Rogue River Steelhead are coming out to play!

The Rogue Is fishing well if your willing to get your flies down. Other than a few shallow runs, I have switched to skagits. The river is in its annual cooling stage and the fish are becoming more and more like winter steelhead. Of course Nymphs are fishing well. Stick to stoneflies up front, and match the hatch behind. Don't be afraid to throw the small stuff. 

Swinging is becoming more technical, you have to hit the slots and keep your fly in the fishes face as long as you can. I like fishing big flies this time of year, mostly blue and black.  I continue to use these techniques until the river starts to rage again in the spring, but don't be afraid to throw the scandi back on when the sun warms a run enough that you to see fish activity. Even with the colder water, I have caught several fish in the top half of the water column when conditions are right. 

If you're close to the Rogue, get out there! There are a ton of fish!   

Steve's first Steelhead ever!

Tammy with a freshy

Tammy is a fish Magnet!

Another nice fish!

Bob getting into the action!

Pile of LTS Rods! what a great time testing some new

Snow, Christmas Lights, Rogue River Steelhead, and the Jacket that Keeps me in the game.

The Rogue Valley has been covered with the most snow that I have seen in years. It caused a cancellation of a trip on Friday as my clients tried to get back North before the bulk of the weather hit. I can't blame them as the news was calling for 2-5 inches of snow on the valley floor. 6-8 inches was more like it. The day off provided some time for some Christmas shopping (yuk), much needed time with Misty, and a snowball fight with the boys!  But, after the way swinging flies on the Rogue has been, I was itching to get on the River--its not very often you can fish the Rogue with snow on its banks.  First though,  I had honey do's to get done. Ya that's right, even guides have honey do's that need to be done before they can go fishing.

After some online Christmas shopping and getting the Christmas lights hung, the dogs and I were off to the river. We made it through the gate and noticed that there were only one set of tracks to the river bar, and they looked like a some from a kid that was playing around, so I had the river all to myself. I needed all the help I could get, when I got to the river I noticed steam rising from its emerald waters. I started at the top and swung my way through the three buckets the Modoc contains. I spent a good couple hours making my way through the buckets, spending the majority of the time in the second as its the top producer for me. No dice, and it was starting to get dark so I moved down river to the last little bucket. The ice in my guides made it nearly impossible to cast, but I managed to keep my fly in fishy water. I about gave up hope when sudden pause came into my swing then a light tug. I almost wrote it off as bottom, but I knew there was no way it was as I have swung hundreds of flies, at all different river levels, and have never have touched
 the bottom. I stripped in the Skagit Intermediate head and re-casted, making sure to get the exact same drift. The line paused again, but this time I felt the heft of a fish. I dropped my tip, paused a second, then pulled strait back. The rod came to a stop against angry, Rogue Steel! Weight turned to Powerful throbs, then to drag ripping fury! I was taken by surprise as it has been over ten hookups since I connected with a Native Rogue fish. I let the beast run until it hit the tailout leading to ledges below. I knew that if the fish made it over the riffle there was no way I could wade to it from my side of the river so I applied some pressure to the the palming rim, but it was more than the 10 lb fluorocarbon tippet could handle as it parted like a rifle shot. This fish made a couple congratulatory jumps, and returned to the emerald depths.

The sun went to bed, I loaded the dogs and we enjoyed the beauty of the snow as we made our way home. As I unloaded the dogs and the gear my neighbor made a comment to the loss sanity that was involved to wade hip deep in the middle of a river and swing flies on a day such as this. I smiled and put the rod and waders away. I thought to myself, there is no way I could have stayed out that long without my wool base layer and down jacket.

I spent several months researching the perfect insulating outerwear for fishing and hunting. I wanted the packable lite weight of down, but was afraid of it around the water. Down is only insulating when it is fluffy and dry as that's how it holds air. Once it gets wet it loses it's loft, and all of its insulating qualities--this could spell disaster on the river as I am around rain and water all winter long. Sometimes miles away from the warmth of the pickup. I thought I would have to live with the heft and bulk of pirma-loaf until I ran across a company that specializes in light weight extreme weather clothing Kuiu.  Kuiu ultralight cloathing allows me to stay warm on the river, with peace of mind, through their innovative product: Supper Down.

