March 2019 CFF Fishing Reports

Elke Littleleaf, who will be presenting for CFF in the near future, generously gave his time to help introduce youth and families to fly fishing at the NW Steelheaders Family Fish Camp this month.

March speaker John Devoe got out on the water with CFF sponsor Mark Bachmann to enjoy some winter steelhead fishing on our namesake river.

John Warren traveled to Christmas Island in early March, doing well on both Bonefish and Giant Trevally.

Josh Linn of Royal Treatment got in some good Euro Nymphing action on the Metolius River. John will be giving a presentation on Euro Nymphing at our April meeting.

The day after the fish-a-long Paul Brewer and Dave Kilhefner fished the Deschutes River around Maupin. The water was high, off-color and cold. Trout fishing was tough but a few were brought to hand using Euro nymphing tactics. The hot fly was a San Juan Worm, a high water favorite.

Seven CCF members went on to the Owyhee after the Crooked River Fish-A-Long. Flows were very low and it was a bit crowded. Rain from the previous days caused a creek to blow out and muddy up parts of the river, then the wind picked up; all these things combined to create poor fishing conditions. However, the bugs were out and several members landed Brown trout up to 18″ long. Fish or no fish, everyone did have a good time; new friends were made, lies were told plus lots of education & exploration!

Another great month of Fly Fishing is in the books. Thanks to everyone for sharing their reports!

Crooked River Fish-a-long Report

This years Crooked River Fish-a-long was very well attended with 14 members; thanks to everyone that made the trip, it was a great outing with everyone getting fish!

Saturday’s weather was cloudy and the temperature was warmer than it appeared as the hills still had a bit of snow hanging on. Paul warmed us up with hot coffee, donuts and a campfire and then later we had Cheryl’s homemade Sloppy Joes and Coleslaw beside a refreshed fire.

The water was low and clear. The flow out of Bowman Dam was 85 cubic feet per second and the water temperature 39-40 degrees. We all went for the deeper water spots and found a fair number of willing whitefish schooled up in the shallows. The “hot fly” was anything small and dark. Euro nymphing tactics accounted for most of the action but several members did well with small wet flies.

While most of the fish were in the 8” range we did get a few bigger ones, with some whitefish pushing 15” long and trout to 14”.

After the fish-a-long several members continued on to the Owyhee River with Lane Hoffman. A report of this trip will be in March Fishing Reports due out soon.

Owyhee River Trip

Following the CFF Fish-A-Lone on the Crooked River (Sat 23rd) a group of us are going to continue over to the Owyhee River. The Owyhee is at winter flows (40 cfs) so we’ll be wading, fishing the tailwater below the Owyhee dam. The river is very fertile, with good insect hatches, winding through a beautiful, rugged canyon, It produces trophy sized Brown trout with Rainbows also on the list.

  • Equipment                  
  • 4 to 6wt rods, matching reel & floating fly line.
  • 9 ft leaders 3 to 5x
  • waders, wading staff & landing net.
  • layered clothing, rain gear, polarized glasses.
  • Flies, BWO’s, midges, streamers & Skawala Stoneflies (really important)

The Plan is to catch a Motel in Ontario & fish the river for a couple of days. If you like there is plenty of camping along the river. If you can make it it’s a great time to fish this quality river.

Questions? Contact Lane Hoffman  503-706-7543 & leave a message or email lanehf@comcast.net

CFF March 23rd Fish-A-Long

This month’s Fish-A -Long will be held Saturday March 23rd on the Crooked river near Prineville.

The Crooked River is one of the state’s best rivers for rainbow trout. The river boasts a population of 3000 trout per mile along with big numbers of whitefish. It’s a great place for beginners.

The Plan: We will meet at Big Bend Campground about 1 mile below Bowman Dam between 8am and 9 am. Coffee and doughnuts will be provided.

Water conditions will be much the same as last year: low water flows with water temps in the low 40’s. Most of the fish will be found in the larger deeper pools.

