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For many anglers, winter is a slow time of year, and this is especially true for most fly fisherman. When waters get high due to rain or melt off, a lot of us get stuck inside, with not a whole lot to do. Unless of course, you tie.

Fly tying is a great way to spend those cold, rainy winter days when water is too high for good fly presentation (or any other day you can’t spend on the water but thoughts of fish consume your thoughts). Getting started can be relatively inexpensive, too. Most fly shops and sporting goods stores that carry fly tying supplies will have all inclusive beginners sets (some will even include some basic materials) for $50-$90. You can also find these user friendly sets in catalogs like Cabela’s, or Bass Pro Shops, as well as well known fly shop catalogs such as The Fly Shop.

To get started, though, you really don’t need all the tools included in these kits. I like to keep things simple. So for me, the necessities of a basic fly tying set up include a vise, a few bobbins, scissors, a hair stacker, and a dubbing tool. Typical kits also include a whip finisher, a bobbin threader, different sized hackle pliers, and a bodkin. While some of these tools do come in handy, you really don’t need them to get started on tying the flies we all use the most. Although, a whip finisher can be necessary for some people, but there are a few knots that can be tied by hand that are fairly easy to learn.

Your vise is the most important part of the whole set up. I really recommend buying your tools individually, which costs a bit more, but you will have more control over the quality of tools you get, and you don’t get some of the stuff you don’t need. So first off, I highly suggest buying a rotary vise right off the bat. Almost every kit I’ve seen comes with a stationary vise, which is fine if you only plan on tying very basic flies forever. Once you get into tying more though, you are going to want the functionality of a rotary, so you might as well just go with that in the first place. For a good rotary you can spend anywhere from $50 to a couple hundred. DanVice makes a great choice for beginners and veterans alike at about $70. Really any vise will get you going, but the purpose of a rotary is to make tying at different angles very easy.

Next come the tools. Like I said, I like to keep things simple, but we’ll go over most of the tools you can buy, just in case you run into a situation where something else may come in handy. First off, scissors. Good scissors are important. With these, you really do get what you pay for, so I recommend spending a little more for the mid-high priced scissors. Montana Fly Co. and Dr. Slick make some great, long lasting scissors. The next tool is your hair stacker. There are a ton of different styles, but I suggest a brass or steel stacker. A few places sell wood ones, but I don’t feel these work as nicely as a metal one. The third thing on your list, but second most important, is the bobbin. This tool is what holds your spool of thread. Ceramic bobbins are really nice; smoother and more durable than metal ones, but any bobbin will work. As far as dubbing tools go, would go with a dubbing twister and a comb, any brand will do. For the rest of the tools, bodkin, whip finisher, hackle pliers and bobbin threader, just do a little research to see what each one does, and make your decision on whether or not to buy them based on what you find out.

Now we can talk materials. This is where you’ll want to take notes, as there are thousands of materials you can use to tie any fly ever made. You’re definitely going to need thread to tie anything. I recommend going to a local fly shop and having someone help you get set up with a few spools in the most common sizes and colors. Beyond that, you can look at fly recipes to figure out what to use for specific patterns. Then you have hooks, and weights. Buying hooks can look kind of confusing, but basically it just comes down to size and shape. If you know what size flies you want to tie, it’s really easy to figure out what hooks to buy. Brand, though, is big with hooks. I really like Tiemco, Dia-Riki, and Daiichi. Also Mustad, Gamakatsu, Umpqua, and Eagle Claw make great fly hooks. I especially like Gamakatsu octopus hooks for tying egg patterns or for using as stinger hooks on streamers, skaters, and some mice patterns. The weights (used for sub-surface flies) are really important too. For these, just look at the fly you want to tie to determine what to get.

