We have a situation upon us that happens every year. You can almost set your watch to it. The rivers we know and love, ebb and flow this time of year, as water temperatures start an upward trend and fishing improves. The spring equinox is March 20th this year, and that is significant for several reasons. Days get longer, water temperatures start to warm, and the first significant hatches of the year begin as the sun creeps into the northern hemisphere. Those that were cooped up all winter tying flies (definitely make it to tying night at falling sky brewery on Tuesday March 18th at 6:30!) are chomping at the bit to wet a line. So you finally get a day off work, the sun is shining, you look at the river flows and realize it is way to high to safely wade or float. How many of you have a plan B? With the unpredictability of spring weather, you’ll need one. Stillwater!
I’m an absolute stillwater junky. I started out stillwater fly fishing over a decade ago while backpacking. I took many trips a year and most of the time I’d end up at a lake. I ended up down a stillwater rabbit hole. I read as many Phil Rowley, Brian Chan, and Denny Rickards books as possible. I bought a boat. An endless stillwater pursuit was in my future. Being based in the Willamette valley I’m always waiting around for the productive lakes in the cascades to thaw and become accessible in the spring. I love our high mountain lakes, but I don’t want to wait around for them to open. I’m like you, I want to fish! I started poking around our local reservoirs and I was pleasantly surprised with what I found. All of our local stillwater options have great opportunities with everything dependent on timing (not unlike any other fishing) I’m going to give you a spot you can have success with this time of year, and the reasons I picked this spot to share: You don’t need a boat and there is plenty of access.
Lookout point reservoir. I know you’re probably laughing at me right now, but when the rivers are blown out, and you got a day to get out what do you have to lose? Or maybe, you just want to try something new.
Your main catch will be smallmouth bass. Most people think that smallmouth are a summertime thing. They can be, but these fish start staging in shallow water and feeding up for the spawn this time of year. I’ve caught them as early as the first week of February while it was spitting snow outside. The water is cold, upper 40’s. You’ll also catch largemouth, crappie, and large scale sucker fish, but your main catch will be the butterball smallmouth. These are the slowest growing bass species. It takes 5 years for them to get to 12 inches, 7 years to get 16 inches, and if you are lucky enough to land and 18-20 inch small jaw, he is likely going to be over 10 years old. Most of the fish you run across will be 12-16 inches. You’ll catch the occasional trout, and Walleye even swim these waters…
Let’s talk access. There is access along both sides of the reservoir, but I prefer to utilize the pull outs and trail access along the north side, or west boundary road when I’m not using my boat. If you have an app you like, you can download maps that are super helpful. The cell service isn’t great out here. I don’t recommend wading because it’s not necessary. You do too much hiking for them anyways. With the sudden drop offs along the shoreline you’d likely go for a swim, so I just recommend a sturdy pair of hiking shoes or boots. Find a pullout, drop a waypoint so you can find your way back. Walk down to the trail and head left or right. Keep your eyes peeled for a trail branch that leads to the water. Before you leave the trail it’s not a bad idea to drop another waypoint. I’ve missed this step and fished my way down shore for a mile or more and it can be tricky finding your way back to the trail. I prefer to fish the points that have stumps and rock on them. The straight banks can have fish on them too, but I don’t catch as many fish on mud banks. Never pass up the feeder creeks. Some days those fish will be nosed right up in the current, even in cold water.
Gear and tactics are simple. A stripping basket doesn’t hurt but not crucial. I fish a 10ft 5wt, but if you got a 9ft 5wt or 9ft 6wt laying around that is fine. I do recommend an indicator taper fly line. The wind can come up, and you’ll be fishing an indicator and balanced leech so the indicator line is necessary. Off my fly line I’ll run a 7.5ft 3x RIO tapered leader. Slide on a medium slip style indicator on your leader and tie a tippet ring to the end of your leader (you can use any style indicator, this is just my preference). You’ll run 4x tippet off of your tippet ring. I usually run 4ft of tippet to a balanced fly. Try different colored flies. Green, black, brown, red, and purple all catch fish. Using a thinner diameter tippet after the tippet ring is crucial because you will likely lose flies fishing amongst the stumps and rocks. When you lose a fly your indicator will trip, and the tippet ring saves you from losing your indicator. So buy or tie lots of flies (the fly shop can thank us later). Don’t just cast out into the lake, you’ll want to fish more parallel down the bank. Focus your casts along the color line change right where you stop seeing the lake bottom, and maybe a little further out but you won’t catch much bombing a 50ft cast out into the lake. I usually fish about 6ft from indicator to fly. Adjust your depth and cover water. Don’t let a cast sit for more than 20 seconds. If they are there, they’ll eat it pretty quick. Fish close to the stumps and rock. That’s pretty much it. You don’t need a boat, and there are miles of shoreline to explore.
I stumbled into this while waiting for our prized trout waters in the mountains to open up. This trip is awesome! I do run guided trips at Lookout and other reservoirs here in the Willamette Valley, so if you are interested in a guided stillwater fly fishing trip in a comfy boat you can get ahold of me through The Caddis Fly Angling Shop ( 541) 342-7005. I can take the guess work out of where to go and we can cover a lot more water from my boat. But if you’re a DIY type person I wanted to share with you an option for a new adventure that is totally worth the trip, even when the rivers are in good shape!
In this video, Simon ties a fantastic spring Chironomid pattern. Chironomids are a big deal early season in the stillwater game. Chironomids being the first big hatch of the year, the fish go absolutely nuts when it gets started. Effectively mimicking an emerging Chironomid can be difficult, but there are a few things that are no brainers when tying one up. Using a flashy body simulates the gas filled larva rising to the surface. The presence of wing pads is suggestive of a mature insect ready to hatch. This is especially useful in stillwater tactics where fish have more time to look at your fly before making a decision. The exact size and color of the chironomids on your local lake will differ. The beauty of this pattern is that the size and color can be easily changed to match your local hatch.
