tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49971846670257381162012-02-09T11:47:03.356-08:00A journal for my fly fishing and tying activities.Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.comBlogger2191100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-29239724439477264122012-02-09T11:47:00.000-08:002012-02-09T11:47:03.399-08:00

Finding time to fish with a newborn and a four year old isn't easy.  Luckily, my wife is a good sport and let me go out for a day on the East Fork of the Lewis River. I arrived a bit late as I took my older son to school first.  The drive was only a half hour or so from the house, so it wasn't a big deal.  I put on my waders at home, so I simply jumped out of my car at the river and started

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-53622323712946781952012-01-17T22:40:00.000-08:002012-01-17T22:53:12.777-08:00

You wouldn't know it by reading the blog, but I have been fishing.  I'm trying to get it out of my system before the new baby arrives. Went to the Sandy a handful of times.  Tried a few new-to-me spots around the hatchery, Dodge Park, and I also managed to hit Oxbow again.  All of my trips were before the rain and snow arrives.  The river was pretty low and clear.  That will be my excuse for only

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-80959208385399873452012-01-17T22:31:00.000-08:002012-01-17T22:47:12.130-08:00

Occasionally I get an email asking why I no longer post pictures of flies I've tied.  Well, the answer is simple.  I haven't been tying much of anything.  Sure, I've done some here and there.  But, for the most part, I have so many flies in my Summer and Winter boxes that I haven't had a need to tie any. I saw some pictures on Spey Pages of tube flies that some of the members had posted.  I was

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-47812390984754575582011-12-29T10:53:00.000-08:002011-12-29T10:53:14.255-08:00

While I haven't been posting, I have been fishing. Most of those trips were spent at the Washougal river. I can leave my house and be in the water in less than 15 minutes. So, it makes a great place to go for an hour or two here and there. I've yet to catch a fish here. It is just now getting the winter steelhead run. Unfortunately, it has been a dry fall/winter and I don't think many

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-14303760222346398092011-11-26T09:05:00.001-08:002011-11-26T09:38:52.710-08:00

Paid a visit to Oxbow Park for a day on the Sandy.  After a 40 minute drive, I arrived before sunup only a day or two beyond a pretty decent sized storm (SND03 - 5540cfs).  Leaves and branches everywhere.  It should of been a sign. This was the first time fishing this section for me.  I did a lot of exploring since the water was extremely colored.  I could not see my boots if I stood in knee

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-70264729731556602472011-11-01T16:13:00.000-07:002011-11-01T16:15:12.632-07:00

Made my first trip to the Klickitat.  Not far from the mouth of the Deschutes on the Washington side, this river is a beauty. Got there at sunup on a cold morning.  Air temp was around 30 degrees.  After getting in the water, I thought to myself, "boy, this water feels cold".  A thermometer told me it was 40 degrees.  Wow.  Wasn't expecting that at all! For three hours I battled frozen fingers

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-29890918669441772562011-10-17T16:54:00.000-07:002011-10-17T17:00:29.316-07:00

I've actually been to the Deschutes three times since my last post. I got a case of the lazies and didn't feel like posting anything at the time.   First things first, let's go over the last trip a couple of weeks ago.  (I can't even remember what I did the time before that, so we'll have to forget about it.  Woops.)  I decided to head down and fish around Maupin, down to Sherar falls.

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-11686031352582844452011-09-22T08:26:00.000-07:002011-09-22T08:26:23.408-07:00

I was hoping to go fishing today, but there is too much work to do. So, I opted to wait it out. The heat is on again here and next week is supposed to cool down a little. Probably better to wait anyway. Last weekend, myself and the family went to Hood River to pick some apples.  On the way, we stopped at the Bonneville Dam to check out the fish through the viewing windows.  As I talked with

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-59393123466307101442011-09-18T10:31:00.000-07:002011-10-17T16:55:02.196-07:00

Met up with my friend Ted for two days of fishing on the Deschutes.  He came up from California and was nice enough to invite me along.  Thanks Ted!  I had an awesome time. Ted brought his Watermaster Kodiak, and he rowed me around the river above Mack's Canyon while we stayed at one of the campgrounds.  I'm sure the raft was a little sluggish with me sitting on the back, but he did an awesome

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-72928100620121039652011-09-03T10:09:00.000-07:002011-10-17T16:55:33.940-07:00

Another day on the Deschutes last week. Like last time, arrived around 5:30 and on the river just as there was enough light to see. The place was surprisingly empty. I'm guessing because the weather called for some super strong winds. The forecasters were correct. Gusts ended up hitting 40+ mph during the day. Making casting extremely difficult. However, in the morning it wasn't too bad.

