Tag: fly fishing

A Look At the 2015 Jackson Coosa HD

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For 2015 I’ve opted to paddle the new Jackson Coosa HD, one of Jackson’s newest fishing kayak models along with the Kraken. As much as I enjoyed the Jackson Kilroy from last fall, I was curious about the Coosa HD due to all of the hype it was getting and had to get a look at it for myself. To say I was impressed is a huge understatement and I knew the HD would be my choice of kayak for the 2015 season. Since ordering and receiving my HD in the new GI Jackson color, I’ve spent some time on the water with it, but we’ll get to that in a bit. First, let me walk you through what I feel is one of the most versatile fishing kayaks on the market, the Jackson Kayak Coosa HD.

Jackson Coosa HD

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Mushrooms clean dirty Willamette River water

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[LINK] to complete story from KVAL.com

The process used by volunteers with the Ocean Blue Project, an ecological restoration nonprofit, is to place mushroom spawn and a mixture of coffee grounds and straw in burlap bags that mushrooms can grow in, and then place the bags so that water entering storm drains will filter through them.

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality water sampling from 2008 to 2012 showed the presence of pesticides, flame retardants, metals, and chemical ingredients from consumer products in the river. The Oregon Health Authority also has an active mercury advisory warning that children should not eat more than one serving of resident species of fish from the main fork of the Willamette River a month, and that adults should not eat more than four servings. Complete Article [HERE].

Mushrooms are freaking sweet.

6 ways to better manage your tube flies

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Tube flies are a bit of a different animal when it comes to rigging and organizing. Try these six tips for keeping your tubes in order and ready to go.

Use a compartment box

Find a clear plastic compartment boxes — a narrow one like the Tuff Tainer for your tube flies and rigging. They’re cheap, you can see what’s inside, and they hold more than just flies.dsc_1143-e1389983622139

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Two hands not required – single hand rods for winter steelhead

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With the Alsea and other coastal creeks and rivers on the rise, steelhead will be moving upriver. When these fish get in the upper reaches of our coastal rivers, the need for spey and switch rods goes down and the good ol’ single hand 7/8/9 weight comes out. These are our tool of choice for fishing small, pocket water systems. Here is a breakdown of the rods we use.

Redington Path – 9′ 6″ 8wt $129.95- Fantastic rod for the price, responsive and powerful enough for even the biggest brutes without breaking the bank.

Echo Ion – 10′ 7 or 8wt $189.95- Although this rod is on the heavy side of things, the added length of this rod makes mending and line control a breeze. Add the durability Echo rods are known for and you can’t lose.

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Dry Flies – the basics to have in your box

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Part I: The fly box – The main problem with dry fly storage is damaging the hackles (squishing or flattening your fly). If you put them into foam incorrectly you risk bending the hackles and altering how the fly floats. The safest way to go is a compartment box – but you have to keep in mind that a windy day can eat a lot of flies. The other boxes that work well are slit foam style from Umpqua – UPG and Scientific Anglers that are built to hold tall dry flies.

10: Royal Wulff

Might be too low for this classic, but it’s on the list. I use this fly in a size 20 during the Deschutes caddis hatch and size 12 on the Blitzen in the fall.

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What has the iPhone done to angling?

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Look closely…the line of anglers is lost into the fog.

A single photo or update can change your experience on a fishery. No longer does it take hours or days on the water to hit a fishery when the fish are in. A mobile post from Facebook or Twitter can send anglers flocking to the right place at the right time and ruin it for us all.

The previous statement has a touch of soap box underneath it, but there is also a side to technology that has improved angler access to river and tide information. Not hot spotting or fish tracking, but bare bones information that all anglers should have access to. The following applications for our smart phones and tablets give us easy access to fish counts, tides, river levels, and surf conditions. Below are a list of what we use to keep up to date on all things fish related.

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Things a fly shop assumes you already know: Leader and tippet

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This list was inspired by that great old say “assuming makes an ass out of…” you all know the rest. Really though, lets be honest, for the average bear fly fishing is a hobby that takes them into the woods once, MAYBE twice a month. And that would be a lot for most people. Take the average shop rat and you’ve got someone looking at 1-2 days a week, and on top of that they spend another 2-3 days a week staring at equipment, and the rest of the time thinking about it.

Leader and Tippet

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Eight feet is a great leader length for adding tippet to without making your setup unmanageable. And we really like this stuff.

a) tippet attaches to leader (with a blood knot or double/triple surgeon’s knot). you use tippet to extend your leader when you break off, AND extend the life of it. Simply add a foot or two at the beginning of the day. When you break off on Hog Johnson, or a bush, you lose your tippet and maintain that nice tapered leader you just bought for 5 or 6 bucks.

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b) standard tippet should not be used for steelhead or salmon. Use Maxima instead. This is a big one for us. Maxima Ultragreen breaks almost 2-5 lbs heavier than its listed weight and has the ideal properties for big fish.