I'm with Leland on this one.
I've fly fished for 37 of my 44 years, and I now only do what I please. I
will fish nymphs on the Deschutes -- if I can see the trout eat them. I'd
much rather fish a dry fly -- and it is possible to catch Deschutes trout on
dry flies even in the middle of the day in August. I will not fish a sinking
line in a river -- I just hate it! So, I swing sparse patterns for steelhead
on a dry line. In the winter, I nymph for steelhead with a floating line.
No, I don't catch many winter-run steelhead, and I'm OK with that.
I even hate fishing sinking lines in lakes, so I fish shallow, weedy lakes
with good hatches.
I fish streamers for sea-runs -- I need to fish poppers more -- but my
favorite method is to find cutts feeding close to shore on little
crustaceans and then cast ahead of them with a little scud pattern. I get to
see them react to the fly -- or race out of the shallows if I spook them.
When I'm in Mexico, I like to walk the beach and cast poppers to
roosterfish. I hook less than 5 percent of the fish that I take shots at,
but even the rejections are heart-stopping fun.
For me, it's all about that rush, that fun.
From: Leland Miyawaki <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Deschutes River report
Date: Tue, 7 Jun 2005 20:56:42 -0700
There is no line Sean. Flyfishing is a personal sport and we only do what
pleases us.
I have been flyfishing for almost 40 years now and have very personal
preferences. For instance, I would rather catch trout on a dry fly or not
at all. I would rather catch salmon and searun cutthroat on my surface
poppers. I prefer grease-lining elegant low-water flies on a dryline to
summer steelhead. I've fished every way else and have caught fish doing it.
I don't know how old you are or how many years you've flyfished but one day
you'll come to enjoy the process as much or even more than the catching.
Leland.
Some would say a nymph under a bobber is vulgar. When I was in NZ, the
guide I was with offered this English chap a recommendation to use a nymph
under a yarn indicator since the trout were ignoring his dry fly offers.
He sniffed: "I didn't travel all the way across the pond to fish for trout
with a NYMPH". I happily took the guides suggestion and hooked and landed
a beautiful 6 lb. Loch Levan buck. I've been an indicator fisherman ever
since.
One man's vulgarity is another man's mainstay.
Where does one draw the line, Leland?
Sean
-----Original Message-----
From: C & S <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Jun 6, 2005 6:25 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Deschutes River report
Sure, but what would you do if you saw another angler hooking up on
steelhead with your popper?
Chester
From: Leland Miyawaki <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Deschutes River report
Date: Mon, 6 Jun 2005 16:01:21 -0700
Last year, I gave my popper talk to the Kelly Creek Fly Fishers in
Lewiston
and someone asked if I thought my popper would work as a waker for
steelhead. I told him that I have too much love and respect for steelhead
to not fish a "traditional" swinging fly and that my popper was much too
vulgar.
Leland.
Leland is right about this.
I've spent a lot of time on the Deschutes, and those jetboats on the
lower
river are a pain, and they wreck runs for fishing.
I much prefer fishing steelhead later in the year, when the fish have
moved up past Maupin. The fish are NOT chrome bright, but few Deschutes
steelhead ever are. But October fish in the upper river are strong,
aggressive biters, and you'll have good water to yourself. The fish also
like waking flies.
Leland, I wonder if your popper would provoke a strike from a Deschutes
fish?
Chester Allen
