To Catch a bud...

This really is a fishing story, but first a brief introduction.

I married a great guy. He’s smart, kind, and patient with me (most of the time). He can fix almost anything and he’s athletically gifted (too much praise? Well, suck it up.) We love all of the same things – skiing, windsurfing, river trips, and even our nutso dog, Kash. Oh, and fishing, especially swinging for steelhead. Rich got us addicted to that, but let’s get back to him - he is also analytical and deliberate. Nothing is done without forethought, a plan, a map into the future. We couldn’t be more alike; and we couldn’t be more different. I’m the kind of person who is still alive by sheer tenacity and a certain amount of luck. I was not blessed with a speck of “situational awareness”. In fact, I could be the driving force behind the development of “Personal Body-Bubble-Wrap”.

For example: On one of our early spey excursions to the Klickitat, I managed to fling a weighted, leechy fly into the seat of my waders. In an attempt to free myself, I took off my waist belt and the attached wading staff. I promptly dropped those into the river, and when it dawned on me that I was beltless and staffless, I stumbled frantically after them, spey rod in hand, butt still trapped by the fly. OK, the rest is obvious. I took a late evening swim in the Klick and never came near a fish. In fact, I think I scared them all away. I can just imagine Rich upstream scratching his smart head wondering what the hell I was doing. Luckily for me, the day had just about completed its fade into dark. We hauled my soggy ass home.

I have other examples, but that should suffice. Now onto the fishing story.

After a particularly successful and totally enjoyable camp trip on The Deschutes in September, I decided I needed (well, actually wanted) a new spey rod. I plotted a way to stash pieces of money here and there so that when the right stick showed up, I’d be able to buy it. I sort of let Rich know my thoughts, but I didn’t reveal the entirety of my plan. Then the planets aligned and Rich and I borrowed some demos from our pals at The Gorge Fly Shop. And just to set the record straight, this is not an advertisement for the rod I eventually purchased.

Down to the mouth of the Hood we went. We strung up our demo Sage One (7116) Switch, the Sage One (7126) Spey, and Rich’s very own and favorite rod (a 7 weight Sage TCX) for the sake of comparison. It was about 2:00 in the afternoon. Rich was seriously fishing, and I was mostly casting. The magic hour arrived – we all recognize it – that time of day when shadows lengthen and the sun turns an easy gold.

Mt. Hood

The mouth of the Hood is not a serene place. Vehicles thunder across the highway bridge, dogs bark on their way to the Spit, fishermen jockey for position. For sanity’s sake, I plugged myself into my ear buds and my MP3 player. Then it was cast and re-cast, and occasionally swing. This is where life gets interesting.

Wired to my headphones I couldn’t hear much of anything, but I looked upriver and noticed Rich sending me some type of signal, so I pulled the plugs out of my ears. He was trying to tell me that the guy on the far bank was fighting a fish and to make myself small, as in invisible, until the fish was landed. I stopped casting so I wouldn’t ruin his fight. When things quieted down, I decided to take one last cast and make a final swing through the run with the Sage One Switch. I was already in love with the rod, but my casts come and go, so I wanted to make sure it was me that was making them go away and not the rod. Finishing off the swing, I turned to wade upstream to Rich (I was done, and I wanted to trade rods one last time) when WHAM! SLAM! Yank to the bank (that was one lesson I learned and relearned a lot of times). Off like a laser, air borne on the far side, with me reeling in for all I was worth, and then he screamed back out again. Rich slowly “raced” down to me fully confident that I could handle this wild buck on my own. I had it in, and Rich grabbed the leader, but then let it go. My reel stopped turning, the line lost pressure. I looked down. My left earphone was backstroking to the Columbia, the other was jammed deep into the running line of my reel. The fish was 5 feet away from us, then 50 feet away, then deep into its hidey hole (or wherever steelhead go to recover from an adrenaline surge). So much for the soothing effects of music. I had found yet another way to NOT land a fish.

At the 10, the 20 oh the 50 and it's... gone.

These are the kinds of things that happen to me. This would never happen to Rich. Only me. I’ve never been a gentle learner. But I did make our local (and favorite) fly shop really happy. The very next day I plunked down my credit card and left the store with a brand spanking new Sage One Switch.

I didn’t choose the rod. It chose me. It’s the ONE. It really is.

