A Bit Of Winter On The Surface

A little winter surprise

To say I've had a tough winter season is an understatement....  My friends have gotten steelhead, people on Facebook and Instagram have gotten steelhead, but me, I just continue doing what I do with only leaky waders and casting practice to show for my efforts.  At least I keep my cack handed single spey tuned up so I'm ready for skating in summer, but a fishy interruption in my mundane winter routine would always be welcomed.

It doesn't help my odds that I fish a dry line all winter and that I even fish a skater a fair amount, but I have come to accept my fate with my self-imposed limitations and non-negotiable conditions with my chosen methods.  I am the poster child/role model of insanity....

I hit a favorite winter river today with my regular winter fishing partner Craig Coover.  With a break in the rains, the river was in fine shape and we happily found our favored starting spot open.  Craig gears up quicker than me so he bolted to the water while I finished tinkering with my gear.  I was setting up two rods, my JM Reid 8'5" 9wt cane single hander and my high end Cabela's 11'6wt TLr.

When I arrived on the run, Craig had decided to hit the top, so I got in the middle.  It was a mild day and as I suspected, water temps were also mild, with 49 degrees reading on my thermometer as I dipped it in the winter river.  I knew what I was planning to do even before lowering my thermo in the drink, it was time to skate!

As usual, I continually tie as many of my foam skaters as possible so I have extras on hand for gifting friends and I've even sold a few dozen on Speypages to help fund a much needed set of Simm's G3 waders.  I also completed a few dozen to donate to the Fly Fishing Collaborative, but last week, I decided to tie one for myself - a size 4 "yellow stimuwaker" version.  I tied this fly for myself out of nostalgia as I got my one winter steelhead on the surface while fishing this same fly nearly three years ago on this same river.

I was fishing my yellow skater down this prime run and enjoying the rhythm of casting my bargain stick and watching the bright post of my strange fly coming across on each swing.  As I was stepping down the run, I reminded myself that I wasn't just searching for "a" fish, but that I needed to find "my" fish.  In other words, I knew not every winter steelhead will come to the surface, even in the mild conditions, but only a chosen one may be willing to come up to the top to grab a piece of foam.  As such, I moved through the water fairly quickly, looking for my player.

As I got to the lower section of the fishable water, I turned back to Craig and jokingly remarked "I'm not sure if I'm getting deep enough".  Somehow, even in unlikely conidtions, I am still able to muster up enough confidence and commitment to stick with an improbable method.  The swings felt good and the anticipation of a grab, and the appreciation of being where I was were satisflying enough.

I was doing what I always do, casting like I always do, and swinging/twitching like I always do when a sudden rise came to my skater as it settled into the beginning of it's swing.  The brisk surface commotion was followed by some headshakes and a jump, then my line went slack as this little gal ran towards me.  I stripped in line as quickly as I could and when I caught up, the fish was still on.  I eventually managed to reel up all the loose line into my antique JW Young and this miniture steelhead made a few more runs and then another jump.  I was able to lead the steelhead near shore and had the opportunity to admire and photograph a beautiful little hen steelhead of about 21-22".  I noted that her belly was soft and her vent distended so she had done her business and was quickly on her way out of here, hopefully to return next year.

As I was getting set for one last photo, the steelhead decided she'd had enough and with a flop and turn, she got loose of the hook and returned to the river, all in one motion.  As she swam off, I pondered over her life history and thought that due to her small size, she must be bred to utilize a certain habitat niche.  Perhaps she just came from a small feeder creek, one where only small, one salt steelhead can utilize for spawning.

I am reminded of what Bill McMillan wrote about in Dry Line Steelhead about a small tributary on the Washougal where one salt steelhead were perfectly suited to traverse the skinny sheet of water flowing over what he initially throught was an impassible barrier for anadromous fish.  Bill also recently wrote about some of the small creeks near his home on the Skagit that steelhead use for spawning.  I was amazed that he found that some steelhead even utilize some of the smaller creeks that run dry by summer.  I am reminded of how amazingly diverse and resilient wild steelhead are.

While my little prize was not exactly a slab, she more than made up for what she lacked in size by the exciting rise and frisky battle she put out.  The sense of wonder I was left with after being blessed with encountering this little gem was definitely worth the price of admission.

I took this active little steelhead as a good omen for the remainder of the day, but Craig and I didn't manage to hook any other winter ghosts by day's end.  I did encounter what looked like a 4-5lb steelhead that appeared to have risen to blue winged olives a couple times in one of the other runs I fished.  Of course I optimistically put my skater over what I assumed was an active fish, but that steelhead would have nothing to do with a foam mutant.  Craig had one quick pull at another spot and that was it.

Experiencing a winter day when a skater "outfishes" other methods is definitely a rarety!  I guess I managed to find "my" fish...

Yellow "Stimuwaker" does it again.

FFC Fundraising banquet - Let's Pack the House!

Seats still available, to purchase tickets online:
http://flyfishingcollaborative.org/banquet

 Banquet invite:
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/518ff6b3e4b0cf61a012d1dd/t/56b3ab7db654f91b9f118624/1454615425012/FFC+Banquet+Invite+Card.pdf

Skater Of The Month for February 2016 - The Summer's Hope

I got behind in posting up the skater for the month.  I'm featuring my skater in the "Summer's Hope" color scheme this month.  It contains the colors of Bill McMillan's Winter's Hope, hence the the name.

Materials:
2xl streamer hook - Mustad R73, Tiemco 5262, etc.
tail:  Moose body with purple holographic flashabou over.
thread, rear half, white 3/0 or white GSP 150 denier
butt:  green/chartruese globrite floss
tinsel rib:  small or medium oval tinsel, silver
body: purple globrite floss
foam shellback:  pink 2mm foam cut in 3/16" x 1" x 7/16"
flash ball:  minnow blue cactus chenielle (large for size 4 and 6)
flash, 8 strands purple flashabou cross wrapped
wing:  Black cow elk, flared, cut flat on bottom
rear facing post:  yellow 2mm foam, 3/8" x 3/4" with V cut on one side
front facing post:  orange 2mm foam, 1/8" x 3/16" x 7/8"

A step by step for this fly was also featured in Swing the Fly: https://www.joomag.com/magazine/swing-the-fly-issue-31-summer-2015/0822729001433264450?short

Have fun tying this one as you think about summer during winter.

Todd

Surface Steelheading on the Dry Side

When a surface steelheading opportunity knocks, I never pass it up.  It just so happened that my dear wife Wendi had informed me that she had a work training in Las Vegas in mid November so I was left to figure out what to do with 5 days, sans adult supervision.  Hmmm, not much thought needed, it was time to scheme another trip chasing my favorite fish with my favorite method.  Somehow, staying home alone with our 100lb pit bull and cleaning the house/garage never entered my mind.

Of course, I clued a few friends into my plans and Adrian Cortes, not wanting a fellow steelheader to have to endure a multi day trip alone, requested time off from work even before his wife Amy knew anything about it until I accidentally spilled the beans on Facebook (sorry man).  Aaron Ostoj, Steve Turner, Bucky Buchstaber and Dave Fineran were also added to the invitation list.  By the time plans actually gelled together it came down to me going over alone for the first two days for some recon, Adrian would join on the third afternoon, Bucky was to join on the evening of the third day and Aaron would join on the fifth day.

