Columbia Gorge Fishing Report October 12th

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Pic: Steelhead Outfitters - Sam Sickles

Fishing Report

This could be a tough week in the region for steelheaders, but last week was on the verge of epic from what we’ve heard. 

Chinook Salmon are definitely declining in quantity and quality as we are seeing post-spawn fish washing down the river.  The bulk of the spawn is still a week or two out, but this week’s “high water” should help push some of them out of the system and get the latecomers into the rivers.  We have a really good chance at breaking the all-time fall Chinook record through Bonneville Dam, and we have already broken the all time Chinook count for the year (Spring, Summer and Fall Chinook combined). 

This also marks the time of year that Chinook start to “bed up” on their spawning gravel, otherwise known as redds.  Please respect the incredibly long and difficult journey that these fish have made and avoid walking through spawning areas or fishing at spawning salmon.  They have made it this far, so let’s allow them to spawn and die in peace so that we can have more salmon in a couple of years.  If you see dark colored salmon in shallow water, they are likely trying to spawn.  A spawning Chinook does not put up much of a fight and you are taking away the last reserves of energy that it has left for its final act.  If you see someone fishing at spawning salmon, please respectfully say something and suggest that they move on to better water.  We don’t need any confrontation, just education.  Thank you so much and fish on!

Coho Salmon are really not showing up as predicted.  The following article is a good explanation of the state of the runs.  I suggest signing up for the Columbia Basin Bulletin newsletter if you are interested in keeping track of the ins and outs of the management of salmon and steelhead in the Columbia Basin.  https://www.cbbulletin.com/435193.aspx  Always a wealth of good information. 

Although numbers are far, far below the pre-season predictions, and I suggested last week that the run was late due to the lack of rain, we should still have far more fish than our current counts show. 

Summer Steelhead are definitely spread throughout the Columbia Basin.  The Grande Ronde, Clearwater, Salmon, Deschutesand Klickitat are all fishing well right now.  As of Sunday, the Klickitat and the Hood are mud, and we haven’t heard about the Deschutes, but it’s a pretty good bet that the White is puking mud into the river.  We are never sure how long it will take to clear up, but you can’t always wait for perfect conditions to go fishing.  Give it a few days and I would be that the D and the Klick will be fishable by mid week.   If you really need to get out before mid-week, head up to the Deschutes above the White Riverconfluence, it is in good shape. 

The Hood Riverhas been very muddy.  I went down on Thursday to cast the OPST Commando Heads on my old Sage XP 8100.  Finally I can spey fish effectively with a single hand rod!  Anyways, there was about three inches of visibility at best.  By Friday, it had cleared to about 6 inches, but by Saturday afternoon, it had dropped back down to zero…  There is very little access on the Hood and there are a lot of Chinook spawning in the accessible areas.  Please refrain from fishing at them.  More than one local angler has spotted filleted salmon carcasses on the river.  Targeting Chinook in the Hood River is prohibited after June 15.

Lost Lake and Laurence Lake are still fishing really well right now.  We do get very few reports from the lakes in the fall because most people are fishing for salmon or steelhead, but it can be wicked awesome this time of year with very little (no) pressure.  Laurence Lake closes on October 31, so get out while you can. 

                                                                                          

Smallmouth Bass fishing has been good… Not one report in the last few weeks, but conditions have been good on the Columbia.  Ryan needs to get back from Chicago so I can break in my new Sage ONE 690-4, aka, the smallie slayer.  I lined it up with a Rio Outbound Short WF6F/I, and it has been sitting in the corner of my tying room getting neglected…  Friends with bass boats are always good friends.

As always, we are happy to talk fishing any time.  Give us a call if you have any specific questions on local rivers, gear, and tactics, or if you just want some encouragement to get out of the office.

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

  

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R L Winston The Difference!

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Handcrafted in Twin Bridges, Montana

All Winston rods have a "Feel"! 

When I first fished a R. L. Winston Fly Rod I felt something was very different about it. I couldnt quite identify what made it different from other fly rods but I continued to fish that rod and very soon we became "One". From that day forward I can easily describe to you what makes all Winston rods different from others. Winstons rods possess a certain harmonious personality that combines with an intuitive feeling that allows an angler to relax and enjoy the art of fly fishing. Where does "Feel" come from? Having met many of the great people behind the doors of the Winston factory I can say without hesitation that the "Winston Feel" comes from a collaboration of passionate anglers who unselfishly apply all that passion into the fly rods they build and fish with everyday. Thats what you feel when you fish a R. L. Winston Fly Rod.
That is the Difference!...

R.L. Winston has been in business building fly rods since 1929 and are some of the finest rods built today. Each one of the hand-crafted rods receives its own personal serial number and has so since day one. Much pride comes from owning the work of functional art of these fine American built rods. These rods will carry their value from generation to generation for years to come. At Gorge Fly Shop we honorably respect every Winston rod purchase and value our customers just as we value the rod theyre purchasing.

