The Caddis Fly: Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

How to capture a screen shot and make a book of fly recipes (and more)

Posted on April 4, 2020 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

How often have you seen something on your computer and thought

“Gosh it would be nice to have this photo, or recipe, or story or sketch or …….. in printed form.”

Maybe like this …….Steelhead Tube fly?

Or this page from a book?

Or this perfect clouser?

Or this sketch?

Wouldn’t images like these be a nice addition to the reference books you keep near your fly bench for reference?

Sure they would.

Well, here you go. With us shut in and even after we’re free to fish again, this just might come in handy, and I hope this helps.

Now you can make your own notebook to lay beside you at your fly bench.

My very best to everyone in these surreal, times.

Jay

Instructions for making and printing screenshots are below – you can also consult the Googletronic to obtain more detailed information. ___________________________________

Screen Shot NOTE. If you know how to capture a screen shot of this image on your computer, you will be able to save the image, and then print it out at home. Of course, a color print will be nicer, but black and white will suffice too. By doing this you will be able to keep your own book of fly recipes, keep them handy at your fly bench, and have a reference source when you tie these or your own version of these flies in the future.

Printing as fit to page or print entire image, you will end up with a series of printed pages to put in a three-ring binder or a folder to lay on your fly bench as reference.

On a Mac

Press Shift, Command and 4 (the number)

A cross hairs will appear, and you move it with your mouse.

Keep the mouse engaged (left side depressed) until you have outlined the image you want to save. In this case, you will create a box just slightly bigger than the page image.

Then release the mouse, and you will see the image on your computer, named Screen Shot)

All of your screen shot images may be saved onto your desktop (mine are) or downloads, or somewhere else. You will be able to re name the image, open it in preview, email it, or print it.

In Windows

To Take a Screenshot of Only One Window

Click on the title bar of the window that you want to capture. Press “Alt + PrtScn”. A screenshot of your currently active window will be copied to the clipboard, just as in the last section. Paste it into your favorite image editor or document editor.

____________________________________

The Dean River for $100 – Native Fish Society Raffle

Posted on April 2, 2020 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

Steelheaders, forget your bucket list, this is a shot at the Holy Grail!

Thanks to the remarkable generosity of one Native Fish Lifetime Member, we are raffling off a seven-day adventure for one angler to Hodson’s Dean River Lodge during dry-fly prime time: August 6th – August 13th, 2020. That’s right, this is your only shot at fishing the hallowed waters of the Dean River and supporting wild steelhead conservation across the Pacific Northwest for just $100.

The link to by tickets is here: DEAN FOR $100

Starting today we’re raffling off 250 tickets, each for $100 – with no limit on the number of tickets per person. All ticket sales are first-come, first-served, and when we run out, we’ll pull the lucky winner. Proceeds support Native Fish Society’s work cultivating a groundswell of public support to reviving abundant wild fish across the Pacific Northwest.

Our lucky winner will spend the first three, not-soon-to-be-forgotten days, skating up some of the most powerful and aggressive wild summer steelhead in the world. This is water that fishing travel guru Ken Morrish wrote, “In all fairness, the water surrounding the upper camp may be some of the finest trophy steelhead dry fly water in the world.” Then it gets even better. You’ll chopper downriver and spend the next three days fishing at the lower main Hodson’s lodge, just seven short miles from the salt, above the famous Dean River falls. Be prepared to see your backing on a daily, if not hourly basis.

This once in a lifetime trip includes all meals, guided fishing from Dean River jet boats, a privately chartered flight from Vancouver, B.C. to Bella Coola B.C., and a spectacular helicopter ride over hanging glaciers and snow-capped peaks into the upper Dean River. To cap it all off, Danny Hodson, the Hodson Family, and their guide staff are pioneers of the Dean River fishery. You’ll be spending a whole week fishing some of the most storied water in fly fishing, with some of the most knowledgeable folks in the business.

LINK TO BUY YOUR TICKETS IS HERE: DEAN for $100

Don’t miss your shot at the holy grail of steelhead fly fishing. Get your Dean for $100 tickets while they last!

