Summer Run on a fly

[Old dog]

Had a good day yesterday, 5/26, with my young fishing guru, William. He's 32 and I just turned 63, but we've been fishing together for about 3 years now, and I've sure learned a lot from him about catching salmon and steelhead. I only had half a day off yesterday, so wouldn't ordinarily have gone all the way to the Sandy from Salem. He advised it so we made the 64 mile drive, did the long walk and waded, and a few minutes later he had a springer on the bank. He said he met Yarndog there as well. I was unsucessful, so decided to try out my fly rod in a spot he showed me last fall - where I caught my first coho on a fly. Sure enough, not long afterward I was rewarded with a bright hatchery steelhead caught on a pink and orange popsickle fly from Rich Younger's shop in Salem. This was only my 3rd summer run on a fly rod, all with flies from Rich - who also taught me about catching chinook on flies (one each so far from the Salmon and Nestucca). Anyway, I wish some of these guys who gripe about William's fishing reports, just because he and I don't possess digital cameras, would just lay off. I can witness that this guy is the real deal. And I sure had a great day yesterday to prove it.

[lilnorthfork]

Right on Old Dog! :applause:
Not exactly sure what you mean by:

I wish some of these guys who gripe about William's fishing reports, just because he and I don't possess digital cameras, would just lay off.


I have never seen anybody on this fly board flame a fellow ifisher's report. lnf

[Old dog]

lilnorthfork, you're right. Whenever I've checked out the fly board, I haven't seen anyone flame anybody else. It is on the main board where I've seen some folks get after William following one of his good reports. A couple even said they would donate for a digital camera for him to prove his reports. Since I've been with him on some of his successful fishing days, that means I must be delusional, too. Still, I have witnessed some darn good days where this young man has produced an unbelievable number of hookups on salmon and steelhead. Wish we were all this skillful, but I guess some of us have to be in the 90% who are fishing but not catching.

[Blue Tip Spinner]

old dog- this is why most of us choose to reply to this board instead of the main board. welcome.

[Stew]

No one flames anyone on this board! If they do it gets edited or deleted quickly.
Old Dog people are by nature skeptical of fishing reports without pictures...that's just the way it is.If you had a great day without picutres then that's fine you won't get grief about it here.
I am not much impressed with pictures of dead fish! Seen one, seen them all as far as I'm concerned.
I'd rather hear of the nice fish that got released or the great trip someone had.
You and William are welcome over here

[Mad Mikey]

Were you using a sink tip line or floater??? The temps should be close to the magic mark for floating lines soon. Anybody get a reading this week? Two weeks ago I got a 55F at Oxbow, then it rained that night and dropped to 51.

[Old dog]

Mad Mikey, sorry I didn't supply more specifics. It was a sinking tip Quick Descent line, Courtland 444 - if I remember the box correctly. A 10wt. Lamiglas rod (that I can't spend a lot of time casting with my old shoulder) and 12 lb. leader. I decided to go with the heavier leader since there might have been a crazy springer in there that might have taken the popsickle fly. Plus the water was not totally clear. In fact, it was starting to rise and I'm glad William and I waded across when we did, sometime after 3:00 pm. Had on the same set-up last fall in the same spot when I finally landed and released a native coho, except I used 10 lb. leader then. I noticed last fall and 3 weeks ago that there are a few fly fishermen in that area as well. Last fall I saw another guy have a great battle in the same spot before landing a nice hatchery coho on a brown wooly worm (he called it old faithful). Then on May 6 I saw another fly fisherman near there land a bright hatchery summer run on a fly rod - don't know what kind of fly. Since weighted jigs under bobbers work so well with steelhead, maybe sinking lines with larger flies in the higher water is a good way to go. Anyway, I'm old but still a novice with this stuff.

[Ed Fast]

Post deleted by Stew

[greenbuttskunk]

old dog,
are you sure it was'nt a green butt skunk you caught the summer steelie on. Maybe it was in disguise? Great report and you are welcome here anytime. hope you won't hold the issue against 99% of the main board fellows either. Most are top notch.
Good fishin,
GBS

[rob allen]

Water temps above 50 are ideal for a floating line.. Just sometimes in rivers like the sandy and clack you gotta find water where the fish are a little shallower..

In thise fast bubbly pockets try a muddler fished on the surface!!! I have caught many fish that way..

Also to gain depth try typing on larger heavier wire hooks with a sparce pattern works great when you just wanna get down a foot or so...

[Blue Tip Spinner]

MODS- thanks for cleaning up this thread :cheers: :applause: :cheers: :applause:!!!!!!!!!

[Abalone]

I often see people tossing a fly line on the Clackamas and have wondered how successful they are at catching Steelhead or Salmon.
For some reason I have always thought that Success on the West Side of the Cascades isn't as good as it is
on the Deschutes. I reckon I am going to have to give this a try.. Any suggestions on patterns.. Wieghted or dry ???
Strike indicators ??? I have heard that Salmon fly nymphs, Teeny nymphs and similar patterns work.

What's you favorite ?? I am talking about the Clackamas mostly but also the Sandy..

[rob allen]

Abalone

Fly fishing summer steelhead on the west side is a far cry from what it used to be for one main reason. Skamania stock summer steelhead.. They are really poor biters when they have to move through the water column. I believe thats whats in the Clack and all throughout the Willamette drainage ( someone correct me if i am wrong)

I bet the natives out on the Siletz are good biters just as the Rogue and Umpqua fish are.

Each year i grow more and more convinced of the Skamanias unwillingness to rise to a fly to due to their genetic heritige There is no other reason that I wouldn't catch summer runs on the North Lewis but catch them just fine on the cowlitz.. The only difference is the strain of fish..


Flies for the deschutes

Skunk
Purple peril
Rusty Bomber

thats all you need.. cast down and across and hold on

[zugbug]

Muddlers and leeches are good paterns for the clack.
But with all the boat traffic on that river, you have to get it 1st light.
wayne