Columbia Gorge Fishing Report October 12th

00.19 in 12th, behind, Boat Plans, by, columbia, curtain, dale, fishing, for, gorge, looking, mertens, october, report, the, trout, velvet

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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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report August 24th

23.51 in 24th, august, Boat Plans, by, columbia, cook, defined, fishing, george, gorge, lines, report, spey, trout

photo credit: Greg Darling

Fishing Report
Let’s get out and fish!  The Deschutes finally came into great shape this week.  While the visibility is poor right at the confluence of the White and the D, it is very fishable on the lower river.  It was 2-3’ and a nice olive color on Friday.  We fished Airflo T-10 FLO tips and Skagit lines and had a great couple of days Thursday and Friday.  It was quite windy, but that didn’t stop the fish from grabbing an articulated bunny leech.  The color at the confluence with the Columbia is also worse than a few miles upstream as the Columbia backs up the flow and gets sediment mixing more than upstream.

I talked with several anglers that saw the visibility, called it blown out and went home.  The thing is that fishing was killer and there was no one up there.  You just have to change your tactics a little.  If that same angler was on the Klickitat, he would have claimed visibility to be great and fished with sink tips with no problem.  That is because anglers are used to a certain level of expectation with the Deschutes.  Fish bite there in a few feet of visibility just like they do everywhere else.  The clarity of the river reminded me of the Kenai the other day.  Kenai fish eat tiny little beads all summer long in poor clarity, so the steelhead in the Deschutes have no problem seeing your fly.  Visibility on the Deschutes is unlikely to get much better soon, so get your sink tips out and get to the river. 

Summer Steelhead are most definitely around right now in the local rivers big time.  The Deschutes River is great.  Get out there and fish!  Use light sink tips and bigger flies as long as visibility is on the lower end.  We left the river Friday evening to nearly three feet of visibility, but of course on Saturday morning, people are coming in claiming that it is blown out again.  I do not know what, if anything caused a blowout, but I would assume that the river is in the same condition as when I left it Friday, as no rain has come through since last night…  Until further notice, assume that the conditions are good on the lower.

The Klickitat Riverhas been a bit worse than the Deschutes, but it is still completely fishable.  Hovering about 2-3 feet lately with a little grey color to it. It is improving and we have heard good reports over the past few days.   Both the Klick and the Deschutes should be money this week; just be prepared to fish a sink tip…

Smallmouth Bass fishing has been excellent on the John Day River and fair in the local haunts here.  Bass on the Columbia River have been hiding out in plain sight.  Suspending off of ledges and dropoffs and scattered all around, they are there, but harder to find in good numbers than in the spring and fall.  A good day fishing will just require lots of moving around and changing tactics to find the numbers.  The John Day remains a solid choice for an easy day of good fishing with big numbers of fish.  A small popper or grasshopper pattern will produce fish from first light to last. 

Carp fishing has been decent, but not stellar.  I have heard fish are eating bigger flies right now with less picky fish, but there are not tons of fish being aggressive.  The aggressive fish are really aggressive, so that is the bonus. 

Trout fishing has been good.  The Crooked is still pushing out some weeds and bio-debris, but fishing was good.  A hopper/dropper is the ticket right now.  The Metolius has been good, as fish seem to be more willing to take a good, sneaky presentation than usual.  The upper part of the Deschutes (above Lake Billy Chinook) has been really good with terrestrials.  The upper part of the Lower Deschutes(below Pelton Dam) has been better this last week with a hopper/dropper producing good fish.  The McKenzie River has also been good with a hopper/dropper setup.  Any small, #18 mayfly nymph works well as the dropper.  A #18 Flashback Pheasant Tail (beadhead) is a personal favorite, but copper johns, hare’s ears, lightning bugs and prince nymphs work just fine too. 

Lost Lake is still fishing very well, and trout have been coming up to the surface early and late to eat Callibaetis, Grasshoppers and Carpenter Ants, as well as just about anything else including beetles, damselflies and maybe some early caddis.  Pull a woolly bugger deep and slow on a sinking line during the day for your best shot at good numbers of fish. 

                                          

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.  541.386.6977

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

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Trout Spey Lines No Perfect Answer!