*Does not include travel to Vancouver B.C., licenses, or gratuity

Raffle tickets on sale: February 24 – April 14, 2020
Drawing: April 15th, 2020, 3pm

Posted in Oregon Conservation News | Leave a comment

Spring Fishing Report April 1, 2020

Posted on April 1, 2020 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

Fishing on the McKenzie and Willamette has been very good the past three weeks. Both the lower and upper sections of both rivers have been fishing well, and with low water levels and some warmer days, dry fly fishing during the March Brown hatches has been very good. Earlier this month, MB hatches were only showing up on hot, sunny days, and the water was still too cold and the wind too strong for fish to be taking adults on the surface. On those challenging dry fly days, nymphs and emergers have been a sure bet until the hottest parts of the day. During the peak of the day, sometime between 1-4pm, using cripple patterns or smaller (size 14 or 16) purple haze and other attractors was very effective when you don’t see fish rising to MB naturals. As we are getting to the end of the MB season, cloudier days have been fishing better, and the hatches have been very impressive with the fish matching the intensity of the bugs with eager surface activity. My favorite MB dry is the Western March Brown; pairing that with a cripple, a sparkle dun, or a MB soft hackle pattern is a surefire recipe for success this time of year!

While I’ve had a little success on the upper river, the lower section of the rivers have had better hatches, and more willing fish eating on the surface thanks to warmer water temps. Nymphing the upper rivers has still been tons of fun, and there have been fewer anglers to fight with up there as well. Standard springtime patterns have been working well. Mega Prince, Possie Bugger, heavier and larger 20-incher stoneflies on the bottom to get the rig down have been great. Rigging a dropper nymph is great if you can cast it — size 12 pheasant tail jigs, size 16 olive baetis nymphs, size 16 red copper johns, and size 8-12 attractor patterns like lucent jigs and frenchies have all been productive the past couple weeks. Targeting deeper, slower, pools, drop-offs, and shelves will be most productive as water temps are still quite cold.

The recent developments of the Coronavirus have made for strict social-distancing measures in our state. As you might have heard, the Lower Deschutes is closed to boating, which has stirred some anglers up quite a bit, with some worried about prolonged closures up to the point of the river’s famous salmonfly hatch. I drove up the McKenzie from Armitage to Blue River yesterday, and didn’t see any ramp closures. State parks are closed across Oregon, however, so popular spots on the Willamette no longer are accessible to boaters. Stay-at-home measures mandated by Governor Kate Brown make leaving the house a bit of a guilty pleasure, but keeping a best-practice for social distancing is the key to success. It may happen that Lane County decides to close down parks if things continue as they have, in which case, access to some popular ramps might be limited. I would get out and enjoy our local waters during the spring, when they fish as well as any other waters in the state.

This report was brought to you by Alex Worth, tennis professional and avid angler.

An additional notes; I saw yesterday was that USFS access had been shut down as well so be sure to check with local offices to confirm open areas and accesses.

Local rivers have risen with recent rains (dropping back down today) but all of the tactics and fly patterns Alex described will hold throughout April given reasonable water conditions.

Posted in Fishing Reports, Lower Willamette, McKenzie River, Middle Fork Willamette River fishing | Leave a comment

Olive Seeker Jigged Nymph Fly Tying Video

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

This is the olive-hued jigged nymph in the three-pattern series. Frankly, the olive hue to be in the eye of the beholder, but trust that you can adjust the body and bead colors to achieve the colors that suit you and the trout. Taking the time to craft a dozen of each of these nymphs will help stock your boxes with a range of patterns that are sure to be attractive to trout in some of the waters, seasons, and times of day you fish.

The mottled tungsten beads offer something different when you are fishing pressured water and the trout are seeing a lot of shiny bead heads floating past.

Best wishes and good luck on the water. JN

Materials:

Hook: Gamakatsu J20B Size #16
Thread: Danville Flymaster 6/0 Red
Bead: Mottled Tactical Tungsten Slotted Beads Olive 1/8″
Lead Free Wire – .015
Tail: Coque De Leon
Rib: Ultra Wire Copper Brassie
Body: Whitlock’s SLF Scud Shrimp Olive
Collar: Ice Dub UV Fl. Pink

Posted in Fly Tying, Fly Tying Materials and Supplies | Leave a comment

Got Time on your hands? A Simple Solution to organize and File Fly Samples

Posted on March 30, 2020 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

Best most practical method for storing fly samples.
As a fly tyer and fly fisher, I have accumulated a fair number of fly samples. These range from giant beasties to very little midge no-see-ems and many have been helpful when I have wanted to go back and remember what flies I was fishing five or ten or twenty or thirty ears ago.

