Jonesing For Trout Season! You don't have to with the Rogue River Holy Water!

I love standing knee deep in the middle of the a winter swept river swinging huge flies, but all the dredging it takes to get winter steel makes me day dream about warmer days and more delicate presentations. Luckily,  I don't have to wait on the Rogue River! The Holy Water, as its called, is open to flyfishing year around. It also houses some of the largest Trout in Southwestern Oregon. These fish came from the Cole River Hatchery, but have had many years of wild spawning making them act like wild fish. They readily come to a well presented fly. Many say that the best time of year is late April to May, when the salmon flies come off, but I like to fish them this time of year when their is hardly any pressure. As the spring flows warm you can swing soft hackles or dead drift nymphs with success. So if cabin fever has you beat, get out! The Holy Water will welcome you!

Mini spey strikes agian on the Rogue River Holy Water!

Kandace showing Mark and I how its done! Waders, only boys need waders!

Kandace with a nice Rogue River Holy Water Trout. Bet her feet are cold.

December is still producing!

The Rogue amazes me! We started catching summer steelhead in July and continue to get them into February. That's 7 Months, ya 7 Months. The end of March brings Winters into the upper system so there are virtually fish in the river most of the year. What other River produces such runs? I didn't get out today but here are a couple Rogue Summer Runs that one of the local fish smacker hit today. Good job Jordan!

Run & Gun!

Wild Hen (Summer Run !?!)

Proud Papa!

What happens when the lady of the house goes shopping and leaves the boys at home on a day off? We go to the Rogue and swing some flies. We loaded up the rods and headed to the top of the river to try out a couple of new patterns that I wanted to fish. I took Gage to the top of the run, tied on my prototype fly, and pointed out the rocks to pay attention to. Gage, rolled his eyes and told me,"Dad I know, I'm not a little kid anymore." I thought, ya kid, I would listen if I were you. But, I smiled at Gage, and headed to the next run below. I about made it to my run when I heard, "Dad, Fish On!" I looked up river and sure enough Gage had a nice fish making a good run. By the time I got back up the river he had the nice hatchery fish subdued. "Griller Dad, I told  you I know where they are." Gage said when I got there. I took some pictures and congratulated him nonchalantly, but I couldn't be prouder as my son has turned into a steelheader, he is reading his own water and catching fish out of it. He went on to hook and a hog just a bit further down the run. I tied on a "prototype" and hooked a couple of my own but they didn't get me near as excited as Gage's! To say I am a proud papa is a understatement.

Locked and Loaded!

Swinging "his" water

Gage with a well read fish!

Following suit!

A couple for the grill!

 

A Great Day for Spey--Rogue River Style

I started the day off at the annual Two hands at Touvelle event. What a great time, I got to cast the newest and the greatest. I also got to try out a Airflo Rage for the first time...Wow, What a great dry line. There is something cool about being able to just grab a rod and go cast it, it close to being in steelhead heaven. While there, I met a cool young man named Kellen who was testing rods 3 at a time--my kind of guy.  As the gathering wore down I knew that I had to get on the water so I drove to the river, knowing that I was in for a good day. Within three cast I got a tug, and a few later I was hooked up. I was all alone until I noticed a young man make his way to the beach. A few minutes later I noticed he was hooked up and having a hard time beaching the fish by himself so I made my way up river to help him out. Once I got there, I realized it was non-other than Kellen! I tailed the nice hen for him and we both admired the nice fish.

With Smile on his face Kellen Said "Everyone says you have to have a bobber and a Nymph to catch steelhead on the Rogue, Why is that?"

I laughed, and answered, "I don't know, we didn't even know what a indicator was when I swung flies here as a kid." We both went back to swinging the run--Kellen ended the evening 2 for 2 and I followed 1 for 3,  missing grabs in between fish--not bad for a couple of hours. 

We were the only two people within sight on a Saturday night- just us, the ducks, and steelhead -Have I ever mentioned I love the Upper Rogue in fall.

Going Back

Nice Little Male

Kellen with his nice Rogue River Steelhead

Grilled Rogue River Steelhead

People who know me know that Hatchery Steelhead don't make it past my boat. there are a couple of reasons for this. 1. We don't need them breeding with the Rogues Wild Steelhead. 2. Rogue River Hatchery Steelhead taste so good! Please help the river and keep all hatchery fish.

My absolute favorite way to cook a steelhead is on the grill. here is a recipe that will bring everyone to the table.

Take a Nice Rogue River Hatchery Steelhead, Fillet it and cut to portions. 

Mix 1 to 1 ratio of pancake syrup and soy sauce. 

Pour marinate in a suitable container, add some fresh garlic, add fish meat side down. Let it soak for at least 15 minutes and no more than a hour.

Take left over marinade and reduce it to a thick basting sauce.