The New Boron III Plus

Winston BIII Plus

The BIII Plus Comes in Freshwater, Saltwater and the new Jungle configurations and replaces the BIII SX Saltwater Series. Saltwater rods today are so versatile that labeling one salt specific just doesnt completely describe increasing usefulness of these rods. From trout streamers to jungle predators like peacock bass or golden dorado and all salt species in between this new series of rods are built to perform and exceed your expectations. Much lighter than the previous SX and much livelier! The freshwater and saltwater models certainly exceeded my expectations but it was the Jungle model that set off my adrenaline. While casting I could vision myself launching big flies from a boat into the wind and delivering them to the targets where these predators lie!

BORON III PLUS from R.L. Winston Rod Co. on Vimeo.

BIII Plus features -

• 6 thru 12wt. Saltwater Rods, 8 and 9wt. Jungle Rods, 5 and 6wt. Freshwater Rods
• Highest performance boron/composite materials
• Exceptionally powerful, high line speed progressive action
• Overcomes the most challenging fishing situations
• Turns over big flies with accuracy
• Smooth casting - won’t fatigue the angler
• Features Winston’s new "shooting guides” for turbo charging casts.
• Winston Green hard anodized all-aluminum reel seat engraved with company signature logo.
• Embroidered rod bag and Winston green super-light graphite rod tube with company logo.
• Handcrafted in Twin Bridges, Montana

Freshwater -

• Rod Weights: 9’ 5wt. and 9’ 6wt.
• Action: Fast
• Grip: Full Wells
• Sections: 4
• Guides: Hard chrome over-sized snake ‘Shooting Guides’ with chrome nano-lite stripping guides
• Reel Seat: Winston Green up-locking hard-anodized, all-aluminum with double locking rings behind pocketed slide band. Engraved with company signature logo.
• Nickel silver reel seat optional
• Storage: Super-light graphite rod tube embossed with company logo plus logo tech rod sock

Saltwater -

• Rod Weights: 9’ 6wt. thru 9’ 12wt.
• Action: Fast
• Grip: Full Wells
• Sections: 4 Guides: Hard chrome over-sized snake ‘Shooting Guides’ with chrome nano-lite stripping guides. Over-sized tip-top
• Reel Seat: Winston Green up-locking hard-anodized, all-aluminum with double locking rings behind pocketed slide band. Engraved with company signature logo
• Storage: Super-light graphite rod tube embossed with company logo and signature plus logo tech rod sock

Jungle -

• Rod Weights: 8’9” 8wt., 9’ 8wt., 9’ 9wt.
• Action: Fast
• Grip: Longer 7” Full Wells Grip with 1 ½” fighting butt, for improved grip handling in jungle conditions
• Sections: 4 Guides: Oversized Hard chrome over-sized snake ‘Shooting Guides’ with chrome nano-lite stripping guides. Over-sized tip-top
• Reel Seat: Winston Green up-locking hard-anodized, all-aluminum with double locking rings behind pocketed slide band. Engraved with company signature logo
• Storage: Super light-graphite rod tube embossed with company logo and signature plus logo tech rod sock
• Design Specs: Reinforced throughout to combat larger species. Designed to cast a range of lines for jungle conditions. Quick loading, with a strong tip to efficiently turn over big flies, a stronger mid-section for control, reinforced mid #3 section and butt section for added lifting power

2016 Model BIIIX - (New Shooting Guides)

Available now is the new 2016 Winston BIIIx Fly Rods. What is different you ask? Only one change occurred and that is New "Shooting Guides." Do guides make a difference? In fact they do and I found that out while casting each one separately and not knowing which one had the NEW Shooting Guides I was able to tell the difference and identify the fly rod with the new guides. I like the idea that Winston took an already near absolute perfected fly rod and chose one component to change that would make a noticeable improvement. It shows the commitment Winston has to take an already world renown product and continue its evolution into the future.

Friction Free Shooting Guides

Features - 

• Rod Weights: 3wt. thru 8wt.
• Action: Fast
• Grip: Cigar on 81/2’ 3wt. thru 9’ 4wt., 81/2’ 5wt, 9’ 5wt, and 9’ 6wt.
  Full Wells on 10’ 4wt. Full Wells w/ fighting butt on 91/2’ 5wt., and 91/2’ 6wt thru 8wt.
• Sections: 4 and 5
• Color: Winston Green
• Guides: Hard chrome snake ‘Shooting Guides’ with chrome nano-lite stripping guides.
• Reel Seat: Nickel silver with burled wood insert
• Storage: Super-light graphite rod tube embossed with company logo signature plus logo tech rod sock. 

Limited Time Specials on past 2015 Model Winston Fly Rods

Sale limited to quantities on hand

Im happy to report that the Winston Feel is not only alive but continues to grow. Discover the passion that lives in Winston rod owners around the world who pursue their life long quest with a fly rod worthy of the adventure. 

Greg Darling 

Gorge Fly Shop Internet Sales Manager | Product Specialist

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report October 26th

10.49 in 26th, Boat Plans, columbia, difference, fishing, gorge, l, october, r, report, the, winston

Fishing Report

It’s down to the wire for trout fishermen.  Many rivers and lakes close next Saturday October 31, so get your fishing in while you can.  Laurence Lake will be closing along with the Deschutes River upstream of the northern boundary of the Warm Springs Reservation.  This includes the popular Warm Springs to Trout Creek section, as well as much of the Trout Creek to Maupin section.  The Deschutes remains open for steelhead in that section until December 31. 

