Hard Bite Studs

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Hard Bite Studs
Spey Fisher Saves Lives
King Salmon
Polish Nymphs
Czech Nymph Leader
PhD Steelhead School
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Hard Bite Studs
Moderate	Aggressive	Extreme Challenge

Stud Service!
Hard Bite Boot Studs can be installed on
any new Simms Wading Shoes.
Hard Bite Boot Studs provide the best wading traction available.

Hard Bite Boot Studs for insallation in felt soles

More info

Hard Bite Boot Studs for insallation in Vibram soles

More info

More info

Let's face it, the riverbeds in the Pacific Northwest provide some of the most challenging wading surfaces to be found anywhere. Long ago anglers found that studded soles on their wading shoes made wading safer and more comfortable. Tire studs with tungsten carbide inserts became the standard wading sole studs. Now Simms has revolutionized wading shoe traction by providing two new wading devices that make the tire-stud obsolete. They are the Hard Bite Stud and Hard Bite Star Cleat. At the Fly Fishing Shop, we have tested both types of devices extensively on some of the roughest steelhead rivers in the country, the Deschutes, Clackamas and Umpqua. We know how to install these devices in patterns that will make you nearly invincible on any river. Remember that good fly casting and presentation starts from the bottom of your feet.

The staff at The Fly Fishing Shop will be glad to install Simms HardBite Boot Studs and/or Star Cleats in any new Simms wading shoes. You must click one of the buttons below to get the installation added to your new wading shoes or BootFoot waders.
HardBite Studs and/or Star Cleats can also be installed in any newer used Simms wading shoes as long as they are clean (and preferably dry).
Bring your wading shoes to the shop or ship them to us. A shipping charge will be added if you wish us to ship them back to you.
HardBite Boot Studs are easy to install and can be used on many soles from many manufacturers. Be sure that your shoe soles are thick enough so that the screws don't reach all the way through the foot bed.

Moderate (A System For Moderate Flows).
This system of Hard Bite Boot Studs is for moderate streams with moderate bottoms. Mid West, low gradient free stone streams with moderate size gravel and moderate current speeds. Eleven Hard Bite Boot Studs per boot are installed to give increased usable traction at a low cost. This set up contains 22 Hard Bites installed per pair of wading shoes.
Item	Description	Traction	Price	To Top
STUD-1	Moderate, A Hard Bite Stud System For Moderate Flows	11 Hard Bites per boot sole	$25.95	Sale Over

Aggressive (A System For Most Trout Stream Fishing).
This configuration of Hard Bite Boot Studs will serve well for most trout fishers on most trout streams. Good traction in most situations. Fourteen Hard Bite Boot Studs per boot are installed to give vastly increased usable traction at a moderate cost. This set up contains 28 Hard Bites installed per pair of wading shoes.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
STUD-2	Aggressive, A Hard Bite Stud System For Most Trout Stream Fishing	14 Hard Bites per boot sole	$29.95	Sale Over

Extreme Challenge (A System For Big Steelhead/Salmon Rivers).
This is the granddaddy of wading shoe traction devices. This is a favorite with professional steelhead guides who fish big rivers, such as the Deschutes, Umpqua and Clackamas Rivers. Fourteen Hard Bite Boot Studs and eleven Star Cleats per boot are installed to give maximum deep wading traction. This set up contains 28 Hard Bites and 22 Star Cleats installed per pair of wading shoes.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
STUD-3	Extreme Challenge, A Hard Bite Stud System For Big Steelhead/Salmon rivers	14 Hard Bites and 11 Star Cleats per boot sole	$99.95	Sale Over

		Hard Bite Boot Studs Welded carbide gripper pellets enhance traction and durability of any wading shoe soles. 1/4" hex head sharp point screw with carbide pellets welded to screw head 20 studs per package Screws into any felt sole or Vibram sole, be sure to have hard shield inner sole, bites into the hardest, slickest rocks. 45+ Rockwell hard screws specifically designed for rubber soles
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
AHB1090000	Simms Hard Bite Boot Studs for felt soles, per 20-pack	1/4-inch Hex Head	$29.95	Sale Over
AHB1090020	Simms Hard Bite Boot Studs for rubber soles, per 20-pack	1/4-inch Hex Head	$24.95	Sale Over