The next subject is what goes onto the fly to make it look like it should. This list includes thousands of options from Deer and Elk hair, to guinea fowl feathers, tinsel to rabbit fur. Deciding what to buy can be very simple, if you know how to figure it out. First off, look at the flies you want to tie. Next, go online and type in the name of the fly on any search engine. Look for results that say something about instructions or recipes. These will give you every detail on the materials you will need, as well as step by step directions on how to tie the fly. YouTube can also be a great reference site for learning how to tie flies, since most people learn better when they can see what is going on.

The last thing you are going to want to buy is glue of some sort. I like normal head cement and Zap-a-Gap. The glue is used to make sure your knot at the head of the fly doesn’t come undone, and also to attach things like eyes, and sometimes wings.

So next time you’re sitting at home looking at swollen rivers and rain, do a little research and go buy yourself a tying set up. You’ll learn a lot about the flies we use and be better at identifying what to use while on the water, and most importantly, you’ll kill the boredom. Good luck and good fishing!

As my friend Jim would say, you can’t make a rod work for everything from Tuna to Trout.  Anyone who has been fishing for a while has come to realize that even going after just one species requires more than one rod.

A Steelhead fisherman might have one rod for side-drifting, one for pulling plugs, one for bouncing bait and another for jig and float fishing. And if he’s anything like us Bass fishermen, he’ll still want more rods!

The reason is that varying conditions and tactics require varying equipment. It’s just that simple.

When I am fishing a jig-and-pig, I want a stout rod that can take a smash-mouth attack from a big fish, then wrestle him out of heavy cover with enough authority to prevent the him from see-sawing away from me and down into an area of hazardous pad stems, rocks, sunken logs or limbs and make his escape. My brother calls such rods ‘pool cues.’

If I am fishing light soft-plastics or drop-shot rigs and finessing the fish, I want a rod with a tender, sensitive tip that will help me detect subtle taps or movements, yet with enough power to ‘stick’ the hook in when I make my move.

When I am fishing a crankbait, I need a flexible rod that lets the bait work and ‘dance’ in a way that allows me to see and feel the action, making sure that the crankbait is working how I want it to, and that will allow the fish to grab and go, without yanking the lure away before the Bass really has time to crunch it.

When I’m throwing a spinnerbait, the rod must have the flexibility and power to launch the bait as far as I want, and it must have the sensitivity to allow me to feel the bait contacting cover and feel my blades spinning. I have caught more than one Bass because the bait was still coming toward me without resistance, but the blades had stopped turning. Setting the hook – because nothing was happening! – I found that sure enough, a big fish that had taken the spinnerbait and maintained its course and speed was there on the other end!  It is crucial to be able to sense such changes, and a good rod will give you that ability.

Do you want to fish a floating, minnow-immitating stick-bait?  You’ll need a rod that will help you give subtle twitches to the bait, yet will be powerful enough to give you a good hook-set when the time comes.

Sound complicated?  It really isn’t. Choose your line size and application, and you can choose the right rod.

Almost all good rod manufacturers give you helpful information near the butt of the blank.  This includes length, power, line weight ranges,  bait weight ranges and sometimes even specific designations such as ‘Crankbait.’  There will also usually be some information, sometimes on a tag, regarding the composition of the blank and guides.

A fiberglass rod, for instance, might be a good choice for a crankbait rod, though many graphite blanks will perform extremely well too.

Here is some useful technical information about how a rod bends:

http://www.fries-rods.dk/lang/uk/rods_action.htm

And here is more good information about composition and rod flex:

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/rodselection.html

I don’t get too caught up in the technicalities.  I simply look for a rod that will do what I want it to. Most of the time I can tell right away by first deciding whether spinning or baitcasting best suits my application, by looking at the specs on the blank, and finally by hefting, flexing and examining the rod for the characteristics I’m going to need. Sometimes I will do a little research and find out what other fishermen are using for a certain application.

If you live in or around Southwest Washington, another great resource can be found in the Fishing Department at Wholesale Sports in Vancouver.  With combined experience of over 175 years of fishing, the experts there can offer information and suggestions on all species of fish and the right rods to catch them.

