August 12, 1990, changed my life. Dressed in neoprene waders and a fishing vest loaded with flies, I accompanied two anglers on the frigid waters of the Frying Pan River in Colorado and provided them the opportunity to catch trout on a fly rod, and I got paid! So began this magnificent odyssey of fulfilling my dream as a fly fishing guide. Over twenty years later the passion still flows through my veins with a vigor that is relentless and innovative. My heart thumps when a client hooks into a fish, and “set, set, set, set” will always be part of my vocabulary. Fly fishing is my life and guiding is my career. Each day I look forward to going to work, seeing old friends, and creating new memories. Over 4000 days of guiding and I’m just getting started. I look forward to seeing you out on the water!
     Fish Hard, Captain Mike Costello

FISH TALES 2010:
January, February, March

    My clients and I welcomed in the new year with some amazing striper fishing. Despite unstable weather and an above average rainfall, the first three months have produced a number of trophy fish. Congratulations go out to Xavier Carbonnet, Murray Low, Jim Becker, Rod Getty, Tom Brutsche, Philip Elliot, and Whit Whales for all landing striped bass over twenty pounds during the first three months of the year. Catching a trophy linesider on a fly in the California Delta is truly an accomplishment but what angler Garrett Kubota did on March 19th, is a “fish tale” that will be talked about around the campfire for years to come.

    The warm, spring day started off with numerous boats on the water and myself on a mission to retrieve a hand-tied seven-inch chartreuse over black flashtail rattle clouser from a tree where we had broke it off two days earlier. As I attached the fly to the rod, Garrett casually remarked, “that fly has been staring at the fish it wanted to catch for the last two nights!” After an hour of casting, those words became reality. Garrett launched the Rio Outbound Intermediate line and fly a good eighty feet with the Loomis Crosscurrent GLX 9wt. rod and started his slow, steady strip. The “piano wire” grab was sudden, and then the line went screaming off the Super Nine Able reel. Seventy-five yards into the backing there was no slowing the great beast down. I fired up the big motor and carefully chased the “submerged monster” silently hoping the great fish would not find one of the many giant logs scattered along the shore.

Garrett's Once in a Lifetime Striper

    After a very hectic 10 minute battle, Garrett, his fishing buddy Jeff Sasaki, and myself caught our first glimpse of this once in a lifetime fish. We all held our breath as the striper came to the boat and when I reached down and hoisted this unique specimen from the water I knew, we had just landed our biggest striper to date. The fish measured 49 inches long and had an amazing 32-inch girth, it weighed an astonishing 47 lbs. and after some quick photos, we carefully released her back to her home. It was truly a fish that I will always remember and cherish.

Fish Hard, Captain Mike Costello

Delta Top Water Catch

Landing the Big One

Mike is the Author of
"Fly Fishing the California Delta"
Buy it now at your local fly fishing pro shop.