Flyfishing for springers...

[Oregonism]

Do you use similar tactics as steelhead, just in different water? Is it a waste of time, or can it be pretty productive? My buddy used to go to a river in the area and get in the double digits on springers almost every day in June, and I'm hoping to get some of that action on a fly rod

Oh, and sorry for asking so many questions. This is officially my year where I get completely obsessed with flyfishing.

Edit: just read a couple articles... and apparently it's pretty tough. Might give it a try though.

[EugeneFisher]

Welcome to the obsession club.

I've never targeted springers on a fly, so I'm very interested to hear others' experiences. A couple friends who have been successful have shared these techniques with me: (1) egg patterns bounced along the bottom or (2) large, bright, obtrusive flies swung deep. I have some T-22 that I've been saving for the right moment, this year's springer run may be that moment.

[Oregonism]

I found a couple articles and a couple threads on other forums talking about springer flyfishing. Swinging apparently doesn't work at all, but your right about the big obtrusive flies. Some people said they had success with a really heavy sinktip and a big orange or pink leech pattern with lots of flash, basically just hung straight down into a deep hole right in front of the fishes face. It can take 4-5 minutes for one to even bite. One guides article even went as far as saying that they are the toughest fish to get on a fly.

I also imagine it might be possible to use a really long leader and some sort of makeshift dropper rig with a weighted egg pattern and some split shot. I'll probably give it a go in June and see what I can do. I've only got an 8-weight right now, so I'm not even sure if I'd be able to muscle anything bigger than 15lbs to the bank. I'm still going to give it my damndest though

Anybody else have any tips or success stories?

[EugeneFisher]

Google this term: "10 Tips – Swinging Flies for Kings." Then look at the first page that pops up. Explore this website, they have a ton of great information for chinook fly fishing and spey techniques.

[SilverFly]

Originally Posted by Oregonism

I found a couple articles and a couple threads on other forums talking about springer flyfishing. Swinging apparently doesn't work at all, but your right about the big obtrusive flies. Some people said they had success with a really heavy sinktip and a big orange or pink leech pattern with lots of flash, basically just hung straight down into a deep hole right in front of the fishes face. It can take 4-5 minutes for one to even bite. One guides article even went as far as saying that they are the toughest fish to get on a fly.

I also imagine it might be possible to use a really long leader and some sort of makeshift dropper rig with a weighted egg pattern and some split shot. I'll probably give it a go in June and see what I can do. I've only got an 8-weight right now, so I'm not even sure if I'd be able to muscle anything bigger than 15lbs to the bank. I'm still going to give it my damndest though

Anybody else have any tips or success stories?

They will take on the swing, but you need to fish deeper, slower water than for steel. I like to nymph deep current seams myself. Haven't fished em myself in several years, but from my experience, it's more about working the right water and covering it thoroughly. Big flies aren't always the answer either. Later in the season they can be very picky and a small, natural fly can make all the difference.

Depending on the water it should be possible to land one on an 8, but your going to have your hands (very) full with anything of average size or bigger. Being so deeply built, they really use current to their advantage. Also, keep in mind there's the potential to overplay a native fish on an 8wt if it's not a hatchery only run your fishing.

Once you hook your first one, you'll be shopping for a 10 - 12wt.

[Jaydub]

I have a few notes from a talk by Rich Youngers. He said for Chinook, swing then do a slow strip, then wait (a long time), do another slow strip etc.

[surfnfish]

Originally Posted by Jaydub

I have a few notes from a talk by Rich Youngers. He said for Chinook, swing then do a slow strip, then wait (a long time), do another slow strip etc.

Rich , Jay Nicolas, and Jack and his son out on the coast know as much about flyfishing for salmon as any four hombres in Oregon. Having caught and released way too many fall salmon over the years, doubt that they have collectively caught a dozen springers on the fly between them during that same period of time.

Fall fish come in over the bar at high tide, and then settle into the honey holes in lower tidewater waiting for the first rains of fall to raise the river before they begin moving upstream. During those weeks in tidewater, they will take a fly - I keep a boat down in tidewater just for that, and after your first hook up and battle, you will become addicted (my 12 step program isn't helping).

Springers, however, come in on the run, and with plenty of water from the spring rains/runoff keeping the rivers moderately high, just keep on moving, spending a couple of days, not weeks, acclimating before finning on upstream. And for whatever reason, even when they can be seen in the holes with a fish finder, they are just not as willing to take a fly as the fall fish are.

Jay has written and spoken a whole bunch on flyfishing for salmon in general - here's a taste..

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...4191712037301#

[Oregonism]

That's good to know. I'm just thinking of some stretches that we used to fish on the Upper Sandy (before the dam was blown), and those fish were more than eager to hit a number of different presentations (my buddy insisted they would only hit big, gooey globs of eggs one day--which I disproved by skunking him one day with a bright, obnoxious plug). I had an absolute blast watching fish finning up this long riffle, and chucking a plug and seeing them totally nail it as they passed.

I'm just looking for some big fish to catch in May and June on the fly. I'll be doing plenty of trout fishing, but I don't think that it's going to be quite the same...

[llama77]

I used to fish eagle creek for them years ago. I might have to agree they are harder than fall fish.

We used teeny nymphs, and sometimes just 3 colors of yarn on a hook.

Teeny use to do really well on the wind, I always wanted to go, dont even knoe if its open ??

