We have been letting you know what flies we have been using at the beginning of the month, and now that it is mid-month, we have decided to ...
We have been letting you know what flies we have been using at the beginning of the month, and now that it is mid-month, we have decided to let you know how that's going for us.
I was looking forward to getting out my 3wt and catching some brookies. I did hike into a little lake and creek with my Redington Classic Trout 7'6" 3wt. It is a nice little small stream rod with a moderate action that delivers dry flies with great accuracy, and it is fun to fight a small fish with. I paired it with a Rio LightLine, and it performs exactly how I want it to. No spooky casts, easy, delicate and accurate. I caught a pile of little brookies and took a nap in a hammock next to the lake.
I have also hit the Klickitat up, looking for early summer steelhead. No luck there, but it has been a pleasure to fish a light spey line again after a winter of dredging with big flies. I paired up a Rio Scandi Short Versitip on a Temple Fork Outfitters Deer Creek Switch Rod, and it is a great combo that casts summer steelhead flies with ease.
I threw together my Douglas DXF 6 Weight with the Douglas Argus Reel, paired the reel with the Intouch Rio Streamer Tip Line with really throws Olive Wooly Buggers like a dream! And That's all she wrote, we didn't slay like we have on the John Day, but let me tell you there are some real beasts living within the depths of the Tualatin!
Here is a video of us rigging up the boat! All the best,
I do hear some early steelies calling in the next week or two.
Nikolai--
I was lucky enough to fish the Salmonfly hatch on the Deschutes this Spring. It was pretty solid! I used my Redington Classic Trout, 9' 5wt with a Scientific Angler's Amplitude Trout line. I had the most success on our Clark's Stonefly. I also had success with a Floating Stonefly, Godzilla, and Golden Stonefly Chubby. There were also lots of Pale Morning Duns mixed in, so I enjoyed dropping a BH Barr's Emerger PMD off of my point fly. I really like fishing green drakes, so when I saw them (even just one or two), I tied one on, because I know the fish can key-in on them, and even prefer them over the big bugs. One particular fish refused my Stonefly twice, so I tied on a green drake, and he ate it!
Last year I remember getting too hot in my waders, so this year I thought I'd try wet wading, and see if I got too cold. But I was perfect! The Hodgman Airprene Guard Socks kept my feet at a tolerable temperature, and my Redington Prowler Boots can handle the tough wading that I like during this particular hatch.
It's a great time of year to fly fish. I hope you get on the water soon!
Lately I have been spending my days off on the Klickitat. While float trips are nice I find the walk and wade to be a more effective way of fishing. With as much road access as that river has its easy to spend 45mins to an hour on a run then quickly get to the next. I have yet to hear of someone catching a steelhead on the fly, however guys pulling plugs are catching some. That being said, there are some whitefish to be caught, and occasionally a mysterious bump that always keeps my coming back for more.
Right now I am fishing the Syndicate Aquos rod with a Scientific Anglers Anadro line. I'm really liking this setup specifically for steelhead fishing. I can easily fish a nymphing rig with this setup one minute, and swing lighter summer flies the next. The Aquos is a 10' rod which gives me some extra reach when need be, and the Anadro line is heavy enough that some single hand spey casts can be performed in those tight area.
It seems that location is really the key, the gravel bank is full of tiny bays and points. The shad travel up the edge of the current so picking a point in the bar that puts you closest to the seam will get you into fish right away. If the fish aren't biting try changing the color of your fly or the depth at which you are fishing. This can be great practice for your summer steelhead swinging that is just around the corner.
We took a small inflatable raft with our goal being to troll the banks, around stumps and rocky points. I was using the Rio Aqualux II Intermediate clear sinking lake line, which was a must in order to get your bugs down in the water column, paired with a Redington Hydrogen 6wt rod. We started catching fish 2 minutes in, right off the boat launch, and the fun never stopped. Small olive and black beadhead woolly buggers seemed to be the ticket all day. We also did well on small crayfish patterns, as that is the main food source for these Timothy lake fish. The early morning and late evenings were, of course some great fishing, but even all throughout the day the fish were eating and the fishing was on! We also had luck on small olive damsel nymphs. Back and olive were must-have colors, but if you're able to use a sinking line and get your bugs down to depth, they didn't seem too picky at all! Now is a great time to get on Mt. Hood and explore the lake systems the mountain offers!
Andrew:
I was looking forward to getting out my 3wt and catching some brookies. I did hike into a little lake and creek with my Redington Classic Trout 7'6" 3wt. It is a nice little small stream rod with a moderate action that delivers dry flies with great accuracy, and it is fun to fight a small fish with. I paired it with a Rio LightLine, and it performs exactly how I want it to. No spooky casts, easy, delicate and accurate. I caught a pile of little brookies and took a nap in a hammock next to the lake.I have also hit the Klickitat up, looking for early summer steelhead. No luck there, but it has been a pleasure to fish a light spey line again after a winter of dredging with big flies. I paired up a Rio Scandi Short Versitip on a Temple Fork Outfitters Deer Creek Switch Rod, and it is a great combo that casts summer steelhead flies with ease.