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-17607980428367831522011-08-29T12:08:00.000-07:002011-08-29T12:08:12.487-07:00

While this wasn't meant as a hard core day of fishing. It was more of a scouting mission and a chance to introduce my son to fly fishing. Since we moved up here, we've been floating down rivers and playing in the water. He is really into it on these HOT days. So, I thought it would be a good idea to put a rod in his hands. After cutting off the hook point on one of my flies, I let him

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-69678973433636411822011-08-24T12:31:00.000-07:002011-10-17T16:55:17.681-07:00

Last week was my first trip to the Deschutes after the move. The drive time is a comfortable hour and a half. Not bad for such a great steelhead river. I can handle that. Nothing compared to what I've been used to. Before sunrise, I was already geared up and walking down the trail. By the time I got to where I wanted to step in, there was enough light to do so. A gear fisherman was already

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-89353225591969702132011-08-15T14:08:00.000-07:002011-08-15T14:08:43.320-07:00

While taking a break from house hunting a few weeks ago, I drove a few miles along the Clackamas River. It was a big/wide slow moving river filled with boats. Not very appealing to me. I made a mental note that I wasn't interested. Fast forward to early last week. I read a few internet sites talking about how great the Clack is for swinging flies. Obviously I wasn't in the right place. The

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-35719524839740624252011-08-07T22:54:00.000-07:002011-10-17T16:55:45.998-07:00

It has been about a week and a half since we moved in. I'd like to say the transition was flawless, but it was anything but. First, all of our belongings didn't fit on the 26 foot truck we rented. About 3/4 the way through, the guys loading told us it wouldn't happen. Crap. I drove the truck out of California, through Oregon and into Washington. After doing the unload, the plan was to fly

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-81511818231505377582011-07-20T16:12:00.000-07:002011-07-20T16:12:01.987-07:00

For my birthday last week, my wife got me a river guide to fishing Oregon. I haven't had a chance to really study it. I can tell you that it will be helpful to someone like me, who has just recently transplanted to the Oregon area. Okay, I'm still not quite moved yet. In five days from now, the truck will be loaded and we will be making the trip. I'll fly back to California a couple of days

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-11390448282953395982011-07-11T08:29:00.001-07:002011-07-11T09:03:46.385-07:00

Hard to believe we are so close to moving out of California and into steelhead country. A seriously long process that is almost over. A friend threw us a going away party and it sunk in that we won't be here much longer. This is really happening! Yikes.Packing has been a major pain in the butt. Anyone that has ever moved knows what I'm talking about. I just want these two weeks to go by as

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-7673178303923773472011-06-30T16:25:00.000-07:002011-10-17T16:55:57.357-07:00

Can you believe it?! It has been months and months and.. Well, it has been too long. I'm happy to say I got a couple days of fishing in. I was up in Washington/Oregon looking for a place to live. Now that we sold our place down here in California, we needed somewhere to put our junk. This was not a pleasant process. Let me tell you. Finding a rental was harder than selling our house.

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-32940344711824032682011-06-02T16:59:00.000-07:002011-06-06T16:49:56.959-07:00

Well, it finally happened. Closing has come and gone and our house is no longer our house. We will be renting back until July 31st, so we have a bit of time before we are kicked out. I would imagine if everything goes as planned, we will be moving up to the Portland area sometime in the middle of July. After the dust has settled, I will hopefully get out and find a day to fish. It has been

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-22461374619308358812011-05-09T11:49:00.001-07:002011-05-09T11:57:40.980-07:00

Haven't been fishing, nor have I tied a fly in eons. However, I did stop by Leland to pick up one of Scott Howell's "Squidro" flies. I wanted one to reverse engineer it- since it looked like a good idea.The fly is basically an intruder. But, instead of using rhea or ostrich, it uses rubber legs! Easier to tie and more durable. I can't wait to give it a try (both in the river and on the vise)

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-77361261479529880272011-05-07T19:56:00.000-07:002011-05-07T20:11:55.155-07:00

Still haven't made it to the water. However, that time is coming! I can feel it.I completed all work on the house and it was put on the market one week ago tomorrow. The open house attracted around 150 potential buyers! Crazy. Even in this market, people flooded in all day long. A few days later, we received two offers. After accepting one, that "Open Sunday" sign has changed to a "Sale

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-33121720027709350002011-03-02T09:28:00.000-08:002011-03-02T09:53:20.522-08:00

It is already March and I haven't done any fishing, nor have I gone skiing this year. How depressing. Between working non stop on my normal career stuff and fixing up the house to get it on the market, there hasn't been much time for fun stuff.The good news is that I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. I've managed to do most of the repairs and only have a few rooms left to paint. I

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-15056855158412234472011-02-04T11:47:00.000-08:002011-02-04T11:52:40.798-08:00

This blog has crawled to an absolute stand still. My apologies. I just haven't had an opportunity to do any fishing. Further, I haven't even tied a fly.What the heck is going on? Well, I'm doing my normal job from 6am to noon each day and then the rest of the day is spent working on the house. Painting and repairs. We are putting our house on the market soon and there is work to be done!

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-64613072078499564962010-12-15T12:29:00.000-08:002010-12-15T12:35:09.799-08:00

Skagit Master, Volume 2 is still not released. However, you can go and see another teaser on Youtube (or below). I'm pumped to get this video. I'm also pumped to go fishing again soon. Man, when will that happen??! Probably, sadly enough, not until Spring. However, if the planets align, when Spring does come, I'll be fishing more often and have more reports.I like how the first thing said

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-91131610719588485022010-12-14T00:20:00.000-08:002010-12-14T00:47:33.696-08:00

After digging through the old hard drive, I remembered that I digitized some footage of my short time up Steamboat Creek with Lee. You know, the guy who protects the steelhead sitting in a pool waiting for the right water conditions to continue upstream?It was early morning when I arrived. Terrible time to be trying to shoot video into the water (Best light is around 1pm in July/August if you

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-80773838632852843112010-12-08T11:53:00.001-08:002010-12-08T12:01:41.005-08:00

