Tag Archives: michael morin

Owyhee River Browns

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I got the chance to fish the Owyhee River in Eastern Oregon earlier this week for a few days with our friends Noel and Sue from Australia.  Fishing was a little on the slow side but we still hooked into some nice Owyhee River Browns.  There weren’t a lot of hatches going on during the day, and most fish were picked up on small #20 zebra midges.  I used my 7′  6″  5 wt Freestone Series bamboo fly rod for the two days, which worked great.  I also used a 50″ furled leader from Mike Morin at http://www.cutthroatleader.com , and about 5 ft. of 6X tippet with the small nymphs.  Here are a couple of pictures of my time there:

Owyhee River Brown

Owyhee River Brown

Owyhee River Brown

Owyhee River Brown

Bamboo Switch Rods on the Salmon River, Idaho

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I’ve been out on the Salmon River this week with my 10′  6″  5 wt hollow-built switch rod trying to entice some of the larger fish that might be lying to ambush a fly presented in ‘just-the-right-way’ to them.  I’ve been swinging weighted streamers on intermediate leaders through the deeper runs.  I’ve also been trying skating an assortment of large dry flies on the surface with furled switch rod leaders from Cutthroat Leaders through the calmer water.  Here are a couple  of the fish I was able to get to the bank for photos.

A nice Bull Trout that took a #6 Black Wooley Bugger with a weighted gold conehead.

A nice Bull Trout that took a #6 Black Wooley Bugger with a weighted gold conehead.

A beautiful native Cutthroat Trout that took a #12 foam bodied Black Caddis skated across the surface of a shallow run.

A beautiful native Cutthroat Trout that took a #12 foam bodied Black Caddis skated across the surface of a shallow run.

Fly Fishing in Stanley, Idaho

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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.

Fly Fishing Stanley Idaho (580x233)

 

Bamboo Rods, Furled Leaders, Big Nymphs…McKenzie River Red Side Rainbows

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It’s been a while since my last post.  Mary Ann and I hit the McKenzie River this past Sunday for some trout fishing.  Water levels were pretty high, but there were still fish to be found.  I fished a 7′ 6″ ,  5 wt bamboo rod, thread furled leaders by Cutthroat Leaders, and big stonefly nymphs.  Here is a sample:

Western Idaho Fly Fishing Expo

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We had a great time at the Western Idaho Fly Fishing Expo in Boise last weekend. The Boise crowd was incredibly friendly and made Mary Ann and feel right at home. I had a booth at the show, and I had a lot of great conversations with “bamboo enthusiasts”. Mary Ann gave a few casting and fly fishing classes and I did an impromptu “Building Bamboo Fly Rods” class when the scheduled presenter was unable to attend.

I had the chance to try out furled leaders from Michael Morin at Cutthroat Leaders. Michael’s leaders are a fantastic addition to a bamboo fly rod. I found they roll out very smoothly and are great for delicate presentations on just about any action bamboo rod. I’ll be adding them to all my bamboo rods in the future. I encourage you to check out Michael’s WEB Page at www.cutthroatleader.com.

One very exciting outcome of the show is that I was requested to design and build a Switch Rod in bamboo. The client is interested in casting streamers and skating dry flies for large Idaho trout and wants to do so with a light switch rod. I’ll be designing this rod at 10 1/2 to 11 feet in length, and a 5/6 wt action. I’m currently researching several different tapers to identify the right action for this style of fishing…should be very exciting!