Fishing for steelhead continues to be pretty slow on local rivers but it’s picking up slowly on the coast, hopefully those fish move right on up the Columbia to the Sandy and the Clackamas and further upstream to the Gorge. That isn’t to say no fish are being caught but it’s pretty thin so far. The rivers are in great shape and other than being a bit wet out it should be game on. I’ll post more when I know more but we got a bunch of rain recently and the rivers are staying up nice and high. I got my fingers crossed!
In early November (2018), Gorge Fly Shop started work on what will be our future home. Just minutes away from busy downtown Hood River with plenty of parking for fully outfitted fly fishing rigs and travelers alike.
Oh Yeah, and our parking will be free!
01.23.19 UPDATE
Adams and Sons Hi-Vis Fly Tray System
We are all so very excited to make the move this Spring. So we got an early start by putting together our brand new Adams and Sons Hi-Vis Fly Tray System. Check out John providing a watchful eye as his first day back from... let's call it vacation - making sure Travis gets the job done right. This display will be just one of many exciting new editions for the new shop.
#cantwaitforspring
01.17.19 UPDATE
The dividing wall between the showroom and warehouse space is finally up. This area will be all product storage, our new stockroom! The image above left is the doorway to our shipping room.
01.10.19 UPDATE
The final dividing wall going up between the shop and the rest of the warehouse.
01.3.19 UPDATE
12.27.18 UPDATE
In these next couple of photos we are excited to show things are progressing and coming together quite nicely as Travis looks upon the progress as walls are now erected. The first photo below will be the shipping room. Stair case and storage room below the stairs are yet built. Office space to the right where a open window will allow online orders to be efficiently processed and sent to the shipping room. Down the hall more office space and a break room followed by the showroom. Second photo below is just a narrow view of the showroom. Double door entry to the left (unseen) to the right the checkout counter. Behind Travis will be the hallway back to the photo above.
Interior walls erected!
12.21.18 UPDATE
Floors are done! Walls have begun.
12.19.18 UPDATE
A stable foundation
Concrete is finished! This is a huge step forward. Having this new level floor, (without carpet) is going to bring a refreshing change to store and staff.
12.13.18 UPDATE
Old meets New
In this update we introduce where the old meets the new! What your looking at in the above photo will be future home to a showroom, office space, a much larger stock room and much more. Integrating the old timber with the new. The gravel is laid and provides the base for our foundation before the interior walls go up.
12.6.18 UPDATE
Coming Soon. To an angler near you.
Just a few notes about what is going on...
If you've ever visited the current location of "The Gorge" you know we outgrew it several years ago. The search for a new location started a few years ago. We tried to stay in town but just couldn't find space that could suit our retail needs as well as our growing e-commerce needs.
It was then that Travis started to think outside the box. What else can we make work for us. Our answer was sitting, waiting, nestled in a little business complex just off highway 35. With easy access and room to grow the decision pretty much made itself.
While this building appears modern it's actually quite old with a rich history. A history of which the Travis' family is well aware of. As we move forward we will be sharing this history with you.
We thank you for your continued support and wish to share this excitement for future great things at The Gorge Fly Shop.
Since the original InTouch Big Nasty was introduced 2 years ago, its legacy carries on with exciting new formats including Multi-Density configurations and LumaLux Glow options. Here is a review of the current lineup options.
InTouch Big Nasty 3D F/H/I
This Triple Density version features an Intermediate sink tip with a "Hover" body and a Floating run line. It is a great line to fish just below surface in the top 2 feet. Good option on shallow streamer stripping and can really help your success by getting under the surface on choppy water days.
This Four Density version features a Type 3 Sinking Tip joined to an Intermediate to a Hover and finally to a Floating run line. This configuration is a great choice to fish up to 4 feet deep while keeping a straight line contact to your fly for maximum sensitivity. The unique taper design helps to smooth out your casting with the seamless density transitions.
This Four Density Version is designed to get you deeper. Fish this on a tight line in 4 - 8 feet water and let the InTouch Ultra-low stretch ConnectCore keep you connected through your entire retrieve. A perfect choice line for days when fish won't move far and getting in their zone is the equation for success. It starts with a deep sinking S5 sinking tip into a S3 sinking tip to an Intermediate to a Floating run line.
The original InTouch Big Nasty Floating features a short powerful front taper that is slightly heavier then AFTMA standards. It uses the DualTone Marking system to make it easy to identify the loading point in the line.
For 2019, InTouch Big Nasty expanded to include a WF5F size in Moss/Orange and WF6F & WF8F in the LumaLux Glow in the the dark models for night time mouse'n.
Specs -
SKU
Line Size
Color
30' Head Length
Head Length
Sink Rate
Total Length
6-21533
WF5F
Moss / Orange
39ft 12m
Float
100ft 30.5m
6-21171
WF6F
Moss / Orange
175gr
40ft 12.2m
Float
100ft 30.5m
6-21172
WF7F
Moss / Orange
200gr
40ft 12.2m
Float
100ft 30.5m
6-21173
WF8F
Moss / Orange
230gr
40ft 12.2m
Float
100ft 30.5m
6-21174
WF9F
Moss / Orange
260gr
40ft 12.2m
Float
100ft 30.5m
6-21175
WF10F
Moss / Orange
305gr
40ft 12.2m
Float
100ft 30.5m
6-21652
WF6F
LumaLux Glow
175gr
40ft 12.3m
Float
100ft 30.5m
6-211653
WF8F
LumaLux Glow
230gr
40ft 12.3m
Float
100ft 30.5m
Big Nasty Leaders and Tippet
In addition to a complete range of InTouch Big Nasty lines RIO also has supplied us with leaders and tippet up to the task.