Due to time constraints, you are about to get another lame fishing report.Went to the Feather a few weeks ago. The weather was cloudy with comfortable temps. Lined my two hander with a compact scandi and an intermediate tip in the morning and a floating tip in the afternoon.Stayed in the Low Flow section, and actually stayed in just two runs the whole day. Saw a ton of salmon. Also got a

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-35476844689790952122010-11-05T09:59:00.000-07:002010-11-05T10:17:32.375-07:00

Sorry, but I don't think I'm going to get around to an official report for the Lower Stan or Klamath rivers. I've been swamped with stuff around the house and work.Basically, on the Klamath, I caught a bunch of fish. :) Yeah, they weren't huge, but they were in there. And I caught them on skaters. Seems the North Umpqua isn't the only river where the steelhead like these flies. It is also

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-51313944303544330552010-09-27T20:12:00.000-07:002010-09-28T14:12:57.659-07:00

It may be more than a month and a half later, but I finally digitized in the video from my camera and edited something together. Although I took about 10 minutes of video, it really gets boring quickly.North UmpquaNo one was fishing that day, or I would of taken some shots of people standing out in the river, so you could get a better idea of where you have to position yourself to fish Camp

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-66198311609553946772010-09-24T20:16:00.001-07:002010-09-24T20:18:34.862-07:00

Why do people worry so much about dead drifting a fly? Trout love em skittering across the surface under tension. At least the 20+ that I caught did. :)I'm behind in my fishing reports. One more North Umpqua, a Klamath, and now a Lower Stanislaus on its way.

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-53670495298386776912010-09-14T12:45:00.000-07:002010-09-14T12:50:07.889-07:00

Since the previous two days of fishing covered a wide stretch of water, I pretty much knew where I wanted to go on this third and final day. The morning started out at Station, which to my surprise was once again empty. I tried both chugging dries and swinging wets. One solid tug sent my heart racing. But, after many attempts to get that fish to grab again, it didn't happen. I like to

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-84464704323666808462010-09-05T09:45:00.000-07:002010-09-05T22:13:38.712-07:00

My apologies for being so slow about getting the Umpqua reports out. I'm finishing up a project and I've been working way too many hours. Including this whole weekend, Labor Day too. :(As things lighten up next week, I hope to pump out Day 3 and 4 for the NU and another for the Klamath.Maybe I'll even get a day of fishing in - within a week or two. If anyone is interested in hooking up for

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-24968832706532788232010-08-29T21:32:00.000-07:002010-08-29T22:00:39.951-07:00

The second day had a completely different feel than the first. More or less, I knew the layout of the area and where I wanted to start my day. The goal was to wade out to Station. This is one of, if not the prime steelhead runs on the NU. Or so I'm told. The fish sit here waiting for conditions to be right before heading up Steamboat Creek. The major spawning ground of the river. This spot

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-833065671779426522010-08-22T15:21:00.000-07:002010-08-22T15:32:03.159-07:00

This is Part 1 of Part 4 of my North Umpqua trip. Come back soon for the other entries. One from each day.The drive to the North Umpqua takes around 10 hours from home. Leaving about 2pm on a Saturday, I arrived before midnight. Just enough time to pull into the Camp Water parking lot and take a snooze.Sunday was originally to be a half day of scouting and checking out Steamboat Creek.

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-76319282983694297832010-08-14T15:55:00.000-07:002010-08-14T16:05:38.163-07:00

Sadly, my fishing trip is over. I'm now back from my three days on the North Umpqua. As a bonus for me and you, I also spent time fishing on the Klamath.For those counting, that is four days of fishing in about a weeks time. Probably a record for me. Over the next week I'll be making some posts covering my days on the water. The three on the NU, and then my time on the Klamath.Additionally,

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-25847421913872379552010-08-06T15:12:00.000-07:002010-08-06T15:19:29.518-07:00

It has been a while since I've posted a "Fly of the Week". As I'm about to depart for a trip to the North Umpqua, I quickly tied up some flies. Here are three of the patterns I put together. Perhaps I'll post the others another time.The first two are on size 4 hooks. The last on an eight. As always, click on the image to see them bigger.I'll let you know how they do in a week or two.

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-83401980361651465322010-07-30T10:34:00.000-07:002010-07-30T10:40:14.911-07:00

These long Summer days can really take a toll. Beyond the time I spend on the water, from sun up to sun down, I have a pretty good commute to the water. We are talking almost 20+ hours from when I leave my driveway and when I get back. It can be a real drag. Last week, I had -what lately is a rare opportunity- to go fishing. The Lower Yuba was my choice. The reports were for high water flow

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-64435783155318153222010-07-09T13:42:00.000-07:002010-07-09T13:46:05.063-07:00

Wow. This had to set the record for my longest blog post in the making. I set out to write this months ago, but one thing led to another and it just didn't get done. Until now! Yay! If you've spent any time with two-handers, you'll quickly see that there is a large contingent of people out there that like to slice and dice lines. Trying to come up with that perfect setup- to improve their

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-55983160314198625322010-07-02T10:20:00.000-07:002010-07-02T10:22:52.759-07:00

Happy fourth of July weekend. I hope everyone is getting more fishing in than I am!!My current project is about to end. So, I'm hoping to get a day in before the end of the month. And... drum roll please... In early August, I'll be spending two days on the North Umpqua for Summer Steelhead. I can't wait. More later.

