Howdy,

My first blog entry ever was a recount of a family vacation to Anderson Island, Puget Sound, Washington  in 2008.   It was complete with photos of the area, it’s wildlife and sealife.  Not being a writer, I spent hours working on the article, wanting everything to be perfect.  Back then I used a 3rd party blogging application which I soon migrated over to my own hosted application running under my website.  Somewhere in the transfer, that article was lost.   Again, not being a writer, the thought of recreating the article seemed too daunting to attempt.  It is lost forever. I’m sure the 3 or 4 people who read it are as upset as I am that it is gone……….

As luck would have it, we took another vacation this year.  This trip was a big loop through central Oregon, Northern California and back up the Willamette Valley.  I spent a little more time preparing for the trip this time – researching favorite fly patterns for all the rivers we would pass along the way – nymphs, dries, streamers and steelhead flies.  I packed spare leaders, a handful of Thingamabobbers, 3 rods, 3 reels with extra spools and anything else I could think of.  Visions of wild trout and migrating steelhead filled my head as I packed and stowed all the gear. 

Being a homebody and primarily fishing within a 50 mile radius of our house in Lyons, this was a big deal for me.  I now understand the clients I guide a little better.  They show up with this look of excitement and wonder (from too many daydreams of big, wild fish), mixed with dread and anxiety (from the sleepless nights worrying if they brought enough gear).  I think I may have learned a few things about improving as a guide from the process.

We headed east from home, following my North Santiam along Hwy 22 towards Bend.  An hour into the trip and my home water was out of sight.  Our first stop was the Metolius River near Sisters, Oregon.  We took the short walking path the the Head of the Metolius, where it bubbles out of the ground and quickly becomes a river. 

Head of the Metolius

The next stop was a little further down the road past Camp Sherman to the Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery.  Some of the prettiest water you’ll ever see.   No time for fishing though, we needed to get back on the road.

We arrived at La Pine State Park late in the afternoon and set up “camp”.  Camp was pretty easy to setup because our mode of transportation was a rented 25 ft. RV.  The process was basically as follows:  Back into the numbered spot (without hitting anything), turn off the ignition, plug in the “shoreline” and hook up the water hose then walk to the Kiosk and pay the nightly fee.  Done.  Well, almost done.  Had to setup a couple camping chairs and get some wood for the fire (back to the Kiosk for a bundle).  To keep things traditional, we roasted some hotdogs over the fire.

Being only a few hundred yards from the Dechutes River, I gobbled down the dog and quickly began assembling rods for me and the boys.  We set out on foot through the campground to wet our lines…. as the snow began to fall.  Yup, snow in mid-June!  We did make it through the maze of campsites and found the trail to the water, made a few casts, lost a few flies and then darkness fell.  No bites, no fish, but now I can say I’ve fished the upper Dechutes.

Dechutes River near La Pine, Oregon

 I did make another attempt at fishing in the morning before heading out.  The river was pretty high and all the rising fish were on the far bank.  We loaded up and headed south on Hwy 97, stopping before we left the park to see Oregon’s biggest tree.  A 500 year old Ponderosa Pine.

Jordan and Dylan at Oregon's Biggest Tree

On to Crater Lake!  The sun was shining and the high desert highway was warming up.  The snowstorm the night before was short lived and it felt like summer again.  Soon we were at the cutoff road to Crater Lake.  A long ascending stretch of road lay before us.  As we entered the park, clouds began to roll in and the rim of the crater was shadowed in darkness.  The park attendant to the gates mentioned that visibility was “spotty” at the top.  As we got closer, we realized what “spotty” meant.  It means snow, wind and blizzard-like conditions.  Being a first time RV driver, 10 feet of snow, with drifts forming and reducing the road to 1 car width in spots, I was a bit nervous.  The grooves in the steering wheel formed by the grip of my fingers took a few days to disappear. 

It did clear enough for Lori to get a shot of the boys with some of the lake in the background.  But I was only thinking of getting back down the mountain and didn’t take any pictures.  The next picture taking I did was down the road a ways, out of the snow and back on clear roads.

Cool Rock Formations on the south side of Crater Lake

We made our way back to Hwy 97 and turned south once again.  Summer weather returned as we neared the border between Oregon and California.   A quick stop to fill up on gas and road snacks and we were on our way again.  Our destination… one of Lori’s high school friends place just across the border with an incredible view of Mt. Shasta.

Mt. Shasta

After a great visit and wonderful dinner, we plugged in and called it a night.  The next stop would be near the Trinity River in the middle of the Trinity/Shasta National Forest.  Steelhead and Spring Chinook filled my dreams that night. 

Again on the road early the next morning and on towards Redding, where we stopped to fuel up again for the long trek through the wild and scenic Trinities.  Traveling through a State on the verge of bankruptcy teaches you some things – mostly about just how bad the roads can get when there is no money to fix them properly.  They do their best with what they have, but the result is a patchwork of fixes that resembles a quilt.  Patches of different materials and colors. 

