The Caddis Fly: Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

Great Lakes Shimmer Minnow Fly Tying Video Version 2

Posted on July 25, 2013 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

This is another Internet-Poached fly that Jay Nicholas is tying to demonstrate some of the creative tying possibilities offered by Greg Senyo’s Laser Yarn.

By the way, that guy Greg is quite an interesting fellow, great tyer/angler, and a ton of fun to talk with. He is also very generous in sharing his fly tying and fishing experience. Thanks Greg.

Remember, we really do not know who actually created this particular fly, but it is easy to tie, uses cool new materials, and looks really FISH.

One thing we will bet on is this: the darn fly series will fish in all sorts of places where anadromous salmon, trout, and steelhead live, not just in the Great Lakes.

We can imagine this fly being taken as an attractor or feeding trigger or territorial defense motivator, heck, who knows what lurks in the minds of the fish we seek to catch.

Anyway, tie this white/shrimp pink Shimmering Minnow as-is or create your own color combinations and go fishing as soon as you can.

Key materials of this White/Shrimp Pink Great Lakes Shimmer Minnow steelhead and trout fly are noted as follows:

Thread – Veevus 8/0 or 10/0 red
Hook – Daiichi 1530 #6/8
Tail- Senyo’s Laser Yarn, white
Body – Blue Crystal Chenille Medium
Wing – Ice Dub Minnow Back Shimmer Fringe, Hot Pink/Purple back
Head/Collar – Senyo’s Laser Yarn, Shrimp Pink

Low & Clear comes to Eugene, August 1st

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

Gathr Films is hosting a screening of Low & Clear on Thursday August 1 at 7:30pm at the Bijou Art Cinemas in Eugene, Oregon.

Here is a quick synopsis of Low & Clear:

During a winter flyfishing trip to Canada, two old friends, J.T. Van Zandt and Alex “Xenie” Hall, learn they’ve have grown apart in more ways than one. J.T., the thoughtful even-keeled son of a songwriting legend believes there’s more to fishing than catching fish. Short-tempered Xenie, a “firewood salesman,” sees it differently and fishes like it’s a race against the clock. Their different approaches to fishing and life emerge and clash on the snowy river banks and damp hotel rooms of British Columbia in this true story of a friendship stretched to the breaking point. An exploration of life in the disappearing wilderness of the West, Low & Clear unfolds with moments of humor and pathos, success and failure, as J.T. and Xenie find themselves on a fishing trip that could be their last.

Based on the trailer, I really think this film says something interesting about the different kinds of fishermen and relationships that develop, erode, and haunt us over time. Looks like it’s got potential to be something more than the average fly fishing movie.

Posted in Oregon Fly Fishing Clubs and Events | Leave a comment

There’s No Place Like Eugene

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

A week before I was scheduled to fly to Sri Lanka, the head of
Redington’s marketing team called and asked if I could help organize a
photo shoot. She was looking for a special location–someplace other
than the typical high desert trout scene. It needed to be authentic,
gorgeous, and accessible. I suggested the McKenzie, and put the
Redington crew in touch with The Caddis Fly. Within a couple of
days, the stage was set: Clay Holloway, Matt Ramsey, and I would be
the guides & oarsmen, and the upper McKenzie would be our location.

The night before the shoot, we all congregated for a planning/drinking
session at the North Bank Pub in Eugene. I dropped my boat in at Alton
Baker and anchored it just off the McMenamin’s patio. Since we were
all staying at the Valley River Inn, I couldn’t resist the chance for
a starlight float. After dinner, we jumped in the boat and lazily
drifted to our hotel.

The next morning, we made a caravan to McKenzie Bridge. The river was
dressed in full summer regalia. The photographers couldn’t believe
their eyes. And in a rare stroke of luck, the hot sunlight was broken
by sporadic cloud cover, allowing for perfect shooting all day long.

It was my first time rowing from McKenzie Bridge to Blue River. I was
excited and mildly nervous. Whitewater is not really my thing, and the
guys made it clear there would be lots of it. They were not
kidding–my arms are still sore!

Clay and Matt were absolute pros, and by lunchtime the Redington crew
had all their product shots. We stopped for lunch on a beautiful
island, caught some nice rainbows, and soaked in the perfection of the
upper McKenzie.

