Winter Steelhead

March 2020 CFF Fishing Reports

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Hi Everyone, the Coronavirus lockdown has most of us staying home to remain safe and healthy. During the month of March some CFF members ventured out on the water, kept their distance and enjoyed good fishing. Here are their stories with the pictures on top and the report below:

From Darryl Huff: All of the steelhead I landed in the month of March were wild. The one I’m holding surely made my top three best fighters for a winter steelhead. I found great success in my trips to the Deschutes after being introduced to the idea of fishing golden stones this time of year. In a discussion with an employee at the Deschutes Angler, I learned that the golden stone is carnivorous. Being on the move hunting for food they are more available to the fish than the salmon fly stone at this time. 

From Frank Day: Fishing down at the coast was very good (in early March). After having good success on natives on some of the small streams, I ventured to the Wilson River and got a limit of hatchery steelhead.

From Greg O’Brien: Some friends and I went to the OP.  We fished the Clearwater, Humptulips, Queets and Hoh.  Fish were played and lost (me), and fish were caught and landed (not me). Timothy and I fished Puget Sound for Sea Run Cutts and brought some nice fish to hand.

From Richard Harvey: The Oregon Fishing Club properties have been warming up this month.  Matching the hatches has been the key.

Also, congrats to Richard on completing the 2019 Fly Fishing Challenge! (We were late getting his certificate out to him)

From Phil Bartsh: All 3 goldfish are doing just fine. Thanks for asking.

From Lane Hoffman:  The Crooked River trip had 5 members attending. The river was crowded but fishing was good. Most fish were caught using the Euro nymph method & emergers as we had a midge & BWO hatch. Rainbows & Whitefish. (No photo’s, sorry!)

Next day Ken Baker & I went to Chickahominy Res. Conditions were perfect but we didn’t do well. A couple using power bait caught fish, nice hard fighting rainbows to 20 inches.

I went on to the Owyhee. Perfect day warm overcast expecting a BWO hatch. Didn’t happen. They were raising the water level as the Res. is going to fill. Did manage to catch a few but they were nice Browns to 22 inches.

Pictures are Rainbow’s from Rocky Ford Spring Creek near Ephrata WA. I was by myself & couldn’t get good pics! The bigger fish was 5 pounds! 2nd week in March!

Chris from Semper Fli Guide Service guided his client into this McKenzie river hog in early March.

Feb 22nd Fish a long Report

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This event was lightly attended, so everyone ate VERY well. Cheryl made a delicious lunch of pulled pork & coleslaw sandwiches along with salad and fresh fruit sides.

Water conditions were ideal for swinging flies; water color was a nice emerald green & flowing at 1250 cubic ft per second. We had the river to ourselves.

Originally the weather forecast called for rain, but this Saturday we got lucky with a beautiful clear day.

Zach Epstein from Water Time Outfitters stopped by and generously donated his time & expert casting assistance. Thanks Zach!

Later that day I ran into a gear angler that I know and we talked fishing for a while. He got one earlier that day a few holes downstream from us.

There are some good fishing reports from the lower Sandy but the word is out and the weekend fishing pressure down there was intense.

In an attempt to embrace technology, I made a map with my GPS from the parking area off Hwy 26 to the river. CFF members please email me if you want a copy.

Next months Fish a Long is March 21st on the Crooked River. We have a special treat as Josh Linn from Royal Treatment will be giving his excellent on-the-water presentation on Euro Nymphing.

CFF February Fish-A-Long

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This month’s Fish-A-Long will be held Saturday, February 24th on the Sandy River. The location is Dave K’s place about halfway between Sandy and Welches.

What- Winter Steelhead

Where- Sandy River

When- 8am until lunchtime, Saturday, February 24th

Equipment-

  • Spey or Switch Rod
  • Skagit Line & sink tip(s)
  • 15lb tippet material
  • flies, bright patterns and dark patterns
  • waders & wading staff
  • rain gear
  • warm, layered clothing

Directions- take Hwy 26 like you are going to Mt Hood. 10 miles past Sandy, turn left onto Sleepy Hollow Drive (there’s a big sign) and then take the 1st left. It’s a steep gravel driveway with a black metal gate.

We will have coffee, cinnamon rolls and a hot lunch. This fish a long will focus on spey casting and swung fly presentations. Questions; email or call Paul Brewer or Dave Kilhefner. Hope to see you there!

Sandy River Fish A Long Report

/ davekilhefner / 1 Comment

Last weekends Sandy River Fish-A-Long was well attended. Thank you to everyone that attended plus an EXTRA BIG thank you to Cheryl Kilhefner for her excellent cooking & hospitality and to Ron Lauzon for his superior casting instruction. It was obvious that on the whole our clubs spey casting was much better this year than last year. Great job!

Given the possibility of very wet winter weather the covered area was the perfect spot. Luckily the weather was much better than forcast and while it was cloudy, cool and felt damp, it didn’t rain. The water conditions were also very good, the river running a nice green color with about about 4 feet of visibility. On the “Sandy River at Bull Run” guage the water height was 12 feet, flowing at 6,600 cfs. I forgot the water thermometer but would guess it was in the low 40’s which is conducive to swinging up a steelhead.

