fly fishing in the PNW

[pirate!]

There are two kinds of fly fisherman, those who spend all their time on the river/water and those who wish they could. Fly fishing will change you and be the lens through which you see the world. When I for example, see feathery hair extensions or feathery earrings i think... *cue music* fly tying material. When the phrase "Pacific Northwest", is used, Salmon, trout, flounder, cod, pollock, Steelhead, April Vokey, Skagit, Dean River, Skeena, Ed Ward, are some of the few names or what i would call trigger words that come to mind.

When Shadowcaster mentioned the phrase "fish of a thousand casts" to me, i thought to myself, this guy has got to be kidding me!

"Anyone who goes winter steelheading and loves it has got to be crazy!" was what someone said to me.

Nothing could be further than the truth. With dwindling runs on many rivers, poor management, poaching, and loss of habitat... Catching a steelhead, especially a winter steelhead is becoming more and more difficult. 6 trips, 15 lost flies, 1 lost fish, a broken 12.5ft T14 sink tip later and zero fish landed. Whats the sense in standing in literally a river, wearing waders and multiple layers of fleece, waving a rod with line as thick as a garden hose with a tip that sinks faster than an anchor with a fly that's more akin to a fluffy chicken than a delicate insect landing on the surface of a water that the movie "A River Runs Through It" so excellently portrays.


Simple beginnings



soon-to-be "flying chicken"?



you mean the fish are gonna swim through THAT??!!!! approx flow: 5000CFS



"who's that crazy guy fishing in such uncivilised weather!" said one passerby to another



"I'm gonna get a flight lesson!" said the Pick-Yer-Pocket to the RS4 7133 and the Hatch 7 Plus



Outlandish, pain in the @$$ to tie



My fly launcher... powerful, responsive and fun to wave



I admit it... I'm a steelhead bum. I like tying pretty, outlandish and colourful flies. I might even go as far as to say that tying steelhead flies makes me quite happy. Chasing steelhead has brought me to places so beautiful and serene it was like walking into a dream. The more i fish, the more i've come to appreciate and admire this fish of a gazillion casts. Till i get to hold a steelhead and smile for the camera, i hope you guys enjoy the photos that i hope to be putting up from time to time.

Take care.

Ren

[pirate!]

So I was out on the river, spey rod in hand armed with a new skagit head, with a longer and stronger sink tip, putting out snap T's and downstream perry pokes as i worked down the run... feeling that water flow that right speed, i was excited. i put out a long cast, made a little mend, took a step letting that 13' tip drag the fly down into the depths.
I knew it would happen, or it should happen. When line came tight and began to swing. I waited with baited breath... the bite came! I couldn't believe it! on the swing, he ate a purple intruder and splashed on the surface and pulled valiantly... he was chrome and bright, fresh from the salt with sea lice on his tail! he was...



not the targeted species, but a very welcome tug at the end of the line... a nice 18 bull trout was soon set free to swim and (hopefully) make some babies. what a way to start the year's catch card with a new species.

[pirate!]

ok... so... its somehow had to come together, i know my flies work... I'd just tailed my buddy's 16pound chrome hen steelhead. going back to the middle of the run we were working and waded out. i made a long cast out trying hard to reach the opposite bank... 10' of T-17 sink tip was not making casting any easier, neither was that cone head intruder helping... my casts fell short of the bank, by about 20 feet but rolled with it anyway. cast mend swing step repeat. cast mend swing step repeat. cast mend swing thump fish-on! and a bright chrome steelhead shot up stream and took to the air, completely clearing the water giving me a wonderful view of his chrome body and big shoulders. my rod doubled over from the strain the fish put up. with my rod low made a beeline for the shore behind me and coaxed the fish in. what a hot fish! every time he felt the gravel touch his belly he shot back out middle river. i just prayed everything would hold together. run after run he made, getting nearer and nearer to the tail-out of the run and a set of rapids which i secretly hoped he would not go to. i notched up the drag on my 4210 one click and muscled him into the shallows where my buddy tailed him about 150 meters downstream of where i hooked up. I rushed over and cradled my fish for some photos and the release. it was then i saw this living jewel up close. that chrome body, pink cheeks, clear ghost like fins, massive shoulders and a wrist i could barely get my hand around. in between catching my breath from running downstream chasing this crazy fish, the realization that we'd just caught 2 of the brightest steelhead either of us had ever seen within 10 minutes of each other and cradling this huge fish, i muttered,"dude biggest fish of my life, probably." Never had i ever had to try this hard to catch one and at that point its all worth it. fish of a thousand casts? yeah maybe even more than a thousand... was it worth it? Definately! would i do it again-standing in the icy cold water freezing my toes off with the rain coming down relentlessly? For sure!Best part of the fight? oh well, maybe the release watching him swim back to his seam that i dragged him out of. ima stop typing here and fishing off with a thousand words.