Sadly, I do not have any of the flies I tied and fished, forty, and fifty years ago, because there was a time-out in my fly tying and fishing career. Oh well.

Here’s how simple it can be to keep a collection of your fly samples for future reference.

First, I purchase a few hundred paper CD cases, the type that have a clear window. The clear window is crucial to be able to see the fly or flies.

From this point on, you have two options.
1. You can cut card stock to insert into the CD case. On this card stock, you might store the fly in a small plastic bag, available in Pharmacies for carrying medication. This little bag can now be taped to the card stock in the center of the area open to the transparent cellophane window. You can also add notes about the fly’s originator, where and when it was fished and so forth.;
2. on the other hand, and this is whatI do when I am pressed for time, which is most of the time, is to throw the fly or flies into the CD envelope, make a few notes on the outside of the envelope, and call it good enough.

After stuffing many hundreds or only a few dozen flies you want to save, you can proceed to throw them in a drawer, stuff them in a cardboard box, or – as I do – file them neatly in a Stackable CD Storage Case.

Photo Caption. This CD case is stackable and the side drops down for ease in loading, finding flies, and retrieving samples. These case are sturdy and well-built, well worth thee nearly 30 buck price.

The Photo above shows how the low side will fold down to ease access to the envelopes. The lower photo shows how these storage cases stack nicely.

The photo above is a cardboard box specifically designed to hold paper CD storage envelopes. These are nice because they have a lid to keep dust out, they stack quite well, but they do not hole nearly as many envelopes as the longer (but more expensive) boxes do.

After showing these images of alternate ways to organize your paper CD envelopes preserving your fly collection, I will show examples of several flies in the pile of fly trivia.

Yes. Barrett Christensen gave me these flies when we fished side by side on the Sixes in 2004.

This is the fly that ‘Bob Borden hooked – and lost – a chinook on while fishing the Elk River Estuary standing right beside me in november 2011. No bull.

This here glorious hand full of flies was given me by my dear friend Stan Davis when I was writing Oregon Chinook Flies in 2015. Some of the finest most original patterns ever.

Now this is a rare one. Al Brunell, dear friend and retired OSP trooper, tied this fly in 2005, not long before he passed. This is a beautiful purple Comet, in a style I’ve NEVER seen. Tungsten glue-on eyes. Trey Combs #2 Blue Water Hook.Dyed Pheasant Tippett for the short cocked-up tail. We all miss Al.

This here gem of a fly is a comet tied by Don Bergstrom – fished at Clay Banks . Don gave me this fly 2003 while we sat on the gravel bar at about 11 AM below Cannery Riffle on the Rogue River. Don’s advice to me regarding fly fishing for chinook was the most instrumental and probably tipped the sales — allowing me to catch my very first fly -rod king salmon one day after we met.

Coho Poppers I tied to fish in Tillamook Bay. These samples have coho teeth scars.

These are Jad Donaldson Albacore Flies. These flies are difficult to engineer, but they do work, oh yes they do.

I hope this post gives you some ideas and motivation to develop your own way of saving precious fragments of fly fishing and fly tying history.

Meanwhile, blog readers and friends, let’s stay smart, healthy, and sassy.

Covid-19 is changing our world, and it’s up to each of us to conduct ourselves in ways that build a better future for out community, and. that includes the community of anglers.

Jay Nicholas, 28 March 2020

Posted in Fly Tying, Fly Tying Materials and Supplies | Leave a comment

Register NOW for the NFS Homewaters: Rise-Up Online Auction

Posted on March 27, 2020 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

Register NOW for the Homewaters: Rise-Up online auction, so you can bid on our best Silent, Super Silent and Live Item line-up yet!

Unsure about how to register? Watch Native Fish Society’s Executive Director Mark Sherwood take you step-by-step through the online auction registration process.

Native Fish Society Online Auction Registration Video from Native Fish Society on Vimeo.

Don’t forget to get your BIG FISH TICKET!

We still have a few of these left, so make sure to GET ‘EM WHILE YOU CAN for your chance at any ONE Live Auction Item for just $100.
To purchase, call Tracy at 503-344-4218.

Auction Timeline:

Saturday, April 11th:

Bidding for Silent and Super-Silent begins!
Registration for online bidding will be available next week and is free for everyone.