As I drove back to Portland that evening, I thought back on the four
years when I called Eugene home. There were so many special people and
places, so many good times. Tears fell, and I knew, beyond any doubt,
that I’d never again find a place quite like Eugene.

Rob Russell

Posted in Fishing Reports, Fly Fishing Gear Review | 5 Comments

Kayak Fishing Challenge August 3 2013

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

Visit northwestkayakanglers.com for more info on this fun event coming up August 3rd. Fishing has been great on the coast stay tuned for more coastal reports and activities in the month of August.

Posted in Fly Fishing Contests, Oregon Fly Fishing Clubs and Events | 1 Comment

Oregon Saltwater Fishing Report July 19 2013

Posted on July 20, 2013 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

After a lengthy period of non-fishing (laugh if you must), I received an invitation to join friends fishing from their newly acquired Dory out of Pacific City on this fine day. The ocean has been rough much of the last several weeks and I have been devoting much/most of my off-water hours delving into a realm of fly tying that is practically new to me: the world of saltwater flies.

More on that as the season progresses. Suffice to say for now that true salty fly people have talent galore and the transition from principally estuary and river flies to the stuff people throw at oceanic critters has been a challenge, what with new materials, new hooks, and a different mindset to adjust one’s thinking and handiwork.

My saltwater flies prior to my recent obsession (hummmm, there’s the O-word) with saltwater patterns date have mostly been “Clouserish” in nature and based mostly on buck-tail with limited use of synthetics.

Anyway, our day on the ocean was wonderful. Any of you who fish your own boats offshore for salmon and bottom fish with conventional gear should seriously give fly rods a fair shake, because it is a fun and productive way to fish —- at times I believe that the fly rod can hold its own, fish-for-fish with traditional gear techniques.

Anyway again. Great Day.

Shakedown cruise finished-up rowing dory into the beach, just like in the old days, though not exactly by design.

A few trip photos, labeled or not, relate a few highlights.

Yup. These come in handy sometimes, even in the ocean.

Long-toothed Lingcod. Fly rod yes, Rodger that.

Just about to drift over the school of fish, located about 40 ft deep.

We actually had 4 fish on (simultaneously) on several occasions, but only two rods made this photo frame.

Hooked fish were often inexplicably unhooked prior to being sighted and were surely deep-shouldered brutes, but when we found them, it was pretty sweet.

When the motor wouldn’t start, it was nice to have friends to cheerfully lend a tow. They had already limited their boat fly fishing Black Rockfish and were ready to head inshore – but let me tell you that the hooking up of tow ropes was quite interesting.

Two strong men on the oars brought us safely ashore, slowly, but we rode the light swells onto the sand in fine style.

Finally, here are some fresh-from-being-eaten flies that we fished successfully today. These and more will be featured in fly tying videos (eventually), accompanied by lots of tips and techniques involved in tying saltwater style flies.

Great fishing and fun to you all, hope to be back at it the next few mornings. And remember that Albacore will be in our reach VERY SOON!

July 19 2013

BTW, we fished 7-10 wt Sage ONE, Echo 3 Saltwater, Echo ION, and Echo Prime fly rods with sinking lines. Lines included Rio Striper Coldwater Series, Rio Max II shooting heads in Type 6; Rio Custom-Cut T-14 full fly line; and home-crafted shooting heads using T-17 and T-20 in lengths of 20-30 ft, looped to Rio 44 lb Slickshooter running line.

Leaders were tied up using Maxima Ultragreen and one formula that worked well was as follows: perfection looped, 3 ft- 30 Lb butt section; 3 ft 20 lb mid section; and a tippet section of 3 ft in either 12 or 15 Lb. I intend to delve into shock tippets, bite wire tippets, and droppers any day now, but for this day we kept it simple.

Fish were as deep as 70 ft and as shallow as 10 ft, but most of our grabs came in the 30 – 40 ft depth range.

Cast, let ‘er sink, feed line as the Dory drifts away from the fly, and then strip the fly back up through the schools of cooperative fish. No salmon this date, but tomorrow, who knows?

Posted in Fishing Reports, Oregon Saltwater Fishing | 2 Comments

New Fly Tying Product: Fish Skull Articulated Fish Spine

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

The insanely cool baitfish pattern in the video above is tied with Fish Skull Articulated Fish Spine.