04.29 in and, answer, Boat Plans, fly, lines, nautilus, no, now, perfect, reels, spey, then, trout

I have put off writing this article for months now. Its not that I dont want to write it but I know as soon as I do some new switch line will hit the market and already this article will be old news. I know many of you are reaching out looking for this info so therefore I will wait no longer to publish what I know and well tackle the new when it gets here! For the purpose of this article I am focusing on trout size spey/switch rods.

Trout Spey/Switch Rods

What are they exactly? Baby spey rods...Small switch rods... Smaller versions of steelhead rods...Id like to point out that a switch rod cannot switch into anything! The rod itself cannot change! It is not a transformer! The action and power of any particular rod is fixed. To change what you do with a switch rod REQUIRES you to change the line to match the style of fishing you wish to do with it. With that out of the way lets now accept the fact that there is no one line that does it all, period! End of discussion! But heres the good news! With a little information, planning and practice you can tune your fishing conditions with various lines that will let you fish many different techniques with your switch rods.

Can you do it all with todays switch rods? The term "Switch Rod" implies that it is both a single hand rod and a spey rod but think of it in terms of the game of golf, thats like calling one golf club a switch club, same club that can drive your ball can putt your ball...Im sure Tiger Woods can beat me in golf with only one club BUT! He would never agree that there would ever only be one club to do it all! And I Agree! Now with that out of the way I do believe our modern trout spey rods are closer than ever to what we want in a trout rod action.

What line do I need?

To make this as simple as possible Ive decided to take it line by line and supply you the details of each including rods I have tried these lines on.

Airflo Switch Streamer

Airflo Switch Streamer

I put this line first simply because most anglers who are going to wield a two hand rod for trout are most likely going to swing or strip flies on sinking tips. This is your line! Were still waiting for this line to become available and it cant get here soon enough! My knowledge of it comes from fishing a prototype for almost a year. Tim Rajeff and Tom Larimer are the genius behind this line. The goal of the line is to appeal to trout anglers with shooting line integration and safely satisfy streamer angler needs with a line that is not afraid of T-Series sink tips. They nailed it plain and simple! Integrated with a Ridge running line the semi aggressive skagit style head handles T-7 and T-11 like a dream and if you need to lighten up it has enough finesse to behave friendly with polyleaders. Tom Larimer worked out the bugs of these lines to intentionally match them to perform perfect with the Winston BIIIx Microspeys although we have found they perform excellent on many different switch rods.
The Airflo Streamer Switch retails for $99.95 and comes with a Fast Sinking Polyleader to get you started. You will most likely want to go ahead and get an Airflo Custom Cut Single Sink Tip in the T-7 size.
Airflo Streamer Switch Specs -

Line Size	Color	Head Weight	Head Length	Sink Rate	Total Length
WF4	Pale Mint/Orange	300	18ft	Float	85ft
WF4.5	Pale Mint/Orange	330	18.5ft	Float	85ft
WF5	Pale Mint/Orange	360	18.5ft	Float	85ft
WF5.5	Pale Mint/Orange	390	20ft	Float	85ft
WF6	Pale Mint/Orange	420	20ft	Float	85ft

Current sizes give you a range from 300gr to 420gr. The 330gr is a great match on the Winston 4110 and equally as well for the sage ONE 4116. The Winston 5116 really likes the 390gr.

RIO Scandi Short VersiTip

RIO Scandi Short Versi-Tip

This short scandi taper line is an awesome switch rod line. I really like the tight loop casts it performs. It is a head system line so choose your shooting line. You can also buy this line as a head only and purchase the tips separately. The nice feature of the Versitip kit is it comes with the tip wallet and includes four matching tips. Floating, Intermediate, Type 3 and Type 6 sinking. Just as the name implies the kit gives you a ton of stream side versatility. Scandi tapers do a few things really well such as roll casting and overhead casting and of course spey casts great but Scandi Shorts do have some limitations to consider. They dont handle much more tip than the type 6 they are supplied with and they are limited to fly size. Where I have really liked this line is working with tandem soft hackle rigs. It presents well and the supplied tips lets you dial in just the depth you want to fish. While the Scandi Short works great in close I find the loop to loop to be a real pain for small water work. Ive submitted a request to RIO to make an integrated version of this line but I have no idea if that will come to light.