With this being a low water year, we were a bit concerned that our destination river seemed to be running on the low side of average.  I figured since I was going over alone first, I could check things out and assess whether to stay or change rivers.

I was also concerned about timing and weather as it was mid November and I recalled experiencing freezing conditions at night during a prior trip to this river a couple years ago in early October.  I was prepared with three sleeping bags, plenty of warm clothes, and I planned to sleep in the back of my car if necessary.  I was also mentally prepared for difficult fishing.  I had spoken to experienced guides and anglers who have gotten steelhead down to 39 degrees on the surface in these eastside rivers so I was encouraged by knowing it is possible, but I also reminded myself of the reality that odds would be against me if I stayed with surface methods in frigid water.  Why do I always have to make a difficult game even more difficult??

As I packed the Steelhead Taxi with my gear, I realized that this has been my year for an "eastside steelheading tour" as I had taken another trip to an eastside river in early October and I'd be also heading to yet another eastside river over thanksgiving along with the present trip I was taking.  It's a great coincidence to be traveling to these Columbia tribs this fall as I have not gotten much further than the North Umpqua for the past several years and I just love the high desert country.

When the day came, I headed out in my yellow machine and arrived on the river by mid day.  There was a huge group of gear anglers camped in the nearby campsite so I grabbed a primitive spot just upstream from them.  I was pleasantly surprised with the mild conditions, with the day bright and clear.  I actually got overheated as I pitched my tent, but during this time of year, I know conditions can be volatile and I could be freezing in the next instant with a quick weather change.

As I looked down at the river, it was running low, but I saw that the heads and tails of runs and some pocketwater still looked fishable so I was eager to give it a try.  Being that I was alone, I was in no hurry, so I casually got my waders on, rigged up a rod and ate some junk food for lunch before walking down to the river.

I started off fishing the tailout of a long run out from my camp spot and realized too late that I went in too low in the run as I waded right up to the best looking structure in the tailout.  In the soft flows, I didn't immediately notice the gentle wakes made by some large boulders in the deepest part of the run before it shallowed up in the very bottom of the tailout.  I knew for next time to go in higher in this water to take advantage of hitting this prime structure.

I fished through the tailout, waded across and hit the next couple runs and some pocket water below.  Being able to get around easily is one of the things I like about low water conditions.  I found that even in the low flows, there was still plenty of fishable water where steelhead could be holding and I figured it would be worthwhile to remain on this river for the duration of my trip.  I took a water temp reading and found the flows to be running at a very mild 50 degrees, unusual for mid November.

I got back to my tent before dark and made a quick dinner consisting of something out of a can that I heated on my coleman stove.  I don't mind being by myself, but when it gets dark at 5pm and there's no one to talk to, I found myself left with not much to do.  I sat in my tent, did some reading, and I had enough phone service to get a text out to Adrian to let him know I was staying put and I was also able to text Wendi to check in with her.  I probably turned in before 7pm and wondered how I would try to sleep for 12 hours.

The next morning, I got up, tired from laying down so long, but surprised that it never got very cold that night.  I have a cheapo tent made for summer camping with vents all around so the night breeze was blowing through the whole time and I was just fine with just doubling up sleeping bags and covering my head.

As I got ready to fish, a couple guys from Portland showed up and  parked up from my tent.  We got to chatting and I found these guys to be really nice fellows.  One of the guys had his dog along and this happy pooch decided to take a dump on a bush close to my tent so his owner was kind enough to pull said bush out of the ground and tossed it away so I wouldn't end stepping on a landmine at some point.  These guys decided that they'd walk upstream and so I'd walk downstream and maybe catch up with them at the rigs at lunch time.

I fished the same water that I did the evening before and I even was sure to start in higher, above the structure I found low in the run.  I also fished the lower runs and pocketwater and found no surface action aside from a spunky 10" smallmouth bass that attacked my skater in the tailout, giving me a brief thrill, then a let down.  The water had cooled just a hair, 49 degress, but still surprisingly warm for this time of year.  I thought that any steelhead around should be very active.  So far, no indications of steel to be found.

I stopped back at the car for lunch and just when I was about to leave for the upper stretch of river, the guys from Portland made it back and we got to visiting again.  They shared a beer and teriyaki chicken with me so I felt it only right to trade them each a couple of my strange flies in return.  They mentioned that they didn't find any steelhead encounters upstream either.  They had run into the gear crowd, who congregated in the slowest, deepest pool above so those guys were not any competition with us for any of the fly water that we liked which tends to have some current running through.  These guys were a bit discouraged with the low flow so they considered calling it a day after eating lunch or they figured they might try to find other water and camp in their vehicle.  I invited them to join me at my camp spot if they decided to camp and couldn't find any where to park for the night.

I walked upstream for the afternoon and fished a familiar run which still fished well enough in the lower level, although it seemed a bit shallow overall.  I continued upstream and came to the big gear pool and then fished the riffle coming into it.  This riffle fished well and I was able to fish the nearside, then I waded across the top and fished the opposite bank as well.  A fellow fly fisher who was walking down confirmed that the riffle I just fished definitely holds steelhead when they are around and I didn't raise a single steelhead there so they must not have been around.

On the way back to camp, I got to chatting with some of the gear guys who were parked at the deep pool.  They said that they get together every year and between their large group, they typically bring 100 steelhead to the bank, but this year, only 15, so fishing's been slow.  They also mentioned that they'd be vacating thier nice campspot the next day and they'd hand it over to me when they left around noon.

I had another cheap dinner at camp and another pleasant, mild evening sleeping for too long in my tent.  I did notice that the breeze picked up a little that night.  It was still comfortable sleeping in my tent and I was thankful for the agreeable weather.

I had a raspberry danish for breakfast in the morning and hit the water.  I decided to head upstream first and hit the nice riffle heading into the big pool that the gear guys liked.  I fished through the riffle and didn't find any players.  The breeze picked up significantly but at least it was blowing downstream so I could at least get my casts out.  Apparently the breeze quickly discouraged the gear guys and they started heading back to camp.

After a while, I figured I should head back to camp too in case the gear group decided to leave early.  I got back downstream and noted the gear slingers were still casually breaking camp so I headed down and fished the lower pools again while keeping an eye on the progress of camp breakdown.   As noon approached, I went ahead and broke my camp down and drove down to wait on my gear friends to pack out.  After the last of the group drove off, I pitched my tent and put up my folding camp table to give the site the look of being occupied.

I went back to fishing, but stayed on the lower pools so I could watch for Adrian's arrival.  I cycled through these pools a couple times and still found no players, no matter how good the water looked.  By about 3:30pm, I spotted Adrian's Land Rover coming down the hill.  I waved over to Adrian and I made my way over to meet Adrian at our campspot.

Fishing low water runs below camp.  Adrian Cortes photo.

By the time I arrived, Adrian was nearly ready to hit the water, so after some quick greetings, we hurried upstream to nearby runs before darkness closed in on us.  I put Adrian in a nice run with a short riffle heading in and gradually deepening along a nice seam.  I hit a shallow run above and moved through quickly with only about a half hour before it got too dark to fish.  Neither of us found any players by dusk so we walked back to camp.