Eagle Creek near Bonneville Dam is a nice little trout stream that is also closing, as well as the East Fork of the Hood River (as well as the main branch for trout).  Also, there are several general season trout streams and lakes in central and eastern Washington that will close.  Check the regulations before you go.  We don’t like to hear of our customers getting tickets for fishing closed waters. 

Chinook Salmon are in full spawn now.  There are a few weeks left before they are all gone.  This has been quite an epic run numbers wise, but many of the fish have not moved into the tributaries yet, so there will be more fish moving in for the final push.  We are so close to breaking the previous record for Fall Chinook passage through Bonneville Dam.  We are at 944,000 and still passing 1,000 fish per day or more.  The previous record, set in 2013 was 953,222.  It looks like we have a solid chance to beat that record. 

We have already surpassed the all-time Chinook total for the year (Spring, Summer and Fall Chinook combined) at 1.35 million.  So numbers wise, this has been an epic year.  If we can get these fish to spawn and get their smolts out to the ocean, we will be in good shape for the next few years, but with such bad river and ocean conditions this year, the odds are stacked in the wrong direction.

In the meantime, please be aware of spawning fish and look for redds.  Please do not walk across, over or through them. 

Coho Salmon are nearly non-existent this year.  Gabe has caught a few on conventional gear, but there has been little effort or enthusiasm towards the fishery this year.  El Nino years are very bad for our Coho runs here, but are quite the opposite in Alaska, where there were record runs of Coho this year….

Summer Steelhead:  The rivers are in great shape as of Saturday afternoon.  This colder weather is causing the clarity to increase and the fish have generally been pretty happy.  I don’t like crystal clear water, but some of our rivers are there.  This week looks to bring us some much needed rain.  A couple of spikes in the flows will definitely get some fish moving around and on the bite.  If we can get steady, heavy rains to bring the base flows up, it would improve fishing dramatically. 

The Klickitat has been producing fish steadily, while the Deschuteshas been a little on the tough side this last week.  The Grande Ronde has reportedly been really good but lower than any other classic steelhead river in the system.  We have heard that the Clearwater and Salmon Rivers in Idaho have been steady, but not epic.  All of them are kicking out fish daily.  Just get out there when the conditions allow!

The Hood River is still awfully low.  We get so many people asking how it’s fishing.  Ian fishes it just about every day under the foot bridge.  Many of you have seen him down there.  He is hooking into a fish occasionally, and he puts in many, many looong days in that run.

Once you move upstream of the mouth, there is not enough water to swing a fly and very few fish moving past the first barrier of passage (the riffle at the foot bridge).  We desperately need rain/snow and lots of it.  I did catch a nice trout down there last week because I had an hour and wanted to go fishing.  That is about the extent of effort I am willing to put into the Hood until it goes up in volume about five-fold. 

Trout fishing on the Hood closes on Oct 31.  This includes the East Fork of the Hood, which is not open for steelhead or salmon, so it closes completely on Halloween.  There have been reports of nice, small trout caught on the East Fork up off the campgrounds on HWY 35.  Get it in while you can. 

Targeting Chinook in the Hood River is prohibited after June 15.

Lost Lake and Laurence Lake are still fishing really well right now.  We do get very few reports from the lakes in the fall because most people are fishing for salmon or steelhead, but it can be wicked awesome this time of year with very little (no) pressure.  Laurence Lake closes on October 31, so get out while you can. 

Smallmouth Bass fishing has been tough now that the level of the Columbia is so low.  They are looking for current and not finding much.  If you can find some good, strong current, you will find bass.  They have been pretty deep, so bust out that crank bait if you have it. 

As always, we are happy to talk fishing any time.  Give us a call if you have any specific questions on local rivers, gear, and tactics, or if you just want some encouragement to get out of the office.  

Andrew Perrault
Gorge Fly Shop | Product Specialist
541.386.6977

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report October 19th

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Fishing Report

Last week was a bit tough early as water conditions were not ideal, but the fishing was great as it cleared up and fresh fish were moving around and on the bite.  Great reports from both the Deschutes and the Klickitat have us looking forward to fishing this week. 

I had a nice time this week chatting with a father and son from Californiathat were in town.  Bill and Quentin Cooper were supposed to fish with Travis Wallace of Western Waters Guides, but were rescheduled after the river muddied up last weekend.  They came in a couple of times to shoot the breeze.  Luckily, they ended up getting on the Klickitat with Travis on Friday.  My buddy Jon was swinging “Canoe in a Tree Run” when I saw Travis’ boat come around the corner above us.  Travis rowed over to say hello when Bill hooked a fish right in front of me while Travis was holding the boat chatting!  Jon had just put a half dozen casts through that spot…  It’s the power of the bead.

Western Water Guides: BIll and Travis

Here is Bill and Travis with their “Hollywood Steelhead”.  Travis has some openings for Late October and November.  The fishing is great in November and there are few guys on the river.  Give him a call if you want to get into some nice late steelhead on the Klickitat.  You can find him on our website under “guides” or at www.westernwatersguides.com

Chinook Salmon are now mostly dark and just start to get up on their redds.  The spawn seems to be a little later than it was last year.  Last fall we had more rain early on.  This helped to get fish up to their spawning areas, as they prefer to move during high water events.  They will wait until the tributaries fill with water after rains if they have to.  Last year on October 20, I fished a run on the Klickitat that was absolutely stuffed full of spawning fish.  This year on October 16, there were zero fish on beds in that run.  It will fill up, but we will likely need some more rain, or they will eventually hit a point where they have to make a move in low water.  Let’s hope for the former.   