The last tying night had an awesome turn out. For everyone who showed up, thanks for making it an awesome night! We had plenty of people tying, but also had lots of people just drop in and hang out. If you’re not a tyer, you are still welcome. We’d love to have you there. As promised, here are photos of our last meetup below. Falling sky has fantastic beer and a few very talented chefs in the back kitchen. We did a little raffle for a shop gift card, and there will likely be more prizes in the future. If you’re tying, bring your own vise and materials. Please clean up before you leave, and be mindful of closing time. Scroll down to see photos and all upcoming dates for the next few months.
Stephen, of falling sky, had a wonderful idea to do a fly swap at this next meetup. So either bring two matching flies of one pattern, or tie two up at the event. Towards the end we will put them all in a pot and do a raffle system for everyone participating. Feel free to tie them before hand, especially if you know you’ll do more talking than tying at the brewery.
We are so lucky to be able to gather as a community at Falling Sky. If you see Stephen at the next event, be sure to thank him for hosting us!
Upcoming dates listed below:
Tuesday March 18th @ 6:30pm
Tuesday April 22nd @ 6:30pm
Tuesday May 20th @ 6:30pm
Tuesday June 17th @ 6:30pm
Always taking place at:
Falling Sky Brewing 1334 Oak Alley
Eugene, OR 97401
See you at the next one. Tell all your friends, the more the merrier.
If you have not already heard, Patagonia released a new line of waders just a few weeks ago. They are an improved re-release of their past iteration of Swiftcurrent waders. They have been updated, and most notably the geometry of the waders has been improved. The past waders were great, and Patagonia has found a way to improve them even more. They also shaved down their wader line to three models. They have done away with the packable Swiftcurrent travel wader, and the intro level wader has been completely redesigned with a zipper. This makes choosing what is best for you a little easier. A zip front wader offered in two price points, both boasting Patagonia’s superb quality just what we wanted in early 2025.
The new Traverse wader is a completely new release for Patagonia. A zip front wader retailing at $549, with Patagonia’s quality is unheard of. Constructed with a 5.6 oz 4 layer fabric featuring Patagonia’s signature H2NO selectively permeable membrane, this wader offers the breathability and waterproofing of a gore-tex like materials without the PFAS forever chemicals. A gusseted crotch and seam geometry that prioritizes movement mean these waders were made to move. The redesigned calf of the waders makes slipping in and out of the bootie a breeze. This has changed the fit, and will be covered more below. Like their past waders, they have additional protection at high frequency abrasion points like the ankles. Lastly the wader features a YYK waterproof zipper, and still has drop down chest tabs like past models. This means the chest can be dropped down on sliding suspenders and can be worn as pants.
The Swiftcurrent Expedition and Swiftcurrent Expedition Zip Front waders haven’t changed all that much. The most noticeable is the new green color. If you are unfamiliar, these waders are also constructed with H2NO technology. A 5.6 oz upper and 9.4 oz lower means you have additional warmth where you need it, and additional thickness where abrasions, pokes, and accidents will happen. The lower, which gets the bulk of the abuse, is fabricated more robustly, and the upper remains light for breathability. Both pair comes with knee pads which are, in my opinion, an essential feature. The standard Expedition comes in at $699 and the zip fronts are $799. They have been giving the same seam makeover and the fit is somehow better than their last models.
Comparing the two comes down to conditions you may be fishing in, how often you fish, and how hard you are on your gear. The Traverse waders are lighter than the Expedition series. This makes them better warm weather waders, they are more packable, and makes them less expensive. The zipper is a convenient feature, not only for getting in and out, but also going to the bathroom. The expedition series are built more for the unstoppable angler. If you are going to be pushing through brush, blackberries, fishing on cold winter days, and fishing any chance you have, then the Expedition series is better for you. Despite being a thicker wader, it regulates temperature in the summer surprisingly well. As for the zipper, that is a personal choice. I do know that most people that pay extra for it like it, and have a hard time going back to nonzip waders after. A fantastic boot to consider is Patagonia’s Forra Boot, they are what I have on in the video and I personally own a pair. See a full review of those here.
The fit has changed quite a bit with these waders, so if you had the past iteration of these, your size has likely changed. I wore an MRM as a 5’8 160lb man in past models. Due to the change in the bootie, ankle, and overall seam geometry. The legs seem to have been made longer in just about every model. By making the bootie easier to get into, they also made the bootie larger. Now I’d be most comfortable in a MSS (Sizing down the leg and bootie). Chris had a similar experience and used to wear an MLM, now he fits best in an MRM. This is something to be mindful of when trying these on in store, and especially purchasing online.
As always, Patagonia has a fantastic ethos and a correspondingly great warranty. They will repair your waders until the end and if they cannot, they will often give you a credit, and upcycle your waders into bags and totes. They do everything in their power to avoid throwing things out. My past generation of these waders has been into repairs twice, all from me pushing the envelope time after time. One was extremely avoidable as I was climbing over extremely sharp metal. Right after I got the waders, I tore the knee completely out leaving a 4 inch gash. The repair team at Patagonia stitched them up a little over 5 years ago and I have not had a single leak. My waders are now full of stitching and repairs, I can proudly still wear all my years of adventures, and the waders have a visible history that tell many stories. The best part is that they are not buried in a landfill.
We are extremely excited about these at the shop. If you live nearby, swing by and check them out. If you’re out of state or the country, give us a ring or email the shop, and we are happy to help you out and ship them to you. It is easy for us to recommend Patagonia waders simply because they are the best that money can buy making them a fantastic investment.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is woefully underfunded. That’s why our conservation partners at Oregon Wild are working to pass Oregon House Bill 2977, which would raise the state’s transient lodging tax—also known as the tourism tax—in order to invest in the agency that manages Oregon’s wild, native fish populations, as well as other Pacific Northwest species. Please add your name to the Oregon Wild Petition urging state legislators to pass HB 2977—also known as “1% for Wildlife.”