You can make a rod serve several purposes, but I strongly suggest that as you become more experienced it is best to demand exactly the right rod for the right situation.  This will give you more success and help you to get more satisfaction out of your fishing.

But then, you’ll still need another rod!  Right?

Let’s face it, Bassing friends, January and February in the Pacific Northwest are not premium months for pursuing either Largemouth or Smallmouth. There are still catch-able fish out there, lurking in the Winter haunts we discussed last month, but it’s a cold, slow game if you want to try for them. You can review the February 2009, Bob’s Bassmaster Basics article on preparing for Spring Bass fishing. It has lots of useful information for planning, researching and just generally studying up in order to be really ready for your first major trips into Bass Paradise. For January and February, let’s talk a little bit about rods, reels, baits and other gear. Some of this information will be very basic, but these articles are purposely geared toward folks who are newer to the Bass fishing scene, or who would just like to gain a few more tidbits of useful knowledge. As always, feel free to put in your two cents worth in the Forum section. I am forever looking for new ideas, and I believe that is one of the identifying signs of any good fisherman.

Whether you are a die hard Salmon fisherman, Steelheader or Bassing fanatic, if you have been fishing very long at all you probably have some strong opinions on the relative merits of spinning gear versus bait-casting gear.

I grew up fishing with spinning gear. As a boy I would spend entire Summer days, dawn to dark, wandering up and down the local creek near our home. During the school year I would be back down at the creek, as soon as I could dodge out of old Mrs. Peterson’s class. Using worms I had dug from our garden or crawdads I caught with the worms, I would catch nice Rainbow Trout throughout the year. Many were in the 14 to 16 inch range and one monster was 20 ½ inches long. I came whistling home like Opie from Mayberry and my Dad took one look at that whopper, grabbed his gear and headed for the creek!

Dad was quite the accomplished Steelhead fisherman and had ‘mastered’ the Kalama, Lewis, Washougal and other rivers by the time I was getting good at free-lining worms or crawdad tails into likely seams in Burnt Bridge Creek. He fished with spinning gear, so I did too. The reels we had back then were fairly basic and cheap. But they worked, and we caught fish. I’ll never forget how amazed my Dad, my brother and I were when we saw our first 5 to 1 retrieve reel. It was a D.A.M. Quick and wooee, it was FAST!

On my 8th birthday my Dad walked into my classroom at school with a brand new rod and reel, handed it to me and said: “Let’s go fishin’!” The teacher and the other kids watched with open mouths as I proudly hopped out the door with my Dad (I don’t think anyone could get away with that trick nowadays!). He took me to a couple of his favorite holes on the Kalama river, set me up with an Okie Drifter rig and much to my surprise, I caught two nice hen Steelhead that day. It took me over 7 years to catch another one. Okay, Dad was a little better than me.

When I finally got into Bass fishing – in my forties – I kept seeing guys using bait-casters almost exclusively. I had seen bait-casters up on the Kalama, but Dad and I just considered them oddities and went with what had always worked for us. I would watch Bill Dance and Larry Nixon and other Bass pros on T.V. and look at pictures of them in magazines. With the exception of the Lindner brothers (them good old Northern boys), everyone was using a bait-casting rig. I remember one program when the Lindners were showing how to throw spinnerbaits with bait-casting reels. They seemed surprised at how well they worked.

I was already catching nice big Bass on my spinning gear (My Dad was horrified when he found out I was using 17 pound test line – He regularly caught summer run Steelhead on 4 lb., and he always declared that anyone using more than 8 lb. was just just ‘horsing the fish in!’), but I got curious and bought a low-profile bait-cast reel from a catalog. What a strange contraption! The spool was sitting sideways and it went around whenever you touched the handle, unlike the stationary spool on a spinning reel. It was a Right-hand reel, and I quickly became convinced that the pros must be wizards, because I couldn’t make it work right and it always felt awkward to use. I simply could not duplicate their habit of casting and then switching the rod to the other hand.

