Fly Fishing In Oregon

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Fly Fishing In Oregon
A Winter Day
Fishpond Packs
Fly Tying Hooks
Newest Hooks
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Fly Fishing In Oregon
Oregon is experiencing a winter that is warmer and drier than usual (just for fun).

Fly fishing for steelhead in Oregon this past week.

Just got an email from a friend in Scotland where they are having their worst winter in years. Many rivers in Europe are coated with ice. Snow is armpit deep on a tall politician in Washington D.C. The airport has been shut down in Chicago. Bonefish are frozen to the beaches in Florida. The world weather map discloses that Oregon is one of the few places in the northern hemisphere that is warmer than usual this winter. We are in an eye of calm between El Niño weather flows. It's 55-60 degrees here with steelhead running and trout rising. If you want to get out of winter's harshness, come to Oregon now! The scenes in the article that appears below are for those anglers who can't come to Oregon. (But all the logic and techniques that are discussed in that article work here as well as they do in colder climates.)

A Winter Day By: Rick Hafele	Sign up for: Nymph Fishing, a workshop with Rick Hafele and Dave Hughes
While you might not see a lot of rising fish, trout are still feeding throughout the winter, and can be caught with the right flies and approach.
A winter’s day of fishing has it’s own rhythm of activity unique to the conditions of the season. Understanding those rhythms can help you decipher when, where and with what to fish. With that in mind let’s take a look at what might be considered a “typical” winter’s day of insect and fish activity. Morning That will be a good choice for a nymph pattern fished along the bottom. If by chance you find some of the insects are mature and look ready to emerge, then you might find a nymph fished closer to surface will work well. Because the winter population of insects is routinely quite diverse, it can take a little time to sort out just what fish might be feeding on. Just because it is winter doesn’t mean trout will be completely unselective in their choice of food. Nymph fishing on a winter morning will certainly hone your skills for nymph fishing other times of the year. The sluggish metabolism of winter fish means their takes are softer and subtler than ever. It also means they won’t go as far out of their way to take your fly. Thus reading the water and being able to detect the softest takes is critical if you hope to hook some winter trout. I find a strike indicator essential for such nymph fishing. I also find that casting as short a line as possible to effectively fish a piece of water improves my odds of detecting a strike and setting the hook quickly – seems fish can spit out a nymph just as fast in the winter as in the summer. Also keep moving and fish new water. Since many fish won’t be actively feeding you need to cover as many fish as possible to increase your odds of finding one ready to take a fly.

Mayfly, stonefly and caddisfly nymphs all thrive throughout the winter and provide the bulk of the food for trout. These were collected from the frozen looking stream in the previous photo.

Later Morning – Early Afternoon
From about 11:00 to 3:00 is when I want to be on the water in the winter. By 11:00 air and water temperatures have risen, fish are more active, and if any insects are going to hatch they will usually start between 11:00 and 1:00. Because so few insects emerge in the winter, there will usually be just one dominant species on the water. In the winter you won’t have a difficult time deciding what to imitate when a hatch occurs.

What hatches are you likely to run into during the winter? I find there are three hatches that consistently show up when the weather turns cold: chironomids, winter stoneflies, and Baetis or blue-winged olives. There are literally hundreds of species of chironomids in streams throughout the country. Many species seem to emerge only in the winter. Because there are so many species, it is important to collect some of the naturals floating downstream to determine their size and color. Just as in any other season the pupal stage, drifting slowly up to the surface, is often the most effective stage to imitate. Due to the cold water pupae will hang in the surface even longer than normal before the adults emerge, so fishing a midge pupa in the surface film can be very effective. The cold conditions also result in more stillborn adults – adults that don’t escape completely from the pupal shuck and end up dead or dying in the surface film. As a result dry patterns that imitate a struggling or dead adult can work quite well.

Winter stoneflies (primarily of the family Capniidae and Nemouridae) are small (size 18 to 14) dark brown to black stoneflies that emerge primarily in the winter. I commonly see them during winter cross country skiing trips that take me along a mountain stream. The dark colored adults look like ants running over the snow along the water’s edge. The females of many species of winter stoneflies are wingless, which only adds to their ant-like appearance. After mating on the bank the females crawl or fly back to the water to lay their eggs. Most end up caught in the water’s surface floating downstream. Small dry flies that match them in size and color will often take a few winter trout.

Baetis, or blue-winged olive (often shortened to BWO), hatches can be a real treat in the winter. Depending on where you live good hatches may occur anytime between November and March. Some winter days will produce hatches just as heavy as on a good spring or fall afternoon. Small nymph patterns work well before the adults start popping up to the surface. As adult activity increases switch to small emerger patterns and of course dry flies will work too. Even when there is good surface feeding activity the fish are still more sluggish than normal so presentation is critical – drift your fly right down a trout’s feeding lane without any drag. Also check the size and color of the naturals carefully. These will vary from stream to stream, and even week to week. (Note: I gave a detailed account of BWOs and how to fish them in the January 31 Newsletter

Water may be frozen above, but below the surface life goes on.

