Hot Off the Press: Winston AIR 2 TH Is Here

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of the brand new Winston Air 2 TH Series of Spey Rods from R.L. Winston.  Just in time for the tail end of summer steelhead season!  Air 2 TH hits close to home as the entire series was designed and fine-tuned by local legendary guide, Brian Silvey.  These rods were dialed in with the line systems we use on the Northwest steelhead rivers we all know and love.  Winston's Air TH series was excellent and has a huge following, but the new version is a completely different animal!  The Gorge Fly Shop Staff was fortunate enough to spend some time on the water with these rods prior to their release.  Here's a rundown of the major upgrades:

Line-Friendly

This might be the most important upgrade to the series.  Initial feedback from the GFS staff and the Northwest Winston rep, Eric Neufeld, is that Air 2 TH likes a lot of different lines!  Our staff fished the 7129 for a few days on the Deschutes recently and tried several different Scandi and Skagit heads.  Historically speaking, when a Spey rod is available in a longer and shorter 7 weight, the longer option tends to be more all-purpose.  They usually fish well with Scandis and Skagits, alike.  Conversely, the shorter 7's tend to be faster.  They're excellent for heavy metal sink tip fishing, but can be tough to find an ideal dry line for.  That was the real shocker about this 7129.  It fished a 450-480 grain Scandi extremely well with excellent line speed.  That begged the question.....will it have enough under the hood for a heavy sink tip and fly.  And it does!  No problem whatsoever with 10' of T-14 and a weighted fly.  When talking with Eric about the various other configurations he fished, the data was conclusive.  These rods like a lot of different lines and have a fairly broad grain weight window.  This is going to make the series incredibly versatile across the board.       

Grip

Nothing dampens the feel of a great blank like too much cork....and Winston took note of that.  Air 2 TH has a very slim upper and lower grip providing for excellent hand-to-line feel when casting.  This was a huge upgrade from its predecessor.  

Weight

These things feel crazy light in hand.  The 7's feel like a lot of other brands' 6's.  That does not, however, come at the expense of sacrificed power.  They have ample low-end stiffness to accommodate heavy tips and flies and XL fish.  

Additional Configurations

Winston added a few new length/weight combos this time around.  Two that stand out are the 5123 and 8126.  The older Air TH 5120 has a cult following among summer steelhead dry line addicts.  It may very well have been the best casting rod of that series.  That said, it was a hair short.  The additional length will be a very welcome upgrade here.  Then there's the 8126.  A shorter/stouter 8 weight for winter steelhead in tight quarters.  This one is going to be a quick front runner on the coast this winter!

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - September 12, 2025

Deschutes Steelhead

The weather is changing out in the desert.  It's even been periodically rainy as of late!  Look for stable weather patterns to produce the best fishing.  One thing Deschutes steelhead hate is change.  Even theoretically positive weather changes.  Dark and rainy for several days in a row is good.  So is bright and sunny.  The day when the weather changes drastically from one to the other tends to be tougher.  We get that a lot later into the fall and it's just a part of the program. 

On the plus side, water temps on the lower river couldn't be much better.  Temps have been hovering in the 56-59 degree range down at the mouth and it doesn't get any better than that!  All methods are viable, but it's hard to deny how good the dry line fishing has been.  Be ready with some smaller comeback flies.  If you find a biter and can't seal the deal with your go-to searching pattern, show the fish something small and buggy, like a Steelhead Coachman or Undertaker.  And don't be afraid to go really small.  Sometimes it seems like the only limitation to how small of a fly they'll grab is having a hook stout enough to hold a fish!

Deschutes Trout

It's an awfully sporty time to be trout fishing out there right now!  The cool and rainy weather has spurred some BWO activity.  Caddis are still present to some degree.  There have been a bunch of October Caddis around, too.  Though the adult is sadly not a huge part of the game, the trout definitely love the pupa.  If you do some indicator fishing out there, mix a big October Caddis pupa into the program.  They love 'em!  

Fall is also a great time to streamer fish.  With much colder weather impending, some of the bigger trout are looking for more of a mouthful.  Smaller sculpins and a variety of leech patterns will do the trick

Mount Hood Lakes

The local stillwater season is winding down.  Check the regulations as many of the alpine lakes close to fishing at the end of the month.  With colder weather up high, expect many of the lakes to be in the process of turning over if they haven't done so already.  This tends to mean there will be some color in the water.  If that's the case, stick with darker leech patterns.  Slowly strip them along on an intermediate line, or fish them below an indicator.  

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Hoody's Hanger - New Steelhead Skating Fly from Aqua

There is simply nothing like taking a steelhead on a skating fly. The pursuit brings out innovative new designs to entice this steelhead bite. 

After many years of skating dry flies for steelhead, Hoody found that tying his skaters on a 60° hook had the most success. The fly skates, pops and gurgles, making it hard for fish to resist. 

Hoody's Hanger is easy to cast and will pop well due to the tail end of the fly being weighed down by the hook. This keeps the legs down and the foam up for that iconic pop. 

