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Fishing for steelhead with a fly is one of the most difficult ways to be a successful steelhead fisher. One contributing factor is the deterioration of local fisheries due to habitat degradation and excessive harvest from commercial fishers. Even with the odds against the angler here are several techniques that will produce action.

#1. Deep swing with retrieve-

This is an effective way to catch fish in deep water. Stand upstream of the fish, cast across the water and a little downstream. Strip enough line to get your fly to the depth of where you think the fish are holding. Let the fly swing through the drift until its below you. Retrieve the fly at the desired speed, try switching speeds to find one that works.

#2. Dry fly swung-

Cast your fly across the current and down stream a bit, then let the current swing the fly until it is hanging below you. Walk downstream a little to cover all the water fish may be holding. Effective flies for this need to be super buoyant, such as the waller walker and riffle dancer.

#3. Nymphing-

Cast your fly well upstream of the targeted area and allow the fly to drift naturally with the water. Using a strike indicator is suggested and helps keep the nymph at a desired depth. Another trick is to add on a bead trailer about 10inches below the nymph. Make sure the bead isn’t against the trailer hook, this can cause missed hooksets.

#4 Wet fly swung-

Cast the fly across the river and a touch downstream, allowing the current to swing the fly downstream. Take a couple steps downstream to cover all the desired water. Copying the same technique used in trout fishing in streams. An easy method to cover a lot of water.

#5 Wet fly retrieved near surface-

Cast across the river, either upstream or downstream, and simply retrieve your fly by stripping in the line with either long slow strips or short fast strips. And you be the judge on what is attracting the most fish.

Even though steelheading on a fly can be difficult and frustrating, it is definitely one of the most rewarding experiences a fisherman can have. It may seem like an endless struggle to master the arts, but I’ve seen on many occasions avid fly-steelheaders out fish conventional tackle fisherman. Good luck in using these techniques, it takes practice and some dedication to make them effective but I assure you its rewarding in the end. Good luck, watch the back cast, and keep your lines tight.

-tight-lines -troutbum89

Well, summer has come to a close, but good trout fishing sure hasn’t. Deer season is one of my favorite times of year to head out to my favorite trout streams, with opening weekend of rifle season being the best. My number one reason for loving this time of year is the lack of company. Sure, sometimes it’s nice to see other people on the water, to swap secrets with, brag to, or to pick up on certain techniques of the old guys, but after a summer of seeing people everywhere, it’s definitely nice to have some time on the water to yourself.

The weather has cooled down, but in many places the fishing is still hot, and will continue to be that way for most of the fall. This is also a great time to fish patterns specific to the fall, like the October Caddis. As the name suggests this huge caddis is prolific in October, but you’ll also see them throughout September and into November.

This is one of my favorite flies to throw, because it’s huge size and similarity to the stonefly, which is my all-time favorite pattern. Throwing these flies will usually produce bigger fish, which are looking to fatten up on protein rich bugs, those that diminish during the cold winter months.

Autumn also produces hatches of flies that are common throughout the rest of the year like the Blue Winged Olive, and Quills. The Quills, though, have changed color from a standard blue to dark blue and chocolate. Although not all rivers get these hatches, you’d be surprised to find that maybe the next river or stream over is seeing tons of them.

This time of year is also great for targeting bull trout. These big fish spawn in October through November, and also follow other spawning fish such as kokanee. Egg patterns and big bunny leaches are great patterns to throw at these voracious predators, and they’ll put up a fight like no other trout you’ll find around here.

The fall season though, does have some downsides. The number one is that for the most part the rivers and streams are low and clear, which makes for spookier fish. Another downside is the distance between fish because they are moving so much. Sometimes fish will school up in deeper water, but if you spook one, you usually spook them all. But there are upsides to these downsides. With rivers being low and clear, sight fishing is a lot easier, and is one of the most fun ways to target and catch fish. And with fish being schooled up, you have a better chance of one of the fish seeing and taking an interest in your presentation, that is, if they don’t spook. So when confronted with these conditions, definitely go with a ten foot, lighter leader. If fish still spook to a seamless cast, they’re probably seeing your line. Now it’s time to break out the sharpie and color ten to twenty feet of your floating line (you’re going to buy new line in the spring anyways, right?).

So get out there this deer season and experience some of the best trout fishing of the year. Don’t forget to move around, just because you don’t see fish, doesn’t mean they’re gone. Throw some patterns you’re not used to throwing, but don’t forget about the trusty standbys. Good luck and good fishing.

