Christmas Island Pictures from the Crew

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Reminder: Trout Whisperers Steelhead Edition at pFriem Brewery

 

Join the Trout Whisperers at pFriem Family Brewers in Hood River, Oregon on Thursday evening, February 8th, 2024 for an in-depth conversation from local experts and learn to unlock the secrets of steelhead. 

Hope to see you there

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Casting a Line to Success

Angler and Gorge Fly Shop owner Travis Duddles shows off the trout he caught at Justesen Lake. Photos by Lindsey Duddles

Article written by our friends at Ruralite Magazine.

 

Travis Duddles and Gorge Fly Shop lead the industry

By Drew Myron

Hood River’s first fly-fishing shop is now 31 years old. Established in 1992 by teenage angler Travis Duddles, Gorge Fly Shop is an industry leader now in Odell. “Moving to Odell was the best thing we ever did,” Travis says.

In 2019, Gorge Fly Shop moved from a visible downtown Hood River storefront to an industrial spot tucked along Lower Mill Road less than 10 miles away in Odell. The new location offers a combination of walk-in retail shop and ample storage space to fulfill online orders.

As a teen, Travis built a business on fun. Three decades later, that passion endures. Many consider Travis and his shop to be bellwethers in the field of fly fishing.

From a young age, Travis was both an entrepreneur and overachiever. The Hood River wunderkind was only 8 when he first went fly fishing with an old rod he found lying around the house. By 10, he started tying flies for money.

The hobby quickly ballooned, and he produced thousands of flies each year.

His patterns attracted accolades, earning first-place and runner-up finishes in competitions. Soon he was making enough money to take notice.

“I had to start filing tax returns at 12,” Travis says. By 17, he was eager to expand his hobby. “I had to learn to do something I love and make money at it,” he says.

Photo: Travis Duddles opened Gorge Fly Shop more than 30 years ago. Today, Travis and the business are leaders in the fly-fishing industry. Photo by Drew Myron.

Still a senior in high school, Travis pushed through classes to graduate early so he could open a storefront. With $3,000 saved from fly sales, and a bit of help from his parents, Albert and Ruth, the teenager established Gorge Fly Shop.

The small shop opened in February 1992 in Oak Mall, tucked behind Bette’s Place on Fourth and Oak streets.

The store was popular with local anglers tired of driving to Portland for gear and supplies, and with visitors who were discovering the area’s recreation possibilities.

“We opened small, and grew and grew,” Travis says. “I took everything we made and put it back into the shop.

“Back then, windsurfing was a big deal. If the wind didn’t blow, they didn’t have anything to do, so they’d shop and fish. Then we got a reputation as a destination shop.”

By 1997, the shop needed more space. It moved down the street to a larger and more visible location on the corner of Second and Oak streets.

Gorge Fly Shop was an anchor in the downtown core for 22 years.

Photo: In 2012, Travis, center, and his parents, Albert and Ruth, celebrated 20 years in business. Photo courtesy of Travis Duddles.

“Customer service has made the difference,” Travis says. By the early 2000s, as the internet grew, business models changed. Once again, Travis was an early adopter.

“We were one of the first fly shops on the web,” he says. “Online sales took off really quick.”

Today, online orders represent 90% of all sales. The shop’s comprehensive website features thousands of products. Rods, reels and waders are consistent top sellers, with customers hailing from across the world.

“We’re one of the top 5 shops in terms of sales,” Travis says. “We’ve been doing it so long.”

Though quiet with an unassuming manner, Travis, now 49, remains a leader in the field.

“He is one of the most astute players in the U.S.,” says George Cook, renowned angler and longtime representative for companies that manufacture fishing gear. “I met Travis when he was just barely out of school. I was 29, and he was 18. It was shocking to see someone of his age and caliber.

He’s dedicated to the craft and unrelenting in study. Over the years, I’ve seen lots of people come and go. He’s a real warrior of the pursuit.”

Travis resists the praise.

He is quick to credit his staff, a team of nine that includes his wife of 21 years, Lyndsey. The couple live in Parkdale and have two teenage children, Maddie and Austin.

