Love those tubes!

Here are a couple of tube flys I have been using a lot.  On the left is a Peter Tosh tied on a TTS Brass tube.  Weight .8g so really good on a dry line or light sinker to get more depth.  On the right is a Flamethrower Cascade.  I fish a lot of shrimp style cascades these days on a polyleader or light sinking line.  I swing them around with some speed in an effort to surprise the steelhead and provoke a response.  It works!

2012 Jan 26

Air and water both 37 degrees.  Real Winter fishing.  A foot of snow from the last few days down to the water.  Made for a nice walk down the access road to get to the pool.  Flow is pretty high but this water has enough of a shelf that there is still a nice inside.  Beautiful big structure all through thiis one.  Roughly 200 yards of heaven to share.  I started at the top while my partner geared up.  The top was glorious.  Cast just beyond the edge, set the fly on the edge with a mend and wait for some love.  Water clarity 6'+ so I was using a Sink1/2 head and a nice Flamethrower Cascade.  Cast Step Cast Step.  Fish could, and should, come at any time.  Reallu surprised not to pick on off the top of this one.  Keep fishing down.  As you move through this long pool it actually tails and starts again several times.  Every time it breaks again my expectations soar.  As the fly swung slowly on another cast there was a telltale pluck.  A very normal indicator of a Winter fish and a good sign.  Waited a couple of minutes and swam the fly through again.  Once again in the same place a slight ping.  By the way at this point in the run I am working the fly in hand twists almost from the start of the swing.  At this point I pull out, sit down and light up.  While the Olivia warms in flavour I watch my buddy working down and know the calvary will soon be here.  As my buddies fly swings through the spot his light green and black Collie Dog is SLAMMED.  Run Jump Run Jump EXCELLENT!  14# of chrome hen with sea lice.  I love sharing with my friends.

Blacker Ballyna No 3

I love these mixed wings.  They looks fishy and they catch fish.  These are tied on 1/0 Blind Eyes and also size 2 Dai Ichi down eyes.  Look at the turn of orange dubbing at the from of the blue body, fantastic.  I love how the elements of the mixed wing work together.

MINAKER

Here is a photo by a good friend of mine Gregory Minaker.  He is a fishing fool on the NF Stilly and a shutterbug to say the least. Greg has a great eye and a nice touch with the lenses.  You can see some of his work on the NFStilly blog at http://stillaguamishsteelhead.com/.  He has also been known to sell some of his lovely photos

See if you can get a look at one of his flyboxes for a real treat

2012 Jan 18

What a day!  White out conditions.  No one can get to the river.  Lucky me to live so close.  Water really low and clear and 37 degrees.  Time to go fishing.  Walked down to the flow and my buddy went up.  I walked through the brush to on of the sweetest bits of water you will ever see.  As much as I wanted to put on a dry fly today I have been playing with poly leaders on the ACR 11'9 3 weight so I left the super fast poly on and tied on a Lazy Caroline.  Started in the riffle in close and SLOWLY extended line into the cast.  Worked that Caroline carefully through the structure but nothing yet.  Starting to go around the big rock and go carefully there also.  Behind that rock is a bunch of great structure which just had to hold some Steel(and it usually does!).  Just a couple rocks to go and on the far side felt a really light pluck, a sure sign of a Winter fish.  WAIT WAIT WAIT.  Smoke a bit on the ceegar and WAIT WAIT WAIT.  Now another cast, perfect.  Led the fly into the structure under light tension and THUD.  PULL PULL PULL and a nice jump.  Freshly minted.  After that the jump the fish seems to have made it around some brush in the water and plink - no more fish or Caroline.  Left the fly and tippet in the brush.  Too bad, nice fish.  From the size of it probably a dip in hatchery hen.  Fished a few more pools with similar beauty but no love.  What a great way to spend the day, again

Note - this picture is not enhanced in any way

2012 Jan 12

Another lovely morning.  Clear and Cold.  Air at 31 most of the day and the water a bit warmer.  Had the pleasure of one of my best friends and fishing buddies today.  Headed North and took of bushwhacking to see what we might find.  Found a lovely pool, the top was awesome.  Used an Int/S2 with a red/orange Allys Cascade but no Steel there.  Fished a couple more pools with no love either.  Then around the corner and OH MY GOODNESS.  Just a look told us the excellence of this water.  Nice structure, perfect flow and 5' depth 6 feet from the beach.  The first fish came before the shooting head was even fully extended.   We fished this pool for hours.  To say we caught fish would not do the pool justice.  We did agree at the end of fishing on a name for the newly discovered pool,

MAGIC!



2012 Jan 11

A beautiful day, clear and cold.  Took a several mile walk on the local flow.  Water level was down so I took the Winston SH and a floating line.  Switched between a skater and some weighted Temple Dogs and swung some pools and fished every pocket along the way.  Saw 6 different eagles and listened to their calls all afternoon.  A really nice day on the flow and a wonderful way to spend it.  Had a nice thud in a big pocket and it turned out to be a nice WILD king.  These are few and far between these days around here.  Took some time on the bank to think about the old days when the pools were dark with all the kings in them.  Heading up North tomorrow