Klickitat Line Setup

2424 Views 21 Replies 14 Participants Last post by Gard Nale, Sep 21, 2016

Ryan Janos

Discussion Starter · Sep 19, 2016

I’m looking to line up my 9’ 9wt for an October trip to the Klickitat. Right now I’m running clear intermediate from Mexico trips. If I’m starting from scratch and on a budget, what would be a good setup that can be used for nymphing and swinging for kings? I’m pretty new to T#’s and tip set ups.

I’m leaning towards a WF floating that I can add tips to, but I don’t know what weight or length of tip to use.

Any suggestions will be much appreciated.

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GOTY

· #2 · Sep 19, 2016

If you're going to nymph for steelhead get a floater. After you're done with that and want to start fly fishing for steelhead you can add tips or a tapered leader to the same line.

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Old Man

· #3 · Sep 20, 2016

Go buy a Versitip made by Rio. It comes with 4 or 5 tips. Not to sure as I don't fish mine anymore. It's an 8wt. The tips are all 15 or 20 feet long.

Irafly

· #4 · Sep 20, 2016

golfman44 said:
If you're going to nymph for steelhead get a floater. After you're done with that and want to start fly fishing for steelhead you can add tips or a tapered leader to the same line.

Not this crap again, these things are always so predictable; Step one, ask a question about the fabled, mystical steelhead and dare to mention the "N" word. Step two, someone rips you and questions your self worth for daring to call the "N" word fly fishing. Give me a break man. Swinging for steelhead is more not fly fishing than the "N" word is. "FLY" means order diptera, not GREEN BUTT SKUNK! A "N" word pattern mimics what the eat not what they attack.

How I do Golfy?

Reactions: 3

jake-e-boy

· #5 · Sep 20, 2016

Steelhead don't eat @Irafly , back to lakes for you. Plus pinning puts way more fish on the gravel than nymphing (which is just bad form, not even a style of fishing) Oh snap! I said the N word! There goes that white privilege. Plus shots fired!!

Ever watch a greasy piece of shit nympher and a gear/pinner/normal person side by side?

Irafly

· #6 · Sep 20, 2016

jake-e-boy said:
Steelhead don't eat @Irafly , back to lakes for you. Plus pinning puts way more fish on the gravel than nymphing (which is just bad form, not even a style of fishing) Oh snap! I said the N word! There goes that white privilege. Plus shots fired!!

Ever watch a greasy piece of shit nympher and a gear/pinner/normal person side by side?

Steelhead do eat, sorry to burst your bubble. Where the hell does pinning come in?

dust in the wind

· #7 · Sep 20, 2016

Sports uniform Football helmet Sports equipment Football equipment Glove

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Gard Nale

· #8 · Sep 20, 2016

Ryan Janos said:
I'm looking to line up my 9' 9wt for an October trip to the Klickitat. Right now I'm running clear intermediate from Mexico trips. If I'm starting from scratch and on a budget, what would be a good setup that can be used for nymphing and swinging for kings? I'm pretty new to T#'s and tip set ups.

I'm leaning towards a WF floating that I can add tips to, but I don't know what weight or length of tip to use.

Any suggestions will be much appreciated.

Seems like you got it figured out. Some sort of floater. Personally I like the nymph lines since they have a heavy front end that works well for nymphing but will also turn over a tip. You won't need much of a tip on the klick, it's rarely more than 6' deep. T-11 or T-7 in 10' length will cover you just fine. You will get a lot more salmon on the nymph rig because of the type of water they hang in(faster and deeper).

Don't overlook the steelhead fishing. These rigs will work just fine for them as well plus a medium sink poly leader to fish the slower and more shallow water.

Good luck!

Reactions: 5

jake-e-boy

· #9 · Sep 20, 2016

Irafly said:
Steelhead do eat, sorry to burst your bubble. Where the hell does pinning come in?

No they don't, sorry to burst your sphere.

JonT

· #10 · Sep 20, 2016

Are you fishing any other cr tribs while you're here? Just wondering.

Irafly

· #11 · Sep 20, 2016

jake-e-boy said:
No they don't, sorry to burst your sphere.

Yeah, they do. Especially the Columbia trib fish. Now the Olympic P fish who have much shorter distances to travel and who tend to get in and out fast are not as likely to eat while in the system. The Columbia Trib fish though will eat all the way through the system and won't move over to reserves until right before spawning. Thus the reason why they are more likely to act like trout (which they are) than super aggressive OP fish. Steelhead put things in their mouth for four main reasons: They attack out of aggression, they are curious, there is residual memory of what they did while they were in the system, and they are hungry. If they don't eat J-Boy, why do nymphs work?

