24:
During a recent conversation with a gear fisherman my friend was told that all fly fishermen were “stupid” because they chose a technique that didn’t allow them to catch great numbers of steelhead. The gear fishermen felt that if fly fishermen would just try float fishing they would see the light and have great success and put away their silly fly rods. It is precisely that point of view that makes me want to avoid float fishing for ever. You see that i have fished floats, bait and hardware for many years and find these techniques pleasant and fun but i derive a greater sense of accomplishment from fly fishing. And until these gear fishermen try fly fishing i think they need to shut up. There is plenty of water for everyone to enjoy fishing with a technique that brings them joy and peace.
22:
Ahh the joy of fly fishing when the thermometer drops below freezing. My recent outing found me swinging a fly on a river at around -2C (28.4F). Now this temp isn’t that horrible with the exception that your guides will freeze up. The best way to deal with this is to use a long belly fly line and keep shooting to a minimum. Learn to spey cast a line that has a 90 to 100 feet belly and you can extend your season. The water was gin clear and i hooked a nice steelhead on a small size 5 Lady Caroline. My friend did much better landing 3 nice steelhead, one about 10lbs. Watch the temperature and grab a long belly line and get out there and catch a few before it gets too cold. It’s a long winter.
17:
Recently i overheard a few anglers talking a local store. “Can you imagine all the steelhead we could get if we pull down that dam and let them access the headwaters to spawn?” one of the guys exclaimed. “Yeah, there are lots of great pools up there too.” from another. I was glad for their excitement and as well for the fish. I think. I mean the stream they where talking about was a mere 5 feet across at its widest part and held a nice population of small brown and brook trout. How can catching a 12lbs. steelhead in a tiny stream be fun? Why must every single stream become a “steelhead” river. The group began to blame all fly fishermen in general and the various organizations they are part of. Somewhere their is an old man who waits the whole winter just to get out in the spring and fish this stream. The high point of his day would be to land a ten inch brook trout. Who thinks about preserving his experience?
16:
Christmas is almost here and that means we’ll all have a little time off. Now if we can’t get out to swing a fly i thought it would be a good time to introduce a few places on the internet that you could spend a little time checking out. First up is The Big pull. (http://thebigpull.wordpress.com/) Wonderful pictures of steelhead with sea lice. Makes me want to pack my bags and go to Russia pronto. Steelhead on the Spey (http://steelheadonthespey.wordpress.com/) is a wonderful site packed with great “how to” stuff. If you’re going to fish the winter, this is a must read. Apocalypse Steelheader is a pleasant site with good info on West Coast wild steelhead. (http://apocalypsesteelhead.blogspot.com/) Of course Spey Pages is always a great place to spend some time. I think it’s the highest concentration of fly fishing IQ on the internet. (http://www.speypages.com/) I also liked Silvey’s Fly fishing. (http://silveysflyfishing.blogspot.com/) Nice photography and i like the writing. Real honest and smart. So please breakout the good scotch and find yourself a nice place to sit, sip and surf.
15:
As pressure on our rivers get heavier one is forced to think about tactics that give you your best chance at a steelhead on these crowded waters. As well i often share the river with a few friends who are outstanding fly rod steelheaders. Fishing behind them has forced me to try some different things. In clear water i like to tie on something unique and fish it at different speeds. Learning to cast farther than your buddies is a sure way to improve your chances too. (Still working on that one). But you must watch what the angler in front of you is doing and act accordingly. If they are casting with a steep angle maybe you shallow yours up a bit. While not new, a smaller and more subdued presentation has often been the answer for me on heavily fished waters. Convincing yourself to use a smaller, somber fly is always tough. We tend to like big and bright, after all it’s steelheading. One of my go to flies has been a size 3 Lady Caroline. Fishing marginal water conditions can also be productive. Fewer fish caught but fewer people too.
14:
Being on the river at the right time after a rain is crucial to getting steelhead willing to come to a swung fly. How many times have we heard the expression “you should have been here yesterday”. What i look for these days is a falling river. That is a river which has a dropping water level. I don’t know for sure why steelhead seem to hit so well under these conditions but i guessing its maybe because they are slowing down and taking up prime taking lies in runs and pools. Also the water clarity could be improving too. Of course there are exceptions but i have never done as well when a watershed is rising. So if your going to visit a river after a rain look for a dropping water level and try to time your outing with it.
13:
As the water gets colder later in the season, steelhead will not move very far to take a swung fly. This forces one to start fishing heavier sink tips to get the fly closer to chilly fish that have begun to slow down and sulk. Now while i find fishing heavy heads less fun i am forced to use them if i want to have a chance at a take. Its better than not fishing and soon rivers will be frozen or closed for the season so any time fishing is appreciated. As the rivers get colder the water gets denser and heavier presentations keep getting heavier. Flies tied on big winter “irons” are less pleasant to cast too. But a steelhead taken on a swung fly is still and an accomplishment. And when the rivers get too cold it’ll be time to break out the Haig-Brown’s and good scotch for the long winter ahead.
10:
The last time i was out i decided to fish my bamboo single handed rod for a change. The morning started quite cold but soon warmed and became quite comfortable. I was surprised at how successful i was at spey casting with my single hander, covering all the runs i fished. What a nice change from casting big spey rods all day long. And a bamboo fly rod is a nice way to get back to the basic values of the sport that hold so dearly. Half way down a particular run i felt a hard tug and a nice 5 pound steelhead boiled at the surface. As i fought the fish i admired at how vivid the head shakes where. That kind of sensitivity is something i love about bamboo as a rod building material. Yes its heavy and not quite as fast but then again, so am i.
09:
One of the greatest creative fly tyers i have ever seen is Ken Sawada. His style is modern with an aura of tradition. Ken is constantly pushing the fly tying envelope with techniques and materials. His website is one of the great fly tying resources on the internet and when you’re feeling bored or just want expand your repertoire, i suggest you visit his website. He also catches more big salmon than anyone around. Grab a single malt and a fine cigar and spend some time perusing his online pattern book. http://www.kensawada.com/pub/index_opb.html
08:
I recently found myself fishing a quiet run on a cold December morning when a group of gear fishermen showed up and eyeballed my situation. They then proceeded to the top of the run a began fishing. I was delighted at the fact that they decided to start fishing above me and told them that i appreciated their courtesy. A look of confusion came over their faces as i think they thought i was being sarcastic. Never the less i smiled and continued my pass. Courtesy is an important aspect of our sport, especially as our resources dwindle. And if you run into a fly fisherman who says”thank you”, please, the correct response is “you are welcome”. And don’t forget to smile.
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