that my friend and I had a great drift boat
trip on December 18th with Brad! My friend had never flyfished before and
Brad worked with him very well! We had a great time and I learned a lot
also! He is a true professional! I am sure I will be drifting with you
again in the future! Are there dates open for July, August on Crowley with
Brad? Thanks! Eric Smith
~Tom and Michele:
Thanks for setting Kevin and I up for a drift with Brad. The
fishing was slow, but we had a great time nonetheless -- especially on one
bend of the river holding some of the smartest fish around! Key to the
trip's success, however, was Brad's professionalism and demeanor. Skill
and experience aside (both of which he obviously has plenty of), he's a
guy you would just want to go fishing with. It was a pleasure to spend
the day on the water with him.
Thanks again, Anthony J. Stanley
~Hey guys. Just wanted to send this
picture over to see if you wanted to use it for your next "report"?
Steve Reich caught the beast this past Friday on a drift with Brad. I
hope all is well. Joe Smigiel
~Just wanted to thank you and Michelle for a great time drift
fishing. Brad took us out and got us into nice fish. We were starting
to wonder if 6 inch trout were the norm in the Owens. We didn't get to
meet Troutzilla, but we were introduced to his cousins. Fishing is a
matter of timing, luck, and more luck, and I try not to make conclusions
after one trip. Your outfit did produce when others didn't, however. I
had the opinion that you did more homework on the Owens than the
others. Again, we had a terrific time and appreciated the effort Brad
put in. Happy fishing. The Komakis
~Tom, Friday's trip was one that will go in the memory books. I may
even recall it on my death bed. Well maybe. No, all kidding aside we had
a wonderful time. You guys do a GREAT JOB!!! I know you and Brad get
upset when the catching is off, I can share that feeling when I take
folks out on my boat and want to get into the fish and it doesn't
happen. It's frustrating!! But the dolphin, whales, weather and the
Channel Islands have a way about them. They are the great equalizer. You
have the same deal. Never feel bad when we don't catch. Tom's and
Brad's company is very special to us. The scenery and and the river are
the equalizers, for lack of catching. The experience goes deeper for
Judy and I, we love the outdoors and love the mountains. I could of
done the drift trip without a fishing rod. Maybe you should offer
that??? Picture taking, bird watching. Gourmet lunch, bottle of
wine??? What I'm saying is, THIS WAS GREAT!!! This was Judy's and my
first drift trip and it was marvelous! The fish need a break now and
then anyway. We'll put the hurt on them at a later date. They'll be
sorry then!!!
Thanks Tom, and give Brad our thanks also Rich and Judy
~Tom, My son and I fished the lower with Brad on Mar.8. and had a
great time. We didn't get "Wally the whale" but did get into about 30
hook-ups and maybe 20 in. The flows had increased and we had quite a
time getting into them but Brad worked his tail off for us. He was
driving home that night but stayed with it until 5:30 for us. We thought
that was "above and beyond the call of duty" and we really did
appreciate it, please give him out sincere thanks and have him show you
the big fly for the big fish I gave him. He was a great guy and we had a
lot of laughs...we'll definitely be back but a little earlier in the
year. Again many thanks for one of the best times we've had there and
looking forward to doing it again!! You've got a class act going there
and I wish you nothing but success. Bill Darbee
~Tom & Michelle,
I just wanted to take a minute to thank you for the excellent drift
boat trip we had this past Saturday, with SD Guide Brad McClain. The
weather got real difficult, especially with the hurricane-force winds in
the afternoon, but the bite was pretty good in the morning, and we
consistently hooked one or two pan-fry size trout (easy there, just a
description) in every hole. Upon reflection, we probably jinxed the thing,
calling Brad "100% McClain," and then of course barely got anything after
that. No hogs on this trip, but it was an extremely valuable learning
experience for myself, my Dad, and friend Ted, and we look forward to
booking future drifts in the coming years. Brad worked extremely hard,
battling the wind and the boat, and we certainly got our money's worth. He
was absolutely great, and really made the difference despite not finding
us anything to photo/brag about. All anyone can ask for is a best effort,
and we certainly got that out of Brad. We sincerely hope you have a great
year, and look forward to contacting you next winter/spring for another
shot at the big'ns. Thanks again, Chris Wing
~Hi Tom:
My name is Dan Rainey and I have not had the pleasure of meeting yet,
but I would like to thank you for a great float on the Owen,s this past
Monday. Brad McClain was our guide. We had a fair days catch of 15 in
the boat and another 8-10 releases. It turned in to a great day on my
last cast of the day when I hooked a real beauty. Brad measured it at
23" and weighed it at 6lbs. Here's some photos. The gentleman with me is
Bob Tornstrom. Thanks again for a great experience. Brad is tops.
Sincerely, Dan Rainey~Tom,
Attached are some photos from my recent float trip with Brad on
3/27/06, just south of Line Street. One photo shows a 16" rainbow I
caught, one shows me battling the much larger rainbow. The big beast
I'm holding taped at 23"! Does that count as troutzilla? I got him on
a size 10 punk perch in rust (agent orange?). Of course, thanks to Brad
for getting me on the fish. David Glass
~Good morning.
My son, Evan, and I fished with Brad McLain at Bridgeport Resevoir
on July 15th and I thought you'd like a copy of the attached picture.
Evan caught the fish, a 23", 5.5lb Rainbow. Nary a bite from 8am until
noon but from noon until 3pm I experienced some of the best trout
fishing of my life. Brad was great when things were slow and was even
better when the fish started biting. As the commercial says the time
was "Priceless".
Thanks to you and to Brad for a most excellent experience.
Mike Wright