Sage Fly Rod Series: The Break Down

When we hear the words, SAGE Fly Rod, we automatically think quality. As longtime leaders in the fly rod market, their commitment to innovation and delivering high performance fly fishing gear to us all has not wavered. Each rod is manufactured at the Sage factory on Bainbridge Island, Washington where incredible engineering, passion and fine attention to detail all come together to create their extensive line of fly rods. No matter where you go, what sort of fish you are chasing or even your casting preferences, there is a rod in the sage line that is perfect for you. We are very fortunate to be long time dealers of their fly rods, and the fact that they are USA-built just a few hours up the road from our shop, is yet another reason we hold Sage in the highest regard. We think they have hit it out of the park with their latest Sage One Series of fly rods that deliver incredible response and uncanny accuracy. Most recently, with the Circa Series, they have given the world of delicate minded trout anglers exactly what they have been waiting for: a slow action rod that doesn't sacrifice performance for the sake of feel. But again, have a look at all the options below to find exactly which rod is your perfect match. And rest assured, when you buy a sage, you are buying a rod years in the making and fully backed by people who care about you and the sport of fishing.

Sage One

They are calling this rod a “game changer.” And we would have to agree. The term One, derives from the idea that there is union between yourself and your fly gear. Meaning, the fly becomes an extension of your mind. I know that’s deep, but the idea here is that by using their Konnetic Technology, which delivers uncanny accuracy, your fly goes where your mind wills it to go. One rods are much lighter, slimmer in profile and extremely responsive, which all put together, makes for an incredible fishing tool, and one that feels like an extension of your body. Simply put, this is a fast action, high performance line of rods, and although it has a fast taper, it is also easy to cast in all situations. Dry flies, streamers, nymphs, freshwater, saltwater… it’s all covered in unbelievable fashion with The One Series.

TCX
This is sage’s fastest fly rod in their lineup. Using G-5 construction technology, the TCX brings serious urgency to your fishing. It’s extremely fast taper and light swing weight helps to generate tremendous amounts of line speed. This is not a delicate, easy casting fly rod, however if you want to go for great distances or you need to pick up line in a hurry, the TCX does not disappoint. This rod goes for distance in the wind, handles large streamers and drops down the hammer during the fight. For anglers new to this level of stiffness, it would be a good idea to overline it by one line size for easier casting. For those who really enjoy fast action performance, the TCX is where it’s at.

Xi3

The Xi3 one of sage’s flagship saltwater fly rod. The Xi3 is basically a revamped Xi2 that has a little more feel for easier casting and better torsional stability for straighter fly line tracking. This rod has a lot of backbone for punching flies into the wind, lifting long lengths of line up into a cast and fighting strong saltwater fish. All rods come with a fighting butt, an anodized reel seat and enlarged guides for a smooth line management. Rest easy that this rod will hold up in the salt, as that is what it is specifically designed for.

VXP

As far as fly rod prices go, the VXP is pretty much middle of the road. However, this rod still brings high level performance. We would label this rod as being in the smooth fast action category. Meaning, that although it has a performance taper, it has a level of forgiveness that makes it easy to cast. The VXP has a thin diameter blank and is, overall, very light for its class. The VXP is similar to the One in taper, however it doesn’t have the Konnetic technology seen in the One. As for responsiveness, it is not too far from the top.

Response

The Response is a fine blend of price and performance, that can be used for all types of fly fishing. As with all the rods in their line-up, careful attention has been placed on the rod’s weight and sensitivity that helps the Response live up to its name. For the price, this is a rod that beginners and experts alike, can really embrace.

TXL-F

This ultra lightweight fly rod, is for the lover of small creeks and small flies fished on light tippets. Released a few years back, this rod is dear to many as it boasts a smooth responsiveness needed for easy loading and fine-tuned delivery. There’s a lot of feel in this rod which small waters really demand.

Approach

This is as low as you can go with Sage, and guess what, you are still getting one heck of a fly rod! As Sage’s entry level rod, this one is easy to cast while still affording a notable level of performance. We highly recommend the Approach to all newcomers and to those long-time anglers who might be in need of a solid backup rod.

"Fly Fish the World with World"

Fly fish wisdom

The One

A little Fly Fishing Wisdom

The only story is that these wild fish have some extra horsepower!!!!!!!!  And that, after you choose a fly and a presentation stick to it.  Right before this fish railroaded my fly I was thinking to myself "should I have put on something smaller, darker, brighter, bigger, etc, etc..........."  Just pick the fly and do your best to present your swing in a way that it always feels like it should be "the one"!!!!!!

Palometa Club: Never Ready...

