Silvey Tube Snake

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Silvey Tube Snake
Mk IV 3 3/4"W
Sumac Garden
Make 'em Swim
Kispiox Dredger
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Silvey Tube Snake

Black & Blue	Blue & Purple	Orange
Orange & Pink	Red	Tandem Tube Flies

Big summer steelhead eat big flies. Photo: Josh Linn

	Invasion Of The Tube Snakes This is a logical variation on the popular Tandem Tube Fly. The Tube Snake is a lightweight Intruders style fly with lots of spots and stripes that mimic the coloration of prawns and
		squid, some of steelhead and salmon's favorite ocean food. These flies have a lot of action in the water that makes them look alive. They are relatively easy to cast, but fish "large" in the water. Each Tube Snake comes pre-rigged with 24" of 10-pound Ultra Green tippet, complete with a perfection loop so it is easy to attach to your leader.

Josh Linn tests a Silvey Tube Snake. Photo: Marcy Stone.

Silvey's Tube Snake, Black & Blue A favorite fly for both winter and summer for glacial streams that drain the great volcanoes of the Cascade Mountain Range. Black and blue is well proven on the Sandy, Clackamas and Klickitat as well as many British Columbia rivers. Proven most productive on dark rainy days, black and blue flies are one of the most popular late winter fly color combinations..
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
SIG1242	Silvey's Tube Snake, Black & Blue	1	$4.95

Silvey's Tube Snake, Blue & Purple Purple is one of the most effective colors for fishing early in the morning or late in the evening on almost any river that contains summer steelhead. Brian Silvey added a touch of blue to make this fly stand out even more. Try fishing your Tube Snake with a fast sinking tip line. Fish at a very steep angle downstream so the fly comes across the current slowly and hangs in front of the fish for the longest period possible.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
SIG1243	Silvey's Tube Snake, Blue & Purple	1	$4.95

Silvey's Tube Snake, Orange This is one of the best flies available with which to fish coastal rivers that empty directly into the Pacific Ocean. We like this fly in the winter when the rivers are still high and slightly colored, but dropping. That is the water condition when many short coastal rivers are most productive as the fish tend to move quickly to inaccessible headwaters when river levels become low.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
SIG1244	Silvey's Tube Snake, Orange	1	$4.95

Silvey's Tube Snake, Orange & Pink Pinkish orange may be the winningest color for Oregon steelhead early in the winter season. It appears that whatever these fish have been feeding on in the Ocean is this color. Pinkish orange is an excellent choice when winter rivers are very cold and clear during December and January. During periods of cold, clear water, fish this fly with the fastest sinking lines and let it move very slowly through deep water channels.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
SIG1245	Silvey's Tube Snake, Orange & Pink	1	$4.95

Silvey's Tube Snake, Red Red is proven to be a good bet for rivers that are low and clear, when there is direct sun on the water. Obviously, bright light and clear water is a combination that offers little hope to many anglers. However, there is no hope of catching fish if the fly is not in the water. The fish at the top of this page was caught with this fly in the bright sun.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
SIG1246	Silvey's Tube Snake, Red	1	$4.95

Saracione MK IV Reel Model 3 3/4" Wide In Stock: Now! In Stock: Now! In Stock: Now! In Stock: Now! In Stock: Now!
Though sought by the world's most sophisticated collectors, Saracione Mk IV Reels are made to fish...
...now you see the reel handle...now you don't....as the fish takes a long run and...the handle turns to a blur...	the audible click herolds the event...as the line runs smoothly from the wide spool...to be continued...

