Tag Archives: Mary Ann Dozer

Crooked River Fishing with Bamboo Rods

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Mary Ann and I got the chance to get out on the Crooked River yesterday for a few hours.  The water level has finally dropped down to a fishable level (350 CFS)…high but fishable and off-color.  I was using my 8′  3″  5 wt Signature Series bamboo rod for some EuroNymphing with small nymphs.  A bug sampling we took showed plenty of nymphs in the water…scuds, sowbugs, lots of mayflies, a few caddis, and even one stonefly.  Although we didn’t get a lot of fish, the rainbows we picked up were nice sized fish.  #18 Blue Zebra Midges and #16 Pheasant Tail Nymphs were the best patterns.  Here are a few photos of our day.

The Crooked River at 350 CFS.

The Crooked River at 350 CFS.

Bug Sampling from the Crooked River.

Bug Sampling from the Crooked River.

A good bend in my 5 wt bamboo rod.

A good bend in my 5 wt bamboo rod.

A nice Crooked River Rainbow that took a #18 Blue Zebra Midge.

A nice Crooked River Rainbow that took a #18 Blue Zebra Midge.

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.

 

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

Fly Patterns – Barbell Eyes on Top and Bottom of the Hook Shank.

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Here is something for all you fly tiers out there.  Mary Ann and I were tying some streamer flies recently and she asked me about the impact of tying barbell eyes on the top vs. the bottom of the hook shank.  My comment was that I thought it was Bob Clouser with his Clouser Minnow patterns who emphasized the position of the barbell eyes:  1) Eyes on the top of the hook shank would make the fly turn over in the water, and 2) Eyes on the bottom of the hook shank and the fly would ride upright in the water.  So, we tried an experiment.  Mary Ann tied up two rabbit strip streamer flies on #8 2X long, down-eye hooks.  One fly with the blue body had the barbell eyes tied on the bottom of the hook shank…the second fly with a chartreuse body had the barbell eyes tied on the top of the hook shank.  Our next trip out on the river we shot underwater photos of each fly in the water.  Our findings…Bob Clouser was right.  So, if you really want your minnow streamer patterns to look realistic, it’s important to make sure where the barbell eyes are tied on the hook.  Check it out:

Barbell Eyes Ties on the Bottom of the Hook Shank - fly rides upright in the water.

Barbell Eyes Tied on the Bottom of the Hook Shank – Fly Rides Upright in the Water.

Barbell Eyes Tied on the Top of the Hook Shank

Barbell Eyes Tied on the Top of the Hook Shank – Fly turns Over in the Water.