In the meantime, please be aware of spawning fish and look for redds.  Please do not walk across, over or through them. 

Coho Salmon are still not showing up as predicted.  It looks like it’ll be one of the worst returns for Coho in many years after the run had been predicted to be outstanding.  There are some fish around, but nowhere near what they should be.  Look for them low in the systems in slow water.  They will eat a fly stripped slowly and steadily. 

Summer Steelhead are still the main attraction in the Columbia Basin.  The Grande Ronde, Clearwater, Salmon, Deschutesand Klickitat are all fishing really well right now.  Rivers were in mediocre condition most of last week.  On Wednesday clarity on the Klickitat was 16-18” and Fishboy Gabe had one of his most epic mornings swinging flies on a sink tip.  I went out on Thursday morning.  The clarity was about 2’.  I fished an unweighted fly on a light sink tip and landed one fish early and went home as is typical for me fishing from the road.  Friday we floated with about 2.5’ of visibility. We did not hook up any fish, but I did have quite a few plucks and grabs.  This shows how fish are hot right after (even a minor) high water and they start to settle down as the flow evens out and clears up. 

The Hood Riverhas been off color again.  There are not really any fish in there anyways.  It is typically an early and late summer run.  We will get fish once we get some steady rains and high flows.  One little spike of 500 cfs didn’t do much.  We need a week of rain and flows well over 1000 cfs to get fish into the river.  There is not much of a summer run historically, but we do get fish just like any other river in the Columbia Basin.   Steelheading is a game of numbers, as in you need to fish where the most fish are in order to have a shot at catching them.  It’s always worth a couple of hours to poke around if you’re in town and have limited time, but I personally would invest my little fishing time going to where there are more fish.

Trout fishing on the Hood closes on Oct 31.  This includes the East Fork of the Hood, which is not open for steelhead or salmon, so it closes completely on Halloween.  There have been reports of nice, small trout caught on the East Fork up off the campgrounds on HWY 35.  Get it in while you can. 

Targeting Chinook in the Hood River is prohibited after June 15.

Lost Lake and Laurence Lake are still fishing really well right now.  We do get very few reports from the lakes in the fall because most people are fishing for salmon or steelhead, but it can be wicked awesome this time of year with very little (no) pressure.  Laurence Lake closes on October 31, so get out while you can. 

"Its all good!"

Rosie and Sarah May went fishing up at Goose Lake a couple of times last week.  Rosie caught her first trout ever early in the week, and then proceeded to go back and put the smack down on them later on.  Sarah reportedly caught piles of them with Rosie Thursday as well.  It’s a great place to spend the day fishing this time of year.

Smallmouth Bass fishing has been good, I guess… Not one report in the last month?  Everyone forgets about bass once the steelhead show up, but this is a great time to get out if you have the chance.  They should be crushing big poppers if you can find them. 

As always, we are happy to talk fishing any time.  Give us a call if you have any specific questions on local rivers, gear, and tactics, or if you just want some encouragement to get out of the office.  

Andrew Perrault
Gorge Fly Shop | Product Specialist
541.386.6977

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

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Scott Fly Rods Now at Gorge Fly Shop

00.32 in 26th, at, Boat Plans, columbia, fishing, fly, gorge, now, october, report, rods, scott, shop

At Gorge Fly Shop we appreciate all fly rods. We wish we could sell and fish all fly rods but lets face it, there is just too many fly rods on the market to learn, know and fish with. We pay attention to what the other rod companies are doing and Scott Fly Rods have been on our radar for some time now. Very impressive watching this rod company grow into success. I really like going to the fly shows and getting a chance to casts Scotts latest offerings, since I dont get to do that everyday I always look forward to it. Gorge Fly Shop cant possibly carry all brands of fly rods made but instead we like to carry a good selection of brands that we believe in. Were proud to add Scott Fly Rod company to that lineup and look forward to providing you with these great rods. 

I asked Dan Marshall (our NW Scott fly rod representative) to give us a breakdown of the different rod series from Scott to help us get under way. Here is Dans comments for Scott Fly Rods.
The Scott fly Rod Company began in 1974 in the Bay area of California handcrafting high performance U.S. made fly rods, first using fiberglass and then progressing to carbon fiber (graphite).  Today the company resides in Montrose, Colorado and maintains the legacy of building high performance hand made fishing tools that anyone would be proud to own and enjoy fishing.

Run down on Scott Fly Rod models and fly rod actions.

A4 Series

A4

This rod series is all water, medium fast action with nice recovery and easy loading and great durability. All anglers will feel these rods cast effortlessly and put the fly on the target.  A great rod for the budget minded angler but with great performance.

