summer confidence flies?

[Will Atlas]

I know its strange but even with winter steelhead season in full swing (no pun intended) I am thinking about summer steelhead regularly lately. Something about fishing a dryline on a warm day...who knows. Anyway, what I want to know is, what are you confident in during summer? I hear alot of different opinions on this, Some guys say small and buggy for summer low water, then I see photos of Steelie Mike and Tall Flyguy and others slaying SWW summer runs on bunny leaches, and marabous. Do you fish tips during summer?

I'm just wondering what you've found success with, what is your logic behind you fly/outfit selection? Anyone buy into the region/watershed specific differences in fly selection, because there is certainly a culture of flies to go with every region, but why?

Anyways I guess these are some big philosophical steelhead questions, but mostly I'm curious about what you've found to work, and maybe how conditions form your fly selection. Personally I'm fond of a couple flies:

1.)green butt skunk sz. 4-8
2.)prism (baisically a small buggy fly with peacock herl)sz. 6-8
3.)max canyon sz.4-8
4.)purple or orange GP sz.2-4
5.)purple muddler minnow sz. 4-8
6.)steelhead caddis sz. 4-8

You'll notice they're all pretty much hairwings or other traditional patterns. Mostly thats cause thats what I've tried and fished confidently. If you fish summer steelhead or think about this, drop some summer fly philosophy.

Tightlines,

Will

[bigtj]

I fish olive, black and purple rabbit leeches with confidence all year 'round. Some egg sucker, some plain, some beadhead or conehead, some not. The major difference is that I tone down the flash to a minimum and use smaller flies and hooks for summer run fish. I love fishing hairwings but those fish really, really like bunny leeches so most times that's what I'll fish with.

[Panhandle]

Purple Peril
Black General Practitioner
Frieght Train
Coal Car
GBS.

Order depends on light and water conditions.

[Salmo_g]

Summer steelhead season is kind of a "winter-lite" style for me. The weather's warmer, but the water is fairly high and cool, so I use a sink tip and maybe a black or purple marabou streamer. As the water gets lower and warmer, I fish a Spade because I know I don't need anything else. And I mix it up with sink tip and floating line depending on my mood or the fish's mood.

[Steelie Mike]

I personally have had minimal success on traditional wet flies for steelhead. I have much more confidence in a fly with a little more wiggle and flash in its appearence. I also prefer tips in the summer and fish them regularly with success. Think intermediate line!

1. Egg Sucking MOAL -Black and purple without weight
2. MOALs and Roids
3. Intruders- Purple and gray/grizzly
4. Caballero Egg- Tied on a straight eyed siwash hook.
5. Spey Bug- A swannundaze fly that Buckner introduced me to that is great for steel and SRC
6. Caddis nymphs- We have a lot of O caddis in our rivers

[thewaker]

1.Skater
2.Skater
3.Skater
4.Skater
5.Skater

Any fly on a floating line.
No tips in summer, I did that all winter. I want to catch the hot agressive fish that move to the surface or just under the surface.

Mark

[Jason B]

I just swing anything that is buggy as can be. As for colors I try to blend black and purple into a buggy looking spey fly. I think in the summer, nymph type flys produce more.

Interesting post though. I will have to use my tips more this early winter season. What rivers do you guys like to hit for the summer runs besides the Stilly of course?

[Will Atlas]

isnt the stilly the only one ;). S rivers except skagit all have good #s of summer steel, and even the skagit has a few if you know where to look. Same kind of thing as deer creek, also....same problems as deer creek. Columbia Tribs are sick too as a general rule.

I near the nutsack has a few native summers? what do you know about that?

[Jason B]

I near the nutsack has a few native summers? what do you know about that?

It does have a few but they are tough to find. I haven't caught one before though I can't say I have tried super hard. I have heard strories of guys who have no idea what they are doing catching several in a big nice pool in July. Probably because nobody had fished it in months. I would stick with a river with more visibility as the 'Sack will be murky nearly all summer.

[fredaevans]

http://www.rogueflyfishers.org/GoodFlies.htm

One that isn't listed here is called the 'Agent Orange;' that bugger REALLY works - summer or winter. Another is the Copper John done with Chartreuse green wire (size 10-14 hook).
Fred

[ChrisC]

http://www.rogueflyfishers.org/GoodFlies.htm

One that isn't listed here is called the 'Agent Orange;' that bugger REALLY works - summer or winter. Another is the Copper John done with Chartreuse green wire (size 10-14 hook).
Fred

Fred,
How are these flies typically presented on the Rogue? Deaddrifted or swung (or both)? Thanks,
chris

[Mark Bové]

1) Moal Leech black / orange or Douple beaded leach (powens fly) w/ t-14 all summer and winter will produce better that any swung fly method in my book.
2) Prince (dirty I know)
3) Spawning Purple
4) Glue Egg (Evil in others books)
5) My steelie waking bug, Like a dinner mint but not really, its orange and has a CDC wing and is super sparse and it fishes way better after a fish or two have raped it. (To satisfy the Irish Man with a Tweed Hat inside of me, but this dog hunts in October on the Rhonde and is good on the D too)

[Will Atlas]

no matter what #'s it produces, there's no way in Hell I'm gonna fish t-14 in the summer. I like the sounds of that waking bug...think you could post a photo?