Kuiu Super Down Jacket

This Jacket is light weight, packable, and safe. It isn't your normal down jacket as its down has been treated with a special loft keeping, molecular waterproofing. This waterproofing has worked great. Although the jacket is considered as a insulating layer and is meant to be worn under a shell in wet weather, I have found its water resistant properties to be a asset when I dunk a arm releasing fish or retrieving the occasional fly. Check out Super Down in the Video below.

I have found this Jacket to do all that's claimed. If your looking for a down jacket that can give you a little peace of mind check out Kuiu. Here are some pictures of me testing mine and the beauty if the Rogue in winter dress.

Down Touvelle Rd.

One track and I!

Getting to the River!

Putting Kuiu through its paces!

Swinging the Second Bucket.

That fly has accounted for the last ten hookups for us.

Steam coming off the River! I guess it does that at 20 degrees.

The Lights are up! Still Have to fix the cross!

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!

The Rogue River is rolling.

I was allowed to be a part of a family fishing trip yesterday--being a part of these memories is what makes guiding so much fun.

One of the things Nathan and Don will talk about for ever is Nathan's First steelhead. We were drifting flies through the run when Nathan's line paused and looked as if it was hung on the bottom. He started to take up slack and I said " looks like you got the bottom." As Nathan pulled the slack in, it looked like he had snagged the bottom up river, I started to say, "yep, its the bottom," but before I could get "Bottom," out of my mouth a nice male steelhead makes a rocket jump, pulling Nathan's line out of the water with it. I could see a mix of joy, and controlled panic on Nathan's face as he followed my instructions as to how to fight the fish on the switch rod. 6 crazy jumps, a couple good runs, and about 10 minutes later Nathan was able to put his hands on the Rogue River Brute--His First Steelhead Ever!

The day ended well. There were six clients spread over 3 boats, drifting different sections of river that were over 30 miles apart, and all 6 scored a steelhead--some multiple fish--two of which caught their first steelhead. This is almost unheard of in the steelhead world, but not on the Rogue River! Have I mentioned lately how much of a blessing it is for me to be able to guide such a river system?!? What a Great Day, with Great People, On a Great River!!

The Rogue River has runs that go for ever!

Classic Rogue River Steelhead Water!

Don's Nice  Rogue River Hen Steelhead

Nathan's First Steelhead--He will never forget the Rogue River after this one!

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!

Absolutely Awesome...and Free!

If you haven't read this yet you should! Quality. http://swingthefly.com/magazine/fall-2013-1-2/

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!

 

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

 

Rogue Summer Steelhead have hit the Upper River and they're taking swung flies-- A Rogue River Steelhead Report

I had a couple of hours tonight to be able to swing one of my favorite runs--a real breath of fresh air because most of my clients pick indicators and nymphs, over swinging. Although nymphing is probably the most efficient way to catch a fish, it lacks the grab of the swung fly, and
Rogue Steelhead have slammed a well swung fly for close to a hundred years. If clients would give it a try they might never go back.

 I started with a floating Skagit tipped with a clear intermediate poly leader swinging  a Silver Hilton. Within a couple cast I got a bump, then another, but it was one of those Rogue Steelhead short strikes you have to get use to if your going to fish this river. I continued to hit the water until I was sure the fish wasn't going show agian, then I switched rigs. I took off the floater and changed it with a intermediate Skagit. I tipped it with a 10 foot section of T10 and finished it off with a cone head bugger. It only took a couple of passes and SLAM, the rod about came out of my hands. The fish ran, jumped twice then was gone. It was a good size Summer Steelhead. A little disgusted, I halfheartedly swam the fly through the same slot. Just after the second mend my rod doubled again. This fish was smaller but you would have had a hard time convincing him of that. The little guy ripped into the current and made several aerial attacks, but within a few minutes he came to bay.

It was a great couple hours, If you have never swung a fly for Rogue River Steelhead you really should, ask the Legends, they never used a indicator and they caught a ton of fish. Best Fishes     

Great Water

Do you see the Slot

Nice Rogue River Summer Run

He Slammed the Rogue Wooly Bugger

A Good Description of the Rogue River

for all of those who are coming to Two Hands @ Tou Velle event.

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

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.