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-82284422415219252362010-06-02T17:03:00.000-07:002010-06-02T17:10:59.885-07:00

Either something went totally wrong, or totally right. Depends on how you look at it.I arrived on Upper Sunrise before the sun came up. Was in the water trying to catch shad just as there was enough light to keep from taking a swim. After about 30 minutes of casting practice, I decided I was in the wrong place. Access Upr/Lwr Sunrise, El Manto/Rossmore Air Temp Low 54, High 75 Water

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-67352007271357124142010-05-06T19:27:00.000-07:002010-05-06T19:42:34.782-07:00

This post should be titled, "Went fishing for shad on the American, but only caught half pounders". A little too lengthy, so I used something more generic. But, that does summarize the day so succinctly. I guess there's no need to keep reading!I got to Paradise Beach before 6am. It was already 54 degrees, but with a little wind, it was cool. Water clarity was about 6-8 feet and water temp in

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-89951386358720426302010-04-17T13:06:00.000-07:002010-04-17T13:25:10.940-07:00

Good thing I had my 12' spey rod with me! This is what I was thinking as I drove home from the Yuba on Thursday. Two of the biggest fish I caught on that day were a whopping 15 feet from where I was standing as I high sticked around some big boulders. A single hander would of been much more comfortable holding above my head.This was a long one, I was on the water fishing by 6:30am, and fished

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-6900056904139115612010-04-02T17:17:00.000-07:002010-04-02T17:48:57.900-07:00

It seems that every time I go fishing on the Feather, I spend more time driving than fishing. Okay, maybe that is an exaggeration, but man, those roads in the Wildlife area are slow going.I arrived about 2 miles downstream of the 162 bridge (in the Wildlife area) 30 minutes before sunrise. I scoped out this spot on the satellite maps, and since I hadn't been here before, there was bound to be a

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-32184486991758039912010-03-31T21:17:00.001-07:002010-03-31T21:21:32.085-07:00

Those of you that know me personally, know that I work in the animation industry. You can imagine my surprise when I was checking out the work of another animator and saw what he had done. "Elk Hair Caddis" is a short film that is centered around fly fishing. Well, sort of anyway!http://vimeo.com/9882509The part where the frog gets, uhh. Impaled. It made me squirm. Only because that is my

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-7010923564457141652010-03-30T00:12:00.000-07:002010-03-30T00:17:46.222-07:00

After a survey of my trout fly box, I realized that I'm dangerously low on my best producing soft hackles and winged wets. This Thursday, I'll be targeting trout and half pounders, which means I'd like to have a variety of 'em at the ready.I can't even remember the last time I tied a sz10 or smaller fly. This steelhead craze has had me tie bigger and bigger flies. Taking me further and further

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-67861069434409286162010-03-29T11:23:00.000-07:002010-03-29T11:41:01.815-07:00

I can't believe I've gone three weeks without getting in the water. And really, I have no business fishing this week either. There are just too many other things I should be doing. However, I've decided to ignore my better judgment and spend a day on the river.The weather calls for rain. Perhaps one of the last storms of the year. Hopefully that won't turn the fish off. That would be just

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-81209595696643383082010-03-17T16:20:00.000-07:002010-03-17T16:37:24.693-07:00

I've been a little busy lately and I'm just now getting around to a report from March 4th! This last weekend, I was heading to the mountains for a little skiing. While stuck on Hwy 80 waiting for the road to re-open after a heavy snowfall, I realized I never made the fish report from a couple of weeks ago on the American. Whoops!This is going to be quick. I don't remember much from the day

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-46230439613779897812010-03-03T12:58:00.000-08:002010-03-03T13:08:26.242-08:00

Finding an opportunity to fish lately has been difficult. It has been more than two weeks since my last day out, and it probably won't be another two weeks before I go again. Luckily, I was able to work things so that tomorrow is doable. I've decided to hit the American. My last few times on this river have been full of hookups and bumps, but no fish to hand. Hopefully that will change this

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-86906781270113620592010-02-24T15:24:00.000-08:002010-02-24T15:36:46.783-08:00

A week ago Tuesday, I was able to get out to the Russian. Due to a sudden flu bug developed last week, I'm just now getting around to posting a report. Sorry for the delay. Being sick, sucks!The Russian is one of those rivers that takes a while to clear. A decent rain will cause it to swell and a muddy mess is the result. Considering the downpours we've had this winter, I've been waiting a

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-89397658540205606882010-02-17T12:08:00.000-08:002010-02-17T12:23:27.785-08:00

I've been working on a new fly that I've referred to as "cotton candy". I'm terrible at giving my flies names, but this thing really does remind me of that tasty treat that melts in your mouth. I'd like to think that the steelhead think it looks delicious too!The fly has gone through a few iterations. The current fly, I'm calling the 2nd generation, has a trailer hook and a bead hidden within

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-83609638591756358352010-02-17T11:58:00.001-08:002010-02-17T12:08:42.884-08:00

There seems to be no reason to keep quiet about what river my "Mums the Word" posts took place on. It is a large river that can support a lot of people. And since, many people are asking, I'll just come out and say it. The American.What I won't say is where. I'd rather not see that section crowded- if and when I decide to go back.For those claiming that the fishing on this river, this winter,

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-38742523072119873622010-02-15T22:18:00.000-08:002010-02-15T22:30:07.990-08:00