Photo: Travis holds a Louisiana bull redfish. Photo by Lyndsey Duddles.

Many of the shop employees have worked with Travis for years or have known him since he was a kid growing up in Hood River’s west end.

Travis doesn’t tie flies much anymore, though he is still fully committed to the business and has no plans to retire. He still casts a line at least once a week.

“I grew up fishing the Hood River where there’s piles of good trout,” he says. “The Columbia has smallmouth bass fishing, and the Deschutes has steelhead and trout. And I love tropical locations.”

In the early years of the business, before marriage and children, Travis offered guided fishing trips throughout the region. Now that the pandemic has eased, he says he looks forward to restarting hosted fishing expeditions in exotic locations.

In 2024, a small group of fly-fishing enthusiasts will travel to Christmas Island, 1,200 miles south of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.

“It’s extremely remote,” he says. “It’s fun to go explore.”

Throughout 3 decades, the more things change—store locations, sales methods and inventory—the more they stay the same.

“I like working for myself and watching it grow,” Travis says. “I still like seeing new people get excited about the sport.”

Gorge Fly Shop is at 3200 Lower Mill Road, Hood River Oregon . Visit the Gorge Fly Shop website, or call (541) 386-6977.

 

Gorge Fly Shop thanks Drew Myron at Ruralite Magazine for not only writing this article but allowing us to share it on our platform.
 

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Summer Time!

Oregon weather allows us to explore places that are covered in snow, some years late into spring.  This year we had the same conditions which made for great fishing, but river run off was way to cold for wet wading even in July, so Travis utilized a walking bridge during a recent trip out east.  Loves his Fishpond Eddy River Hat to protect him from the sun. Tight Lines, Lyndsey

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Travis and Molly scouting fishing spots

Travis and I have hit the road to explore some "new to us" areas of Oregon. Molly and Travis checking out the water before gearing up. Molly is always ready to explore the water.

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Outcast Clearwater Tested by Travis on the Deschutes

I have been patiently waiting for the last year and a half, but I finally got my new Outcast Clearwater boat. The Clearwater is a hot item right now and is very hard to get. The Clearwater is just under 10 feet in length and is only 35 lbs, but has 450 lb capacity. This is all achieved without giving up durability or performance. It has the same urethane bladder system that made the rest of the Outcast boats famous for lasting a long time. Best of all this boat was designed to use real 7' pontoon boat oars, not the light duty oars that normally come with frameless boats. 

We just got enough boats to fill all of our customers' orders and have some extras in inventory. So I grabbed one for me and planned a couple day float on the Deschutes River to test out the boat. 

I decided it would be best to put the boat together at home in my shop to install some of the extras I bought for it. I unboxed the boat and inflated it. Then added a cargo pocket to one side, rod holder to the other and an anchor lock to the rear. At first glance it looks like it has lots of cargo space. 

I then started to load the boat to see where I would put everything once I hit the river. I easily fit a mid sized cooler in front of the foot rest bar. My Fishpond boat bag mounted in front of that. In the back I easily fit two dry bags, chair and a backpack. You could load a lot more gear in the back, but you have to keep the anchor lock accessible. The other nice thing with the Clearwater is it has lots of D-rings and loops to tie gear down. This makes packing for overnight trips much easier. 

After it was loaded I wanted to figure out how to stow some extra rods rigged and ready to go. I had some strips of stick on velcro that looked like it would do the trick. I stuck a strip about ten inches long in the front and back of the boat on the left side. 

I then loaded the boat in the back of my truck and to the river I went. The river was running high and off color, but did not care. I needed a break. Besides I know that the off color water makes for great streamer fishing. There would also be very few anglers fishing in these conditions. 

Once I got to the river I quickly loaded my boat and pushed off. I was pleased with how nimble the Clearwater felt with such a load on it. Having a small boat like this balanced with the weight evenly distributed front to rear is very important. Keeping the boat balanced helps with stability and control. 

The float that I picked had several small rapids testing the Clearwaters control and stability. I hit the first small rapid and the Clearwater handled it with ease. Having real 7’ oars really makes this boat easier to row. I was hesitant on how the oar stands/lock would work without a frame like my PAC1000 pontoon boat. They worked great and stayed very stable. 