Oregon’s Vulnerable Fish, Wildlife, and Habitat Are At-Risk.
Dear Members of the Oregon Legislature,
We, the undersigned, urge you to support HB 2977, a bill to secure long-term, dedicated funding to prevent the decline of Oregon’s most imperiled fish, wildlife, and habitats.
Oregon is an incredibly special place; home to a diverse array of flora, fauna, and the habitats that support them. Unfortunately, development, climate change, and other natural and human-made impacts put their future at risk.
There are nearly 300 species in Oregon at an elevated risk of extinction and 11 habitats of conservation concern. To combat this – and ensure all species thrive in Oregon – we need bold, proactive investments in their recovery.
HB 2977 would provide a steady, sustainable source of funds to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to recover Oregon’s most imperiled species and habitat and enhance biodiversity – all of which contribute to Oregon’s tourism and outdoor recreation economy.
Please support ‘1% for Wildlife” by passing HB 2977 today
This last December I treated myself to a Renzetti Master M6014 Vise. I exercised some self control, and despite my excitement, I tested the vise extensively and waited several weeks to write this review for all of you.
This is the type of vise that I would imagine most tyers are upgrading to. Like I said above, this is generally regarded as the ceiling in terms of vise tiers, and it should be the last vise that you need to buy. I upgraded to this vise from a Renzetti Traveler. The Traveler was a great vise to me, it was lightweight, had great jaws, was made well, and was portable for when I am tying outside of my home. This does not mean by any means that if you are a beginner and love buying the best of the best to avoid the Master, this would make a fantastic first vise, and you’d never have to upgrade it. I was looking to upgrade to something a little nicer. Initially, I was looking for a heavier weight vise that would live most of its days on my desk. The traveler was great for when I was on the go, but with a dedicated tying desk at home, something much more burly seemed appealing. I debated getting a Presentation, but did not want to feel the urge to upgrade a few years down the road.
I decided to purchase the Master M6014 in Olive. This vise came stock with a crank arm, hinged stem, material spring, bobbin rest, and the streamer base. The base was a must for me as I had a streamer base on my Traveler. The larger base, is crucial for me as it gives the vise a much larger platform, thus greatly reducing its ability to get knocked around and shift. The assembly was simple and intuitive, and only took a few minutes. With the vise assembled on my desk, I knew exactly why I decided to go this route. There was not much of a learning curve as I was already coming from a Renzetti rotary style vise, within the first two flies I felt right at home. After a few trips with it back and forth from my desk to the shop, and to several tying nights at falling sky, I am impressed with its packability. It certainly is not as compact as the Traveler, as its construction is much more robust. The hinged shaft makes packing it into my Fishpond Tailwater Bag much easier. The vise tied small nymphs down to #20 with ease and articulated trout spey streamers like nothing. The material clamp really was helpful for articulated flies and extra materials as it can be pivoted to where you need it. I also tied up a batch of saltwater flies and the strong jaws kept even 6/o saltwater hooks in place. Owning a vise of this caliber will not instantly make you a better tyer, but it will inspire you to take more pride in what you are tying up
Like I said above, the Streamer Base is crucial for me. With the larger base, the Master virtually cannot be knocked over. This was the case with my traveler as well, and the presentations that I have put my hands on. Another attractive feature is that all of these fantastic vises are manufactured here in the USA. The smaller, family owned company has not gotten too big and is easily reached of you have any issues. The built in material clamp is able to be pivoted which is different from all of their other vises. The stock Jaws are fantastic and can accommodate flies sizing: #28 to 10/0. I did add a 6 inch Renzetti Tool Bar, this bar is machined and it sits right on the shaft. I bought olive to match my vise and it looks awesome. The bar stores several tools at once while complimenting my vise nicely. This can be especially helpful on complex patterns where you use multiple tools/ bobbins. Just like the bobbin rest, this bar can be swing out of your way, generally you wont even know it is there. Renzetti did come out with a new product called a Flybar, which goes onto the bobbin rest. The Flybar is a slotted foam cylinder that runs over the bobbin rest’s shaft. This is great for production tying, or giving a spot for your flies to hang, dry, or both. I have not tried it on my new setup yet, but I have been temped to take one home several times.
As I said above, owning a vise like this will inadvertently make you a better tyer. You will feel a subconscious push to tie better while using this tool. This vise would make an epic first vise, if you’re willing to shell out the money on your first one. More commonly, this vise is for the accomplished tyer that has been thinking about an upgrade. Versatile, elegant, and hand made here in the USA, you cant do much better for a high end vise. I truly believe that the Renzetti Master Vise is the epitome of high end vises. While you may not need this vise to tie beautiful flies, I highly recommend that you convince yourself otherwise. I did and do not regret it at all; in fact, I highly encourage it. This work of art has enriched my nightly tying experience. For someone who ties a lot and is considering upgrading, this is a no brainer. Feel free to call or email us with questions, or swing by the shop and check one out for yourself.
Patagonia’s wader line up gets an upgrade for 2025. Three mens waders are offered, including the Swiftcurrent Traverse Zip Front. I had a chance to wear the Traverse Zip Front on a recent trout trip in Argentina, see video below. I found the waders to fit much better than previous iterations of Patagonia waders.
A good fitting wader is critical to comfort as well as long term wear and tear. The Patagonia design team has re-patterned seams for reparability, mobility and reduce seam stress. A gusseted crotch and articulated seat and legs make stepping up and out of the water easier than with previous waders. One of the most noticeable and fit friendly features was a widening at the bootie/ankle transition so slipping into the wader bootie is much much easier. Getting out of the wader was as easy as gently stepping on the bootie and lifting my leg out. I can’t remember a wader that was so easy to get out of!
