In this video, Simon ties a proven Grannom or Mother’s Day Caddis Pattern. This hatch, especially in Oregon can be a finicky one, so having the right fly is really important. Grannoms often hatch in abundance, so fish have plenty of food to pick on during the hatch. This makes it especially difficult because fish often eat their fill quickly, and there are so many naturals on the water that it can be hard for them to choose your fly. Crippled or injured insects always stand out, and that is what this fly intends to do. It uses deer hair and rides low in the film with splayed wings, making it irresistible to feeding trout. Grannoms often migrate upstream in large clouds and have large egg laying events where “spent” adults die and land on the water. This is the same logic as a spinner fall for mayflies, and this is a secret to fishing the Grannom hatch. Not only does this fly look like a spent Grannom, as it gets beat up it looks like a cluster of spent adults floating downstream. The Grannom hatch still has plenty of time left in it, tie some of these up and get out there. Also stay tuned on the blog for an educational article fleshing out the details of the hatch and tips to fish it.
This last week I had the opportunity to experience something like never before with a friend and local guide Adison Rook. Adison has kept this fishery under wraps for the last 6 years as he has been perfecting his approach. I never considered stillwater fishing for bass on the fly something that I would get excited about like I do with the intricacies with trout fishing. After this trip I can say I was wrong and believe every fly angler should experience a freight train of a Spotted Bass on the end of their line.
Adison is a passionate and accomplished stillwater angler here in the valley, on our very own Cascade’s high lakes, and down in Northern California. He has put in years on many of the West’s best stillwater fisheries, and the minute you step in the boat with him it is apparent. For 6 years, Adison has been mastering our spotted bass fishery close to home. This is something completely new to our area, and stillwater fishing as a whole. Even Phil Rowley, the Canadian master of stillwater fishing, is so intrigued he is coming down and getting on the spots with Adison.
Adison and I hit the water early one morning, and the lake was like glass. We shot across the lake to some promising structure, cutting through the morning fog. One of first things I noticed on the quick ride over is how open his boat is for fly anglers working in the front. Line management is a constant struggle, and the design of Adisons boat makes working from the front a breeze. We got all rigged up and Adison covered some basic strategy on how we are approaching these monster fish.
Within the first few minutes I was having the most delicate of eats and absolutely blowing it. There definitely is a learning curve approaching these seemingly gentle giants, but Adison filled me in and I was able to adapt quickly. He assured me there is plenty of structure to fish all day and we continued along. A GPS assisted trolling motor puttered us along and with the use of a satellite, kept us right in line with the structure we were fishing. This alone was an absolute game changer as Adison could track a course and repeat it with ease.
Just as I thought I was about to blow another eat, it happened. I hooked up to what I thought was a tractor on the end of my line. A massive Spotted Bass took my fly and ran deep with it, peeling line off my Sage Spectrum LT. Massive head shakes and unrelenting digging ensued as my arm burned leaving my 9’6″ 6wt Sage Sonic doubled over. Bewildered, I looked over at Adison and he was grinning, knowing exactly what I was experiencing. Once netted, the fattest bass I have ever laid my eyes on was there before me. Spotted Bass seem to grow fatter instead of longer at a certain size, and I am confident that this fish was larger around than an NFL football. My first Spotted Bass was a 5.11 lb brute, which seemed like chump change considering Adison has caught them over 8lbs.
Over the next few hours Adison and I hooked into several other massive bass. Our largest of the day weighted in at 6.8 lbs. We had lunch, and continued enticing Spots and other panfish to eat into the afternoon. We were both whooped and shot back to the launch. On the ride back, I dreamt of the 8+ pounder and now understand Adison’s obsession with chasing these tanks.
Adison is now booking trips for Spotted Bass through the shop. Spring time is your best shot for a trophy fish. If you or someone you know is interested, contact the shop to get in Adison’s books. (541) 342-7005
Adison is a wealth of info for stillwater fishing as a whole. You can find him religiously at the monthly Community Fly Fishing & Tying Nights at Falling Sky, and that is a great time to pick his brain.
At the next Fly Fishing and Tying Night later this month on the 20th, Adison will be generously donating a Spotted Bass trip to be raffled off. You must be there to enter the raffle, this is a great way to meet Adison, check off a new species if you win, and get out with a local stillwater master.