Greatest of all are most of the fish hooked on the 60° jig hook are landed. 

Black and blue for those early morning dawn patrols and over cast days, orange for bright fish, and white for that 12 O’clock lunch fish when everyone’s taking a nap.

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Friday's Featured Fly

It's Streamer Season! RIO's Brown Town is a fantastic, Articulated Streamer. This fly will hunt in any water that has big, aggressive trout.

Purple is one of those colors that has a proven track record. Solitude's Summer Run uses shades of purple to create depth and contrast that steelhead find hard to resist.

"Steelhead like Green Butt's, they can't lie." Solitude's Fall Run is great, darker profile fly with hot-dubbed green and gold butt.

Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - September 25, 2025

 

Deschutes Steelhead

Fishing remains strong on the Deschutes.  By this point in the season, there are fish spread throughout the lower river.  Things should be picking up nicely up high.  Down low, the recent blast of heat (now gone) had significantly warmed the Columbia.  This created a perfect situation to drive in tons of strays destined for rivers further east.  The moral of the story is, if you want to get a fall trip in out there, pick your favorite zone and go!  The weather forecast is absolutely beautiful.  It's all lining up for some great times out there.

As for the fishing, wow, has the dry line bite been good!  It always is, but it's been exceptional this time around.  Many anglers that are not intimately familiar with the river assume that getting down deeper is more productive, but that's really not the case until the water temps get much colder.  Common practice is to fish a dry line in the shade and switch over to a sink tip in the high sun.  This is a very effective approach, but there are ways to get them near the surface in high sun.  A big part of that is spot selection.  If you are not a sink tip person, think a lot about sun angles with your floating line.  If you can, pick a spot where the fish will be chasing your fly away from the sun and/or toward a dark background.  It doesn't hurt to go with a bigger/darker hair wing or muddler, either.  They don't quit grabbing flies near the surface in the sunlight, but fishing something that they can see and track easily dramatically ups the odds. 

Deschutes Trout

It's sure starting to feel pretty trouty out there!  Water temps are cooling and all methods are working.  In the bug world, there have been some massive hatches of smaller BWO's as of late along with the caddis.  With cooler nights, look for the best caddis fishing to be in the evening on warmer days.  It seems like the they have been on the fade a little compared to a few weeks ago.  There have also been some sightings of Golden Stones, of all things.  Though I wouldn't expect to see much in the line of a surface bite on these, there must be plenty of active stonefly nymphs out there.  For all of you streamer junkies, this is a great time to get going with your favorite Trout Spey.  This is the perfect time to streamer fish.  

Mount Hood Lakes

Early fall is a wonderful time to sneak in some stillwater fishing.  The weather is lovely and the crowds of summer have faded.  Be ready for the few remaining Callibaetis to be going on warmer days.  Beyond that, chironomids should make some sporadic showings.  Smaller terrestrials will also get fish looking up on a sunny afternoon.  Aside from that, the subsurface fishing should really get cranking.  The high alpine trout become keenly aware of the fact that cold weather is around the corner.  They take the opportunity to pack on some weight before the deep freeze sets in.  Yet another excellent fall fishing opportunity here in the PNW!  

     

R.L. Winston Air 2 - 5pc Fly Rod - New for 2025

 

9/25/2025 - Available at Gorge Fly Shop - IN-STOCK

Introducing the New Winston AIR 2 Pack/Travel Rods

Big performance now comes in a pack-able design. The new Winston AIR 2 five-piece fly rods bring Winston's award-winning AIR 2 material platform into a travel-ready trout rod that’s light, strong, and delivers the legendary Winston feel.

Crafted with nano-particle graphite and resin, these rods offer a smooth loading action, fast line speed, and pinpoint accuracy — all in a compact design that fits in carry-ons, backpacks, or saddle bags. Whether you’re heading deep into the backcountry or traveling across the globe, the AIR 2 redefines what a packable rod can do.

Each of the 3 model features premium components like a figured Box Elder reel seat with nickel silver hardware, hard chrome slick-coated guides, and comes with a 24.5” graphite tube and logo rod sock.

Designed and handcrafted in Twin Bridges, Montana, the AIR 2 Travel is ready to take you — and your fishing — farther. - "Travel the World with Us", plan your next destination and order today at Gorge Fly Shop before they're gone. ORDER NOW - 541-386-6977

Specs

Model	Line Weight	Length	Grip	Sections
490-5	4	9'	Flor Grad Cigar with  Uplocking Box Elder	5
590-5	5	9'	Flor Grad Cigar with  Uplocking Box Elder	5
690-5	6	9'	Flor Grad Cigar with  Uplocking Box Elder	5

 

 

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - September 5, 2025

Deschutes Steelhead

September is here and it's full-on steelhead time.  It's been up, it's been down, it's been...well, normal steelhead fishing!  There was a wave of fish in the lower Deschutes a couple weeks ago that yielded some pretty unbelievable fishing for a while. That faded after a bit and settled in to a pretty standard good bite.  Anglers putting in shade sessions in the morning and evening have been rewarded with approximately 1-3 opportunities per day.  Sometimes more and sometimes less.  Call it standard steelhead fishing.  It's been great!  Particularly the dry line fishing.  The high sun sink tip bite will improve here shortly as the water temps come down.   