Thursday, April 16th:

We will kick-off the beginning of the Live Item bidding by drawing the BIG FISH TICKET winner. We still have a few of these left, so make sure to GET ‘EM WHILE YOU CAN for your chance at any ONE Live Auction Item for just $100.
To purchase, call Tracy at 503-344-4218.

Saturday, April 18th:

Homewaters: Rise-Up will come to a close with a 30-minute LIVE STREAMED EVENT.
Details to follow.

Posted in Oregon Conservation News | Leave a comment

Jay’s Fly of the Week – #1 – Adams Irresistible

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

Hello and welcome.

Whether you are a loyal reader or a first time visitors to the Oregon Fly Fishing Blog, – welcome – in this difficult time in our nation’s history.

While I’m sheltering in place here at my home today, I’ve been receiving texts from friends who are fortunate enough to be out drifting the McKenzie, fishing the ocean offshore Pacific City, and swinging flies for winter steelhead on the coast and in the Willamette Valley.

I’m enjoying their stories and our conversations, and they assure me that they are maintaining proper social distance – as they should.

But if you’re not able to be out on the water, like so many people in every state across the USA, here’s a little something to entertain, share a little good cheer, support our love of fishing, and celebrate the companionship we’ve all developed together on rivers, lakes, estuaries and the dang-nab-it oceans around us.

I was trying to think of something I could offer in addition to my usual fly tying videos, and I remembered that I’ve written a few books. One of my favorites is Super Flies Color.

This book is a collection of 52 flies that I have tied over the years to fish for trout, steelhead, salmon, rockfish, lingcod, and Pacific albacore. I wanted to figure out how to share all of these flies with our readers, but that seemed like a big challenge. But then I remembered that I do have a pdf of the book.

Then I realized that I could pull up a single page of the book, save a screen-shot of the page, and paste the screen shot into the blog as an image file.

Perfect solution.

So let us begin the show with the first fly in the book. Each fly will be shown on anywhere from one to three full pages, and each fly will be accompanied by
*a photo of the fly
*a recipe of materials
*a little story about the fly, – perhaps a little about the history of the pattern, where I first learned about it, how and why I might have modified the original pattern, where I fished it

…… I think you get the idea.

The plan is to post one fly from the book each week, or something like that, as part of our effort to help our readers keep connected with each other and the sport we all care so much about.

Although the book is organized by type of fly, I will shake thing up, so that our readers can see dry flies and nymphs, and streamers, and ocean flies all mixed up in a jumble from week to week.

I hope you enjoy these flies in the weeks to follow.

On behalf of Chris and our staff here at the Shop, we extend our very best wishes for continued good health to you al l- whether you are at home, working to keep the nation’s gears moving, or out on the water.

Jay

Fly Number One. The Adams Irresistible.

NOTE. If you know how to capture a screen shot of this image on your computer, you will be able to save the image, and then print it out at home. Of course a color print will be nicer, but black and white will suffice too. By doing this you will be able to keep your own book of fly recipes, keep them handy at your fly bench, and have a reference source when you tie these or your own version of these flies in the future.

Posted in Fly Fishing Books, Fly Tying | Leave a comment

Conservation Angler Proposal for Thermal Angling Sanctuaries

Posted on March 25, 2020 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

Our hard working friends at the Conservation Angler need our help telling ODFW how important Thermal Angling Sanctuaries are to our wild steelhead populations. Please have a look at the post below and call in or write an email voicing your opinion. Info on the specifics of the meeting are at the bottom of this post.

1. A powerpoint presentation that was recently presented to the Oregon Legislature – it provides a quick summary the issue:

https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2020R1/Downloads/CommitteeMeetingDocument/220080

2. A memorandum to the House Water Committee on cold water refugia:

https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2020R1/Downloads/CommitteeMeetingDocument/220077

3. Photo-maps of seven critical CWR sites that should be closed to angling when the Columbia River water temperatures reach 68F (20C) as measured at any of the 4 dams on the Columbia below the Snake River. These maps are attached individually (apologies if they are unwieldy). They are attached below my signature.
Supporting creation of these sanctuaries would be a significant conservation achievement for wild steelhead in particular.