In this video, Simon ties his take on a well-known controversial fly. The mop fly has had its share of time in the spotlight. This is the type of fly that makes a purists blood boil, and it has been the subject of many heated debates. Luckily the Mop Fly isn’t ONLY a trash fly. Mops actually are exemplary imitations for Cranefly Larvae. Cranefly Larvae often live most of their lives feeding on detritus on the underside of rocks. Sometimes they get knocked loose, and when in the water column, they are hard for trout to pass up. They also make an appearance on the menu when the big Cranefly hatch happens mid summer. There are several different types of craneflies, unfortunately we do not have a huge abundance of the large variety here in the Willamette valley. We do have plenty of small yellowish Cranes that pop in the spring and fall. If you want to catch an awesome Crane hatch, the Drifitless area gets a pretty epic one, and late summer the Yakima Basin gets its fair share of big Cranes too. Despite mega Cranefly Pupa being a scarcity in our rivers, trout still eat the mop with reckless abandon.
A quick update on river conditions on the Mckenzie this weekend. Kyle Duke shared photos of the river below Bear Creek where a large tree fell and spans the entire river. To avoid the hazard, take out at Silver Creek. Please use caution this weekend and spread the word anyone you know who is planning to float! We will share when we receive updates on the log removal. Have fun this weekend, and be safe. Swing by the shop if you need anything to have a great day out there; we will be in starting at 10.
In this video, Alex Swartz ties a fantastic large saltwater streamer for predatory big game fish. This is a fantastic streamer for Dorado (Mahi-Mahi), Roosterfish, Snook and Jacks. In freshwater would be a great option for Peacock Bass, Golden Dorado, Pike, Muskie, etc. The SL12S is a proven big game hook and will not bend out on you. The fly uses SF blend which is a common big game streamer body, but it also uses squimpish fibers. These are new in the shop and they make fantastic large streamers. They have a great profile and shed water quickly, which makes them a fantastic material choice for big flies. If you have a trip coming up, tie some of these up! These also would work great on the coast off the jetty. 2/0 is a great size for Lingcod, and size down to a 2 -6 for Rockfish.
The spring issue of WaterWatch of Oregon’s Instream newsletter includes an article detailing the latest on WaterWatch’s efforts, in conjunction with Steamboaters and Pacific Coast Federations of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA), on securing formal permission to participate in a state fish passage enforcement proceeding that may ultimately determine the fate of the 135-year old Winchester Dam near Roseburg on the North Umpqua River.
The groups are intervening in support of native fish runs and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), and against dam owners Winchester Water Control District (WWCD) and their legal challenge to a recent ODFW order requiring the installation of new and improved upstream and downstream fish passage facilities at the dam in compliance with state law. WaterWatch and allies are jointly represented in this particular case by Earthjustice and Crag Law Center, and the Law Office of Karl G. Anuta.
Construction costs for new fish passage facilities at Winchester Dam are expected to be about $100 million. The most recent comparable fish passage upgrade in the North Umpqua subbasin was at PacifiCorp’s Soda Springs Dam in the Umpqua National Forest, which cost upwards of $70 million. In contrast, estimates for Winchester Dam’s removal range between $3 and $6 million.
This contested case is the latest in the years-long, high-profile back-and-forth between a WaterWatch-led statewide coalition of fishing, conservation, and whitewater groups and the WWCD over the dam’s poor management and ongoing harm to the North Umpqua. The District’s governing board previously rejected the coalition’s 2019 offer to contribute $10,000 in engineering services to improve the dam’s fish ladder function, and then a subsequent 2020 offer to remove the decaying dam at little to no direct cost to the District.
Join WaterWatch staff in Eugene this Wednesday the 30th for an Oakshire Inspires event at the Oakshire Public House at 207 Madison Street. As part of Oakshire Brewing’s support for area nonprofits, WaterWatch will receive one dollar from each core pint sold throughout the day, and WaterWatch staff will be on-site from 5 to 8 p.m. to connect with you about our ongoing programs and work, including the Winchester Dam removal campaign.
WaterWatch will have copies of the latest Instream newsletter, free Rivers Need Water and Oregon Rivers stickers, and raffle tickets for sale to win packages including books and our WaterWatch 40th Anniversary YETI Custom Water Bottles.
Snowmelt is a term that has whitewater kayakers excited, but many anglers dread hearing. Luckily, if you head up our two nearest highways heading East, both have spring fed systems that are open all year. The Metilous is larger and is up the Mckenzie Highway 126, while the Fall River is smaller and is up the Willamette Highway 58. Flows are high due to spring snowmelt. The rivers are fishable in the valley, but if you are looking for more tame flows, you may want to consider checking out one of these spring fed systems.
