Personal Weekend

This past weekend Joe and myself headed north with a good friend of ours Leland. We spent most of Saturday night tying flies, drinking a few cold ones, and sharing fish stories. We fished the Salmon River on Sunday with little success; we all had fish on but pressure was high and tippet was light. Joe managed a nice fish right before dark, and then it was time for a hot meal.

Monday we made the trip west to Sandy Creek, hoping to find a few large lake run brown trout. With the river flowing a little higher than a trickle the fishing was again very slow; we each hooked a fish but nothing to hand. Around noon we decided to head further west to Oak Orchard; another great brown trout stream. We managed a few browns and a nice lake run rainbow.

Here are a few pictures from the trip:

Hot Flies: Hot Head Prince, Caddis Lava, Sucker Spawn, Tube Sculpin, Egg sucking bugger

Featured Fly - Hot Head Prince

This is an Umpqua pattern that I really like for fall/winter Steelhead and Brown trout fishing. It can be tied in a few different sizes, from a 14 - 10. The original prince nymph is a deadly pattern for trout; put it on a 2457 curved shank hook and add a hot bead to it and you have an amazing Steelhead fly.

Materials 

Hook:  TMC 2457 sz. 14 -10

Thread: UNI Thread 6/0 - Black or Olive

Bead:  Cyclops Bead - Fl. Orange or Fl. Pink 

Tail: Goose Biots - Brown

Rib: Ultra Wire - Copper

Body: 3 Peacock Herls

Legs: Round Rubber Legs - Brown 

Wings: Goose Biots - White

Throat: Partridge Feather

Collar: Peacock Herls

Step 1: Slide Beadhead on. Make a thread base halfway down the hook bend

Step 2: Tie in 2 goose biots for the tail. Add a small thread ball to the hook before tying the biots this helps flair them out more.

 Step 3: Tie in 3 peacock herls and the ultra wire. Tie back to the start of the goose biots.

 Step 4: Wrap the peacock herls to the back of the bead. Leave herls attached they will be used later for the collar.

Step 5: Wrap the Ultra wire up to the bead.

 Step 6: Tie in rubber legs on each side forming a V on either side.

 Step 7: Tie in the goose biots to make the wings. You can either tie them over lapping or side by side.

Step 8: Add a throat using a partridge feather. Tie this in my the tip and wrap 2 or 3 times.

 Step 9: Trim the partridge feather so that it is only on the under body.

 Step 10: Wrap the peacock herls 2 times between the rubber legs. Then again 2 times in the front forming a collar. Cut the extra off and Whip Finish.

The Finished Product!!!

Here are 2 fish that feel to the Hot Head Prince this fall...

R.L. Winston Pro Staff

I was recently added to the Winston Pro Staff. They make some of the finest rods in the world. I would have to say that the 11ft 7wt is a perfect rod for east coast steelhead and even some of the smaller streams out west. The 8.5ft 4wt is by far my most used rod, it is perfect for the east coast trout fisherman. Check out my profile on the Pro Staff Page

Fall TCO Steelhead Camp

This past weekend Joe and I hosted our first 2 day all inclusive steelhead trip. We started each day around 6:30 after a hot cup of coffee, Joe took 2 clients for a nice walk through the DSR in pursuit of a few nice chrome fish. While I floated the other 2 from Altmar to Pineville in the boat. Each day we stopped along the stream and fired up the cookers to served hot soup and sandwiches. When it was all done and the boat was back on the trailer, we met the others at the house for another hot meal, a couple cold beverages and a few fish stories. The next morning we got up and did it all over again!

The fishing was tough but fun was had by all. Here are a few pictures from my camera; I will have more when we get all the pictures together.

Nice Hen Steelhead

Carl with one in the boat!

Getting ready for a day in the DSR

Getting ready to head to the river

Bob and Carl enjoying a nice hot stream side lunch

Salmon River Float

This past weekend Joe and I headed north with my boat in tow. Our plan was to float from Altmar to Pineville, hopefully find a few fish, and check the river for any changes since last spring.  Once we had the boat in the water and headed downstream, we realized that the only obstacles that we would be dodging would be crowds of people and other boats. With the water level at 335 cfs and the weather in the high 50s, the fishing pressure was all but high. Joe and I floated most of the afternoon, doing a bit more floating than fishing, and at the end of the day Joe landed one huge King Salmon.  The good news is we did see a lot of fish throughout the float.

Monday was another beautiful day; Lenny drove up to try his hand at a steelhead or 2. Lenny and I hit the river at first light. The pressure was less than the day before but still we had to float past a few of my favorite spots.  Despite all the people and the slow day we had Sunday, I had high hopes. It was about half way through the float right about the time Lenny had given up hope on even seeing a steelhead when I hooked the first one. Not long after that I had one in the net--first steelhead in my boat! Lenny hooked 2 more but we only had one to the net all day.

After we finished up I headed down to the DSR for a couple hours before having to meet up with Joe after he dropped off his clients. It was a slow evening for me; I hooked 2 fish and only got one to the beach. 

Here are a few photos from the weekend:

              

Salmon River Bound

Joe and I are headed to the Salmon River to hopefully get into a few fresh chrome fish!


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Winter 2011 Steelhead Camp

Its that time of year, the Steelhead are running up the rivers after the Salmon in hopes for a belly filling meal. Come join Salmon River Guide Joe McGinley, DSR manager and Guide Jason Edwards and myself for a 2 day all inclusive trip to the Salmon River in search of these fresh chrome fish.

One day will be spent in the DSR walking and wading with Joe and Jason, the other fishing the upper river out of my 14ft Outcast raft with myself.

Continental Breafast each morning, hot shore lunches each day, and finishing the day of with a hot plate from Pulaski's famed Edy's Resturant.

Click Link for more information

2011 TCO Steelhead Camp