Yesterday we had Russell Bassett, Native Fish Society River Steward coordinator out on the high seas chasing bottom-fish with Clouser minnows and shooting heads. Early spring is a great time to chase ling cod and blue and black rockfish on the Oregon Coast.
-NS
I was trying to come up with something to say about these photos, but my son is screaming in my ear so it’s a little difficult to be reflective. Awesome day, awesome fish. No bugs on top yet, but at the bottom of the run we swung wet flies and I had a big trout boil once, and then connect for a second. So we’re close to some non-nymphing action. But I’ll take big fish and bobbicators any day.
-MS
This week, Trout Unlimited, The Caddis Fly Shop, The Native Fish Society and a host of volunteers and concerned anglers sent out postcards, asking influential Oregonians to reach out to ODFW in favor of wild fish management on the McKenzie River. We have lots of postcards still at the shop if you’d like to take the time to fill some out. The cards are currently going to 25 individuals, postage paid and addressed. The Native Fish Society is using its bulk non-profit mailing code, so we are collecting them in batches and sending them to the Native Fish Society to mail. We will be having another post-card signing party in the near future, so stay tuned.
Here is a video of local anglers, talking about why they came out last week to fill out post cards:
In related news, Trout Unlimited McKenzie-Upper Willamette chapter secured $5,000 to fund a five-year population study of the newly non-stocked section of McKenzie River. The study will begin next month, and will be administered by ODFW and the McKenzie Fly Fishers. The funds came from our Portland supporters and benefactors, the Flyfisher’s Club of Oregon.
You can show your gratitude for this amazing funding by helping us fill a fly box for the FCO auction in May. TU’s Cris Abbot is currently staining a wooden box, with a steelhead fly etched on the glass cover by our friend Kathy McCartney. It will look similar to the box below. If you’d like to help fill this fly box for the FCO’s auction, please drop them off at the Caddis Fly with an envelop labeled “FCO auction fly box”.
-MS
Jay Nicholas demonstrates his version of the Steelhead wooly bugger in this new fly tying video.
Steelhead Wooly Bugger
Hook: TMC 700 # 2 or Daiichi 2141 # 2
Thread: Lagartun x-strong 150 denier
Bead/Cone: 7/32 Tungsten cone or Slotted Tungsten Cone size L
Tail. Blood Quill Marabou Hot Pink
Body: Chenille M Shell Pink
Conter Wrap/Rib: Ultra Wire Red size small
Hackle: Grizzly Saddle Hackle Hot Pink
Head: STS Trilobal Dubbing Hot Pink
Be sure to check out our Steelhead Fly Pattern Resource Page.
It’s been a few years since we’ve had early spring weather and water conditions like we do right now. Both the McKenzie and Willamette Rivers are way down at “Summer Like” flows. Coastal rivers are in fine shape today and continue to drop. The current water conditions allow for amazing wading access to the McKenzie and Middle Fork of the Willamette.
For the McKenzie and Middle Fork of the Willamette the much anticipated March Brown hatch has yet to materialize in earnest. A few “Marchies” have been seen but the fish have yet to really get going on the surface for them. Two warm days ahead could help water temperatures bump up and bug numbers increase. Both rivers have seen daily doses of Blue Winged Olive emergences. Slow edges, bubble lines, slower riffles and back eddies are the places to look for fish rising in the 1pm-4pm range. We have also seen a few adult Skwala’s on gravel bars and occasionally flying into the boat. Although rare to see big numbers of Skwala’s on the surface of the McKenzie and Middle Fork this medium to large bug is a nice meal for trout, and seems to perk up activity when seen on warm days.
Nymphing with Possie Bugger’s, Mega Princes, Tungsten Trout Retrievers and Curtis Get Stoned Stonefly Nymphs has really been the most effective strategy. Yesterday on the Middle fork the fish were really dialed into the nymphs fished near shore in surprisingly heavy water.
Bottom line is you should take the next few days off, go catch a steelhead then give the trout fishing a go. With perfect water and sunshine in the forecast it’s like April in February. –CD
Don’t forget we are still running our “pre-season” guide trip special, two anglers $250.
There is still room in the Dave Hughes class this Saturday, give us a call to sign up. $50
![IMG00045-20100215-1727[1]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2733/4363354579_d6c3411908.jpg)
Just kidding… we are trying though so stay tuned! It has been done before and with a slow swing and some T-17 the sturges won’t know what hit them. We did catch some on light tackle and it’s a welcome break from winter fishing! Speaking of a taste of spring Thursday is going to be a great day for the Ocean and in the 60s so keep that in mind if you are able to break away.
-NS
Trout Unlimited Senior Scientist Jack Williams was recently inducted into the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, along with the North Umpqua’s Frank Moore.
Williams is a strong supporter of our efforts to eliminate or reduce regular trout stocking in the McKenzie:
“My biggest concerns relate to impacts on the native species, including the native McKenzie River redband/rainbow, bull trout, and other native fishes. As you know there are numerous issues concerning impacts of the stocked trout, including erosion of the native trout genome, domestication of the native species, competition with natives, and the potential for introduced diseases and parasites that often accompany hatchery fish.