Gear: 3 to 6wt rods with matching reel and floating line. Dry fly fishing can be good with Midges and Baetis dominating the hatch this time of year. The most effective technique is indicator nymphing with small glo-bugs (they look like scuds) and/or smaller sized standard nymphs like Pheasant Tails and Zebra Midges. This is also a good place to swing soft hackles or small wooly buggers.

The rocks can be slippery so bring felt or cleated boots and it will likely be cold in the morning so prepare and dress warm.

Lunch: Cheryl will not be there but is providing the food again so it will be good.

If you have questions, please E-mail Paul Brewer

If you are planning on fishing with us please email or text Paul so that we have a head count: Paul Brewer 503-635-3156 ponzdog@icloud.com

CFF Auction: Redington Vice Combo

The March CFF auction will be for a Redington VICE 9′ 5wt fly rod and an i.D. reel with backing and line. (descriptions follow) This outfit retails for $299.99.

The auction will run until 5 p.m. on Monday, March 18, and will only be open to paid up CFF members.  To make a bid or follow the bidding go to Auctions. Let me know if you have any questions. bartschp@gmail.com

Redington VICE Fly Fishing Outfit - Fly Rod & Reel Combo

“The VICE is a classically styled, fast-action rod range designed to be accessible to all anglers. The multi-modulus carbon fiber blanks offer increased levels of recovery for casting with greater accuracy and control, and the subtle design touches like black anodized snake guides, laser -etched reel seats, and saltwater-grade components all work together to create a fly rod that anglers can’t resist.”

“The new i.D fly reel is one of the most exciting product introductions we’ve ever made. It features a flat back surface to accept custom decals representing anything from your home state to your favorite fish species, and the decals are simple to remove, stack, or swap to update your reel’s look over time. There is no better product to define your identity as an angler. The i.D features sturdy cast aluminum construction, a smooth rulon disc drag, and a large arbor for speedy line retrieve. A wide variety of decals are available for customization and personal expression.”

March 19 Speaker John DeVoe

John DeVoe, executive director of WaterWatch of Oregon, will be CFF’s guest speaker Tuesday, March 19th.

John will explain some of the very important water allocation issues we are facing both now and in the future. Lisa Brown from WaterWatch will accompany him to explain her ongoing work on our own Clackamas River. It will be a very informative presentation.

Here’s some links to recent news articles where WaterWatch has defended some of CFF’s favorite waters:

https://pamplinmedia.com/ttt/89-news/246164-114003-court-sides-with-water-watch-in-clackamas-river-case

https://www.opb.org/news/article/water-fight-on-clackamas-river-continues/

http://waterwatch.org/?s=clackamas+river&x=0&y=0

http://waterwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Bend-Source-011619-LTE-Crooked.pdf

March 16 Westmoreland Pond Cleanup

WHAT: Come lend a hand working with the City of Portland Department of Parks and Recreation to clean debris from the pond in preparation for it being filled. The pond is one of the largest casting facilities in the world, and we are fortunate to still have it for public use. Maintenance funds are always in short supply, so our volunteer support is important.

WHERE: Meet at the west side of the Westmoreland Casting Pond, SE 22nd Avenue and Rex Street, just off of McLoughlin Boulevard.

WHEN: Saturday, March 16th from 8:30 am until 1200 noon.

