Mike Brooks demonstrates how to tie his version of a Pink Lady. This pattern fishes during Pale Morning Dun hatches as well. Tied in Catskills Style we like in when fishing slow water with picky fish.
Pink Lady Dry Fly
Hook: TMC 100 14-18
Thread: Danville 6/0 Shrimp Pink
Tail: Coq De Leon
Body: Micro Fine Dub Hendrickson Pink
Rib: Small Holographic Tinsel Gold
Hackle: Dun Dry Fly Saddle feather
Alright sportsfans, the kid gloves are off and we’re not messing around. The legendary House of Hardy recently released a limited edition run of 250 reels to commemorate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the 140th anniversary of Hardy Bros., and to mark 100 years since the introduction of Hardy’s epic ‘1912 pattern check.’ The ‘1912 pattern check’ was an improved variation of the ‘floating pawl’ check and regulator system used on prior Perfect reels. The 1912 pattern check was used on Perfects from 1912-1916 and is widely regarded as the most visually appealing and collectible check system that Hardy Bros have ever made.
Only 100 out of these 250 limited edition Hardy Perfect Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Reels found their way to the United States and the Caddis Fly has obtained FOUR of them for sale. Before we could even get this blog post up, we’ve already sold two of these reels, meaning you best not delay and give us a call if you want to secure one of the two we have left in the shop.
Each reel has a unique serial number (between 1 and 250), comes in an elegant velvet-lined leather case, and is accompanied by a commemorative coin and booklet detailing the history of Hardy’s great fly fishing heritage. We have one left hand and one right hand retrieve reel available. Call the shop at (541)342-7005 if you’d like to inquire further.
Make no mistake. The next public meeting held in Eugene by ODFW is critically important in the effort to make the Mckenzie a healthier place for wild and native cutthroat and rainbow trout. The local ODFW district’s proposal to limit bait fishing in the five mile section of river between Hendrick’s Bridge and Bellinger is the biggest and best potential change for redsides in the Mckenzie since 1992 …. Nineteen ninety two! That was a long time ago! Whitney Houston topped the charts with “I’ll Always Love You” …. I digress.
Several springs ago passions were high and wild trout advocates packed the armory in Springfield to express our concern for native redisedes. Now, there is a CONCRETE proposal to improve conditions for wild trout in the Mckenzie. Now isn’t the time to rest on our laurels. We need all the native trout advocates from groups like Trout Unlimited, the Mckenzie Flyfishers and all of you unaffililated wild trout afficionados out there to make it out and voice your support for our redsides! Bring a friend too! More redsides are better fishing!
When: Monday, May 21st
Where: Lane Community College, Forum Building #17, Room 308
(The ODFW public notice does not contain a meeting time. As soon as confirmed this post will be updated to include that time.)
Our group of seven anglers from Eugene had a great time Bonefishing at South Andros BoneFishing Lodge this past week. We flew in from Nassau Saturday and were greeted by a driver who delivered us the final 20 minutes to the beach side lodge. Four days is a pretty short fishing trip given the travel distance, but when it’s blue skies and light winds all trip you can’t complain.
Lodge Details
South Andros is a well organized lodge with two American host/co-coordinators who are hands on in making sure your trip runs smooth. The lodge itself is nothing fancy. Basic motel style rooms with air conditioning and a group dining room. Wi-fi and phone are available if desired. All meals and alcoholic beverages are included in your trip charge. Special requests for beverages are welcome and accommodated if possible. The fishing day starts early with 5am coffee, 6:30 breakfast and 7:30 fishing departure, a short drive to the dock and you are on your way to the flats by about 8:15. The beach side “Tiki Hut” self serve bar is perfect for cocktail hour and post fishing “tales”. Appetizers are served at 5:30 and dinner at 6:30. Continue reading
The Pale Morning Dun Trigger Nymph is an excellent May-July nymph on our local waters and most rivers around the West. It’s slender body and “hot spot” of Ice Dub are key features to fish moving to it. Try it “pre-hatch” on you favorite river or stream.
PMD Trigger Nymph
Hook: TMC 3761 # 16,18
Bead: 3/32 Copper Cyclops Bead or Tungsten
Thread: Rusty Brown Lagartun 95D
Tail: Ringneck Pheasant Tail Fibers
Abdomen: Rusty Brown Turkey Biots
Thorax: Fiery Brown STS Dubbing
Exploding Wings: UV Light Yellow Ice Dub
Legs: Mottle Brown Partridge Fibers
Collar: Rusty Brown STS Dubbing
Pale Morning Dun adults are emerging daily in our area, and will be an important hatch throughout the West in the coming months. The Klinkhammer style PMD has been one of our very bet imitations.