Adrian got set up to be able to sleep in the back of his Land Rover and we ate our typical quick dinners.  After eating, we awaited Bucky's arrival and with it being after dark, we started worrying if he got lost.  I sent him a text to be sure he understood my directions on how to get down to where we were.  After just a minor bit of confusion, Bucky made it to camp.  As Bucky got settled in, he informed that he ran late because he couldn't pass up the chance to swing another favorite run on another steelhead river on the way over - of course being steelheaders, Adrian and I get that.

After going two nights with no company and nothing to do from the time it got dark until bedtime, it was great to have Adrian and Bucky to visit with.  Bucky has been staying busy as the executive director of the Fly Fishing Collaborative, a ministry that is now a full time endeavor for him.  We talked of how God has been using the FFC for His Glory and how the FFC continues to grow.

We got a leisurely start the next morning and we decided to walk upstream to fish pools that I could show the guys.  We hit the riffle above the deep hole that the gear guys like then we continued further above and found another great looking run.  This run starts with a narrow head as a wide, shallow riffle above funnels through a channel.  The fishy seam widens as the flow spreads out and slows.  Some nice structure was noted as the flow slowed and spread out in the heart of this pool.  This run was big enough for the three of us to split up with Bucky taking the very top, I took the middle, and Adrian took the bottom.

Bucky carrying faithful companion Coco across a side channel.  Photo by Adrian Cortes

 A few minutes after we started in, Bucky got a solid grab on his wet fly fished on a light sinktip.  He went back with  follow up casts, but no comeback pulls came to his fly.  I fished through my water more quickly than I anticipated, even with the slow flow in the middle of the pool, and found myself coming up closely behind Adrian so I decided to head back up behind Bucky at the very top.  I took a water temperature reading and found that the water had cooled to 44 degrees on this day.

As I fished through the upper section of the run, I felt great anticipation for a surface grab as the water just had that feel to it.  Despite being on high alert, no steelhead broke the surface for my latest foam skater.  When I caught up with Adrian, he revealed that he had two two surface grabs; one to a greaseliner and another to a Lemire Fall Caddis in the lazy froggy water down low.  Both came up with slow, subtle gulps.  Adrian felt head shakes on one of the rises and a brief pull on the other, but no solid hookups.

Of note with the particular greaseliner that Adrian had been fishing:  Adrian has introduced his two daughters Emma and Lauren to the joys of fly tying and the girls have shown much talent at the vise - not surprising with their gifted, thread pulling dad.  Emma tied an incredible married wing freestyle several months ago and Lauren has taken a liking to the Greaseliner.  Adrian gave Lauren a tutorial on tying Lemire's famous fly and in short order, Lauren was proficient at tying the pattern on her own.  In fact, Lauren told her dad she would only charge him $4 for each of her flies.

Greaseliner for sale, only $4!  Lauren Cortes (age 10) creating a perfect fly at the vise.  Photo by Adrian Cortes

Lauren's Greaseliner about to take a swim.  Adrian Cortes photo

Adrian was fishing one of Lauren's greaseliners when he got the surface grabs in the slow, cool water.
After fishing through this beautiful pool, Adrian briefly hiked further upstream to explore.  He found another pool with some decent looking water but it was difficult to get to from his side of the river so he came back down.  We continued downstream and fished a few spots on our way back towards camp.

Some classic Haig-Brown on cane rod, Cortes-stylin'.  Photo by Adrian Cortes

By mid afternoon, Adrian and I were fishing a riffle about a quarter mile above camp when we saw another fellow who had also been fishing.  This guy came up towards us and stepped in below Adrian and asked if Adrian minded if he fished the marginal water below him.   We were both wondering what this guy was about, when he turns to Adrian and says "aren't you that guy Adrian on Speypages??"  Adrian responds yes, and asks the guy who he was and when we got a better look at the fellow, we realized it was Aaron Ostoj playing a joke on us, trying to impersonate a clueless fly fisher.

Aaron was able to make it over a day early so he was able to get set up at camp and fish for a bit.  After our greetings, we fished for a little longer then headed for camp.  Back at camp, we found that Aaron had put up a tarp over the fire pit and got himself settled in to be able to sleep in his car for the night.  Bucky had his dog Coco along and the poor gal picked up numerous burrs in her fur which Bucky tried to cut out with my Leatherman tool, but there were too many to deal with at the time and Coco would have to stay in camp during our fishing session the next day.

As we visited and heated our dinners, Aaron provided free entertainment as he whipped out his fiddle that he had purchased at a yard sale a few months ago.  Aaron thought he'd clean up the fiddle and resell it, but he ended up getting attached to it and began learning to play.  Through his gifts of natural talent and a little help from youtube videos, Aaron was a quick study with his fiddle.  Aaron played us an Irish folk song and a couple other tunes as we sat in amazement while watching and listening to our talented friend fill the night air with his music.  I almost wished I had my drum set with me to join in the fun with Aaron, but that might have ruined the camp atmosphere we had going.

Free camp entertainment via maestro Aaron Ostoj.  Adrian Cortes photo

As we got ready for bedtime, we noted that the breeze was starting to pickup and it was then that I remembered that the weather report had forecast possible gusts to 25mph or so.  I opted to sleep in my car that night and it was a good thing that I did because the wind continued blow and intensify.

When we woke the next morning, the wind was still howling.  Aaron's tarp got knocked down and my tent was barely surviving the gusts.  The rain flap on my tent was hanging on my only one strap so I removed it.  We somehow managed to eat our breakfasts as we held onto every loose item in reach.

Undaunted, we all decided to stick with the plan to fish, even under the less than ideal conditions.  Aaron and Bucky would fish together this day and they would fish the upstream runs.  Adrian and I would fish the near camp water and runs downstream of camp.

As Adrian and I hit our designated water, the wind continued to howl with only brief breaks in the gusts.  There were times when sudden bursts of wind would nearly knock us over as we both wondered what we were doing out there.  Another issue caused by the wind was a tumbleweed hatch.  We found ourselves making our casts and mending to avoid tumbleweeds - definitely a novel situation for me.

Adrian fishing through the "tumbleweed hatch".  Todd Hirano photo

As we continued down to the furthest run that we'd be fishing, I had Adrian going through first since this was his first time fishing this most promising looking run in this section of river.  This is a beautiful pool that starts as the flow comes out of a stretch of pocketwater.  Luckily, the wind was pretty consistently blowing downstream so we were at least able to get our casts out by just aiming high and across stream and the breeze did the rest.

I watched my friend working down the run as he fished his greaseliner through the holding water and reflected on how it just felt great to be out in this place, even in spite of the unlikely conditions consisting of the low water, slow fishing, and fighting the tumbleweed hatch all day.

Just as I was pondering how the odds seemed to be against us and as I was admittedly trying to fight off feeling discouraged, a great thing happened.  I was watching my purple/chartreuse stinger wang coming across on a broadside swing when I suddenly saw this red and orange form appear and for a second, I thought I was in a Koi pond and that an ornamental carp had grabbed my fly.  When I regained my senses, the line came tight and line was peeling off my vintage JW Young.  As I fought the fish, it continued to cause more racket from my click/pawl reel and put a good bend in my bargain Cabela's 11' 7wt.  By then, Adrian heard what was going on and turned around to yell encouragement.  I was still a bit disoriented as said "I think it's a steelhead"...