Specs -

SKU	Line Size	Head Weight	Head Length	Color	Sink Rate
6-20659	#4 275gr	275gr	33ft 10m	Straw	Flt w/ 4 tips
6-20660	#5 320gr	320gr	33ft 10m	Straw	Flt w/ 4 tips
6-20661	#6 370gr	370gr	33ft 10m	Straw	Flt w/ 4 tips
6-20662	#7 425gr	425gr	33ft 10m	Straw	Flt w/ 4 tips
6-20663	#8 485gr	485gr	33ft 10m	Straw	Flt w/ 4 tips
6-20664	#9 540gr	540gr	33ft 10m	Straw	Flt w/ 4 tips

Notice this chart gives you the actual head weight and tip weight separately

The Sage ONE 4116 really loves this line. The fast tip of the Sage really compliments the scandi taper but I also find the line to work great on the Winstons. The 275gr is a great match up for the Winston 3106. The 320gr is my go to for the Sage 4116 and equally excels with the Winston 4110. The 370gr is enough grains for the Winston 5116.

S/A Adapt

Scientific Anglers Adapt

Scientific Anglers you almost got this line right! So close! I liked this line and I wanted to really like this line! The Adapt (like the Airflo Streamer Switch) is an integrated line with a somewhat aggressive skagit head. The thin diameter running line really flies through the guides and the textured head stays on top of the water better than most others Ive fished. The problem is the front taper. Its fine if you are fishing tapered leaders but the problem starts when you add a sink tip. The line tapers down too small to retain enough mass to turn over a sinking tip. The result is struggling to turn over your casts. Polyleaders work decent with the Adapt line but forget fishing T-Series tips. I actually modified my line by cutting the tip back and welding a new loop to the end. The difference is huge. But who wants to chop their brand new $86.95 line. Im sure out of the box it would make a good nymph/indicator line.

Order #	Line Size	Head Length	Sink Rate	Total Length
120500	280gr	22ft	Float	100ft
120517	320gr	22ft	Float	100ft
120524	360gr	22ft	Float	100ft
120531	400gr	22ft	Float	100ft
120548	440gr	22ft	Float	100ft

The 320gr works well with the Sage 4116 and Winstons 4110. I also have the 360gr and thats the one I chopped the tip off the head. I took off 2.5 and that amount scale weighted 18gr so I ended up with a head weight of 342gr and T-Series sinking tips were no longer an issue after my modification.

A note to the manufacturers - As a line company yall need to decide if your switch line is made for leaders or tips. NOT BOTH! And please stop telling us they will do both! Ive been around the river long enough to know that the "MIDDLE GROUND" fly lines do not do anything good! There is no one line for all switch rod applications. In reference back to earlier in the article remember a switch rod cannot switch into anything. We must switch the line to match the technique desired from our switch rod. We have a serious need for technique specific switch lines.

RIO Switch Chucker

RIO Switch Chucker

I had high hopes for the Rio Switch Chucker and in some ways it delivered, others not so much! A full integrated head / shooting line was a welcome addition to the RIO lineup and received great attention upon its introduction. Unfortunately I feel like this line falls into the trap of "One line does it all." First the good about the Switch Chucker, its pretty easy casting provided you stay within some parameters. Tapered leaders or VersiLeaders (Polyleaders) are happy but T-Series not so much. Now when you get to larger sizes of this line it will carry some light T-Series like T-8. But when it comes to 4 and 5 weight trout sizes it no longer likes a sinking tip. Besides not carrying a sinking tip easily I have two other complaints with this line. 1) In low light its hard to see the color transition between the head and shooting line and 2) The incorporated handling section slows down shooting part of your cast. This handling section is 14 of thicker running line directly behind the head and is intended to make it easier to grip for cast and mend for nymphing. I guess if nymphing is your purpose for this line than you might find this to be a benefit. Stick to leaders, polyleaders or nymph/indicator rigs with the Switch Chucker and you will be happy!

RIO Switch Chucker

I tested the #4 325gr on both the Sage ONE 4116 and the Winston Microspey 4110 and the grain weight matched up with both rods really well.