You can vary the body material we suggest CCT body Fur or Tarantula Hairy Leg Brush one inch, and Frizzle Chenille, all materials will need to be trimmed to taper and colored with a pen to some degree.

A nice tail can be formed with hen saddle feathers and clear cure cure brushable.

A variety of eyes are available include the Clear Cure Goo Dumbbells, Big Game Dumbbells and simple stick on eyes from Fish Skull Living Eyes.

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

Great Lakes Shimmer Minnow Fly Tying Video

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

This fly represents Jay Nicholas’ effort to provide fly tying instruction that is fun, showcases new materials, features basic and/or advanced tying techniques for new and weathered tiers, spark your imagination, and so on.

This fly is a version of a Great Lakes steelhead fly we saw on the “blogosphere” and decided to pass on to you. It was tempting to claim the pattern as an original, but most likely it has already been claimed by at least a dozen people already.

Several things about this fly are appealing: for example, it is pretty simple to tie, but the technique for using Greg’s Laser Yarn is still important to learn; the colors have steelhead attraction power, the colors look nice in our boxes; the fly could be fished as an egg or flesh fly in addition to inducing a minnow eating response, and it is capable of being fished with a traditional sink tip on single and two hand rods.

We intend to give this fly a dunk here in Oregon fishing for cutthroat and salmon too, and our bet is that it will fish well and the fish will eat it. Alaska trout and salmon? Why not?

You decide. A separate video will feature the GLSM in yet another color combination.

Key materials of this Great Lakes Shimmer Minnow steelhead and trout fly are noted as follows:

Thread – Veevus 8/0 or 10/0 black or red
Hook – Daiichi 1530 #6/8
Tail- Senyo’s Laser Yarn, pink
Body – Chartreuse Crystal Chenille Medium
Wing – Ice Dub Minnow Back Shimmer Fringe, Chartreuse/Peacock back
Head/Collar – Senyo’s Laser Yarn, Fl. Blue

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

Clearance Pricing on Fly Lines

Posted on July 16, 2013 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

Act now to save big while we re-organize our fly line department!

The lines pictured below represent stock on hand. Most are not listed online. Give us a call at 541 342 7005 to order or come buy the shop. Hours are 9-6 M-F 10-5 Saturday and 10-3 Sunday. Sale is limited to stock on hand.

Pricing: Each line will be sold at 50% off list price (most boxes pictured show list price) however no reasonable offer will be refused.

Additional lines not shown but on sale online include the Rio Steelhead Scandi, Rio Skagit Flight and Skagit Short. You can view those sale lines and much more on this page: SALE FLY FISHING GEAR

Scientific Anglers XPS and VPT, excellent presentation lines for lighter action rods and small waters.

Scandi spey heads for lighter steelhead flies. Attach a poly leader or a long mono leader and you are set.

Switch line heads designed by Beulah.

Clouser for all around saltwater, DeepSea for Bluewater and Tarpon channel fishing, Carp for Carp fishing and Redfish for warmwater saltwater flats fishing.

Bathed in silver boxes, these clear Airflo fly lines are perfectly suited to fishing lakes and we reach for these lines fishing estuaries when we are swimming flies at relatively shallow depths pursuing line-shy salmon, steelhead and sea-run trout. These clear lines 6/7F (floating), 6/7FI (Fast Intermediate are perfect for sea run cutthroat, silvers, and pinks. 8/9F (Floating) and 8/9FI (fast Intermediate) are our Chinook “Secret” lines when we want to fish the upper 3-4 feet of the estuary with clear lines.

Sixth Sense 8/9SI – These Airflo Lakes lines are another of our estuary favorites for fishing shallow. The pale olive fly lines are slimmer than the clear line series, leaving a less noticeable shadow in sunny conditions, and fish the upper 4 ft of the water without requiring a fast retrieve.

Elk River Estuary anglers should give both these and the clear lines a shot, knowing they are proven performers.

Awesome saltwater lines for all around use in the tropics, floating and clear sinking tip. Sharkskin technology from Scientific Anglers casts fantastic and is extremely durable.

Older version of the estuary and lake line previously mentioned.

Longer Spey head for a 7/8 rod and a Delta Spey Multi Tip line that includes line and sink tips in wallet.

Type 3 sinking 4 weight lake lines.