Stopping at several spots to fish the Clearwater would slide through very shallow water with little effort. The anchor lock held the boat well and operated a lot easier than I expected. I quickly realized that with the open floor raft design of the Clearwater it is much easier to get in and out in shoal water. I was wearing studs in my boots so I did not want to step on the seat or side of the raft which would make getting in and out easier. 

I spent the rest of the trip floating and stopping to fish at every good spot I could find. I spent a lot of time looking at the advantages and disadvantages of the Clearwater compared to a framed pontoon. The biggest advantage of the Clearwater is that it only weighs 35 lbs and packs up much smaller than my pontoon. This makes the Clearwater much better for packing in my RV with limited space. A pontoon boat would be a little easier to get in and out of. The Clearwater seat is low enough that you could use flippers in a lake for more control while fishing, this is tough to do in a pontoon. 

My final thoughts are that the Clearwater is an excellent choice for such a light and compact package. Especially if you travel a lot with your boat, the Clearwater would be much easier to check on an airline. I would not say it will replace my PAC1000, but since it is more packable I will probably use it more. 

Oh yeah, this was not a fishing story, but I thought I would mention fishing was really good!

Trav
 

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2021 News - Gear Availability

Business is better than ever. This is a good problem right!?

One year ago myself and my employees of Gorge Fly Shop had to face a real possibility that we may not survive as a business through this pandemic.

Not only did we survive but today we face a very different problem. Inventory! It has been reported that "NEW" fishing license sales has increased by approx. 3 million licenses in this past year. That is an overwhelming amount of growth for this small industry. 

Now the Bad News 

Our fly fishing industry was never designed to adsorb this much growth. 

Now for 2021 we face a very different and very real problem. Inventory, or lack of inventory. 

The phones are non stop ringing and emails are flowing like mountain streams during snow runoff. Buyers are looking for rods, reels, waders, boots and boats. 

Many manufacturers have already sold their entire 2021 production of some products. The demand for some products is so great that production simply can't keep up. There is currently many items that you will not be able to get your hands on until 2022. 

What we are doing

I doubled down! Long ago when we first started realizing these trends I increased our orders for these high demand products. I have taken giant leaps in looking ahead and seeking alternative products. 

What can you do

- Plan ahead! If you need gear for a trip this spring, summer or fall then start looking now. 

- Be open to suggestions and recommendations. There is still lots of great gear available. Just might not be the brand/model you set out to get. 

- Be prepared to wait! I know no one wants to hear that. In most cases you are better off to place your order and wait for it than to wait for your item to come into stock before ordering. Many popular items are selling out before they ever arrive to us. 

- Discuss your needs with us. Through our experiences we can oftentimes suggest products that will fit your needs better than what the most popular products can provide. 

Thank You for your patience and support

Travis Duddles

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Fishing Off Color Water for Steelhead and Salmon

Update 9/8/2020 - With recent White River blowout reminded me of this article by John Garrett. What do you do when the water goes off color? Do you stay home? Personally that is not an option for me. Not only because I planned my fishing days in advance but it's not an option because I have a desire to succeed no matter what the conditions hand me to work with. Experienced anglers know that fish are capable of eating in all but the most extreme situations. The key to success becomes the quest. 

Colored, off colored or dirty water, how much color is to much? 

That is entirely up to you. Honestly I can’t tell you, because I have seen some really good fishing is some extremely colored water.

Hopefully this post gives you something to think about. But in the end it is really up to you if the river is fish-able or not. Me personally I would rather fish muddy water for a chance at a fish than go to work, but that is just me.

I get the question all the time; "I hear the White blew out the Deschutes, is it fish-able?" 

We have to be very careful with our answers, because each angler’s definition of un-fish-able is different. Some people won’t fish the Deschutes River when it is down to 3’ of visibility, but they are excited to fish the Klickitat River in with the same 3’ of visibility. Doesn’t make sense to me, but hey everyone is different.

