 Hi, my name is Brad
Shride, fishing guide for Onco Sportfishing and Guide Services,
Inc. I was born and raised on Vashon Island, Washington, smack
in the middle of Puget Sound. People born on an island
have a tendency to derive most of their recreational activities
from the water. My parents, brothers and sisters, and I were
no different.
20 lb native steelhead, Sol Duc, MarchI spent many
years as a youngster fishing for salmon and sea-run cutthroat trout
in Puget Sound, the Straight of Juan
de Fuca, and the Pacific with my Dad and brother. My first
vivid memory of fishing in the Pacific was on a trip out of
La Push, Washington. I was about five years old, sitting with
my older brother, and I was seasick! I remember being seasick
and catching fish, but not much else. My brother told me fifteen
years later that when I was finished leaning over the rail
I reached over, picked up my rod, and started fishing again.
I grew to love fishing and the sea and spent years working
on salmon and crab boats in Washington
and Alaska. I pursued the idea of becoming a guide on a very
crisp January day, a long time ago, fishing for steelhead (for the first time) on a
small whitewater river in western Washington. I booked a trip
for myself and after the guide put me on to a number of large
steelhead in two days it came to me;
this was something I wanted to do! I started fishing with
other salmon and steelhead guides around the Pacific
Northwest and Alaska to learn the trade from their various
styles and methods.
 18 lb native
steelhead, Bogachiel, AprilFor five years I worked summers
on the Deschutes River in Oregon fly fishing for trout and
rowing white water. I also worked on the Snake River in the
fall and fished for steelhead on the Olympic Peninsula during the winters.
I was always experimenting with new techniques, refining old
ones, and learning about the hot fishing spots in the ever-changing
rivers.
I love
fishing, the outdoors, and providing access for others to some
of the Pacific Northwest's most beautiful places. There is
abundant wildlife and outdoors to experience, rivers and open
water full of fish to catch, mountains and rainforests to see,
and rugged ocean coastlines to gaze upon.
Fishing is a
love. Guiding is my business and, like any successful service
provider, I know that customer satisfaction is the number one
priority. I've been there as both a guide and as a client. For
those of you that don't consider yourselves experts at
fishing, and who does, don't let that bother you. I'll do my
best to get you started the right way. It's up to you to
refine your fishing practice into expert technique.
For
those seasoned veterans that just want the boat ride to some
prime fishing water, I'll challenge you to pull a steelhead
from along a log jamb, or to trick a large native fish from
the heavy water as we work the slots and seams. I'll do my
best to point out the slots, pockets, seams, tail outs, and
the heavy water that hold fish. I'll do my best to put you on
the best fishing water at a particular tide or location and
coach you in landing that trophy fish. I can't promise you
that I won't pound my head against the boat if you lose lots
of fish, or give you a bad time about it, but I won't yell at
you either. You're there to have fun and enjoy the outdoors,
I'll do my best to see that you do.
Thanks for stopping
by. I hope you enjoy your visit and I look forward to meeting
you. Are you ready? Okay then; let's go
fishing!
Brad
P.S. I have taken
the time to get the proper certifications and licenses. I'm
CPR and First Aid certified and licensed in Washington State
for salmon, steelhead, and trout. I'm also a Coast Guard
licensed 100 ton Captain.
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