Textured Nymph lines from Scientific anglers, great for casting heavy nymphs and indicators.

Fast sinking integrated sink tip for a 7 or 8wt rod, and a presentation double taper for a 2wt rod.

The now rare double taper line, perfect for two and three weights. The GPX will load any length of rod.

Excellent all around saltwater Mastery Textured lines. These cast great and are not as loud as the Sharkskin but do zing through the guides and resist tangling better than almost all other lines.

Remember to give us a call or come by the shop to purchase, bring a reel and we will load backing ( n/c) along with your new line.

Posted in Shop Sales and Specials | 2 Comments

Salmon Creek Grand Slam – Cutthroat, Rainbow, and Dragonfly

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

Last Friday I spent a beautiful day hiking and fishing along Salmon Creek, NE of Oakridge. On a stretch miles up the creek from town I was casting into small pools with short, lazy tosses when I heard a “thwack” on the backcast and felt the fly and line change course. As the fly passed near my left ear I saw a large object on the end of the line. Thinking it was a leaf, I recast but the fly seemed to flutter away. I finally stopped casting and found a large blue dragonfly wrapped around the fly. When it landed on the ground it attempted to take off with the fly, but was slightly tangled in the tippet. I untangled it and tried to get the fly back, but the dragonfly (probably a California Darner) held on with it two front pairs of legs and its mandible (a jaw-like structure). I eventually retrieved the fly and the dragonfly, probably dazed by the wild take-down, took a few moments to recover before departing. The remainder of the day was spent catching beautiful wild cutthroats, with golden/orange slashes, and one especially large rainbow.

For those interested in casting to dragonflies, I recommend a #16 Parachute Adams with a 9’, 5 wt. tapered leader, although the 5 wt. gear may be more than is needed.

Jim Reichman

Posted in Fishing Porn, Fishing Reports | Leave a comment

Watermaster Raft on the Lower Umpqua River

Posted on July 13, 2013 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

My daughter and son take the incredibly buoyant and easy to maneuver Watermaster Grizzly down the lower Umpqua. The boat is light on the water and with just one push or pull you get results.

Posted in Fly Fishing Gear Review | 4 Comments

Oregon Suction dredge bill heads to the governor

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

From the Oregonian: A bill that would scale back the number of suction dredge mining permits issued in Oregon has passed the House and Senate and heads to the desk of Gov. John Kitzhaber, who is expected to sign the bill into law.

Photo by Klamath-Siskiyou Wild

The bill prohibits mining in salmon spawning areas year-round. Fish advocacy groups like Trout Unlimited, the McKenzie Flyfishers and Native Fish Society have been tracking this bill throughout this legislative session. Send these people money and volunteer your time.

Posted in Oregon Conservation News | Leave a comment

Summer Solstice in Alaska

Posted on July 11, 2013 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

This is the second time I’ve experienced summer solstice in Alaska and it doesn’t get any easier to sleep through 22 hours of daylight the second time around. I had an amazing trip on the Alagnak river in the Bristol Bay Region of Alaska accompanied by great friends. The Alagnak is fed by two lakes the Nonvianuk and Kukaklek and flows for about 70 miles until it feeds into the Kvichak River and then into the bountiful waters of Bristol Bay.

At times this river is chock full of salmon but we were after a different quarry, the unique leopard rainbow trout that inhabit the rivers of the area. The lodge we stayed at is in the middle of the prime rainbow trout territory about 25 minutes from the confluence that forms the Alagnak and a little over an hour’s boat ride to Nonvianuk lake.

Finding the rainbows was tough some days and on others pretty damn easy. Many lake trout, grayling and dolly varden, also found the net on the trip. These trout are hungry in the spring time and are after a big meal.

Mouse patterns were very effective at times and leeches such as the Dali Lama were the go to flies for the trip. I caught a handful of average sized rainbows on the mouse and missed many more, but the big fish seemed to prefer a leech fished deep. It is one cool experience to see a large rainbow crash a skated mouse on the surface or feel the grab on a leech pattern. The best weapon to throw these balls of hair, lead and foam were small spey and switch rods. A 6 weight 12’6” spey rod seemed like the ideal choice for many sections of the river and was well suited to the size of the fish, but a shorter rod switch rod also worked very well for others. Most everyone who was not a die hard spey angler was converted into a full blown two handed fanatic by the end of the week.

