Columbia Gorge Fishing Report October 19th

05.57 in 19th, andrew, anglers, Boat Plans, by, columbia, fishing, gorge, october, perrault, report, scandi, scientific, taper, ultimate

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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The Slump by Andrew Perrault

20.10 in andrew, Boat Plans, by, event, fly, perrault, roundtable, slump, the, tying

"True Grit"

I’ve been in a steelhead slump for some time now. Its not that I haven’t put in a lot of time fishing this winter; there has already been countless early mornings and long weekends, and I haven’t even touched a fish. My friends are catching them; I have seen people in front and behind me catching them. I just have not caught one or even come close in months. To say that it’s frustrating is quite the understatement. It is a test of patience, determination, and some would even use the phrase “grit”.

I have been contemplating just hanging it up and pick up some golf clubs. Ok, maybe not that extreme, but it seems like everyone who catches one is instantly an expert on why I haven’t hooked one yet. I know that I am doing everything right. I am a good caster, I can read water well, and I know where they lie, what they take and how to present a good fly correctly to a fish. It’s purely just a matter of luck, and I have to keep telling myself that. Luck has just never been in my blood. For example, I have applied for permits for the Middle Fork Salmon River, Selway and Main Salmon every year going on ten years now without being drawn while I know several people that have drawn permits multiple times in that period… Time is my only hope at this point.

The last steelhead I landed was on the Deschutes in early November; November 6 to be exact. I did put a spanking on that river that day though. By my calculations, I average on the conservative side 15 hours per week fishing. It has been 9 weeks since I landed that last fish. That is 135 hours fishing minimum. I average 40 casts per hour, and that means that I have made a minimum of 5000 casts since I last landed a steelhead. Yet I keep going out twice a week before work, and two days a week all day, every week. I keep watching people catch fish, and on every single cast, I whole-heartedly believe that I will hook one on this cast. When that cast reaches the end, I become completely focused and know that this next cast is going to produce that big chrome winter steelhead that haunts my dreams.

I know that the trout fishing on the Deschutes is great during the winter. I would love to get out there and rail on some redbands, but I am in a steelhead deficit right now. I couldn’t possibly give up now after thousands of unanswered casts, weeks of early mornings, and hundreds of miles driven just to catch nothing. If I went trout fishing now, it would be admitting defeat of some kind. I would let the steelhead win my personal battle.

The next problem is that if I catch one tomorrow, I will feel that I need to get three or four to catch up with the effort I have put in so far this winter before I could go trout fishing. This vicious cycle goes right into springtime when, hopefully, I get a couple of great days in and then I can go trout fishing for a month or two. Then one day in June, I will decide to go summer steelheading on the Klickitat, and then the cycle starts all over until it peaks out again in November…

This happens to me every year… Last year’s slump was the worst of my life. I landed my last fish on the swing on October 8. Then I did not land another one (on the swing) until March 5, 2014; and I put in more time per week than I have so far this year. That is somewhere in the far north of 10,000 empty casts. Let’s hope that this year’s slump ends much more quickly than last year’s. I know I can pull out the bobber rod and nymph one up almost any day, but I am sticking with the swing, as the reward is so much greater when you have to make ten thousand casts between fish… right?



................
UPDATE!
................

I did manage to land a steelhead finally, although it took writing an article about my struggles before I got one.

Caught on my new Echo Glass 7129-4, 12’9” 7wt.

 






Andrew Perrault
Gorge Fly Shop
541.386.6977

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

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Get Started in Fly Fishing Chapter Two Fly Rods

19.29 in andrew, Boat Plans, by, chapter, fishing, fly, get, in, perrault, rods, slump, started, the, two

The look on your face when you get a new rod

The fun begins with your first purchase. Youre ready to buy a fly rod. Most will experience one of three possible scenarios.

1) You find yourself in a large outdoor chain store with plenty of things to buy but no help to see you through a good decision.

2) You find yourself in a upscale fly shop where the sales staff proceeds to make you feel inferior and unworthy of the sport.

3) You come across a yard sale or hand me down rod that is always the best ever according to the previous owner. Trust me. Its rare to find any worth $$$ in a yard sale. I know because I look for them.

I didnt intend to start off this article sounding cynical but I bet if many of you would comment with your stories many of them would match one of these three descriptions.

Too Many Choices

Too Many Choices

Lets start with import or USA built.We can discuss this subject from many different angles - heres the facts

USA Built 

Pros - The best fly rods are built in USA. All USA built fly rods are hand crafted. Most if not all USA built rods come with some kind of lifetime warranty. Most have good resale value.
Cons - Expensive! Cost of USA manufacturing, research and development, advanced materials technology that makes these rods the best come at a high price.
Summary - If you become passionate about fly fishing you will own USA built fly rods. What comes with these rods is a sense of pride. Hard to have that feeling for something imported from an overseas factory. I have had the pleasure of visiting many USA rod manufacturer facilities. I like knowing that the hands that built my rods also are as passionate about fishing as I am. Its a feeling you cannot put a price on.