G2 Series

G2

The G2 is our dry fly presentation series with a moderate action that allows it to load easily at close range and protect fine tippets.  Scott uses an internal ferrule system that makes this rod track extremely well and makes casing accurately a breeze.  This is my favorite trout rod to fish dry flies from a boat or walking and wading.

F2 Series

F2

Scott began making fiberglass fly rods in 1974 and continue to do so to this day.  This material has inherent properties that lend itself to creating a very soft action fly rod with the easiest loading capability of all of our rods.  The F2 is perfect for brushy creeks and streams, loads very well in close, is very durable to abuse, and is also extremely accurate for a soft action fly rod due to the internal ferrule system similar to the G2.

Radian Series

Radian

The Radian from Scott has received awards as the best  freshwater fly rod and for good reason.  It is extremely light, has a medium fast action, casts an incredibly tight loop and is deadly accurate.  This rod series is a great all around fishing tool that can throw dry flies, streamers, and nymph rigs with ease and is a joy to fish.  It is 20% lighter and 20% stronger than any other high end freshwater rod we’ve ever built.

Tidal Series

Tidal

Scot introduced the Tidal fly rod series to give the budget minded saltwater and bass angler a great rod for under $500.  It has a fast action but loads easily and can handle big flies and strong winds that are commonplace in a saltwater environment.  Of course, all components used are corrosion resistant for salty environs and like most saltwater rods the blanks are slightly thicker than a freshwater rod which makes it very durable.  One feature I like the most is the thread wraps are…..Seahawk colors.

Meridian Series

Meridian

This is the most recent offering from Scott that has been awarded the title of best saltwater  fly rod.  The material used to craft this rod is the same used in the very popular Radian, making it lighter and stronger than any other saltwater rod Scott has ever made.  Features include titanium guides, a very slim fighting butt, anodized aluminum reel seat and a modified full wells grip that aids the caster in loading the rod deep for long casts.  As with all Scott rods, the Meridian excels at all distances making close accurate casts as well as throwing the long bomb to reach a spooky fish.  Tight loops are the rule rather than the exception and Meridian creates extremely high line speed to make it happen.  Of course, nine foot four piece models are the standard but in this series Scott also offer eight foot ten inch two piece models for the boat angler and added durability.

Thank You Dan...We look forward to getting out and putting the bend in these great All American made fly rods from Scott.

Greg Darling 

Gorge Fly Shop Internet Sales Manager | Product Specialist

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report October 6th

18.35 in 29th, 6th, Boat Plans, columbia, fishing, gorge, october, report, september

Its that time of year again... cool mornings followed by late burn offs as the days get shorter and warmer temps become fewer and fewer. 

Fishing Report

Fishing continues to be stellar across the region as we leave Fishtember and enter into Fishtober. 

Chinook Salmon are still thick throughout the region, but brighter fish will soon become outnumbered by colored up pre-spawn fish.  This clears out a bit of room for steelhead in the runs as the salmon move towards shallower spawning areas.  We are still a few weeks away from the bulk of spawning activity, but the salmon are getting ready.  We have nearly surpassed the record runs of the past few years.  1.24 million total Chinook for the year is an all time record and 865,000 Fall Chinook is a close second to the epic run of 953,000 in 2013 with a few weeks to go!  These are numbers going through Bonneville Dam, so the run was much bigger as commercial fishermen and lower Columbia tributaries account for a good number of fish too.  While we lost a significant number of our early season spring and summer salmon due to hot and low rivers, the fall numbers are hopefully making up for it and will produce strong runs in the next few years. 

This also marks the time of year that Chinook start to “bed up” on their spawning gravel, otherwise known as redds.  Please respect the incredibly long and difficult journey that these fish have made and avoid walking through spawning areas or fishing at spawning salmon.  They have made it this far, so let’s allow them to spawn and die in peace so that we can have more salmon in a couple of years.  If you see dark colored salmon in shallow water, they are likely trying to spawn.  A spawning Chinook does not put up much of a fight and you are taking away the last reserves of energy that it has left for its final act.  If you see someone fishing at spawning salmon, please respectfully say something and suggest that they move on to better water.  We don’t need any confrontation, just education.  Thank you so much and fish on!

Coho Salmon are soon to follow the Chinook and are expected to also produce large numbers here in the Gorge, although they are way behind last year’s numbers so far...  The “ocean abundance” (total run) last year was predicted at 950,000 and this year s predicted to be down 20% at 777,000.  http://wdfw.wa.gov/news/mar0215a/  Coho are typically more dependent on rains to get moving, so I expect that the lateness of the run is due to the lack of rain than anything, but we shall wait and see…

Coho are a bit more fun on the fly and are a little easier to catch.  While most of the fish stay below Bonneville, we do get great opportunities here, mostly on the lower Klickitat.  Give it two weeks and the numbers should start to jump up to good, catchable numbers. 

Summer Steelhead are in the rivers in good numbers now.  Dry line fishing is the prime technique on the Deschutes, while guys on the Klickitat tend to fish more with sink tips and bigger flies.  The clarity on the Deschutes is still great.  The reports are varied, but overall, people are reporting good fishing throughout the region.