It was a revelation when I discovered that you could get bait-casters in a Left-hand version. Since I had always used my Left-hand on my spinning reel, hanging down under the rod, it worked much better for me to have a Left-hand bait-caster, sitting on top of the handle. Also, my right arm is my power or ‘fighting’ arm, so I can battle the fish in the way that is ‘natural’ to me.

So what does bait-casting gear do that a spinning reel does not do, or can not do? For one thing, it fires the line straight off the spool when you cast. The line passes through the line-leveler and there is no spiral of line – an unavoidable characteristic of spinning reels – uncoiling off the reel, then passing through large guides on the rod until it is finally traveling in a straight line. Many people believe this gives the bait-caster an edge in distance casting.

Another plus is that the bait-casting rod has more guides than the spinning rod, because the line passes over the top of the rod, rather than underneath. Since the line is moving straight from the time it leaves the reel, this does not slow the line at all, but it does force the line to follow the curve of the entire rod blank when under tension. When a spinning rod, which has fewer and wider spaced guides, is flexed under tension, the line makes some jagged, angled turns from one guide to the next, without really following the complete arc of the rod. This puts more strain on the line and does not take best advantage of the fish fighting ability of the blank.

One more advantage of the bait-casting rig is its ability to zing your bait out quickly, yet with some practiced ‘feathering’ of the spool with your thumb, it allows the bait to slow to a stop and quietly ‘kiss’ the water at the end of the cast. Once a spinning outfit has launched your bait, your gear is going to crash into the water with a little more force and noise, even if you try to give it a gentle toss. If you are stalking spooky fish, or if you simply do not want to alert your prey to your presence, a bait-caster can be just the thing! The only way to compensate with a spinning rig is to go to lighter gear, which you may not be able to cast as far.

Lighter gear is still the strong suit of the spinning outfit. You can throw very light weights and baits very easily with them. This makes it a cinch to ‘skip’ light baits in under low-hanging brush or tree branches, or underneath docks. Bait-casters have traditionally been used for heavier weights and baits, and unless you have one of the newer, low-profile bait-casters, it will be difficult to achieve the same results. Even with the finest of the high-end bait-casters, it will take some practice to ‘skip’ light baits without backlashes.

Now we come to it, the misery of the backlash or ‘birds nest.’ No reel, bait-caster or spinning, should ever bring in loose or ‘slack’ line. You are just asking for a tangle or stray loop caught in the wrong spot on the reel. As for outgoing line, the spinning reel casts reliably, simply with the release of the line from your finger. The bait-caster, not so much! You must adjust the braking of the spool, or it is very liable to have an over-travel problem, continuing to spin after your bait has hit the water. This will produce a birds nest so glorious it could end or seriously delay your time on the water. Even with the brake adjusted properly, a new breeze can produce enough pressure on your bait and line during flight to cause it to slow, while the spool happily whirls around, throwing out loose line that turns into tight knots.

The best bait-casting reels have more than one kind of braking system. They help you ‘fine tune’ the spool. Some have magnets and/or designs that adjust centripetal force on the spool. Some have other specialties, such as ‘twitching bars’ that allow you to bring in small amounts of line with your thumb without even touching the reel’s handle (One hand twitching or hopping of baits), and some have ‘flipping switches’ which facilitate short-distance ‘flipping’ or ‘pitching’ techniques. Whichever bait-casting reel you choose, it will take some time to ‘make your peace’ with it. But you will enjoy its advantages in various situations.

I now fish with an equal number of bait-casters and spinning outfits when I hunt Bass. I adapt them to my needs, the kinds of baits I am throwing and the conditions I am facing. I still love the spinning reel, but the bait-caster is a welcome addition to my arsenal, and I understand why old Bill Dance loves his. In fact, I fish with Quantums, just like Bill. Other great brands include Shimano, Pflueger, Abu Garcia, Daiwa and others that offer high-end, smooth-casting reels.