Who says "bucks don't jump"??  Adrian caputures my steelhead in mid air.

 Of course it was a steelhead, it was just that fishing under the dismal conditions and the sudden appearance of the colors on a brilliant fall buck threw me for a loop in the moment.  When reality set in, I simply enjoyed the sensation of having a powerful steelhead on the line as the beautiful creature gave me his best with a spectacular rise and spirited battle.  To top it off, having Adrian close by to share in the excitement of the experience we most love was a great blessing.  We were able to land this beautiful buck, which looked to be in the 28-29" range and thickly built.  He had what looked like some net marks and abrasions, a possible encounter with the Columbia gill net fishery.

Brilliantly colored fall buck taken on a Chartreuse/Purple/Orange butt stinger wang.  Adrian Cortes photo

Adrian and I congratulated each other as we took it all in and relished in the blessings that being on steelhead rivers bring to us.  We got a few photos of the grand creature and released him as we sat in wonder of what he had gone through to get back to this place and even being willing to strike at a strange fly skating across the surface on a windy November day.

A single malt/coffee toast in celebration of another surface steelhead blessing.  Adrian Cortes photo

 By late afternoon, we walked upstream to try a couple more runs all the while hoping that the winds would finally let up.  Adrian fished the upper run and I hit the lower one below a short riffle break.  As it turned out, the wind did not die down.  We continued to endure nearly getting knocked over by "sneaker" gusts and dodging rampant tumbleweeds being blown around.  By about an hour and half before sunset, we threw in the towel and called it a day.

Back at camp, Adrian and I waited for Bucky and Aaron to return.  It wasn't long before they showed up and Aaron gave us the skinny on a nice buck that he hooked and landed in that upriver pool we had fished yesterday where Bucky had a solid grab.   We congratulated Aaron on his success.  Aaron had gotten his buck on a classic Atlantic Salmon pattern - the Sun Fly, fished on a light tip, and cast with Aaorn's Sharpes cane rod.  Bucky showed us some pics of Aaron's buck.  It was a beautiful steelhead, brilliantly colored like my fish, but notably bigger.

Fall Buck subdued by Aaron Ostoj.  Bucky Buchstaber photo

Aaron doing battle with a Hawg.  Bucky Buchstaber photo

 Bucky and Aaron considered staying on for another day but adult responsibilities took precedence for them over another windy day of fishing.  Adrian and I decided to take full advantage of our remaining time off while praying that the wind would let up by the time we would embark on our last session of fishing the following morning.

As Bucky and Aaron tore down their gear, the wind continued to howl.  We discovered that the winds had blown hard enough to knock over a nearby outhouse.  Unfortunately, the wind had also caused  another problem when Bucky found the top section of his new Echo 12'4" 6wt broken when the wind blew down on the rear hatch on Bucky's truck topper, pinching the rod in the process.

A smelly casualty of the prevailing winds.  Adrian Cortes photo

After bidding farewell to Bucky and Aaron,  Adrian and I visited and obsessed over our common passion for surface steelhead.  We pondered over how we have each come to a common place in our fishing lives where the rise of a steelhead to a fly skating on the surface surpasses just about anything else that could have any real meaning in life.

 Adrian and I crashed in our vehicles again that evening.  When I got up in the middle of the night as I tried to get comfortable in the cramped quarters in the back of the Steelhead Taxi, I noticed that the wind had finally stopped.   I stayed up a bit longer and was relieved when the gusts didn't return, feeling hopeful that the windstorm was finally over.

When we woke in the morning and leisurely set up for our last session of fishing, we were relieved at the quiet we were experiencing - no wind and no tumbleweeds and debris flying around, just peaceful stillness.  We were very encouraged to be able to fish while not worrying about being knocked over by wind gusts.

Our game plan was to fish the water below camp again since I got the one steelhead in the lower pool the day before and perhaps there might be another one in there this day.  If we had time, we'd run upriver to hit the pool where Aaron got his fish.

I started in the mid section of the pocketwater stretch and Adrian started in the short bit of pocketwater above the head of the pool below.  As I fished the small pieces of potential holding water before me, it wasn't long before I saw Adrian raising his arm in the distance.  I wasn't sure what Adrian's arm raising meant, but I suspected it might have something to do with a steelhead coming to the surface so I kept an eye on Adrian as I fished my water.  A short time later, I saw Adrian raise his arm again and then yet again after another short period of time went by.  I figured something was up so I reeled in and began walking over to Adrian, figuring he might end up with a fish on by the time I got to him.

Adrian raises steel in the distance.  Todd Hirano photo

Surely enough, when I arrived on the scene, Adrian informed that he had just raised a steelhead for the fourth time in a little pocketwater hold not far from shore in the broken water.  Adrian was resting the fish before seeing if he could get it to come up for the fifth time.  He pointed out the holding lie to me and I readied my digital point and shoot, putting it in video mode.  When Adrian was ready, he made his cast while I kept my camera focused on the area where the steelhead was holding.  I could not track the fly in the viewfinder, but it swung through without incident.  Adrian made another cast and I again tracked the area where Adrian's greaseliner was swinging through.  As the Lemire classic came over the lie, the steelhead took it and I was briefly able to capture Adrian with a bent rod which quickly sprung back as the steelhead felt the hook and abruptly escaped.


The adrenaline rush of getting multiple rises from a steelhead is always memorable.  Adrian and I were thankful to share in the experience as "comeback" steelhead have been hard to come by this year.  It was also cool that I was able to capture Adrian's rise on video, although we were not actually able to pick out the the rise in the video until reviewing it on our computer screens at home.

Adrian continued fishing down into the head of the run below and just where the pocketwater fans out into this beautiful run, Adrian brought another steelhead to the surface and after a spunky fight, lands this fish.  It turned out being a  hatchery steelhead of perhaps 24".  We ended up harvesting this fish to take it out of the system.  This steelhead was yet another testament to "greaseliner appeal".

Adrian demonstrating "greaseliner appeal".  Todd Hirano photo

Hatchery hen destined for the table.  Todd Hirano photo.

As I fished behind Adrian, I continued down to see if there were any steelhead that would respond to "Little Wang appeal".  As luck would have it, I ended up raising a steelhead in the same area where I raised and hooked my steelhead the day before.  This steelhead came up with a gulping type of rise to my foam creation and would not come back to the same fly after a couple more casts so I changed to a greaseliner that Adrian had gifted to me.  I shorted up my line and worked back to the same length of line and when Adrian's greaseliner came over the lie, the steelhead returned with a similar rise.  I waited for the line to tighten, but no such luck.   A couple more casts with the greaseliner brought no result so I changed to another one of Adrian's gifts - a Lemire Fall Caddis.

By this time, Adrian had seen that I doing a comeback routine on a steelhead so he walked up to me and put his digital point and shoot in video mode.  I pointed out the holding lie to Adrian and he trained his camera on that area as I made another cast.  The fly swung through and again, as it come over the holding lie, the steelhead came up with a gulp and no line tightening excitement followed.  At least Adrian caught the rise on video.  Not bad for a couple Go Proless fly fishers.  No further comeback attempts were successful on this stubborn steelie, but that's just how it goes in this game we play.