Your Local Fishin’ Addict The Troutbum89

Late summer means two things for fly fishermen: longer days for more fishing, and most importantly, the biggest, baddest dries of the season. I’m talking about terrestrials, “land bugs”. These flies offer some of the most exciting fishing of the year, and often times some of the summer’s biggest fish.

It’s a known fact that fish take 90% of their food sub-surface, and that terrestrials make up 1% of the 10% of the food they take from above the water. So, why the focus on these big, and usually ugly, patterns? Well, for those of us who prefer on any given day to fish a dry fly, these flies make for some of the most visually appealing fishing. Huge top-water explosions, big fish, and the satisfaction of catching a trout on a pattern not usually on the menu are our reasons.

By the time late July rolls around, the hatches of spring are typically over, and the tricos have yet to arrive. So for the dry fly lover there is only one option: terrestrials. Woolly buggers and nymphs just won’t do when you’re looking for visual excitement. The late summer heat tends to push fish to cooler water, which this time of year means deeper water. But, large terrestrial bugs mean loads of protein to big fish (and smaller fish who want to be big fish). We have learned that by tying on a large land bug pattern we can often entice lazy summer fish into heading to the surface, and have grown to love doing just that.

This time of year also provides more options for our choice of pattern. During hatches fish tend to be a tad picky, taking only a certain pattern, and usually a certain size. This can make for difficult fishing, what with trying to find the exact pattern to use and all. Terrestrial fishing is completely different. There are a ton of choices when it comes to tying one of these on, because usually any large bug from above will produce fish (which is the main goal of fishing, or so I’m told).

These bugs can range from spiders to caterpillars, butterflies to grasshoppers. The most common from my experience is the latter of the four mentioned, but don’t let that stop you from trying something else. Another favorite of large trout is the flying ant, which is a great choice wherever flying ants and trout are found near each other. Try fishing spiders and inchworms where overhanging trees are present, or head to a grassy meadow and throw out a large field mouse pattern. Try bees, ladybugs, beetles, crickets, cicadas, and termites anywhere along the shore or around exposed foliage, try anything you see flying or crawling around in your backyard (seriously anything, I’ve seen guys catching fish on common house/blow fly patterns).

These flies are also a great way to get those new to the sport excited about it. Technique isn’t a huge part of fishing them which is good for rookies. On streams, throw these patterns into slow moving water, usually within a few feet of the shore, since this is where the real thing will usually be found. When this doesn’t work, try a flying bug pattern in pocket water, or tree dwelling bugs under overhanging growth. With such a variety of ways to fish these patterns, you’re going to catch fish, and you’re going to have a blast doing it.

So next time you hit your favorite trout waters, set the streamer and nymph boxes aside, tie on a land critter, and find out for yourself what late summer terrestrial fishing is all about. Good luck and good fishing.

- troutbum89

The hexagenia limbata commonly referred to as simply the “hex”, the largest of the mayflies in the northwest. These mayflies are 1-2 inches long and once a year they hatch by the thousands on one of our local favorite fly fishing only lakes, Merrill Lake.

The hatch generally starts sometime in early July, and stretches through late August. The hatch is triggered by the hot summer days. This is one time of the year when the lakes lunker browns and wary rainbows lose caution when munching on the large insects making them an easier target for the angler.

The hexs begin emerging about an hour before dusk and will last several hours into darkness. Nymphs can be fished along the bottom before the bugs start coming off the water but when you see the bugs swarming all around you theirs your sign to change to the top water. Using an emerger cripple imitation can be especially productive due to the actions the bugs make trying to rid their nymph shell and dry their wings before being devoured and also a dun hex paradrake. If you don’t have any of the specific imitations try large sparkle duns, cripples, or adams flies. The hexs are very bright, they have yellow bodies, and a little yellow in their wings. So any similar shaped fly with yellow should produce. One of my favorite areas to fish in the lake is off the east shoreline, sticking pretty close to the shore. The shrubs growing in the water provide a good place for the bugs to thrive. But you will most likely find them emerging from the water on all parts of the shoreline. It is truly amazing watching the water bubble with huge mayflies trying to dry their wings and fly away, and watching the fish bringing death from below smashing the mayflies time after time. Last year I brought my girlfriend out for the hatch and she isn’t a veteran fly fisher by no means, and she even ended up landing 4 fish in one evening, in my opinion it is by far the best time to fish at Merrill. But I do warn you to be ready for a lot of false hook sets, and curse words to be shouted.

Good luck, see you out there.
-tight-lines.

