In this video, Jay ties a Winter Steelhead Nymph. An awesome pattern to try on channeled coastal streams fishing under an indicator or Euro Nymphing. Give this pattern a try!
Hook: Gamakatsu Barbless jig size 10
Wire: 0.20 lead free
Thread: Danville 6/0 Red
Bead: Slotted Tungsten 5/32 metallic light pink
Tail: Black Pheasant Tail
Body: Black Pheasant Tail
Wire: Ultra Wire Red
Glue: Loc-Tite Brush on
Thorax: SLF #15 Dark Stonefly Nymph and Senyo predator wrap – composite loop
The mighty Clouser – a fly for all seasons.
This is the last of three blog posts that feature the Echo fly rods I fish through the seasons here in Pacific City.
Fly fishers who know me have long ago realized that I fish rods offered by the likes of Sage, Winston, Scott, Loomis, T & T and so forth. People also see that the rods standing ready in my cabin, on my 4 runner, and in my boat are as likely to include a selection of Echo fly rods, and this is true every month of the year and everywhere I fish.
I am quick to recommend Echo fly rods alongside all of the pricier rods I’ve fished over the decades, for 4 basic reasons.
First. Echo fly rods cast and fish side by side with the best brands in the industry.
Second. Echo fly rods are durable, tough and dependable. Tim Rajeff engineers extra strength into all of his fly rods, and this makes a crucial difference when I’m setting out to fish for the day or the week, whether my venture is 500 yards from my cabin or several thousand miles away. I would never embark on a long range fly fishing trip without carrying Echo fly rods — because I have found Echo rods are D-E-P-E-N-D-A-B-L-E!
Third. I have good friends at Rajeff Sports. I’ve known Jamie and Jarrod, and then Red, and Randy, and now James – successively – over a period exceeding ten years. Tim Rajeff has been a good friend and the people he hires are rock solid too. Relationships are a crucial element of brand loyalty in the fly fishing industry, and I trust my friends as well as the products at Rajeff Sports.
Fourth. Warranty. The Echo fly rod warranty is rock solid. Fast, fair, and no hassles. Simple.
With all this said, I will now note the Echo fly rods I fish for fall chinook, because this is the feature species on the Oregon coast, even though the fall angling season of 2019 offered great fly rod opportunities for late season albacore, coho salmon, sea run cutthroat, and black rockfish.
My Echo Chinook fly rods.
EPR 8 and 9 wt
I have described this fly rod before, but it is worth noting that I am comfortable fishing 8 and 9 wt rods in 2019, but would have insisted on 10 wts fifteen years ago. Fact is, our fall chinook are smaller these days, with 40 pounders non-existent (in my world) and salmon above 25 pounds a rarity for most folks. The 8 wt fly rods I fish are well suited to battle the vast majority of 12-20 pound king salmon I encounter in Oregon estuaries.
Prime 8 and 9 wt
Same rationale as with the EPR.
Gen-2 Prime
to arrive!” width=”640″ height=”640″ /> Fall Chinook and First-gen Echo Prime. I can’t wait for the Gen-2 Prime to arrive!
Boost Salt 8 wt
The Boost salt is stout enough that I do not feel the need to venture north of an 8 wt.
Boost Beach 9 wt:
This is a new rod in 2019 for me to fish, and I have found it a reliable long rod when I want a stout salmon rod to fish two handed in tidewater. Note that I am fishing my usual shooting head and integrated short head fly lines like the Rio Quick-shooter and Airflo Sniper on this 12 ft 2 in rod. Fishing this 9 wt rod gives me the option of casting off my left shoulder when the wind is howling from my right side. This rod is powerful, and has all the heft needed to handle kings and the occasional chum salmon you might encounter.
Chum salmon to the Echo Boost Beach 9 wt.
I hope you have found something of information or entertainment here, and I wish you kindness and good fishing always.
Jay Nicholas – late 2019
In this video, Jay ties a lively trout tube fly using Pro Sportfisher tubbing and materials called the Royal Trout Tube Streamer Fly.