Cowlitz – Columbia Confluence Plume

Eagle Creek – Columbia Confluence Plume

Herman Creek Lagoon and Confluence Plume

Wind River and Confluence Plume

Little White Salmon (Drano Lake and Columbia Confluence)
A = highest priority, B = plume, C = greater impoundment

Big White Salmon River and Confluence Plume

Deschutes River and Confluence Plume

4. A final slide shows the daily average Columbia River temperatures at the first four dams on the Columbia River. The water quality standard is 20 C (68F) noted by the blue line. Keep in mind that migrating salmon and steelhead begin to exhibit stress when the water temperatures rise to 64F, and by the time they reach 68F, migration slows and research shows that migration slows dramatically with only a .5 degree increase over 68F. Examining Figure 2-3 (from EPA) it becomes clear that CWR are critical for wild steelhead from mid-July through mid-September.

Daily Average Columbia Water Temperatures June – September

Get involved by joining the public meeting detailed below.

Public meeting on thermal angling sanctuaries in Columbia River moves online
YouTube livestream March 25 at 5:30 p.m.

March 24, 2020

SALEM, Ore.—A public meeting to gather input on potential Thermal Angling Sanctuaries in select Oregon tributaries upstream of Bonneville Dam will be livestreamed on ODFW’s YouTube channel in light of COVID-19 restrictions limiting public gatherings.

The meeting time will also change to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25. Watch at ODFW’s YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/user/IEODFW

There will be time for a Q&A during the livestream; members of the public can ask questions by commenting on the livestream and ODFW staff will answer as they are able.

The livestream will remain online for anyone who can’t make the virtual meeting to watch later. Public comments/questions can also be emailed to tucker.a.jones@state.or.us or john.a.north@state.or.us.

Among the topics of discussion are possible rule changes meant to improve conservation efforts and increase protections for summer steelhead in areas where they may congregate.

Specific topics currently under consideration include:

Discussing potential areas and boundaries for Thermal Angling Sanctuaries in and adjacent to Eagle Creek, Herman Creek, and the Deschutes River that would be temporarily closed to angling each year to protect natural-origin summer steelhead.
Establishing annual time periods during the summer/fall when Thermal Angling Sanctuaries would be in effect.
Discussing additional fisheries management actions, e.g., rolling steelhead retention closures, which have been used to ensure consistency with the Endangered Species Act.
The Agency intends to provide for in-person public meetings on this topic after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.

###

Contact:
Tucker Jones, (971) 673-6063, Tucker.A.Jones@state.or.us
Michelle Dennehy, (503) 947-6022, Michelle.N.Dennehy@state.or.us

Posted in Central Oregon Fishing Report, Oregon Conservation News | Leave a comment

Yak Hair Duxbury Clouser Jig Fly Tying Video

Posted on March 24, 2020 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

In this video, Jay Nicholas ties a variation of the classic Clouser Minnow using yak hair and a Gamakatsu 60º jig hook.

Used as a baitfish pattern, this fly catches just about anything that swims including stripper, bass, tuna, salmon….

Tie them in different sizes and colors to match your fishery.

Materials:
Hook: Gamakatsu 60º Jig 2/0
Thread: Danville 210D Chartreuse
Eyes: Double Pupil Hot Pink Lg.
Belly: UV Yak Hair White/Pink
Back: UV Yak Hair Chartreuse/Minnow Blue
Collar: Fair Flies 5D Brush Sparse Shrimpy Tan/Pink
Glue: Zap A Gap

Posted in Fly Tying, Fly Tying Materials and Supplies | 1 Comment

New John Gierach Book: DUMB LUCK AND THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS

Posted on March 22, 2020 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

We all have some time on our hands at the moment, why not enjoy a new book from John Gierach. We have hard cover first edition signed copies of DUMB LUCK AND THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS at the shop right now. Call us order for pick up or online delivery.

Description:

A look back to the long-ago day when the author bought his first resident fishing license in Colorado, where the fishing season never ends, and just he knew he was in the right place. The “voice of the common angler” (The Wall Street Journal), he offers witty, trenchant observations not just about fly-fishing itself but also about how one’s love of fly-fishing shapes the world that we choose to make for ourselves. 5.5×8.4 inches, 224 pgs.

What folks are saying about this title:

Witty, shrewd, and, as always, a joy to read, John Gierach, “America’s best fishing writer” (Houston Chronicle) and favorite streamside philosopher, extols the frequent joys and occasional tribulations of the fly-fishing life.