Treat the grill with oil so the fish doesn't stick (do this before you start the coals if you like to keep your arm hair)

Lay fish on grill skin down, and away from the coals, as we will cook with indirect heat. close the lid and keep the grill at about 400 deg. F (notice the fresh garlic)

Cook for about 15 minutes or until the steelhead is flaky. A good way  to know when its close is to watch the skin, when it shrinks to make the edges of the fillet rounded the fish is about done. Properly cooked, the skin should fall off, but there should be a little moisture left in the meat. pepper to taste and serve with a nice salad, and your choice of beverage. YUM!

 

A great night on the Rogue River!

You don't get many days on the Rogue River like I had yesterday! A client who wants to row your boat so they can build some oarsman skills for their local river is a rare treat. The same client that wants to only swing flies, but will leisurely fish between swing runs is even better. But, a client who absolutely gets it, and has as deep of a love for steelhead and the beauty of a well swung fly is priceless. I'm sure the words, "I'm one of those guys you don't have to micromanage, just let me know where the major holding areas of the run are, and relax--grab a rod and follow me through." are the words every guide would love to hear. That's how it went last night! Within fifteen minutes of fishing, Carl had swung up the most beautiful half pounder that thought it was a tiger! A couple minutes later he swung the Emerald tail-out, where midway through the growl of his real revealed another vicious take. Carl missed the fish, but like any well seasoned steelheader, threw the exact same cast knowing the fish was probably still grabby. Carl's creation swam its way to the battle line and presented itself in as scrumptious as it could. It was to much for the chromed monster to stand. From a 100 yards up river I could see the rod tip dive and the reel sing as the monster smashed the offering. Carl was to ready for the take and didn't give the fish enough time, and the line became depressingly slack. I expected to see some sort of anger, or aggravation on Carl's face, but there was none of that --just a smile from ear to ear, "Did you see that?" bellowed up the river, "I got my Fix!" I have never seen someone so happy to miss a fish. I waded my way down and handed Carl another fly, trying to switch things up to induce another strike. Carl fished it a couple swings, just to appease me, then said "Any fish that gives me two chances, that I miss, deserves to be left alone."
Its such a treat to fish with some one who gets it will make your whole week, thanks Carl for the great trip.

Ready for Battle!

Typical Rogue River Steelhead Run!

Beautiful Rogue River Half Pounder on the swing!

Running line Problems?

Do you have tangles? Do you have trust issues with line manufactures from their outlandish claims of "tangle free running lines?" I use to, until I found a different way. Check out this video  and you to can be on speaking terms, once again, with your favorite line manufacture. This is the best video I have ever seen to describe shooting line management. http://youtu.be/zdTYi992-vw

Its True!

I was just wondering around our local Costco and found out all the rumors are true. They ares selling Sage, that's right, Sage Ones for a huge markdown. If I were a small fly shop I would be outraged, as Sage sets the price for these rods and you have to sell them at that price. The local Shops have to sell these same rods for $750. Just like everything else, I guess Fly Shops are destined to follow--no more ma and pa stores, just the big discounters.

Swinging Rogue Ugly-The fly of many faces!

The Rogue River has such a abundant run of summer steelhead that it gives you a ton of time to experiment. The old Ugly Bug, or Carpet Bagger, as Neil would call it, has became the go to fly for most Rogue River Guides, but what about the guys that like to swing also. Or better yet what about the guys that employ a dead drift until the fly gets to a place to swing. I have found this method to be deadly, as a  rising fly induces some elicit instinct that will bring savage strikes. I found this method by accident, when I was a kid. I had tossed my nymph upstream and mended it the whole way down. Somehow I had created a huge knot in my fly line, so I just let my rig swing across below me, as I tried to untie it. As tension on the line made the fly ascend, a massive strike about jerked the rod out from under my arm. I started employing this method with all of my fishing. Its easy to do, but you have learn how to fish the dead drift without a indicator--something we did before indicators were used a lot. Then, one day I thought why not add some movement to a pattern that already has proven itself and just like that the Rogue Swinging Ugly was born. Since then, this method and the fly it birthed, has saved the day on the river. Its an easy fly to tie, here is the recipe. Swing On...Nate

Weighted For Deep Pools

Add The Chenille of your choice, but if its for the Rogue River It better have Black  in it. 

Add the rubber legs you like ( I tie all sorts, for different taste)

Add a nice webby hen hackle.

And wa la, you have a fly as versatile as a switch rod.  

You Know I love to Swing but.......