I'm off for a day of fishing tomorrow. Hopefully it will go well and I'll have something nice to report back. In the mean time...I mentioned on one of my recent posts about the trouble I've been having with 12lb fluorocarbon busting on me when hooking large adult steelhead. To try and correct whatever has been the problem, I did a bunch of tests with Maxima Ultragreen, fluorocarbon, and a

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-74898421465062423042010-02-06T09:03:00.000-08:002010-02-06T09:11:55.000-08:00

I've been a little busy in my non-fishing world to post to the blog. Hopefully that will change shortly. Some of the things you can expect are new fly photos. Including a fly I've been working on and fine tuning for a while now. It has been really productive for me on trout and half pounders. I have another fly that is bigger and meaner looking, this has been getting some nice grabs from

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-57935797217867694392010-01-28T13:12:00.000-08:002010-01-28T13:24:53.829-08:00

This past Monday, I went back to the "secret" steelhead spot. Of course it isn't really a secret, I just don't want the thousands of people who read this blog every day to turn the place into a zoo. Okay, maybe there are slightly less than a thousand people who come here. Umm. Maybe much fewer than. Whatever! You know what I'm sayin! :)This time around, I was joined by Ted and Mark. It

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-74319970808900901192010-01-22T09:56:00.000-08:002010-01-22T10:10:04.027-08:00

The rain and wind has been intense. Originally, the plan was to go fishing on Tuesday. However, since the forecast was for 35-40mph gusts, it was probably best to leave it alone. Thursday rolled around and while it was supposed to rain, the wind was to be light. I decided to put on the rain jacket and head out. Where did I go? Well, for once, I'm not going to say for reasons that may become

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-75195946683654074722010-01-18T13:33:00.001-08:002010-01-18T13:43:42.081-08:00

Thought I'd post a few flies I tied recently. They are rather generic and are meant for low/clear water.A basic spider with a bit of flash for wings. The body is peacock herl and oval tinsel ribbing.This steelhead sized Royal Coachman was tied in a hurry and is rather sloppy. However, it probably doesn't matter to the fish.This has a hares ear body with oval tinsel ribbing.The tail and collar

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-61945772572650185712010-01-13T09:36:00.001-08:002010-01-13T09:42:56.290-08:00

Does this fly look familiar? It should, other than a couple of color changes, it is pretty much identical to my Blue Steele Spider. The blue version has been a great fly. Very productive for steelhead. For a change-up, I decided to tie one in green.As always, click on the picture for a higher res version.I won't bother with a description of the materials, you can figure it out pretty easily.

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-80885135261694526642010-01-13T09:18:00.000-08:002010-01-13T09:26:19.528-08:00

I've been experimenting with various synthetic materials lately. One of which is Polar Fiber. My first tie with the material produced a nice flowing streamer in various shades of green and blue. It looked so good, that I decided to incorporate it into the body of a steelhead fly. In this instance, it was spun on a dubbing loop.When you put this guy in the water, it has a really nice

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-16031876162012868212010-01-13T00:32:00.000-08:002010-01-13T00:38:14.001-08:00

Although you can't tell by my lack of tying posts, I've been on a rampage. Working on some new steelhead designs and refining ones that have been productive in the past. I'm also doing a lot of experimenting with new materials. Including many synthetics that look really good in the water. Oh yeah, I'm also going to tie a new intruder or two.Expect a few pictures over the next week or so. I'm

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-81895096216604036162010-01-13T00:23:00.000-08:002010-01-13T00:32:40.070-08:00

My two year old is always singing, "Rain, Rain, Go Away". Someday, he'll realize how much we need it and he'll sing a different tune. For now, it is impossible to not sing along with him. He is just too cute. Besides, if I try to educate him, his response is something like, "No, no daddy! Rain go away!"Lucky for the fish, some rain is coming into California. Lets hope for a lot. The last

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-9173978967057796532010-01-03T16:01:00.000-08:002010-01-03T16:12:01.211-08:00

I never make New Years resolutions anymore. Why? I rarely follow through with them. However, I figured this year, I'll make New Year fishing resolutions. This may be something I can actually do!In no order of importance...1) I vow to leave the fly in the hangdown for a longer length of time. Often, I'm in a hurry to step down or simply make the next cast. Catching fish on the hang down (

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-35864090002194124092010-01-02T10:11:00.000-08:002010-01-03T23:42:45.527-08:00

Spent the last day of 2009 on the Yuba. Parked under the bridge before the sun came up. Put my gear on and walked upstream and around the bend. There is a certain section of water that I always hit here. The run seems to always produce. So, it seemed I should start there. Access Above hwy 20 bridge Air Temp Low 45, High 56 Water Temp/Visibility ~47 F / 4-6 feet Weather Mostly Cloudy

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-47683147176612756492010-01-01T12:50:00.000-08:002010-01-01T12:59:04.188-08:00

Normally I don't blink when I lose a fly. However, when it takes 45 minutes or more to tie one, it can be disappointing. Especially after only 10 minutes of using it.This was the first "true" Intruder that I tied. Put on a shank with the mono loop at the back end so you can string the tippet through. Ala a tube fly. The way that Ed Ward originally tied them (if Skagit Master is any

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-4356979757308827882009-12-12T17:38:00.000-08:002009-12-12T18:35:15.949-08:00