Perfect for trout and summer steelhead, this fly is light and easy to cast and has a full profile to catch the fishes attention. Try it in different colors to suit your fishery.
Tube: Pro Sportfisher Micro Tube Clear
Thread: Lagartun 95D Red
Hook Guide: Pro Sportfisher Medium Tube Clear
Hook: Gamakatsu C14S Glo Bug #6
Butt: SLF Minnow Gills
Body: SLF Minnow Body
Rib: Lagartun Small Oval Tinsel Silver
Shoulder Hackle: Claret Schalappen
Underwing: Arctic Fox Tail White
Overwing: Pro Sportfisher Marble Fox Sunrise Yellow
Topping: Kreelex or Peacock Hearl
Head: Spun Rabbit Micro Pulsator Barred Orange/Tan
Eyes: Pro Sportfisher 8mm Tabbed Eyes
Cone: Pro Sportfisher Pro Cone Small Red
We posted the videos below a while back but it’s crunch time and just in case you need some last minute ideas, here you go.
Seven threads that every tyer should have at the fly bench.
Of course this is an opinion piece and based on my personal experience – there is little in the way of objective data to guide one on this topic, unless of course one simply looked at total sales numbers for each and every possible fly tying thread type, and how much fun is that?
I started out by looking around my own fly bench to survey the threads I am using, given that I tie trout, steelhead, salmon, and for all sorts of finny critters in fresh and salt water environs. Anyway, I thought it might be fun for my own thinking organization and as a matter of offering some possibly new thoughts to other fly tyers to write this post.
Naturally, if you, the blog reader, ties only small dry flies or only giant billfish flies, this article will miss the mark by a long shot.
But if you are an artist of widely varying taste, one who is likely to experiment in the types of flies you will tie, this article just might be helpful and at the very least might open up possibilities to try something new.
So – in no particular order, here is my nomination for seven threads that I regularly use at my bench, including note of why I might reach for one versus the other at any given point in time.
Danville’s 210 Denier Flat Waxed Nylon – This thread is strong and sticky and very well suited to many flies that require attaching a lot of materials with little worry about the potential for adding bulk, and actually this tread is desirable if you want to build up the head on a fly. I use this for all of my Clousers and for many traditional wet steelhead flies.
Veevus 150 D GSP – This is a thread I resisted using for decades, but have finally come to realize just how useful it is when tying very large spun deer hair flies and using bucktail to craft hollow flies. The material takes some getting comfortable with, it is SLIPPERY beyond belief and requires finesse to cut with scissors, but it has no equal when it is necessary to really bear down and pull on the thread to secure or spin materials on a hook. I have tried finer and stouter GSP and for now at least prefer the 150 D for of my spinning on flies larger than *6 but would suggest 100D for #8 and smaller hooks.
Danville’s 70 D Flymaster – This is a thread I used for decades with absolute confidence and satisfaction – then I drifted off to tie with newer more modern threads and this gem lay untouched in the back corners of my bench. Two years ago I remembered how pleasant this thread is to work with and decided to try it again. Home run! The thread is available in a zillion colors, is very slightly waxed (I think) lays flat, has just a little stretch, actually the perfect amount of stretch. This is a PERFECT thread for general fly tying in sized of about #8 to #20.
Ultra Thread 70 & 150 D – This is another thread I used a lot of and forgot about when i was experimenting with more modern threads. Like the Danville’s FlyMaster, this UTC thread is super versatile, comes in dynamite colors, lays flat and has a little stretch. Main difference I can tell is that this UTC is slick, has no hint of wax, and the colors have a sheen you will not find on the Flymaster. For micro collars on Euro Nymphs, you will find it difficult to find better thread for the color spots!
Lagartun X-Strong 95D & 150D – This is my fancy thread when I am looking for the strongest flattest laying threads for tying small heads on my steelhead wet flies. The Lagartun X-Strong color palate is more limited that Ultra Thread, but it is stronger and will lay flat flat flat and if you want super slick smooth heads this is your stuff.
Veevus 10/0 – Veevus is my go-to thread when I tie very small flies and am most concerned with thread build up. I am not as fond of the color palate offered by Veevus when compared to Danville or UTC, but if I want a “round” thread to grip slick materials onto the hook, and if I want strength versus diameter – this thread is super satisfying to use. I will use anywhere from 8/0 to 12/o Veevus threads, and some tyers prefer Veevus for all of their tying.
Danville’s Monofilament Fine – It may be the case that mono threads are only or mostly useful to saltwater tyers, but this stuff is versatile and stronger than I ever imagined, and I now find that I like to use this fine mono thread for a wide variety of my freshwater flies as well. Keep in mind that this mono is slick, but it is stretchy and fun to work with. Like GSP, this is a specialized thread you might not use often – but I suggest that your tying skills will be advanced if you experiment with this on some of the flies you tie all the time.
Why not mention Uni Thread? Simple. I never got around to tying with Uni Thread. My friends tease me about this and remind me that Uni makes great threads and tinsels for starters and the price point is very good as well. So Let’s be clear that my failure to mention Uni is a random element of my experience. Might just go out and tie with Uni for the next 6 months to give it a fair trial!
General guidance on color palates?
Danville’s 210 Denier Flat Waxed Nylon – Emphasis on white, fl. Chartreuse, fl. Blue, and Black.– consider adding fl pink, fl orange.
Veevus GSP – White, white, and white.
Danville’s Flymaster 70D – emphasis on pale subdues colors including burnt orange, pale yellow, Adams grey, olive, brown — and then add fl chartreuse and fl hot orange.
Ultra Thread – Emphasis on bright colors including red, yellow, green and orange.
Veevus 10/0 – Emphasis on black, claret, olive, grey, brown, and olive.
Lagartun X-Strong – Emphasis on black, red, orange, green.
Danville’s Monofilament – Clear, clear, and more clear.
I hope this has been helpful.
Jay Nicholas – Autumn 2019
A really brief history
My first trip to New Zealand was in 1993. With little knowledge of the country and it’s fishing, my fishing mates and I drove way to many kilometers in three months in search of the holy grail of fly fishing. Each year after that I spent a month fishing in NZ, pulled to the awesome sight of fishing for big trout. In 2011, my wife organized a trip to Cedar Lodge for my 40th birthday with friends and family. Instead of sleeping in the dirt, the van or the motel we stayed at Cedar and helicoptered in to the gorgeous rivers of Central Otago and Westland. In 2013 we bought Cedar Lodge. In 2019 we sold Cedar Lodge to Eleven Experience.
Owning and operating a fishing lodge was a fantastic experience. Shauna and I met some wonderful people in our tenure at Cedar. Guests, guides and community have been unforgettable, and many relationships will remain. We had our challenges and successes at Cedar; we walk away from our experience knowing that we took a huge risk and successfully executed a plan.
Without a doubt having our children with us through the entire adventure was the very best part of owning Cedar Lodge. My wife Shauna had the moxy, foresight, and fearless nature to be pull the kids out of school and direct their homeschool program. Caring for her kids always took priority but being co-owner of a remote fishing lodge required, hosting, booking, at times cheffing, gardening, cleaning, planning remodels, and much more. Not everyone could have done it but Shauna did it all and more. Our kids got to experience the outdoors like we did growing up, exploring, building forts, fishing and camping. They were able to meet inspirational people, to see the glamorous and the ugly aspects of a family owned lodge business.
As we leave NZ this late December ( the wettest one on record ) ( not missing that part of lodge ownership at all ) after helping new Eleven Experience ownership settle in, we are grateful for our time and experience.
We continue to own and operate The Caddis Fly Angling Shop in Eugene Oregon. Future plans include more hosted travel and pursuing the kids love of tennis and herpetology. I will continue to guide the McKenzie and Willamette rivers in season.
I have compiled some images of the kids growing up at Cedar below.
In this video, Greg shows each new Stash Storage Container Box from Hareline.
Used for organizing your fly-tying materials at home or on the road for quick access and efficiency, these containers take out the frustration from messy tying tables, materials blowing around, and at the same time protect your materials and store them easily.