RIO Switch Line
Im not going to spend any time with this line other than to say this is a great choice if you use a switch rod to nymph from a boat. Dont expect to enjoy spey casting this line! End of discussion!

Skagit Heads
RIO, Airflo and S/A all make skagit heads down to trout rod sizes. For big rivers, sink tips and full on swinging flies these skagits work great. The RIO Max Short comes in sizes all the way down to 200gr. S/A Skagit Extreme comes in sizes down to 280gr and although S/A does not designate these as short or switch heads these smaller sizes do have shorter lengths suited for the shorter rods.The Airflo Skagit Switch starts at 360gr which can help your 5 weight and up switch rods. I dont spend much time with these skagits. Yes they work but they are really just downsized steelhead skagits. Two hand trout anglers like myself are really looking for a line designed for my game and not just an adopted line that already exists.

Overhead casting lines

Many anglers have found great use with switch rods for making long casts from beaches or jetties.
Ive heard many accounts from east coast striper anglers to west coast sea run cutthroat anglers of the use of switch rods for overhead casting. Typically we find in most cas

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3 weight Echo Glass Switch Rod

02.59 in 3, and, Boat Plans, echo, friends, glass, rod, switch, teriyaki, trout, weight

The 3-weight Echo Glass Switch rod arrived Monday in perfect condition. While I havent yet had a chance to fish with it, I set it up and have experimented casting several different lines on the lawn. Since I plan to use it exclusively for single-hand and two-handed overhead casting, I didnt try any spey lines or scandi and Skagit heads. My other switch rods cast best with lines one or two AFTMA weights above the designated rod weight, and this one is no exception. It casts both weight forward and double taper 4-weight lines well, but for my style of casting and the rivers I will be fishing, I liked a double taper 5-weight best. The rod doesnt feel over loaded and produces long, tight-loop casts with little effort.

Although the overall rod weight doesnt seem much heavier than an equivalent graphite rod, the glass construction distributes the weight closer to the tip, and the rod balances best with a somewhat heavier reel than I might use on a graphite rod. The same is true of my Echo Glass 124" 6-weight spey rod, which balances best with a fairly heavy reel of around 13oz. That rod casts extremely well for me with a Rio 390 grain scandi head, a 10 AirFlo Slow Sink poly leader and 5 feet of tippet, and I have caught several good trout with it.

I am very satisfied with both my Echo Glass switch and spey rods and will use them frequently for trout here in Colorado. They are a great value for the price with excellent workmanship and cosmetics. The indexing marks on the sections and addition of a fly-keeper are two minor features missing on many more expensive rods that I particularly appreciate. The only suggestion I would make to Echo is that a down-locking rather than up-locking reel seat would help counteract the forward weight bias inherent in glass rods of this length, allowing them to balance better with lighter reels.



Thanks to you and the others at Gorge Fly Shop for the excellent service,

Brit

"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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New Reels from Redington Behemoth and Zero

00.11 in and, behemoth, Boat Plans, from, new, one, redington, reels, sage, spey, trout, zero

Redington Behemoth

Redington Zero

Redington continues to advance design innovation in its quality fly rods, waders, apparel and more, and that has never been truer than in its two new reel models, the BEHEMOTH and the Zero.

“We set out to push and challenge the traditional boundaries of reel design with both the BEHEMOTH and Zero reels, achieving some incredible performance levels,” comments Redington reel designer Paul Richardson. “The Behemoth combines the most powerful drag in its class with visually stunning and harmonious aesthetics, whilst the Zero sets a new standard for supreme lightweight performance within trout fishing.”

Behemoth

The Behemoth reels are the most powerful drag system fly reels in their class, offering over 30lbs of torque. They feature a diecast construction that is impossible to CNC machine, offering unrivalled strength and durability as well as a large arbor design to speed retrieve times and reduce line memory. The drag package features super-heavy duty carbon fiber and stainless steel braking discs for the utmost in reliability and power, and the oversized drag adjustment knob makes it very simple to access and adjust. The deep v-spool increases backing capacity for epic fish battles and a new twin molded handle improves grip and comfort. These reels are supplied with a nylon reel case and a lifetime warranty. Available in August 2015 for a retail price of $109.95 for the 5/6 and 7/8 and $129.95 for the 9/10 and 11/12 models.