Earlier this week I was scouting a lake and ran up to the Fall River for part of the day. I only fish it a handful of times a year, but generally leave satisfied. The river is technical, but manageable. You certainly will learn something every visit if you pay attention.
Fish were rising on dries starting late morning into the afternoon. Baetis or Blue Winged Olives (BWOs) were the main item on the menu. There also were Grannom Caddis just starting to come off, with plenty other nymphs staging for emergence. There also were a few winter stones buzzing around. The majority of fish were caught on nymphs, with some on dries, and several charges to a steamer, but no full commitment. If I would’ve hung out into low light, the streamer bite would’ve picked up.
I fished 5-6x Scientific Anglers Absolute Mono Tippet to my dry flies. To my nymphs, I fished 4-5x Scientific Anglers Absolute Fluorocarbon Tippet. The heavier tippet went to my first fly, and the tag was always lighter. I fished 2x Scientific Anglers Absolute Fluorocarbon Tippet to my streamer. I used a great sink tip line from SA that I love at the Fall: Scientific Anglers Sonar Sink Tip WF6S6. It is perfect for getting down just enough to bump a large fish out of cover. Fluorocarbon is not always necessary, but places like the Fall show you why it is important to have. For ultimate subsurface stealth, I recommend it; on spring creeks, often you need any help you can get. Note: fluoro is only for flies subsurface and should not be used for fishing a dry.
Fishing the Fall will force you to get creative. The fish are pressured and picky, but not impossible to catch. Slow down and focus on what they are feeding on, find something in your box and try it. Switch flies often, and adjust depth/weight of your flies. Try to make the difficult cast, there is a fish tucked up in there I guarantee it. If you haven’t fished the Fall River, now is a great time with flows up here in the valley. If you head out this weekend, have a blast.
In this video, Simon ties a fantastic Jigged March Brown Nymph. March Browns are in the clinger family of mayflies. They have adapted a streamlined, low profile body over millions of years. They inhabit the fastest currents in the river, and as a result have a wide and flat body shape. This allows the water to ride right over them as they cling tight to the rocks and feed. The fish key in on this as March Browns are wider than other Mayflies. Their legs are also very pronounced; which is why Simon uses a combination of Pheasant and Partridge to achieve legs that seriously protrude from the nymph. Being able to offer this to a fish when they are selectively feeding gives you a serious leg up. The fly features a large bead making it great for high water, or a fantastic dropper in the summer. Tie some up and enjoy.
Join us for a night covering Mckenzie River Trust’s upcoming restoration project on Quartz Creek. All of the details of the project will be fully fleshed out including: the fisheries impact, habitat creation, tentative summer schedule of the project, and how it fits in with the basin-wide restoration effort. This project aims to promote clean water and a healthy watershed right in our backyard!
Seats are limited so please RSVP at the link here.
Next Tuesday is the long awaited monthly community night over at Falling Sky. We did a fly swap last month where everyone who wanted to participate tossed one fly in the bucket and grabbed a raffle ticket. As numbers are called you get to come up and pick a fly out of the bucket. This is also how we raffled off prizes last month too.
This is a fantastic opportunity to connect with your community whether you are a fly tier or not. We have plenty of people drop in and just hang out. This is also a great opportunity to experience first-hand the art of fly tying and see if it’s something you want to get into. We have plenty of distinguished tiers who show up each month, there are also beginners who are just learning, so don’t be bashful!
As always a big thank you to Stephen of Falling Sky for graciously offering up his space each month for us to meet. As a fellow fly angler, he is not just the owner of the brewery, but also part of our community! If you have the chance to chat with him be sure to thank him for hosting us.
Below are the future dates through June when we will take a break. We will resume next Fall once the weather begins to turn again.
Over the years, we have tied countless March Browns on the blog and YouTube for all of you guys. Below is a fully exhaustive list of all of the March Brown tutorials that we have tied to date. The videos go back a whopping 16 years, so there is sure to be a bug in the collection below that will work for you. We also are releasing one more March Brown tutorial for the year next week. I will attach a sneak-peek photo below. The hatch will continue for some time still, so it’s not too late to tie some up!
-Simon
Next week’s Jigged March Brown, stay tuned for the tutorial.
