Babes In Spey Land

Babes In Spey Land Steelhead are notoriously hard to catch with a fly rod. From my perspective winter steelhead are probably more challenging than Permit, which are considered the most vexing of flats fish. At least when fishing for Permit you usually know that you are fishing where there are fish because you can see them. Often when fishing a big river for steelhead, you really don't know whether steelhead are around your fly until one pulls on your line. To take the sport to an even higher level, steelhead are even trickier when fishing the swung fly. And maybe the highest level of achievement might be considered learning how to cast and catch steelhead with the two-hand fly rod. Nearly every fish in this pictorial essay was caught with a two-hander from big water draining the west coast of North America. Every one was caught by a female angler. Women excelling in the sport of fly fishing hasn't just happened since the liberation following WWII. Fact of the matter is, the first book on fishing published in the English language was authored by a woman, a nun, Dame Juliana Berners. It's title "Treatyse of Fysshynge Wyth an Angle" gives us the word "angling". It's fitting that the "birth" of our sport starts with a women. This year's Sandy River Spey Clave starts with an all female cast of performers and presenters. All of the women on this page will be involved with the 2009 Clave. Some will be teaching. Others will be managing the various events and making sure we are all having a good time. Girls and steelhead seem to go together. In my nearly thirty years of guiding no more than 5% of my clientele has been female, but I have a huge portfolio of pictures of women holding steelhead they have caught. It stands to reason that girls would adapt to the two-hand rod, a tool that demands finesse. May 15 will feature the first all female program of presentations by female spey casters. We say welcome ladies! We're glad to share our water with you. Click each picture for more information about the women who are adding this new dimension to The Sandy River Spey Clave.

March 13 and 14 , 2009
Linn County Expo Center
Albany, Oregon
The featured river for the 2009 Northwest Fly Tyer and Fly fishing Expo is the Rogue River. This year's featured fly is the Golden Demon.
The Golden Demon was first introduced to the Northwest and to the Rogue River by famed author and fly fisherman Zane Grey. History has shown that the Golden Demon was discovered by Grey during his visits to New Zealand. Grey found that this fly pattern was very effective on Oregon’s steelhead and especially those of the Rogue River. The original fly recipe for the Golden Demon called for bronze mallard from the back of the mallard drake. This fly pattern over the years has had many changes to the recipe: from deer buck tail style to red squirrel becoming the standard for mass production. The Golden Demon became so popular many fly tiers made different versions of the Golden Demon. Soon the “Family of Demons” was created: Silver, Copper, and Black became very popular in southern Oregon and Northern California. The Golden Demon set the standard for tinsel bodied steelhead flies. Tinsel bodied flies set a challenge for the fly tier. The use of tinsel in fly tying requires many different techniques. Tinsel comes in different types and can be used to create many body types. The Golden Demon is still a great fly today and has produced countless steelhead on Oregon’s Rogue River
The largest fly tier exhibition in the west is in Albany, Oregon.

70 fly tyers exhibiting at one time (over 150 different tyers)

Indoor fly casting pools

Educational seminars and classes

Casting Tournament

Guides, manufacturers and fly shop exhibitors

Raffle & Silent Auctions Daily

Saturday Night Banquet and Auction

More Info

The Fly Fishing Shop will be there featuring steelhead flies and steelhead fly tying materials with guest tier Jack Cook and FRÖDIN tubing, cones and materials.

Crease Fly
Crease Fly, Black Back	Crease Fly, Olive Back
Crease Fly, Blue Back	Crease Fly, Silver

These unique flies are the creation of Captain Joseph Blados from Long Island. They are produced by Umpqua Feather Merchants. This fly is the rage for striped bass. We first heard about them a couple of years ago and decided to take a few to the Sea of Cortez. There are a number of near-shore Mexican species such as Cabrillas, Pargos and Bonitos that will eat Crease Flies. Crease flies have also proved to be a great change-up fly for Dorados that had already seen too many Mark's Sardines or Witch Craft Poppers. Crease Flies are tied on long shank stainless steel hooks. A tail of white bucktail and Flashabou is tied to the hook shank. Then a pre-cut piece of Mylar coated foam sheet is folded and super glued in place for the body. Coloring is added to the back. Then reflective eyes are installed. Then the foam body is given a coating of clear epoxy. Crease flies are neutral buoyancy and have a slight wiggle when retrieved. They have proven to be fairly durable and productive enough to earn a ride to any saltwater destination we travel to.

			Crease Fly, Black Back Many bait fish are dark on the back and light on the belly. Black is a very effective color in all light conditions.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
16705	Crease Fly, Black Back	3/0	$5.95	Sale Over
16706	Crease Fly, Black Back	1/0	$5.95	Sale Over

			Crease Fly, Blue Back This is an effective fly when predator fish are feeding on anchovies.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
17754	Crease Fly, Blue Back	3/0	$5.95	Sale Over
17755	Crease Fly, Blue Back	1/0	$5.95	Sale Over

			Crease Fly, Olive Back This is an effective fly when predator fish are feeding on sardines.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
17750	Crease Fly, Olive Back	3/0	$5.95	Sale Over
17751	Crease Fly, Olive Back	1/0	$5.95	Sale Over

			Crease Fly, Silver Many small bait fish are highly reflective and may lose most of their color, especially when they are over a light colored bottom.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
16716	Crease Fly, Silver	3/0	$5.95	Sale Over
16717	Crease Fly, Silver	1/0	$5.95	Sale Over

TFO Prism Spey Reel

This 4 1/4-inch diameter reel has plenty of capacity for a 600 Skagit line and 100+ yards of 30-pound Micron backing, which means it will cover most of your steelhead fishing needs with spey rods from seven to nine weight. At 8.7-ounces it is best suited for rods from 12 1/2' to 14' long. Consistent with TFO's tradition of offering high performance gear at an affordable price, the new Prism Cast Large Arbor Reels are made from cast aluminum with a cork disc drag and a one way clutch bearing for instant drag engagement. They feature quick change spools and easy LH/RH conversion. This is one of the great buys on the market today. Carries the standard TFO No-Fault Warranty.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
TFO-P-1011	TFO Prism Spey Reel	10/11	$99.95	Sale Over

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TFO 08 133 4POF Skagit Spey Outfit

Don't be fooled by the bare bones price, this is a real solid outfit. This outfit is very well balanced and is easy to learn with, but has the range to cover enough water to catch plenty of fish. Designed specifically for Pacific Northwest steelhead. Outfit comes with: TFO-08133-4P Rod, TFO Prism 10/11 Reel with disc drag, Rio Skagit Line 550-grain and 15' Rio type-6 Sinking Tip, plus 100 yd. #20 Micron backing. It comes with the one sinking tip that seems to be used the highest percentage of the time. More tips can be purchased as needed. Reel & line comes professionally assembled. Be sure to click which hand you prefer to wind the reel with. Complete with rod case. Great winter steelhead outfit for the beginner or back-up. Great to have around for entertaining friends.
Item	Description	Price	To Top
TFO-081334POF	TFO Skagit Spey Outfit	$499.95	Sale Over