 We fished through the remainder of the run and a couple other spots before calling it good for our final morning session.  It turned out that we ran into enough surface steelhead action to slow down our pace which prevented us from venturing to the upstream pools.  We were greatly satisfied with encountering some steelhead willing to rise in the 46 degree water and also pleased at being able to find rising steelhead in mid November.  We were definitely encouraged to push the "skater season" as far as we could!!

As we broke camp we reflected on the good times we just experienced on this river and vowed to keep these special eastside rivers on our itinerary for next fall.  The scheming of future trips continued when we met up for lunch at a burger joint on the way home.  We are just a couple guys who are totally caught in the grip of surface steelhead obsession with no end in sight.

A Lemire Fall Caddis awaits the next session of skating over steelhead water.  Fly and photo by Adrian Cortes

Fly Fishing Collaborative 2016 Annual Fundraising Banquet

A wonderful event for a great cause, hope to see you  there!!

http://flyfishingcollaborative.org/banquet

Skater Of The Month - Chatreuse/Purple/Orange butt Little Wang

Chartruese/Purple/Orange butt Little Wang ready for action on the North Umpqua

Early stinger version.  This one had just hooked into a BC steelhead.

Chartreuse/Purple/Orange butt stinger in the mouth of an eastide buck in November

Over the past few years, I have come up with an array of different color combinations with my Foam Skater that has come to be known as the "Little Wang" due to it's prominent "indicator post".  The name came to my fly after my good friend Steve Turner had showed one of these unusual flies to famous PNW steelhead guide Jeff Hickman and apparently the first thing Jeff said was "that thing looks like it has a little wang" and the name stuck.  This is what happens when a guy designs a fly and doesn't give it a proper name soon enough, some one else names it for you!  I initally was calling my fly the "Purely Functional Skater" since it was truly conceptualized out of the needs of pure function -  I wanted a fly that would stay on top and that was highly visible, and I think I have come pretty close to fulfilling those needs in a skating fly.  As a result, I fish these flies with the utmost confidence and confidence is the number one ingredient in surface steelheading.

I know it is weird to be putting up a post with a skating fly in January, in the middle of winter steelhead season, but for those who have read my stuff, you probably already know that my thinking style can be pretty random at times.  Anyway, maybe I'm not too far out there yet, since going after my second winter steelhead on a skater is still a goal.  Yeah I know, I'm not your typical Skagit casting steelheader, but hey, it takes all kinds, right?

I just got this strange idea to post up a different color combo of my skater at the beginning of each month until I run out of different color combos and also to catalog the color combos I have used and liked.  Please comment on any particular combo you like of if you have any color combos to suggest. 

The particular color combo I have posted this month is my latest and this fly came together this past August.  I kept looking at the Chartreuse cactus chenille at my local fly shop and kept thinking of how I could incorporate it in my fly.  I went ahead and bought some of the stuff and then went to work with color combos at the vise.  Using purple globrite floss for the body with a hot orange globrite floss butt made the colors pop and I immediately loved my fly in this color scheme.

Of course, I immediately began fishing this fly on my local waters and not surprisingly I began raising and hooking steelhead on this fly not long afterwards, onward into November.  It was a relatively slow season for skating with apparent low returns so I can't say that this fly was any more or less effective than other color combos I have tried, but again it's all about confidence and having some variety is nice too.

I also started tying some of my skaters "stinger style" this past summer.  My stinger design involves tying the rear half of the fly on an octopus hook and the front half on a short portion of a streamer hook with spider wire joining the sections together.  The second and third photos above contain the stinger version of my fly.  I promise to get a step by step done on this process in the near future.  It's not a difficult process but adds more steps to an already time consuming and laborious tie.

I have had mixed feelings about bringing out the stinger versions of my fly because I don't want to obsolete the versions of my fly tied on standard 2xl hooks.  In truth, it is too early to tell if the stinger versions of my fly have brought any real benefit in my hookup to landing ratios - I have gone 8 for 11 so far, too small of a sample to draw any real conclusions from.  More to the point, is landing every single steelhead hooked what we should be seeking anyway??  I like getting a fish pic every now and then, but I have averaged about a 60-75% hooking to landing ratio with standard hooks on my skaters as it was before going to the stinger versions so what more could I ask for??

Materials list for the Chartreuse/Purple/Orange butt Little Wang:

hook:  Mustad R73 (9671 equivalent), 2xl streamer hook.  The Tiemco 5262 or other similar hook can be substituted.  I most frequently use size 6's and 4's.

tail:  Moose body

thread (rear half):  white 3/0

Flash:  purple holographic flashabou, over tail and cross wrapped up front

butt:  florescent orange globrite floss

tinsel:  Lagurtan fine oval silver

body:  purple globrite floss 

Foam shellback/lip:  black 2mm foam, cut into a tapered piece approx 1" x 3/8" x 3/16" 

Flash ball:  Large chartreuse cactus chenielle (distributed by Hareline)

Thread (front half):  150 denier black gelspun, for strength in tying down the elk hair wing 

Wing:  Black Cow Elk, select a patch with as straight hairs as you can find.  Too much curvature in the hair makes tying down difficult.

Rear facing visibility post:  yellow 2mm foam, cut into a rectangular piece about 3/8" x 3/4".  Cut a V into one side.

Front facing visibility post:  orange 2mm foam, cut to approximately 3/16" x 1/8" x 7/8"

For actual tying steps, please refer to my step by steps.

Wishing you all good health and peace and prosperity in 2016!

Todd

BC Adventure 2015

I had such a great time traveling to Skeena country last fall with good friends Adrian Cortes and Steve Turner, that we immediately began planning a return trip for this year.  Last year's trip produced fond memories of surface steelhead encounters that replayed in our minds throughout the year.

Back in Steelhead Paradise!  Adrian Cortes photo

One of the primary reasons that I started this blog was to chronicle my fishing life so I can keep memories alive of those special moments that I am blessed to experience on steelhead rivers.  This has been an endeavor that I do for my own fun and enjoyment and I have been so honored when my crazed stories are enjoyed by others and when my friends also refer back to these stories to relive the good times we have shared together.

Of course, the fun times that Steve, Adrian, and I had in BC last year produced a series of blog posts and I was blessed when Zack Williams, editor of e-mag Swing the Fly (coming in print soon!), approached me about having an edited version of our story published in Swing the Fly.  The collaborative efforts which included my amateur writing (with excerpts by Adrian), Steve's and Adrian's beautiful photos and even a few of my photos made it to the pages of Swing the Fly.  Zack did a great job of editing my ramblings and he was magical with the layout of the photos.  It was quite the thrill and honor to see our story published.

The past year went by quickly, even considering our levels of anticipation to return to Skeena country.  Last year's trip went so smoothly that Steve, Adrian, and I were able to establish ourselves as a "Steelhead Assault Unit" - a compatible group of fanatics who are able to travel together on a long road trip in pursuit of surface steel without getting on each other's nerves.