It is amazing the difference of opinion from one angler to another on how dirty the water is. You can talk to 3 different anglers on the same morning at the mouth of the Deschutes and those three reports will all be different.
One will say it was zero visibility. The second will say 12” of visibility, but I hooked 2 steelhead! The third will say 18” of visibility and it is not fish-able.

This is a big variation of visibility from the same anglers on the same piece of water at the same time. Several factors play into this.

First light level, at low light the visibility of the river will look less.

Second, did they actually wade in the river and see how deep they could see the top of their boots? That is the best way to see how far you can see in the water.

Third where did they look at the river to judge water color? If it was at the boat ramp at the mouth for example, that is the worst spot. This is because that is an all sand bottom which combined with sandy cloudy water makes the visibility look much less.

There are some key things to think about here. 

What do the fish see? Well we really don’t know that for sure, but the general consensus is that they see much father in colored water than we do. Anywhere from two to four times farther than we do. This is because we look through the water towards the bottom into darkness. Fish look through the colored water into light.
So if you wade into the river and you lose sight of your boots with a distance of 15” of water between the surface and the top of your boot multiply that at least by 2 if not more.

Why do you think a Steelhead hits your small wet fly on a swing near or on the surface in extremely low light?
You and I could barely see the fly when it is almost dark. Remember they are looking up into light, they see that silhouette of the fly in near darkness.

But I think the biggest factor why we like to fish in low visibility conditions is that fish get aggressive. Think of it like this when we swing a fly we are fishing for that aggressive steelhead. The aggressive fish may be the one out of ten or more.

In clear conditions fish see your fly coming from a long ways away. This gives them lots of time to decide if they are going to attack it or not. Most chose not. In low visibility conditions, the fly suddenly appears a few feet away from them they have to react very quickly.

The first reaction is to snap at the fly. Now you are not fishing for the 1 in 10 like clear water, you fishing for the nearly 10 out 10. Your odds just went up!

Keep in mind you need to fish bigger, darker flies in colored water. I prefer to fish a light tip even in low light situations.

When visibility gets to about 2 feet I will go back to my floating line in low light, but make sure I am still fishing a darker bigger fly like a #4 or #2 instead of my usual #8 or #7 flies.

Last thing to think about is in colored water fish feel safe therefore they will slide in much closer to the bank than in clear conditions. Make sure you fish your fly in tight to the bank. With this all said I can’t tell you when the river is fish-able or not unless it is high and solid mud. It is really your choice and confidence. These thoughts on river color really apply to all rivers for Steelhead and Salmon, not just the Deschutes. I use the Deschutes as an example, because it is the river that most anglers let water color decide if they fish or not.
Trav

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Wet Fly Swing Podcast - Travis on How to Choose a Fly Rod

Travis, who opened the Gorge Fly Shop at age 17, shares his story of how he has built a great local fly shop out of Hood River.

Find out what the first thing you should be thinking about when starting to need a new fly rod. We break down each of the different levels and price ranges of rods and what you get from each.
Click to Listen To Podcast

Or listen below:

Restock Delays, Plan Ahead, Get Your Order In

We strive to have the best on hand inventory in the business. And we could probably surprise you with specialty items that no one else might have.

But in this tough time we are now starting to experience re-stock issues on some of our very core product items.

Many businesses are ordered to stop production and others are running on skeleton crews as we too are running lean as possible.

Our Advice:

~ Plan Ahead: If something you need is on backorder you'd be better off in the long run to get your name on one and put yourself in the front of the line for backorder fulfillment. We fill backorders on a first come, first serve basis.

~ Ask for Options: Our staff is extremely knowledgeable in all things fly gear. In many cases we might have a better available recommendation for your needs.

~ Call Ahead: We order and fill orders everyday and have all accesses to inventory of our own as well as most manufactures thus enabling us to provide you with inventory information most of which can be provided while we're on the phone with you.

Give us a call, 541-386-6977

AND

Thank You for your continued support during this especially difficult time.