Late Afternoon – Evening
The sun drops below the horizon early in the winter, and when its rays disappear the warmth they provided quickly disappears as well. In my experience this often results in a surprisingly quick end to both insect and fish activity for the day. Spinner falls or other egg laying activity will not wait for the soft light of evening in the winter. If they haven’t occurred by late afternoon they probably won’t occur until the next day. Likewise fish seem to suddenly stop feeding when the day’s light fades. Switching back to some deep fished nymphs may pick-up another fish or two, but I am usually ready to watch the sun set and notice how quiet and peaceful a stream can be in the winter. You can sometimes extend the time period of good fishing by half an hour or so by finding a stretch of stream where the sun is not yet blocked off the water. Make note of the areas on the streams you fish where the sun’s rays linger the longest. They will be the perfect place to end a winter’s day on the stream.
Closing Thoughts

Nymphs

Small nymphs (size 18 or 16) for BWO. Little pheasant tails or Hare’s ears tied sparse can do the trick.
Dark brown stonefly nymphs in 14’s for little brown stones and 10’s or 8’s for immature golden stones or salmonflies.
Green Rock worm caddis in sizes 14 to 12

Fishpond Vests & Packs
Many are new for this season. The rest are popular, proven performers. About ten day delivery.

Flint Hills Vest	Sagebrush Vest	Double Haul Pack
Gore Range Pack	Open Range Pack	Shooting Star Pack
Wasatch Pack	Arroyo Chest Pack	Blue River Pack
Dragonfly Pack	Havana Pack	San Juan Pack
Seychelles Flats Pack	Windwalker Pack	Road Trip Fly Tying Kit

Fishpond's passion is to design and manufacture the world's most innovative fly-fishing storage and accessory products. Their goals are simplicity of design and outstanding function so you can get caught up in the moment...not your gear. Fishpond packs keep you organized as you...
		entice a trout...baffle a brookie...or follow a rainbow. Fish pond tools & boxes fit into fishpond packs.

Fly Tying Hooks
FlyFishUSA.com loves the art of tying flies! A hook forms the foundation-core of each fly. A fly has little chance of catching a fish without a hook. A hook nearly always dictates the shape of each fly and how that fly will be (can be) used. Because fish come in many sizes and many personalities, choosing the right hook is very important. Your choice will often dictate whether your fly will be successful in either fooling or landing fish. The hook must stay in the fish's mouth to be counted as "landed", because until it has been landed, a fish has only been hooked...

Alec Jackson	Partridge
Daiichi	Tiemco
Gamakatsu	Trey Combs
Owner	Tube Fly Hooks
...and she asked, "How many fish did you hook?" Hooked is a transitory word resting between success and failure, but defining neither. Hook, hooked and hooking are terms that probably have been in use by the human race for nearly forty thousand years, because long before the age of metals, man was fashioning fish hooks from other materials such as wood, bone and stone. Even before the development of metals, fur and feathers were being tied to hooks to entice fish. The development of the fish hook (and fly fishing) closely parallels the technological development of humans societies. As Eurasian societies developed their metal technologies, some of the first implements they the fashioned were fish hooks. Although the sword, plow and the gun get more credit, the fish hook my have contributed more to the survival of some societies than each of the other three. Modern fish hooks are made from steel, which is an alloy of iron and other metals such as carbon, nickel or chrome. They are sharp, strong and corrosion resistant. On a global scale, when humans have been introduced to metal technology, one of the first metal tools they adopt are modern fish hooks.

NEW Hooks!
FlyFishUSA.com has just added four new models of steelhead/salmon hooks from three different companies to its huge inventory. All models are proven on the water. Each has a unique purpose.
Owner	Partridge	Tiemco

Owner Fly Liner Tube Fly Hooks

Owner Hooks Co. Ltd was established in 1974 and their mission policy was “Perfection In Hooks”, a motto the company still strives for today.
CUTTING POINT® HOOKS - Owner's revolutionary triple-edge design is what put the Owner name and its product line on the map. The unique, patented hook design is led by a needle sharp point, and as the hook begins to penetrate, the resistance actually decreases as the three edges cut their way through for an instant, positive hook-set. The machining process that renders this unique point requires extra steps and thus extra expense.

Owner hooks are expensive, but give extra advantages, so they are worth it to many experienced anglers. While other hook manufacturers claim their hooks to be sharp, or sharpest, Owner CUTTING POINT® hooks are designed specifically with instant penetration as the primary design feature. Almost nothing beats instant penetration!

