Wizard Falls on the Metolius River

Jim and Ron from Roseburg selling some of their collection.

The usual cast of tiers including Dave Roberts…

Bob Larsell with Laura…..

Morris….

and Mrs. Moon (Monica).

Ms. Kate enjoyed the show mostly from this position when she could avoid all the attention she received from her admirers.

Jason Borger gave a few well received clinics.

A couple of Metolius Golden Stones preparing to repopulate the river.

Got up to Diamond Lake last week for three days with my folks.  The fishing wasn’t quite as fast and furious as it was the last couple of weeks.  Full moon?  Maybe.  Wednesday afternoon I trolled a wooly bugger, prospecting to locate fish, for a while with no action, not even a strike.  Then I noticed lots of chironomid pupa shucks in the water and set up in ten feet of water with a zebra midge and and a flashback bead head pheasant tail for weight instead of a splitshot.  It didn’t take long for the fish to find them.  Landed 8 in a couple of hours with at least that many more hooked and lost.  Most of the trout were about 12 to 14 inches, none of the monsters cooperated.  Thursday and Friday were about carbon copies of Wednesday with 5 and 11 respectfully (less fishing time however).

We had a good time.  The weather was very nice, even the wind was reasonable all three days.  Can’t wait to go back.

                                          Bob with 17 Incher

Non stop rises of trout to stone fly imitations made for aother amazing day on our home waters.  DJ’s wrist was sore from landing fish and Bob Shuck highlighted his very productive day with a steelhead on the dry.

                         DJ and Dave Roberts

After hanging around home on Tuesday and some tying in Dave’s man cave with Morris, Dale, and Ron from the Souhern Oregon Fly Tyers (SOFT) on Wednesday I met up with Danny Rehm for an afternoon float from the hachery to his house at Trail Creek.  Again non-stop action all he way down.  Ran into Dave again (I’m not sure who’s on the river more, him or me!) with a friend.

                     Danny Rehm and his Clackacraft

I needed to see what was happening first hand on the Klamath below Irongate yesterday so Danny and I trailed his boat down there.  Had heard that the Golden Stones were thick as spots on a trout’s back.  The day started out promising with some of the big salmon flies in the air and very few goldens around.  We couldn’t raise any but the smallest trout to the dries.  We did catch a handful of nice trout on streamer patterns.  One large white clouser did draw the attention of a large steelhead (Dave, same spot you hooked your steely down there, that’s three within fifty feet out of that run in three trips!)  It managed to self release just as Danny was diving for the net.  I was glad to get the hookup.

Today back on the Upper with a friend of the Jefferson board, Dan Hayes.  Dan moderates the ‘Piscatorial Bibliophile’ forum.  He is also another bamboo collector and does a very nice job casing them, too!  We worked the shoreline under the bushes primarily, which requires some accurate casting and delicate mending.  There were some what less willing fish than the last week but the average fish was larger.  Dan hooked several fish that were in the teens including one we would have had to tag to keep.

           Dan Hayes with Big Trout 

Well, that’s it for this week.  I’ll close with a picture of the character that made the last two weeks possible.

(click photos to enlarge)

Bamboo Addict (Dave), Cachanded (Kurt), Kelley (Kurt’s guest), Dr. Cane (Chris), Umpqua Beaver (Ron), and yours truly had a great day on the river. 

(click photos to enlarge)

Thanks to Bob Shuck for organizing a fun day. Thanks to Dr. Cane, Umqua Beaver, Bruce Howell, Bill Walsh and Bamboo Addict for letting us play with their toys (bamboo rods).

We also had a great float on Monday, but thats another story (coming soon).

The day was relatively warm and dry, especially after the Winter onslaught of rain and snow last Friday (that’s another story).  The water temp was still 40 degrees, the flows were high and visibility was good for rising trout (I’m starting to detect a theme here).  There was a strong hatch of dark, light, small and large March Brown Mayflies.  Sometimes rafts of eight or ten adults floating in the eddies.  Blue wing olives were there in lesser numbers and even a few Caddis got in on the act.  The swallows were thick after the flying insects and there was only us and a brownish beat-up old Clack with an old bearded fart (David Roberts) running the oars.  Bamboo branches were sticking out of the boat and he had a friend with him.  Other than that we had the river to ourselves.     

Thanks Ralph, for joining me.  I had a great day, and not just because it was the very first time I landed more fish than you.   

Monday the Ospreys showed up on the Rogue and then Tuesday the Swallows were chasing bugs high in the air over the river.  Nothing says Spring to me like birds showing up for the season.  The Ospreys, I’m told, migrate to Mexico for the Winter and return to have youngins, sometimes two sets while feasting on small fish in the rivers and ponds.

You would think it was Capistrano on the Upper Rogue.  The Swallows were eating well, too!  The March Browns were as thick as I’ve ever seen them.  The fish were kind of picky in spite of the numbers.  The water was still 40 degrees and visibility was about 2-3 feet.

Great day on the river with the winged signs of Spring.

I got to hang around at the new Southern Oregon Fly (SOFly) on Friday and Saturday.  DJ and Gena have done a great job setting up shop.  They have a very good selection of materials and equipment, with much more yet to be delivered and stocked.  It’s also a very warm and comfortable environment to hang out, talk fishing or tie flies.  The coffee is always on.

SOFly is located where 6th Street meets West Main in Medford.  It’s just across the street from the YMCA in a distinctive pie shaped building with lots of windows.  They are open Mon thru Fri, 10-6 and Sat 10-4.  Stop by, I think you’ll like what you see.

Southern Oregon Fly, LLC
702 West Main St.
Medford, OR 97501

Tel      (541) 842-7888
Fax     (541) 842-7887

Congratulations and good luck, DJ and Gena!!      

Happy St. Patty’s Day to you all.  Hope there are no bad hangovers out there.  You could be green two days in row.

I spent the misty, rainy, cold, dark, numb fingered and dreary (I’m trying not to say miserable) afternoon on the upper looking for a hatch.  We waited a little longer than normal because of the weather, but they came.  A very good BWO hatch that kind of snuck up on you because they weren’t flying, only floating.  The fish were a bit picky or maybe sluggish (water temperature was 40 degrees).  Tried many patterns.  They all worked but none of them emerged (pardon the pun) as the fly of the day.  We had a great time in spite of the wet and cold day.  There were plenty of fish to keep your mind off the cold.  It wasn’t so miserable after all.  I may have to go out again today but that’s another story.  Regards