The Traverse Zip has a YKK Aquaseal submersible zipper, a super proven waterproof zipper. Elastic suspender straps can easily be lowered for waist to chest adjustment. A killer pocket design includes two YKK reverse coil zippered stretch stash chest pockets, one quick access drop in stretch pocket, and one zippered security stretch pocket.
Other Notes on the Traverse Zip Front: I wore a MRM or Medium body, Regular inseam(32″) and Medium Bootie(9-11) I am 6ft, 180 and have a 10.5ft street shoe. The total weight of the waders is approximately 45oz, compare that with the Swiftcurrent Expedition Zip at 52.9oz. The Traverse Zip’s upper and lower is made from 5.6oz vs. the Expedition Zip which is 9.4oz on the lower and 5.6oz on the upper.
In this video, Simon ties a fantastic March Brown wet fly. It utilizes one of the new hooks in a new line of hooks from our friends over at Ahrex. The Legacy line of hooks is a throwback to a more classic finish and features classic hook silhouettes. The hook in this pattern is called the Legacy Wet. It has a close relative … the North Country Spider. The Spider hook is lighter wire, smaller, and features a “sneck” bend which is more squared off. It is a very traditional looking wet fly hook, and is made of a heavier gauge wire that is perfect for the large native trout in the lower Mckenzie. This pattern is simple and effective. Generally, you don’t need to tie up something crazy complex for it to work, and this is a prime example. The partridge adds lots of movement and is suggestive of an emerging March Brown nymph. Swing it to imitate an emerging bug, or let it dead drift to imitate a drowned cripple. This fly is versatile in terms of the different ways it can be employed. The bead can also be omitted for shallow runs, when fish are feeding just below the surface, or when the water is low. It is a great idea to tie a few up in varying weights. Tie some up and tag us in your posts on instagram, feel free to show off the big fish you catch with it on our instagram too!
Where: Falling Sky Brewing 1334 Oak Alley, Eugene OR
When: Tuesday, February 18th at 6:30pm.
What: Tying & Community Fly Night BYOV (Bring Your Own Vise) & Appetite
Our first Tying & Community night was a success last January over at falling sky. Thank you so much to Stephen who hosted us and to those of you who made it, and we hope to see you later this month. Plenty of people brought tying equipment, but there also were many who just popped in to watch or hang out. We all got so carried away tying and chatting that we only got a few photos. We’d love for you to poke your head in later this month on Tuesday, February 18th at 6:30. This time we will have some Fly Fishing videos up on the TVs to watch as we all hangout. We promise there will be more photos for the March update!
Community tying nights will be taking place this winter at Falling Sky Brewing. Join us once a month for a night of tying, fun community, food, and beer. Stephen from Falling Sky, a fellow fly angler, has offered us space in the pub to gather and tie flies during the winter. The tying nights will happen the 2nd Tuesday at 6:30 pm of every month (unless stated otherwise) into the spring. They have delicious beer and some very talented chefs in the kitchen; the food is awesome!
Feel free to stop in and tie, just hang out and watch, or grab food and a drink. All levels of anglers and tiers are welcome! This is a great way to make new friends in the fly fishing community or get a little taste of fly tying. Tell all of your friends about it and share the news on social media! We love community events; they’re a great excuse to see each other outside of the shop or on the river. A big thank you to Stephen for hosting us, for everyone going have fun and clean up your trimmings! We’ll see you there.
We urgently need your help to protect North Umpqua’s wild summer steelhead – tell legislators to oppose SB 512! A critical hearing on SB 512 is this Thursday (Feb. 6) at 1pm. This bill would force the state to restart a harmful summer steelhead hatchery program on the North Umpqua River. This is a bad idea.
In 2022–after sustained advocacy from Native Fish Society, our partners, and wild fish advocates like you–the ODFW Commission wisely ended this same failed program due to plummeting wild steelhead numbers. Restarting it will further harm these iconic fish. Plus, the proposed hatchery is a burnt-out facility lacking the infrastructure needed to run the program and facing ongoing water quality problems—all of which make it a poor location for taxpayer investments.
We strongly oppose SB 512 and need your immediate action to make our voices heard. Take action now to protect wild summer steelhead – Please sign the Action Alert to State Legislators at the link below!
Call or email: Tell them you oppose SB 512. A brief, personal message is best. You can say something like: “I urge you to oppose SB 512. Restarting a summer steelhead hatchery program will reverse efforts to recover the North Umpqua’s wild steelhead. And after it burned to the ground, the Rock Creek Hatchery remains a terrible spot to spend taxpayer money.”
Want to make a big impact? Join us on Thursday at 1pm to testify to the committee. Advanced sign-up is required here. Click the link and then choose “Register to Testify” in the grey bar toward the top.
Providing brief, written testimony to the public record can help show the groundswell of public support for sound wild fish management. Submit written testimony by 1pm on February 8 by clicking the link and selecting “Submit Testimony” in the grey bar toward the top.
Spread the Word! Share this alert with your network – family, friends, colleagues – and encourage them to take action. The more voices we have, the stronger our message will be.
Don’t miss this opportunity to speak up for Oregon’s wild fish! Let’s work together to safeguard Oregon’s wild fish and rivers for generations to come!
It was a few months ago when the Sage R8 Classic came through the shop. All of us in the shop had the opportunity to cast it and right off the bat we all were impressed. This rod is Sage’s take on a medium action dry fly specific trout rod and they certainly delivered. The beloved Trout LL has taken a back seat and has been replaced by a newer dry fly rod, the Classic R8. Chocked full of Sage’s newest Revolution 8 technology, this rod is a wonderful compliment to the R8 family.