Made from medium stiff nylon material with high abrasion resistance these new leaders and tippet provide strong turnover power for easy casting of streamers, terrestrials and bass bugs in all kinds of weather conditions.
Bauer Fly Reel Company has a strong following pf passionate anglers worldwide. They all unanimously agree that it's hard to find a reel as smooth as a Bauer. Check out video...
Currently fishing for winter steelhead is still pretty slow on local rivers which is pretty normal for this time of year. We’ve had a high pressure system sitting on us bringing big winds form the east, sunny skies and low cold and clear fishing conditions. These are the toughest conditions that exist for winter steelhead fishing. The good news is rain is on the way at the end of the week along with some warmers weather.
Local fish hatcheries are recycling some hatchery steelhead, as well as the North Fork Nehalem. For now, I would concentrate my effort on the North Coast rivers, many of these rivers fish well when our local rivers approach too low conditions. When the rains hit we hope to see some decent numbers of steelhead show in the local rivers like the Clackamas, Sandy and Hood Rivers.
If you do go chase chrome focus on the spot where there is enough water to provide cover, fish heavy tips and pair your flies down a bit.
Trout fishing will be good all winter on the Deschutes and other east side rivers. Standard winter tactics should include swinging sculpins and other streamers on heavy sink tips, nymph fishing, and an always open eye for blue wing olives mid day. The weather system moving in should bring some good opportunities to fish blue winged olive mid day.
Most States are migrating to a DIY Print your own and Digital system. Welcome to Oregon. Are you annoyed yet with the new process or just confused? We hope this helps. First off, let us say we understand many of you usually go into a storefront like a Walmart or Bi-mart to obtain your license. We suggest you try to login at home first. We have had many reports that some people end up with a new account. Losing all their old data and preference points if that applies to you. ODFW no longer prints out licenses on waterproof paper. Be warned, if you go into a store be sure to use your ODFW ID number. If your not an Oregonian and only require a day license it's not an issue but still advisable to download the app listed below, especially for the in app offline "catch card" feature.
"I am a new customer or have not purchased an ANNUAL license in the last 3 years"
If this is you, click this link RIGHT HERE.Once you have created a new account you will be on the home screen. Scroll down for purchasing. Or
Moving Forward:If you had an Annual Oregon fishing license in the past 3 years?
WE CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH!
You must VERIFY/LOOK UP your account FIRST. See the brown tab in the above image? That's it, CLICK IT. Now this is important, we have found the easiest NEXT step is to obtain your ODFW ID number and use this option in the drop down. We have come across fewer issues using this method. If you can't find it or obtain it, you do have a few other options. Email and Phone number. More on that later. The video below will walk you through the required steps to verify your account if need be.
If you do not have a phone number or email associated with account and don’t know your Hunter/Angler ID#, call or email ODFW (odfw.websales@state.or.us / (503) 947-6101) or visit a license sales agent and ask them to find you in the system.
VERIFY/LOOK UP ACCOUNT:
Verify / Look Up your Account First with your ODFW ID Number
After finding your account and verifying everything you will find yourself on the HOMEscreen. See image below.
Once logged in, this is now your Customer Home Screen
Ready to Purchase your License?
Hang on! You made it this far. Let's double check your profile information first. See that box just above. It says "YOUR ACCOUNT". Click on Your Profileand
verify that everything looks good. Email, Phone number and Address. I
noticed my email was wrong (probably my fault) so any future correspondents or more
importantly, if I needed to reset my username or password those would
never reach my inbox. Now that everything is verified, click save and go
back to the Home Screen.
Purchase from the Catalog: If your ready to purchase a license you may do so by clicking the "PURCHASE FROM THE CATALOG" image. You'll see something that looks similar to the image below.https://odfw.huntfishoregon.com/customer/catalog
Annual Options
One, Two, Three day Options. One day endorsements can also be found under the endorsement tab.
For myself, I'm a hunter angler. So it's slightly cheaper for me to get the Annual Combination License now and be done with it. If your out of State or in need of the SportPac those options will be available to you as well. Read everything carefully, but for the most part it's fairly straightforward. When you ADD an item, it's automatically added to the shopping cart. A pop up window will verify and ask if you would like to go to the shopping cart or keep shopping (Add more options). At the same time, items in your cart will be visible on the right hand side of the screen.
Be sure to add your Endorsement if this applies to you. Remember this is the Columbia River and their tributaries.
I also added my Shellfish License because we enjoy crabbing. You may also need a Harvest Card. Quick note on Harvest Card. If you download the app. It is available Offline.
REVIEW YOUR CART CAREFULLY
From here it's as simple as verify your cart. Make sure it's what you want and continue to the payment page and pay for your purchase.
The quick down and dirty fishing report. People are catching steelhead on local rivers…but not very many. We had some nice spikes in river levels over the last couple of weeks and it brought a few fish into the rivers. As of this week river levels are all at prime levels, ie, very fishable. We have a couple nasty days of rain on the way which is always good for fishing but not real fun to fish in. The rivers will not rise much from the rain with a freezing level around 2000'. This week should bring some of the best sustained conditions for steelhead fishing we’ve had. There are not a lot of fish around so be thorough, fish well and with sharp hooks. Look for the next big spike a drop for larger numbers of new fish.
Trout fishing will be good all winter on the Deschutes and other east side rivers. Standard winter tactics should include swinging sculpins and other streamers on heavy sink tips, nymph fishing, and an always open eye for blue wing olives mid day.
Local fish hatcheries are recycling some hatchery steelhead, as well as the North Fork Nehalem. For now, I would concentrate my effort on the North Coast rivers, many of these rivers fish well when our local rivers approach too low conditions. When the rains hit we hope to see some decent numbers of steelhead show in the local rivers like the Clackamas, Sandy and Hood Rivers.