Owner Fly Liner Hooks No expense has been spared. These hooks are very finely crafted. Designed as a saltwater hook for fishing live bait, this aggressive design features the Owner Cutting Edge Point. The black chrome finish provides a very smooth, abrasion-free finish for the leader connection to the eye. They are reasonably easy to sharpen after contact with a river bottom. Short shank, Standard gap, no off-set, cutting edge point, very sharp, micro barb, forged, ball eye, black chrome finish.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
5106-101	Owner Fly Liner Hooks, Pack-7	1	$5.25
5106-91	Owner Fly Liner Hooks, Pack-8	2	$5.25
5106-71	Owner Fly Liner Hooks, Pack-8	4	$5.25
5106-51	Owner Fly Liner Hooks, Pack-9	6	$5.25

Partridge Hooks

Fly du Jour on Partridge Salmon double hook

Partridge Salmon Double Model "P" Hooks

Partridge Nordic Single Tube Fly Hooks

According to the historians, Redditch in central England was famous for making fish hooks before the reign of Henry VIII. During the mid-19th Century, Partridge of Redditch was the dominant hook maker in the world. Its designs still dominate the world of "Classic Salmon Fly Tying". Our inventory includes two unique styles that are significant to steelhead fly fishing. Partridge of Redditch is now owned by Mustad, which is the world's largest fish hook company.

Partridge Salmon Double Model "P" Heavy weight double version of the traditional turned-up looped-eye salmon irons. Designed for wet lies for salmon and steelhead where you need a slightly heavier fly to get a little deeper. These hooks are finely finished with the shank brazed and polished. Traditional Japaned Black finish. Very sharp and well made. This is a classic design, which has remained unchanged for quite a few years with good reason. They are deadly.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
150-069	Partridge Salmon Double Model "P" Hooks, 10-Pack	2	$13.45
150-070	Partridge Salmon Double Model "P" Hooks, 10-Pack	4	$13.45
150-071	Partridge Salmon Double Model "P" Hooks, 10-Pack	6	$13.45

Partridge Nordic Single Tube Fly Hooks These may be the perfect tube fly hooks. They are smoothly finished and well formed with eyes that are tightly closed at the rear. The black chrome finish provides a very smooth, abrasion-free finish for the leader connection to the eye. They are reasonably easy to sharpen after contact with a river bottom. Short shank, wide gap, no off-set, slightly beaked point, very sharp, micro barb, forged, ball eye, black chrome finish.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
150-084	Partridge Nordic Single Tube Fly Hooks, 25-pack	2
150-085	Partridge Nordic Single Tube Fly Hooks, 25-pack	4
150-086	Partridge Nordic Single Tube Fly Hooks, 25-pack	6

Tiemco 202SP Super Point Hooks Buy Now !
Sticky, sticky sharp! Tie your best low-water flies on these hooks and get many more hook-ups!
Super Point, Up-turned, tapered loop-eye. Medium eye. Forged, fine wire, Traditional Japaned Black. For low-water Steelhead and Salmon Flies.

The scene was late fall and most steelhead in the Deschutes were wise, having been hooked multiple times already this season. The few strikes that came were so light that only the most experienced anglers could even feel them. As the water temperatures had dropped with the shorter days of the coming winter, the steelhead had moved into the softer flows of the edge-water. The flies I had been tying in camp became sparser, more subdued in color and more traditional low-water style in proportion. The previous winter, Kevin Thompson, our Umpqua Feather Merchants representative had given me a selection of Tiemco 202SP hook samples. I had filed them away in my camp tying kit just for the water conditions at hand. Size ten flies were fashioned on size six hooks. Five steelhead were landed during my next fishing session. All strikes were faint-hearted. Some were so light that the line loop was let go and the line took several second seconds to tighten. My lucky streak continued through the end of the season. I attribute much of my success to the razor sharp cutting edges on the points of the hooks. I think they are so sharp as to be nearly impossible to turn loose of. Be aware that these hooks are made from extremely fine wire and because of this, they should be fished with light gear and a gentle hand. I have yet to lose a fish because it straightened one of these hooks, but some hooks have been deformed during the battle. I guess that under these very difficult fishing conditions, an angler can expect to land only one steelhead per each fly tied. Many anglers would agree it to be a fair trade and would be glad to tie extra flies with anticipation.

Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
42714	TMC 202SP Hooks, Packed-25	3/0	$24.25
42715	TMC 202SP Hooks, Packed-25	1/0	$19.35
42716	TMC 202SP Hooks, Packed-25	2	$15.45
42717	TMC 202SP Hooks, Packed-25	4	$15.45
42718	TMC 202SP Hooks, Packed-25	6	$15.45
42719	TMC 202SP Hooks, Packed-25	8	$15.45

A good fish landed and released can be solice for the soul...

The Fly Fishing Shop, Welches, OR

1(800) 266-3971

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www.flyfishUSA.com

Fish long & prosper,
Mark & Patty