There are times when the fish just wont move, so you have to take your offering to them. There is no easier way to do this then with a nymph and bobber (oops I meant "indicator") set up. You have to start with a line that has enough forward mass to turn the whole mess over and with enough body that you can mend it for long drifts. On most nymph rigs for the Rogue River you will find a good ole double taper, but I have found that Airflo's Speydicator works better for my switch rods and the Clients find it less fatiguing at the end of the day. Know, I know  what your hard core swingers are thinking, Spedicator blasphemous!  I felt the same way to , but it didn't take long for me to see the benefits in deploying such tactics. First it has opened up the sport to potential future swingers. Once you catch your first steelhead you'll be hooked, and like all of us the natural progression through methods finally ends in the purity of winter fish on the swing, but everyone has to start somewhere, and the more people that love these fish the better they will be taken care of. I no longer look at nymph fishing as the dark side, but rather an introduction to a sport that I love--and after all we aren't throwing worms.
It kinda seems weird feeling like I have to defend nymph steelhead fishing but i think its one of those things in the double handed world that people haven't really sat and thought about it. The advent of the switch rod has brought this form of fishing to a whole different level. with the added length and casting styles we can achieve drifts on seams that seemed impossible years ago. The ease, and lack of false casting' is what led me to outfitting my boat with these miniature spey rods. Even the greenest of clients can become proficient enough to fish well with about 5 minutes of instruction--not to mention water born cast save me ear piercings.
 The way I set up the rig isn't that much different then your average trout rig--just longer and heaver. Speydecatiors come prelooped so all I do is add a but section of 25 lb HARD mono, like Maxim Chameleon due to its abrasion resistance, then add a mid section of 0x fluorocarbon, finishing it off with 2x fluorocarbon for tippet. All sections are cut 40" in order to get 36" sections after knots are ties. I loop both ends of the rear section, one loop for the line to butt connection and another loop that to the forward two sections. This allows me to change the front section out without having to change my indicator position. I can control depth with the pre-tied front section and flies. You have to run heavy line in the rear and check it constantly as casting indicators are hard on it. the forward two sections are linked by a surgeons knot. This setup gives you 9' to your first fly under the indicator--a set up that will fish 90% of the Upper Rogue. If you are in a shallower run just loop on a shorter forward section. I ALWAYS run two flies. the first fly is tied through the eye to the tippet with a improved clinch, and the dropper is tied to the shank with the same knot. Dropper length is something you'll have to play with for your conditions, but 24" is a good place to start. Remember use the lightest line you can get away with so that dropper fly will swim right. One note to point out here, the more slkack you have in your leader system, the longer it takes to indicate a strike, so make your leader match your run. I have picked up fish behind people who probably had strikes in the hole but didnt know it because their leaders were way to long and the fish probably spit the fly way before the indicator took up the slack of the leader to tell the fisherman their fly had stopped. If your having a hard time hooking fish, shorten your leader.

Speydicator works wonders!

What you Need

Keeping it local

Loop to Loop

The Whole Shebang!

Total Blasphemy, well not really. 

This is a highly effective way to catch Steelhead and has introduced many to the sport we love, so the next time your on the river give it a try--if you have some one you want to introduce to fly fishing for Steelhead, give it a shot, and don't worry they will look forward to the day of of that tug only the swing can produce. Nate

 
     

The Ultimate Line

As I have stated before, swinging flies for Rogue River Steelhead and Trophy Redband Trout is my passion. Swinging, and two handed rods go hand in hand, but there is a huge lack of good switch lines when it comes swinging for trout. I love the castability of the Skagit, but don't care for the way it floats so high, and the hinging effect of when swinging with tips, a presentation that in my opinion lacks, the fishy movement that Williamson, and Wood River RedBands like. The other side of the coin is the fishy, slick, CLEAR, intermediate weight forward lines that is a super stealthy necessity when we are talking the Basin, but they detract from the long cast and fishiness of the best swinging tool known to Man--the Switch rod.  If I could design the perfect tool for trout swinging it would be a clear intermediate Skagit head with intermediate running line. Such a head would combine the best of both worlds. You could still get the supper swimming effect of a intermediate, that would allow you to cast to fish that are beyond the average single hander. Come on someone come out with a clear intermediate Skagit. Until then Ill just have to keep using the ole floating Skagit.




Wood River--Two Hands!



The Tug!

The Hecklers

Slick Line Scores



They eat Swung Flies!

Intermediate D loops just aren't the same!



The perfect line would bring more of these!

Big fish aren't all there is!

As a guide it seems like I am always after the real toads, and rightfully so, but sometimes it is great just to get back to the basics and wade a solitary, high mountain stream. The Upper, Upper Rogue is that stream for me. During my fourth of July camping trip, I was able to sneak out with my small glass rod for a couple hours of fishing. Here are some pictures to remind you about the basics of our sport. For me, it was the place where I was introduced to my first trout lie. Its places like this,  that will always bring me back to the simple style of life that my father introduced to me so many years ago. Its places like this,  that I'll always gravitate back to, to recharge. What a Blessing! Enjoy!

Awesome River

Gotta get down

Love Swinging

Swinging the ledge

Wet wading just like when I was a kid

A Trophy, for this section of river!

Bending the Glass Rod

Love this Place

Going Back In--Thanks For the Fight--pure blessing!