My next test as a 1st time RVer taught me how to drive a up and down mountain roads  with one tire on the center line and one tire hanging on the shoulder.  With the grooves again forming in the steering wheel, we rounded one hairpin corner to encounter a pilot car driven by a gal holding a red flag out the passenger window.  I stopped and rolled down the window.  She informed us that a boat was being hauled down the mountain and we should just stay here in the “wide spot”.  By “wide spot”, she meant the one place on the mountain where the road is actually wide enough for 2 vehicles.  The mental picture of a ski boat towed by a pickup was shattered quickly as the nose of a semi truck rounded the corner ahead.  Attached to the semi was a low-boy trailer with a full sized house boat perched on the trailer, overhanging each side by at least 10 feet.  Fortunately the semi was coming at us so fast, there was no time to scream like a little girl in front of the kids.  As it flew past I looked in the side view mirror and saw that we really had nothing to worry about.  The house boat cleared our rear end by a good 1/8″. 

Jordan was riding shotgun on this leg and turned to me and said,  “Well… I’m not scared anymore”. 

We made it to Hayfork and checked out the area a bit.  A stop at the local Ranger Station and we got directions to a local swimming hole to relax a bit.  A pretty little section of Hayfork Creek before it enters the South Fork of the Trinity.  We took one rod along and took turns catching small native rainbows.  We hooked at least 2 dozen fish, with the largest measuring a whopping 7″.

One night in Hayfork and we were on our way to De Loma RV Park near Big Bar, Ca.  There I would fish the Trinity and hopefully connect with some andronomous fish.  As we made our way west on Hwy 299, I couldn’t help but notice that the river was winding it’s way through beautiful rock gorges, huge rapids and sadly, up and through trees and shrubs.  The river was running very high.  The gravel bars that did occasionally appear were loaded with debris in the form of log jams and stumps.  Walk and Wade access was going to be tough. 

Trinity River near Big Bar

I fished one area with limited access and managed a couple small trout.  There was a small side channel with only a few thousand cubic feet per second of flow that allowed for some nymphing.  I spent a good half hour wading chest deep through some trees hoping to find a shallow area to cross to the island with better looking water on the far side, but had to turn back when I reached a rock cliff with raging water over my head.  The RV Park owner was also a fishing guide on the Trinity. We talked flies, fishing and river conditions.  The fishing was poor, but the fishing conversation made up for it.  We traded business cards and fly patterns before leaving.

Onward West to the coast and more sightseeing was on the next day’s agenda.  We said goodbye to the Trinity and Hwy 299 and turned on to Hwy 101 Northbound through the Redwoods.  I’ve been there a few times before, but the trees always impress me.  Somehow you forget just how big they are. 

California Redwood

We stopped for the final night at Panther Flats Campground along the Smith River.  Again, I managed to get in a couple casts before dark and hooked some very small native rainbows.  I woke early the next morning (Father’s Day) and quietly exited the RV for some alone-time fishing on a famous California River. 

Smith River, California

Sunlight entered the Smith River canyon as I stepped into the crystal clear water.  I stood in the silence for several minutes watching the surface.  A few mayflies emerged on the far side of the river, but nothing rose to sip them in.  I tied on a stonefly nymph, followed by a caddis larva 12″ below it.  A pretty good cast behind a big rock dropped into a nice slot and allowed for a long drift to tailout.  A small trout grabbed the stonefly and came to hand.  The 3rd drift through the same slot took a hit that actually made the rod bend a little.  The largest fish of the trip came to hand – an 8″ rainbow trout.  Yup, Eight Inches!  I finally caught a fish worthy of having it’s picture taken.  Not a trophy, not a Hog, but a pretty little wild fish without it’s baby spots.

Smith River Rainbow

My quest was complete.  I’d caught a fine fish on one of California’s famous northern rivers.  I returned to camp a happy man.  I’d fooled some trout with a couple Riverwood originals – the Santiam Stone and Caddis Pupae

Following a quick breakfast, we loaded up for the home stretch of the journey.  We hopped onto I-5 North near Grants Pass.  To break up the home run, we stopped in Winston at the Wildlife Safari and made the drive-through the park.  The animals cooperated and were out in the open for the most part.  We stopped for a bit to watch an Elephant Car Wash in the “Africa” portion of the park.

Wildlife Safari near Winston, Oregon

There were Lions, Tigers, Bears (oh my), giraffes, elephants, cheetahs, Elk, etc.  I mostly noticed the fly tying material available – ducks, geese, ostrich, rhea, etc.

Spey hackle!

The fluffy ones are way prettier than the plastic ones.......

Ah, home again.  The Little North Santiam and North Santiam were back in shape when we got home.  While I’d been away catching miniature trout in California, my guide partner, Jeff Goodell had caught a nice Spring Chinook a few miles up the road.  Aaron Wainman had stopped by our place while we were gone and caught a very nice 15″ trout just below the house. 

We saw some pretty rivers and beautiful country on our trip, but there’s no place like home.

Tight Lines!

