Williamson, and the Wood are still producing!

Even with this week's cool down, the Williamson and Wood rivers in the Klamath Basin the are fishing well. The river remains low and clear, but it's full of fish, and they are biting well. As the weather warms the basin's rivers will be outstanding. If your looking for a trophy trout trip of a lifetime,  look towards the basin.

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!

This will be worth seeing!

Mending the line--a movie worth seeing.

Is it the tug, or the fight?

I am around big fish a lot, but I still enjoy the tug of the small ones. Maybe its all about my roots, or just that connection with the wild. We have a small lake close to our house that is full with warm water game-fish. When the boys(my Labs) give me that, I gotta swim look, we run off to this small lake. I whip out the 3wt and just have a ball! Seems funny to all my friends that I would enjoy such small fish, but these fish always take me back to the time when I was a kid- a simpler time when didn't have to catch the biggest fish in the river. A time when every tug was a gift, and it was more important to enjoy the water and all her depths hold. As a Guide its my Job to get my clients into the big ones, but I hope I provide more than that, I hope I pass on the same reverence for the tug that I felt as a kid. Regardless of the size, or numbers of fish, fishing should be fun, and if it takes little pan fish to remind me of that fact so be it.

Small Lake, Small Rod

Just like a Kid!

What a fight, almost slipped the drag!

Guppy Candy

Can I get Him Dad?

Its On!!!!

The river was beautiful tonight, Gage my Son,  and I swung for summer steel. He managed to conjure up a nice little Cutt on a Kerry Special. we admired it for a moment and got back at it. I finally tied on my steelhead prince and swung it as deep as I could. I couldn't move down from where I had to fish from,  so I worked in a foot of line about every three cast so I could cover the whole pool. About 20 cast in, it happened...the Tug we are all after. I was taken completely buy surprise, so much so I didn't even set the hook well. My line shot out of the water fallowed by a beautiful chrome summer steelhead. Oh how I've missed this Ran through my mind, then sure panic, fight him you twit!!! I jerked the rod, but all I could see was my fly dislodge itself out of the corner of the chrome rocket's mouth. My line went limp, I realized that I had a permagrin that I knew wouldn't go away for a while. They Are Here! Its On! oh how I love the Rogue's Summer Steelhead.

I got back to the house and found out from a friend of mine,  that works at the hatchery, that there are over 500 fish up there already...Its On Indeed!!!


The Permagrin

Nate's Steelhead Prince





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!

Klamath Lake is off the Hook!

The Klamath is off the hook right now! A good friend of mine, T.J.  had a great weekend over there! The fish are moving to cooler water as the lake warms, if you know where to go, you can catch these fish on the move. Use all your classic patterns and presentations. Please, remember if you get a real sluggish fish break him off or land him fast as he is probably heat stressed, then move—heck most of the good fish are in the cold water anyhow. If you have never fished the Klamath you need to. Check out T.J’s face book page at  https://www.facebook.com/hookedonlife?fref=ts

T.J. Red Band

More Color

Clean Fish

Lake fishing is hard work!

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!

New Website!

I'm proud to introduce my new Website http://www.southernoregonflyfishing.com/ It's a work in progress so please check back often.

My Favorite Piece "Four Hour" Water!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LllLjiQkJ8A&feature=player_detailpage#t=0s

When the October Caddis come out on the Upper Rogue River this is where you will find me fly fishing. This is a great piece of skating, steelhead water that comes alive in August!

The Williamson River, Wood River, and Klamath Redband Report

With the barometer falling the fishing slowed on the Williamson River, but we were able to connect with a few. I am positive, without some of Brent’s closed swinging methods, I would have never caught any fish. The river is clearing and getting cooler, making it the ultimate destination for swinging for trophy trout. There have been several over 25” caught in the last couple of weeks and it’s bound to get better with the promise of the Hex hatch and warmer weather. The Wood River is fishing well with several double digit days. It is still stained making it a good bet for swinging big flies. If you can get the chance to fish The Klamath Basin you should take it, June is a great time of the year to experience its riches!



A Rogue River Boat on the Wood River



Fresh out of the Lake (notice the Lice)

 

This Small Trout thought it was a Steelhead, I love the way the Williamson, Wood, and Klamath Basin Redbands fight this time of year!

 

The one that go away in the Klamath Basin

I love catching Redband Trout this time of year they think they are steelhead. I am really sorry for the poor video, but its hard to video and fight a fish at the same time. I finally lost this fish in the tules, he was above five pounds!

What a sunset!

Redband Trout Food!

What a place!

No Dice!

I snuck out of camp knowing the low tide was going to be a good one at -5. I knew that if I had the slightest chance of catching bottom fish on flies this was it. After a death march through the Greased rocks I found a little cove that matched the Ling Cod habitat that I had seen in the underwater aquarium many times. I really didn’t have a hatch to match so I tied on something I thought the toothy fish might find yummy. The onshore wind made my skagit head look like a limp noodle as I tried to punch it in the air—no dice—Pacific Ocean wind shames any river wind that I have ever dealt with.  With a ton of flailing, and four letter thoughts I finally got the head to pull some shooting line. Timing the cast took German precision that, this two left footed caster, couldn’t quite nail, so I had to settle with the clup like presentation the surf forced on me. I tried to console my lack luster performance by telling myself that the clump of line was needed to get the fly down. After an hour of “swinging” the fly through the current, hooking kelp and nothing else, I decided to hang it up. Not a single fish, but at least I was able to experiment—and isn’t that what Fly Fishing is all about?

Nice little bay.

I thoroughly washed all the salt out of the gear once I was done.

Low Tide!

Whooped!

Kings

Hooked a King today and found out a 8WT was way to light for a bright chromer! I casted upstream and would work my line perpendicular the rod--a kind of slow drift/swing. The Chinook hammered it and made three runs, jumping all the way. He just about spooled me.




Best Hole on the River! you can acess it from the butte creek side of deanmen.

Its Hard to see, but I was keeping my line perpendicular to the rod tip, just enough tension to to feel a hit, but not so much to pull the flies off the bottom.

Add caption

This is what your flies should look like if you get the modified swing right, I only could achieve it about half the time.

Fish On! right after this Picture he dang near spooled me. Last I saw of him, was almost to the rocks at the hole below me, there was nothing I could do!

Nate's Wired Worm

There are flies that just work regardless of rather you think they should or not. The Brassie is one of those flies, but good isn't good enough when you can improve on a design. This flies success is most likely due to its diving ability-the thing sinks better than a rock. It flows through the current like a real bug, but what if it had arms to match the drift, well that's where my wired worm comes in!

I always start with a heavy hook for Steelhead nymphs 

Add a bead (I super glue them on) and add a couple of rubber tails (they suggest several different bugs) 

Tie in the color of UNI Wire you like (I tie this is several colors)

Wrap the wire forward making a abdomen, tie in your favorite chenille give it a couple wraps to make a wing case.   

Add hackle 

Wrap hackle forming the beckoning moving legs that a Upper Rogue Steelhead  cant  resist.

I fish this fly dead drift until it reaches quartering down downstream then I will swing it to dangle. Try it on your rivers!