“After five decades, twenty books, and countless columns, [John Gierach] is still a master” (Forbes). Now, in his latest fresh and original collection, Gierach shows us why fly-fishing is the perfect antidote to everything that is wrong with the world.

“Gierach’s deceptively laconic prose masks an accomplished storyteller…His alert and slightly off-kilter observations place him in the general neighborhood of Mark Twain and James Thurber” (Publishers Weekly).And he succinctly sums up part of the appeal of his sport when he writes that it is “an acquired taste that reintroduces the chaos of uncertainty back into our well-regulated lives.”

Lifelong fisherman though he is, Gierach can write with self-deprecating humor about his own fishing misadventures, confessing that despite all his experience, he is still capable of blowing a strike by a fish “in the usual amateur way.”

Posted in Fly Fishing Books | Leave a comment

Caddis Fly Shop Covid 19 Business Plan March 20th 2020

Posted on March 20, 2020 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

As the Covid 19 pandemic continues to progress small businesses all over the world are being forced to make some really tough calls on how to operate in the current environment.

The Caddis Fly Angling Shop/Caddisflyshop.com has formulated a plan to go forward. Our plan takes into consideration employees, customers and our community.

We have decided to close the shop to walk in traffic. We will operate with new, although not so different hours for the foreseeable future. The shop will be open from 10am-4pm Monday-Saturday and 11-3 Sun. During our open hours we will be taking calls, answering emails, processing online orders, phone orders, and orders for “curbside contactless pick up” at the shop.

Call us at 541-342-7005, or 541-505-8061, email us at caddiseug@yahoo.com.

Our standard policy for orders outside of our area continues, orders over $25 in the USA qualify for free shipping.

Local online, email and phone orders will qualify for free shipping regardless of the size. If you would like to pick your order up, you are welcome to come to the shop during business hours and we will hand your order to you.

We have been, and will continue to be diligent with shop cleaning, employee hand washing, use of gloves and other protective measures.

In this trying time we want you to know that we are here for you. Fishing is a great way to practice “social distancing” and great for your mental health. If there is anything we can do to help please let us know.

I know I have been tying flies, watching fishing films, organizing fly tying materials and dreaming about future trips.

You may have some extra time on your hands whether you are fishing or not. Consider cleaning fly lines, organizing your fly collection, practice casting, browse our vast YouTube fly tying video library make a bucket list of future trips, call us and see what is happening on the river.

We thank you for your business in the coming days and over the past 40 years.

Chris, Shauna, Patsy, Cash and Staff – March 2020

Posted in Fly Fishing Travel, Fly Tying, Oregon Fly Fishing Clubs and Events, Oregon fly fishing links, Oregon Fly Fishing Tips, Shop Sales and Specials | 3 Comments

Tim Rajeff’s DIY Rod Holder

Posted on March 19, 2020 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

Here’s something Tim Rajeff showed me a few years back, DIY rod holders.

Keep your rods ready, protected off the ground, and the ability to air-out after a day fishing! Lots of you are creative, so get as fancy with these as you want.

Use recycled materials if possible. I just walked around the farm and found some old UPC pipe laying around.

Something to do if you’re isolated, bored, looking to impress your friends, or not fishing. However, I’d get out and fish if you can!!

Tight Lines,
Greg

Posted in Fishing Porn | Leave a comment

Feel Good Trout Unlimited Film: Querencia

Posted on March 18, 2020 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

A project led by Trout Unlimited’s Josh Duplechian, Toner Mitchell, and Kara Armano, tells the story of the community in Questa, New Mexico, that, following a mine closure and the layoff of hundreds, has found rebirth through the value of its native Rio Grande cutthroat trout.

Posted in Fishing Reports, Fly Fishing Travel | Leave a comment

Friendships & Fly Fishing – March 2020

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

Webster defines Friendship as:

One attached to another by affection or esteem
Acquaintance
One that is not hostile
A favored companion…

To Rob,

I still remember meeting you in the HR processing line at the National Park Service headquarters in June of 2003. You seemed to be my age, liked rock climbing, and we were both new to the job of becoming National Park Rangers which became the title of how friends and family ultimately defined us. Though you made it your career, I left after 2016 and to this day people still call me, “Ranger.”