Sage’s entire marketing campaign for this rod is centered around slowing down. This is precisely what the blank designers over at Sage did too. This rod has a modern moderate action with a softer tip and more mid-flex than the R8. This means it can more delicately present a fly, it has more tactile feed back down the spine and into your hand, and it is more capable of throwing slack mends and feeding line downstream. When fishing technical dry fly water, this is exactly what you want a high end dry fly rod to do. The veteran fly angler will likely enjoy the feel of this rod. In recent years, rods have undoubtedly gotten faster and, as a result, sacrificed feel. For many seasoned anglers that grew up with bamboo, glass, or any slower rods, this will be a nice return to something more familiar. The rod is also incredibly light which really helps you to slow down and use it delicately as it was intended. The rods appearance pays homage to many classic Sage rods. The rod sports the iconic brown Sage blank and is decorated with beige and chestnut guide wraps. It comes in a caramel rod sock, packed into a classic off-white/cream vintage looking Sage rod tube.
You will see this rod really marketed as a dry fly specific rod. While I certainly agree that it is especially attractive to the dry fly angler, I believe this rod has a wider range of applications than some will admit. Like I said this rod has all of the ingredients to make a fantastic dry fly rod. Its action and feel really caters to casting small to medium sized dries. It preforms well up close, and holds its own at distance as well while casting a single dry. Its modern technology really allows this and for it to be a versatile rod in your quiver. Many individuals associate a rods action with its power. Meaning, a slow rod will lack power, vice versa. The Classic R8 is a pleasant surprise in hand; due to Sage’s groundbreaking graphite technology, this rod is able to maintain a medium action, while having a surprising amount of power considering its feel. As a result, this rod is capable of swinging soft hackles, throwing small dry dropper setups, light nymph rigs, as well as throwing small streamers. You may have to slow down your cast a tad, but this is what the Classic R8 is all about: slowing down, observing whats around you, making changes, feeling connected not only to your rod, but the river you find yourself in. Sometimes that means slowing down and changing your approach, and this rod allows for that.
The lineup gives you a variety of options from 3-6wt. Starting at the bottom the 3wt rods come in two lengths: 8ft and 8ft 6in. The 4wt rods come in 8ft 6in and 9ft. The 5wts come in 8ft 6in and 9ft. Finally the 6wt only comes in a 9 footer.
Starting with the 380 or 8 foot 3wt, this rod is your blue liners dream. For anglers chasing small fish on small tributaries this is an awesome option.
For anglers on larger tributaries than your blueline trickles, the 386 is a better option. This is my go to rod if I’m going to be spending lots of time exploring the valley tribs, or up on the creeks on the pass. This or the 486 are the rod I’d bring to the Driftless, or another area with small spring creeks.
Next up the 486 is another fantastic option for our valley tributaries where you may bump into larger trout. It also has more backbone to turn fish away from debris than the 386. Anything shorter than a 9 footer is great because it allows you to keep away from the trees.
The 490 is your technical dry fly rod. The full length makes it very delicate at laying a fly out to the pickiest of trout. This is a great rod for spring creeks or lakes with great dry fly fishing because it is so delicate.
The 586 is a great option for places with brush on smaller creeks, or especially windy places. The shorter rod is a little snappier and will punch through the wind well. This means it also will handle wind better.
The 590 is your do it all. This is also the rod that likely will sell the most. here is where we get into not only a fantastic dry fly rod, but one that can start to throw flies other than dries. This is the type of 590 that a long time fly angler has been missing the feel of. We’d love this rod both out of a drift boat or fishing on foot on the Mckenzie or upper Willamette.
The last rod in the lineup is the 690 and it is your lower Deschutes salmonfly stick. It also is a fantastic rod for places with high densities of large trout like Montana and New Zealand.
Choosing lines for rods can be overwhelming to many anglers, especially new ones. Even seasoned anglers may ask: What pairs best with this new rod? There is one very important answer to this with all of the new Classic R8 sizes … DO NOT OVER-LINE IT! If you do, you will ruin a perfect rod. The rod was made to be used with a line that is true to size, and a line of the like is what it should be paired with. In our casting demo, we used a Rio Elite Technical trout WF5F. This line really brought out the best in the rod and allowed it to preform both at close range, and far. Another great option would be the Scientific Angler Amplitude Textured Trout Wf5F. This rod also comes in a smooth option, but the texture allows this rod to shoot line like no ones business. I fish on foot often and having the ability to feed line downstream is crucial for me. This is not only a great upstream dry fly line, but it also preforms fantastically for downstream presentations. The last suggestion we have is the new Rio Elite Gold line. Rio has updated their Rio Gold taper to more closely reflect a true to weight line. This would be another fantastic line for the rod. Putting a half size heavy or a short size, more powerful head would do a disservice to this rod.
In our casting video, we paired the rod with a Flint colored Sage Click in a size 4,5,6. This really paired with the rod nicely with how light the rod is. A Sage Trout reel has a more classic ported look and a great drag; it would also make a gorgeous pairing with this rod. If you like click and pawl reels, you may like a Hardy Lightweight or a smaller Marquis or Bougle. A Galvan Brookie would be great clicker for the smaller rods. I personally love clickers and feel that a classic looking reel from Sage or Hardy would compliment the rod nicely. A clicker reel will really compliment the feel of this rod. Another two especially lightweight options would be a Nautilus XM or a Sage Spectrum Lt. A Bauer Rx 1-3 or Galvin Torque or Rush Lt would be other American made options that would pair nicely.