Best Regards

Travis

COVID-19: A message from Travis

Current as of 6/23/2020

FACE COVERING UPDATE:
Governor Kate Brown Issues Face Covering Requirements for Indoor Public Spaces
In effect starting June 24th, 2020:  Guidance applies to Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Marion, Polk, Hood River, and Lincoln Counties. Face Covering Details


SHIPPING UPDATE:
Due to the impact of Covid-19 there may be a delay in shipping. We have a massive inventory, but many of our manufactures are now closed or running a skeleton crew. In return we are not able to restock all of our items as quickly as we prefer. Further more, orders that have been shipped may be subject to delays outside of our control.

To all our valued customers,
Our hearts go out to those affected by Covid-19, truthfully that is all of us in one way or another. I have owned Gorge Fly Shop, inc. for just over 28 years. During that time this country has been through many devastating events, but none quite like this. We always get through these things and I am sure we will with this one too. The future is going to be interesting to say the least. Hopefully life will be back to normal shortly.

Here at Gorge Fly Shop we are prepared and will continue to operate the online side of the business as normal. If you have not seen the back stock in our warehouse it is impressive. We have enough inventory to supply about 10 fly shops. With that said many of our manufactures are shutting down or working with a skeleton crew. Some items are going to be hard to restock at times. With these manufactures being shut down this will likely cause a shortage down the road on some items. We ask that you plan ahead and please be patient. We will do everything we can to ship your orders as soon as possible, with many orders shipping the same day.

Do what you can to keep your spirits up, we are here to help. Where and when it is safe go to some remote stream, lake or flat and get some fresh air.

Sincerely,

Travis Duddles 

Bonefish Gear

Choosing the right bonefish outfit

So you just booked that dream trip to tropical paradise to go bonefishing. Now what you need to know about the gear, because proper gear selection can make or break a trip. So while we go through the gear remind yourself that the saltwater flats are generally very windy, accuracy is critical and you need to make quick cast.

In choosing the right rod there are a few things you need to know and be honest about. First most bonefish are caught with cast between 30’ and 50’. I will stress that accurate cast at 30’ to 50’ will catch far more bonefish then sloppy cast at 60’. Second you need to be honest about your casting ability. If you are not you will probably get the wrong rod or line, or both. A true distance caster generally is looking for a completely different line if not rod than the average caster. I am going to figure that most reading this are in the 95% of average casters, 60’ would be a long cast for most. 

Rod 

When picking out the right rod you will need a rod that builds high line speed, but still loads easy. Line speed is what gives you accuracy and the power to pierce the wind. With that said you don’t want a rod that the taper is so stiff that you cannot feel the rod loading.

Budget is really going to dictate this more than anything. As the price of the rod goes up, generally they are built with a lighter, stronger quicker reacting graphite. This allows the manufacturer to build the rod with a little more forgiving taper making the rod easier to cast. Yet the graphite will react quicker producing higher line speed.

As the cost of the rod goes down, the manufacturer cannot use as efficient of graphite. In this case you will generally give up the ease of casting. This is due to the rod having to produced with a stiffer taper to meet the demands of saltwater. If the rod is not designed with a stiffer taper it is most likely lacking in the power that is needed for the flats.

As for the size of the rod, I would recommend a 9’ 8 weight rod. This tends to be the best all around bonefish rod. You can go lighter if you are just fishing for smaller bones and heavier if you are targeting really big bones.

My favorite bonefish rods tend to be; Sage X 890-4, G.Loomis Asquith 890-4, Winston Air Salt 890-4. All three of these tend to build really good line speed, yet load easier than most saltwater rods. 

Lines 

Bonefish live in a tropical environment so make sure you get tropical lines. If you take a coldwater line down to the tropics you are going to be disappointed. Line taper makes or breaks the performance that you are looking for out of your rod. For most bonefish conditions I like the shorter heavier tapers for bonefish. These allow me to load the rod quickly with just one or two false cast. There is no time on the flats to make 3, 4 or 5 false cast. My favorite shorter head lines are; RIO Bonefish Quickshooter, RIO Flats Pro, Scientific Anglers Amplitude Smooth Grand Slam.