The chances of such compatibility seems rather remote when you think about it.  A long road trip is the ultimate test of 3 individual steelheaders' ability to put up with each other in close quarters for a significant period of time.  Annoying character flaws could come to the surface that could ruin a trip, but apparently I've done a good enough job of hiding the worst of mine (or at least Steve and Adrian haven't let on about how difficult I am to get along with).  I had only met Steve last year and never went on a a road trip with either Steve or Adrian before, so they really took a gamble on me.
 
Speaking of character flaws, Adrian and I came clean right off about how we both snore terribly, just ask our wives, so we ended up sharing a room again (ummm, separate beds of course) so Steve could get some sleep.   The strange thing is I never hear myself snore and I haven't heard Adrian snore so it could all be a hoax, this snoring thing.  Otherwise, it really is a blessing how the three of us get along so well and we just thoroughly enjoy each others' company on the road and on the river.  Our temperaments just mesh together so well and our days on the river are always easy and relaxed.  I couldn't ask for a better set of travel companions for such a trip.

Hotel room shared by snoring steelheaders.  Adrian Cortes photo

Our journey to BC last year allowed us to establish some routines so our plans for this year came off without a hitch with the exception that we made different arrangements for lodging.  We again purchased our fishing licenses online, which is a great convenience.  I realized my passport expired in May so I went into our local post office to purchase the cheaper passport card as I don't anticipate flying (rather than driving) to Canada anytime soon.

Anxious emails and facebook messages went back and forth among us as the day drew near for us to gather at Steve's home to travel north.  Our plan again included a stop to visit Bill McMillan on the way and Bill graciously accepted our request to stop by to see him.

As I gathered my tackle and packed the Steelhead Taxi for the drive north, I pondered my game plan for this trip.  My strategy would be to go with "big rods for big water".  I decided to go back to my bigger two handers - my old Sage 9140-4 "brownie" and Sage 8136 IIIe.  I'd be throwing 54' Delta Speys on these rods and I would be pairing the 9140 with a JW Young 1535 and the 8136 with a Hardy Marquis Salmon 2.  While these setups are not as gigantic as what the Clearwater and Spey O Rama crowd use, I would at least be closer to matching my tackle to suit the water being fished.

I fished my Cabela's switch rods most of my trip last year and did fine, but another part of the reason for going back to the bigger rods was to celebrate several "firsts".  This year is the 20th year since my first BC trip in 1995 and during that trip I got my first steelhead on a fly which was also my first steelhead on a dry fly and my first steelhead taken on a two handed rod - the 9140 brownie.  This also marks 20 years since I've owned that old Sage 9140 brownie, and ownership of that rod spans the time on my clock as a two handed caster - I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of it!  I was also hoping to get a "20 year steelhead" on the old, reliable 9140.

Adrian and I arrived at Steve's home as planned and we loaded into Steve's F150, again with Steve's beautiful Clackacraft in tow.  As we made our way north on I-5 we realized that we were encountering the heavy traffic associated with a holiday weekend.  It wasn't long before I was regretting the amount of coffee I drank on the way up as my bladder was telling me to plead with Steve for a pit stop at a restroom.  As it turned out, there were no convenient exits with gas stations in the stretch we were crawling through, so I made due with a drainage ditch alongside one of the exits, ahhh what a relief!

We we were running about an hour behind schedule, but when I called Bill McMillan to let him know of our unexpected delay, he was still agreeable to accommodating our visit.  We indeed arrived at Bill's home about an hour late as we had figured.  After warm greetings, we sat with Bill in his den, the "Inner Sanctum" and got caught up with the latest steelhead talk.  Adrian had been tying more classic Harry Lemire flies and he gifted Bill with a couple - a Thompson River Caddis and a Greaseliner.  As Bill looked over Adrian's flies, Bill noted that Harry had given him some of his flies and Bill remarked that Adrian's greaseliner looked just the way Harry tied them.    On a darker note, I offered Bill some of my latest "stinger wangs" and he smiled and accepted those too.

Bill McMillan looking over and commenting on Adrian's Greaseliner.  Todd Hirano photo

Bill offered us cookies and lemonade as we visited and Bill's wife Lynn briefly stopped by to say hello as well.  We carried on about our excitement in returning to Skeena country and Bill recalled stories about his prior trips to Skeena country as well.  He spoke of a friend who raised and missed a number of surface steelhead on a Skeena tributary and literally had a mental breakdown as he swatted the river with his rod in a frenzied fit.  This story was among other fond memories of surface steelheading Bill recounted.  Another story involved the time when Bill, along with Pat Lee, guided former president Jimmy Carter and his wife Roselynn Carter on the North Umpqua in the early 90's.  Bill's enthusiasm for steelheading, especially surface steelheading is still much in evidence to this day, which is so great see as Bill has rode the waves of some of the best and worst times with our Pacific Northwest steelhead runs over the years.

We ended up continuing our visit on the beach looking out on Bill's home steelhead run on the mighty Skagit River.  As we chatted pink salmon would periodically porpoise and splash.  Talk also touched on the current situation with the wild winter steelhead run on the Skagit and current managment.  Bill reminded of his belief that the current management is backwards in that the early winter season should be closed and the spring catch and release season should reopen.  Bill explained that the above scenario would make more sense since the early return segment of wild Skagit winter steelhead is very small due to years of overharvest and intensive hatchery management, but the later return segment of the run is much healthier, in comparison, at this time.

A blessed time spent with Bill McMillan as we sat along his homewater:

  Adrian Cortes photo

Adrian Cortes photo

Steve Turner photo

Todd Hirano photo

Bill McMillan, a great friend, mentor and steelheading icon.  Todd Hirano photo

By the time we prepared to leave Bill's home, we realized that we had spent 3 hours in the great company of a wonderful man and steelhead icon.  We were extremely grateful for the enriching visit we had with Bill.

We got back on the road, survived the border crossing and spent nearly twenty continuous hours on the road as we swigged coffee, tied flies, and traded driving shifts as we traversed north past Vancouver and up the Frasier Valley.

A midnight pit stop for gas, coffee, and taking a leak.  Todd Hirano photo

After what seemed like an eternity, we pulled into our destination the next morning.  We grabbed some provisions in town and we also stopped to picked up Steve's custom ordered landing net, a beauty big enough to fit around any Kahuna sized steelhead we might encounter.  We settled into our living quarters for the week and ate dinner at one of the local restaurants before turning in for the night.

On day one, we floated one the the popular stretches, one that we went through on our first day last year as well.  We stopped at familiar spots with great expectations.  I started to get my casting ironed out with the longer rods/lines and when I was lucky, I'd even get a decent cast out every now and again.  It felt good to see the "long" line roll out on the big runs we fished.

Every now and then, I'd get a decent cast out
Adrian Cortes photo

This stretch of river was fairly busy as it is one of the more popular drifts.  It appeared that a couple guide sleds were out, but it was all good, as there was plenty of water to go around.  We remembered regretting spending too much time in the upper half of this float last year so we made better time in getting to the lower section before dark.

We saw these beautiful creatures every day.  This spectacular shot was taken by Steve Turner  with his Nikon DSLR, 400mm f/4 and 1.7x teleconverter, right Steve??

Another beautiful shot by Steve Turner.  Adrian firing line out with a spectacular fall BC backdrop.

