It’s cooled down considerably since the photos in this post were shot but we have some fine water conditions currently. The Middle Fork below and above Dexter Dam are very “fishable”. The section near Oakridge is as low as it’s been all year. Nymphing will be the ticket with stonefly nymphs, small Pheasant Tails, Princes and Copper Johns. Continue reading
Today is just a warm up. Great gifts and great deals coming daily from the 1st until the 25th. All will be “purchasable” online or available at the store at the advertised price for 24 hours after the deal goes live. Live nearby, online purchase with “in store pick up” available.
Today’s Deal: The Simms Foam Boat Patch regularly $19.95 today $15.00, click here to order online.
The Avalon Crab fly is said to have been responsible for more Permit being caught than any other fly in the world over the past 15 years. It does have quite a bit going for it, with moving claws and snapping beads it does draw the fishes attention. In this video Barrett ties a size 2 which is ideal for a Permit focused pattern. Give it a shot in some smaller sizes for Bonefish or Permit on your next Saltwater trip.
Avalon Crab Fly
Hook: S12S Gamakatsu # 2
Thread: Lagartun 150x Rusty Orange
Tail: UV Steelhead Stalkers Yarn Orange
Legs: Crazy Legs Pumpkin Purple Flake
Rattle: 20lbs Mono and Gold beads
Body: Diamond Braid Bonefish Tan
Claws/Legs: Brown Barred Rabbit Strips Tan
Eyes: Painted Lead Eyes Yellow.
The Hairy Legged Bonefish Toad fly is deadly on small Tarpon, Bonefish, Mutton Snapper, Jacks and the list goes on. A perfect mix of movement and mottled color have fish turning their heads in saltwater flats environs. Using the new EP Tarantula Hairy Leg Brush Barrett makes this “crab head” look easy. We love the Hairy Leg Brush for it’s durability and easy of application.
Hairy Legged Bonefish Toad
Hook: Gamakatsu SL45
Thread: Lagartun 150x Rusty Orange
Tail: Pseudo Hair Tan
Rear Collar: Gold Variant Cross Cut Rabbit
Legs: Crazy Legs Pumpkin Purple Flake
Body: EP Tarantula Leg Brush 1/2″ Tan
Eyes: Heavy Lead Eyes
These last few weeks I’ve spent chasing late season chinook with RR. Some days it has been quiet enough to hear the dinner-plate sized maple leaves falling in the woods. Others, the bobbers are exploding the surface all around us like grenades being launched. Salmon splash under alders and myrtlewood. Leaves stack eight feet deep on a riverbend after a windstorm. Fists balled against the cold, colder still after losing a big fish.
I picked up my first fly-caught Siuslaw chinook, disproving my theory that these local salmon don’t bite. But I’ve mostly spent the last few weekends back bouncing kwikfish in huge water I’d never have considered fishing. To steal Ethan’s term – it’s tactile, exploring these pools with your hands. It’s practically like snorkeling in the swirling, rushing water, prowling the depths where fresh fish are likely to hold. I’ve caught fish in places I’d never considered fishable with any kind of tackle. All in all, a good few weeks learning about these awesome fish after they leave the estuary. -MS
Finally, steelheaders have a coffee-table book that captures the essence and excitement of our sport! Will Godfrey, one of the most important and influential angler/advocates of our day, teamed up with world-class outdoor photographer Drew Stoeklein to produce this stunning masterpiece. I do not dish out such praise lightly, and this special book deserves much more. You’ve got to see it to believe it.
Swing by the shop for a peek!
Purchase Seasons of the Steelhead with free shipping and no sales tax online here:
Seasons of the Steelhead
Fish Skull Sculpin Helmets are heavily weighted head you add to your streamer or baitfish patterns. In this short video Barrett Christiansen demonstrates how to create a Bunny Sculpin with the new Sculpin Helmets. These are heavy duty heads and they really get down fast, they have application both fresh and saltwater.
Sculpin Helmet Bunny Sculpin
Hook: TMC 200R #2-6
Thread: Lagartun 150x-strong
Tail: Black Barred Rabbit Strips Olive
Body: Olive/Black Crosscut Rabbit Strips
Hackle: India Hen Back Olive
Head: Sculpin Helmet
The North Coast received a handful of early winter steelhead over the last few days, marking the unofficial beginning of the “ocean steelhead” season. That’s Canadian science-speak for steelhead that spend most of their lives in saltwater, versus “river steelhead” which spend a ridiculous amount of time in freshwater. If you’re like me, ocean fish are the ones that made a real angler out of you. They seem to bring out the hard-core in a steelheader, and they tend to be the animal that flips the “addict” switch in the real sickos.