We met at 8am, had hot coffee and watched a few deer graze before getting down to business, fishing until around 11:30 then breaking for lunch. In the morning hours the river was pretty busy with both bank and boat fishing pressure. After lunch this totally changed and the river was deserted; everyone had pushed downstream. We didn’t see any steelhead caught but there were a couple unverified reports of fish hooked. Dave caught a San Diego Steelhead (a sucker) swinging his old favorite Blue/Black Metal Detector fly behind a 9 foot tip of T-14.

In addition to extra rods, Ron Lauzon brought along some extra lines to cast. A particular favorite was the Airflow FIST Skagit Head, which casts & fishes as advertised (link below). I want one!

http://flyfishusa.com/airflo-fist

CFF January 20th Fish-A-Long

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This month’s Fish-A-Long will be held Saturday, January 20th on the Sandy River at Oxbow Park. The location is shelter where the Sandy River Spey Clave is held. The wading here is easy and fish have been caught.

What- Winter Steelhead

Where- Sandy River

When- 8am until lunchtime, Saturday, January 20th

Equipment-

  • Spey or Switch Rod
  • Skagit Line & sink tip(s)
  • 15lb tippet material
  • flies, bright patterns and dark patterns
  • waders & wading staff
  • rain gear
  • warm, layered clothing

Directions- go to Oxbow Park—the address is 3010 Southeast Oxbow Parkway, Gresham, OR 97080; there is a $5 fee to enter the park. Drive approximately 2 miles past the park entrance and look for “Group Picnic Area A” which has a large covered area and an open field on your left.

In the morning we will have coffee and donuts. A hot lunch will also be provided. This fish a long will focus on spey casting and swung fly presentations. We will have a couple of “loaner” spey rods to try out. Ron Lauzon and Dave Kilhefner will be available for Spey Casting Instruction. Questions; email or call Paul Brewer or Dave Kilhefner. Hope to see you there!

https://www.oregonmetro.gov/sites/default/files/2016/07/07/oxbow-brochure.pdf

https://www.oregonmetro.gov/sites/default/files/2016/02/19/Oxbow%20Field%20Guide_0.pdf

January 16th Speaker: Nick Rowell

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Nick Rowell of Anadromous Anglers will be CFF’s guest speaker Tuesday, January 16th.

Nick guides for Steelhead on our own Clackamas River and is the Clackamas River Steward for the Native Fish Society. He is also a master fly tier and is regularly featured at both Royal Treatment and The Fly Fishing Shop. His presentation will be on Winter Steelhead Fly Fishing. It will be a great presentation you won’t want to miss!

Meeting details: https://clackamasflyfishers.org/meetings-events/

Nick’s website: http://anadromousanglers.com/

March 25th Fish-A-Long Report

/ davekilhefner / 1 Comment

There seems to be a pattern with our winter fish-a-longs this year; just like last month I’m typing this report on a windy, rainy Sunday and feeling thankful we had much nicer day yesterday for the Sandy River fish-a-long.

With the higher water conditions we had a light turnout. Thanks to everyone for coming. A special thanks to Cheryl Kilhefner for her delicious lunch.

We started out the morning by enjoying hot coffee and telling fishing stories for about 45 minutes before wadering up and hitting the water. The stories were good and there didn’t seem to be any good reason to rush to get out there.

The water was running a little high; right at 12’ on the Sandy River gauge. The color was better than we guessed it would be, a nice winter steelhead green with about 2 feet of visibility. The current in the center of the river was too fast to make a good presentation so we concentrated on the slower water lane on our side of the river.

The fish gods were smiling and we landed a nice native winter steelhead about 11 pounds; a health hen steelhead that was perfect except for a sea lion bite down by her tale.

Our next fish-a-long will be at the Oregon Fishing Club for Stillwater trout fishing.

 

February 25th Fish A Long Report

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I’m typing this report on a windy, rainy Sunday morning and feeling thankful we had such a nice day yesterday for the Fish-A-Long at McIver Park.

We had a great turnout. Thanks to everyone for coming. A special thanks to Paul Brewer for the hot coffee and good food and Dave Kilhefner for spey casting instruction.

The water conditions were perfect for winter steelhead fly fishing. We fished every nook and cranny within sight but it has been a slow year and no fish were caught. Andrew reported seeing a fish jumping upstream but could not get it to take.

It was fun to help some of the clubs beginning spey casters with their casting and we made good progress! The theme of the day was to work on getting the anchor set. Once this is done the rest of the cast becomes much easier, but it takes a little time and practice to get used to the feel of a spey rod. Keep at it!

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CFF February Fish-A-Long

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This month’s Fish-A-Long will be held Saturday, February 25th on the Clackamas River. The location is yet to be determined but will likely be at McIver Park at the lower boat ramp. The wading here is easy and fish have been caught.

What- Winter Steelhead

Where- Clackamas River

When- 8am until lunchtime, Saturday, February 25th

Equipment-

  • Spey or Switch Rod
  • Skagit Line & sink tip(s)
  • 15lb tippet material
  • flies, bright patterns and dark patterns
  • waders & wading staff
  • rain gear
  • warm, layered clothing

Directions- go to McIver Park. Take the 1st left and drive down the hill. There will be a few turn outs—just keep to the left until you reach the lower boat ramp area.

We will have coffee, donuts and lunch. This fish a long will focus on spey casting and swung fly presentations. Questions; email or call Paul Brewer or Dave Kilhefner. Hope to see you there!

clackamas-at-mciver img_3099-tn