I figured that fishing on a cloudy day would improve my chances. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I don't believe I had one solid pull the entire day. I tried to make the most of the day by just appreciating the outdoors. However, catching something would of been nice.Starting out at Paradise Beach, I fished for several hours using 8 feet of T10 and an intruder style fly. I worked

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-3755786989704596802009-12-05T15:01:00.001-08:002009-12-05T15:08:48.647-08:00

Here in Northern California, we are expected to get heavy rains starting on Monday. If you believe the forecasts, it will last for almost a week with a few breaks here and there.This is of course good news for the steelhead. Hopefully it will move a few fish up into the various systems. Watch the water levels, and if you can somehow hit it when levels are falling again, make sure you go. A

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-79784009815610220532009-12-03T09:38:00.001-08:002009-12-03T14:50:19.462-08:00

Earlier this week, I traveled about 5 hours north for a day trip to the Klamath. I've never been before, but have heard good reports. Figured it was worth the drive to find out.Also worth noting, I actually fished with someone else for a change. Ted and I met early in the morning somewhere near Hwy 5. It was a brisk day, with morning temps in the 20's. Stupid me forgot a hat, luckily it

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-66014121545438282142009-11-20T12:25:00.000-08:002009-11-20T12:42:37.681-08:00

Common thought is that Skagit lines are what you should use when flinging sink tips and heavy flies. Unfortunately, over a typical day, I switch back and forth between fly sizes and tips so often, that going between a skagit and scandi is too much of a headache. (Yeah, I know, you can use a skagit line with a floating tip and small flies, but I prefer a more delicate presentation.) So, for

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-41451722997957632892009-11-20T11:57:00.000-08:002009-11-20T12:10:58.462-08:00

As mentioned in an earlier post, I've decided to try and make my reports more helpful. Now, when I say more helpful, I really mean more helpful for me. This blog was originally intended as a journal I could return to, so that I could remember what happened and where. Problem is, after re-reading a few previous reports, I've found they aren't very helpful at all! Woops. Access

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-18367316508641221752009-11-20T08:38:00.000-08:002009-11-20T11:25:28.843-08:00

Sometimes we get so excited to go fishing, we forget what can be one of the most important things. How to get to and from the river safely. So you can make it back to your family.Yesterday, while driving down Hwy 80 to the American river. I was minding my business in the middle lane when peripherally I saw a truck approaching on my left side. He was VERY close to me. If my window was down, I

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-48345921228733890852009-11-20T08:36:00.001-08:002009-11-20T08:38:40.663-08:00

I forgot what the purpose of this blog was. It was originally intended to be a journal of my fishing trips so I could revert back to it in order to remember what worked and what didn't. After re-reading some previous entries, it's obvious it isn't really all that helpful for me.So, I'm going to try a new format. Starting with the next report (hopefully later today), I'll try to put more useful

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-29932295710726505792009-11-17T13:01:00.000-08:002009-11-17T13:06:53.207-08:00

Went to the Yuba last week. Arrived much too early, so I took a short snooze in the car before walking to the water somewhere below Hwy 20. This would mark my longest walk along this river. I'm not sure how many miles I covered throughout the day, but it felt like a million. Saw some new water that had plenty of salmon, a few half pounders, and some large trout. I did manage to catch a couple

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-88461311610462619012009-10-31T10:25:00.000-07:002009-11-17T19:46:30.044-08:00

What better way to celebrate the fall steelhead return than a trip to the Trinity?A few days ago I arrived somewhere upstream of Junction City before 4am. It was a deserted area that generally is devoid of people. I sat and mostly stared at the sky until the sun started to rise. What an incredible view. Thousands and thousands of stars. You certainly see nothing like that where I live, or

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-87738206076541607232009-10-26T13:50:00.000-07:002009-10-26T14:18:56.629-07:00

The week before last, I made a trip to the Lower Stan. I'm sure you already figured that out if you read my other recent posts. So, here I am, late as usual with the official trip report.Got to the dam before sunrise. So early in fact, I took a little snooze in the car. Luckily, I awoke before it got too light out. After suiting up, I went straight down to the river and started casting.The

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-59699605452016044282009-10-20T10:06:00.000-07:002009-10-20T10:11:05.474-07:00

While fishing the Lower Stan last week, I noticed a huge difference in the number of Salmon from this time last year. Unfortunately, I did not see a single one. Not to say there weren't there. I could of just simply missed them. However, last year at this time, I saw so many up and down the river, they seemed eerily absent. I can't help but wonder if there was a connection between the lack

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-48114609014244014982009-10-20T10:04:00.000-07:002009-10-20T10:06:32.352-07:00

I'd just like to say thanks to the DFG for being around the Lower Stanislaus. This is the first time I've seen them out there, and they were aggressively looking for poachers. As I was packing my car to move to another spot, they asked me a lot of questions about who I saw down at the river. It was a good feeling to know that they were there. Hope they show up more often.

