[pwoens]

Alright...im gonna test the Ford again this coming weekend but need some guidance from the scud masters of this site. The only fish I had on last weekend was with a small scud, compliments of ****** (thanks bro) :thumb . You can see these fish eating away at the scuds in the algae. The problem I found was it is hard to get the non-weighted scuds down to that level. My question is how can I accomplish this without putting weight on my line, which is not legal anyways??

No Mac...its not accomplished with a bunny leach LOL
~Patrick

><> Matthew 4:19

 

[Preston]

Put a few turns of lead (or non-lead) wire on the hook shank before tying your scuds or tie them with metal bead heads. Use different-colored thread when tying the heads to differentiate between weighted and unweighted versions (or put a dot of paint on the head).

 

[DEREK]

Back when I fished the ford, my hot fly was always a #10 scud hook with a bead on the front, body wrapped in heavy lead and covered with taxi cab yellow dubbing. It would sink like a rock and often lodge itself on the bottom.

Fish comes by, you give it a little twitch and they just roll right over and pick it up. I used to spank them like this, but its been a while.

 

[pwoens]

Makes sense...thanks for the above info. So just a little twitch on the line to make the scud bounce up when the fish is near by?? perfect. thanks again :thumb

~Patrick ><>

 

[Ricardo O.]

Patrick, are you going to overnight or day trip it?

The only fish I had on last weekend was on a scud with a S/I about 18" above. I across from Lot 2 area letting it slow drift to the shore line where I could see tails showing. When I tried to mend the line it jerked the scud and WHAM! I had my two second thrill. If you're tying try a little orange dubbing mid-section to make a "preggie" scud.

Roper,

Truth above all

 

[crockett]

The following pattern fished as Derek described works nicely as well.

body of olive squirrel dubbing with a red bead midway down the shank, epoxy over flashabou for a shellback, hackle fibers for head and tail on a 10-12 scud hook

-Crock

 

[198]

Apparently, few of you read my e-mails regarding Rocky Ford Creek and the most successful fly. On the 23rd of December, I reported landing 15 and on the 31st I landed 9 and broke off 2 others - all on the same fly! That is probably more than the "Rugged group" caught all together!

I use a Black Marabou Leech (short tail) on a size 12 4x hook. It is weighted with a single wire on the top, thus tracks upside down avoiding hookups on the weeds.

The secret is exactly what a fellow answered me on the 31st when I asked "What are you using?". He answered "casting long, real long.'"

Yes, you can catch these fish in some areas on Olive Green Scuds, but if you really want to catch some of these lunkers, heed above,

Al: professor

 

[MacRowdy]

Alright Al Dog, Good brag. You caght the hell out of them! :thumb Well you and I should have a "leech off" one of these days. I landed 30 and hooked 50 one day in 2002.

MacRowdy

 

[pwoens]

probably just a day trip, early in the morning back in the evening. I think I know what needs to be packed away in my box this time and im hoping to dial it in. :dunno

thanks for all the insight on the Ford...hopefully there will be no gathering of the masses this time :7

~Patrick ><>

 

[pwoens]

WHATEVER...and whatever doesnt mean yes this time. I would tend to believe that you probably woke up after all these fish were caught.

~Patrick ><>

 

[fly15]

First of all olive scuds do catch the most and biggest fish out of the ford if you have the right pattern and no how to fish it.
I will not devulge the secret scud but will tell you it is a size 14 and solid olive with no orange section. As for catching 15 in a day thats an average to bad day for me. The method that was mentioned before were you let your scud sink into the weeds in front of a fish and when it is about 2 feet a way you give it a tiny twitch just enough to move the weeds a little bit and the fish will go right down in to the weeds and suck it out.
I have only fished rocky ford about 3 times but so far my biggest I have hooked is 26" inches which was actually measured not guestimated. I have lost several that were between 28" and 32" inches long. The reason scuds work so good is if you observe the fish and weeds in the ford you will notice all of the scuds and you can watch the fish eat scuds all day long. Personanlly I have yet to see a leech in rocky ford although I have caught fish on leech patterns but not near as many or as big of fish as on scuds. Just my 2 cents worth but it does work incredibly well. Good luck at the ford:beer2

fly15

 

[DEREK]

These numbers sound preposterous, especially for someone who goes over there and gets their but kicked, but I tend to believe them. Several years back, some fly shop guys I know would go over there and fish scuds and post those kind on numbers (yes, the 50 fish kind of numbers) They would carry counters and click in every fish for an exact count. One of these guys now is casting a long line and with a leech and spanking them. He was the first guy I heard of doing it.