		Hard Bite Star Cleats Feature welded shards of tungsten carbide on a star shaped gripper to enhance traction and durability of any wading shoe soles. 5/8" Star Cleat with carbide shards welded to screw head 22 studs per package Screws into any Vibram or felt sole, be sure to have hard shield inner sole, bites into the hardest, slickest rocks. 45+ Rockwell hard screws specifically designed for rubber soles
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
AHB1090ffs	Simms Hard Bite Star Cleats, per 22-pack	5/8-inch diameter	$55.95	Sale Over

Spey Fisher Saves Lives (Copied in part from OregonLive.com)
Don Elder of Gresham Was camping at Oxbow Park and his Spey casting on the Sandy River near Buck Creek, Sunday, May 24. Elder is an award-winning rivers advocate who is the director of major gifts for the Western Rivers Conservancy. "I heard screaming in the middle of the river," Elder said. "It took five or 10 seconds before I realized someone was in pretty desperate trouble. But what do you do first? Out in the middle of the river was a man clutching a very small girl. Between us in the water was a young woman. I was wearing waders and boots, so it wasn't very practical to try to get to them. If I became part of the problem, it wouldn't help anyone. The only safe way was to bite off the fly, so I (bit off the leader), and before I realized what I was doing, I started casting to them."
Elder's first cast was to the woman between him and the man. She grabbed the line and he lowered his rod, "stripping" her in a bit -- making short tugs on the line -- as she held on and the current drew her toward the shoreline. By then, others had gathered and waded out to help her from the shallows. After she released the line, Elder said, he ran downriver to within range of the man and little girl. They were approaching the upper end of the rapids near the boat ramp but were farther from Elder than the woman was. On his first two casts, either he missed the mark or the man didn't see the line. On his third cast, though, Elder said, "The man seemed to realize what to do and grabbed it with his free hand." Elder said he hung on, again stripping a little line as he worked his way downriver to where the two came to shore, still gripping the brightly colored fly line. Someone waded out and grabbed the girl, and Elder wrapped his arms around the man to help him ashore. "He kept saying 'Thank you, thank you,' then he passed out," Elder said. Everyone survived and are in good health.

Fly Fishing For Kings
By: Josh Linn

Alaskan King from the Sandy River, (Alaska). Josh Linn photo.

So, you've caught both summer and winter steelhead in good numbers and still enjoy it. You love fishing larger rivers with two-hand fly rods. And you are wondering what the next step (or level) might be? Well how about fish that instead of averaging 6-20 pounds average 20-50 pounds. Instead of 7-8-9 weight rods and 10-pound tippet, you need 20-pound test and 8-9-10 weight rods. How about Alaskan Kings? In some Alaskan Rivers Such as the Kanektok and Sandy Rivers, Kings bite

as aggressively as any other anadromous fish, maybe even better than most. The trick is to get at them when they are ocean-fresh. In Alaska, June is the month for bright Kings. Plan on doing your fishing very close to the mouth of the river. Your reel needs to carry 200-yards of backing. Don't forget to bring an extra outfit. These fish are powerful and can break rods and reels. This ain't the game for the good old fashioned clicker reel. Use the same class of reels that you would use for heavy duty saltwater fly

An intrepid angler chases a King down stream in the Sandy River, (Alaska). Josh Linn photo.

fishing. Bring an extra fly line(s) in case you lose one. Bring lots of flies, you will need them. Kings tend to travel along the bottom of the river and that is where you will need to fish your flies. Fishing for Alaskan Kings is a lot like fishing for winter steelhead. You will lose flies and you will need to sharpen your hook often. Be sure to have a good hook sharpening tool. Be prepared to expend some energy to land these fish. After all they are called Kings for good reason. They are the biggest and best of Pacific salmon.