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-18165663103028799752009-10-09T08:51:00.000-07:002009-10-14T14:04:53.372-07:00

At the last minute, I was able to get away from the daily grind and get a day of fishing in. Based on decent reports, I decided to go to the Yuba. This was the first time I've been on this river while the upriver of Hwy 20 portion was closed. Thanks to previous scoutings, I've found some excellent runs to fish in. This day was no exception.I started the morning before it was light out. I

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-82401919624735576162009-10-02T14:07:00.000-07:002009-10-02T14:13:53.172-07:00

I'm overdue for a fly cleaning/check/reorganization. The last few days I've taken every fly I have (hundreds of them) and looked each and every one over. Firstly, I check to make sure it still looks fishy. Hackles still pointed in the right direction and wings together, etc. If it passes the look-test, I make sure the barbs are removed. Yes, there are a few flies with barbs, or barbs that

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-23870953529240262492009-09-30T17:21:00.000-07:002009-09-30T17:35:17.327-07:00

My parents have been visiting from out of town, so this report is long overdue. Since my trip up to the Cowlitz in Washington, I've been hitting the American River a few times. I know, I swore I wouldn't go back to this place. However, the proximity is sometimes hard to ignore.I can't go into details, because frankly, I don't remember any. Next time I need to write about it as soon as I get

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-53717086821538347292009-09-21T09:36:00.001-07:002009-09-21T09:56:11.119-07:00

A few weeks ago, I was able to fish somewhere other than California. While attending a wedding in Seattle, I had a chance to spend a day with Steve Buckner, a guide on the Cowlitz river.I didn't know much about this river before going. The only thing I had heard is that the fish aren't huge, but there is a better chance of hooking one. Good enough for me. I've only been targeting steelhead

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-48796776990583068732009-08-18T10:39:00.001-07:002009-08-18T11:37:31.996-07:00

Finally, back to my favorite haunt, the Lower Stanislaus. It was to be another hot day, at or near 100.The day started off rather slow. In the morning, I was swinging various soft hackles in groups of two. I caught a couple of fish somewhere around 12 inches as I scurried the rocks in the deep pools. As the fish seemed to have lock jaw, I moved downstream to some areas I had never been. I

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-7740503017082119082009-08-18T09:58:00.001-07:002009-08-18T09:58:34.055-07:00

It was another hot day on the Yuba. Temps were probably near or above 100 degrees. Not so bad as long as I stayed near or in the water. Fishing was pretty good, however, in typical Yuba fashion, nothing mind blowing.I arrived around 6:30am and was fishing above Hwy 20 not long after. Within the first couple of hours I had caught a couple of trout in the mid teens on soft hackles swung through

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-20822557805547052942009-08-10T14:58:00.001-07:002009-08-10T15:08:25.851-07:00

Starting off with a flashy wing, this steelhead fly is tied on a size 8 salmon hook. Dubbing is arctic fox with oval tinsel ribbing. The tag is silver tinsel. Generally, I'd use this during high or off color water. Or in some cases, when nothing else seems to be working.The second fly is made up of much more muted tones. I'd use this on clear water. However, if the water is really low, I'd

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-16708621691438047692009-08-10T14:52:00.001-07:002009-08-10T14:57:10.421-07:00

A recent re-stocking of tying material included some blue hackle. While I'm a big fan of neutral tone flies, patterns very similar to this have caught both trout and steelhead.I firmly buy into the thought process that presentation is far more important than fly choice. If you are targeting trout during a hatch, you may want to roughly match it. However, when a hatch isn't on, you can catch

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-56488564514403699212009-08-10T14:46:00.000-07:002009-08-10T14:52:15.588-07:00

In order to prepare for Fall, I've been tying a few steelhead flies. The one you see below was tied on a size 8 salmon hook. Flies similar to this have been very successful in the Central/Northern Californian steelhead waters. Generally speaking, I have more confidence in flies with natural tones. Besides working on steelhead, this will also catch trout and if you're not careful, squawfish! :)

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-81098135104186857162009-08-06T12:01:00.000-07:002009-08-09T12:09:46.675-07:00

I've been busy with other things, so this blog hasn't been updated a whole lot lately. There are a backlog of flies ready to be photographed and soon to be fishing reports. I promise to have something worth reading/looking at in the next couple of days. You'll shortly see some Yuba, Feather, and Stanislaus reports. In early September there will even be some steelhead reports from my trip to

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-32915590988781802072009-07-14T14:49:00.000-07:002009-07-14T14:55:31.231-07:00

Ed Ward came up with an incredible steelhead fly called the Intruder. After the secret got out, it became a very popular pattern. Since it takes a really long time to tie, I made several short cuts with my variation. While not an official Intruder. It has some of the same qualities. Minimal materials, while still looking bulky.I've done well with big flies swung deep. Both steelhead and

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-86093694996822180182009-07-13T16:00:00.000-07:002009-07-13T16:29:22.098-07:00

Last week I was able to hit up the Truckee River. This is a great piece of water, I wish I had more of an opportunity to visit. Knowing my fishing time is limited this summer, I wanted to make sure I was there bright and early. Leaving the house at 2am put me riverside just before the sun came up. I strung up my switch rod with barely enough light to see.Carefully, I waded out and fished a

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-3345073194147182542009-07-06T09:04:00.000-07:002009-07-06T09:09:52.606-07:00

This is a simple video of guide Mike Kinney casting his two hander. Mike is really well known in the steelhead world and is a nice video to watch if you are interested in two handed skagit casting.Like Ed Ward (see next video), they have slow and smooth casting strokes.

