Last weekend, I met my friend Julian on the Olympic Peninsula to jumpstart the winter steelhead season. Cold clear weather, dropping rivers, and lots of fish. We fished switch rods with indicator lines for two days, and even caught a few salmon and dollies in the mix. Photo spread below:
Winter Steelhead season is here. Early fish have been reported in the Alsea, Umpqua, Siletz and many other rivers. In this short video Barrett demonstrates how to tie an alternative to the Lowly Glowly (one of our most productive egg patterns). The UV Yarn Steelhead Egg is really fast to tie and doesn’t involve shaping McFlyfoam or Egg Yarn. Instead clumps of Steelhead Stalkers UV Egg Yarn and UV Ice dub are employed to make a simple, heavy egg fly.–CD
Purchasing a gift for the fly tier might seem difficult. With all those feathers, hooks, and glue all over the desk, how would one know what they might need. The following video is designed to provide ideas for those considering gifts for the fly tier.–CD
Cordura Fly Tying Tool and Vise Carry Case
Stonfo Super Magnetic Hook Box
Stonfo Small Magnetic Hook Box
Vise Fly Rack
Renzetti Foam Fly Tying Tool Caddy
Stonfo Adjustable Tension Bobbin
Petitjean Thread Through Bobbin
Marc Petitjean Tool Set # 1
Marc Petitjean Tool Set # 2
Happy Thanksgiving to all. The Caddis Fly will be closed Thanksgiving Day but open the Friday following and resume normal hours M-F 9-6pm Sat 9-5 Sun 10-3pm. Our online store is always open, at Caddisflyshop.com. We have numerous gifts for the fly fisher and sales-and-closeouts available during the holidays. For up coming events and classes including this years Christmas Party have a look at our events page.
Rivers on the South Coast have dropped into shape nicely, and Salmon are being caught. The McKenzie and Middle Fork of the Willamette are also in shape and still dropping. Despite pretty nasty weather of late decent fishing opportunities do exist.–CD
ODFW has posted maps and descriptions of three proposed marine reserves for public review: Cape Perpetua near Florence, Cascade Head near Lincoln City and Cape Falcon near Manzanita.
Only three available in existence. We custom ordered these knowing you would need them in Glendale Arizona at the National Championship Game. Mind you these are high performance, great fitting Oakley polarized shades. You will want to wear them when fishing, driving or going to the game. GO DUCKS is etched in to the polarized lens, Custom O, ear socks and frame colors.–CD
Oakley “Blades” Custom Polarized Sunglasses
The south coast is still fishing decent for Salmon. When water conditions cooperate Chinook Salmon will be available through Christmas. Blue is a killer color for fall Chinooks as well as Winter Steelhead.–CD
Chinook Salmon Comet Blue
Hook: Daiichi 2141 # 4
Thread: Lagartaun X-Strong 150 Denier Black
Tail: Black Bucktail UV Herring Back Krystal Flash
Body: Gold Holographic Lagartun mini flat braid
Collar Hackle: Blue Saddle, Blue Metz Hatchery Soft Hackle
Eyes: Bead Chain Eyes
Jon Covich the Northwest sales representative for Fishpond as well as Winston Fly Rods, Outcast Sporting Gear, Oakley Polarized Sunglasses and Patagonia Fly Fishing stopped by the shop the other day to show off some new gear.
The new Fishpond gear includes cool chest packs, Satchels, and vests. The Piney Creek Tech Pack, Elk River Youth Vest, Marabou Vest, and the LodgePole Fishing Satchel are brand new packs and vests available now. New Gear Bags like the Lost Canyon Gear Bag is also in stock. The completely new Sporting Club Collection will be available this coming spring of 2011.–CD
With major storms coming and the prospects of major rain, Lou and a member of the Technical Mens Council, (old dogs who have fished together for decades) Kirk, headed out for the lower Mckenzie this past week. The action was about the same as the last trip a few weeks ago. This trip produced a fine 18 incher, 17 and a 15. A couple of freshwater bonefish provided some additional interest. The possie bugger, mega prince, and prince nymph produced once again. The Sage 99 5 weight, Rio indicator line, indicator leader and Winston 9′ 6″, 6 weight were the tools of the day.
The holiday season is approaching and we plan to produce a series of gift buying guides for the angler. In this installment, we outline a few of the great Simms Fishing products available for the holiday season and beyond.–CD
Simms Patch Fly Box
Foam Fly Boxes
Face Mask Beanie
Windstopper Stocking Cap
Simms Flap Cap
Chunk Knit Beanie
Gore-Tex Extream Hat
Simms LED Flash Light Key Chain
Cigar Cutter
Simms Flask
Rivershed Sweater
Simms Water Bottle
Insulated Simms Mug
Salmon fishing on the Oregon coast continues to be good. I took a couple of friends to the river this week and they managed to find themselves hooked up several times. These guys left me skunked as they hooked big, bright fish just in from the ocean.
One of the secrets of salmon fishing with a fly? Sometimes Pacific salmon like blue! Check out how to tie and fish Jay’s unweighted, short-shank comet.
Jay Nicholas ties a classic West Coast salmon pattern, the Ramone Salmon Killer. You can vary how much material you use with your flies — fuller in high muddy water, sparser in low clear conditions. Jay’s variation uses flat braid for half of the body, and the traditional version uses a full chenille body.
Ramone Salmon Killer
Hook: Daiichi 2141 1,2,4
Thread: Lagartaun X-Strong 150 Denier Black
Tail: Hot Orange Bucktail
Body: Rear body Gold Holographic Lagartun mini flat braid
Front Body: Med Black Chenille
Collar Hackle: Hot Orange Saddle
Eyes: Gold Bead Chain
Artists4action is a non-profit group that hopes to convince artists and their audiences to speak up for environmental action. The group is currently focused on Pacific Salmon and just hosted a benefit show with The Sugar Beets last weekend. Executive Director Cat Koehn came out to our last TU meeting to solicit folks to show up Thursday November 18th at 6:30 in the Tykeson Room at the Library downtown. The organization hopes to hear from anglers on how to focus its efforts to protect endangered salmonids in the Northwest.
Looking over at my desk right now, I have pieces of schlappen, craft fur, and Ice Wing Fiber getting sucked into my laptop air intake. There are UV yarn glo-bugs mixed into my medical bills. I can’t find my checkbook, but can show you the pile of articulated winter steelhead patterns I tied over the last few days. I have my vise out during conference calls. Things are taking a turn for the worse.