Alaskan King Fly Directory This may be the most complete selection of Alaskan King flies ever assembled on one page. All pictures are mouse-over for fly names. Click flies for more information.
MarabouTube Fly, Blue	Marabou Tube Fly, Red	Marabou Tube Fly, Purple	MarabouTube Fly, Candy
Alaskabou, Volcano	Alaskabou, Blue Moon	Alaskabou, Popsicle	Deep Eyed Wog

Tandem Tube, Black/Blue	Tandem Tube, Egg Sucker	Tandem Tube, Fleshy Red	Tandem Tube, Orange/Pink
Tandem Tube, Purple	Tandem Tube, Red & Orange	Foxee Prawn, Purple	Foxee Prawn, Orange
Foxee Prawn, Black	Foxee Prawn, Popsicle	Sig Intruder, Red/Black	Sig Intruder, Purple
Sig Intruder, Pink/Orange	Sig Intruder, Olive	Sig Intruder, Black/Orange	Sig Intruder, Black/Blue
Sig Intruder, Green Butt	Guide Intruder, Black	Guide Intruder, Chartreuse	Guide Intruder, Pink
Jumbo Critter, Black	Jumbo Critter, Black/Blue	Jumbo Critter, Black/Red	Jumbo Critter, Chartreuse
Jumbo Critter, Pink & Orange	Jumbo Critter, Purple	Tube Snake, Black & Blue	Tube Snake, Purple
Tube Snake, Orange	Tube Snake, Pink	Tube Snake, Red	Skagit Minnow, Black
Skagit Minnow, Chart/White	Skagit Minnow, Pink/Orange	Skagit Minnow, Purple/Blue	Stinger Prawn, Black
Stinger Prawn, Chartreuse	Stinger Prawn, Purple	Kingtooka, Multi	Marabou Shrimp, Chartreuse
For a week's fishing for Kings, you will want to take about 100 flies in assorted shapes, sizes and colors

Top 7 Rods for Kings

Sage 8134-4 Z-AXIS
All Around "Get it done rod when used with heavy sinking tips & long distance casting."

Line: Skagit 550- 650 10wt Sink Tips

Reel Match: Nautilus 12, Tibor Riptide, CLA 6, Momentum LT 6

Sage 8129-4 Z-AXIS
Uses same lines as the 8134, but this rod gives a leverage advantage when playing big fish.

Line: Skagit 550-650 10 wt sink Tips

Reel Match: Nautilus 12, Tibor Riptide, CLA 6, Momentum LT 6

Echo DH 9136-4
New to the game, little but tough.

Line Skagit 550 -650 10 wt sink tips
Reel Match Nautilus 12, Tibor Riptide, CLA 6, Momentum LT 6

G. Loomis 12’ 6" 8/9 Stinger
Short, fast and tough

Line Skagit 600-650 10 wt Sink Tips

Reel Match: Nautilus 12, Tibor Riptide, CLA 6, Momentum LT 6

Winston 15’ 9/10
If you are looking for long distance casting, go with a 15-footer.

Line: Skagit 650 -750 The more the merrier, at least 10 wt tips

Reel Match: Nautilus 12 DD, Nautilus 12 T, Tibor Gulfstream, Abel 12 Wide,

Momentum LT 7

T&T 15’ 10 -5 pc
Long-range, but also the little traveler

Line: Skagit 750 you are getting close, at the least 10wt tips

Reel Match Nautilus 12 DD, Nautilus 12 T, Tibor Gulfstream, Abel 12 Wide,

Momentum LT 7

Sage TCX 9140-4 TCX
Super Fast Long Range

Line: Skagit 600 is where to start, 10 wt tips at least

Reel Match Nautilus 12 DD, Nautilus 12 T, Tibor Gulfstream, Abel 12 Wide, Ross Momentum LT 7

Dress For Success

Remember anywhere you fish for kings in Alaska it is going to be cold and wet. Dress like you are fishing for winter Steelhead.

I remember my first time traveling to Alaska for Kings. It was my first trip into the unknown. What should I bring? What’s the weather like? Are there going to be as many mosquitoes as some people have reported? There was no end to end to my questions. After my first trip I made a checklist.

The first time I chased Kings in AK I was guiding for Mel Gillis at the Sandy River. It is as remote as it gets. I remember talking to Mel on the phone about the job. George Cook had told me to give him a call. The conversation was about 5 minutes long. Me: ” I heard you were looking for a guide?” Mel: ” That’s right” Long silence... Me: “Uh George Cook told me to give you a call” Mel: ”That’s right I’m looking for a guide.” Me: ”Okay, well I guide in Oregon for Steelhead, but I don’t have any experience running a jet boat.” Mel: ” that’s no problem it’s just like drifting, but you get to go back up river, I’ll book you a ticket for the 4th of June.” Me: ” Uh don’t I even get to think about it? I don’t even know what you pay.” Mel “ I didn’t know you needed to think about it.” I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into, but I knew I wanted to do it. I was in.