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-31213837419378119532009-07-06T08:55:00.001-07:002009-07-06T09:03:31.874-07:00

Ed Ward is one of the Skagit founders. Although I've never met the man, I've exchanged emails with him and he truly is a knowledgeable fisherman. Not only is he the "Skagit Master", he knows how to catch fish. I originally heard his name along with the famous fly he introduced to everyone. The "intruder" is well known to steelheaders. I hear he is currently using a more modest fly, simply a

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-58050328874904835282009-07-05T18:32:00.000-07:002009-07-05T19:07:57.021-07:00

I made my first attempt at fly fishing in the ocean. Only spent a couple of hours while my wife and son played in the sand. I got a bump or two, but nothing more. It was more a chance to figure out what the heck I was doing. I really had no clue. In an unusual twist, I actually have video! Since my wife was around with a camera, you can see a few seconds of me casting my switch rod over

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-61319733391246200212009-06-17T08:28:00.000-07:002009-06-17T12:01:52.913-07:00

For this first time in I don't know how long, I went fishing on a Sunday. I normally avoid the weekends due to crowds. However, considering my workload, I didn't have a choice.Surprisingly enough, my trip to the Yuba, above and below the 20 bridge, was relatively uncrowded. I did see other fisherman, but had no problem finding empty spots.I'm going to wrap up this report quickly as I need to

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-26572265361880509862009-06-05T17:40:00.001-07:002009-06-05T17:43:18.474-07:00

Because of a brutal work schedule, I'm not able to do much fishing these days. The only thing I seem to be able to do is live through others experiences. I found this video on the net. Wow- how excited would this be? Amazing.

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-62893785567042239632009-05-27T13:36:00.000-07:002009-05-27T13:39:37.832-07:00

This is one of my favorite waking flies so far. After giving it a test drive, I'll let you know how it performs.

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-35693564378255039292009-05-20T14:50:00.000-07:002009-05-20T14:51:17.700-07:00

I've always wanted to try fishing for Shad, but I've never taken the plunge. On Monday evening, I took up an offer to be shown where to go on the American for these feisty fish.We weren't to meet until 6pm, so I arrived a little early around 3:30 for some potential half pounder action. The temp was in the high 90's and thank goodness for leaky waders, cause I was pretty miserable. I waded and

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-68568335838700787972009-05-18T09:17:00.000-07:002009-05-18T09:22:07.438-07:00

Here's another waker that I tied a few days back. This one is on a size 8 hook and although I don't know how it looks in the water yet, I'm sure it will make quite the disturbance.Waker 2Tail: Squirrel tail.Body: Brown and gold dubbing with palmered hackle tips.Head: Red Buck Tail.

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-90937209614523837072009-05-14T16:44:00.001-07:002009-05-18T09:24:03.267-07:00

I've always been interested to try and make a steelhead rise to a waking fly. For one reason or another, I never made much of an attempt. I decided to tie a few up and give it a shot next time out. It looks like a fantastic way to catch a fish.Waker 1Hook: Size 10 Upturned Salmon.Tip: Silver Tinsel.Tag: Hot Orange Floss.Body: Brown Dubbing with Palmered Hackle Tip, Craft Foam.Wing: Yellow Deer

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-25708090141335979412009-05-14T16:36:00.000-07:002009-05-18T09:26:23.698-07:00

A fly similar to this produced on the Feather the other day, so I decided to tie another up.Brown SpeyBody: Angora dubbing, black schlappen palmered, oval tinsel ribCollar: Guinea feather behind wing and hackle tip in frontWing: MallardTag: Oval Tinsel

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-73175598203121989322009-05-10T08:42:00.000-07:002009-05-10T08:46:49.049-07:00

A week or two ago, I became the proud owner of a new spey rod. Instead of building another, I decided to simply purchase a 6-weight. Ever since, I've been itching to try it out somewhere other than the casting pool. The original plan called for a trip to the Yuba. However, the flows were much too high and I figured this would be an excellent opportunity to visit the Feather.I've never been

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-54358526774644729722009-05-07T14:05:00.000-07:002009-05-07T14:10:51.216-07:00

Just for grins, I took a picture of my go-to steelhead fly box. These are all the low-water and summer flies. You can see several that I've posted pictures of on the blog and a few that haven't made an appearance.Summer Steel (Click for a larger picture)At a later time, I'll post my winter box. The big ugly and heavy ones.

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-74568267337447350602009-05-03T16:50:00.000-07:002009-05-03T17:07:45.444-07:00

Spent a couple of hours at the casting pools to try and dial in some new lines on a couple of rods. First off, I've had much too light of a line on my main weapon of choice. While I could overhand it nicely, it just wasn't heavy enough to pound out some longer casts with a some sort of water borne anchor cast. I felt that 65-70 was pretty much maxing it out. With my skill level anyway.Today,

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-45312280143120655622009-04-27T09:09:00.000-07:002009-04-27T09:11:31.121-07:00

I rarely fish on the weekends these days, but Saturday, I made an opening day exception. I met up with Curt (thanks for the fun day) around 7am on the Main Fork of the Tuolumne to start things off.As usual, the T was beautiful and looked very fishy. Surprisingly, the water was not high and was actually a little lower than I had seen it on previous outings. What didn't change is the tough

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4997184667025738116.post-9911832464511005412009-04-16T11:58:00.000-07:002009-04-16T12:06:51.210-07:00

I've been tying a lot of steelhead flies for the last so many months. It has been great fun, but while on the river last time fishing for trout, I realized that I'm running low on some of my "go to" soft hackle patterns.In response, I've spent the last few evenings tying various trout flies. I've been concentrating on sparsely dressed spider patterns. These are meant to be fished right in the

Fly Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162423638445928350noreply@blogger.com1