Tag Archives: Oregon

My Bamboo Switch Rod for Steelhead.

Posted on by

Mary Ann and I just got back from 3 days of camping on the Deschutes River in search of steelhead.  We met up with a great group of folks and camped at a Rebar Campground.  We had a wonderful time but the steelhead action was very slow.  Among 12 accomplished steelheaders, only 2 steelhead were landed over 3 days…none by Mary Ann nor I.  I took along my 10′  6″  5 wt Hollow Built Bamboo Switch Rod for the trip, and split my time between swinging hairwing streamers on sinking leaders and nymphing with large stonefly nymph immtations.  I manged to pick up a handful of nice rainbows, two whitefish, and one very large sucker nymphing but had no success swinging.  Overall, not great fishing success but we had a great time camping out with group.  Here are a few photos of our trip:

Our campsite at Rebar Campground.

Our campsite at Rebar Campground.

Swinging through Steelhead Flats Run.

Swinging through Steelhead Flats Run.

Nymphing below Halfway Bar Island.

Nymphing below Halfway Bar Island.

A decent rainbow I caught right at camp that took a brown stonefly nymph.

A decent rainbow I caught right at camp that took a brown stonefly nymph.

Bamboo Rods on the Deschutes River

Posted on by

Mary Ann and I got the chance to camp for a few days on the Deschutes River last week.  She spent 3 days searching for steelhead…she hooked two steelhead…lost both of them!  I spent my time with my 8′  3″  5 wt bamboo rod tempting trout.  I didn’t get many but did manage to pick up a few nice rainbows on stonefly nymphs. Here are a few photos of our time on the Deschutes.

Our campsite at Grassy Camp.

Our campsite at Grassy Camp.

Fighting a nice fish.

Fighting a nice fish.

A nice rainbow that took a #6 orange and brown Jimmy Leggs Nymph Pattern.

A nice rainbow that took a #6 orange and brown Jimmy Leggs Nymph Pattern.

Fishing on the Metolius River

Posted on by

I got a chance to wiggle some bamboo rods two days ago on the Metolius River with my good friend Chris. My weapon of choice was a 8′  3″  5 wt medium fast action rod.  It was a cold and cloudy day on the Metolius but there were a few BWOs out. Saw a few fish rising around 1:00 PM in isolated spots and picked up a small rainbow on a #18 BWO Cripple. I also picked up a nice 12″ rainbow on a #12 Tellico Nymph drifted along the bottom…what a great fly for winter trout fishing here in Oregon.  And, because this fly is relatively unknown around here, I’m sure the educated trout in the Metolius River have never seen it. Here is Chris drifting nymphs through a popular run and one of my fish.

Fishing the Metolius River in Central Oregon.

Fishing the Metolius River in Central Oregon.

A nice Metolius River rainbow that took a Tellico Nymph.

A nice Metolius River rainbow that took a Tellico Nymph.

My New Bamboo Rod Shop In Sisters, Oregon

Posted on by

Mary Ann and I just sold our house in Corvallis, Oregon after 18 years and moved about 120 miles to the east in the town of Sisters, Oregon.  We’re both very excited about the move and our new house, and we are much closer to terrific year-around trout fishing…and much drier weather.  Mary Ann has also started guiding in the fall and spring timeframes for Jeff Perin of The Fly Fisher’s Place in Sisters.  But, I don’t have a fully set-up and functional workshop for my bamboo rod building at the new house.  For now, I’ve shoe-horned my big tools into a corner of the garage.  And, I’ve put up plastic in the corner for a make-shift rod dipping operation.  In fact, later today I’ll be dipping the fourth coat of varnish on a new 8′ 0″ 3 piece 6 wt. rod.  Finally, I’ve temporarily taken over a bedroom in the house for rod wrapping and finishing work…sharing that space with fly tying.  I’m fully functional and building bamboo rods to meet all my orders, but it’s very cramped in this new arrangement.  I’ll break ground in the spring on a complete new rod shop…boy is that ever an exciting prospect!  Here are a few pictures of my temporary rod building set-up:

My big tools in the garage.

My big tools in the garage.

My big tools in the garage.

My big tools in the garage.

My "rod dipping" room in the garage.

My “plastic-walled rod dipping” room in the garage.

My rod dipping set-up.

My rod dipping set-up.

Rod wrapping and finishing.

Rod wrapping and finishing.

Fishing the Fall River with Bamboo

Posted on by

Mary Ann and I had the chance to get out on the Fall River in central Oregon a week ago.  Our bamboo rods were a great match for the slow, spring creek waters of the Fall River.  If you haven’t ever fished the Fall, you should add it to your list of waters-to-fish.  The gin-clear waters make it great for spotting up fish, and there are plenty to go around.  Try the uppper section near the headwaters for some solitude, or venture out on the waters near the hatchery for some great opportunities for rising fish.

Early Morning Photo on the Fall River

Early Morning Photo on the Fall River

 

The calm waters of the Fall River near the fish hatchery.

The calm waters of the Fall River near the fish hatchery.

I took out a 7′  6″  5 wt medium fast bamboo rod, while Mary Ann chose her progressive action 7′  6″  5 wt bamboo rod to cast dry flies.  We both rigged up with 50″ Furled Leaders from Cuttroat Leaders, and added 6 to 8 feet of 6X tippet.  The combination work well, and we got into several fish throughout the day.  There were plenty of rising fish mid-day with decent midge and BWO hatches, and small dry flies worked well.  After the surface activity subsided, small nymphs suspended about 2 feet under small indicators continued to attract hungry fish.  Here is a nice rainbow that took a #16 DD nymph drifted through a deeper pool.

Fighting a nice rainbow

Fighting a nice rainbow

NIce Fall River Rainbow

NIce Fall River Rainbow