Zero

The Zero reels are the lightest aluminum diecast reels available on the global market thanks to distinctive, unmachinable die-cast construction and skeletonized design. The spring-loaded clicker drag system is constructed with minimal moving components to improve durability and ease of function and easily switches retrieve direction. The large arbor design reduces line memory and quickens retrieval times when fighting fish, and the new twin molded, soft-touch ergonomic handles improve comfort and ergonomics. These reels are supplied with a nylon reel case and a lifetime warranty. Available August 2015 for a retail price of $89.95.

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report 2 8 16

22.16 in 16, 2, 8, Boat Plans, columbia, eating, fishing, for, gearing, gorge, meat, report, trout, up

Outcast OSG Commander: Command the Water!

Ready for your Fishing Report? 

Go Fish!

We are moving into a little bit of a warm and dry spell here, which will be great for the trout fishing on the Deschutes; maybe not so good for the winter steelhead crew.  It has been a great winter so far as far as water levels and snowpack, so a week of low and clear should be welcomed. 

Winter Steelhead:  Rivers are dropping; hit them before they bottom out.  Most look like they are clearing up significantly and many could start to flatten out by the end of the week.  Low, steady flows are not ideal for steelheading, but it should be great in most rivers for the early part of the week.  The rain looks like it will return next week and rivers will bump back up, bringing a wave of new fish in. 

Rainbow Trout fishing should be absolutely stellar this week.  Sunny, warm conditions may not be good for steelheading, but they will produce nice mayfly hatches during mid-day.  Fish should eat dries during the warmest part of the day.  March Brown and Blue Wings Olives could be hatching, so be prepared for both.  Warming water temps should also create great conditions for nymphing and streamer fishing.  Nymph with a small, dark rubber leg doubled with a mayfly nymph in size #14-20.  If you want to swing/twitch a streamer, keep it low and slow through slower runs and tailouts as the water is still cold and fish are not terribly active, but they are warming and will move more than when it is just frigid out. 

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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Trout Spey Reels

03.55 in adventures, ak, aleutian, and, Boat Plans, hoodoo, reels, river, sandy, spey, trout

Trout Spey Reels

Does one need a special reel for a trout spey rod? Absolutely! We must always be in pursuit of the perfect match of rod, REEL and line!

So what makes a perfect reel for a two hand trout spey rod outfit? While line capacity, drag performance and weight account for most of the answer ultimately we still get to make our own decision based on pure personal preference. Its hard not to like all fly reels. Machined aluminum, anodized colors and precision movement, whats not to like! If youre tired of standard issue offerings you can always spring for one of the many custom options including colors and engravings offered by many fly reel manufactures including Abel, Nautilus, Tibor and Bauer.

Just like in my previous line article (Trout Spey Lines - No Perfect Answer!), Im not going to go into every little detail about fly reels but instead review the reels I have used, what I like and dont like about them.

Bauer CFX4 Spey

While CFX #5 and #6 spey reels are not new the Bauer CFX #4 size is new. Brand New! I bought the first two to ever ship from the Bauer factory. Summer 2014 over lunch with Jon Bauer on my travels through southern Oregon an idea came to me that I instantly shared with Jon. I told Jon that current spey and switch specific reels are too large for my trout spey rod needs and most of todays single hand fly reels are too light to properly balance my two hand rods. Not to mention they just dont have a soulful look. Now Im not a retro reel enthusiast but I do love the look of a solid back reel and the extra metal adds the weight needed to balance a two hand rod. Jon Bauer understood my needs and agreed to do a run of CFX #4 with solid backs like the #5 and #6 CFX spey reels. He has some inventory of them and because the spool is the same as the standard CFX all color options are available including the inner drum and drag knob colors. At this time of writing we are currently the only Bauer dealer with this CFX #4 spey option on our website.

Solid!

Bauer reels are smooth operators with undetectable start up inertia.
Its one of the few reels that still uses hardwood handles, something that I like and find lacking on most modern reels. On the CFX model you will find the drag knob located on the crank side of the reel. This is an age old argument as popular as which hand should you retrieve with. I like the drag on the crank side, why would I want to reach around the reel to adjust drag and have to think about which way to turn the knob to adjust. Having the drag knob on the crank side makes it easy to adjust when needed and the design of the knob lets you reach in with two fingers to make an adjustment so as to avoid getting your knuckles whacked by the crank.