If you want to leave the crowds behind, and aren’t afraid to put a few miles on your boots then head into the high country. Some of the best times I’ve had fishing was the 4th of July at about 4300ft elevation off of a snowy bank in a lake many miles from any pavement. The mountain lakes offer a great way to catch some very anxious fish, because of the lakes being covered in snow from the previous winter.

In early summer you can throw almost any sort of streamer fly and be ravagely attacked by cold water fish but later in the summer pay attention to the top water and what’s emerging off the surface. The very high lakes mostly hold brook trout that generally don’t grow to large size, but can be up to 18-20+ inches. Regardless of their size brook trout are some of the scrappiest fish I’ve come across. High lakes will also hold cut-throats, browns, and rainbows. The best tool you can bring in with you besides your fishing rod is a float tube, many of the lakes in early summer will be partially frozen yet with limited access from the bank. Typically early summer fish will be lethargic from the cold water requiring a slower presentation, typically sticking closer to the surface, and the shoreline will be your best bet. Some patterns that I’ve found successful this year already have been smaller size 6 bead head olive wollybuggers, size 6 and 8 crayfish patterns, size 6 white woolly buggers, with a 10 ft Umpqua 6lb leader, tippet usually not necessary. Something to remember is to keep the presentation to a slow retrieve. Often times these lakes will be gin clear and you will be able to see the fish slowly coming after the fly many times this will get people in trouble by setting the hook to soon, by watching trout bum diaries I’ve learned to say a little phrase “God save the queen” before setting the hook. But once there on the line the fish quickly wake up and the ride is on. Another method for fishing the lakes for larger fish is to slowly troll larger woolly buggers or egg sucking leeches with a sink tip, also finding inlets where small creeks flow in with structure can be very effective, calm areas unaffected by wind, shallower weed beds, and the downwind side of the lake where bait drifts too are some effective areas to keep an eye for. Its still early summer and some lakes are still frozen or access roads blocked by snow drifts, but you’ll never know until you get off your couch and go find out. Good luck to ya. Keep your hooks sharp and your tip up.

Your All Around Friendly Fly Fishermen- Lonny Brooks AKA Tight-Lines

As many of you guys might know, the date of June 6th is the opener on many of the West side streams and rivers. Everyday is one day closer to the date.

Following the weather patterns in the weeks prior to June is a key thing for your fishing. I for one am always hoping for an early spring thaw so that the rivers I target early June are fish able, unlike last year with the hellatious rain storm the week before triggering a mass thaw blowing out most all of the fisheries. Not only that, it will also determine the flies you pack because weather is a key factor in triggering the hatches. Typically the warmer weather will bring out the dry flies, vs. colder postponing them and sticking to below the surface.

Some items you will want to remember before your season begins are first and foremost your rod and reel setup. New line is a good idea, proper maintenance on your reel, checking the eyes on your rod, and having multiple leaders, personally I go with the Umpqua 10’ tapered trout leaders in the 3 pack from sportsman’s warehouse. Other things to check are your waders, put them on and try them out in your swimming pool, or your neighbors, also your wading boots, especially the laces. Airing up the pontoon and float tube to check for leaks. Packing the rain gear is also a good idea for late spring. Another is having a wide variety of flies, because late spring weather is unpredictable and the sun could be right behind that thunderstorm. Some different stimulator s, caddis’s, mayflies, drakes, bwo’s midges, stones for the dries, and streamers, woolly buggers, egg sucking leeches, egg patterns, hairs ears, prince nymphs, and natural fly larva imitations for the sub surface. One more thing to add is to check the regulations to see what new restrictions their may be, like boundaries being changed, selective gear rules, daily and size limits on the fish.
That’s a lil insight on the preparations for the awaited season opener. We hope you take the advice, good luck, keep your lines tight. And see you on the 6th!

by Lonny Brooks aka tight-lines & Cody Lindberg aka troutbum89

Welcome to the fly fishing section of Fishing addicts Northwest. We hope to hear and learn about your insight in the sport of fly fishing. In these articles we take a no bull crap approach to the sport we love.

To be soundly educated in the sport of fly fishing, and be able to match knowledge with others you dang near have to live for the sport, sometimes it means sacrificing maybe some friends, time, money, jobs, and relationships (she’s not worth it). To the dedicated fly fisher finding the balance between chasing the steelhead in the upper east fork, locating the scrappy brookies in the small spring creeks, matching the hatch in a still alpine lake, and the trials of everyday life is often challenging. After all, once the addiction starts… it never stops. In our next month article we will be covering the preseason preparations for the June 1st opener.

by
-Lonny Brooks aka tight-lines
& Cody Lindberg aka troutbum89