There was a particular run that I remembered from a prior trip and I was hoping we would be able to stop and fish it.  When we were fishing one of the other runs, I realized we were just above the water I had in mind, but before we got done fishing the run we were in, I had seen two sleds stop at the run I wanted to fish by the time we were ready to move on.   As we got into the boat, I saw that the run I had my eye on was vacant.  I suggested we fish it anyway, despite the prior commotion from the other parties who had already stopped there.

I walked down,  taking the bottom third, Adrian took middle, and Steve took the top.  I moved through quickly since this is a big. broad run where steelhead could be sitting just about anywhere.  As I was starting to make my way down, a fellow in a pontoon was floating by and yelled over and asked me if I was fishing some foam skater that I had designed and I said yes and the fellow mentioned about meeting me on the North Umpqua at some point in the past - small world.  Unfortunately, I didn't remember who the guy was.

Steve making some great casts up high in the run.  Todd Hirano photo

As I continued down, I heard Adrian holler and I looked back to see a hot, bright steelhead putting a good bend in Adrian's JM Reid Summer run cane rod.  This steelhead had given Adrian some strong runs and surface thrashing and I was surprised when Adrian got the beautiful steelhead to the bank with the help of Steve and his new net and found the hen to be of only "average" size.  Regardless, this was a good start to the trip.

Fish on!  Todd Hirano photo

Adrian validates the Thompson River Caddis.  Todd Hirano photo

Headshot.  Todd Hirano photo

Adrian's Thompson River Caddis.  Adrian Cortes photo

Adrian explained that he had been fishing a riffle hitched Thompson River Caddis and raised the steelhead but didn't hook it.  Adrian then unhitched the "TRC" and went back through and the steelhead grabbed his fly in the film.

We continued through the float with no other action and with being near the end of our drift as we fished our last run, we were comfortable pulling into the take out close to dark.

We spent our second day fishing through the float that was most productive for us last year.  We stopped at all of the runs that were loaded during our prior trip.  Our anticipation for surface grabs were high.....but we found none.  The three of us did not raise a single steelhead this day.

Misty morning awesomeness.  Adrian working through prime real estate at first light.   Todd Hirano photo

Steve and Adrian starting the day.  Todd Hirano photo

Steve's custom engraved Hatch reel sitting on his Burkheimer.  Photo by Adrian Cortes

Adrian captured this image of me with my favorite fly silhouetted against the river that has captivated my soul for the past 20 years.  Adrian Cortes photo

We spent day three fishing an upper stretch of river that none of us had ever fished before.  Improved put ins and take outs are few in this part of the river.  Being that we were in a hard boat we were left to use a put in further upstream than we would have liked and this involved Steve mostly rowing through the upper half of this float.  Steve is such a gracious host that he only let me row for a total of about 15 minutes the whole week!

Got Mud??  Leslie Flint photo

Going down the river.  Leslie Flint photo

When we reached the lower half of the float, which actually would have been our preferred area to put in if it had been possible, we slowed down and stopped to fish at runs that looked good.  As it turned out, there were plenty of runs that looked good through here.  It seemed that great looking water was continually strung together as we floated down.  We would fish a nice run formed by a gentle bend in the river and when done, we'd float down and find another nice run formed by another gentle bend, and so it went until we reached the take out.  We got aced out of a few runs by other fisherman, but it didn't matter as the great water just kept going, leaving ample options available.

One of many beautiful runs strung together on this float.  Adrian Cortes photo

As we stopped at each run through this float, our hopes ran high with every piece of water looking so good.  I fished my foam/hair creations with supreme confidence as I watched them skate though fishy looking seams throughout the day.

The day was uneventful, steelwise, until were about 3/4's of the way through the float.  We came to a run with some nice structure in it as we noted boils formed by big boulders.  Steve was coming through with a freshly tied muddler gifted to him by Mr. Cortes.  Steve was also going "retro" on this trip as he was fishing an old school Sage 6126-3, Delta Spey line, and classy, brand new Hardy Taupo.  Steve was fishing his muddler damp in the film when he got a solid grab halfway down the run with a great fish solidly hooked and running.

Steve with a bruiser on the line.  Todd Hirano photo

The steelhead gave Steve some powerful runs with his Taupo making a sweet sound and putting a deep bend in his classic rod.  From the flashes and surface thrashes we were seeing, it appeared that Steve was tied to a mid teens steelhead that was pretty bright and appeared to be a hen.  Adrian had Steve's Kahuna net in hand and the steelhead came close to netting range a couple times.  The last time the steelhead got close to Adrian, the hook pulled out.  When Steve reeled in, we found out the cause of the lost steelhead - the hook on Steve's muddler got straightened by the great fish.  We took a breath, high-fived, and toasted to the blessed excitement that steelhead provides us.

The end game of Steve's encounter with a crazy, angered steelie.  Todd Hirano photo

A Toast to Steelhead Blessings!!   Todd Hirano photo

Steve taking five after battling the hook straightening steelie, unwittingly getting photobombed by my foam skater to the left of him.  Adrian Cortes photo

 We continued through the float with no other steel encounters.  After taking out we headed back to town and talked of how this stretch of river would best be fished in pontoons or in a raft where improved put ins are less critical.  We talked of plans to use pontoons next year to better take advantage of fishing this great stretch of river.  There we go - always scheming for "next time"!

On day four we again floated the "2014 loaded run" stretch of river.  We had the chance to speak to the fellow we referred to as Jet Ski Ed that we ran into last year.  We had chatted with him at his camper and found him to be an interesting, yet opinionated fellow.  He talked of Echo and Sage rods as being "clubs" and that all one needs is a riffle hitched buck bug to catch steelhead on this river.  However, Ed also generously gave tidbits of information on some of the runs we were about to fish and he spoke about fishing into the very bottom section of a run he described to us.

When we got to "Ed's run", we certainly found Ed's advice to be sound.  The lower section of said run didn't look like much when we had passed by it in the past, but on this day, we put our lines in the water there and found the lower section to be very fishy.  Unfortunately, we found out too late that we didn't fish the run far down enough.  After we had fished as far down as we thought we should have, we got in the boat and continued floating through.  As we floated past where we had stopped fishing, we noted several steelhead, including a nice big one, laying just above the lip of the tailout, in water we assumed to be too shallow to hold fish.....wrong!

A guy can only take so much.  When little branches start catching your D loop, it's time to bust out the pruning saw!  Adrian Cortes photo

Ms. Vickies - chips of champions!  There I go passing on the bad habit of eating junk food on fishing trips.  Adrian Cortes photo

 We continued floating down and stopped at the "Treasure Island" run.  I was fishing behind Adrian and as we got into the lower third of the run, I was half asleep from going without surface action for so long, when I was awakened by a loud "slurp".  The steelhead's rise was noisy enough that Adrian even heard it from his position below me.  When I came to my senses, I realized that a steelhead had attacked my #4  charteuse/purple Little Wang skater as it came into the shallow near shore water.  I lifted the rod and the steelhead was on the line.  This was not a super hot fish, it looked to be a hen in the 26/27" range.  After a few short runs, I had this gal close to shore and was anticipating getting a head shot as this would be my first surface steelhead landed of the season.  However, my thoughts were too far ahead of reality as the hook pulled out at that moment.  Oh well, at least I didn't have to get my hands slimy on the release, but of course a little bit of  fish slime wouldn't' have bothered me either.

