The Needle

So there is usually a push of early summer-runs that come up the North in May, somewhere between 50 to 200. They run hard until they reach the holding pools of Steamboat Creek. This is one of those May fish.

Words cannot describe how hot these fish are. The Peerless reel in the picture can't handle these fish. Each time I've tied into one something happens to the reel, though it's never failed completely, I've fought through screws loosening, a nasty grinding sound, to it just tightening up and being hard to crank, this time was no different. The reel has caught plenty of hot steelhead, the only time this has happened is with these early wild fish. I wouldn't have it any other way actually. These fish give you that "oh-shit" factor again. There is no time to think with a fish like this, just to react and deal with whatever it throws you.

My dog  Bo was so excited, or maybe he was just overly pleased with me he did about 10 tight butt scoot'n circles around me after we released her.

So as always seems to be the case with the North Umpqua the steelhead over shadow the trout. But the trout fishing has been pretty descent, even with the high flows. I went out for a few hours throwing a streamer and landed a half dozen with a bunch a follows and other grabs. The salmon flys are really starting to patrol from above, but have yet to really make an impact on the trout, yet...

Just spending time on the river casting blind for nothing is enough at this time of year, it just doesn't get any prettier. The river corridor is as green as it gets, the wild flowers are going off and the trout are eager and there are few, but some steelhead around.

Summer Outlook

It’s springtime here in Oregon and our summer steelhead are beginning to fin their way to the North Umpqua. The floating lines and skaters are beckoning to be thrown to a distant holding lie. There is the anticipation, though being a month and a half away, of seeing that first steelhead explode on the dry, and which of the famous North Umpqua runs it will come in. If you have yet to experience the North Umpqua it is a must for any avid steelheader.

 

The North Umpqua is probably the most rewarding fishery for steelhead, being that it is very challenging, exceptionally beautiful and the steelhead themselves are in my opinion the prettiest to swim and aggressive to the surface fly. Most of the fish we catch throughout the summer are on the dry, only in the toughest conditions will we go to a sink-tip.

Please take the time to check out a video a friend and I put together last summer,

www.vimeo.com/3375725  

The Rogue is another summer-run headliner we have here in So. Oregon. Though the Rogue turns on a little latter than the North Umpqua the steelhead usually continue coming through November and into December. Contrary to what you might here from those that have fished the Rogue, it is truly a great swinging river. Typically we fish sink-tips from August till she blows out, the Rogue steelhead are very grabby towards the swung fly. Here I use a raft to access water that most can’t get to on foot, the raft is just transportation from swing run to swing run. While not in a canyon setting as the N.U., the Rogue offers great scenery of the Table Rocks and Mt. McLoughlin, it is no doubt beautiful in its own way and I fall more in love with each time out. The Rogue can also see some amazing returns of summer steelhead which can turn into steelheading that defies what we have come to expect from a days fishing. A popular trip come September through October is a few days fishing dries on the North Umpqua and then a few on the Rogue getting after them with the sink-tip.

Thanks to all that I got to fish with this past season, hope all is well.

Rich & Bo