JonT

· #12 · Sep 20, 2016

Irafly said:
Yeah, they do. Especially the Columbia trib fish. Now the Olympic P fish who have much shorter distances to travel and who tend to get in and out fast are not as likely to eat while in the system. The Columbia Trib fish though will eat all the way through the system and won't move over to reserves until right before spawning. Thus the reason why they are more likely to act like trout (which they are) than super aggressive OP fish. Steelhead put things in their mouth for four main reasons: They attack out of aggression, they are curious, there is residual memory of what they did while they were in the system, and they are hungry. If they don't eat J-Boy, why do nymphs work?

I agree.

Klickrolf

· #13 · Sep 20, 2016

Irafly said:
If they don't eat J-Boy, why do nymphs work?

Never believed summer steelhead could last almost a year without eating, but I've never been one so I don't know. I do know I've never found anything in the stomach of a hatch fish that I've filleted.
Therefore, I'd guess they take dead drifted nymphs when they get tired of chasing flies. It's all about resource conservation or fat reserves in this case.

Reactions: 1

Ryan Janos

Discussion Starter · #14 · Sep 20, 2016

Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately I've only got a couple days free and a friend who lives in Bingen is in charge of our floats. Pretty sure it's going to be the Klickitat for three days.

billp

· #15 · Sep 20, 2016

jake-e-boy said:
. Plus pinning puts way more fish on the gravel than nymphing

Ive had a seasoned pinner say the same thing to me before we had a great day on the water in the middle of the day under the bright sun, in the middle of a decent season.

Hint-It didn't go as he thought it would.

Granted it was my river, but still funny for such a superior non flyfishing method to mine, to not only not destroy me, but lose by more than a few fish.

Numbers aside, I enjoy the fight more on a fly rod and fly line, even if it does make me a ghetto non-flyfishing fuckhead whne I choose to do it.

Also.................. you can all suck my balls.

Reactions: 3

flybill

· #16 · Sep 20, 2016

To actually answer your question, a line like the Rio Versitip with tips ranging in length from 5' t0 10'... at a minimum, a type 3 and type 6 tip. A short piece of T11 would be good too, 4' or 5' in length. You can always use a weighted fly to get it down. A good all around floating line or Scandi style line, and you'll have the ability to cover most of the water you need too.

Can't believe how heated this thread is... guess people need to get out and fish more...

Now back to the "classic" nymph v. swing arguments that we've covered a million or more times... plus pinning...

Good luck!

Preston

· #17 · Sep 20, 2016

Well, sorta. As in salmon, the digestive organs of the steelhead largely atrophy on its freshwater migration. It may occasionally take objects into its mouth and even swallow them but it can hardly be referred to as "feeding". The freshwater environment doesn't offer enough resources to support such a temporary population of large fish. Changes in the endocrine system as maturity (and spawning) approach induce what can be compared to a state of anorexia.

Reactions: 4

JonT

· #18 · Sep 21, 2016

Preston said:
Well, sorta. As in salmon, the digestive organs of the steelhead largely atrophy on its freshwater migration. It may occasionally take objects into its mouth and even swallow them but it can hardly be referred to as "feeding". The freshwater environment doesn't offer enough resources to support such a temporary population of large fish. Changes in the endocrine system as maturity (and spawning) approach induce what can be compared to a state of anorexia.

I dunno, "take objects into its mouth and even swallow them" sounds like the actual definition of eating.

I am not sure about other regions/rivers, but one of the rivers I fish has a kelt monitoring program that has, for several years, confirmed out-migrating post-spawn adult numbers are much higher than previously assumed (mostly hens). At some point those fish have to eat to survive, albeit not like ocean gorging, there is food in the river.

Reactions: 1

JohnB

· #19 · Sep 21, 2016

What river is that Jon?

Ryan Janos

Discussion Starter · #20 · Sep 21, 2016

flybill said:
To actually answer your question, a line like the Rio Versitip with tips ranging in length from 5' t0 10'... at a minimum, a type 3 and type 6 tip. A short piece of T11 would be good too, 4' or 5' in length. You can always use a weighted fly to get it down. A good all around floating line or Scandi style line, and you'll have the ability to cover most of the water you need too.

Can't believe how heated this thread is... guess people need to get out and fish more...

Now back to the "classic" nymph v. swing arguments that we've covered a million or more times... plus pinning...

Good luck!

Thanks for the suggestion. I've got the line ordered and now I'll be exploring making my own tips and learning about different DIY loop connectors. This trip is becoming a good excuse to try new things! I've got a number of old lines I'm going to cannibalize and figure out what tip weight/length loads my rod the best.

And as far as the "heat" on this thread... life's full of wheat and chaff.

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