Over the years to follow you and I climbed in Joshua Tree, sailed, drank beers, but then you left for a brief time (2-3 years) to pursue other ventures back east and took a hiatus from rangering.

During this time I traded in the spinning rod for a fly rod. I began chasing trout in the mountains and had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I remember hooking my head with bad cast, using dry flies in the winter, and not quite sure how to cast with shrubs behind me (I still remember when I saw a fisherman roll cast for the first time….game changer).

Fast Forward In Time

In 2010 you missed the mountains, the scenery, the rivers & streams and made your way home. I got excited, because my friend was back!

You had some experience fly fishing and you took me out. Do you remember that day on that small stream? You showed me a nymph known as the Bird’s Nest, you told me that my loud wading and splashing in the water was horrible, you told me to move to a better location for me to cast and so on. You were tough and a brutally honest teacher or friend, but you did this so I’d improve.

But what I also learned from you was the art of patience. You taught me to observe my surroundings, fish efficiently even if that means changing the entire set-up, how to make the most of a day when we get “skunked”, and you taught me how to become a better friend. You net my fish, I’ll net yours.

You and I have gone through tough times too. The day you learned your brother would be a paraplegic, the day my mom died, and the many friends we’ve lost through sports such as climbing and base jumping. In my saddest of times I found comfort and true peace fishing with you on the river.

Rob’s Brother the Fisherman

We’re experiencing tough times today. School closures, events postponed or cancelled, businesses taking precautions to protect their employees and patrons…..

I’d be lying to you if I said I’m not worried. With proper hygiene, caring for one another, and practicing the art of patience I know we will get through this together.

I remember in the 1994 Northridge earthquake (my high school in Ventura County got rocked and closed down for two months) when people were really nervous, that the community and it’s resources shined. I met neighbors helping neighbors, strangers comforting strangers, even In&Out came through with a large mobile truck handing out burgers. I was blown away by the communities response and its sincere kindness.

Though today is different circumstances, I’d expect the community of cities, states, nations, and the world to come together. I’m already seeing this in our community. For instance, Jason owner of the Portland Fly Shop sent this out in regards to helping out seniors and those who cannot get out so easily for groceries;

If you’re good to go, but know a family member or neighbor who doesn’t have anyone available to make a run to the grocery store for them, please pass on the info.
We’re all in this together. Good, bad, or indifferent. Whether this thing gets huge, or fizzles out in a couple weeks, we can at least get you fed until it gets worked out.

Jason summed it up beautifully.

As we together navigate uncharted territory remember to take a bearing every now and then to get a sense of direction. Follow direction: wash your hands, distance yourself, and protect those with underlying health issues.

Your friend,

“Ranger” Greg

CDC Information

Oregon Health Authority

Lane County Public Health

Greg and Rob 2017

Posted in Classes and Instruction, Fishing Porn, NW Fly Tyer & Fly Fishing Expo, Oregon Fly Fishing Tips | Tagged CDC, Lane County Public Health | Leave a comment

Fly Tying in the USA – and Beyond

Posted on March 16, 2020 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

Photo caption. My wading boots on the porch in PC last summer.

March 15th, 2020. I woke to two realities today

1. Covid-19 is making its way around the USA as it has elsewhere around the world, disrupting plans, and lives in a degree that ranges from slight to devastating.
2. Life goes on.

This post is my inarticulate effort to salute the human spirit and offer a note of hope where much is needed.

While the storm builds, I wanted to share a glimpse of what our fellow fly angler – fly tyers are up-to around our North American continent.

Photo caption. not all the fly tyers in Florida are tying snook flies.

One might think that Oregon fly tyers are only tying trout and steelhead flies, Florida tyers working only on snook and tarpon flies; and New Jersey tyers singularly specializing on flies for striped bass and bluefish.

Nope. It turns out that we fly anglers and fly tyers are a very adventurous lot. Where we live really doesn’t say much about what type of flies we tie or what kind of fish we are enamored with.

Photo caption. Some of our comrades are crafting beautiful streamer flies like the fly above.

My notes here are gleaned from our shop orders, YouTube videos, and fly tying blogs that I have looked at in the last two days. This is real, and real-time.

Alabama: Someone is on the path to refine their fly-casting skills, because they’re ordering up books and DVDs to assist the effort.

Pacific salmon. A prize to dream about here and a prize in the desert.