Take a look at some common features on the spinning and bait-casting reels in the pictures provided. On the bait-caster you will see the large ‘star drag,’ your fish fighting friend, and the smaller brake knob. On the side opposite the brake knob on the Quantum Energy there is a dial for ‘fine tuning’ the travel of the spool. This is a common feature of good reels. The line-leveler at the front of the reel travels back and forth and stacks the line on evenly during the retrieve.

On the spinning reel, the large dial on top of the reel is the drag. On the Quantum Energy shown, the drag is composed of stacked ceramics, making it smooth and uniform in the pressure it applies. The line roller that guides line on and off of the spool should be large and should turn freely, to lessen the sharp turn of line from rod to spool in order to avoid line twist and/or damage. At the rear of the reel, as in most spinning reels, is the ‘anti-reverse’ switch. On good reels, it should be ‘infinite’. That is, it should prevent the reel from reversing, no matter in what position the handle is stopped.

Now is a good time to clean and lubricate your reel, and to spool on new line for the coming season. Consult your owner’s manual for recommendations for your particular reel. I find Quantum Hot Sauce oil and grease to be the best lubricants for my gear.

Next month we’ll talk about fishing rods, line, baits and other gear that Bass fishermen need to consider.

In the meantime, why not go fishing? Come on! It’s not that cold!

One of the most deadly and effective ways to target steelhead in low clear water is with spinners. For some reason summer run steelhead just can’t seem to resist the vibration and flash of a spinner in their face. Most steelhead fishermen quite often use spinners to fish for steelhead in all the summer months and they use this technique for a reason….it works!!!

When I first started steelhead fishing for summer fish I was exclusively all about bobber and jig fishing and that was it for me! One day while out on the river, I was walking into one of my spots and another fisherman was walking out. I couldn’t help but notice that he was carrying a limit of fish! I said, “Good job man, what did you pick those beauties up on?” He said, “I was using a #2 tarnished brass vibrax spinner.” He showed me his lures and I took some pictures for him of his fish, and I went on my way up to my whole. I kept thinking the whole time how I almost didn’t believe that was what he was using. I had heard of spinners doing well but this spinner to me just looked really ugly, like why would any steelhead hit that lure? From then on I was determined to try to catch my first steelhead on a spinner. I had grown up fishing for trout in small streams with spinners so I knew how to fish them, it was just getting to the store to pick up some steelhead spinners and getting back out on the water to fish them. For me the lure of choice was a blue fox in brass color size 2. This spinner from then on out was the most deadly spinner I have ever used for summer steelhead fishing. The first time out I spotted a fish in some low clear water just below a fast riffle. I casted the spinner upstream and let it drift right into him……WHAM!! She almost tore the rod right out of my hand! After a couple acrobatic jumps and good runs, I landed a nice bright hatchery hen. This was my first ever steelhead on a spinner. I began to master the art of fishing with spinners and they became my lure of choice when fishing for summer steelhead in low clear water.

Picking the lure is easy when it comes to summer steelhead. You want something small and something not to bright, as bright colors will often spook the fish. Some choices of lures I would go with are Blue Fox Vibrax in Brass, Copper, Silver and Blue, or Silver and Purple. All of these 4 colors seem to produce. On very bright sunny days you want to use the darker colors like brass and copper. On Overcast days you can get the fish on silver and blue or silver and purple. I like to fish the spinner with light spinning gear. I prefer a 7 foot Certified Pro Lamiglas rod with a pflueger 8035 spinning reel. For fishing line, I use a 6 pound maxima ultra green. Now you’re hooked up and it’s time to get out on the water.