Pale Morning Dun Klinkhammer Fly Tying Video
Hook: Daichi 1160 16-20
Thread: Danville 6/0 Lt. Cahill
Tail: Ice Fur Orangutan Rust
Body: Superfine Dubbing PMD
Thorax: Superfine Dubbing Sulphur Orange
Wing: Cream Antron or Sparkle Emerger yarn
Hackle: Cream, Dun or Pale Yellow dry fly Saddle hackle
The Lower Mckenzie has been steady in producing some fine native redsides. The top producer this week has been the mighty Mega Prince. The river has continued to drop to very fishable levels and we should begin to enjoy “normal angling conditions.”
The forecasted warmer weather the next few days should increase insect activity and perhaps produce some results for both surface and sub surface anglers. The warm weather will also bring out the usual number of folks enjoying the river and not strictly angling. The River Rescue Team has been way too busy hauling boats out of the section above Bellingers Landing…let’s be safe and aware out there! Enjoy the coming warm weather!
LV
In a recent video interview, U.S. Judge James Redden stated his support for spilling more water at the dams to help migrating salmon and steelhead reach the ocean. He also stated his support for removal of the four lower Snake River dams.
Judge Redden, who resigned last November after more than a decade on the long-running court case over hydro-operations in the Columbia Snake Rivers, is intimately familiar with both the law and the science around salmon and steelhead restoration, and has done more to help our fisheries than perhaps anyone over the last several decades.
In addition to supporting lower Snake River dam removal and spilling more water to help salmon, Judge Redden also alluded, as many others have, to the ongoing scenario of politics trumping science in the Columbia-Snake Basin. “The politics of it makes it difficult for some of the scientists,” he said.
Take Action: Send a message to NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco and Nancy Sutley, Chair of President Obama’s Council on Environmental Quality, with a CC to your Senators. Ask them to initiate a new, all-options dialogue about restoring wild salmon and steelhead in the Columbia-Snake.
Sam Parker and Rick Bocko of “River Crawl” fame bring us this Davis lake report. Thanks guys!
We’ve been told that early spring bass fishing on Davis Lake is an event not to miss. With this in mind, Rick and I packed up the jet sled and headed east. For me, this was a chance at nostalgia. I grew up fishing for bass on Tenmile Lake and was looking forward to revisiting this species armed with a fly rod and boat.
Leaving Eugene at 4:00 am, we were hoping to be on the lake at by 6. Upon arrival, the lake was completely fogged over and the truck outside temp was reading a balmy 23 degrees. We had to find a boat ramp. After scouting all “boat ramps” we settled on the southwest ramp. Launching this 2000 pound boat from a beach with almost no incline proved to be a little nerve racking. Oh why oh why didn’t I buy the drift boat?
With the help of a friendly passerby who wadered up, he no doubt dropped a hernia pushing the boat off the trailer while I gunned the engine in reverse. We were finally on our way.
After spending 2 hours wandering aimlessly in thick fog and feeling a little like Chris Columbus, the fog finally burned off. Having no cloud cover from the outset, we knew fishing was going to be tough. We trolled the lake using streamer patterns while looking for bull rushes to try some surface fishing. Only problem was most of the bull rushes couldn’t be seen. They were submerged. We went ahead and tried our hand at some popper fishing without any luck. We then trolled the lava dam without success.
Deciding to troll while sight fishing, we plotted a course west. By now, we were in the middle of a huge callibaetis hatch with some white mayflies coming off. It wasn’t long before we spotted fish mid lake around a shoal. Slapping on our streamers, I hooked up with a 5 pound bass. Shortly after the bass, I hooked up with a 22” rainbow. Rick was getting strike after strike, but unfortunately was not able to bring one in during this 30 minute frenzy of strike after strike.
Like a switch, the day’s first action was over. Eventually, we made it back to the lava dam. Trolling 10 feet from the dam, Rick hooked up with a nice bass. We had no further luck at this end of the lake.
Getting desperate as the day was slipping away, we headed back to the shoal where I hooked up with the last fish of the day, a beautiful rainbow.
All in all, it was a good day considering the less than ideal conditions. We didn’t see another person hook-up which made our limited success a bit sweeter. This is no doubt a very special lake and further reinforces why we live where we do. Enjoy the pics.
Sam & Rick
Last week I tried casting the beaches for sea-run cutthroat trout in Puget Sound in the Seattle area. The fish were around. We went to a beach on the recommendation of our bud Ryan Smith at Arch Anglers, with the caveat that this wasn’t a big numbers spot, as much as a big fish spot.
He was right on both counts. We showed up on a dropping tide and blind cast from the beach, and every half hour or so, one of us would spot a big silver sea-run cutthroat charging around the surf. We’d cast toward it, and never see it again.
I was excited to get out there and do it, since I’d just picked up Chester Allen’s new book on Sea-Run Cutthroat.
There are no hatcheries cranking out baby sea-run cutthroat trout. The Puget Sound sea-run cutthroat fishery is an all wild fishery – and it is very delicate.
A wild sea-run cutthroat trout – with hammered silver sides, olive back, and yellow tinged fins – all sprinkled with black, ink-like spots – streaks through the clear water and hammers a well presented fly. Seeing that flash in the water, feeling the fly line pop out of the hand – and seeing a wild gorgeous trout that manages to thrive near humans makes me a little dizzy – every time.