My Tropical Fly fishing adventure trip is booked...Now what do I need to make this a great trip!

Greg Darling: Photo taken on 2009 Trip

While this may sound strange to some but for me getting ready for a fishing trip is fun in itself. The planning, anticipation and gear preparation is exciting. Its the years of learning the sport, learning the species and collecting gear that now it comes down to using the knowledge to put together all the stuff that will make a great trip without hauling a truck load of gear to the airport and spending all your fun money on luggage fees.

This Trip is taking me to sunny tropics on the northeastern edge of Ascension Bay to the Palometa Club in Punta Allen, Mexico where the Permit are big, Bonefish are plentiful and Margaritas are waiting for you when you arrive back at base after a day of adventurous fishing.

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Tips and Tricks for Traveling Fun

John Garrett: Traveling Fun

Traveling Fun

One could certainly wax poetic and become mired in philosophy while trying to channel your inner Norman in order to understand this obsession with fly fishing. But at the core,fly fishing is so much damn fun. And we spend thousands of dollars for travel fly fishing because it’s really really fun. Last month, I covered what to pack to remedy our medical woes when abroad, and this month, I’d like to suggest tips, tricks and gadgets to maximize the fun aside from the fishing aspects.

Read More

Find the rest of this story and future articles in our Travel section at Gorge Fly Shop.

Arapaima Jungle Fishin'

Do you daydream about fly fishing? Since you are reading this, of course you do! Are the dreams ever about fly fishing in the wild and remote jungle of Guyana for Arapaima? What is an Arapaima? A fish that lives in freshwater, grows to over 300 lbs and will eat a fly….. sometimes. So put down that beer and hit the weight room to get ready to have even a chance at landing one of these monsters.

In 2012 anglers sponsored by Costa del Mar did exploratory fishing in the hopes of having a sustainable catch and release fly fishery that would benefit the local tribe. They lost the first 17 fish they hooked up. They came back for more punishment, braking fly lines and rods, but resulting fish to hand.

It is amazing that these extraordinary fish are still around as they are extinct in other places. What will help preserve these fish and the ecosystem they live in is signing up and fishing for them. They fish only 5 weeks per year, with 4 anglers per week. Yes, that is 20 anglers per year. The money goes to the local tribe to have their land and waters remain intact. There is pressure to mine and log their land.

They made a very compelling movie about all of this. 

Just a little preview

The next available space is November 8-15, 2014. The rate is $6000 per person. Please email or call if you are interested in living the jungle dream for a week.

Jerry Swanson

Fish Head Expeditions, LLC

jerry@fishheadexpeditions.com

503-539-1451.

April Showers

Brings Newsletter Savings!

Our next newsletter installment comes out Tuesday, April 16th, 2013. Be sure to sign up via text message or email. Our newsletter is always free and includes the latest products, gear reviews, articles, promo codes and other fly fishing shenanigans. Don't miss out on our next issue, travel talk, gear lists and savings.

The Gorge Fly Shop Team

Fishing Report for 4.09.13

Fish On!

River was on the rise and peaked near 3000 CFS...without blowing out. In these situations where the river rises but doesn't blow out, fishing can still be good. Most folks assume the river is blown and won't even bother. A quick trip to the river to check it out could pay big dividends. 

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Ready for the Deschutes Stonefly Hatch?

Larimer Outfitters | Deschutes River

Are You Ready for the Deschutes Stonefly Hatch?
The world famous Deschutes Riverstonefly emergence is primed for mid May. Are you ready for the hatch? Here’s a quick checklist of gear you’ll need to have before you hit the water.

Meeting between Men: When George met Travis

Sage rep George Cook and GFS owner Travis Duddles

Around Twenty Two years ago when Travis met George for the first time at the Portland Sports Show Travis was still in high school... They remember it like it was yesterday...

How to Get Started Fly Fishing: Part One

Greg Darling: Pond Fishin'

Mention Fly Fishing in a room full of people and inevitably someone will respond with "I always wanted to do that but don’t know how to get started”. If I had a Dime for every time I heard this, well, I would have a pocket full of dimes. But the question remains how to get started? It seems almost an enigma to the beginner. Sort of like a secret society and unless you have friends that fish or grew up fishing with family, well it can be a bewildering undertaking. But the fact is it really is not that tough. Sure there is the terminology barriers to iron out, entomology to get a masters degree in and don’t forget tradition...you must know tradition! or be cast out!...all fun aside, lets get started... [continue reading]