Two Handed Rods

Not too long ago, I bought a new Redington 8-weight rod. While shopping at my local fly fishing shop, I quickly realized that this weight came with a "fighting grip". Initially, I resisted the idea of an extra stub on the butt end of the stick, it just looked odd. Lucky for me, I purchased it anyway.

As mentioned briefly in my Calaveras report, I've become somewhat obsessed with spey casting techniques. Although you can certainly do all of these casts using a one handed flyrod (which I certainly do), I've found that I can more easily get the line out longer distances by taking my left hand and using that fighting grip for extra leverage. Just as you would on a spey rod.

If I had realized the value of the extra grip prior to buying a rod, I probably would of bought a "switch rod" instead. For those of you not familiar with this hybrid, it is a cross between the flyrod and a spey. It includes a grip for your second hand and they are usually longer, ten feet or more. The extra length and the grip give you the ability to load your line more and really get it out there without the need for a back cast.

Many of the rivers that I fish have a lot of trees and brush along the bank. Learning how to cast with these techniques have been a blessing, not to mention feeling more graceful than simply performing a roll cast. With that fighting grip and what I've learned over a few trips out, I can get line out pretty darn far without worrying about what is behind me.

Trip Report: Calaveras River

My goal last summer was to visit as many new rivers as possible. I wanted to see what was out there and do a little exploring. For me, half the fun of fly fishing is to be in the outdoors and visit new areas and see new things.

Somewhere along the way I was sidetracked by the Lower Stanislaus. The proximity to where I live and the population of trout was hard to resist. My exploration seemed to stop. I’ve been trying to make a renewed effort to visit new places.

Just a couple of days ago I forced myself to get out of the Lower Stan groove and fish a new river. The Calaveras, right beneath the New Hogan dam is just as close as the Lower Stan and made for a great day on the water.

I arrived around 8:00AM and parked my car in a day use lot just off Silver Rapids Road, just downstream from the dam. You can literally walk just a few steps to the water, but a short walk upstream was necessary to find something more trout friendly. The trail runs right near the river and access couldn’t be easier. This worried me, because what requires little work means that fishing pressure is high. It just wasn’t high today because I saw a total of only one other fisherman before I left at 6pm.

With my new and hardly broken in Reddington 8-weight rod in hand, I was hoping to hook a large steelhead. In reality, the action was pretty slow at first. Once again, as has been the case the last few months, I didn’t see any fish and had no bites for several hours. The river was running low and clear. Not exactly the best fishing conditions. I’m sure the fish were hiding and finding deeper lanes to feel safe from predators and fisherman alike.

The Calaveras is a small river. The width in most fishable places upstream of the Silver Rapids Bridge is 20-40 feet. Trees and brush line the river and back casting is not an option in most cases. No worries, this gave me more practice with my latest spey casting technique obsession. My new rod is excellent for this and I can even use two hands thanks to the nicely sized “fighting grip” on the butt of the stick. I no longer get frustrated when there are trees and brush directly behind me.

Just a little while later, I realized I was focusing so much on casting, that I forgot why I was there in the first place. To catch fish! I laughed to myself and continued upriver to see what I could find. As I got closer to the dam, it became evident that there was a pretty good hatch going on. Trout were rising to eat bugs off the surface! There are fish in the river afterall!

Unfortunately, I left my dry fly box at home. So, I continued with soft hackles just under the surface to try and see if I could get a bite. The skunk continued despite the fish eating around me. I was now near the dam and the river resembled a lake more than anything else. Still water is not my bag, it is something I’m trying to get better at, but moving water is where I’m able to catch fish. So, I left the surface eating fish do their thing and walked back downriver to find some moving water.

This time, I looked closer at all the places I passed by. There was a nice section of water moving at a walking pace that seemed to be 3-5 feet deep. This looked excellent. After a few casts I noticed some fish eating on the surface below me. I took my size 10 soft hackle (pictured here) and cast it upstream of the feeding fish. The point was to let it swing where they were and try to entice a strike.

After four or five casts, a large trout nailed my fly with some real force. It startled me as I was about to pull my line back for another cast. The fish quickly jumped out of the water and shook like a wet dog. Fish on! A big fish too! After landing back in the water with a huge splash he ran upstream towards me and as I stripped back in like a maniac, I worried that he would get off the barbless hook if I let the pressure subside.

I saw the bright white fish streak past my position and he was big! At this point I was really excited. Did I finally catch a real steelhead? Not just one of those 16” rainbows that are classified as one, but you know they haven’t been out to sea. The guy turned back down river and started taking line back. He didn’t take me to my backing or anything crazy like that. But he did put up a good fight.