Joe:
The Salmon fly hatch has come to an end and it inspired me to get away from the crowded shores of the Deschutes and try something different and a little closer to Portland Oregon. A buddy of mine and I blew up his raft and floated a stretch of the Tualatin River for Smallmouth Bass. This slow moving river is a great Bass fishery for those that dont want to go to a local pond/park with screaming kids and barking dogs all around you.I threw together my Douglas DXF 6 Weight with the Douglas Argus Reel, paired the reel with the Intouch Rio Streamer Tip Line with really throws Olive Wooly Buggers like a dream! And That's all she wrote, we didn't slay like we have on the John Day, but let me tell you there are some real beasts living within the depths of the Tualatin!
Here is a video of us rigging up the boat! All the best,
Cameron--
Definitely picked the wrong couple days for first float trip down the Deschutes. First off it was chilly and windy, was in the mood for sun and calm, like the last several times I had fished the Maupin area, but it is technically still spring in Oregon and should have be more prepared. Second it was crowded, lots of guide trips, again am experienced enough to expect this. Third the fishing in my money spots was uncharacteristically slow.
I was primarily fishing Orange Rubber Legs Stimulator on my St. Croix Legends Elite 9' 5 wt. and my new favorite line SA Amplitude Trout, which casts wonderfully even in the wind, no trees were caught, and placed most flies even in the stout wind exactly where I wanted them. But all in all a bit of a letdown compared to the month of fishing leading up to it. There's a lot of summer fishing ahead though.
I do hear some early steelies calling in the next week or two.Nikolai--
I was lucky enough to fish the Salmonfly hatch on the Deschutes this Spring. It was pretty solid! I used my Redington Classic Trout, 9' 5wt with a Scientific Angler's Amplitude Trout line. I had the most success on our Clark's Stonefly. I also had success with a Floating Stonefly, Godzilla, and Golden Stonefly Chubby. There were also lots of Pale Morning Duns mixed in, so I enjoyed dropping a BH Barr's Emerger PMD off of my point fly. I really like fishing green drakes, so when I saw them (even just one or two), I tied one on, because I know the fish can key-in on them, and even prefer them over the big bugs. One particular fish refused my Stonefly twice, so I tied on a green drake, and he ate it!
Last year I remember getting too hot in my waders, so this year I thought I'd try wet wading, and see if I got too cold. But I was perfect! The Hodgman Airprene Guard Socks kept my feet at a tolerable temperature, and my Redington Prowler Boots can handle the tough wading that I like during this particular hatch.
It's a great time of year to fly fish. I hope you get on the water soon!
Ben
Lately I have been spending my days off on the Klickitat. While float trips are nice I find the walk and wade to be a more effective way of fishing. With as much road access as that river has its easy to spend 45mins to an hour on a run then quickly get to the next. I have yet to hear of someone catching a steelhead on the fly, however guys pulling plugs are catching some. That being said, there are some whitefish to be caught, and occasionally a mysterious bump that always keeps my coming back for more.
 |
| The Aquos is an overlooked, great rod |
Right now I am fishing the Syndicate Aquos rod with a Scientific Anglers Anadro line. I'm really liking this setup specifically for steelhead fishing. I can easily fish a nymphing rig with this setup one minute, and swing lighter summer flies the next. The Aquos is a 10' rod which gives me some extra reach when need be, and the Anadro line is heavy enough that some single hand spey casts can be performed in those tight area.
Rob
In a departure from my normal fishing routine, I have been pursuing American Shad on the Columbia Rive below the John Day Dam. The easy access, lack of casting challenges, and absence of poisonous vegetation has been a relief. It's easy fishing, and once in a while that's a good thing. I have been using a St. Croix Legend Elite 6 wt; it is plenty of rod, though when the wind isn't blowing lighter rods are capable of doing the job. I have been making good use of the Cortland Trout Boss it turns over the 8 foot T-8 sink tips and weighted flies most often needed for Shad fishing.It seems that location is really the key, the gravel bank is full of tiny bays and points. The shad travel up the edge of the current so picking a point in the bar that puts you closest to the seam will get you into fish right away. If the fish aren't biting try changing the color of your fly or the depth at which you are fishing. This can be great practice for your summer steelhead swinging that is just around the corner.
Colby
This last week I had the opportunity to head up to Mt. Hood and fish Timothy Lake. Luckily, I was up there mid-week and missed the paddle board hatch. During the summer months, Timothy Lake as well as most other lakes in the area, get quite a bit of weekend traffic, which is something to be aware of when planning your next trip.We took a small inflatable raft with our goal being to troll the banks, around stumps and rocky points. I was using the Rio Aqualux II Intermediate clear sinking lake line, which was a must in order to get your bugs down in the water column, paired with a Redington Hydrogen 6wt rod. We started catching fish 2 minutes in, right off the boat launch, and the fun never stopped. Small olive and black beadhead woolly buggers seemed to be the ticket all day. We also did well on small crayfish patterns, as that is the main food source for these Timothy lake fish. The early morning and late evenings were, of course some great fishing, but even all throughout the day the fish were eating and the fishing was on! We also had luck on small olive damsel nymphs. Back and olive were must-have colors, but if you're able to use a sinking line and get your bugs down to depth, they didn't seem too picky at all! Now is a great time to get on Mt. Hood and explore the lake systems the mountain offers!