The next time I talked to Mel I tried to get as much information out of him as possible. He wasn’t really forthcoming with the info. The 2 most important things I found out though were that it rains every day and there were no Mosquitoes. No problem. I could deal with the rain for a month. It sounded just like winter steelheading.

A few weeks later I got off the plane in Anchorage and it was pouring down rain. I slept that night in the Airport and when I awoke it was still raining. I boarded my flight to King Salmon in the rain. I was alone and getting more excited by the minute. About 2 hours later we touched down in the most remote place I had ever been, KING SALMON. The airport was crawling with the most unsavory people I had ever been around, cannery workers heading for the canneries, commercial fishermen heading for some remote port, and fishing guides heading out to exotic destinations. I spent a few hours in the airport waiting for my plane to fill up. We headed out onto the tarmac to board the plane. It was one of the smallest planes I had ever been in. It was a Cessna 208 Grand Caravan the ultimate Commercial bush Plane. A few more hours in the air and I had finally reached my destination, the Sandy River. I had heard of this place for a long time. Most often it had been referred to as river X. It was going to be my home for the next couple of months. I was going to be one of the few privileged anglers to fish and guide here.

Surprisingly the lodge was not as primitive as I had envisioned. There was electricity and running water. I could live with that. After a brief introduction to Mel and the other guides I was shown to my cabin and I stowed my gear. Then we headed down to the river for a little jet boat instruction. It was not quite as easy as I had thought and a little harder than Mel made it sound. Honestly I still feel sorry for my first 2 clients that got to learn the river with me. Every day was a new adventure for me. New water, new fish, new sights, and new people. This was turning out to be an adventure of a lifetime. I started to become familiar with the river. It was kind of like a video game. I just had to remember the racetrack. Fishing was good and every day was successful. Over the next few weeks I started to figure out what I had forgotten to bring with me and what I wasn’t going to need. I started working on a basic checklist. Here it is:

Alaska Clothing Check List
( ) Waders (best if you bring two pair)

( ) Non-Studded Wading Shoes

( ) 2 Rain Jackets

( ) 2 sets of base layers

( ) 2 sets of heavy weight fleece

( ) 8 pairs of socks

( ) Stocking Cap

( ) Extreme Hat
( ) Gloves

( ) Dry Bag

Tackle Check List
( ) 3 rods in case one breaks you still have a backup

( ) 2 reels in case you have a malfunction

( ) Each Reel Loaded with a running line, and 1 backup

( ) Bring a Skagit line for each rod and a backup for each

( ) Bring lots of Maxima. The Lightest I use is 15, most often 20, don’t forget 30 and 40 for butt sections

( ) Plenty of sink tips 10wt type-8 and lots of T-14, maybe T-17 and T-11

( ) about 100 flies all shapes sizes and colors

( ) Pliers if you are fishing alone it’s much easier to release the fish

( ) Leatherman you never know what is going to go wrong

( ) Bug Juice, I hate Mosquitos

( ) Sunglasses, 2-pair

And I always bring an emergency kit, Braided Loops all sizes, tying thread and bobbin, bobbin threader, scissors, nail knot tool, line winder, knot sense, forceps, and Zap-A- Gap

Polish/Czech Nymphs
Crane (Cream/Tan)	Josef (Brown/Orange)	Vistula (Chartreuse)

Vladi Trzebunia from Poland- 1989 Gold medalist and member of the Polish team who took the fly fishing world by storm when they introduced the Polish nymph. That year, with this fly and the newly created method of fishing known today as Polish nymphing, Vladi caught more fish by himself than the next three ranked teams combined. This is the technique that has been tweaked and renamed "Czech Nymphing." These days Vladi has retired from competitive fishing and just happens to be a Team USA coach. Although a similar fishing technique of multiple nymphing has been used on rivers like the Deschutes for years before 1989, these flies remain Polish, and are deadly on local waters. Along with these special fly patterns is a special hybrid leader setup that makes fishing a three fly cast comparatively easy.

