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