A special thanks goes out to all the guides and staff at Alaska Trophy Adventures who made the trip a memorable one. The last photo is of one of the great guides at the lodge Pete Micol who I got the pleasure to spend my last 3 days of the trip with and who taught me spey rods are not just for swinging they also make great outriggers for trolling up big lakers. When Pete is not chasing rainbows in Alaska or steelhead in Michigan he also works as santa, check him out at www.flyfishingwithpete.com

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

Last Minute Skeena Trip Trip August 11-17 Anyone?

Posted on July 9, 2013 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

It’s last minute but a hell of a deal $1750 for the week. If this trip looks good to you contact our friends at Flyfishingcaribe.com– Daniel or Martina can be reached at flyfishingcaribe@gmail.com.

Details below. Sorry about the small type. Click on the text below and it will become more legible.

Posted in Fly Fishing Travel, Shop Sales and Specials | Leave a comment

Upper McKenzie Slowing Down But Still a Great Day Out

Posted on July 9, 2013 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

Our fantastic warm rainy days of June are behind us and the upper McKenzie is at levels not seen at this time of year in several years. Low water and bright sun are not the perfect combination for mid-day results, however if you fish the fast water, abrupt drop offs and bubbly edges enough you will find fish. There are enough golden stone flies around that fish will still eat a Half Down Golden or an Aane’s Mojo Stone. It’s a good idea to drop an Ice Prince Nymph or a smaller Possie Bugger off of the stone for a hopper dropper rig. For the very best results fish the last hours of the day with Elk Hair Caddis in Yellow, Tan or Brown, and Parachute Adams in sizes #14 and #16.

Posted in Fishing Reports | 1 Comment

Cayo Largo 2013 Trip Report

Posted on July 7, 2013 by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

Our group of 16, 12 anglers 3 children and one non-angler recently traveled to the small Island of Cayo Largo. You may remember last year’s adventure being interrupted by tropical depression “Debbie”. Well, this year’s weather was about as good as one can expect on a six-day saltwater fly fishing trip. All twelve anglers caught a variety of fish on the trip and three were able to accomplish “Grand Slams” catching a Bonefish, Permit and Tarpon on the same day. We have already scheduled next years trip for June 20-29 if you are interested shoot me an email and I will be happy to provide more information.

About the fishery

Avalon Fishing’s Cayo Largo’s program is one of the most unique operations in the world. Avalon is the only fishing operator on the island. Approximately 60 square miles of easily accessible waters are available to Avalon’s six Dolphin flats boats and that’s it! It’s often hard to believe that you can run 45 minutes, passing by countless keys, creeks and flats and not see another boat. The waters surrounding Cayo Largo are diverse. Bonefish, permit and tarpon are present year round. Jacks, snappers, barracuda, boxfish, needlefish, and snook are also available and often caught when targeted or when casting to one of the big three. With zero external pressures on the fishery and a desire to preserve this truly fantastic resource the 60 square miles are divided into six beats and each beat is rested for a minimum of 2 days. Wind weather and tides further dictate locations within zones creating a seemingly endless array of ideal fishing spots for the angler. The guides at Cayo Largo are hard working and have superb knowledge of the fishery.

A typical day

Lodging and standard resort meals are included in the trips total price. Anglers stay at the Melia Sol all-inclusive resort on Cayo Largo.

Wake up whenever you like. I usually got up around six for a cup of coffee or two. Breakfast is served at the resort buffet at 7:30. The C- grade buffet serves buffet style breakfast; from the buffet prepare your lunch for the day. At 8am a bus takes you to the Marina, where Avalon has a fishing clubhouse. Anglers are given a cubby at the clubhouse so you can leave your fishing gear and not take it back and forth on the bus from the resort. Waters, sodas and beers depending upon your daily choice are distributed at the fishing clubhouse. Guides load your lunch; beverages and fishing equipment into boat and you’re usually off the dock by 8:30am. Daily runs to fishing range from 5-50 minutes depending upon weather and your daily beat. Lunch is a quick stop on a beach, or small island where you sit in the sand and gobble down your ham and cheese, fruit and whatever else you could find at the buffet. The rest of the angling day is spent hunting whatever quarry you would like. Cayo Largo is famous for the possibility for a Grand Slam and the guides shoot for it daily unless otherwise instructed. We found ourselves in search of permit shots most afternoons. The fishing day is over between 5pm and 5:30pm when you are returned to the marina for a cold beverage and a couple of slices of pizza. The resort bus takes you back to the resort around 6pm and dinner is served at the resort between 7pm and 10pm.