The Hood Riveris still awfully low and colored up.  There are a few die-hards that fish the run at the mouth when the Columbia is low enough to provide good flow down there, but there has been little to report in the way of catching steelhead.  (The Columbia has been too high and that run is under water and not moving much lately).  What they have told me is that a number of anglers are intentionally snagging the Chinook that are waiting to spawn in the lowest 200 yards of the river when there is any current.  Targeting Chinook in the Hood Riveris prohibited after June 15.

Lost Lake, Trillium Lake and Timothy Lake are still fishing really well.  Trout are up in the water column and eating dries when hatches are prevalent.  The big trout are always eating an olive woolly bugger.  October is one of the best months to get out on the lakes.  Several of them close at the end of the month, so get it in while you can. 

                                                                                          

Smallmouth Bass fishing has been good.  Fish are really active and eating a variety of lures, flies and baits.  Finding good numbers of fish without a boat is tough.  Advice for the month: make friends with people that own bass boats.    

As always, we are happy to talk fishing any time.  Give us a call if you have any specific questions on local rivers, gear, and tactics, or if you just want some encouragement to get out of the office.  

#columbiagorgefishingreport

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

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Looking for Trout Behind the Velvet Curtain by Dale Mertens

20.36 in 6th, behind, Boat Plans, by, columbia, curtain, dale, fishing, for, gorge, looking, mertens, october, report, the, trout, velvet

(Buses, trains, taxis, trout... Getting there is half the fun...)

"English?" I asked the taxi driver.

Whitewater chute?!

"A little," she replied.
"Vltava River," I said. "By Rozmberk. Fishing." I held up 5 pieces of dissembled fly rod with reel attached.

She smiled. "No problem. We go one or two kilometers past Rozmberk."

The paved road wound through dense forest as it hugged the river. We passed campgrounds full of tents and saw lots of plastic rental canoes floating down the river. As taxi drivers are prone to do, mine turned the twisting road into her very own F1 track.

After about 25 minutes, I loosened the grip on my fly rod and my seat edge. We slowed as we passed through the small town of Rozmberk and underneath its castle. In another two minutes, I was standing with trout rising furiously in front of me. And I was wondering if - in the middle of the Czech Republic - I had chanced upon a taxi driver with both F1 caliber driving skills and a fly fishing guides knowledge of the Vltava River.

Vltava River

In 1989, when the former Czechoslovakia peacefully swapped communism for democracy, this non-violent shift came to be called the Velvet Revolution. Though no longer behind the iron curtain, the relatively young Czech Republic is not the first place that pops to mind when venturing to Europe and - despite the emergence of Czech nymphing - not the first place that pops to mind when fly fishing for trout. What brought me here actually happened in Spain about 20 years ago…
I was backpacking through Europe with a rail pass. Back then, I thought that truly visiting somewhere meant sampling the local fishery. (I still subscribe to that train of thought.) The internet was in its infancy and a parade of faxes had booked me a couple days at an Austrian pension, complete with a day ticket to fish the local stream. The only hitch was my rail pass wouldnt quite get me there; a rental car was needed for the last 50 miles.

Before reaching Austria, I was strolling down a fairly well touristed street in Madrid around 11 PM. The crowded squares were behind me but I was still surrounded by high end hotels. Then I noticed three young guys walking towards me and the closest was addressing me very loudly. Since my Spanish is non-existent, I offered the standard, "No gracias," and started to angle around the three hombres. At that instant, I noticed the talkative one had a knife - a big kitchen knife that could have come from his Moms kitchen. There was about six feet of space between me and Moms knife and it took me about one millisecond to toss my wallet towards it.

What was I thinking as I watched my wallet tumble through the air? "If these guys want my money belt, my whole trip is toast." What was I thinking as I watched them take off down the street with my wallet and I had a few seconds to think? "There goes my drivers license and my fly fishing..."

For the most part, my travel plans recovered quite nicely from that little incident. Within a half hour, courtesy of the travellers cheques in my money belt and an inebriated hotel clerks liberal interpretation of exchange rates, I actually made back the small amount of cash I lost. Courtesy of the nice folks at AMEX, I had another credit card the next day. My passport and more travellers cheques were still around my waist in my money belt. But, as I realized earlier, my European fly fishing itch was not going to be scratched.

And it remained completely unscratched until earlier this year, when my girlfriend and I starting planning a railway/backpack trip through Europe. After we picked out our major stops, I couldnt help myself and started Googling the fly fishing possibilities for each. The Vltava River turned out to be major trout fishery right in the backyard of Cessky Krumlov, a picturesque town on our itinerary.

Getting to Cessky Krumlov is a bit of an adventure itself. Because trains in the Czech Republic cant resist stopping at every little town, we took a bus to the Czech capital of Prague. We sat in the front row on the top level of a double decker bus with a floor to ceiling window in front of our nose. It was like a fish bowl going at 70 miles per hour. The view ranged from exhilarating to unnerving. It swung to the unnerving part of the spectrum when our driver snuggled in behind a dump truck before passing it and a large mass of steel filled our field of vision. Without the window, we could have laid out our coffees on the edge of the dump truck. 

Cessky Krumlov

From Prague, we threw ourselves at the mercy of the Czech rail system and squeezed ourselves on a train towards Cessky Krumlov. As the train pulled up, a crush of humanity emerged from a seemingly calm railway platform. (Pardon the obvious fly fishing metaphor…) We wedged ourselves on the train and somehow managed to find seats. Every bit of available floor space – aisles included – was occupied on that train.

