Fishing Reports November 25th

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Gorge Fly Shop November Fishing Report

Check out the Gorge Fly Shops Weekly Fishing Reports Page for local and surrounding lakes and rivers including the Deschutes, Klickitat the Hood, Lost Lake and surrounding bodies of water.

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Airflo Switch Streamer In Stock!

20.20 in about, airflo, all, Boat Plans, defined, in, korkers, sole, stock, streamer, switch

The wait is over!

Let the games begin! The wait is over for the New Airflo Switch Streamer. Airflo recognized a need and delivered! And now were off to the races as we watch others scramble to come up with a worthy contender. That is the emotion I feel at this moment in time of writing this. 

Trout Spey is a growing market in the two hand fly fishing segment of this sport. More and more anglers are learning the benefits of the spey cast whether you choose to use a single hand rod, switch rod or an all out spey two hander. And why not! Why would an angler not want to swing streamers that entice reaction bites on sink tips that get the fly to where the fish are and do it without needing shoulder surgery at the end of a day of single hand rod double hauling? Two hand trout angling is an effective delivery system of streamers on sinking tips that is easier on your physical body parts and most of all its fun!

Spey casting does have some learning curves but much of it can be alleviated with lines that are designed for the technique, match the rod they are intended for and provide deep loading that ultimately helps you learn to feel your way to great casting.

Steelhead junkies Tim Rajeff and Tom Larimer also trout fish. Together they went out trout fishing and talked to others who are trout fishing with two hand rods and gathered the ingredients needed to cook up a line that would meet the demands of todays trout anglers. Various fragments of lines were chopped and welded into functioning prototypes that were secretly being deployed on backcountry trout waters across the nation by a select few trout junkies that had been sworn to secrecy.

Winston BIIITH-MS - Microspey

Behind another set of closed doors a carbon fiber and boron marriage was taking place with one goal in its purpose, Two Hand Trout! Not a switch rod! Not a downsized steelhead spey! But a true trout action two hander specific for the purpose. And guess who had his hand in this making? Yep, Tom Larimer.

Sure there are a lot of great trout size two hands rods on the market today and plenty of trout size two hand lines to load on them, but when have you heard of a line made for a specific rod or a rod made for a specific line? The marriage of the Winston Microspey and Airflo Streamer Switch line is no accident!

Now I know that many of you out there will resist what I tell you. Youll be out to prove me wrong. You have your own ideas different than mine. After all freedom of choice and freedom to explore your curiosity is what makes angling an attractive sport! The desire of angling freedom we all seek and if youre a lucky few to persevere you occasionally find it in some unsuspecting river or stream.

My point is you dont need a Winston Microspey rod to enjoy the benefits of the Airflo Streamer Switch line. While the two could be the perfect union the beauty of this line is it works great on all trout size spey rods. Breath new life into any switch rod sitting around collecting dust or strip off that nymph line and get your streamer game in gear. Spring is here and the streamer bite is on!

Specs -

Tungsten Sink Tip

Current offerings are 300gr to 420gr in 30gr increments. Head length ranges from 18 to 20. Skagit by design but tapered to be just friendly enough with polyleaders for dry lines or intermediate sink tip work. Airflo pulled out all the technology including PowerCore for increased sensitivity and positive hook sets, SuperDri that repels water, dirt and scum better than any material in the history of fly lines and like all Airflo lines 100% PVC Free.

The Airflo Streamer Switch features an integrated running line so no more loop to loop hassles when an overhead cast is appropriate and no loop to rod guide interference when a turbo charged brown trout is in hot pursuit of your "hand tied, the night before, new favorite" streamer pattern.

My line matches for the Winston Microspey are 330gr for the 4110 and 390gr for the 5116. The 330gr is also a great match on the Sage ONE 4116

So loop on some Airflo T-7 or T-10 Tungsten sink tip, tie on your best pattern and let the games begin!

Read More about trout two hand angling in Trout Spey Chronicles

Greg Darling 

Gorge Fly Shop Internet Sales Manager | Product Specialist

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

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Korkers Defined All about Sole!

02.52 in about, all, answer, Boat Plans, defined, korkers, lines, no, perfect, sole, spey, trout

Korkers - Defined

Lets talk about Korkers. There has been confusion on sizing and which sole option best suits your needs. We hope this answers your questions.

SIZING: 

When it’s time to purchase a new wading boot it is always confusing to know which size is best.

Please see our Wading boot sizing guide for all general rules. We want to note however, that if you own the older Korkers sole boot (the one where only the middle part of the sole is interchangeable) the sizing on those boots are different than the current models. So please use the one full size up rule and not purchase the same size as your previous boots as they will not fit.