It’s a good read if you’re interested in this year-round fishery. It’s really fascinating to see the way the Puget Sound cutthroat anglers really dive into the marine environment in the same way trout anglers study entomology on the rivers. You can see a couple great blog posts here, detailing how to mimic specific stages of baitfish:
Cutthroats and Chum Salmon Flies
Larval Herring
Based on what I’ve read, and experience, the flies I had tied were a little oversized, over dressed.
Gear notes — definitely bring your stripping basket if you have one. I also used an Echo Ion Fly Reel and thought it was an amazing buy for $79.
Casting the surf for trout is a lot of fun, and a good break for anybody traveling to Seattle.
-MS
Trout Unlimited Chapter 678 would like to invite you to the monthly meeting on Wednesday, May 9th at 7:00 p.m.
This month features a presentation by Nikki Swanson, Aquatics Program Manager for the Willamette National Forest. She will be presenting on Aquatic Restoration in the Willamette National Forest.
Veterans Memorial Building
1626 Willamette Street
Eugene, OR
Meeting starts at 7 p.m.
Join us for a great evening and presentation.
KM
Trout Unlimited, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and The Caddis Fly would like to invite you to participate in the 3rd Annual McKenzie River Native Trout Population Study. This study is to help determine the Native Redside population in the section of the McKenzie River from Hendricks Park to Bellinger Boat Landing. The data collected over the last 2 years has been critical in determining the population size.
To participate in the study, you need to attend the training session being held Tuesday, May 8th at the Springfield ODFW office. There will be 2 training sessions and you only need to attend one.
Besides reviewing the protocol and data collection, we will bring you up to date on our plans for a fall study session and for adding radio telemetry to our arsenal of powerful tools.
Tuesday, May 8th, 2012
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Springfield Office
3150 E Main Street
Springfield, OR
(541) 726-3515
Sessions will be held at 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Tagging kits will be available to be checked out on Friday, May 11th and the tagging will start on Saturday, May 12th.
For more information, you can contact the ODFW office.
KM
Sage ONE Fly Rods – 8 months into the game
As a general case, fly rods of 2012 are HUGELY different from their ancestors of 1960, and the performance differences are so tangible that any of us can feel it. The differences between most 2010 fly rods and 2000 fly rods offered by leading manufacturers are far more subtle, I think, and I have frankly become skeptical of the routine “enhanced performance” claims made for fly rods in the last decade, with a few exceptions that are beside the point of this product review.
Sage ONE fly rods hit the marketplace, Fly Shops, and waters of the world in mid 2011. The reaction of fly anglers who have fished these rods has been universally positive. No, not everyone has purchased a Sage ONE fly rod. And more than one fly fisher is still a little tweaked that Sage once again upped the bar, so to speak, on high-end fly rod performance standards. Continue reading
Sage ONE interview with Jerry Siem, Sage Flyfishing.
No Introduction. Let’s not make it painful getting to the good stuff. If you want to learn how this interview came about, you’ll find it at the tail-end of the post.
The following interview of an exchange that occurred between me, Jerry Siem of Sage, George Cook (Northwest Sage Sales Rep) is unedited and as such is not polished with marketing or promotional content. It’s just me asking a few questions that popped into my head as I was researching the Sage ONE..
The topic is the Sage ONE Fly Rod series. Any errors in transcription are mine and mine alone. Any information that appears confusing or conflicting or nonsensical in any respect is my wrongdoing. Jerry and George bring a level of rod design and fly fishing expertise to the fly fishing industry that is – well – genuinely inspiring.
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April 26, 2012:
Jerry, thank you so very much for your phone call. I really appreciate your time. Here are my questions, such as they are. I fully expect that I have missed the mark on some aspects of the Sage ONE, so please don’t feel constrained by my inexpert phrasing.
Best Regards, Jay Nicholas (Caddis Fly Shop)
Q: I understand the fact that Sage ONE technology creates a higher density shaft than anything yet delivered to the fly fishing rod line up. Does any other rod maker use this same technology to your knowledge?
A: The purpose and result of a dense blank is to remove any voids (essentially, trapped air). Sage builds blanks only for rods that are Sages and we are ever experimenting with methods and materials that allow us to have cutting edge blank performance. Continue reading
Mike Brooks a long time friend of the shop stopped by to tie some of his favorite Spring flies. We have fished his flies for years and they flat out fish really well. Natural materials and traditional style are hallmarks of Mike’s flies.
Try swinging the February red anywhere mayflies exist. It catches fish!
February Red Flymph Style
Hook: TMC 3769 #14-18
Thread: Danville 6/0 Red Thread
Tail: Coq de Leon
Body: same as tying thread
Thorax: Hare’s Ear Dubbing
Hackle: Brown or Furnace Hen Cape, Back or Neck