In this video Alex Swartz ties a killer Baja baitfish pattern. The Kinky muddler is a proven big fish fly. Its profile is suggestive of mullet and other baitfish. The fly is versatile and can be used for large predators in freshwater as well. Fish these for smallies in lookout, or take a few over to the Metilous. If you are going to the jungle, this also would be an awesome fly. The saddle hackles provide great movement, and the SF blend holds its shape in water and maintains a killer profile. You cant go wrong with the legendary Kinky muddler, any large aggressive fish would make this a snack.
This Spring especially has been a finicky one for all of the things out of our control. Torrential downpours, low elevation snow melt, surprise flow changes out of our dams, spurts of hot weather, etc. have thrown not only us as anglers for a loop, but the fish we are chasing, and the bugs they eat. As a result, this has the insects and fish behaving differently. To be successful on the water, we must change our approach too.
There are plenty of Spring bugs historically, but with the river conditions this year, they are a little more difficult to come by. If you know when and where to be, you can do exceptionally well. High, turbulent water are not ideal conditions for insects to hatch. When insects first emerge, they are soft and delicate. If an emerging insect’s wings get too wet, they will drown. With our high water right now, insects are holding off on emerging. If they are, they are doing so in long glassy glides where it is safer to do so. Fish key in on this and feed opportunistically when and where this is happening. This is precisely why if you time things right you can do very well in a Spring like we are having.
March Browns are the stars of the show currently. Everyone waits anxiously each year for the hatch to hit full swing. We still are waiting for the big boom of bugs, but we have been seeing them intermittently. Blue Winged Olives (AKA Olives, Baetis, or BWOs) are also a big deal, and have been more abundant. They can tolerate less desirable weather, and love a cool, overcast, rainy day to emerge. Winter Stoneflies (Nemora sp.) are also around, fish will take a dry, but are more likely to key in on nymphs. Brannon Caddis (Mother’s Day Caddis) are beginning to stage in desirable water for emergence. We still are a bit out, but you will start seeing them in the lower river on warm days. Bigger stones are making their appearance too. We’ve had reports of skwalas, and salmon flies on our rivers. Fish are keying in on large nymphs, and on warm days will let their guard down for a chubby.
The most reliable method to employ on the water given the current circumstances is to search using nymphs. In high water fish pod up in current breaks in areas where they are both protected, and do not need to work terribly hard to hold their position. This often is behind obstacles, along a seam, and especially in high water towards the bank. Run a single or double nymph rig adjusting the depth until you start dragging on the bottom, from there lose 6-12 inches of depth, and your flies will be in the right zone. Note in shallower water this means to use lighter nymphs. This is something I often do in the winter which is counterintuitive. We did get some new nymphs in shop, I’ve tested several and these are my favorite new ones for high water: Jigged Mega Prince, Jigged Possie Bugger, Goodspeed Private Stock Stonefly, or Olsen’s Straggle Stone. Some other options include: Yardley’s Low Hole, Olsen’s Blowtorch, Weiss’ Possum Anchor, Croston’s Full Metal Jacket, Sexy Walt’s Worm, or a Roza’s Jigged Pink Pheasant Tail. These flies will cover all of the hatches, and immature nymphs moving around subsurface. Generally as the water clears up and drops, it is wise to begin sizing down both your flies and tippet.
Next up would be swinging wet flies. This means soft hackles and streamers. Cast across upstream of where you suspect fish are feeding and holding. Throw in a few upstream mends to let your flies sink, then allow you fly line to get a bend in it and swing your flies through the target area. March Browns are the most well known hatch locally known for having phenomenal wet fly fishing on the swing, with the grannom caddis hatch right behind it. Some long time shop favorite March Brown wets are: Beadhead March Brown Emerger, March Brown Wet Fly, or try March Brown Soft Hackle Spider. For BWOs these make fantastic options if they arrest picking up your larger March Brown wet: Drymerger Baetis, Harrop’s Soft Hackle Thorax Bead, Soft Emerger BWO. You can employ the same tactics with streamer fishing by swinging. Stripping a fly downstream to mimic a distressed fish frantically looking for cover can also entice some big eats. Here are a few great spring streamers: Conehead Slump Buster, Conehead Kiwi Muddler, or a smaller Sculpzilla Jr.