This wild hen was hanging out with my salmon buddies when she decided to flip my universe upside-down. I’ll spare you the cliché-ridden description of the whooping she dished out. But I will say that she shocked me out of my salmon stupor, and got me day-dreaming about the possibilities in the wild months ahead!
Let’s hear it for ocean steelhead!
-RR
Trout Unlimited announced it is asking permission from the federal district court in Portland to withdraw as a plaintiff from a lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation over the agencies’ inadequate plans to recover Columbia and Snake River salmon runs, opting instead to seek resolution through collaborative forum involving all major stakeholders.
Since the mid-1990s, TU and a diverse group of conservation and fishing interests have successfully challenged every plan issued by the federal agencies to offset the enormous harm federal hydroelectric dams inflict on wild salmon and steelhead populations in the Columbia and Snake rivers – most recently this past summer.
“Without question, this litigation has been pivotal in obtaining improvements in dam operations and fish habitat that have helped slow the decline of wild salmon and steelhead,” said Chris Wood, TU’s president and CEO. “But slowing decline isn’t enough. We need to recover these remarkable fish, and one way to do that is to sit down with the people most affected by salmon recovery and work out an agreement that meets their economic needs while recovering these fish of enormous cultural, economic and ecologic value.”
Hells Canyon Dam photo by Sam Beebe, Ecotrust
Two wilderness proposals are coming closer to fruition in Southwestern Oregon, according to The Oregonian. Check out the link for a great shot of Rep. DeFazio perched on the river bank after a grueling hike in.
Devil’s Staircase near Coos Bay and the Rogue River near Agness made Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior’s list for protection. The Rogue is already protected as wilderness, so Salazar is recommending adjacent land additions
Airflo Skagit Switch Fly Line
Several of us at the Caddis Fly Shop have had the opportunity to fish the Airflo Skagit Switch Fly Line during 2011 and – if you can contain your excitement – I will report very briefly on my own experience as well as reaction from our customers and several of our Pro Staff here at the Fly Shop.
As an aside, but not an inconsequential note, all of these Skagit Switch fly lines by our friends at Airflo are marked not simply with a color coded loop at the business end of the line, but with a nice neat actually readable label showing the line type and grain weight of the line. This feature is really nice for us fuddle headed old timers who can’t remember what the color codes are.
First thing one might ask, is why fish a Skagit Switch instead of simply fishing a Skagit Compact? Good question. At about 25’, a Skagit Compact is pretty short already, and going down to 20’ or so (depending on the grain weight) does not, at first blush, seem like much of a difference.
Wrong. It turns out that a shorter Skagit head really elevates (ups, improves, makes superior, and such forth) the level at which a relatively short (sub 12′) Spey rod will perform, and this is especially true on genuine switch rods in the 10-11′ range. My first hint that this might be the case came last winter, fishing with my friend Jeff Hickman. I was fishing a Burkheimer 7115-4 with a 510 gr Airflo Skagit Compact and casting adequately, for my skill level. Jeff wanted to check out my gear and politely mused that performance might be improved with a shorter head and maybe even going down to 480 grains. I was interested, I listened, but I had no such line on hand so simply continued fishing. But Jeff’s comment/question nagged at the back of my mind.
Spring Chiook season put a halt to my Spey casting even though I continued to fish this Burkie along side an Echo 8 wt Switch Rod. Both rods were fished with shooting heads and integrated lines like the Airflo 40 Plus, the Airflo Sniper, Rio and SA shooting heads, Airflo Ridge Clear lines, and Rio Outbound and Outbound Short lines.
September found me unexpectedly in BC, with seven straight days to do absolutely nothing but fish for summer steelhead with Spey and Switch rods. This was not only pure concentrated steelhead fishing time, it was also pure play-time when I could explore new lines, fiddle with flies at the vise every night, and smooth my rusty skill sets.
BTW, the anonymous angler above, is not me. I am tall, slender, muscular, and quite recognizable as an expert on the river. The steelhead is not a BC fish, being far too small for such, but is most likely a fine summer fish from a secret river within 45 minutes of the Caddis Fly Shop, but it might have been caught on an Airflo Skagit Switch line, but possibly not, because the rest of the Pro staff are just now catching on (play on words) to this fly line, and besides, they are occasionally known to fish dreaded nymphs under strike indicators, then with an Airflo Speydicator Fly Line .
