Not a bad problem to have ... a Rogue, Williamson, Wood rivers, and Klamath Lake Report.

#SouthernOregonFlyfishing

This time of year is a hard time of year for me as its hard to choose between the Rogue, Williamson, Wood Rivers and the Klamath Lake. I guess we could have worse problems.

The Rogue is the go to, when we are talking about new fishermen. With the prospects of catching a ton of fish on dries it's a great way to introduce people to the sport of flyfishing. if you are looking to get a wife or one of your children hooked, the Rogue is a great option

Rogue River Cutty!

The Williamson is fishing well, but the best is yet to come. All the fish we have been catching are clean as a whistle, meaning they don't have any of the license on them from the lake. This is a sure indicator that the big push of fish lake fish haven't hit the cool waters of the Williamson. As the lake warms expect more and more fish to show up. As it is we are catching quite a few fish a day.

Williamson River Redband

Williamson Slab!

The Wood is in the same boat as the Williamson, but fish are already moving into the estuary. Fish from the wetlands bridge down. Watch for fish early in the morning and late in the evenings. Swing soft hackles across rising fish.

The Tranquil Wood River


 

The Locals

The Klamath/Agency  is fishing amazingly  well. Look for fish staging at the cool water. With the heat they are going to start pushing up the rivers. Strip leaches and emergers across rolling fish. Look for the foam lines along the mixing of the warm and cool waters.

The Klamath/Agency Lake is a consistent producer!

There you have it! If Southern Oregon isn't on your bucket list it should be. It has the water to match whatever skill level, and gives you the potential to catch the largest, meanest trout of your life. 

Spey Fishing outside the box....Who made the box anyhow?

From the very beginning of my fly fishing I learned how to get the perfect drift. There are days when the steelhead wont move to a swung fly, or when you have to get the fly down to their level before you induce the swing. I have found this technique to come in handy for such days. Don't let the hardcore swingers out there give you to much heart burn if you decide to try this technique...after all its fishing.... enjoy the River.

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.

Another Great Rod From LTS

When a certain rod matches you its pure Magic! That is what I am finding with the LTS rods. I'm not sure what they are made out of, but they are nothing short of amazing in my book. Donna, from www.fishon-sports.com let me play with yet another LTS....The Most striking of all them...the 1309-4 Across! Check out my review below!

Winter Seam Fishing, Rogue River Style!

The Rogue is a river full of slots and buckets. Every one of these fish holding spots has a seam leading into or out of it. Over the years I have found that a ton of Spey Fishermen have a hard time catching fish in the winter. Heck, around here people will tell you that you can't catch a winter fish on the swing--but that's not the case. Sure winters can be harder to catch then their summer brothers, but if you get your flies to them they will bite! Getting your fly to them is a tall order though, so I put together a short segment to show you all what I do to fish more efficiently in the swollen winter waters...I hope this helps...

Rogue Up River Kings

Ok, if any of you have followed me for a while you know that I have a passion that I haven't filled yet. After 43 years on God's green earth, I have yet to hook and land a up river, Rogue River Springer on a fly. I have hooked them, mostly by accident,  but I haven't even came close to landing one yet. Part of the reason for this is that I haven't had enough practice.  Part of the reason I haven't had enough practice is that my average hook up, to year, ratio is .0008 to one. Part of the reason for such a low hook up rate is that I think my fly is fishing where the salmon hold, about .053 seconds out of every 8 hours on the river, due to the high spring run off associated to these jems of the northwest.

This year is different,  2014 will be the year this passion will be filled, because I have came up secret weapon number 57.  With olé 57 I have a hypothesis to prove, but if I learned anything from 2 to 56, and kindergarten, it's that you have to keep your fly down...maybe I have the kindergarten lesson backwards...anyhow if you are going to catch a Chinook you have to be on the bottom. That's where olé 57 comes into the picture.  Olé 57 is a fly I would like to call Slowfish...kinda named after the lure with the exact opposite name...The Slowfish will get down.

The Slowfish is as big as my hand and made out of materials that allows it to be casted with something slightly less than a crane, but I guarantee it will get down.

Like all my other secret weapons I have yet ti iron all the details out--like will graphite hold up to the strain of  a Mack truck, as studies have shown that is the equivalent resistance that this fly will place on any rod: And if so how much of the river will it take with it. I am also a bit leery of packing the rod that this beast will require, as I'm afraid that much graphite whipping around in the atmosphere might alter the signals from the GPS satellites, sending our Air Force to attack Fiji instead Afghanistan- I kinda like Fiji!

Anyhow wish me luck, and don't let this secret leak to any of the Chinooks you know....Nate

What's that? You want to know about secret weapon number 1. Oh we don't talk about that around here. It's mere mention, creates hate and discontent around my house, as we haven't been able to handle our house cat since...even to wash the Chartreuse dye out.

So,  go ahead and copy this pattern if your man enough. 

Secret No.57 the Fly Known as Slowfish!

The Rogue River Spey Fishing Is Back on!

