CF Fly Boxes

CF Fly Boxes
Fly boxes are a basic utility item that pretty much all fly fishers must have. They have one job...to hold flies. Some look better than others, some have a reputation of being , traditional and expensive. Others are inexpensive to come by and not really a big deal if the lid falls off or the hinge lets go. The C&F line of fly boxes lies somewhere in the upper middle as far as cost is concerned, but the quality is still top notch. They seem to follow our own credo of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." The C&F people are still producing excellent quality fly boxes and many different configurations and styles. If you cannot find one that suits you, perhaps you do not really need a fly box at all. I have yet to break one of the C&F fly boxes, so you can bet they are rugged. They have two basic sizes and beyond the finished type of box, there is also a series of custom options for different sized flies, special nymph holders, threaders, streamer inserts. almost endless options. There are even waterproof styles available. Most of the boxes are available in off-white, black or dark grey colors. There are 12 different inserts available in the custom series of boxes, and a few options beyond that. If you are in need of a long term customizable box to protect your flies, take a look at the C&F line of fly boxes.


Micro-Slit Foam	Threader Boxes	Compartmented	System & Waterproof

A great innovation, the threader makes
attaching flies easier & faster.

C&F Fly Boxes
What an amazing improvement in fly boxes! Try it just once and you’ll agree that patented
Micro-Slit Foam is the world’s best way to store flies.

No other system takes such great care of every aspect, from hook to hackle.

C&F Big Game Waterproof Boxes
Tarpon Box	Permit Box	Bonefish Box

What's your big game? Just because it's called a Permit fly box doesn't mean you can only store Permit flies in it. As you might note from the picture above, steelhead spey flies also fit this box very well. The Waterproof Tarpon Fly Box will help you organize any flies that are 3" to 4". The Waterproof Bonefish Box is meant to carry flies in the 1" to 1 1/2" lengths.

River Log

The new dining tent went up easy. It houses a six-foot long modern folding table. This became the center-piece for much evening conversation punctuated by the hollow sounding "whack" of bighorn rams. They butted heads on the ridge above camp at night, under a half moon. As this being written, I have just retuned to the key-board of my "in-camp" lap-top. I was there when Patty yelled from down river. Since a camera was already in my shirt pocket, it was any easy jaunt to where she was in the last stages of playing a steelhead. Marcy Stone assisted Patty in landing the first steelhead of the morning. I took pictures of two girls playing in the river. There are just the three off us in camp. No guests are in camp for two days. In this camp I am sequestered form industry and commerce. As I am writing this morning, there is no wind, no people sounds, only the sounds of the river as it has sounded for the last 10,000-years...a perfect back-drop to a fertile mind and key-board. Three days ago, Patty and I set up camp, then went back to Mack's Canyon and picked up John Jones and Chris and Jeremy from the Outcast boat company. We fished together for two days. Marcy Stone joined us for the next two days. The fishing was pretty good with most anglers touching fish nearly every sessions. All of our fish have been small (4-7 pounds). Ron Walp stopped by camp with Mike and Jim. They showed us Jim's 36-inch hatchery B-run. That afternoon a cold, gusting wind blew us off the river. Then Patty and I had the camp to ourselves for a night. We each landed a steelhead. Saturday and Sunday we were joined by four students for a two-day Summer Steelhead School. Everybody had a great time and learned a lot. Joe Brunner was top dog, landing three steelhead in three sessions on the water. Not bad considering that he had not used a spey rod before. His son Andy had the second highest score with two steelhead. It's probably genetic.
Jeremy 10/06/08	Oh-dark-thirty-a.m. 10/07/08
Undertaker 10/07/08	Simms G4 Pro Guide Jacket 10/08/08
Lower Deschutes Bull Trout 10/08/08	Patty Barnes 10/08/08
Marcy Stone, high noon 10/09/08	Ron in the Afternoon 10/09/08
Snake Lizard 10/09/08	Giant Female Mantis 10/10/08
Jim Anderton 36", 10/09/08 Photo: Ron Walp	Shameless Promotion 10/10/08

