Mary Ann and I have been out several times on the Salmon River swinging streamers and soft hackles with our Bamboo Switch Rods. Paul from Boise (who also has one of my Switch Rods) has also joined us. Here are a few photos of our action:
Mary Ann with a nice cast.
A nice Cutthroat that took a soft hackle swung during a BWO hatch.
Paul swinging a soft hackle through a nice riffle.
Mary Ann with a nice bend in the rod.
A nice Bull Trout that took a swinging streamer.
I haven’t posted in quite a while. That’s because I’ve been in Stanley, Idaho all summer just hanging out, doing lots of fishing, and continuing to work on my bamboo fly rods. Mary Ann guides here for Silver Creek Outfitters, www.silver-creek.com , from June 15th through Semptember 15th on the Salmon River. While I’m here, I’ve been writing a fly fishing report on a blog at www.flyfishingstanleyidaho.com . Check it out to see what fishing here in central Idaho is like.
Mary Ann and I just got back from two days in Boise at the Fly Fishing Expo. This is always a fun show, with a very enthusiastic crowd interested in talking about bamboo fly rods. I met a lot of nice folks, and had some great converstations about “Why Bamboo?”, how to build bamboo fly rods, and how to fix up old rods. Several attendees also brought by their old rods to talk about. It’s always fun to pull an old rod out of the rod sock to see what treasure is inside.
Along side my booth was Mike Morin of Cutthroat Leaders. Mike makes some great furled leaders, and I fish with them often. They are a great match to the action of bamboo fly rods and turn over flies in wonderfully smooth manner.
Mary Ann also gave a casting demonstration on “Adjusting your casting stroke for different distances”. She also had the chance to spend a lot of time on the casting pond with folks who were interested in casting bamboo fly rods to see what it’s all about.
I just completed a new Switch Rod for Mary Ann. This one is my 10′ 6″ 3/2 5 wt Progressive Action Rod designed for swinging streamers and soft hackles for trout. It’s casts great with a light Scandi Head or 5 wt Switch Line, perfect for medium-sized rivers and larger trout. I’ll have this rod at the Fly Fishing Expo in Boise next week for attendees to cast, fondle, and oggle!
I recently got the chance to take an afternoon canoe float down Bear Valley Creek in central Idaho with a friend, Verlon Herndon. Verlon is a guide for Silver Creek Outfitters. I took along my 7′ 6″ 5 wt medium-fast action bamboo rod. The morning was pretty quiet without a lot of bug activity, and I threw a #8 Yuk Bug streamer to some cooperative brookies. We had a reasonable mayfly hatch during the afternoon, and Verlon hooked some nice cutthroats on a size 16 parachute Adams. A very fun and relaxing day.