After about an hour, we did the same thing in reverse because we had to transfer trains. But there was an added adrenaline rush because we only had about a minutes to make our connection; sprinting through crowded train stations with a backpack is definitely an athletic endeavor. Not finding a train that matches the one on your ticket and jumping on one - with seconds to spare - because some local says you should is definitely an act of faith. But that’s what we did and in half an hour, we rolled into Cessky Krumlov.

The town was beautiful – a maze of narrow streets and old buildings with a river flowing swiftly right in the middle. (To a fly fisherman, any town with a river automatically goes up 2 notches on the picturesque scale…) After about an hour of sightseeing, I decided I better go get my license for the evening fishing I had planned.

A Czech fishing license only comes in a stereo version. In other words, two licenses are needed instead of just one. A general license is valid anywhere in the country and it allows you to buy the required day ticket for a particular water. Through various emails, I learned that general licenses were available at city hall in the modern section of Cessky Krumlov, which was far removed from the scenic old town

Thus began the first of four cab rides that day. Our hotel set me up with all my cab rides and they did a bang-up job. That first driver played in an American blues band and spoke excellent English. When we got to the city hall, he offered to accompany me inside and act as a translator. A few queries led us to our target office deep in the bowels of the building. It was small and non-descript and stuffed with file folders. Buying a license was a transaction conducted entirely in Czech. The license clerk and the taxi driver worked it all out and I supplied info as needed. After about 15 minutes – and who knows how much on the taxi’s meter – we were back in the cab headed toward the hotel.

I tipped my cabbie like crazy and had a quick supper. Then it was off to tourist office just across the town square to pick up the day ticket. Luckily, the staff spoke excellent English.

At that point, I met up with the F1 driver/fishing guide. Like I said before, when she dropped me at the river, the trout were rising furiously. I picked through my miniscule box of flies and pulled out a small Irresistible. Usually, I carry tons of gear and flies with me but a small backpack for train travel had forced me to go minimalist. It had been painful but my entire tackle bag was reduced to a tiny chest pouch. I had no waders – only quick-quick drying nylon pants and a pair of wading shoes.

Brownie

It made no difference to the trout. My first cast to a rising fish was rewarded with a solid take. A very-spirited brown trout of about six inches came skittering toward me with the hook set. It was small but meaningful. I had never travelled such a long way for a fish. And so it went… Every third cast or so was eaten by an eager brownie just like the first. Some of them were incredibly stealthy and sucked the fly under without any surface disturbance whatsoever. It was like the fly had just decided to sink until I raised the rod to recast and felt the weight of a fish.

The fish were holding on a small, shallow flat with a very gentle current. Just beyond that, the main current – and a steady stream of plastic rental canoes – poured briskly past. The trout seemed impervious to the rental canoes. Every now and then – as if to give the trout a bit of a rest - a chub with remarkable orange fins would take my fly.

After a while, I headed off upstream, probing the main current where it grazed the shoreline boulders along a steep bank. The river was actually quite featureless. It was a like a continuous riffle of dark water surrounded by forest. I was hoping for bigger fish but the river kept enforcing a six inch size limit. At the end of that run, and with a little exploring, I found a fairly deep, calm pool and switched to a streamer. My muscles tensed with the expectation of a bruiser. However, the army of six inchers once again found my offering. 

Soon it was dusk and I met the F1 driver/fishing guide where she dropped me off. If someone had made a pilgrimage to a big name trout river in North America and caught nothing but six inchers they might be slightly annoyed. But I had thoroughly enjoyed myself. For the amount of money I spent on cabs, I almost could have hired a drift boat on the Madison or the Yellowstone. I probably only spent two hours fishing but catching a trout – even a six incher - in a far off land is a worthwhile experience as far as I am concerned.

After a while, I headed off upstream, probing the main current where it grazed the shoreline boulders along a steep bank. The river was actually quite featureless. It was a like a continuous riffle of dark water surrounded by forest. I was hoping for bigger fish but the river kept enforcing a six inch size limit. At the end of that run, and with a little exploring, I found a fairly deep, calm pool and switched to a streamer. My muscles tensed with the expectation of a bruiser. However, the army of six inchers once again found my offering. 

Soon it was dusk and I met the F1 driver/fishing guide where she dropped me off. If someone had made a pilgrimage to a big name trout river in North America and caught nothing but six inchers they might be slightly annoyed. But I had thoroughly enjoyed myself. For the amount of money I spent on cabs, I almost could have hired a drift boat on the Madison or the Yellowstone. I probably only spent two hours fishing but catching a trout – even a six incher - in a far off land is a worthwhile experience as far as I am concerned.

The next day, my girlfriend and I were back on the river as part of the plastic hatch. Bombing down the continuous riffles in the rental canoe was definitely fun. Narrow, man-made chutes diverted us around the odd control dam. These chutes were like tobogganing on water and are probably the highlight of the river for most people. (Take a look at the accompanying photo.) Nevertheless, I couldn’t stop thinking about the trout that might be in swirling water at the base of each chute.