Joe Saracione says that I'm his hardest to please customer. If that is true, I may also becoming one of his most ardent ones. I got a Saracione 4 1/4 reel about a year ago and was very impressed with its overall performance, but it was too large for my newest rods, which earned it a minimal amount of use. Then a 3 3/4" Wide reel became part of my stash about mid-August. I was somewhat dubious that love would develop between me and a reel without a rim for palming control. Lighter weight, larger diameter reels filled my collection. My first impression of my newest Saracione was that she was mighty pretty. She had a flawless complexion and a smooth solid body. She had a pervading sensuousness held in classic grace. She even purred loudly as you wound her up. The Three And Three Quarter Wide was loaded with a .031 SharkSkin Shooting Line so that a wide variety of Skagit and AFS heads could be easily used. This way the reel could be tried on a variety of rods. The first pick was an 8134-4 C.F. Burkheimer rod and and Airflo Skagit Compact with 15' type-6 sinking tip. The balance was fine and several small Deschutes steelhead were landed with this combination. Then the reel was switched to an 8134-4 Sage Z-AXIS firing a Rio 600-grain Skagit and same type-6 tip. The balance was perfect. The line fit was a little tight. A couple of steelhead were landed with this outfit. Then a client broke the 8134-4 Sage. The reel was switched back to the Burkheimer and a couple more steelhead were landed using a 520-grain AFS head. The line fit was very good. It was at this point that the reel really started to make an even more favorable impression on me. It had flawless performance. Even better, it had no qualities that annoyed me. I really have developed an affection for my Sage 7136-4 Z-AXIS Rod in combination with a 460-grain AFS line. It's compliant personality soothes my soul. Imagine my joy when I found out that the new Saracione Reel blended with it. In quick succession, a number of steelhead were subdued with this outfit, a fitting end to a glorious 2008 Deschutes Steelhead Season. By the time I had landed the 30"wild hen pictured above, I was in love with this reel. Saracione Reels redefine quality of workmanship and also raise the bar on smooth operation! It is now my number one pick as a steelhead reel. The 3 3/4"W reel model is easily converted right to left hand wind. If you buy from us, your new reel will come set up according to your preference. Please indicate whether you wish a fly line to be installed on your reel. Backing line is free with fly line installation. Application: Many anglers fishing big steelhead waters in British Columbia’s Skeena system will choose either this reel or the 4” model when fishing #9 lines with single-hand rods. However, our market direction was to provide a reel that ultimately compliments 7/8 weight 13’spey rods, a popular combination that anglers cast for both summer and winter-run steelhead on small to midsize waters in the U.S and British Columbia, and, of course, on a number of Canadian maritime rivers for adult salmon. We anticipate that this will become our most popular salmon and steelhead model. Balances perfectly with Sage 8134-4 and 7136-4 Z-AXIS, and C.F. Burkheimer 8139-3 and 8134-4.
Diameter: 3 3/4" Width: 1 5/32” Weight: 14.2 oz.		Capacity: WindCutter 7/8/9 + 200 yards #20 Capacity: Skagit 500-600 grain w/tip + 125 yd #30. Capacity: AFS 460-520 grain w/tip + 125 yd #30.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
SARA3.75WR	Saracione Mark IV Reel, Right-hand Wind	3 3/4"W	$985
SARA3.75WL	Saracione Mark IV Reel, Left-hand Wind	3 3/4"W	$985
SARA3.75WS	Saracione Mark IV Spool	3 3/4"W	$345

Under The Sumac Garden

	The giant sumacs that canopy our camp are turning bright chartreuse. The smaller sumacs that grow in more arid places are bright fire engine red. Leaves are dropping in a continuous shower. Old man winter is coming and he's in a grumpy mood. The last two sunrises have come with the frigid sting of a downstream wind. Mid-day after the sun fills the canyon, the air is calm and bright and very comfortable. River traffic is minimal and so are the steelhead. There are few Columbia River strays and the resident fish are being
pushed around by large fall Chinooks that are spawning in the camp water. Today, I am alone in camp under a canopy of brightly lit leaves, just me with my key board. The sun has already passed its apex. Soon it will pass behind the rim to the west and the temperature will drop with the light. The water temperature will drop quickly also. The window of fishing opportunity will be narrowed. Another successful Deschutes summer steelhead season comes to a close. It is time to concentrate on rivers west of the Cascades and bright new winter fish!

	Make 'em Swim By: Mikael Frodin Mikael Frodin is famous as the father of modern Scandinavian tube flies, which were developed for Atlantic Salmon, but which have also found great popularity on Pacific Northwest salmon and steelhead rivers. In his newest DVD, Mikael reveals his tying methods and the science behind the development of his distinctive fly patterns. At the heart of his methodology are products that he has developed to give his flies special balance and action in the water. During this
DVD he explains how and why he developed the FITS system of tubing, cone heads, turbo cones, and his new tube tying needle. He explains his reasoning including illustration with several flies in a flow tank. This DVD is well lighted and well scripted so that it gives the viewer concise information in an entertaining fashion. We highly recommend it.
Item	Description	Price	To Top
80140-US	Make 'em Swim, By: Mikael Frodin, DVD	$39.95

G. Loomis Kispiox Dredger 5126-4 Spey rod Test Report
By Josh Linn

Josh puts pressure on a large steelhead with a G. Loomis Kispiox Dredger 5126-4...