Specs - Bauer CFX #4

• Diameter 3.75"
• Weight 6.6 oz (scaled 6.6 oz) 
• Capacity 330gr Airflo Switch Streamer + 100yds/20# backing
• RIO Scandi Short VersiTip 320gr #5 + Rio Powerflex 0.024 running line + 100yds/20# (lots of room to spare)

The CFX #4 should handle any 3 and 4 weight spey/switch rods and lines and maybe have enough capacity for some 5 weight rods depending on your line choices.

Note about spey reel specs
There are so many variables in two hand reel specs that you really should take in consideration when choosing a reel size. How much backing do you want/need? What length and diameter of running line do you intend to use? What line or head system will you choose; (I.E. Skagit, Scandi, integrated or other)? I start out with 100yds of 20# backing. I consider that to be more than enough for the trout angler. Running/shooting lines are a pretty big variable. Are you going to use mono or a standard level line? How long do you need? 100 running lines are pretty much overkill and you could easily gain some reel capacity by trimming off the backing end to 70 or 80 and still have more than enough. Skagit heads need more space than Scandi heads...So you can see the many variables with reels. I generally find reels in the 6/7/8 weight category to be sufficient for 3/4/5 weight trout speys.

Tibor Light Back Country CL Wide

Not a "new to the scene" reel the Tibor Light Series of reels have been around for quite awhile. Modern in design but yet I feel they possess a look missing in so many of todays new reels.

I originally purchased my Back Country reel for my Sage Bass Series Smallmouth Rod but I had to try it out on my Winston 4110 Microspey. It is a perfect marriage! Balance, capacity and the soulful look is hard to beat. Id like to get another in a different color and return the bass red to the rightful place on the Sage Bass II rod but until I need it for that purpose its found a home on my Winston.
The drag is silky smooth and has done an excellent job of protecting lite tippet. I like the adjuster on it too. Do note that I retrieve right hand and that puts the adjuster on the forward end of the reel. This would be reversed to the rearward end for left hand retrievers. Ive had various different 3 and 4 weight spey lines on it with no capacity issues. I have also run a mono shooting line on it and never once did it slip out of the frame.

Specs - Tibor Back Country CL

• Diameter 3 5/8"
• Weight 5.5 oz (scaled 6.5 oz) 
• Capacity Rio #5-320gr Scandi Short VersiTip + Rio Powerflex 0.024 running line + 100yds/20#.

Sage Domain

Sage Domain - Full Caged Frame

I paired a Sage Domain reel to my Sage ONE 4116 with the idea that it would be lined with a mono running line and a scandi head. The full cage frame would keep the mono tamed and the weight would be a good balance. I did a risky gamble going with the 5/6 size but it worked out perfect! The stealth black look goes great with the Sage One. The drag has functioned flawlessly just like I have come to expect from all my Sage reels. If I had any complaints it would be that the spool is hard to remove but thats not really an issue considering I dont intend on having extra spools for it. The Domain is a nice mix of modern features such as large arbor and precision drag while including important two hand functionality such as full caged frame and enough weight for rod balancing. Capacity seems generous to the point that I was able to make the Size  #5 work for me with a mono running line and a scandi head but you would want to get the #8 if level running line and/or skagit head is in your plans.

Specs - Domain #5

• Diameter 3.60"
• Weight 6.2 oz (scaled 6.0 oz) 
• Capacity Rio #5-320gr Scandi Short VersiTip + S/A 0.021" Mono Shooting line + 100yds/20# backing

Lamson Litespeed #3

If youre seeking lightweight its hard to beat a Lamson Litespeed. While lighter than I prefer I have used a #3 Litespeed to do a lot of different line testings and it just works and looks great. Reliable effective smooth drag and large arbor for fast retrieves has given the Litespeed an incredible reputation as a highly effective fishing tool. I really have no complaints about any of the Lamson reels I own. Lamson actually has many great choices for the two hand enthusiast including the Speedster HD, ARX and Guru HD which are all full frame caged reels.