Arizona: I know this is desert territory here, Someone here is working with Lagartun flat-braid & tinsel, trailer wire, OPST Shanks, and Aqua-Talon to create wonderful steelhead and salmon flies.

Photo caption. Small stream trout are as much a prize as a giant salmon, or carp!

California: These materials and small hooks whisper of trout fishing, small fish perhaps, or at least spooky fish that eat really small buglets. The story is far from clear, because we have wet and dry fly hackles that could work for panfish and trout,

Two photos above. some of the tyers in Georgia are tying chironomids and some are tying bass bugs.

Photo caption. traditional soft hackles are a fly that many people enjoy mastering.

Louisiana: Someone here must have some travel plans, because everything in this order speaks boldly to steelhead and salmon; combination of tackle and fly trying materials is the same stuff I’d like to stock up on for fishing the Oregon Coast, BC or Alaska.

Photo caption. Steelhead on their spawning migration.

Minnesota: Someone is stocking up on tons of Krystal Flash and Glo-Brite Floss; are we perhaps preparing for ice-out in a steelhead river?

Photo caption. Why yes, I am fly fishing.

Nevada. Well looky here, someone is tying up balanced leeches, maybe to fish Pyramid?

Photo caption. What do carp eat? Carp flies of course.

North Dakota: while some folks are tying flies with Squirmito Squiggly Worm materials, and fishing with 7X fluorocarbon leaders, there are some dedicated anglers tying up this season’s supply of carp flies.

Oklahoma: Someone loves Steve Farrar SF Blend and they’re stocking up. There’s obviously some streamers being tied up here and in among the usual white and Chartreuse there are some fun colors like misty blue and bleeding perch.

Photo caption. Pike like big flies, right?

Photo caption. Gotta love these flashy giant flies.

Ontario BC: No doubt about it. Someone is tying up pike flies this winter. Ahrex Predator hooks; Fair Flies Brushes; UV Bucktail, and Flymen Fish Masks tip the story.

Photo caption. The bead head soft hackle fishes all over the world.

Oregon: Well what do you know? Someone very close to my home is tying up their season’s supply of McKenzie Special bucktails and bead head soft hackles

Pennsylvania: Someone here is tying streamers, streamers, and more streamers; with some Clousers thrown in the mix. Their flies range from moderate to downright bad-ass, tied on anywhere from #2 to #6/0 hooks, and there are some articulated shanks and big glue on eyes too. No doubt that that these flies are intended for big predatory fish.

Photo caption. Small trout flies were once on my skill set, but not these days. Still, i might give these a try this summer.

Tennessee: Someone in the Tennessee hills is fishing for spooky trout, perhaps, or in clear water, or in little tiny streams. The clue? They’re stocking up on small #18 & #20 dry fly hooks, dry fly hackles, fine dubbing, and leader tippet in sizes down to 7X.

Washington: Someone tying flies in Eastern Washington, is going fishing in the ocean where it’s a lot warmer than the ocean offshore our coast; their quarry is bigger and badder than the rockfish, lingcod, and albacore I’m familiar with. GTs? Tarpon? Roosterfish? The possibilities are endless. Shure wish I could go!

Photo caption. The ever present Intruder . Illustration courtesy of Nathan P.

West Virginia: I would have guessed mountain brook trout or bass, or maybe even spot. Not even close. Someone way out east is tying flies and dreaming about steelhead and salmon. This tyer is laying materials on their desk just exactly like I would have at the ready out in my garage: Pro Sportfisher tubes, marabou, ostrich, fox tail, 1/0 stinger hooks, and Aquaflies Intruder eyes.

I’ve probably gone on far too long.

We fly tyer-anglers have plenty to dream about, and if we have time, we have many many flies to tie, either because we will be fishing them soon, or because we are fascinated with the craft and want expand our skill set.

Wherever you are, on behalf of Chis and our staff at the Shop, I wish you safe journeys.

Jay Nicholas March 16 2020

P.S – We at The Caddis Fly like everyone else are taking this crisis day by day. March 16 we remain open with normal business hours and are doing are best to process orders and help customers. If this changes we will provide an update on all social media channels.

Posted in Fishing Reports, Fly Fishing Travel, Fly Tying, Fly Tying Materials and Supplies, NW Fly Tyer & Fly Fishing Expo | Leave a comment