[Jergens]

1- Eggs! With fall/summer chinook spawing around these only makes sense.
2- Jiggy looking nymphs- i have low standards, and like catching fish
3- Dragon Gurgler- Bob Quigley bug, i think its about the coolest looking skater out there.
4- Skykomish Sunrise- Classic

[fredaevans]

Fred,
How are these flies typically presented on the Rogue? Deaddrifted or swung (or both)? Thanks,
chris

Both ways Chris; that said, the Dead Drift will hook 3/4 to 1 over a swung fly.
Fred

[Will Atlas]

fred, I head there is a secret fly called the "gordon" on the rouge ;). A bit of an inside joke, but I think you read oregon boards.

[Will Atlas]

quadruple post

[Bill Peck]

In clear water a Burlap in Sz.2-8 or a rubber leg stone 2-6.A little color in the water and a black or pink bugger, and if my presentation is good I do well.

[TallFlyGuy]

Wahoo, I'm out of Timeout!!!

Ok, I like em big, Flies that is. My theory is if a Steelhead spooks it's usually not the size of the Fly, it is probably the presentation, weather he sees the line, or hears the splash etc etc. I've seen them ignore a fly right in front of their face. I've also seen them see a big fly a ways away, and chase it down and hammer it. Would a small fly bring on this kind of aggression? I'm not sure. Could a small fly invade their space and piss them off? Again Not sure. My theory is they are use to chasing and wacking big critters in the ocean, so a big fly isn't going to do anything except make em mad, or get their attention. This year when the rivers were ultra low and clear, I was using the clear intermediate line and big flies hooking steelhead all summer long. Small flies and ultra stealth for me is better left for trout.

If a steelhead is willing to take a big fly he is usually going to be pretty aggressive.

Only flies I use for Summer steelhead (I tried a few runs with hair wings to no avail) was/is bunny tube flies. 2-3" sometimes 4". Black body, Purple or blue tail, egg sucking face. Steelie MIke showed me a trick for the face. Don't use the chenille, but use the pink Flat waxed Nylon instead. It stays true to it's color and won't get dirty after you catch a fish etc.


Ahh, it feels good to be able to talk again.

Justin

[Will Atlas]

welcome back!

This is interesting, because I think fish see alot better underwater than we give them credit for. Example...today on a small coastal river somewhere in the NW a friend and I went steelheading. He's an absolute steelhead bum and had been doing VERY well on the river of late swinging flies. The only glitch is, he fishes a small piece of yarn on an egg loop on his spey rod. I guess you could call it his "confidence fly". We fished all day and while it wasnt hot, both of us hit fish, me on a normal Cerise and purple marabou and him on a 1/2 inch long piece of orange yarn. The difference though was that I landed one and he landed two and hooked another. Granted he's a better fisherman for sure, but he had no trouble bringing winter fish to a tiny piece of yarn swinging through their run. Moral of the story....steelhead perplex me

[Steelie Mike]

Wahoo, I'm out of Timeout!!!

Ahh, it feels good to be able to talk again.

Justin

Now get off your butt and lets hit some water. We have springers and natives to attend to.

[TallFlyGuy]

Now get off your butt and lets hit some water. We have springers and natives to attend to.

I Hear you, I am so There!! We shall hook up next week!


Justin

[Zen Piscator]

1.Rockdancer and Shrimp
2.Yarn and Shrimp
3.Roe and Yarn
4.Crawler and Row
5.Flatfish wrapped in herring fillet

[fredaevans]

1.Rockdancer and Shrimp
2.Yarn and Shrimp
3.Roe and Yarn
4.Crawler and Row
5.Flatfish wrapped in herring fillet

Sigh ... well so much for a 'fly fishing thread.':confused:

[Steelie Addict]

I firmly believe that one has to have confidence in whatever fly he chooses to fish with at the time he is using it. If one doesn't have confidence in the choice of fly, then he will not fish it properly. He may hurry it through the run, or not let it hang on the dangle long enough to elicit a strike.

I really don't think the steelhead care what you toss out there, and when they feel froggy, they jump.

As you see, not all use the same " go to" fly. I believe you have to adjust size a bit now and again to accommodate water clarity.

Last summer I tied and fished many different patterns and sizes and was lucky enough to be where the fish were. Didn't seem to make any difference at all to the fish as they hit em all.

Of course, this info is pertaining to fresh fish just into the system. I find that the longer in, and higher up in the system, the smarter they seem to get. Presentation, in my opinion, is so much more important than what you choose to fish with.

Choose your fly, fish it well, and if there are fish in the area, they will reward you with a strike.
SA

[Jason B]

1.Rockdancer and Shrimp
2.Yarn and Shrimp
3.Roe and Yarn
4.Crawler and Row
5.Flatfish wrapped in herring fillet

I will take an order for two dozen "Flatfish wrapped in herring fillet" flies! :rofl: