New Flies

We have added the following patterns for the month of November. We hope you find some hot ones for your favorite fishing haunts. We also are very excited about the new flies coming in Decmeber, included are some new streamers specifically for Great Lakes Steelhead, and some great early spring dry fly patterns.

Conehead Autumn Splendor
Mohair Leech
Letort Hopper
Grand Hopper
Assassin
Brindle Bug
Parachute Ant
BH Biot Bug
Z Wing Caddis
Ray Charles
Glo Bug w/ Red Dot
Waterboatman

Skykomish sunrise

Every year coastal streams on the Pacific host hundred of thousands of winter steelhead. These hearty and seemingly foolish fish, come up streams while most other fish in the regions are doing nothing at all. Surviving huge swings in flow, water clarity, and even water temperature, they come to return to their place of birth. To spawn and hopefully return again to the sea.

To the novice this sounds like a crazy fish to pursue, but there are not a more fanatical fisher, than the winter steelhead fly fisher. To this breed a day in the forties is a good day to fish.

On the west coast one of the legendary rivers to do this slightly insane form of fly fishing is the Skykomish River in Washington, tucked away not too far from Seattle, this river amazingly maintains a productive steelhead run despite all odds against. Steelhead in general given half a chance can survive urbanization better than most Salmonoids, and Skykomish is a perfect example. The Skykomish Sunrise invented on this river, specifically for the winter steelhead run.

When you go also have on hand General Practitioner, Comets, Purple Peril, Boss, and lots and lots of coffee.

Midge fishing the winter away

Fishing does not end with the onset of hunting season. Even if you live in the Northern reaches of the United States there are still trout to be had. Surely a quick jaunt down south is a welcome respite, from Georgia to Arizona trout fishing is going strong all winter long, but don't dismiss nearby waters either if your address is due North.

If you have a tailwater nearby consider yourself blessed. Tailwaters are those stretches of river downstream from a dam. They are a blessing for trout as their consistent flows and temperatures allow trout to be active when other rivers freeze up, heat up or dry up. Easily the most important winter trout food is the midge, sometimes they make up 22% of a trout's annual diet, and those percentages spike in the winter. While the air is too frigid for our friends the caddisfly and mayflies, the midge will hatch year around.

Many cringe at the thought of microscopic flies tying them onto extra fine tippet, with freezing hands, but it doesn't need to be frustrating. Two things are absolutely necessary, plenty of warm layers, and a thermos of coffee, for your hands if nothing else.

Try rigging up before leaving the house or at least the car. In winter you generally do not need to go seriously small. Size 18 ought to be small enough, favorite sub-surface patterns are the BH Zebra Midge and the Disco Midge, you can also run a dropper with a dry fly midge. However, I find most hook-ups are going to occur relatively deep in the water column. A double nymph rigging with a small split shot about a foot up from the top fly is a good bet.

Fishing the slow water, tailouts or deep pockets are the first places to try. Cast a bit upstream of the desired water to allow extra time for the small patterns to sink. Fish in the winter even in tailwaters tend to be a bit sluggish, so a gentle hook set is all that is needed. Besides that will save your light tippet from snapping. Strike Indicators will greatly aid with detecting.

Occasionally you will see some surface dimpling. Midges rise from the bottom, and our vulnerable to being taken all the way to the surface. Parasol midges are a great pattern for those back eddies that are showing repeated surface activity. Hanging just in the surface film, where the emerging midge will face resistance this pattern can result in some great winter frenzied activity.

Do plan your days, find a sunny spot, and cast those midges, it will improve your cabin fever.

Trout Unlimited and Federation of Fly Fishers

We were able to double our annual Trout Unlimited contribution this year, thanks to you for all the support we have received. We also contribute annually to Federation of Fly Fishers. Both of these fine organizations, have local chapters set up all over the country and in the case of FFF, internationally, to work on local conservation issues.

I am sure we have all seen dramatic turnarounds in fisheries in our area. It really is amazing what some volunteers and a good plan can accomplish. The rewards of a healthy fishery run deeper than just the return of fish to catch. Healthy fisheries mean healthy eco-systems, and a healthier planet. Just another positive side effect from the great, passionate fly fishers of the world. Without these groups outlining plans, spearheading efforts, and devoting countless man hours these environmental turnarounds would not happen.

If you have a fly fishing friend on your holiday list, try donating to one of these groups in their name. They will receive quarterly magazines, with articles in their areas, as well as invitations to local chapter meetings, where they can find ways to help locally, even an afternoon picking up trash along a river, goes a long way towards enhancing the natural beauty.

Backcast by Lou Ureneck

Lou Ureneck had asked me to read his book Backcast, he had purchased something like 1,000 Parmechene Belle’s as a promotional aid, as the fly is on the cover of the book, and we struck up a conversation, about our lives as father’s and what fly fishing has meant to us through our lives. He seemed like a very genuine man, who had had similar life experiences to my own, and I told him I looked forward to receiving a copy.

Well as anyone who runs a business knows, there about half the hours in the day that there needs to be, and my reading of Backcast got put on hold. Finally, I found a weekend that was relatively clear, and I picked it up.

From the start this is a captivating read. The descriptions of the surroundings are concise, the story moves briskly, with meaningful insights, and real feeling.

This is not a how-to-book, but a what-it-means book. What it means to be a son, a father, a husband, a divorced dad, and an outdoorsman, particularly a fly fisherman. It is the story of how the great outdoors, and particularly fly fishing help us to gain our bearing, reset our priorities, and regain that part of ourselves that starves for something tangible. It relates how fly fishing can bring us together, or give us sanctuary, how it is beautiful, simplistic and yet sometimes frustrating.

The book’s main story line is of a son and father on a wilderness journey down an Alaskan river, no guide, very few provisions, and perhaps not the best of companions. But the intention, heart, and desire are there. It details the struggles of reaching teenagers, who don’t want to be reached. It talks about fathers who want to make the world right with their children. And children who think their father’s can do nothing that is right.

The book also takes us through childhood explorations, and how the outdoors can help a youth make sense of the often chaotic world around them. One can’t help see the contrast of a youth growing up in that surroundings compared to the Xbox addicted youth of today. How the explorer longing for experience is actually a seed planted very early. And once that seed is cultivated through a lifetime of adventures it can be your bedrock, in times of uncertainty.

I wholly recommend this read, for anyone who thinks of fly fishing, or the outdoors as an indispensable part of their lives, and to anyone who has ever been a father or a son, and had hopes and disappointments for that relationship. This is a well written book, a real book, an honest book, a thoughtful book, and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Save 25% off everything at Big Y Fly Co Veteran's Day Sale

Big Y Fly Co is having their biggest sale ever, 25% off everything in our store now through Veterans's Day November 12th. Please use coupon code 've07' upon checkout. Office and shipping department is closed until Monday to inventory and prepare for the sale. Please allow extra delivery time.

As always thanks for shopping at the Big Y.

November Hot Flies

The following hot patterns are recommended for the month of November, as always check local sources for the most up to date information.
If you are lucky enough to be able to cast towards the Steelies, November is for you. Running strong virtually everywhere they run.
Steelies are coming on strong in the great lakes area now with; Sucker Spawn, Hot Egg Fly and Glo Bugs working. Hot streamer patterns includes Egg-Sucking Leech, Beadhead Flashbugger, Zonkers, Sculpins, and Muddlers. Don't forget the nymphs, as the eggs begin to disappear, BH Circus Caddis, BH Hare's Ear, BH Kaufmann Stones, are all good bets.
West coast steelies are being caught on Purple Perils, Freight Trains, Green Butt Skunks, among others.
Down south there are still a few Tarpon ahead of the colder temperatures hard to go wrong with a Cockroach, also some tailing permit think gotchas, and the back country features great snook fishing using clousers, also great for the redfish.

Trout fishing goes extreme this time of year, with small patterns, and steamers. Aggressive strikes can still be had ahead of the cold water, using buggers, muddlers. For rivers with scuds and sow bugs, they are available year around to fish, and will work right now through winter.
BWO's-The hatch that just keeps on giving. BWO, Parachute BWO, Foam Post Emerger BWO, Spinner BWO, Loop Wing Emerger BWO, BWO Wet Fly, Pheasant Tail, BH Pheasant Tail Emerger.

Midges-Hatch everywhere all winter. Don't forget sub-surface midges; Disco Midge, RS2 Foamback, WD-40.