In addition to the biological and ecological issues, I simply do not believe that stocked trout send the right ethical message to the angling community and larger interested public. That is, we should value the native species and the river experience rather than trying to ensure fish for the creel. We do not know for sure how the fishery would fare without stocking, and with more conservation and management for the native species, but I can’t imagine that in the long run it would be poorer and perhaps even better than depending upon stocked fish.
This is not to say that stocked trout are inappropriate in all situations, because there are many areas, especially in lakes and reservoirs, where the ecological impacts are minimal and recreational opportunities from natives are severely limited or nonexistent. Of course, not all natural lakes should be stocked either. So, the context is important and the context for the McKenzie is a diverse native fish community that deserves improved stewardship.”
Jack E. Williams, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
Trout Unlimited
The Drake’s Fly Fishing Film Tour will be in Eugene on Tuesday night. Tickets for this event are $15 at the door, but only $12 at the shop pre-sale.
Tuesday February 16th
The Shed, 868 High Street
Doors @ 6:30 PM, Show @ 7:00PM
We’re hosting our McKenzie River Native Trout Coalition postcard signing party on Monday, from 4-6pm at The Caddis Fly Shop. This event, sponsored by Ninkasi, will allow you to voice your concerns over the McKenzie River trout hatchery program to state and local politicians, tourism agency officials and fisheries managers.
The McKenzie Hatchery issue is snowballing into a major debate, which is fundamentally important to the future health of Oregon’s fisheries. This is not just about trout in 35 miles of river. It’s about sending a message to ODFW that we do not approve of planting hatchery fish on top of healthy ecosystems and wild populations. It’s about educating the public on the trade off we are making when we support hatchery programs that impact our native fish.
Hatchery fish have their place, in habitat that can’t support healthy runs of native species.
Despite our differences, both sides in this debate wants what’s best for wild fish. It’s up to us to create the political conditions for the agency to do the right thing for our limited remaining wild fisheries.
-MS
All species were active this past Saturday. Whitefish ate small Beadhead Hare’s Ears, so did a nice sucker. A “Snakey” run back steelhead grabbed the Mega Prince and shook his head for a bit before he rolled over. The poor fish fought like a wet towel. One side of his jaw was shredded from an a previous hook removal.
There were no significant hatches from 10:30-3pm on the stretch we fished. Water conditions are virtually summer levels. Riffles and drop offs are highly visible and nymphing with a Mega Prince in tandem with smaller Prince, Possie Bugger or Beadhead Hare’s Ear 6 feet off the Thingamabobber did the trick. Look for hatches to improve and fishing to be very good.–CD
Saturday afternoon, I’ll be on the local outdoors AM radio call-in program talking about the plight of our native McKenzie River redside trout. The show starts at noon, and I should be on around 12:15. The station is KPNW AM 1120, and the show is called Pursuit of the Wild. If you want to call in and ask questions or show support one way or the other, call 541-485-5769 or 888-576-9888. You can also email questions and comments to: wildkpnw@gmail.com.
-MS
This is part two of Jay’s winter steelhead technique primer.
Swing traditional and leech flies. Traditional steelhead patterns catch winter steelhead like they have for decades, so you don’t have to throw out your Green Butt Skunks, Polar Shrimps, or Thor flies and replace them all with Intruders or Leech-style flies.
That said, big nasty flies like Intruders, Pick-Yer-Pocket, MOAL Leeches, and big-ass marabou and rabbit-strip flies are the latest rage. These flies often present a profile that is 2x – 4x larger than a traditional #2 steelhead fly. These big flies are intended to trigger a grab in cold water from fish that might otherwise just ignore a fly passing several feet away.
Big Intruder and Leech style flies range from blacks and purples to pinks and oranges. Everyone seems to have his or her favorite color combination for high and low water; bright and cloudy days; cold water, and so on. These flies do catch winter steelhead and an arm-wrenching grab to one of these beauties will create a life-long memory.
Big steelhead leeches may or may not be weighted, and there’s a reason to carry both types of flies. Some of the winter steelhead fishing we do is in slow moving, 3-foot deep water. In this water, a sink-tip line alone will be sufficient to present the fly at optimum depth, but a heavily weighted fly would hit bottom and stay there. On the other hand, if we want to put a fly 6 feet deep in fast water at the head of a hole and swim it through a boulder patch, we probably need to fish a stoutly weighted leech on a fast-sinking tip. Link to poly leaders or T-14 here?
Can the swung fly be more effective than the dead-drifted fly? You bet. Consider the challenge of trying to cover gravel-bottomed runs that are fifty yards wide and two hundred yards long. Two or three steelhead could be laying anywhere out there. No obvious sweet spots to concentrate on. Big, open rivers and runs are best suited to prospecting with the swinging fly. You can cover a lot of water systematically. Cast, swing, two steps; cast, swing, step; repeat until you get a pull.
That’s it. That’s the short version of the primer I gave my friend on the joys of dead drifting and swinging flies for winter steelhead Soft takes. Savage grabs. Nine-inch Intruders and Leeches. Size #14 nymphs. Tube fly hooks. Marabou and Ostrich. Barred rabbit-strips. Blah, blah, blah. We’ll see if he gives it an honest try.