Joe Brunner, top dog in steelhead class 10/11/08	Wild buck steelhead 10/12/08

The T F O 11’ 4wt Deer Creek Switch Rod By: J. Morgan Jones

One of the perils of working in a world class fly shop is endless days of product evaluation and testing, testing, testing. While it’s not a very glamorous job, it’s what was available at the time ( I was slated to be a famous musician but it just never worked out, and I had no other discernable skills). In the course of my day to day tasks, I found myself on the river with the new T F O deer Creek 11’ 4wt switch rod., along with a fair number of favorites.
I was curious how this little rod would spey cast so I borrowed a 6wt line rather than a 4 wt. I really just wanted to cast it a bit and see for myself if these little rods could really do what I hoped they would.. I strung up this rod first thing in the morning, so I could get the testing out of the way and perhaps string up my new Brand X rod that had but one day of “testing” on it.
If you are in a hurry (reading this at work, perhaps?) I will just get right to it…….. The T F O rod was the only one I used all day. Weighted nymph, trailing flies, dry flies and sol on. Long leaders, srike indicators. A typical day of trout fishing (on a river with steelhead, I know!) on a large river. High sticking nymphs, mending long casts. Single hand casting, overhead (my term for normal casting but with both hands) and spey casts. Light winds. This is a very effective rod in all respects. Period.
The first fish of the day was an 18’ resides in very fast water. There were no issues at all playing the fish to hand quickly with this rod. I have caught many nice fish in this particular location and it can be rather tricky to land good fish on light rods here. Casting was very pleasant with the 6wt line. I would have preferred to try some other lines, but I had not planned on using the rod all day. The top end of the rod seems soft at first, but I never really noticed this when casting. It has very good strength in the butt section and never seemed to reach its casting “limit” regardless of what I was doing. I was able to cast in the 60-70’ range all day and still be able to mend line at the longer distances. I am sure that with a more specialized line (shooting head or similar) this would not be the case. But I found that the rod was pleasant to cast in all situations. It feels like a small, light rod, not “tippy” at all. Actually (to me) it felt like a nice 4wt rod. Because it is a 4wt, the physical effort required to cast was rather minimal. The overall length makes this and excellent nymph rod by anyone's standards. The softer top end makes detecting subtle strikes much easier than I am used to.
The finish of this rod is very well done, much like the TFO Deer Creek rods that were introduced earlier. The sock and rod tube is included. Warranty is the standard “lifetime.” I will mention that we have yet to have any difficulties what so ever with this company regarding any customer service issues. They deal with our customers the way we deal with our customers. In a market that is becoming more and more global this is not a common theme anymore. A very nice rod from a real good company it’s a real “find” by most of our standards.

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FALL CHROMER FEVER
	The Deschutes is a pristine desert river with a strong run of summer steelhead that peaks at Sherars Falls during September and October. There is natural passage over the falls, but many steelhead use a man-made fish ladder where they are counted and tagged by a dedicated crew supplied by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. All steelhead that are counted here are tagged. If you collect one of those tags, let ODFW know. The daily steelhead count is available online at: Sherars Falls Fish Counts
When staying in Maupin on the Deschutes River try the Imperial River Company. It provides warm comfortable lodging, a restaurant equipped with a large wine cellar, and a quiet bar with a nice selection of single malt scotches. The fresh cut steaks are from the Imperial Stock Ranch just 20 miles outside of Maupin. The owners, Rob and Susie Miles, host a relaxed, four-star experience for all their guests. What more could a fisher want after a dawn to dusk day hooking aggressive steelhead? Imperial River Company.
	The Deschutes River Access road parallels the river and provides access to steelhead runs from Locked Gate upstream of Maupin to Macks Canyon 26 miles downstream of town. This section of the Deschutes River has a deserved reputation for October and November steelhead, and in the fall months you can still catch the river low, clear, and fly friendly. Steelhead are very slippery and hard to hang on to. Well they're supposed to be. That is how they slip through the water so easily.
The Fly Fishing Shop’s guide, Josh Linn offers multi-day and day-float drift boat fishing trips on the Deschutes. Josh can help you read the water, improve your fishing strategy with on the water spey casting instruction, and a digital photograph of your fall steelhead. The Deschutes River provides arguably the best shot at catching a wild steelhead on the fly this time of year, of any destination in the USA. Additional information is available at: Deschutes float Trips
	Coho salmon are in the Sandy & Clackamas Rivers in fishable numbers. Most are fin clipped and bound for local hatcheries. These fish are all adipose fin clipped and may be kept for the table. More Coho will come as the fall rains continue. Flies in shades of chartreuse, pink, orange, purple and black can be productive. Flies may be fished dead drift or on the swing. New bright fish will often take a fly on the retrieve. These fish average six to sixteen pounds. Most are not leader shy.