Reels 

I did list reels last, because they are important, but the rod and line should come first. Now with that said I will stress how hard saltwater is on fly reels. Also keep in mind that the fish in saltwater tend to peel line off of a reel much faster than in freshwater. There are a lot of really popular well known reels that get destroyed when fished in saltwater. There are many factors that cause reel failure. The most common is cheap guts inside the reel. Just because a reel is called sealed, water can still find its way into the drag system. This is when you find out that the couple bucks the manufacturer saved on bearings really bites you. Sometimes these failures don’t show up on your first trip to the salt, they show up after the reel has sat with saltwater in it for a year or so. Washing your reel good with freshwater every night helps, but it does not get all the salt out. Especially if the salt gets inside a supposed sealed drag.

I look for several things in a reel. I want the reel to have a large arbor, bigger the better. I want it to still be lite. I need a strong, smooth drag. Most of all I want a reel that stands up in saltwater. There are lots of really great reels out there, but here are a few of my favorites; Nautilus NVG 8/9 or 7/8, Nautilus CCFx2 6/8 or 8/10, Sage Spectrum Max 7/8.

I hope this helps a little in getting set up right for your next bonefish outing. I could easily write several pages on just rods or lines or reels, but I figured short and sweet would be better. We are always here to help you with any questions.
Trav

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Small River/Stream Fishing Report

Down by the river...

This past week Travis and I hit up a few rivers and small streams in the Malheur National Forest. Our "hunt" for Redband trout made us eager for every bend in the river and each cast we made. It was a good reminder to how great exploring new waters can be. We also fished for rainbows and smallmouth bass (John Day). I use the word "hunt" but it was a week long adventure that brought new challenges and adventures each day. We came across coyotes, turkeys, deer and antelope, elk and even a big bull. We forded rivers and traveled roads that didn't look like they had been traveled in some time. Sections of river reminded us of Yellowstone and prairies in Montana. In short, it was a blast and recommend to anyone to get out, seize the day and try something new or simply perfect your game. 

Oregon Report:



In the hunt!
Small stream trout fishing is hot right now and success can be found all over the Northwest. On this trip we ventured our way up to rivers and streams around 5,000ft. Our arsenal included varying Sage rods in the 1 to 5wt (Single and Spey). We dry fly, nymphed and spey casted. Some of the most fun we had was found casting in a little stream with Redband and Rainbow trout.

In Summary
This was a trip I won't forget any time soon and it reminded ignited a passion to be ready and to organize my small stream and dry fly boxes. Several times we drove by sections of river and just decided to get out, already in waders to check out the river (with rod in hand). This weekend I'll be hitting up a few small streams in the coastal range.

Stay Frosty
Mike - The other Web Guy

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Sage Trout Spey HD 10’9” One Weight Review

Finally got a chance to get out and really test out my new Sage Trout Spey HD 10’9” one weight rod.
I made a trip to the Malheur Mountains to explore some small streams that feed the Malheur River for Redband Rainbows.

Mike Prine and I have had this trip planned for a while. We knew going into this that the feeder streams would not likely produce much if any fish over 12”, but one could hope right. So along with my two and three weight single hand rods I packed my Sage Trout Spey HD one weight two hander.

By the second day we had reached a camp on a stretch of the stream that slowed and broadened out to twenty to forty feet wide. This was a perfect place to swing some soft hackles. I set down my dry fly rod and started swinging with the two hander.

Matched with the Sage Trout Spey 1/2/3 Reel and a RIO Trout Spey Scandi Head in 190 grain weight it made the perfect soft hackle outfit. The rod is light enough you can single hand cast it if you wanted unlike most two handed rods.

Swinging soft hackles on the one weight is a blast for the 8” to 12” Redband Rainbows found in these streams. Even though these fish are small, they still are a lot of fun on this rod. Don’t under estimate this rod because it says one weight on it, a good angler can do much more than many would think possible.

As we worked up stream I spotted what looked like a fairly large Brook Trout, maybe a bull trout. I quickly clipped my soft hackle and 5x tippet off. Grabbed my streamer box and tied on a 2” long white Sculpzilia.

I made a couple of cast and spooked the fish. So I made a couple more cast just for fun. Managed to hook a little bull trout about 14”.