There are plenty of Pros and far fewer Cons with this rod which is what any rod designer would love to hear. The most obvious is it is a fantastic dry fly rod. Another plus is that it comes in several sizes, so there is a Classic R8 for just about any fishery. A major plus is, for those long time anglers that do not like the feel of faster rods, that this will be a refreshing rod to use. It is a nice blend of a more classic feel packed with modern technology. Lastly, the rod is also versatile, it can hold its own effectively switching between disciplines as long as you keep it relatively light. Some cons are that the rod really doesn’t have the backbone to throw real heavy rigs. This means you streamer junkies, or guys throwing big double nymph rigs will have trouble getting this rod to do that. Putting a sinking line on this rod will be a miserable experience, and should land you in jail. Another con is that faster rods have helped correct many anglers mistakes. This rod requires more precise timing to get the most out of it than its faster counterparts. Some individuals casting style really caters to faster action rods, so if this is you this rod may not work perfectly for you the first time you pick it up. That does not mean it wont, you may have to work at retiming your cast to get the most out of this rod.
The Classic R8 is a refreshing step back to the constant barrage of fast action rods that saturate the industry today. That seems to be exactly what Sage intended with this rod, they want this to be a relaxing, slow, meditative, refreshing rod to use. I think in todays world we all could afford to slow down, the ethos of the R8 is just that. I hope, while using your new R8 Classic, you can slow down this upcoming season and be present on the body of water most sacred to you.
We’d love for you to swing by the shop and check them out. If you live out of state, please give us a ring (541) 342-7005 or email us: Support@caddisflyshop.com and pick our brain. We’d love to discuss what type of fishing you do, in what type or drainage, and find a Classic R8 that fits you the best.
Our group spent three weeks in Argentina this January. We started in Buenos Aires taking in the New Year, the sights, sounds and culinary delights. Our second week was spent in Northern Patagonia trout fishing. We were lucky enough to catch the “inchworm” hatch. Our third week was spent in Cafayate, wine country of the Northern Argentine province Salta.
We are taking reservations for fishing and traveling to Argentina in 2026. If the cold weather of the Northern Hemisphere is getting to you, it’s time to make plans for dry fly fishing in the sun in 2026. Email travel@caddisflyshop.com for more information.
A few fish trickled in late November, early December but steelheading was slow overall due to low water and frigid conditions. The rain dances were heard and answered with an overcompensating vengeance. A lot of rain and milder temperatures came mid-December that allowed some success around Christmas time and New Years, but high water made catching tough.
A greasy tailout on the lower Alsea
I spent most of my time on the Alsea before New Years. I love the Alsea river early season. It helps that I caught my first steelhead on a fly rod sixteen years ago in its maligned headwaters! I fish it sparingly after New Years to escape the crowds that arrive when the fish are really in. The Midwestern style combat fishing on its North Fork gives one of my favorite rivers a misunderstood reputation. The mainstem Alsea is a beautiful, varied stream with a classic Oregon Coast feel. It has many boat launches (some slides), creative bank access and a true early run of steelhead. In December, I usually see zero to three other boats per drift and maybe a couple more in the upper river on weekends. After New Years expect to see A LOT more traffic. Which is fine! Just not what I look for.
A lovely start to the season
Since the rain has halted this week I have switched to waters closer to Eugene. Steelhead fishing has been pretty steady with solid reports from myself and other anglers. Hopefully you were able to get out this last week as well!
Outlook:
The rain has halted for awhile, the next couple weeks are shaping up for a slow steady drop. From now onward most rivers will have fish in them. In January I find fish in pods rather than evenly distributed throughout a system; if you find one or a couple keep it to yourself and maybe fish that same zone again the next day. If you like to fish larger rivers like the North Umpqua, the next couple weeks will be very kind levels for swinging. Colder weather will turn “the bite” off intermittently but you can be confident that there are some around. Get out there!
Look at how chrome that one is!
I feel more confident in swung flies the warmer the water is in the winter. I used to trust that 47 was the cuttoff for bedrock lies (for fresh fish), but I swung an absolute chromer this past weekend out of bedrock bucket when the water was 46! I will swing the primo runs in all water temperatures. When swinging in colder water, look for shallower and gradual sloping runs. The runs that look like they are from a postcard about Olympic Peninsula not the Oregon Coast. In Oregon these runs usually occur near a corner in the river or above rapids and are usually contain smaller rock mixed in with some big boulders that fish can hide behind.
Some Tech & Preferred Products:
When the water gets cold the fish will move a lot less. Over the next couple weeks I would keep the unweighted flies in the box unless you want to put some shot in front of them. For our bedrock strewn, coastal streams my swung flies are tied with medium lead eyes or larger. I have caught a lot of winter steelhead on: Signature Intruder. Other killer flies from the shop:Guide Intruder, Loop Leech, Stu’s Metal Head Tube.
I like to color code my flies by the eyes. I use chartreuse for small (used sparingly in winter), orange for medium, pink for large, and purple for xl. That’s how much I think color matters, for identifying the weight of flies not for catching fish! These are the eyes that I like to use: Double Pupil Lead Eyes.
My usual Oregon Coast tip wallet is simple: t11, t14, and 5/5 tip are the mainstays. I use 10 footers on a switch and 12.5 footers on a full spey if I’m fishing a bigger river. On the Umpqua, I will use more t17. I use a 5/5 MOW Tip in either t11 or t14. In smaller to medium sized streams during normal to low water (what is on the forecast) it is a must. This tip is super versatile. Use it to fish classic “bobber water” with a slightly upstream cast and slack tosses of extra running line as it passes by. It works great for fishing shallower buckets with a straight across cast and a pullback mend. Lastly, use a 45 degree cast downstream for the shallow tailouts; all with the same 5/5 MOW tip! It is important to use a weighted fly with a true MOW tip (the 5/5s 2.5/7.5s). They were designed for fishing deep quickly, while not snagging, with slightly upstream or straight across casts.