Two fly line facts stood out clearly on this trip. First, the Airflo Rage Compact Fly Line earned a dedicated fly reel spool for dry line fishing in wind and when throwing bushy wind resistant skaters. Second, and to the point in this review, is that the Airflo Skagit Switch Fly Line upped my game to levels that made my jaw drop, when fished on my Burkheimer 7115-4 and the Echo 8 wt Switch rod. People who have fished with me know that I am a Spey caster of what I would call average skill – and I sure ain’t no Tom Larimer, Jeff Hickman, or Rob Russell, or ……. well, you get the idea. I may shine or struggle on each cast. But unequivocally, both Airflo fly lines, the Rage Comact and Skagit Switch – combined with my normal human being casting skills, allowed me to make presentations that were previously waaaaaay outside of my comprehension.
A few fishing stories and more tech details on the Skagit Switch are in the Product Description section of the Caddis Fly Internet Catalog, where these fly lines are available in grain weights from 360 to 540. That range should pretty well cover the 5-8 wt range more or less, depending on your rod’s temperament and your casting style. If you care to go to the Caddis Fly Internet Catalog you can read more about this line and perhaps enjoy a little entertainment too. I highly recommend that anyone who fishes sub- 12′ two handers consider giving this Airflo Skagit Switch Fly Line serious consideration. I have only fished sink tips with this Skagit Switch head, but wonder if a floating Airflo Poly leader, or Rio floating Versileader would cast well, or at least well enough? I have fished T-14, Rio 15′ sink tips, Airflo Fast Sink Poly leaders in 10′ and 14′, and Mow Tips of heavy and medium configuration on this line. More to think about when fishing close quarters with shorter two hand and switch rods, eh?
Jay Nicholas
October 2011
Post Script: Found a few photos on a wet camera card left over from my BC summer steelhead trip. I have dropped these in for fun below with brief interpretive text for each. Since I wrote this post in October, I have found the Airflo Skagit Switch fly line very useful fishing for Chinook – paired with Rio MOW tips strung on an 8 wt. Echo Ion Switch rod. The effective combination has been a 480 gr Skagit Switch, a Rio MOW T 11 with 5′ floating + 5′ sink tip, and an Echo Ion fly reel. This has offered fly presentation advantages near underwater obstructions, allowing me to fish a floating line and put my fly deep right along the fly grabbing / fish holding structure. A standard shooting head starts to swing and drag my fly away from the giant fly eating fish immediately after hitting the water, but the floating Skagit Switch with the Rio MOW tip allows me to mend and keep just the business end of my line and leader in the zone where I imagine salmon are cruising. Nice.
Not all BC steelhead are found in broad classic boulder studded runs that provide perfect casting conditions for two hand fly rods. This is one of the tactical situations I encountered in BC: tight, in-close boulders under a canopy of alders. This called for two rods I carried on the trip. An Echo 8 wt. Switch rod and Burkheimer 7115-4, both fished with an Airflo Skagit Switch and MOW tip.
A beautiful, mysterious BC summer steelhead from the Upper Dean River. This fish is now probably taking advantage of higher flows and making its way to upriver spawning areas.
BC, stream-side lunch, September 2011. Thanks Mike.
Burkheimer 7133-4 and 7115-4, matched with Saracione fly reels and Airflo Rage and Airflo Skagit Switch lines. Blatant commercialism at its finest. Ha ha.
If you have but one fly to fish for Chinook salmon, reach for the Gold Comet. Ok, this is clearly an over-simplification, but this is one heckuva good fly. Chinook? Check. Oregon and California steelhead? Check. Tarpon? Reputedly, yes. BC steelhead? Yes again. This is a fun tie to fly (gotcha).
Fishing is believing: the fish above was released quite recently (10/24), and the Gold Comet Tube was the main menu item. I fish these flies in sizes that are smaller and larger too.
Adapting the Comet to a ProTube Micro Tube accomplishes several functions. First, it allows use of a hook that is placed in the rear of the fly. Second, it allows one to fish a fly that has the hook riding down or up, depending on your preferences and superstitions. Third, if you believe that short shank hooks are less prone to being dislodged by fish, this is your way to go.
Jay Nicholas
October 2011
Materials used In Nicholas’ Gold Comet Tube Fly:
Tube: ProTube System MicroTube, Clear or Orange
Hook: Gamakatsu Glo Bug C14S #2
Tail: Hot Orange Bucktail
Tail Topping: Hot Orange Krystal Flash
Rear Body: Lagartun Holo gold Mini Flat Braid
Fore-body: Fl Orange Chenille, two turns, medium
Collar Hackle: Hot Orange Schlappen or Saddle hackle ( or mix hot orange with yellow)
Eyes: traditional Bead Chain, gold or Nickel
Not a particularly fancy review here, and no time to shoot a video demo yet either. Just a peek at a cool new fly tying tool sure to add to your list of must/like/ought/want – to have fly tying materials and supplies.