Use them for beads, threads, wires, flashes, feathers, bucktail, hooks, even flies. Each container is clear to quickly find the materials you need and stack nicely taking up limited space.
Hareline Stash Storage Solutions Boxes
In this video, Jay ties an Ultra Rig Steelhead Fly – a fun take on Jeff Hickman’s Fish Taco using the new Aqua Flies Ultra Rig. This is a great pattern to try swinging for Summer and Winter Steelhead. Enjoy!
Aqua Fly Return Eye Shank
Thread: 210 Denier White
Glue: Loc-Tite Brush On
Aqua Flies Ultra Rig
Butt: Senyo’s Eat-a-peach Dubbing Single Loop
Body: Senyo’s Dubbing Midnight
Hackle 1: Orange Schlappen
Hackle 2: Purple Schlappen
Flash: Lateral Scale
Hackle 3: Black Schlappen
Thread 2: 210 Denier Red
Eyes: Intruder Eyes Blue
Collar: Senyo’s Dubbing Midnight
Mohawk: Marble Fox Black
Highlight: Raptor Fibers Blue
In this video, Jay ties a Tungsten Soft Hackle fly. An effective pattern for euro nymphing and indicator fishing for trout. Give this pattern a try!
Hook: TMC 3761 size 12, Daiichi 1760 size 12
Bead: tungsten mottled tactical black 1/8th
Wire: Lead-Free .015
Glue: Loc-Tite Brush-on
Thread: Danville’s 6/0 Red
Tail: Coq de Leon
Body: Kiley’s Pearl Body Wrap
Collar: UV2 Select CDC
Collar: Hareline Ice Dub Peacock Black
Hot spot, UTC red thread
Saturday, December 14th, I will be in the shop and will tie and answer questions about steelhead fly tying using
Pro Sportfisher products.
Aquaflies and flies tied with Aquaflies shanks and hooks.
Traditional steelhead flies tied on hooks.
Traditional steelhead flies tied on hooks like in the old days.
I hope you can join me between 10 and 4 to say hi or to allow me to try to help out by answering any questions you may have.
My best to you
Jay
This is the second of three blog posts that feature the Echo fly rods I fish through the seasons here in Pacific City.
I have learned though personal experience to appreciate the performance and value of Echo fly rods for over a decade now. Although the flagship rods featured in the Echo lineup evolve over the years, the dependability, ease of casting, variety of rod styles and actions, plus the modest price points of the entire portfolio of Echo rods remains rock solid.
Spring / Summer in Pacific City is an exciting and nearly franticly active time of year to fish anywhere from the river, in the estuary, and in the nearshore ocean to catch summer steelhead, spring chinook, black rockfish, lingcod, coho salmon, (rarely -Chinook salmon, and Albacore. Once again, the coastal cutthroat are sneaking around in the estuary and river for the persistent anglers who take the time to sleuth out their movements on tides and small river rises.
I’ve already covered the range of Echo rods I fish for winter steelhead, in a previous blog post (The Echo Seasons of Pacific City: Winter/Spring), so I’ll limit my remarks in this post to rods I fish in the estuary and ocean categorized by species.
Nestucca Spring Chinook salmon on the Echo EPR 8 wt.
Spring Chinook:
Prime 8 wt or 9 wt
These two fly rods are both top-of-the-line Echo High performance fly rods that excel in fresh and saltwater when your fishing calls for making short and long range deliveries in conditions that can run the gamut from dead calm short range to gale force long range. I have several seasons experience with the EPR and vouch for their performance from Oregon to Baja. My experience with the new Prime has been limited to a short-term demo loaner, but my confidence in the new PRIME is based on several years fishing the old Echo Prime one piece rods.
Boost Salt 8 wt
This fly rod is the Echo workhorse for estuaries, lake and ocean anglers who will be wrestling with stubborn fish species. The rods are tough as nails, responsive casting tools, and are a pleasure to throw in the boat to fish day after day, year after year.