I then realized that I forgot that the rod was called a one weight. I would not sell this as a streamer rod, but I was casting the small #8 Sculpzilla just fine even with the scandi style trout spey line. If I had it rigged with a RIO Skagit Trout Spey it would cast this set up even better.

A short ways up river I could see a huge shadow of a fish moving up into a riffle. If I was back home I would think Steelhead or Salmon, but not here. This drainage is I would guess a 100 plus miles and three dams away from the furthest point migratory fish can pass.

I grabbed my Trout Spey and quickly launched a cast out. As soon as the fly hit the water I started stripping and this fish instantly chased down my fly and inhaled it. I yelled to Mike, “Huge Fish!” He grabbed his camera and came running.

Now I am hooked up to a fish on a one weight trout spey rod that could easily estimate 28 to 30 inches. He rolled and took off upstream as I loaded the rod all the way into the butt.

Not sure what I had hooked but I saw an odd golden color as he rolled and turned. My mind was racing! What do I have? Don’t lose it! Keep the line tight, don’t let it in the logs! Is it a bull trout? It flashed more like a brown, but there are no browns in here, at least that I know of.

Crazy but I was able to keep the fish in control and lucky enough to land him after good little tussle.

Mike asked “what is that?” I looked at hum and said honestly it looks like an old spawned out Spring Chinook, but that is not possible here. We quickly took photos and released the fish.

The next few days we pondered what this fish was. It was really driving me crazy! Most everything pointed to an Spring Chinook that had been in the river for a while but it had no signs of looking like a zombie fish in which a Spring Chinook in September would. The mouth was much more trouty than most Chinook. I was just at a complete lost.

A few days went by and we dropped into cell coverage. I quickly texted my buddy Steve, a good friend and retired fish biologist, the picture of the mystery fish with caption "what is this?" He replied it is an old Spring Chinook.

I called him and told him there can't be no Salmon where I am. Once I told him where I was he said you are right. I see why you are so confuse. He then told me that Oregon Fish and Wildlife had just started a program a few years ago trucking a few hundred left over adult hatchery Chinook to this watershed and releasing them. They were doing this for some of the tribes so they could fish some historic grounds with traditional methods.

So mystery was solved.

Now I am not telling you this to promoting catching old worn out salmon on a one weight trout spey rod. I would have never cast to the fish if I knew what it was. The point of this is to show you even a one weight trout spey with the proper technique can cast a fairly large fly and land a fairly large fish.

My thoughts on this rod after spending more time with it is that it is one of the most fun rods I have fished ever. It is a blast to cast. Most of all it makes your small water trout fishery a lot of fun with a two hander.

This Sage Trout Spey HD 1109-4 is amazing fun with soft hackles and can handle light duty streamers on smallish water. It wouldn't be my first choice on big water like the Deschutes but for small water and wild trout then I say...YES! GET ONE!!!!
Trav

"The Gorge"

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - September 2, 2019

Trout: 

Deschutes Trout: Trout fishing has stayed good all summer through out the river. Caddis are still a good bet, dries, pupa or larva will all work right now. This is also the time of year hoppers can produce good fishing along the steep banks. Cloud days will produce a variety of good mayfly hatches. Don’t forget about midges. Small flies like midges are greatly over looked on the Deschutes and can be very productive.

I have talked to a few anglers that have had some great streamer fishing this last week. That is my favorite way to fish the Deschutes. May not always produce big numbers, but it can be big fun! I like to fish my little 3 weight two hander with 10’ of T-8 sink tip along with the following flies. Sculpzillia # 8 (Olive, White or Natural), Kiwi Muddler, Precious Metal and Aqua Flies Char-mer Zonker.

Small Mountain Streams: 

The smaller mountain streams have been fishing well. Places like Trout Lake Creek, Lewis River above Swift Reservoir, East Fork of the Hood, White River to name a few. Fish in these locations are small, 6” to 8” average, but they are always looking up. These waters offer great dry fly fishing. Take your light rod and have a blast.

Lakes:  

Most of the lakes are still fishing well. They did not get very warm this year. Best fishing is going to be late in the day or early in the day.