Jade River Turbo Dub Block is distributed by our friends at Hareline Dubbin. Marcos Vergara was kind enough to give me a demo and we practiced like a few fumble fingers together making up our own dubbing brushes with the Jade River Turbo Dub Block.
Stainles steel wire is the toughest, most goof proof core material, and I also practiced with copper wire in several diameters, and with thread as well. The finer core materials simply require a slightly more gentle hand, and perhaps sparser amounts of dubbing. I learned that thread-core dubbing brushes require a spring clip similar to the Marc Petijean spring clips to secure the ends of the dubbing brush, but the wire core brushes stay tame on their own.
I worked with Hareline Ice Dub and Hareline STS Trilobal Dub materials and found the Ice Dub is really-really easy to use. The STS requires a titch more finesse in the care put into spreading out dubbing prior to the spinning process. This means that the STS dubbing should be laid on a little more sparsely and evenly than the Ice Dub as the coarser STS can get clumpy if one puts thick gobs of dubbing rather than a nicely teased-out layer.
The Jade River Turbo Dub Block is wonderful for those of us who like to do production style fly tying. It is also great for achieving consistency in our flies. It is also great for making multi, colored bodies. And for those of us who appreciate the visual aspect of our materials and supplies, wow, these dubbing brushes are beautiful and durable.
My preference for working with the wire core materials is the Dr Slick Gold Barb Crusher Scissor clamp.
Final pointers on using the Jade River Turbo Dub Block . Start with a long section of wire. Being thrifty by using a too-short length of wire will complicate the process. Start with stainless wire or heavier copper similar to the Ultra Wire Brassie size. This will give you confidence and you will be able to get a feel for how tight you can twist the material before it breaks. Start with Hareline Ice Dub, as it is really easy to use. Graduate to coarser dubbing materials, and then take a shot of adding flashabou, crystal flash, pheasant tail fibers, marabou or what not, to make really eye-popping bodies.
Jay Nicholas
October 2011
Glo Brite Floss is among the new product offering from Hareline Dubbin for 2012.
Glo Bite floss has several properties that make it particularly attractive to the salmon and steelhead fly tyer. First, it is very fine. When I say fine, I am not kidding. This is a floss that I will commonly double up and use two feet to spin on a butt for my steelhead flies. The nice part of being fine (small diameter) is that it allows me to make a very neat symmetrical butt. Yes, I know how that sounds. No smart comments, please.
No droning on here.The Glo Brite Floss is radiant, durable, very fray resistant, and offers all the colors I want (sixteen colors at last count). Atlantic Salmon tyers should love the ability to add a touch of color without adding bulk. I have tied butts, tags, tails, and full bodies with Glo Brite floss – my process of simultaneously testing the material and stocking up on salmon and steelhead flies for my upcoming adventures. Without exception, I am most pleased with the results. Glo Brite is Bobbin-friendly too, just one more nice feature.
Here are a few of the flies we have showcased in our videos recently, using Glo Brite Floss.
Of late, I have taken a liking to simply using Glo Brite Floss as my tying thread for many of my Salmon flies tied on both standard hooks and on Pro Tube Micro Tubes. The Glo Brite floss is radiant, serves in a fashion similar to about a 150 Denier tying thread, makes bodies and heads nicely, and, well, it is fun stuff to work with.
Check out how UV lights up of Glo Brite thread and a Salmon Tube Fly tied on Pro Micro Tube with Orange Hook Guide. Wow – this stuff is flourescent and if that is a quality you are looking for in your trout, salmon, or steelhead flies, well here ya go!
Here are a few 4 AM Salmon Tube flies tied with #5 Glo Brite Floss and tubes.
Jay Nicholas
Autumn 2011
PS: Cameras doused with salt water may cease to function, specifically, they may not open the lens cover and produce therefore semi artistic binocular like effects with shadows in the upper left and lower right corners of the photograph. Ahhhhhhhh. Cannon loves me. Dearly.
When the rains finally do come Chinook Salmon will be streaming up many of our coastal waters. As they move or when they are stationed in deeper slots you may need to hit them on the head to get them to bite. The Frizzle Chenille Salmon Egg will get the job done.
Frizzle Chenille Salmon Egg
Hook: Gamakatsu L11S-3H
Thread: Fl. Orange Lagartun 150x
Body: UV Hot Orange Frizzle Chenille
Eyes: XL Heavy Eyes
Veil: Egg Veil Milky White