After it was all said and done, I had the fish at my feet and grabbed him by the tail. Yes, technically he was a wild steelhead. While I can’t prove that he has been to the ocean, he still had his adipose fin intact and was pretty bright and silvery with a very faint pink line running down the side. I put my rod down next to him to get a measure and was happy to see that he was 24-25 inches in length. This is the biggest fish I’ve caught in a while. I don’t like the idea of keeping the fish in my hand very long, so I released him quickly and he swam out of there the first chance I gave him.

While walking the river banks, I noticed a dead wild steelhead resting on the bottom of the river. I’m not sure how he died, but have a gut feeling that someone caught and either played him too long or was rough with him. Even when you practice catch and release, if you don’t take an effort to release them quickly, they can easily die a few minutes later. This is why I don’t take a fish out and bother taking a picture. By the time I fumble around getting it ready, the fish is getting stressed even more. The time you take to do so, or laying him in the dirt for a photo op is just increasing the chance of it dying after letting it go. This dead steelhead was about 20 inches in length with a nice girth. What a shame.

The rest of my day was slow. I went through a dozen or more flies, but didn’t get much action. I walked the river from the dam to a few hundred yards downstream of the bridge. I did manage to hook one other fish that was very large. He was close to being as big as the one I caught, but could have easily been bigger. I’m not sure of course. I didn’t see him very long, he grabbed my soft hackle on the last few seconds of a swing and he snapped off my tippet where it connected to the leader. Basically, he busted an 8lb line in about ½ a second after grabbing the fly. In that split second I did see him breach the surface. He was big.

The day was wonderful. Weather was warm, the sun was out and the river was beautiful. Maybe not as pretty as some of the others in this area (there is a rock quarry right next to the river), but definitely worth the trip.

Thanks Calaveras!

Fly of the Week #17

I became somewhat inspired at the Pleasanton Fly Fishing show. Seeing all of those tyers creating some really nice looking patterns kicked me into a frenzy. I've probably tied a couple of dozen flies, most of them different from the previous. As I go fishing and discover what works, I'll duplicate those that produce.

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This fly was tied on a size 12 hook using more of the webby portion of a feather for the hackle. The dubbing is olive with wire wrapped around for a little flash and weight. Dry fly hackle was put on as a tail.

Fly of the Week #16

At the Fly Fishing show in Pleasanton, I picked up a couple hundred hooks at a pretty decent price. What better way to experiment with some new patterns? Some of them a little crazy and some of them more normal like this blue soft hackle on a size 10 hook.

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He's tied on a size 10 hook with natural colored Hungarian Partridge Feathers held on with light blue Unithread. If you look close enough you'll notice that there is a second wrapping of Olive flavored hackle.

Fly of the Week #15

Here is another fly tied on a size 12 Pupae & Shrimp hook. The green body is ultra wire and held on with creme colored thread.

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This one has been on the Stanislaus river once so far. It fooled a 14 inch rainbow, so I'm going to consider it a keeper pattern until it stops working.

Cheapskates Corner: DIY Tippet Post

I'm always looking for ways to save some money. Coming up with a solution to hang my tippet spools without spending eight bucks or more for a fancy schmancy "tippet post" was high on my list.

Pack up the kids and head to your favorite discount store that happens to also have a hardware section. If you look hard enough you'll find a three inch eyebolt that will work perfectly! In my case, I spent a whopping $1.64 for two of them in one package. This length will easily hold 5 30yd spools.

Assembly couldn't be easier. Put the bolt through all your spools, slip on the washer and tighten the nut down. That eye bolt is perfect for clipping the whole thing to your vest or chest pack.

Fly of the Week #14

Once again, I'm behind with my fly of the week. Better late than never, right? The fly below was tied with some new material I picked up recently. The hook is a Tiemco size 12 Caddis Pupae & Shrimp hook. I also picked up some new thread which really helped tie a cleaner looking head.

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Rusty brown Unithread, march brown dubbing and partridge hackle tied on a size 12 hook. This is basically a Partridge and Orange that is popular with so many.

Trip Report: Steelhead on the San Lorenzo

I snuck out yesterday to try my hand at fly fishing on the San Lorenzo in Santa Cruz. I've heard that this water can contain a decent number of steelhead this time of year. (Keep in mind the river is only open on Sat/Sun and Wednesdays to fishing.)

After arriving around 10am, I was a little skeptical that there would be good trout fishing in Santa Cruz. I imagined a creek running through some developed areas. Boy, was I wrong. If I didn't know any better I would of sworn I was in the middle of the Sierras somewhere. The air temp was around 40 degrees and the water was cold too. The flow was very good and much to my surprise, the river contained enough white water to keep even a kayaker happy.

