Rogue River 2019 Winter Steelhead Fly Fishing Report

There are a bunch of fish and the flows are amazing...espicially if you want to swing! if you want to swing flies for Rogue winter steelhead you better be thinking about the next couple weeks. The weather looks super inviting and will probably help the winter water temps which in my experience brings on the bite.

there are fish in the whole system but as the season matures I would look at the upper Applegate  and Upper Rogue.

I like to swing the riffles with these flows, it seems like the sun penetrates and warms the fish faster in these sections. I also choose big meaty flies for this time of year.

Of course nymphs and egg flies are still as deadly as ever. Break that Cabin Fever and get out after those winter steelhead!

Time to swing flies for those Rogue River Steelhead!

Swing Big for Rogue River Winter Steelhead!

AirFlo Rage Give Away!

We are just 250 visits away from Giving away a Airflo Rage (in the weight you request). So if you haven't  done so yet, go to my  website and use the link to my email and send me a message. I will put your message into a raffle. If you visit the site, make sure you get credit for it and send me a email. I will not use the emails for a mass email, or sell them to anyone, and I will delete the folder they are in after the drawing. If you like to keep up with whats going on, on the Rogue, Williamson, and other Southern Oregon waters you can follow  My Blog , just click on the "follow me" button on the top right and you will get a notification when my blog updates. If you want a Rage line, take the few seconds and shoot me a email...you never know you might be the winner.

Go with the Flo

Could Be Yours




 

Time for the big boys on the Rogue River!

When temps drop in the low 20's in the Rogue Valley, and the days shorten, its time to pull out the big flies, and if its on the Rogue River it had better have black, orange, and blue. It should also have a bunch of movement and some flash to move cold water fish. The perfect Rogue Cold Water swinging fly should poses all these things, That's what moved me to design Casey's Intruder. Named after one of my favorite cold water runs on the river, this fly contains everything the Rogue River Steelhead want. The next few photos will show you how to tie it.

Start with a long shank hook.

Get some Heavy Mono, I like colored just to add to the fly.

Start it through the eye of the hook. Make the loop go back to where the Marabou will flow--normally a couple of inches but, If you get a ton short strikes like the Rogue make a larger loop.

Fold the mono through and lash it down! Do a good job here as this is what will hold the fish. I also hit this with super glue.

Install eyes and super glue them.

Use orange chenille and make a ball. this ball will make the marabou loo like it has mass when the fly swim's.  

Tie in a marabou tip like a hackle.

Add a couple of flash strips, I like holographic flash.

Add a tinsel over-body advance you thread, and make another chenille ball.     

Add another marabou tip and wrap it like a hackle. 

Add four white rubber legs that do not go past the marabou in the swimming position.

Add flash, and a blue hen hackle.

Whip finish and clip off the bend of the hook with diagonal cutters--this will keep the fly swimming right.

Add a octopus hook to the mono.

There it is, a fly to move cold water Rogue River Steelhead!

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--Spey is still in the Game!

With the low, cold, water the Rogue has become more technical. There are a ton of Fish in the upper section, and we are still picking up fish Swinging with tips. Once the rain hits you had better be there!
Bring your tips, large, and dark flies. Normal years we would have turn to nymphs to keep things rolling, but with the advent of intermediate Skagits, and some good ole greased line steelheading, we are still in the game with our Spey Rods as the weather cools the water below 45 f.

Enjoy some pictures of  last weeks action.

Rogue Color and Spey Rods! What more could you want?

Those men from Iceland can cast!

A good smoke.

Enjoying the day.

Showing the boys what a D-loop looks like.

Nice Setup

Fish On!

That Wild Steelhead Is Camera shy!

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

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

What is this thing we call Skagit?

As Steelhead season is just around the corner here on the Rogue River, and with the Williamson and Wood fishing well , I thought it might be fitting to introduce you to the swing. Those of you who know me, know that I love to fish the swing with the fly rod. For large rivers there is no better rod than the doublehander for this purpose. If your new to this form of flyfishing I have found a video that will help you understand the systems used, Enjoy...Nate