Dave

Howdy,

I’m happy to announce a new product coming soon to Riverwood Flies  – Fish Skulls, Nymph Heads and RealFlyColor Beads from Flymen Fishing Co. !  As most of you are aware, I don’t sell stuff that I don’t use myself, so a few weeks back I ordered up some of the Flymen Fishing Co. products to give them a try.  As luck would have it, the order arrived a day before a float trip down the North Santiam.  I managed to tie up a few quick flies for the trip.

Top - Fish Skull Streamers, Bottom - Nymph Head Stonefly, RealFlyColor Bugger/Leach

My apologies for the image quality, but not only were the flies rushed, but so where the pictures. 

The Fish Skulls are tied on AFTER you complete the fly.  The nose is slotted so it slips over the hook eye and covers the completed fly. Then simply make a thread dam in front and you’re done.  Adding these to just about any streamer / baitfish pattern is simple.  Conditions to test these flies was perfect – the river was running high and fast and we needed something weighted to get down quick.  Also this time of year the Spring Chinook are in the system.  Again, something heavily weighted was called for to get down into the deep slots.  If you’re looking for a product to get your fly down into deep pools, runs and pockets – Fish Skulls are just what you should be using. 

Testing Results:

I fished both of the streamers, throwing the chartreuse version first.  I did get a solid hit early on, but missed the take.  The purple and blue version took a couple hits and even had a fish attached to it for a short while.  The fish surfaced and threw the hook pretty quickly – it appeared to be a hatchery steelhead - brite and shiny.  A couple days later on a guided trip, it found paydirt in the form of a beautiful native steelhead caught by guide client Robert Burlingame. 

Fish Skulls work! This native Santiam Steelhead sure liked it.

 The Nymph Heads are tied using the same methods you’d use for any bead.  Place them on the hook before starting the fly.  The “feature” of this product is a small bump on each side of the bead that you touch with a marker or jig paint to create eyes.  You really have to try them to see what a difference it makes.  It adds some realism to an otherwise drab looking pattern.  It transforms fur and feathers into a bug in seconds. 

Testing Results:

I used a Nymph Head on my typical Rusty Squirrel pattern later in the week and dead drifted the fly off the base of a shallow riffle.  In a period of about 15 minutes I’d hooked and landed 4 trout and 1 whitefish.  I don’t know how many takes I missed in all, but it must have been at least a dozen.  This area I tested in generally holds fish and a typical haul from this spot will yield a fish or two on most days. 

The RealFlyColor Beads are available in a variety of colors and sizes.  For now, I only plan on stocking the 3/16 szie to be used on bugger and leach patterns for steelhead and salmon hooks.  I’ll let customer demand dictate future stocking orders.

Testing Results:

Although I can’t report any fish caught with the sample fly, I will tell you that the beads are rugged.  The fly was put through a good test of fast water and lots of rocky, gravel bottom areas and came out as brite and shiny as it did right from the package.  These beads are tough and have a very good finish.

Needless to say, I was very impressed with the results of these first few sample flies and decided to stock them ASAP.  You can get them from the Riverwood Flies website in the Hooks and Beads section of the online store.  Be sure to check out the product details for for the product specifications and tying tips.

To see the products first hand, make sure to swing by the Riverwood Flies / Oregon Outdoor Excursions booth at the upcoming Cascade Foothills Saturday Faire in Gates, Oregon on June 5th.  I’ll have a display of the products and will be tying with them all day!

Tight lines!

Dave

Howdy,

Here are the June 2010 Riverwood “Fly of the Month Club” fly patterns:

Trout Fly

Partridge and Orange Soft Hackle

Recipe:

• Hook: Dry Sz 14-22
• Thread: Tan
• Body: Orange Floss & Natural Dubbing
• Hackle: Partridge or Pheasant

This fly pattern dates back to the late 1800’s and has been widely used in England for years. You’ll also hear it called the Orange & Partridge, Orange Spider and a few other names. The most common pattern is tied with a silk/floss body, minimal dubbing on the thorax and 1 to 1 1/2 turn of partridge feather hackle.

You’ll also see this pattern tied with a tail of partridge, wire ribbing, heavier hackling, different colored floss (olive, yellow, gold) and sometimes even with a fully dubbed and tapered body. All of the variations are effective in catching a fish’s attention. This pattern imitates an emerging insect. The hackles simulate the legs of a nymph, sweeping back in the current or when stripping, then flair out on a dead drift or between strips.

Steelhead Fly of the Month

Dragon’s Tooth (Mike Kinney)

My version of Mike Kinney's "Dragon's Tooth"

• Hook: Alec Jackson Spey #1.5
• Tip: Oval silver tinsel
• Rib: flat silver followed by oval silver tinsel
• Hackle: purple coque, one side stripped, butt first
• Body: purple yarn
• Underwing: four golden pheasant breast feathers, back to back and tented
• Collar: teal
• Overwing: two golden pheasant rump feathers, tented, veiling the underwing

This is one of my favorite steelhead patterns to tie AND fish.  I will often change up the colors of the floss body and use black, maroon, or even red, then make slight color variation changes to the Underwing and Wing to match.  This pattern looks as great in the water as it does in the vise!

Tight Lines!

Dave