Tag: gearing up

Get the fly down with tungsten putty instead of lead shot

Posted on by outdoorsandnature

There are plenty of environmental reasons to switch from lead shot when weighting your trout rig for nymph fishing. We like tungsten putty for a few reasons:

tungsten putty

  • It’s non toxic. Biting lead shot to crimp them on the line isn’t a great idea. Tungsten putty just presses on the line.
  • It’s non abrasive. Splitshot abrade your leader, tungsten putty doesn’t. Who likes losing fish to ratty line?
  • It’s easy to remove and reuse. Mash shot with pliers and it’s pretty much over. Just pull off tungsten putty and mash it back into the container. Repeat.
  • You’re never stuck with the weight you don’t need, or without the weight you do. Just add a little or remove a little until you find your sweet spot.

6 ways to better manage your tube flies

Posted on by outdoorsandnature

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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Here comes the rain. Read our top 5 winter steelhead posts, then get out there.

Posted on by outdoorsandnature

1) Shooting Line Clarity – A must read to understand what you want to have attached to your shooting head.

2) Sink-Tips – The low down on the different tips you can fish and the situations that call for them.

3) What is a MOW tip? A simple explanation of intermediate and floating combo tips.

4) Winter Layering 101 – The title says it all.

5) Beaching your beautiful, wild steelhead is very tough on the fish. Learn the different ways we land fish to avoid it.