Marty's Drift December 2000

Old Dog Learns New Technique
on Oregon's Upper Rogue

I must confess, it is embarrassing to find that something has been right under my nose and I've been too narrow minded to see it. That's the way I've been able steelhead fly fishing. I began my steelhead fly fishing on the Deschutes River in 1974. The late Don McClain, who owned Don's Tackle, was my mentor. I never fished with Don, but he explained to me the kind of water to look for, and the way to fish it.

Don used six-weight rods, floating lines and size six flies. He fished the wet fly swing technique and it was very successful for those Deschutes summer-run steelhead. I also found it successful on several other rivers that I fished for summer-runs; the Kalama, East Lewis, Clackamas and Washougal. The wet fly swing became ingrained as my main technique for steelhead fishing to the exclusion of any other technique. When weighted nymph and strike indicator techniques began to gain popularity I brushed them off -- they weren't traditional steelhead techniques.

Sometimes I need an actual demonstration of how something works before it registers with me. In mid-November I got a good demonstration of how fly fishing for steelhead with weighted nymphs and strike indicators works and how successful it can be.

Dave Roberts lives in Eagle Point, Oregon and he guides for steelhead on the upper Rogue River. He and his fellow guide, C.J. Smalon, were interested in trying a ClackaCraft 16 ft. Weight Forward boat. So on Friday afternoon I left Portland on my way to Shady Cove to meet Dave and C.J. for a float on Saturday.

The weather throughout Oregon this fall has been cool and dry. On Saturday morning when I stepped out of my motel room the temperature was about 18 degrees. There was a quarter inch of frost on the windshield. Once the truck warmed and the windows were clear we headed for breakfast at Brownies Restaurant. Finally around 9:30 we determined that things had warmed up enough to get the boat launched and try some fishing.

Dave and C.J. shared some of their steelhead patterns with me and showed me how to get rigged. We were using 9 1/2' to 10 1/2' seven and eight weight rods with floating lines and nine to 10' leaders. To the 10 pound tippet we tied weighted rubber leg stonefly nymphs and from the bend or the eye of the nymph hook we tied an 18 inch length of 10 pound tippet and an Egg-O pattern. About eight feet up the leader we attached Sierra Pacific Tipper Indicators. As Dave handled the boat he instructed me on where to place the flies.

This is really an interesting way to fish because it demands that you pay attention to your gear. Casts are not long and certainly not graceful, but you become so intent on watching the indicator that it becomes quite engrossing. Every twitch or hesitation of the indicator requires a quick reaction or a take will be missed.

The day was turning out to be very pleasant. The sun in the clear blue sky was providing nice warmth in contrast to the previous night's bitter chill. The temperature of the water was 42 degrees -- just where you need to put the fly very close to the fish. After being on the water for about an hour my indicator took a dip as it floated through a smooth run. I lifted the rod to set the hook and was pleased to feel a heavy fish swim away. We were all three surprised to find that the fish was a fall Chinook and it had taken the Stonefly Nymph.

Dave and C.J. traded places to get a feeling for the boat. Dave had started out by trying the boat in fast water, rowing up stream and easily taking the boat up. Now Dave, in the rear of the boat, positioned himself as far onto the right gunnel as he could. C.J. didn't even notice the shift although he admitted doing that in his current boat would have thrown it completely out of trim. The upper Rogue was very low due to lack of rain, but the ClackaCraft's slippery bottom effortlessly slid over the shallow gravel tailouts and barely submerged boulders.

Dave and I traded places so he could get a feel for the front casting position. It wasn't long before his indicator went down and a feisty, small steelhead went airborne. After Dave landed his fish he traded places with C.J. and C.J. hooked a nice steelhead. We were located in a spot where the sun was shining on the river so Dave beached the boat and I jumped out to take photos.

It didn't take the sun long to drop behind the hills that bordered the river. The temperature difference was felt immediately. All day we had been aware of the heavy frost that remained in all the shady spots. Just a few hundred feet above us on the hillsides snow lay on the north facing slopes. Dave and C.J. had put the boat through the kind of tests they wanted and we all agreed it was time to head for the take out before the chill really set in. Dave was on the oars again and as we floated toward the ramp C.J. and I continued to fish. The bright Egg-O pattern was too much for another steelhead to resist and C.J. was into another fine fish.

Many of the coastal rivers I fish during the winter are fairly thick with bank side brush and alders. This prohibits traditional methods of fly fishing. The nymph and indicator technique, however is perfectly suited for those brushy stream situations. I'm going to be busy getting some of those stonefly nymphs and Egg-O's tied up.

The upper Rogue steelhead fishery is pretty exciting. In mid-November, I was there near the end of the season. September and October are prime time. If you would like to give it a try contact Dave Roberts at 541-826-7101 or C.J. Smalon at 541-878-4628. Shady Cove has several restaurants and motels for out of area visitors. There is also a tackle shop with an ample supply of fly gear in town.

Post script: On December 7, 2000, my friend Brent Ritchie and I floated the Nestucca River. We mixed up our fishing with some diver and bait and some fly fishing. While fly fishing, I hooked and landed a hatchery, winter-run, steelhead jack. I was using a stonefly nymph and an Egg-O as pictured above. The fish hit the Egg-O pattern. Later in the day we also hooked a fish on a diver and shrimp. That fish was lost. The hook broke. That's another story.

Give Marty a call at: (503) 655-9532

You can also call Idaho Falls at (800) 394-1345.