Rockfish lingcod, coho salmon, and chinook salmon:
Steve and Jay with black rockfish and smiles.
In addition to the EPR, Prime, and Saltwater Boost rods I add the Bad Ass Glass rods, the 8 ft wonders that make quite possibly the best economical boat fly rods I’ve fished.
Bad Ass Glass 6 wt, 7 wt, 8 wt
Somewhere in the range from 6 to 8 wt lies the right rod for anyone fishing the estuary and ocean who wants maximum fun playing fish. These fly rods are not my first choice when i think I’ll need to be making long precision casts, but dang they are fun to fish and they seem to magnify the fish’s size owing to the rod’s flexibility. These are super durable fly rods and can be seriously over-lined if you need a fast sinking line (Airflo Depthfinder Big Game) in order to get your fly deep in a hurry. From Rockfish to salmon, I love a tug of war with one of these beautiful blue. Bad Ass Glass rods in my hand.
A hatchery ocean coho to the Echo Bad Ass Glass.
Albacore:
Oregon Albacore in battle with Echo Prime.
EPR 10 wt to 12 wt
Prime 10 to 12 wt
Boost Salt 10 wt to 12 wt
I know that many people consider the 12 wt a baseline for offshore albacore fishing, but depending on the year, our Oregon tuna sometimes average 12 pounds, 16pounds, or in some years, 24 pounds. I have found the small tuna years perfectly suited to fishing sub-12 wt rods.
Sea Run Cutthroat:
Sea run cutthroat to the 4 wt Echo Base.
Trout 4 wt 9 ft
Boost 4 wt 9 ft
Base 4 wt 8 ft
Dry 4 wt 9 ft
I considered the 6 and 7 wt my foundation for fishing sea run cutthroat in estuaries and coastal rivers. No more. Today I by far prefer the 4 wt fly rod and all of the Echo fly rods listed above are a delight to cast modest wet and dry flies to sea run and resident trout that range from 10 inches to a tad over 16 inches. This is fun fishing and the rods match perfectly with the fish and the fishing conditions.
JN
In this video, Tim shows us some gift ideas for the young fly fisher in your life.
From youth fly rods to stylish hats, tying kits to fly boxes, practice rods to gift certificates, Caddisflyshop.com has something for everyone.
Visit Caddisflyshop.com or come by the shop for all your holiday gifts. Happy Holidays.
Gift Ideas:
Flyvines Original Fly Line Bracelet
Fishpond Tenderfoot Youth Vest
Echo MPR (Micro Practice Rod)
Five years ago, Tacky set out to create the most innovative fly box available to the fly fishing community. Finding a multitude of design flaws in traditional fly boxes, the minds at Tacky replaced traditional foam inserts with silicone and a durable plastic shell, and ditched the latched closure system for a magnetic, latchless solution. The result was the Tacky Original Box, featuring a no-memory insert that would not delaminate over time, an extremely durable outer shell that would not warp or crack under extreme temperatures, and a secure closure system which was much less prone to damage and failure. In the ensuing years the product line expanded to include a range of sizes and insert options, including a 3D silicone mat designed to protect downward facing tails and dry fly hackle.
Our friend Jon Covich, Cuba Travel expert for Fly Water Travel discusses his “fast” casting tactics for saltwater fly fishing in the video below.
Check out more from Jon Covich at his website: www.cubafishingoutfitters.com
In this video, Jay ties up a variant on the Crazy Charlie Bonefish fly. A must-have pattern for fishing the salt. If you have a saltwater trip planned this winter make sure you have good supply of Crazy Charlie’s in pink, tan and white.
Hook: Gamakatsu SC15 Size 1
Eyes: Chicone’s Stealth Chain Eyes Large Tan
Thread: Danville’s 6/0 Light Pink
Body: Lagartun Pearl Flat braid light pink
Rib: Veevus Iridescent Thread Fl. Pink
UV: Loon Flow Thin
Legs: Chicone’s Barred Crusher Legs Fl. Orange/Clear
Wing: Sculpting Flash Fibre Pink
Wing: EP Fiber Flow Pink