You can fish spinners in almost any kind of water and that is one of the main luxuries of spinner fishing. Spinners are fished best by essentially drifting them through holes. Like any drift set up you want to keep the spinner close to the bottom. Cast the spinner upstream and float it down through the hole all the way to the tail out, slowly reeling it towards yourself the whole time. Once the spinner gets close to the tail out where the water is going to be faster, make sure you slow down the retrieve or give the spinner some line to keep it close to the bottom. Do this through the entire hole, if there is fish in the hole, it will be game on most of time. The other place that you want to make sure to fish the spinner is in riffles and fast oxygenated water. As the summer goes on and a lot of rivers decrease the amount of water they have, fish will be in search of oxygen and cool places to be. A lot of times if you run your spinner through these areas an active fish will not be able to resist the spinner. Don’t wait any longer to get out there and fish spinners for these hard to catch summer steelhead. Right now is the time to do it! Good luck out there! Once the addiction starts it never stops!
Your Crazy Addicted Fishermen Marlin LeFever aka The Bassinpimp

As if catching a steelhead isn’t hard enough for most fishermen, try catching them in extremely low and clear conditions. In the Pacific Northwest we haven’t had rain for months and most the snow is already melted off. This leaves the rivers around here running so low and clear they are almost unfishable. I’m hoping a few of these techniques will help you in catching some of these bright summer fish hanging in the rivers.

First thing you’re going to want to look at is your gear, whatever liter your running now, prepare to downsize. Float fishing is going to be the technique of choice. You’re going to be running a 6 pound maxima ultra green liter with my preference of a smoke color fire line 14 pound braid. Make sure you have a long rod, at least 9’ 6”. My rod and reel of choice is a pflueger supreme reel and Lamiglas xmg50 9’ 6” rod.

For bait it’s going to be a combination of things. These fish are so smart and hard to catch in these conditions, we have to trick them in every which way possible. The first step is buying some jigs in 1/16 ounce size or smaller. You’re going to want them to be darker color patterns. I prefer nightmare, and or purple patterns. You need to get some good running floats. Steelhead Stalkers are going to be my pick.

Next thing you need is some sand shrimp. Once your all tied up with bobber, jig, and all, I like to tip the end of my jig with a little bit of sand shrimp as an extra incentive for these weary fish. Just break off little chunks at a time and tip the end of your jig. Make sure you have some nice waiters and a good pair polarized glasses, for comfort out on the water.

Now that you’re all geared up, finding the fish is a different story. The key to finding these fish is deeper stretches of water where these fish feel safe and can be cool. Since you’re going to be float fishing, you need to target areas of the river that are deeper than the rest but stretch long enough for you to get a decent float with your bobber and jig. Sometimes if you can find slots in the river, that’s going to be the ticket to catching your nice bright chrome summer steelhead. These fish don’t have a lot of water to work with so they will use the deeper slots to sit in and move up river. Most the rivers around here have these slots. With your polarized glasses, walk up and down river looking for these slots, but be stealthy. In the hunt for these slots it’s not uncommon to spot summer steelhead just waiting for you to float your jig by their face. Once these slots are found cast up river, and let your jig pass through the slots perfectly, if the steelhead is there….. “BOBBER DOWN!!!” you should have a fish on. Once the summer goes on you will find fish way way up river in the most oxygenated water they can find. Falls or rapids with deep pools are good areas to look!

Summer steelhead is extremely aggressive and feisty, when hooked its very likely that they will put on a nice acrobatic show for you. Make sure to be careful and play them out, with the 6 pound liter your chance of losing these crazy chromers is very good.

Now hurry up and get off the computer, head to Wholesale Sports, pick up your jigs, your shrimp, your line, your bobbers, and hey why not spoil yourself with a new lamiglas rod and pflueger reel. Feel free to ask any questions you may have in the forum! They will be answered immediately! Thanks for reading, cause once the addiction starts it never stops!

YOUR CRAZY ADDICTED FISHERMAN…THE BASSINPIMP