Greaseliner tied in-hand, streamside by Adrian Cortes.  Steve Turner photo

Streamside fly tying jam session.  Look at this guy's intensity - lighten up Adrian, it's just fishing!   Steve Tuner photo

We hit another run that was loaded last year and no one home this day.  The remainder of the float didn't produce any further action as well.

As we were approaching the take out, we saw a group of anglers gathered on the bank alongside a large, walk in run.  Just as we got past this group of anglers one of them yells out "Adrian??"  We realized this was Peter Pettos and his friends.  Pete is a steelheader/fly tyer from Ontario who has been communicating with Adrian via Instagram and Facebook.  Also in the group was Larry Halyek, also of Ontario.  Larry is a fellow I've communicated with through Speypages and Larry had contributed to my blog with a story on Dry Fly Steelheading in the Great Lakes.  Also in this group was Allison Oliver, a California native who is currently a resident of BC, and Pete's friends PJ and Stevie.  Steve Turner pulled back on the oars and we were able to pull in about 50 yards below and we then walked up along the bank to meet up with Pete and company.

PJ had just gotten himself a CF Burkheimer 15'2" 8wt before coming on this trip and he kindly allowed Steve and me to test cast it.  Steve fell in love with the rod and planned to purchase one before returning to BC next year.  I loved the rod as well, but with the meager earnings of a Child Welfare caseworker, all I can do is dream of owning such equipment.  Luckily, I'm content with my array of "cheapskate" gear.

We later met up with this group at a local establishment for dinner and drinks that evening and we had a great time visiting and talking dry fly steelheading.  Like Adrian, Pete is a dedicated fisher of the greaseliner.  However, Pete has a different take on going after steelhead on the comeback.  Pete related that if he raises a steelhead to a greaseliner and the steelhead won't comeback to the same fly on the next couple casts then "too bad, the heck with em" and moves on.  No multiple fly changes in seeking the comeback for Pete.

PJ bought us all a round of shots before dinner, and not being much of a drinker, I downed my drink and my throat burned and my face got hot for a few seconds as I regained consciousness and went back to jabbering about surface steel.   We had a great time visiting with this group as we marveled at the unique niche of people us steelheaders are.

On day five, we fished the same stretch of river yet again.  We had the boat in the water just after dawn and we hit the first run we come to just after the put in.  This had been the most generous run we fished last year and thus far it had not given up a single rise.  As I fished through the lower half of the run, I kept hoping that today would be the day when a few steelhead moved in to the holds we found them in last year.

The fresh start of a new day.  Adrian's D loop caught by the lens of Steve Turner.

Hope runs through Adrian's line...............  Steve Turner photo.

By the time I got through the tailout of the run, something told me to just keep going down through the shallow riffle that formed below.  This seemed like low percentage water, running maybe a foot deep over a cobbled bottom, but the inner voice said to move fast and just keep covering water.  I figured with the overcast weather and slow fishing, it couldn't hurt to cover as much real estate as possible, even some in between, marginal stuff.

Covering water.   Steve Turner photo

After getting about a 100 or so feet down into this riffle, I was making about 80-90'(when lucky) casts with my 8136 and 8/9 Delta spey as I went for "greased line" type casts to present my stinger wang broadside in the shallow, choppy, but even flowing riffle.  On one of these casts, I was watching my skater coming across when a steelhead came up with a cross stream launch at my fly.  I simply did noting and the steelhead came tight and was off and running.  After a few runs that produced that classic Hardy scream from my Marquis, I had this little buck near shore and by that time Steve had arrived on the scene for pics and landing of the steelhead with the Kahuna net.  This was my first surface steelhead to hand since last November and it felt great!  This was also my first steelhead taken on the stinger wang.  After some minor celebrations, Steve, Adrian, and I returned to our stations and I decided to just continue on down in the water I was fishing to see if any other players could be found in the "marginal" looking water I'd been fishing.

Finally, a surface steehead to hand for me.  Steve Turner photo.

Keep em' wet.  Steve Turner photo

As I continued down, I found that the water deepened as I came to a corner down low in this run.  I noted that this section swung really well and I felt like steelhead could hold down there, even though we had never seen anyone stopped there fishing before.  As I contemplated the potential of this water, I realized that I had made my way pretty far from Adrian and Steve and it was just then that they arrived in the boat to catch up with me.  I apologized for getting so far away from them and when they arrived I described how I felt like this water could hold steelhead.  Adrian agreed and we decided to continue fishing through this water.

New Found Water.   Todd Hirano photo

Adrian headed a ways downstream below the boat and Steve would be walking above to start back through the corner.  I decided to just continue on from where I was.  I figured to switch up my equipment so I grabbed my old 9140 and gave it a go.  I had just started back in with my normal casting length out and was chatting with Steve when during one of my casts, a steelhead came up to my skater with a quick rise and was on immediately, just as I said to Steve "there he is".  This steelhead fought similarly to the one I had just landed and as I was playing this fish, I realized that I got my wish as this was my 20th anniversary steelhead hooked on the old 9140.  As the steelhead got close, I noted it was also about the same sized as the other two steelhead I hooked into, in that 26-27" range.  Steve again stood by with the net and just when the steelhead got somewhat close in, the hook pulled out.  This was another "slime free" release, but I was Immensely pleased to find more surface steelhead action, anyway I could get it.

Steve and me celebrating hooking my "20 year steelhead" on the ole 9140.  The steelhead escaped the net, but raising and hooking them counts for me anymore.  Adrain Cortes photo.

Chartreuse and Purple Stinger Wang did the trick.  Adrian Cortes photo

Big rods for big water.  Todd Hirano photo

When Steve came back through the water I just fished, he also hooked up on a surface bug.  Steve had tied on a yellow/orange wang that I had given him last year and the bright fly did the trick in bringing another steelhead to the surface.  This steelhead gave Steve a spirited battle but it also escaped human handling as it got off the hook after several good runs.  Steve then decided to try a damp Thomson River caddis in the film and quickly hooked into another steelhead not far from where his last steelhead came from.  This steelhead also gave Steve a strong fight and also managed to escape the Kahuna net.

A view from the office.  Todd Hirano photo

We watched Adrian fish the lower section of this water and we were surprised that Adrian's water didn't produce a rise as Adrian later reported that it looked good and fished well.  We were greatly pleased that we had sniffed out a "new spot" on our own.  Our only regret was that this was our last day in paradise and we would have to wait til next year to try this water again.

We continued through the float with no other steelhead action and Steve finally allowed me to give him a short 15 minute break on the oars as we neared the take out.  As we loaded the boat, the familiar feelings of saddness in ending a week in paradise came over us, yet we felt so greatly blessed for being able to enjoy a week chasing after surface steel in the midst of God's glorious creation.

My 15 minute shift on the oars for the week.  Adrian Cortes photo

Overall, we experienced slow fishing on this trip, but being with great friends on a great adventure to steelhead paradise was more than enough to leave us with great memories of wonderful times fellowshipping on our favorite steelhead water.