This years trip went really smooth, travel to Cayo Largo can be a bit unpredictable and it was really nice to have zero issues.

The solitude and preserved saltwater habitat near Cayo Largo are what really blow my mind. Miles and miles of beautiful flats are throughout the 60 square mile zone around Cayo Largo. Large and small channels that cut through smaller keys number in the hundreds and provide river like environs where you can focus on tarpon, jacks and snappers during good tidal rips. Shallow mangrove lined back bays are awesome habitat for baby tarpon and bonefish. Section six has a gorgeous reef where larger tarpon cruise amidst coral heads and wave action depending upon the wind and tide. The diversity of fish and habitat are truly amazing.

Bonefish are in all sections at Cayo Largo and when the tides are right or even if there not guides seem to be able to find them virtually at will. The average sized fish is very respectable to big.

Permit are tough to catch everywhere in the world and Cayo Largo is no exception. In my experience however, given good weather, you will get more shots at Cayo Largo than almost anywhere in the world. Our group had shots everyday and 3 permit were brought to hand.

Cayo Largo Tarpon range in size from 5-75lbs. You typically find the big ones near deeper channels and reefs, smaller fish near mangroves and bays tucked back in the mangroves. The group found tarpon every day. A clear sink tip line was excellent because you could use it in the deeper channel, simply waiting a bit for it to get down, or in the very shallow bays when you needed to strip as soon as the fly landed. The Rio Tarpon Short with the clear tip was ideal.

Tackle Notes

Ideal rods for this trip are 9 foot 8,9 and 10 weights. Orvis sent me the new Helios 2 10wt which cast great and was incredibly light, it’s an excellent rod and I would recommend it. I did break it on a Tarpon but I am pretty sure it was my fault.

My favorite on the trip and just flat out one of the best all around rods you can own for the salt is the Sage ONE 990-4. It is excellent for permit and small tarpon, casting larger flies with ease. If the wind really cranks up it’s light enough for bonefish.

Lou used the Echo3S 10wt and was very impressed as well. “The rod did not wear you down like a heavy or overly stiff 10wt can.”

Best Lines

Two lines really stood out on the trip. Several anglers purchased the Rio Bonefish Quickshooter just prior to the trip. They found it to load short and cast great at all distances. If you have an upcoming bonefish adventure get a quickshooter line you will be surprised at the difference between what you have been fishing. The Mastery Textured Bruce Chard Grand Slam line was superb as well.

Best Reels

The Nautilus N/V giga arbor reels are really hard to beat in the saltwater. NV reels are incredibly light for their size with smooth fish stopping drag mechanisms. The Bauer Rogue performed nicely as well. I really like the large drag knob on the Rogue for easy adjustment and tight tolerances between frame and spool keep things in line when you have excessive line or backing in the mix. The Hatch 9+ was on my 10wt for most of the trip. The reel is heavier than the Bauer or the NV Nautilus but it is solid. The Hatch reel has a very smooth drag and tons of capacity. The reel foot of the Hatch is machined as a part of the frame, the handle is a machined piece, the counter balance is machined, you get the idea. Nothing on the Hatch is going to fail.

Best Clothing

It was hot, muggy and buggy at times on our trip and a Buff is a must have. The Buff offered sun and wind protection all day, without it you might melt. I found a new favorite lightweight fishing shirt, Patagonia’s Sun Stretch long sleeve shirt has en excellent fit and lightweight fabric. It could be washed in the shower at night, dried outside all night and ready to go in the a.m. The Sun Stretch has SPF 30 and a good pocket design, I have been wearing it on the river locally and it’s really comfortable when rowing or casting.

This trip is completely unique and it won’t be this preserved forever. The program at Cayo Largo is one of the best in all of the Caribbean. If a saltwater trip is on your to do list don’t miss this spot!

En route to fishing, a few shots of Havana City. We stay downtown for one night on each side of the week fishing trip. Usually there is enough time to get out and experience a bit of the fascinating and quickly changing city.