Last week consisted of praying for Rain!--the Rogue slowed the last couple weeks. The Rain finally came, the River grabbed some color, and best of all, the Steelhead started biting again. I had some new lines to try out so I hit the river at about 3:30 this afternoon leaving me just a couple of hours to get my two new Tfo's dialed in! I started through the run with the TFO 4/5 126 4 DC. I lined it with a 330 grn Airflo Skandi compact, which was a tad on the heavy side, but I slowed the rod enough to let it do its thing. I tipped the head with a intermediate polly and  about 3 foot of 0x tippet. I placed two prince Nymphs and dead drifted them in The greased line fashion of old. Even though the the flies bounced their way through the run the fish waited until they started to swing before he slammed them! The little Spey Rod did well, and 15 minutes later the 5 lb buck was in my hands. I loved casting the little rod, but Im going to buy a 300 grain scandi for touch and go casting.

I really wanted to catch a fish on both rods as it was the first time they were out, and I knew it would put some serious Steelhead Mojo on them, if they hit fish. The next rod to Fish was the TFO TF 6/7 130 4 DC. This is the absolute best rod I have casted and fished, in a long time. I lined it with a 480 Airflo Skagit Intermediate and 10' of T7. The line swung slow and hung just off the bottom. This presentation brought a huge strike that jerked line off the reel. I felt the weight of the fish, but was unable to get a solid hookset. I fished until dark and had a couple small taps, but left the river with a huge Grin. I love the rods, with a little more fine tuning they will become at the top of my list of great rods.

Two Hours and a few fish,  it sounds like the bite is back on boys--lets make up for some Lost Time.

Nice Little Buck

The 4wt Spey  Rod did a great job on this Rogue River Steelhead !

6wt Swinging the Rogue!

The Rogue Is getting some color!

Its the most wonderful time of the year!

No, not Santa! Fall! It means Summer Steelhead on the Rogue River, and October Caddis! A combonation that can be some of the most fun you'll have. Orange seems to be the theme of fall, and the fish often agree, as they find swung pumpkin flies hard to resist. Here are some top producers for the Upper Rogue River.

Gotta Love October! Match the October Caddis Hatch on the Rogue River!

Halloween Fly-- A top Rogue River Producer for rainy days.

Why they eat them!!! October Caddis bring Rogue Steel to the bank!

Summer Steelhead On the Rogue River-- How to Catch Fish in the Heat.

We have had a unseasonably hot weather on the Rogue the last couple of weeks. If you watch the river temp it hovers around 60 deg F, in such weather. I have found that water temp is one of the biggest factors that affects the bite. Until I got the USGS River Flow app for my Android smart phone I didn't realize how much the river temp changed during the day--Now I can Almost time the bite with the info my phone provides, but I have also found some tricks to catch fish in the middle of the day, when water is at its warmest.

1. Fish Deep. You all have been swimming in a lake where the top layer of water is warm, then you dive to find that it cools drastically about 10 foot down. The Rogue Steelhead are masters at finding the, comfort  of the right temperature of water. People look at me funny when I pull out the heaver tips and fish the deep stuff in summer, but if your having a hard time in the heat try it .

2. Fish the Shade. This goes without saying, but I see people standing in the mid day sun and fish the same run they fish for winters. The classic steelhead run is 4 to 6 feet of water and is moving at the same speed  as you can walk--not in summer if the sun is high and the water is warming, the fish are cold blooded animals, they cant sweat they need to find the cooler areas of the river.

3. Fish Structure, this is much like fishing shade, but what I'm referring to are the ledges and boulders that are under water. I found this theory one day when I was snorkeling the deep holes on the Chetco. If you have ever swam in the Chetco during the summer you know how warm it could get. I snorkeled the river to clean it up after fishing season. One day I saw a lure that was tucked under a basalt ledge. it wasn't Particularly deep so I took a gulp of air and dove to it, once I got to the edge of the ledge I could feel the water cool. Under the ledge it mus have dropped more than 5 degrees. Trout were stacked in that cooler water--steelhead are no different.

4. Use Big Dark Flies. Dark because you don't have to worry about off colored water as you would during high spring and winter flows, and big because, much like winter, you have to move their lazy butts. the fish slow down in warm water as much as they do in cold water, you have to play on their predatory instincts. Just look at what your plug pulling friends are using, I guarantee their plugs are bigger, and move more, than most of the flies we fish, yet they catch a ton of fish. Why is that? They have tapped into the predatory instinct that all steelhead have to act on, our flies should do the same. 

These are just sole of the tricks I have came up with over they years. Give them a shot on your water. I have included a couple videos to illustrate the above points. Don't let the heat get you down.

 Fishing Summer Holds

You Need Movement

 

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!

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

 
     

Do you see your quarry like this--you should?

If your like me there is more to fishing than fishing. I feel connected with something that's real. there is something deep within us that knows we belong immersed with the truths that the river brings. A wise man once said, "But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you." There is so much we can learn about ourselves as we ponder the creation--that is why I have grown to love the Art that celebrates it! That is why Derek DeYoung's stuff hits me so hard... Check it out!  http://vimeo.com/37610238

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!

Waiting for steel! Swinging for Cutts! Rogue River Style!

If you know me you know how much I love to swing flies, but there is one thing I like better, watching my wife swing flies, then hammering a huge Rogue River Cutthroat. Outside of the Holy Waters the Rogue isn't known as being a blue ribbon trout stream, but if you know where to go, what to use, and how to use it, you will be rewarded. We missed several more and broke one real monster off-- might have even been a early Steelhead--it was enough to get my blood pumping for sure.

Misty's nice Rogue River Cutt!

Got to love the Rogue!