Studded Felt vs Studded Kling-On 
Studded Felt in the water is our preference however on the sides of the river and while hiking felt can become slippery. Also to note that in temperatures below freezing snow can build up on wet felt or can freeze.

AS OF THIS WRITING: All Korkers boots can be purchased with two different sole configurations. This is true except the Redside boot which offers three configurations.

First Configuration
Kling-On and Felt this is the base price for all boot models. (2 sets of soles)

Second Configuration
Kling-On and Studded Kling-On this is a $20.00 upgrade (2 sets of soles)

Redside Only - Has above two options plus they offer a Felt only option for a great price of $99.99 (only 1 set of felt soles)

All other soles are considered accessory soles and purchased separate from the boots. 

Korkers Soles - Defined

Kling-On Sticky Rubber - Basic sole that comes with all boots. Great for use in boats / inflatables and basic hiking situations. While it is sticky rubber, it was not designed for highly slippery conditions.

Studded Kling-On Rubber - Same as Kling-On but with 26 carbide-tip studs per pair. These are great for slicker conditions or where studded felt can not be used.

Felt - Compressed high quality felt provides great traction while wading in the water. As noted above, depending on your wading conditions studded felt might be a better option as plain felt is not as grippy without studs.

Its all about that Sole!

Studded Felt - Plain felt soles adorned with 26 carbide tip studs per pair. Our number one choice of soles for our home waters and extremely slick conditions. Keep in mind while felt is great in the water it can be very slippery outside of the water and in very cold conditions snow/ice can build up on your feet. If this occurs we recommend changing the soles back to a rubber based sole for hiking in between fishing spots or back to your rig. That is a Korkers Boot Bonus…. not another boot out there allows you to change your soles while on the water.

Alumatrax - Our # 1 selling Accessory sole - These soles are a great alternative to studded felt. The aluminum bars are made here in the USA and for this reason very limited quantity. Aluminum is a soft metal, offering exceptional grip in the most slick wading conditions. One downfall….aluminum wears out faster vs. carbide but due to how grippy it is still very popular.

Studded Rubber - Large aggressive 7mm threaded carbide tip spikes adorn these flat rubber soles. Please note these studs are replaceable. These soles are great for those whom are Jetty fishing or fishing in highly slick conditions. Not the most comfortable to do much hiking in.

Vibram Idrogrip - Idrogrip is made by Vibram. This sole has a deep and wide lug patterns that offers better grip in tougher wading conditions. Great all around sole.

Studded Idrogrip - Same as Idrogrip but with carbide studs which offers even more grip in slick conditions.

Do you have the current generation of Korkers with OmniTrax v3.0 soles?

They are pretty easy to identify if you look closely at these pictures. The current OmniTrax v3.0 soles have a U-shaped notch on the front portion of the sole. They are the only ones that have this feature. Gorge Fly Shop only stocks current OmniTrax v3.0 soles. If you are searching for older generations please call us for information and availability.

Three generations of Korkers Soles

We hope this information is helpful in your quest to find the perfect wading boot and soles to match. Korkers Innovative design and comfort really allow you to utilize one boot in many ways with the replaceable and interchangeable soles. If you are headed on a trip and will need a studded sole but your friend does not want studs in his boat….easy fix just throw your non studded sole in your pack and you just solved a big problem without needing to haul a second set of boots.

For further questions or information please feel free to contact us via phone or email. We are here 7 days a week to help!

Helpful links:

Wading Boots - Finding the right size
Korkers K-5 Bomber Wading Boot (New for 2015)
Korkers Wading Boots




Lyndsey Duddles
Gorge Fly Shop | "Deskmaster"
541.386.6977

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

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Weekly Fishing Reports April 5h

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Photo credit: Greg Darling

Gorge Fly Shop Weekly Fishing Reports

Other Links:

March 27th, 2014 Gorge Fly Shop Newsletter

Redington Wader Rebate

Trout Spey Lines - No Perfect Answer!

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

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Korkers Bison Mocs A step above the herd

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American Bison Leather

My grandmother always told me...
Keep my head, hands and feet warm and the body will take care of the rest. This is also the same grandmother who crochet slipper booties every year for Christmas ranging in a variety of colors and sizes, some years much larger or even smaller than the previous year.

Join the Bison Foot Patrol

For some time now Ive day dreamt about owning a pair of nice slippers or mocs - nothing over the top but wanted to be satisfied, maybe even proud to own. As I get older I find myself appreciating the little things (even more). Good whiskey, a great bed and comfortable footwear stand out. For years ive bounced around cheap (and by cheap I imply poorly made, uncomfortable) pairs of slippers but have always had buyers remorse shortly after, always breaking down way too soon. This year, preparing for elk camp I imagined wearing a comfortable warm pair of footwear. The idea of walking outside around the campfire with ease and confidence after a long day walking in the woods sounded nice, this same idea carried over into a day on the water fishing.