Dale Martens

Dale,
Thank you for the very interesting article. Like you, I dont think I could pass up the opportunity to fish in Europe even if the catch is far from trophy. Im thankful for every fishing experience and your adventure certainly qualifies as an experience...lol
Many Thanks, Travis Duddles

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Scientific Anglers Ultimate Scandi Taper by Andrew Perrault

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UST - Ultimate Scandi Taper

Scientific Anglers Ultimate Scandi Taper Fly Line

I love fishing Scandi Lines for steelhead whenever the conditions permit, but I also love the nice slow swing of an intermediate line. I saw these new S/A Scandi Lines last year and just had to try them out. They come in a variety of different combinations for different conditions. I chose a triple density line. Officially, it is the UST Floating/Hover/Intermediate 460 grain head. The back half is a standard floating head, with the front half split into two sections; a “hover” section with an intermediate tip. This combination gives me a nice angle in the water and presents the fly somewhere around a foot deep, maybe two or three feet if I am using a weighted fly. This is often where I want my fly to be, so I gave it a try.

Gorge Fly Shop - 541.386.6977

I got this line back in May and immediately took it down to the ______ River to just throw around and see how she casts.  I only had one little bass streamer with me, and no extra tippet, just a five foot section of 10# maxima that I pulled off a sink tip that was in my truck.  Now May is not the best time of year for steelhead.  The winter fish are upstream spawning and the summer fish are generally not in the rivers in any numbers yet. 

I made a few different casts, testing how the line throws.  I was just standing in one spot, casting, and stripping the line in and casting again.  Trying different size D-Loops, hang-down and line speeds. About fifteen casts into my morning, I was stripping the fly back immediately after it hit the water and bam! Fish on!  It popped off in just a few seconds.  That was great!  Hooking up on a steelhead three casts into my day stripping a bass fly across a run that is not really a known producer in the first place during the worst month of the year for fishing….  Interesting start for this line

I decided to start fishing this little minnow pattern for real this time.  A few casts later and bam! Fish on!  I ended up going three for five in the first pass.  One of those epic moments of my steelhead career came and went in about twenty minutes on a quiet May afternoon and no one was there to witness it. 

I thought this had to be a fluke.  I ran into a pod off aggressive fish and they were just riled up.  So I went back the next day early.  I stepped into this same run and went two for three with the same fly, now very, very chewed up and falling apart.  I would have loved to have stayed, but I had to work and I was out of time.  With a hasty drive back to Hood River and a ear-to-ear grin, I happily worked all day and was standing in that run again for the last hour of light. 

So anyway, this is a line review…  The point is that if you have a line that catches fish, it is a good line.  I haven’t got to the part about how it is not very easy to cast.  This line really just doesn’t fly off the rod like a Rage or a traditional floating Scandi.  Part of that is that it is a sinking line, so it takes much more energy to break the surface tension and pull the line into the air.  The other part is that I was using a weighted fly on a 37’ Scandi line.  Scandi lines don’t generally do well with a weighted fly, especially one that has lead eyes, and this one is no exception.  

A Scandi Head system with Single, Double and True Triple Density models.

However, I expect that if I am throwing a sinking line, a weighted fly is an integral part of the system in a lot of scenarios.  Not that I couldn’t cast it, but it is not very easy to cast, especially with a weighted fly.  I can still hit 60’, which is as far as anyone should be expected to cast in order to effectively catch fish. 

I will repeat what I said earlier:  If you have a line that catches fish, it is a good line.  The next time I used this head was on June 1 (opening day) on the Klickitat.  I fished it with a little Gotcha bonefish fly.  It was on my rod when I hooked the only fish of the day…  And that was on the second pass though the run after fishing it with a Skagit line and a bunny leech too.  The next time I used it was on the Deschutes a few weeks ago.  I landed the only fish of the trip on a Larimer’s Brazilian.  I started to see a trend with this new line.

I ended up finding that it casts better on a Burkheimer 7134-4 better than the Sage Method 7126-4 or the Echo Glass 7129-4, and definitely much better with a traditional, unweighted fly.  It still takes some precision and my cast tends to fall apart easily if I am not on my “A-game” with this line.  It takes quite a bit of line speed to keep it from sinking as you come around on your cast.  But hey, it is still far better than the old Rio Mid-Spey that I learned on. 

Reviewing this, I find that there is a balance between the fishy mojo that it has and the ease of casting.  For pure fishy mojo, this line is a 10.  I mean, I have not ever fished it without getting a hookup.  (dooming myself for months…)  As far as casting ability, I would give it a 6.  I can cast it 60’ just fine, but it definitely does not have the buttery smooth casting of an Airflo Rage or Rio Scandi Short.  It’s a give and take here and I will take hookups over ease of casting any day. 

So in my thirteen years as a two-handed steelhead junkie, I have had hot streaks, cold spells, mismatched gear as well as having tried just about every head, running line, sink tip and new trick that has come out.  This S/A Triple Density Ultimate Scandi Taper has by far accounted for more fish per hour than any other line that I have ever tried, and in the end that makes it likely the best line I have fished, even if casting it is not a breeze.  

Andrew Perrault
Gorge Fly Shop | Product Specialist
541.386.6977

Scientific Anglers Ultimate Scandi Taper

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