We had a little white water chute we would fish on eagle creek, we would just run the yarn flys through it, couldnt see the fish, but ti was a productive spot.

I hooked one once an it came straight up out of the water and was only about 15 feet away, it took off downstream and went under a branch, as I treid to get the line out from under the branch it ran back upstream OVER the branch took my rod tip up and over the branch and snapped it!!

It was hoot until the rod broke!

[Oregonism]

Yeah, springers definitely seem like smart fish once you hook them up. I remember they would find every snag in a hole and wrap your line up if you gave them the chance. There was one article where a guy said he saw a fish get hooked up and then start banging his jaw on the bottom until the hook popped out. Crazy!

Does Eagle Creek even get a spring run? If so, I'll probably end up spending quite a bit of June up there.

[fishcentral]

There are two flies you will need ! first in the upper sandy - we used to fish salmon river for steel back in the day , and when the salmon would inter they were a pain !!! for fun i would target them sometimes - the only fly they would take on a consistant basses was a orange butted green woolly worm - and let me tell you i tried every thing ! but this fly in a size 4 3x long or even bigger they would whack ! lower on the river for salmon on the sandy id spot fish for the fall fish and for some reason WHITE in the fly always worked , and they would even move for it ! without white they werent enterested ! big or small fly all it took was some white in the pattern !!! it could be that 80 to 90 percent of salmon and steelhead food in the ocean is either pink or white !!! and when they get to the upper river and have been in the system for awhile they tend to turn to the dark side of flies !!!!

[skinhead]

Originally Posted by EugeneFisher

Welcome to the obsession club.

I've never targeted springers on a fly, so I'm very interested to hear others' experiences. A couple friends who have been successful have shared these techniques with me: (1) egg patterns bounced along the bottom or (2) large, bright, obtrusive flies swung deep. I have some T-22 that I've been saving for the right moment, this year's springer run may be that moment.

[skinhead]

Originally Posted by EugeneFisher

Welcome to the obsession club.

I've never targeted springers on a fly, so I'm very interested to hear others' experiences. A couple friends who have been successful have shared these techniques with me: (1) egg patterns bounced along the bottom or (2) large, bright, obtrusive flies swung deep. I have some T-22 that I've been saving for the right moment, this year's springer run may be that moment.

can you cast that t-22?

[fishcentral]

There are some things i would like to point out about the heavy sinking lines for deep water fishing steel and salmon ! skinhead you mention t-22 , i can only assume this is a teeny line ? when i fished deeper runs i would use a teeny 300 or 400 grain line - now these lines were 26 foot sinking tips with floating line ! the problem casting these lines where that once you got that 26 feet of heavy line at your tip thats where you stopped getting more line in the air ! the tips were just to heavy , and you would just shoot the rest out with that heavy 26 foot tip ! sometimes i could get a little more line in the air , but not much !

what i had to teach alot of people was that the with heavy tips the belly sinks first , so you had to let the belly sink then pull the belly out to pull the fly into the deep drift - other wise just the belly would go through the fish and would cause alot of foul hooking ! alot of people got real good at this FOUL hooking by waiting tell the belly was down in the fish zone , then ripping line up like they were going for another cast via ripping the hook through the holding zone of the fish ! i told my friends to always swing the fly all the way to the end , or when they knew the line wasent in the fishes zone any more before lifting or ripping up to cast ! i only had to ban one fisherman from my group because he just didnt care and kept doing it ! i would suggest over cast a little - when the belly sinks down just lift slowly or pull the line slowly to get the tip down to where the belly is and swing through ! also we only used about 4 feet of tippet !

alot of your lake lines are like this also , right now im looking for a lake line where the TIP sinks first and the rest follows ! bellys in the line in lakes and river rivers affect feeling the bite , and i dont like a fly line CAMO or not going through the fish first ! i want the fly to be the deepest then the line coming up at an angle to the rod ! full sink line - the belly will sink and be the deepest in the water so you should do the same - give it time to sink then pull the line in tell the fly is at the belly level !

[EugeneFisher]

Originally Posted by skinhead

can you cast that t-22?

We'll find out this spring.

I'll only attempt casting such a heavy line with my two hander, even then I expect to have one heck of an ugly cast.

[AndyK]

Originally Posted by EugeneFisher

I'll only attempt casting such a heavy line with my two hander, even then I expect to have one heck of an ugly cast.

What are you using for T-22? Airflo previously had a CCT that weighed 470 gr., but it has been discontinued. Is that what you are using?

I have been able to make some long casts (100 feet) with my 9 wt. Spey using a 330 gr. CCT (the entire 20 feet). If I can find some T-22, I wonder what I could do...

[EugeneFisher]

Originally Posted by AndyK

What are you using for T-22? Airflo previously had a CCT that weighed 470 gr., but it has been discontinued. Is that what you are using?

I have been able to make some long casts (100 feet) with my 9 wt. Spey using a 330 gr. CCT (the entire 20 feet). If I can find some T-22, I wonder what I could do...

Andy, you're right on the money. It's an old (unused) pack of Airflo CCT that weighs 470 gr (20 ft). I suppose that actually comes out to 23.5 grains per foot. I've cut it into 12ft and 8ft sections; if I hadn't already cut it, I would have offered a little bet about casting distance. If you feel like trying the 12ft section for kicks, drop me a PM and we'll hit a local river.