Howdy,

This month’s flies feature a classic from Fly Fishing innovator Lee Wulff and one of my personal patterns.

Trout Fly of the Month

Wulff Style Mayfly

 Recipe:

• Hook:  Dry Fly sizes 10-16
• Tail:  Moose or Elk Mane
• Body:  Natural Dubbing (Beaver, Fox, Oppossum, Muskrat)
• Wing:  Elk or Deer Body Hair, divided
• Hackle:  Brown, Tan, or Grizzly

The Wulff series of fly patterns were developed by Lee Wulff. It presents a bushy, high floating fly, that remains visible into the evening twilight, and rides well in rough water. Every modern fly angler should have one or more of Lee Wulff’s innovations. He designed and sold the first fly fishing vests, championed reeling with the left hand on fly reels (so the rod was in the stronger right hand), invented the first palming spool fly reels, introduced the fly-O casting practice rigs, popularized the “riffling hitch” for salmon fishing and designed the popular triangle taper lines. However, Lee Wulff’s best-known innovations were in his flies.

Wulff patterns were the first flies to use hair for fly wings and tails. Almost all dry flies available in the winter of 1929/30 were, according to Wulff, anemic and too delicate, which he ascribed to their British tradition. The reason for very slim flies was that if a fly was too bulky the feather materials did not have the buoyancy to hold it up. Wulff also noted that dry flies with wings and tails of feathers get slimed up and are not very durable. To Wulff, the solution was obvious use bucktail (deerhair) for tails and wings. The mobility and buoyancy of elk and deer hair has made it a favorite North American fly tying material. 

Steelhead Fly of the Month

Riverwood Eyed Critter

 Recipe:

• Hook:  Salmon/Steelhead size 2-6
• Tail:  4 Dyed Grizzly hackle tips
• Rib:  Gold Tinsel
• Body:  Purple Angora Dubbing
• Body Hackle:  Purple Schlappen
• Wing:  4 Dyed Grizzly hackle tips
• Eyes:  Dumbell or Spirit River IBalz

The Riverwood Eyed Critter is a big purple thing with eyes.  Long schlappen body hackle and dyed grizzly hackle feathers for the wing and tail (four feathers at each location).  Finished with a dyed guinea feather for the collar.  The body is angora dubbing.  I developed this fly for fishing deep runs and pools for both Steelhead and Salmon.  With the weighted eyes, this fly will get down in the water column quickly.  

Tight Lines!

Dave

Howdy,

I started up a new rod project this week – a 14 ft., 9 wt., 4 pc. double handed spey rod.  After building a 12′ 6″ this spring, I’ve come to enjoy this Scandinavian style of fly fishing.  I have a long way to go before I consider myself to be proficient in spey casting, but I can manage to fling big flies quite a ways.  I feel I’m ready to step up to something a little bigger now. 

As you can see from the photo below, I’ve just started the process.    The rod sections have been aligned and marked.  The handles, butt cap, reel seat and winding check have been assembled and epoxied in place.  Next comes the guide placement and alignment, followed by thread wrapping and coatings.  I’m not sure what colors I’ll be using on this one, so stay tuned……………

14 ft. Spey Rod in progress

Local river guide Bill Sanderson reports that Salmon will begin spawning real soon here on the North Santiam.  Bill knows this river like the back of his hand, so if he says the salmon are about to spawn, then it’s time to get ready!  He recommends using flies and lures that are orange.  I’d have to agree with him on that.  Big trout (rainbows and cutthroat) and steelhead will be holding downstream of the spawning salmon waiting to pick off an easy, high protein meal.  Any eggs that get disturbed or don’t get covered will drift downstream and be picked up by waiting fish. 

Later in the spawn, this same fish will get another nice meal eating the decomposing pieces of flesh from the spawned out adult fish.  I do like to use a wide range of colors and fly patterns to take advantage of these conditions.  Orange, red, salmon, pink, flesh and other similar color tones will work well.  Also, don’t just focus on egg patterns.  Fluffy marabou patterns like popsicles and such will work well.  Leach patterns are also important this time of year.  It isn’t just fish that hang around the spawning redds.