When I was first fishing the ford, few people were fishing scuds, and they were insane deadly on the drift. Gradually everyone started fishing them and you were hard pressed to pick up a fish with a drifting scud. So we started fishing them right on the bottom as I described and we knocked the snot out of them. It wasn't long before that technique caught on and it didn't work as well either (although it does still work).

Now the hot thing is casting a long line with a leech. This is probably going to work real well until every seven weight packin' rainier chuggin' flyfisher down there is doing the same thing. The fish will smarten up and it won't work so well. The whole idea behind casting the long line is that your reaching fish that other people are not reaching. As soon as everyone is reaching them, game over.

As long as we are bragging around here I might as well join in. My last outing was on a puget sound beach with a good friend. I got skunked and shown up by my buddy, who got two. It rained the whole time and the wind blew something fierce. I forgot my gloves and my waders had numerous leaks. We had the beach to ourselves, and didn't have to drive 78 hours and stay in a best western to fish there. I wouldn't have traded it for a day on rocky ford.

To many whacko's with weird pants over there for me (sorry McRowdy, I couldn't help myself)

 

[Old Man]

The thrill is not in the kill---But to let them go.

You are all talking about scuds on the 'Ford. My question is do scuds work is all rivers or just the ones in Eastern Washington. :dunno . Since all I like to do is fish moving water I thought that I would ask.

Jim

 

[baseballandfishing]

while were at at would a 5 wt suffice at rfc?

 

[mtlhead]

A 5wt is actualy 2 lines heavier than some of my buddies fish with over there.:smokin

 

[Guest]

I gotta chime in.

Last fall I took my nephew to a local high lake just as it was being stocked with tryps. With my old Pflueger Purist six weight and a black wooley bugger he caught fish all day, non stop. The last thing on my mind was counting. It's really easy to post and come off a little cocky. The original question was "how do I fish scuds at the Ford?" Not: "Please belittle my abilities by saying you catch more fish than the rest of us." People who count fish are as bad as those a__holes who go into fly ships yelling into their cellphones about all the steelhead they just caught a half hour prior. Funny how their hands never smell like fish and their eyes start to dart when you ask them where or how.:rolleyes

 

[topflight121]

Pat, if you want to know how to fish the ford... Ask your dad! I seem to remember him out fishing you both days.:thumb

good luck

josh

 

[pwoens]

You're lucky its early in the morning cause I can not think of anything to say except --- I'll be fishing tommorow and you wont.

hey you up for a day trip to the Ford?? if so we are going tommorow just for the day. anyone else interested??

cya

~Patrick ><>

 

[MacRowdy]

Hahaha Derek you are killing me. I would drive 1000 miles to kick it at that wonderful best western in Ephrata any day. The service is great! hahaha And hey be nice to the pants.

You guys are masters. I can't fish with a scud if my life depended upon it. However, this post has really inspired me to tie up some 3 OZ scuds and see how well I can sink them in the mud. The ford is just a fun place where you can get your big fish fix.

PWoens, hope you have good luck this weekend. Hope your Dad doesn't go with you. And bring a camera because I think you are going to slay them.

Mac

 

[PeteM]

Old Man, I've used olive scuds on the Snoqualmie below the falls. It was in a large rocky area that had heavy moss. The scuds worked well bounced down the rocks. The current was too heavy to have the scud rest. I've found it has only been productive at certain times of the year however.

I haven't found a similar area above the falls where I prefer to fish if time permits. The lower snoqualmie is reachable during the lunch hour while the upper isn't.

Pete