CONTACT: Please RSVP to Steve Gomes via email at tauermunki@gmail.com

Fly Tying March 2019: Simi Seal Leech

Simi Seal Leech

images 

Last year club member Dave Kilhefner educated me about the term “guide flies”, those flies which can be created with a minimal number of materials.  A minimal number would be three or fewer materials, according to Dave.  That magic number of three doesn’t generally include the hook or thread, or weight (which is often optional). I watched Brian Silvey tie one of the flies that he designed— Silvey’s Caddis Pupa.  The recipe he provides has at least two materials that he usually doesn’t include when he ties that fly for himself and his clients.  Obviously that “guide” version is quicker and easier to tie, and in Brian’s view is still just as effective as the complete version. 

images-2

This month we are going to tie the ultimate “guide fly”, one that has only one material ! The fly is called the Simi Seal Leech.  There is a gentleman in Arizona named John Rohmer who is the owner of John Rohmer Materials (azflyfishing.net).  He has come up with a material that he calls “Arizona Simi Seal”, which refers to a material that simulates natural seal fur, which at one time was very popular for fly tying but is pretty much unavailable today.  And John Rohmer’s Simi Seal Leech is created using only Arizona Simi Seal (again, not counting the hook, thread, or weight if you want to add it).  Don’t think that this material can only be used for this one fly, as it is very versatile and can easily be used in many nymph and streamer patterns.

Simi S40

A sample of “Canadian Brown” Simi Seal showing the complex blend of fibers.

Simi Seal is a blend of natural and synthetic fibers that come in 50 different color combinations.  Of course John’s advertising on the packaging encourages you to “Try Every Color”!  And the 50 colors of Simi Seal is really just the tip of the iceberg because he also has other tying materials for sale, with names like Arizona Diamond Dub, Arizona Minnow Hair, and the list goes on.  All of these are apparently created in the basement of a secret warehouse that is located somewhere in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona using a specially built blending machine.  If my math is correct the number of Rohmer’s dubbing blends of different types totals 258!  That blending machine must really get a workout!

SSLWhite

                 canblack

Simi Seal Leeches can be tied weighted or unweighted.

The Simi Seal Leech pattern is most productive in still waters but certainly has proven to  also be effective in rivers and streams.  The pattern is called a leech but its movement can simulate many life forms in the water, including baitfish, dragonfly nymphs, damsel nymphs, crawdads, etc., depending on the color, how it is weighted, and how it is retrieved.  Weighting with a bead head can produce an attractive undulating motion.  Some fish respond well to a fly with weight wrapped evenly along the shank of the hook resulting in a more level motion as you move the fly through the water. Unweighted versions of the Simi Seal Leech can be very effective especially when fished over weedbeds.  Rohmer has found that dark patterns are effective in low light conditions, especially early morning and late evening.  And he likes adding rubber legs when fishing for browns or bass. 

            images-1                            9941239eedc24221442dd8814dbad351--fly-tying-streamers

Simi Seal Leeches can be dressed heavily or sparsely.

We had a terrific turnout of 15 club members for our last fly tying session.  Join us for our next Fly Tying Night on Wednesday, March 27th to tie up a variety of Simi Seal Leeches.  The club’s Fish-A-Longs for the months of April, May and June are all scheduled for stillwater locations so the Simi Seal Leech will be a good pattern to have in your arsenal. We will also demonstrate how you can easily produce your own version of a “simi seal” dubbing material.  We meet at The Royal Treatment Fly Shop in West Linn and will be starting at 6 pm.  Hope to see you there!

2019 Fly Tying 03_tn

Unknown-2

February 2019 CFF Fishing Reports

Greg O’Brien had a decent day float tubing in early February at an Oregon Fishing Club lake. The day started slow but after figuring out the depth and retrieve the fish wanted things picked up. Several rainbows up to 16” were netted and released.

In mid February Trux Dole and Dave Kilhefner fished at Little Tree and Big Tree Lakes at the Oregon Fishing Club. Water temperature was 42 degrees and had a pea green color with 2-3 feet of visibility. The weather was overcast and cold with a light dusting of snow on the ground. We planned to fish from 9am until 1pm. Unfortunately the trout did not start biting until 12:45 so we stayed until 1:30pm and ended up landing 6 nice trout using White Devils and Red Snow Cone Chironomids.

Dave Kilhefner landed & released this “snowstorm steelhead” on the Sandy River the day after the fish-a-long.