I had very little idea where I was going, so I parked in a lot that I believe was called Ox something or another and walked down to the river. There was about two feet of visibility. No doubt all the rain had something to do with this. I walked across a railroad bridge to the other side of the river and after rigging up, stepped into a few feet of water. I cast my line into something that sorta looked trout friendly. Nothing I was really used to from fishing in the Sierras. Who knows, maybe some big fish were just out of view.

I had rigged up a three fly setup. The bottom fly was an egg sucking leech, with two soft hackles above. I didn't get any bites so I started walking to find something better. I traveled probably 1/4 mile or so down river until I couldn't go any further without swimming. I got out and walked up a pretty good hill to that nearby railroad track that parallels the river. Now moving downstream, I was now quite a bit higher than the river and was in a section the locals call the "gorge". The water was very fast down there with lots of white water dumping into deeper pools. This looked like a good area.

Unfortunately, getting to the river from the railroad tracks was extremely steep and a little dangerous. Especially for those of us wearing felt sole boots. After some tense moments I was at the water and put my line in. I ended up catching two small trout both under 12 inches.

After an hour or two, I went back upriver as far as possible. The foliage on the side of the river made it hard to cast without getting tangled, so I decided it was time to leave and find a new area. I scurried back up the steep slope and after some more exploring of the area and a bite of food, I arrived at the car.

Next idea was to stop at one of the parking areas I passed on the way to "ox". This time I stopped at "Rincon" and walked a good 1/2 mile down a trail that switch backed across a steep hill. After arriving to the river, I realized that this was an absolutely beautiful section to fish. Lots of white water that looked like good holding ground for fish. Great wading spots and relatively easy access. There was a lot of river that I didn't have time to explore. I caught one more fish in this section. He was small too and measured about 11 inches.

This trip was fantastic. I had no idea that a river of this kind of beauty and flow was available in Santa Cruz. The downside is the short season and the crowds. Even though it was Wednesday, there were quite a few people in the river. I cannot even imagine what a weekend would be like.

There was a rumor floating around that someone caught a 10 lb steelhead the morning I was there and in that same area near the railroad bridge. I have no idea what he was using when he caught that thing, but someone told me he was fly fishing. I cannot even imagine what that would of been like! wow.

If I can find another Wednesday to go before the season ends, I'll be heading back to the San Lorenzo.

Size 12 Soft Hackle -- VIDEO!

Here we go again, another video. While I'm trying to learn to tie cleaner flies, I will occasionally videotape myself doing it. Why? Not really sure. However, they are going to be posted here for your amusement. Hopefully I'll get better and you'll be able to see the progress.

Sometimes I fight with myself about how clean a fly should look. Sure, it's nice to have that really clean and small looking head. But, if the idea is to make a buggy looking fish catching machine, does it really matter? You'd have to ask a fish to know for sure, but my guess would be no. It doesn't matter. I've been catching trout on the ugly ones too.

For this video, I sped it up so that you can watch it in super speed. You can see just as much and get half as bored by watching it in fast forward. So with that in mind, I declare this the inauguration of the "2-Minute Fly Video".

Trip Report: Lower Stanislaus

You know those days when you catch so many fish you almost get bored? Throw the line in, fish gets hooked, reel him in, carefully release him, rinse, and then repeat? Well, this certainly wasn't one of those days!

This was probably the slowest day I've ever had on the Lower Stan, and possibly the slowest day I've had on any of the streams here in the Sierras. Here is how it happened.

I arrived at the Tulloch Damn Rd access at 8:30am. After gearing up, I made my way down to the water, traveling slightly upstream from the gravel path that leads directly to the river. Air temp was approximately 39 degrees and although the sun hadn't made itself into the canyon yet, it was clear skies. Water temp was around 49 degrees and 4-5 feet visibility in the murky water.

I'm sure the water temp and milky water didn't help the situation. Although I knew the fish were in there, I didn't see a one. They were likely hunkered down not moving more than a few inches to grab food that happened to bounce off their nose. You knew it was going to be one of those days.

After trying for a little while, I went upstream, casting at spots that are usually productive. Nothing. Because the water was pretty low, I decided to try something I've always wanted to do. I carefully crossed the river and climbed up the steep bank to the canal on the other side. I've been trying to access some water downstream every time I'm here, but have been unable because of water levels and access is extremely dangerous on the Tulloch Rd side of the river. Not to say it was easy on the far side of the bank, there were a few spots to get to the river as the cliffs got higher and more treacherous. A good walk downstream and carefully negotiating some slick boulders, I found myself in a very nice place. Excellent wading and fishy looking area. Unfortunately, it didn't even produce a bite. On a normal Lower Stan day, I think this would of been excellent. The downside is that in order to move up or downstream you either had to swim or get out of the river and go around the cliffs to the next access point. Very difficult terrain. But may be worth a try on a better day.