Crane (Cream/Tan) This fly is woven from floss-like material, and is tan on the back with a cream colored belly. The back and belly are nearly the same color. It has the coloration of some caddis larvae.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
12561	Polish Nymph, Crane (Cream/Tan)	8	3 for $9.95	Sale Over
12562	Polish Nymph, Crane (Cream/Tan)	10	3 for $9.95	Sale Over

Josef (Brown/Orange) This fly is woven from floss-like material, and is brown on the back with an orange belly. A copper wire rib, accents segmentation across the back. It has the coloration of some stonefly nymphs.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
12564	Polish Nymph, Josef (Brown/Orange)	6	3 for $9.95	Sale Over
12565	Polish Nymph, Josef (Brown/Orange)	8	3 for $9.95	Sale Over

Vistula (Chartreuse) Named for the Vistula, Poland's largest river system, which flows from the Carpathian Mountains to the Baltic Sea. This fly is woven from floss-like material, and is chartreuse on the back with a yellow belly. A dark green wire rib accents segmentation. It looks like a Green Rock Worm.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
12545	Polish Nymph, Vistula (Chartreuse)	10	3 for $9.95	Sale Over
12546	Polish Nymph, Vistula (Chartreuse)	12	3 for $9.95	Sale Over

Andy Burk's Czech Nymph Leader By: Umpqua Developed by Andy Burk, the Umpqua Czech Nymph leaders makes Czech Nymph rigging easy. This three fly leader with two droppers will have you fishing multiple weighted nymphs easily and effectively. Hand tied Power Pro Leader with a larva lace loop and stainless steel tippet ring rigged with two droppers for fishing a three fly cast. The incredibly strong Power Pro main line reduces water drag and also loss of flies. This leader is not a gimmick. In many ways it is revolutionary.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
58760	Andy Burk's Czech Nymph Leader By: Umpqua	8.5' - 4X	$9.95	Sale Over

Back By Popular Demand and Supersized!
Summer Steelhead PhD Class with Simon Gawesworth
Due to a cancellation we have one space open...an opportunity for you!

Simon Gawesworth on The Deschutes River, photo: Mark Bachmann

Spend 5 days/4 nights on the Deschutes River with:
Mark Bachmann, Josh Linn, Ron Walp and Simon Gawesworth.
September 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 2009
The popular PhD School has been stretched an extra two fishing sessions. It features four guides, two big jet boats, and the best camp on the river. Mid-September is prime time for Deschutes River steelhead fishing. This school intends that you will graduate with extensive proprietary knowledge of steelhead fly fishing and spey rod casting.

We will camp on prime water and we will have boat access to miles
of steelhead runs that will present a diverse array of angling opportunities.
Classes will be held mid-day. You will fish with a guide each morning and evening.
Brunch and dinner will be served at times to give you the best fishing periods.
This will give you the best advantage for hooking as many steelhead
as possible during your stay with us.
Nothing teaches you more about fishing than being where
fish are being hooked and landed.

You will learn all aspects of spey rod fishing with both floating and sinking-tip lines.
Learn how to locate steelhead water and how to approach it.
Watch an expert guide as he fishes and discloses the secrets
and proven methods that put fish on the beach.
Get a lot of hands on help (4-guides for 6-students) so that you too can be productive.
Save yourself years of experimenting on your own.

You will be pampered!
You will stay in a very comfortable tent camp on the water.
A Camp Person will be available at all times to make your stay as comfortable as possible.
All cooking and eating will be done in a spacious screen-house.
Comfortable sleeping cots and pads are supplied in double occupancy tents.
All food & non-alcoholic beverages are included.

Bring your own sleeping bag, clothing, toiletries,
waders, rain gear, rods, reels, flies & tackle.

Price includes your Deschutes Boaters Pass.
Price does not include your Oregon Fishing License, which may be purchased online.
Meet at Mack's Canyon Camp Ground at:
Noon 9/16 arrive back at Mack's Canyon a Noon 9/20.
Date: September 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 2009
6 students only !
First come, first served.

Price: $2,495 per person.

Non-Refundable Deposit: $1,000

Balance Due: $1495 by 07/01/09

Item	Description	Deposit	To Top
PHD-CLASS-091609	4-day PHD steelhead class with Mark Bachmann, Josh Linn, Ron Walp and Simon Gawesworth, September 16, 17, 18, 19, 20	One opening only! $1,000.00 Deposit	Sale Over

The Fly Fishing Shop, Welches, OR

1(800) 266-3971

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www.flyfishUSA.com

Fish long & prosper,
Mark & Patty