Tag Archives: making bamboo fly rods

Bamboo Rod Fishing with Tony Bellaver

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My friend and rod builder extraordinaire, Tony Bellaver of  Alpenglow Fly Rods in the San Francisco area was visiting central Oregon this week, and we were able to get out on the Metolius River yesterday for some fly fishing.  I took my 8′  0″  5 wt slow action Spring Creek Series rod that is especially good for small dry flies and delicate presentations.  Tony took out a 7′  6″  medium fast action quad…a very nice casting rod for the Metolius River.  The weather was gorgeous and there were plenty of caddis and mayflies out, but the trout weren’t very cooperative.  In fact, I only saw one fish rise all day.  But, it was great to see Tony and get the chance to hit the river with him.  Here are a couple of photos of our day.

Tony and I on the Metolius River.

Tony and I on the Metolius River.

Tony working a dry fly with his quad fly rod.

Tony working a dry fly with his quad fly rod.

Fly Fishing the Fall River here in Oregon

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Mary Ann and I got the chance to hit the Fall River about an hour from our house a couple of days ago.  I took out my 8′  0″  5 wt Spring Creek Series rod and she chose her 7′  6″  5 wt Signature Series rod.  We found a nice BWO hatch in early afternoon and got to cast several different dries to rising fish.  Although these were mostly hatchery fish, they were surprisingly picky.  Mary Ann found the perfect fly…a #18 brown bodied hackle-stacker emerger dry that several of the rainbows liked.  Here are a few photos of our day.

Drifting dries on the Fall River.

Drifting dries on the Fall River.

A nice 14" rainbow that Mary Ann caught.

A nice 14″ rainbow that Mary Ann caught.

Ready for the release.

Ready for the release.

 

The dangers of wearing gloves when handling fish.

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Wow, I ran into this video today on YouTube that shows the potential dangers of handling fish while wearing gloves.  On sunny days, I’ve often worn “sun gloves” while fishing.  After seeing this video, I won’t be doing that any more.

Upcoming Show I’ll be at.

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Mary Ann and I will be heading down to Northern California for The Fly Fishing Show at the Alameda County Fairgrounds next weekend.  I’ll have a booth at the show and Mary Ann will be teaching a couple of classes.  This is a great show with a lot to see.  If you’re in the bay area, I encourage you to check out the show…and stop by my booth and wiggle a few of my bamboo rods.

The Fly Fishing Show

The Fly Fishing Show

Scenes From Yesterday on the Metolius River

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Mary Ann and I got out again on the Metolius River yesterday for a couple of hours of afternoon fishing.  There was a great hatch of BWOs but fish weren’t coming up for the adults.  But, we did pick up a few rainbows on #18 BWO soft hackles.  Also saw quite a few winter stones climbing around on the snowy backs.  Here are a few photos from the day.

This little guy was checking out my bamboo rod.

This little guy was checking out my bamboo rod.

A great close-up photo of the BWOs that were hatching. It looks like I should be tying these flies with orange thread for the correct head color.

A great close-up photo of the BWOs that were hatching. It looks like I should be tying these flies with brown thread for the correct head color.

A #14 winter stonefly crawling around on the snowbank.

A #14 winter stonefly crawling around on the snowbank.

Some fellow anglers on the river, but I suspect these guys were looking for salad rather than meat. Four eating lunch...One watching out for them.

Some fellow anglers on the river, but I suspect these guys were looking for salad rather than meat. Four eating lunch…One watching out for them.