It was starting to warm up and I decided to head back upstream to where I crossed the river. After a slip down a wet grassy slope wearing my felt sole boots, I made it back to the car side of the river. I walked back downstream and tried the usual spots that I've always caught fish at. I did manage to catch a couple under 10" rainbows. I talked to a few other fly fisherman and they seem to be having the same problem. Whew. Good to know it just wasn't me.

At 11:30, I decided to get in the car and head to Two-Mile Bar. Same water conditions of course. But, I wanted to give it a try anyway. Again, I threw a line into the usual spots without much luck. I think I got one bite. Normally, I would have caught at least 5-10 fish by now. It just wasn't happening today.

While at one area with swift current and overhanging brush, I was just dangling the soft hackle downstream. Up and down, left and right. Lifts and drifts. You get the point. It was a great looking spot. Nothing was happening. I knew fish were in there. Just couldn't get anyones attention. As I was slowly bringing my line in to go somewhere else, a fish decided to grab my size 12 silver tinsel soft hackle. He fought strongly and I brought him to hand. He wasn't big, but I'll give him an A for effort. The wild rainbow measured a little over 13 inches.

I don't have a picture (yet) of the fly that caught the 13 incher. Basically it was a size 12, black thread holding the partridge hackle and a green glass bead. The body is simply silver tinsel wrapped around the shank. It sits just below the surface and reflects sunlight like you wouldn't believe. My thought process is that it would be helpful with the water being so cloudy.

All in all, I'm still glad I made it out. Even if it was really slow. The conditions were not ideal, but I got a chance to be on the river. And with a newborn baby in the house, those times have been few.

Just a side note. The Lower Stan is usually pretty quiet on weekdays. However, this was the most crowded I've ever seen it. Tulloch Rd had about 8 cars parked and Two-Mile had another 6. Now that isn't a lot. But more than I've seen (I don't go on the weekends). I guess people were taking their three-day vacation to four. One of the nice gentlemen that I ran into gave me the location of a river I'm going to try next. Keep your fingers crossed it is soon!

21st Century Note Taking

When going to the river, I generally take notes on the conditions, what flies are working, what I catch and what I was doing at the time to catch that trout. I always start off with good intentions. However, as the day wears on, or I'm in the middle of the river barely able to balance in the current, I tend to lose interest in the idea of taking a pen and paper out.

So, I've decided that tomorrow I'll try something new. It turns out that my MP3 player has the ability to record voice. It's very small and has a cord to allow me to hang it around my neck.

After I get back and make my fishing report, we'll see if it helps.

Size 16 Hare's Ear Soft Hackle -- VIDEO!

The other day I mentioned that I took some video as I tied a size 16 soft hackle. Well, here it is in all of its glory. There is no audio and there was some editing as I stopped here and there to do other things.

This probably won't help anyone that is already a tyer, but perhaps someone new to it, or perhaps just new to soft hackles will get something out of it.

This is a super easy pattern. One more reason to love soft hackles.

First day out this year

If all goes as planned, this week, perhaps Thursday or Friday I'll get my first chance on the river this year. Of course, my choice will be the Lower Stanislaus. The weather is supposed to be in the upper 50's with sunny skies.

I've gotten all my gear together and will tie a few extra size 16 in various patterns to make sure I'm covered. I don't know what to expect of the river conditions, but I do know that it will be a good time no matter.

A trip report will follow!

Fly of the Week #13

I've been playing around with doing some fly tying videos. So far the tests have worked out well, but I haven't edited them together yet. Until that is done, I suppose we will have to settle for photos.

Here is another (surprise surprise) soft hackle.

Size 12

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This one was tied with minimal yellow threading. on a size 14 hook. Sometimes less is more, especially in clear water. This pattern has caught more than a few fish in the past.

The Lower Stan Opens

As much as I'd like to hit the lower Stanislaus this opening week, it just won't be happening. Real life gets in the way once again. Not to mention a big winter storm is coming into the area.

Friday through Sunday should see anywhere from 5 to 10 feet of snow in the upper elevations. You can only imagine what this rain/snow will do to the trout streams including this river. If you do go, be careful! Speaking as someone who has seen a flash flood happen right before him, you don't want to be there if it happens.