I use RIO Elite Skagit Max Power Spey Head on most of my full spey rods in the winter. Due to the size of most rivers I fish my winter full speys are all 12’6”s. If you are fishing a 13 or 13’6” the RIO Elite Skagit Max Launch Spey Head is great. I have been demoing a 12’8” Scott Swing and love it with a 575 max launch and it does well with a 550 max power. This rod has a lot of soul and is a joy to cast all day. I just picked up the ultimate Umpqua stick: the Sage R8 8126. I can’t wait to break it in next week with a 625 max power as well as a RIO Elite Skagit Pickpocket Shooting Head 600gr. My go to head for my switch rods is the OPST commando head . I use the Echo SR or “Switch Rod” on smaller water in a 7wt or 8wt. I like 3-4ft of 12lb or 15lb Maxima Mono in the winter for swinging flies.
Of course I “indicator” fish and I have been loving the new mega XL Oros Strike Indicators. They can hold a lot of weight, their depth is easily adjustable and they float better than the larges do in turbulent currents. The Scientific Anglers Amplitude Anadro line is my favorite for indicator fishing. Use it true to size on single handers and size up two line weights on a switch. I have not played around with but have heard positive reviews of the SA Integrated Switch Line. This line is specialized for indicator fishing from the shore with lots of weight on a switch rod. It is the successor to my favorite, poorly named and sadly abandoned “Great Lakes Switch” line from SA.
Last spring the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) announced it had applied for over 260 new instream water rights in the Willamette River system to protect instream flows for native fish and wildlife in the North Willamette, Mid-Willamette, and South Willamette basins.
The final batch of 98 instream water right applications in the South Willamette are being considered now – including segments of the McKenzie River, Middle Fork and Coast Fork Willamette, Mohawk River, South Fork McKenzie, Blue River, Salt Creek, Row River, North Fork Middle Fork Willamette River, and others. The public comment period closes next Thursday, Jan. 16th, by 5 p.m.
Instream Water Rights do not harm existing water rights, but do protect flows from new withdrawals going forward. Establishing protection for instream flows for fish is critical to maintaining healthy rivers in the face of climate change. There’s more at this ODFW StoryMap Overview document, and an ODFW Frequently Asked Questions page on instream water rights.
To express your support for ODFW’s full slate of 98 South Willamette instream applications, create a comment email with our pre-formatted form linked below. You can modify, change, or add remarks as you see fit for a more personal comment, or mention specific rivers or streams of interest to you and your family.
A beautiful male Clearwater-Eastern Cascades Westslope Cutthroat Trout
Generally when anglers imagine fishing for large Westslope Cutthroat it is on a winding freestone stream in Idaho or Montana, or maybe it is in the upper Columbia in BC or a river in Alberta. Generally, Oregon and Washington aren’t peoples’ first guess, but they both have small isolated populations of these beautiful fish. This article will discuss the former, but if you are interested on the unique Westslopes that Oregon has to offer click here to read an article from earlier this last summer.
My first trip to Washington for these fish was two years ago with Robbie. On a whim, we ran up North in search of Washington’s Westslope seldom spoken of. I did my research and had a large drainage I planned on exploring, in hindsight at the wrong time of year. It was mid July and extremely hot. The best fishing was isolated to the mornings and evenings, and although we caught plenty of what we were looking for, I left knowing this beautiful drainage had more to offer.
Fall brings salmon, colorful leaves, low wadable water, and cooler temps to the basin
There are several distinct subspecies of Westslope Cutthroat trout distributed all across the West. At one point, it was the most widely distributed Cutthroat in the world. The specific subspecies of Westslope present in Washington is the Clearwater-Eastern Cascades Cutthroat(CECWT). They are lumped in the same subspecies as the famous Westslopes from the Clearwater and Loscha rivers in Idaho. The range of this subspecies is disjunct and has one portion in Idaho and the other isolated in Central Washington on the East slope of the Cascades. There currently is not a conclusive explanation for the two distinct species. Some hypothesize that possibly it historically was one large population. Some think that Columbia Redbands moved in and outcompeted or hybridized with the cutthroat, and this created two separate populations of similar fish. Hopefully additional genetic testing will be done in the future that can tell us more about how this isolated pocket of Westslopes came to be.
Washington’s Westslopes look like your run of the mill Westslopes, but often with more spotting
The appearance of Washington’s Westslope is typical of many subspecies of Westslope. A beautiful golden backdrop decorated with dark spots mostly occurring above the lateral line. Generally the tail is heavily spotted and the back is a deep mustard-olive color, often slightly darker than the sides of the fish. The fish always have the tell-tale scarlet slashes on their jaw, males especially can be found with pink to red bellies, and they can sport red cheeks. Especially young fish will sport beautiful blue parr marks along the lateral line. The average size of fish will be from 6-12 inches, but I bumped into several over 20″. From my experience, this will largely be dependent on how hot it is. The Washington population of the Clearwater-Eastern Cascades Westslope Cutthroat Trout (CECWCT) is often more spotted than their Eastern relatives in Idaho.
Lower in elevation, the drainage closely resembles the Lower Deschutes with vegetation isolated in close proximity to the water.
The region in you can find these fish in Washington is vast. Unfortunately, I have only had the chance to explore a small portion of their home. The section I decided to focus on is the Yakima basin, however I plan to return in the future and explore further North into their range. The character of the drainage is unique, and appears different from our local rivers in the Willamette Valley. Things are dry here in the high desert; vegetation is isolated along side the rivers and creeks. The river in lower elevations looks reminiscent of the lower Deschutes River. As you move higher in elevation into the headwaters and tributaries, the shade of nearby mountains making up the Cascades allow for more lush growth; everything is much more green and more closely resembles the upper Deschutes or Metolous river. Because of the hot climate, I learned the hard way that the middle of the summer is not necessarily ideal to fish the area. Hot days and lack of shade lower in the system can make fishing slow, especially if you’re searching for large fish. The tributaries are cascading freestone streams that run cool. The water is crystal clear in the summer and fall, and as you move your way out of the valley floor, the scenery changes from arid desert to lush coniferous forest. Fall was an especially beautiful time of year to visit with the leaves changing and comfortable weather.