The Korkers Bison Mocs came to mind!

Real life buffalo not included

I mostly work from home so I rarely put on shoes unless I know Ill be leaving the house, but taking the trash out or doing odd jobs around the house its always nice to have something on, as winter creeps closer the thought of warm feet is all the more appealing. These Bison Mocs are easy on, easy off utilizing a V shaped elastic nylon split on the inside of each shoe. I have been putting these mocs through the ringer for the last couple of weeks in ranging temperatures both indoor and outdoors. If I had to give these Korkers Bison Mocs one word, "TOASTY" comes to mind, and this time of year thats ok with me.

Kling-On Sole with Jute
No im not talking about a Star Trek convention but these limited edition bison mocs do come with the well known Kling-On® sole, pressed with jute outsole providing extra traction and confidence in your step that most slippers/mocs dont even come close to.

Comfort meets style

Cork footbed - American Leather
This is actually my first pair of footwear with a cork footbed. At first I was uncertain but after trying them on that uncertainty was short lived. Combined with Premium Leather American Bison that is surprisingly soft to the touch but the result makes for comfortable and warm feet. Did I say comfortable, I meant wow! These shoes are surprisingly comfortable walking outside on concrete and make some of my other newish name brand shoes look bad, and cheap.

Korkers Bison Moc video from the Gorge Fly Shop

Slide in and relax - Korkers Bison Moc

• Limited edition numbered series to 500. 
• Premium leather American Bison. 
• Comfort moisture-wicking shearling lining, anti-microbial EVA foam w/cork footbed. 
• Sole Kling-On® pressed with jute outsole.

FINAL THOUGHTS
In short, I am a proud owner of a limited run Korkers American Bison leather Moc that is very comfortable, great to walk in even without socks keeping my feet warm - "toasty" warm. - Thanks Nick

ORDER YOUR LIMITED RUN KORKERS BISON MOC TODAY - 541.386.6977

Mike Prine 

Gorge Fly Shop - Webmaster

"Durable enough for camp, comfortable enough for hanging out at the lodge."
GFS Online Gift Certificates

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*comes in a nice box.

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NEW Korkers K 5 Bomber Wading Boot

17.23 in 2015, 5, animas, Boat Plans, bomber, boot, durango, january, juan, k, korkers, new, san, wading

Built to withstand hardcore use! NEW Korkers K-5 Bomber

Gorge Fly Shop has been a Korkers Boot dealer for almost a decade. Theres good reason Korkers has remained in our shop and in the wader bag of many anglers. First Id like to mention comfort. Korkers boots are comfortable hiking style boots. Our Korkers customers always mention this in feedback. Second, Versatility! The ability to swap a sole to meet different conditions is unlike any other wading boot on the market. Third, Durability! Korkers boots are tested tough in the Great Northwest and trust me if they can survived here they will handle anything you can put them through!

K-5 Bomber Features

• Traction: OmniTrax® Interchangeable Sole System adapts your traction to any fishing condition.
• Support: 5-Ply Fit System locks foot in place for a comfortable and secure fit.
• Fit: Combination of friction-free rolling lace guides and locking lace cleat provide a customized bi-zonal fit.
• Fast Drying: Hydrophobic materials = faster dry times which lessen the chance of spreading invasive species.
• Internal Drainage: Water flows thru internal channels then out mid sole ports, removing excess water and weight.
• Durability: Enhanced mid sole, triple layer synthetic upper, protected stitching, 3D molded toe and heel cap.
• Sizes 7 -15 full sizes only
• Weight: 3 lbs 6 oz (per pair, size 9)
• Height: 8.5 inches

Korkers Buyers Guide

1. Generally wading boots should be sized one size over your street shoe size.
2. Korkers K-5 Bomber wading boots can be purchased with two different sole combinations.

• ($199.99) - Comes with two pair of soles - Kling-on and Felt
• ($219.99) - Comes with two pair of soles - Kling-on and Studded Kling-on

More Sole Options

Korker AlumaTrax
Nothing grips like aluminum so when extreme traction is needed reach no further than AlumaTrax. Best part is the more they gain wear the stickier they get!

Studded Felt
Studded felt gives you the best of two worlds, Felt sticks good on slippery rocks and studs give them that extra measure to cut the slime and find something solid to stick to

Studded Rubber

For demanding situations such as mossy rocks, slimy boulders, slick logs and ocean jetties reach for the studded rubber. Big 7mm carbide tipped studs are replaceable if you dare think you could wear them out!

Visit our Korkers page for More Korkers Boots and Sole Options

Greg Darling 

Gorge Fly Shop Internet Sales Manager | Product Specialist

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

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