Angler etiquette is certainly worth mentioning at this point in the season.  The reality of the Lower Deschutes, especially the lower 10 miles, is that if there are a good number of fish going over the Dalles Dam, it's going to be busy. Hikers, bikers, rafts, drift boats, float tubes, gear and fly...anglers abound down there. With this in mind, everyone needs to be attuned to fishing with and around others.  You hear the term "Low Holing" thrown around a lot, but it's important to know what the definition of low holing actually is.  If you are fishing a distinct pool with a defined start and finish, that's your spot.  If someone jumps in below you within that defined piece, that is low holing.  Plan A is always to fish a run above the first angler, but that's not always possible.  The gray area is if there is another run below the first one that is technically a separate and unique spot.  Some people will be totally fine with you jumping into the second spot below and some will not be!  Good courtesy is to simply talk to the other angler and hash out a mutually agreeable plan if possible.  If that's not possible, party on.  It's not worth getting into a confrontation over.  Along these same lines, it's also important to recognize that you can't expect to have a gigantic stretch of water all to yourself for an extended period of time.  Sometimes people don't show up and you might get a few back-to-back runs, but that's not the norm.  Furthermore, do not under any circumstances be afraid to fish behind people.  Maybe you're casting a little further, swinging at a different speed or using a different fly.  All these factors and some others contribute to you hooking one.

Deschutes Trout

The trout have been noticeably active in spite of the recent heat.  You do not want to be a hapless caddis on the water at first or last light!  The trout have been on them like glue.  Most of the surface activity has disappeared during the high sun, but you'd likely do well nymphing faster water during the day. We're just a few days away from a major cooldown that will make the trout fishing much better through the entire day instead of it being a first and last light deal.  Steelhead steal the show in the early fall, but the trout fishing is not to be ignored.  It can be just excellent!

Mount Hood Lakes

Well, we're coming out of the longest spell of heat we've had the entire summer.  Surface temps on the local lakes have been a bit on the warm side.  A lot of the active trout will be at or below the thermocline until things cool a bit.  This means it's time to go deep.  Heavier sinking lines and extra long leaders with slip strike indicators will be the ticket to get you in the zone.  The impending cooler weather along with the shorter period of daylight should drop water temps here shortly.  There is still plenty of good lake fishing to be had this season.  With schools back in session and most summer vacations wrapped up, the traffic on the lakes should be on the slide.  The remainder of the stillwater season will present some excellent opportunities with relatively low fishing pressure.  Pretty fun!  

          

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Fly Fishing the Klickitat River

Discover fly fishing on Washington’s Klickitat River. Learn about steelhead and salmon seasons, river access, boat launches, guides, and the best places to stay and eat near the Columbia River Gorge.

The Klickitat River, known locally as “the Klick”, is a 95-mile, glacier-fed river that offers anglers incredible opportunities for Summer Steelhead, Chinook Salmon, and Rainbow Trout. Even Mountain Whitefish have their place here, though they’re less pursued.

With plenty of bank access, multiple boat launches, and campsites scattered along its course, the Klick is one of the Columbia River Gorge’s most versatile fisheries. Whether you’re hiking in, floating by drift boat, or camping riverside, this river delivers. Along the way, keep an eye out for wildlife—turkey, deer, otters, and even elk in the upper stretches.

Fishing Seasons:

• Steelhead: Typically June through November (check yearly regulations).

• Salmon: Year-round below Lyle Falls; above the falls reopens Aug. 1, 2025.

• Whitefish: Open all year, with winter being the prime season.

Access:

• Road: Hwy 142 parallels 18 miles of the lower Klick, offering excellent bank fishing.

• Boat: Popular floats include Slide to Ice House and Ice House to Town. Longer floats like Stinson to Ice House are also a favorite.

Where to Stay & Eat:

• Stay: Klickitat River Inn, Hood River hotels, or luxe glamping at Under Canvas.

• Eat: Hood River has endless options—favorites include Solstice Wood Fire Pizza, Double Mountain Brewery, and Stoked Coffee Roasters. In Klickitat, don’t miss Huntington’s Bar & Grill, famous for its steaks.

Guides:

• Travis Wallace: (509) 850-5125

• Sam Sickles: (541) 400-0855

For fishing licenses, visit Bridge Mart (Bingen), Lyle Merc, or Canyon Market (Klickitat).

Whether you’re after steelhead, chasing salmon, or just soaking up the Gorge scenery, the Klickitat offers one of the Northwest’s most rewarding river experiences.

Thanks for reading, get out there, be safe on the water and have fun!

GFS Team

John

Want to dive deeper into fishing the Klickitat? Visit SteelheadBum for more.

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