Don’t put away those orange flies too early though.   Following close on the heals of the spawning salmon will come the October Caddis hatch – Big Orange bugs as long as 2″.  The larva will exit their cases, morph into adults and begin the mating/egg laying cycle from September  through early November.  Read more about them here: http://blog.riverwoodfliesonline.com/?p=8

Here are some of my favorite fall patterns for trout:

Fall Trout Selection

Top Left – October Stimulator, Top Right – Goddard Caddis, Bottom Left – Olive Double wing EHC, Bottom Right – Tungsten Stone Nymph

Caddis Larva

These caddis larva flies can be effective in the fall as well.  They are a fairly good imitation of the october caddis larva as they appear outside of their cases.  Tied on curved scud hooks (heavy wire) with a tungsten bead head.  The body is made of split fibers of antron with bushy dubbing bound between (like a dubbing rope).  It creates great body segmentation up the head area where I’ve used spiky woodchuck dubbing.

Here are some of my favorite fall patterns for Steelhead:

Fall Steelhead Selection

Top Center – Eyed Critter, Center Left – Bomber, Center Right – Steelhead Humpy, Bottom row – Low water Spey flies.  The eyed critter will pass for a leach or smaller fish.  It’s also a great fly for fall Coho Salmon.  The flies in the center of the picture are referred to as skater or wake flies.  You present them by casting down and across stream, then skim them across the current creating a “wake” or disturbance on the surface of the water.  The bottom flies are simply a smaller version of a normal spey style fly that is effective on heavily pressured and spooky fish.  The steelhead humpy (center-right) also makes a good october caddis pattern.

Tight Lines and great fall fishing!

Dave

The weather held out nicely early this week and the float trip down the North Santiam was able to take place following a couple re-schedules this month.  Bill Sanderson, a long time guide on the N. Santiam has a new rig.  An inflatible Maravia raft that seats up to 6 people plus the fella working the oars. 

River Map

We launched from Fisherman’s Bend Park at around 10:00 am.  River level is quite high this time of year with the draw down of Detroit Reservoir upstream and the fall rains the previous week.  It made for a pretty quick trip though.  We stopped at Mehama at 11:20 am for a potty break and deposit 2 of the passengers off that weren’t making the full trip to Stayton.  Bill knows the river well and he handled the boat expertly through some of the rougher water in the upper portion of the trip. 

Bob Lusk, another member of the North Santiam River Guides Association, piloted me in his wooden drift boat.  We lead the float for the first section and followed on the second half, allowing me to take pictures and video from both perspectives.

From Packsaddle Park to Fisherman’s Bend Park (which we did NOT take on this trip) contains the roughest sections with several large rapids and drops.  Fisherman’s Bend to Mehama is a good mix of rapids and smooth runs.  Mehama to Stayton is a nice, easy float with only a couple interesting sections – primarily the Upper and Lower Bennet Dam Boat slides. 

The skies were overcast most of the day, but no rain and mild temperatures made it a very nice float.  Lots of wildlife was spotted including deer, mink, heron, ducks and other critters.  We pulled out of the river at Stayton around 2:30 pm.

Click to Watch Clip

It’s the first time I’ve floated the river in late fall with high water.  It makes for a very nice ride.  The high water makes some of the more treacherous sections much tammer.  Fewer rocks are exposed and the gravel bars have enough water that you seldom scrape bottom.  With that much volume, you scoot down the river at a quick pace.  I learned at lot about the river and it’s history on the way down.  I’ve been on this section of the river several times, but the opportunity to learn from a couple guys that have been on the river for several years was extremely valuable.

This was a promotional trip that included passengers from the local Chamber of Commerce, some Rural Economic Development folks and others interested in marketing the treasure we have running through the area.   Sorry, but no fishing to write about.  I was too busy clicking pictures and video.  I did get some great advice though about some the river’s best holding water for Salmon, Steelhead and big trout.

A big THANK YOU to Bill and Bob for taking the time to make this trip possible.

Tight Lines!

Dave