Imported fly rods

Pros - Value per dollar. Good entry level options. Some have lifetime warranty (although you may end up with a different rod than what you started with). Also some very good quality rods for much less than USA built price.
Cons - Hard to tell good from bad. Here today and gone tomorrow.
Summary - There is some really good import rods on the market and they catch fish just like a USA built rods. But the import business tends to flood the market and makes it hard to sift through whats Great, Good, OK or just plain cheap rods. Resale value of imports is weak and often times you cant give them away. I also notice that many come with catchy names to help sell them but not a good description of what the action is, so often you find someone purchased a rod only to find out it is a poor fit for their casting ability or the fishing they are doing.

Premium Picks - 

Sage One

Winston BIIIx

G.Loomis NRX Lite Presentation

All of these rods are beautiful and powerful tools for fishing. Each has great power coupled with very intuitive feeling that will help any angler progress down the path of good casting. Excellent resale value and the industry leading warranty service also add to their value. I should note here that rods like these hold their place in history for years to come.

Mid Line Winners - 

G. Loomis Pro4x

Winston Nexus

Echo 3

Sage ACCEL

These models range in price from about $300 to $595. Winston, G. Loomis and Sage are built in USA. All have lifetime warranty. All of these rods offer excellent performance and value. They could go with you on a lifetime of fishing and you would enjoy them for years to come.

Entry Level Values - Imports

Redington Classic Trout

Echo Solo

Redington Crosswater

Classic Trout and Solo offer lifetime warranty. One year on the Crosswater. I am real fond of the Classic Trout. Its a moderate action easy to cast really good trout rod for the price. The Echo Solo is also a good choice and at $119 with lifetime warranty its hard to beat.

Outfit Options

An outfit is an easy way to get Rod, Reel and Line all in one purchase. 

Sage Approach Outfits

Redington Minnow 
Made for Kids-Loved by Adults

Redington Topo Outfit - Complete ready to fish

Echo Solo Outfit - Great Value

Two Hand (Spey) Rod Choices

No reason one has to start out with a single hand fly rod. If you live in steelhead country just go ahead and jump to a two hand. Ive seen too many beginners get a single hand 8wt only to come back in a month and say I want a two hand rod. I think two hand casting is harder to learn on your own but with a good instructor like Tom Larimer of Jeff Hickman you will soon be on your way to fishing success! Learning single hand casting first is not a prerequisite. The rods I choose are all pretty moderate action and not only do they fit beginners well they are also a great action for skagit style two hand casting.

Winston Boron III TH

G.Loomis Pro4x

Sage ACCEL Two Hand

Redington Dually

Echo Dec Hogan II

Sum it up

A popular quote around the fly shop is "if you dont want to buy a more expensive rod than dont cast a more expensive rod." Even a person just starting out with some basic casting skills can feel the difference from these different levels of rods. That doesnt mean they catch more fish, they just cast better and make you feel like a hero. I know plenty of anglers that catch plenty of fish on $89 Crosswater rods. This works on the premise that if you want to catch fish you will use what you got! Spending more on a rod doesnt guarantee you more fish. What I can almost certainly guarantee is if you embrace to sport of fly fishing you will own premium USA built fly rods. Its inevitable!

The way I weigh the options is in one of three choices - 

Buy Top Shelf- You work hard for your money and when you have time off you deserve to enjoy it. Great pride comes with the best rods and you find yourself taking great pride in your fishing. Long after your gone when your grand kids find your fly rod hidden among your treasures theyll know how much it meant to you by the way you took care of it.

Buy middle of the road knowing that youll get a great rod you can own a lifetime or maybe it will be the first and last rod you buy. I know anglers that only fish their home waters. They usually will fish a dry fly if fish are raising and if not they switch to a nymph rig. One rod can do both methods therefore they only need one rod. They only fish a few days a year and enjoy it as much as anyone. Some of todays mid line rods are a recent yesterdays premium rod.

Buy cheap now knowing that youll upgrade in the future - Its nice to have a cheapy around for yard casting or letting your buddy or kid have a swing...Hard to hand over your several hundred dollar investment and watch a novice thrash it.

Dont fret over making a wrong choice. There are no wrong choices just future choices and Gorge Fly Shop will be here to help you make that choice whether you buy one or a hundred rods. 

Greg Darling 

Gorge Fly Shop Internet Sales Manager | Product Specialist

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

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Scientific Anglers Ultimate Scandi Taper by Andrew Perrault

02.50 in 12th, andrew, anglers, Boat Plans, by, columbia, fishing, gorge, october, perrault, report, scandi, scientific, taper, ultimate

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

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

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