Keep an eye out for the weather as ti is always changing in the spring, where you fished last time on your day off, it could be interiorly different. Warmer calm days will have better fishing, especially on the surface. On really warm days, search the shallows with a chubby and see who will play. Having a nymph below allows you to read the area on two and subsurface. Keep an eye on the weather and look for breaks in the rain and from the hot days. This will help mitigate river flow swellings and allow for more dry fly fishing opportunities. The secret to a good day fishing dries too is a low cloud ceiling with overcast conditions. This insulates the air temp from changing too much, this keeps the conditions for emergence in shape for a longer period of time during the day. If the rivers are really in awful shape, you may want to get on the spring Smallie jam. Our Stillwater guide Adison Rook wrote a fantastic article on it. Click here to read. He also is at the monthly fly fishing nights, and that’s a great time to pick his brain on Spring stillwater valley opportunities.
One thing you don’t want to leave home with is a few sizes of Oros Strike Indicators. Scientific Anglers is doing BOGO for the whole month of April with all absolute products. Meaning all tippet and leaders are buy one get one free. So whether you need more or not, it is a good time to stock up. For nymphing you’ll be using between 3-5x Absolute Trout Fluorocarbon most frequently. For dries the same 3-5x range is a good size to stock in Absolute Trout Tippet Material. The same goes for Absolute Trout Leader & Absolute Fluorocarbon Tapered Leaders from Scientific Anglers. If dries are on you definitely want some floating such as: Aquel or Shimazaki Dry Shake or both. Lastly for drying your flies off before you hit it with desiccant powder, I am a firm believer in Amadou patches. One other thing is a Fishpond puck to hold a few select flies while swapping so that you don’t have to open and close your bag all day: Shallow Magpad Fly Puck or Shallow Fly Puck.
Spring is a fantastic time to get out. Personally, it is one of my favorite times of the year, and each year I catch loads of very large trout. Big trout put on the feed bag in preparation for their spring spawn, so if you can locate them, you will be rewarded. Have fun out there and be careful where you step in the high water!
In this video, Simon ties a fantastic March Brown emerger. He uses a hackle method called “hackle-stacking” to create a low-riding emerger that is suggestive of a struggling insect. This method creates a cleaner look than vertically palming a saddle feather and trimming the bottom off. For selective fish in tailouts or spring creeks, this method creates a very convincing emerger and can make the world of a difference. The March Brown hatch can be massive with loads of insects. This can make things difficult, sometimes with so many naturals on the surface, your fly must stand out. This is when fishing an especially vulnerable pattern is crucial. Tie some of these up, and get out there!
Our group of anglers and non anglers had an amazing week of fun in the sun at Alphonse Island, Seychelles. Planets aligned ( literally) during our week and so did the stars, the tides, the wind and the sun. Our trip was highlighted by some of the best Giant Trevally fishing Alphonse has seen in years. Spring tides and zero wind for the first few days, allowed anglers to access the surf on foot mid day with high sun and active fish.
Alphonse is a paradisiacal island resort where anglers and non-anglers stay in beach side bungalows, enjoy fantastic cuisine, and high level service. Activities beyond fishing include snorkeling, diving, surfing, kayaking, paddle boarding, bike riding, garden tours and more. I do not know of a better fishing destination that offers so much for the non angler in such an ideal setting.
Bonefishing was super solid on Alphonse, highlighted by several fish over 60cm. White sand, and tons of willing fish make it some of the very best bonefishing in the world.
Dredging in some of the deep channels is always fun. Various grouper species, trevally species, snapper and more can be found. I like to bring a fast sinking line to huck on the 12wt, you never know what you might find.
Tackle Notes: Many of us tried out the new Korkers Salt Sneaker and loved it. It’s super light for travel, quick drying so that last day you aren’t lugging 2lbs of water home with you, and really comfortable. The wide toe box and lacing system allow for easy entry, unlike so many other flats shoes. Bottom line these held up in the surf and are fantastic flats wading shoes for any destination.
The Scientific Anglers GT Smooth fly line performed perfectly. New 100lbs braided loops are included with this line and easy to install. Core strength and taper are ideal for catching big fish and casting monster flies.
The Nautilus CCFX-2 Silver King was a solid reel for me this trip. Giant Trevally can wreck any fly reel, just ask the guides in the Seychelles. They have seen them all fail. For me, I really like the massive retrieval rate on the Silver King. The drag was seriously tested on this trip and it held up perfectly.
For more information about fishing at Alphonse and the Seychelles in general email us at travel@caddisflyshop.com.
We are currently booking trips to Alphonse Island as well as the outer island fishing destinations of the Seychelles. Interested in booking with us? Please contact us at travel@caddisflyshop.com