Excuse the poor quality, I put my phone camera subsurface to capture a large group of spawning Sockeye
The Westslopes share their home with other native species including: Whitefish, Columbia Basin Redband Trout, protected Bull trout, and various Sculpins and Dace. Many of the small creeks hold resident Westslopes. As they age many of them experience a fluvial life strategy, and they migrate downstream into the larger tribs, and eventually into the mainstem. As a rule you can seek out larger fish by looking at the corresponding size of the system you are on and imagining how much food may be available. There are several reservoirs in the basin and some large Westslopes exhibit an adfluvial life strategy, migrating to and from lakes. Several species of Salmon return to the drainage such as: Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, and Sockeye Salmon. I saw a few Chinook on my trips and bumped into hundreds of Sockeye high in the drainage in just one day. Bull trout are protected in the drainage and there are great efforts in the form of many projects in the works to aid in their habitat and spawning. Nonnatives, none of which I bumped into, include: Brook Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Carp, and Catfish.
This big male came up for a dry, what more could you want?
This most recent trip I made the trip up solo. I spent 3 days fishing up there and that was ample time to explore a lot more than last time. I spent the first day poking around a small tributary that I had read about, and ran into some gorgeous resident Cutthroat using my 3 wt. I headed to a larger trib and poked around some spots from the last trip and ended the day catching some larger fish during the evening hatch of October Caddis, BWO’s, and Mahoganies. The next day I poked around the mainstream Yakima and learned it is best fished out of a boat, but I did have some success. Instead of beating my head against a wall all day, I headed up to a reservoir looking for large advluvial Cutts. I did not find the large fish I was looking for, but I found hundreds, maybe over thousand paired up Sockeye cutting redds. It was an amazing sight, one that I never will forget. The last day I felt the pressure to find the 20 inch Westslope that I came up here for; after being broken off by two large fish, I knew they were around. I decided on a system I was familiar with and landed one large female in the morning on a nymph, a gorgeous colored up male with shoulders on a dry in the afternoon, and at last light I ended up with a huge Colombia Basin Redband, and plenty of other fish in between.
High in the system the difference in topography is apparent. Much more green and more bedrock in the stream.
This small tributary was full of small willing resident Cutts, perfect for the 3wt
On this trip my most used rod was a Winston Air 2 9″ 5wt, I paired this with a Sage Trout reel, and as always I was using a Scientific Anglers Amplitude Infinity Textured WF5F line. This rod did everything I asked and more. It provided ample reach on the larger systems, and had the backbone to turn large Westslopes that I hooked into. It also is sensitive enough to make fighting smaller fish enjoyable. On the smaller headwaters tribs, I used a Winston Air 2 8’6″ 3wt, with a Hardy Lightweight LRH, and Scientific Anglers Amplitude Infinity Textured WF3F line. This rod was my go to stick for the small streams, and is one of my favorite rods to use. It has enough backbone to throw dry dropper setups, but also can delicately present a fly to a picky fish. My streamer rod I brought was a Sage Sonic 9’6″ 6wt, and had a Sage Spectrum Lt 5/6 reel, and the line was a Scientific Anglers Sonar Titan Sink Tip WF6S6. This setup searched every run and I just couldn’t get the fish to follow on a streamer like my first trip. It is my go to streamer setup otherwise and I will be going back for redemption. Other gear that made the trip easier was a good pair of boots and waders. I used the following: Patagonia Swiftcurrent Expedition, and Korkers River Ops with studded felt soles. Some areas are pretty slick in that drainage and a good pair of boots will keep you from taking a spill. As always I carried my rods in a Riversmith River Quiver 4- Banger Rod Vault. As someone without a boat, this makes my life a breeze as I can jump from spot to spot without breaking down my rods. I also do not have to worry about loose gear in my vehicle crushing my rods as I drive to the next spot. The net I carried is one of my favorites the Fishpond Mid-Length Nomad Net. It has a long handle and makes netting fish easy on your own, the big bag makes netting large fish easier too. With a Nomad End Cap the net can double as a walking/wading staff. Aside from the basics I carried SA mono and fluoro tippet from 2x-5x, Oros Indicators,Shimizaki Dry Shake, Loon Aquel floatant, Amadou Patch, and Fishpond Sunscreen.
There is plenty of access on foot throughout the entire basin
The CEWSCT of Central Washington are much closer than driving all the way to Idaho. The city of Yakima is 4 Hours and 45 minutes away making it much more doable for a short trip than the 10 hrs on the road to get to the Loscha or Clearwater. There are campgrounds littered throughout the drainage, but beware that many of them close in the fall. I intended to camp again this fall, but most of the campgrounds were closed. There are plenty of dispersed sites, but I opted to make my home base in the city of Yakima. There are plenty of hotels to stay at up there, and the town has everything you’d need. The lower Yak runs right through town and you can reach the tip top of it and its tribs in a little over an hour, so there is plenty of fishable water on that hour drive up.
As we know, some of the smaller fish are the most beautiful. This little guy has just about outgrown his parr marks.
I’m grateful for the experience of pursuing these native fish in their home. As time ticks on, these isolated subspecies of native trout face unprecedented challenges ahead of them. Please use proper handling techniques and show these fish the respect they deserve if you happen to make the pilgrimage there in search of them, or any isolated subspecies of native trout. We’re happy to outfit you for your trip North or help in any way we can, just swing in the shop or give us a ring. Central Washington will always have a special place in my heart, and the more I reminisce on a visit, the closer I am to planning another trip. After two visits up there, I still have a lot to explore in that drainage, not to mention heading further north into Washington’s Westslopes range.
-Simon
Big female from the morning of my 3rd day ate a big stone nymph in the tailout
A few of the great resources that I read, and that you may enjoy are below