Specs - Litespeed #3

• Diameter 3.75"
• Weight 4.63 oz (scale 4.5 oz) 
• Capacity - Rio #5 Scandi Short VersiTip + Rio ConnectCore 0.026 running line + 100 yds/20# backing

Lamson Speedster HD

Lamson Speedster HD #3

Modern, great looking, reliable and high performance are the words I will use to describe the Speedster HD Series of reels. Sure I love the soulful look of solid backs and hardwood handles of the more traditional style reels but youve got to respect the modern advancement of technology that comes with the Lamson Speedster. Its like comparing a 60s muscle car with a modern day Corvette. Both deserve our respect and what you choose is your choice and no choice is wrong! You certainly cant go wrong with the Speedster. I only wish they made it in black, (Hello Lamson: Hint! Hint!). While on the lite side of two hand reels I found my Speedster HD #3 to be in the ballpark of balance with the Winston 4110 Microspey.

Specs - Speedster #3 HD

• Diameter 4.0" 
• Weight 5.3 oz (scale 5.4) 
• Capacity - Rio 325gr Skagit Max Short + S/A Textured Shooting line 0.032" + 100yds/20# backing...NOTE: This combo really packed the speedster but most of the line overkill comes from the S/A 120 of shooting line. You could chop that back to 90 and still have more than enough running line and get back lost capacity

Full Cage vs. No Cage

Caged (Lamson Speedster HD) vs. No Cage (Lamson Speedster)

Why use a full cage reel? The best reason to utilize a full cage is to help tame mono running lines. Mono running lines can be a love / hate relationship, you either learn to love what they can do for you or you end up hating how they can treat you. The advantages you get with mono such as longer casts have to be weighed out with the disadvantages such as tangling and coiling. One way to help tame mono is incorporating the use of a full caged reel. The cage part of the frame acts like a line guide and therefore removes some of the freedom a mono line has to coil around things or sneak out between frame and spool. In some cases a full cage reel can have an added benefit being that they usually weigh more than cage free designs thereby helping balance your two hand rod. So even if you never intend to use a mono running line you still might find a caged reel to be a weight benefit. An "easy to see the difference" example of this is the Lamson Speedster which is made in both caged and cage free models. The Lamson Speedster #3 (cage free) weighs in at 4.7 oz while the Lamson Speedster HD (caged) weights in at 5.3 oz. Although 0.6 oz is not a huge difference it is a noticeable difference in where your rod will balance.

To further this conversation about rod balance Id like to point out a couple details of interest. First is,  I find reels that are too heavy to be more annoying than reels that are too light. When a reel is too heavy you are constantly forcing the tip of the rod down. Personally I find it easier to fish a rod that I have to pull the tip up. Second item is you can always add weight to a reel but you cant remove weight. Weight can be added to a reel simply by adding some tungsten sink tip or lead core line to the arbor of your spool. 200 grains of sink tip material is almost 0.50 oz. Keep in mind to feel the actual balance of a rod you will need to have a loaded reel attached with the line strung through the guides and the head part of the line outside the tip top just as if you are fishing to get an accurate idea of how the rod will balance on the stream. Balancing a rod is not an exact science. Too many variables exist that change the balance points such as where do you grip the handle or how much running line is out the tip as well as what type of line are you fishing with. You really are just trying to get in the ballpark with reel weight and as long as youre in it you will have a comfortable effective fishing tool. When an outfit balances well you wont even notice it but offset the balance and it will become quite clear on the stream. I have tried a couple popular 8 weight large arbor salt type reels on my trout spey rods and while the capacity is great the balance was way off particularly to the annoying side of heavy whereas reels that are on the "too light" side of balance seem to lean on the side of acceptable.

My guess is if you are getting into trout spey you are probably already a seasoned angler. You probably already have some reels in your collection that might work great or they might help you to determine what weight or capacity you need for your rod. Send me your pictures and tell me what you like. I really enjoy hearing about your experiences. Thanks for reading.

Lines I use on these reels - Trout Spey Lines - No Perfect Answer!

My two hand trout adventures - Trout Spey Chronicles

Greg Darling 

Gorge Fly Shop Internet Sales Manager | Product Specialist

"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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