Summer was coming to an end and Marcy and I were getting ready to head up to the Grande Ronde for some steelhead action. The Ronde is a perfect for little rods, it is a littler river with smaller steelhead. Most of the fishing we do there is with sinking tip lines. I had been fishing the Loomis Metolius 13’4’ 5wt and was in love with it. The rumor was, that this rod was being replaced by an updated version. It was going to be in the Dredger Kispiox Series and was called 5126-4. This rod would be coming out around the time we were going to be leaving. I made a few calls and got 2 of them one for Marcy and one for me. This rod turned out to the favorite of the trip and it saw a lot of action, it caught many steelhead, rainbows, and even a few bull trout.
The 5126-4 Dredger was matched up with the new SA Single Hand Skagit 400gr 8wt. I made tips from Rio’s T-11 sink tip material in sizes ranging from 9-13’.
Since then, through the course of the year that same rod has been fished on all my local steelhead rivers, the Klickitat, where Marcy got an awesome wild fish that put up unforgettable battles, the Grande Ronde, the Deschutes, and the Sandy. Those rods have caught quite a few fish including a 20-pounder on the Sandy in the middle of winter. My biggest steelhead to date. It was late January and the rain was coming down hard. We launched the boat in the dark and waited till we could barely see the faint outline of the rocks in the water and pushed away from the boat launch. I was fishing for myself that day and knew the water was on the rise. We skipped the first couple of runs to get into some better high water fishing spots. We stopped in a couple of promising spots but to no avail, the water was a bit high. We kept moving and ended up in a spot typically fished by gear fishermen oddly enough the gear fishermen were in the water we normally fish right across the way. How strange, we waited for them to leave. I was fishing under some trees and ended up breaking my rod. So I strung up the little Loomis 5 wt that Marcy had brought. At this water level long casts were not needed, the fish would be right against the bank. The guys across from us were getting a little antsy. They wanted to be where we were, but they also wanted to stay out in front of everyone. So they pushed off. We rowed across the river and ate a little lunch. I could see the water was really coming up now. I had had enough lunch and started fishing. I moved down below the boat. The Loomis was a perfect rod for this spot. I couldn’t really get into the water, and the trees were hanging over me. I started casting and moving down. About this time Brian Silvey rowed by. He was calling it a day. The river was pretty much gone. I felt a sense of urgency. I had to keep fishing. I needed to get the last little bit I could. This would be the only fishable spot on the river. If we had any chance at all this would be it. No sooner was Brian out of sight when I felt it. The unmistakable pull, the throb of the fish on the end of the line. I set the hook hard to make sure that the fish was hooked. The fish jumped out of the water. I could see it was a big fish. It was a ways off so it was hard to tell how big. The fish was moving down river. I didn’t want to lose this one. I had to get moving. I started running down the bank after it. It went straight into my backing and was holding mid river. I got across from it, where I could put some more muscle into the fight. I couldn’t screw around with this thing or I would surely lose it. I pushed the rod to it’s limits the line was singing. The fish made a couple of more runs but it was exhausted. When I got the fish close to shore I couldn’t believe what I saw. It was the biggest steelhead I had ever seen. It looked like a big King. I was almost panicking, I couldn’t believe it this fish was over 20lb. I have seen a lot of fish in the mid to high teens and this was not one of them, this fish surpassed that mark. I couldn’t believe a rod of this size was able to land a fish that big so fast. This is the kind of fish 8 wt were made for.

Almost all fishing has been done with sink tips and medium to large sized flies, mostly rabbit strip string leeches. When you grab a hold of this rod and give it a shake you think this thing is a wet noodle, but you have to remember it is a 5 wt after all. If it were any faster it would be a 6 or a 7. A 5wt should be a pretty soft rod and should match up with a 300 to 450gr line.

Well it is a year later and I have just returned from the Klickitat where the Loomis was punishing more fish. I’m still fishing the SA 400gr Single Hand Skagit, with Varivas 30lb shooting line and an 11 foot T-11 sink tip.

If you have been looking for another rod to buy and haven’t quite figured it out this one is a pretty good choice. I think in the future you will see rods getting smaller and lighter. This rod is well matched to most medium to small sized steelhead in our region. You don’t always have to fish a 7 or 8 wt rod. Try something smaller. Have you ever fished trout with a 3wt? I guarantee this rod will put new life into little fish. It’s fun!

FR1505/6-4 KIS				Length: 12' 6" Line: #5/6 Pieces: 4

If maximum distance is less important than maximum fun, this lightest model of Skagit style rod may be the ticket. Perfectly suited to summer time low water conditions for trout, steelhead and smaller salmon, it is a blast for shad and other fish willing to take a swinging fly. The rod will load deeply for smooth D-loop formation with minimal back cast space.
Item	Series	Line Wt	Power	Taper	Handle	Price	To Top
11674	Kispiox	5 - 6	Med	Med-Fast	1009	$475.00

The Fly Fishing Shop, Welches, OR

1(800) 266-3971

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www.flyfishUSA.com

Fish long & prosper,
Mark & Patty