Best results have been fishing an intermediate or slow sinking line with a variety of #8-10 leach patters in Black or Brown. Suspending a Balance Leach under an indicator with a floating line has been lethal to. Dry fly fishing has been good in the mid-morning or in the evening with Parachute Adams #14-16, Tilt Wing Callibaetis #14-16, Black Ants #8-12
Stillwater Trout Selection 

Steelhead:  

Steelhead fishing in the Lower Deschutes River has been good. There has been a good push of one salt fish over the last few weeks. The White River has been spitting out mud off and on for the last week and a half, not very easy to predict from day to day. Is it fish-able when it is colored is up to you. Lots of fish have been caught on the dirty water days while many go home. Remember what we think is low to zero visibility, fish are looking up into light so they see 2 to 4 times as far as we do. Fish a bigger fly and a light sink tip and hang on. There are fish farther up river above the White if you don’t like the color of the lower river when the White is spitting out mud.

The Klickitat has fished well for those who braved the colored water this year. It has been colored up most of the summer. It will probably be like this until the mountain starts freezing.
Klickitat Super Slammer Kit 

Smallmouth:  

Smallmouth in the Columbia has still been good. You will find many of the bigger fish holding more in the deep drop offs and rock walls. These conditions do make it more important to use a boat of some type. Best results are with a variety of streamers like; Sculpins, Crayfish, Baitfish, ect. Also try jigged flies like the Jaw Breaker under a indicator on a floating line, it can be really good.

John Day is a great river the fish this time of year for smallmouth. Take a light rod and a pile of small poppers, hang on! No need to fish any sinking flies on the JD, non-stop popper action out there. It is best to float it, but there is good walking access at Cottonwood Canyon State Park. Keep in mind the river starts getting really low this time of year. So make sure your boat can handle the low water. Also keep in mind this river moves much slower so be sure to plan plenty of days to do a float.
Trav

"The Gorge"

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Sage 1 Weight Trout Spey Review - New for 2020

With the evolution of today’s shorter Skagit and Scandi heads the size of our spey rods keep getting lighter and smaller. This is the same case for trout spey rods. I remember when the first few 4 weight spey rods were introduced and we all thought finally rods light enough to fish trout with.

Fast forward to 2019, my work horse Skagit/streamer trout spey is 3 weight. Matched with a short heavy Skagit this rod cast a fairly large streamer and 10’ of t-8 to t-10 sink tip with ease.

Originally I bought my 3 weight to fish soft hackles, but found myself wanting something lighter.

This last spring I was about ready to pull the trigger on a Sage One 10’9” 2 weight when I heard the new Sage Trout Spey HD would be out late summer. What really intrigued me was that there was going to be a 10’9” 1 weight.

Keep in mind a one weight spey rod is about like a 4 weight single hander, the perfect soft hackle rod.

So I put my order in and waited. It showed up right as I was leaving for a family trip to Crane Prairie.

Crane Prairie is a large reservoir South of Bend Oregon. Crane is well known for its population of very large rainbows. Not exactly the stream I wanted to try the rod out on, but I it was my first opportunity to play with it.

I matched the rod up with a new Sage Trout Spey 1/2/3 Reel, RIO 35 lb. Slick Shooter and a RIO TroutSpey Scandi head 190 grain.

Normally I would tell you that a lake is not a place I person enjoy a trout spey, but I had to go play with it.

So one night I was taking the kids out in the boat I brought the new rod along. First I just spey cast it a little from the bow of the boat. It was a dream, light, comfortable, powerful, but yet deep loading to protect light tippet.

It was so light I cast it over head a few times. It was so light, it did not feel like it was 10’9” long, most of all it launched 90 feet with ease!

I rigged up a double chironomid rig with an indicator and started fishing. I spent about an hour casting this rod single hand and hooked a few nice fish, landed one about 21”. This rod did this well. I was surprised, I just don’t generally care for casting these small two handers single hand. It was a pleasant surprise.

If you want a fun little trout spey this is it!

Mike and I will be taking an Oregon tour next month where I will actually get some stream time with this ultimate spey soft hackle rod. I can't wait and will do a follow up report asap!
Trav

"The Gorge"

Gorge Fly Shop Team - 541.386.6977

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