This is an educational article written by Pacific Angler staff, Dimitri Roussanidis, on fishing roe bags for steelhead. You have been warned! Roe bags “Steelhead Candy” always have a place in my vest. They are the best all around steelhead bait; durable, negatively buoyant, colourful, and they have scent. Yes, a roe bag is a very versatile bait. In combination with wool, Jensen eggs, roe or spin’n glows, a roe bag will shine. Depending on water conditions the size of the bag will vary. There are 4 main colours that I tend to tie my bags with. The most common for me is bright pink, followed by salmon/BC orange. These two colours work great in almost all conditions, and will get the job done 90%…
Archives
The Steelhead Chronicles: Part 1 “The Steelhead Shuffle”
The Steelhead Chronicles are an archived set of articles written by steelhead expert Matt Sharp. We will be releasing one article per week. Enjoy! The Steelhead Chronicles: Part 1 “The Steelhead Shuffle” The life of a steelhead guide is one of cold early mornings, long hours and one all consuming, teeth grinding prayer, “Come on Fish, take that stupid fly.” At times it can be stressful – not to mention tough on dentist bills, but between the fingernail biting and praying, we have the unparalleled opportunity to observe, teach and dissect what makes a good “steelheader”. Waiting for the grab. Even with an amazing diversity of styles, skills and personalities, it is easy to classify steelheaders in three groups. The novice, who can count…
Why We Swing…Winter Steelhead Techniques
Today we are featuring an archived article done by steelhead expert Matt Sharp. No matter the level of experience, whether a beginner or cagey veteran, you will learn something that will help you get hooked up on steelhead by reading this. Enjoy! Winter Steelhead Techniques Fishing for winter steelhead with a fly is one of the most daunting challenges of our sport. Anglers can spend years waiting for that first wondrous pull. There are a number of successful techniques but the swung fly has become the most commonly used. Let’s take a moment to look at why this simple technique is the method of choice and should be the prime focus for anglers. Swinging through a run at first light… Reason 1 – It is simple….
Dimitri’s “Intruder Style” Fly Recipe, Black & Blue
Hello fellow intruder fly tiers, I just wanted to thank everyone who came out to the store last Wednesday for the annual Pacific Angler Intruder Seminar. It was a blast to tie a few flies and share some of my hard earned knowledge with all you fellow steelhead nuts. The house was packed… As promised, you can find the recipe for the first intruder that I tied below with a couple of pictures. It is the Black & Blue fly. Remember, these flies are completely freestyle so feel free to adapt, change, or substitute materials where needed or desired. Some of my standard ties. A couple Black & Blues at the top of the picture Recipe Shank: Daiichi 2051 #1.5 Trailer Hook: Owner SSW Super…
So Your Going Warm Saltwater Fly Fishing…
…for the first time?! This past March I had the opportunity to head down to Mexico and experience warm saltwater fly fishing for the very first time. The name of the game was permit, bonefish and tarpon. Luckily my fishing partner is a veteran warm saltwater fly fisherman. He has spent years travelling to world famous destinations such as Christmas Islands, Belize and all over Mexico. One night about three weeks before our trip he called me, “I think we are terribly unprepared. I have only tied three dozen crab patterns, and have been out casting just two nights a week”. Having never been down south I honestly had no clue what it meant to be prepared for this type of fishing. My very first…
The Pacific Angler Team Tackles Roosters, Dorado and Jacks
In Puerto Vallarta Puerto Vallarta is known as a Mexican tourist hot spot – With streets filled with tacky souvenir shops, great beaches and all the amenities to cater to droves of vacationers some overlook Puerto Vallarta (PV) as a world class fishing destination. This November Jason and Matt were invited on a family vacation in Puerto Vallarta (PV). It was planned as a non-fishing vacation but after a little research the boys realized November was a good time for roosters and the planning began. Matt feverously tied sardina patterns and Jason put his vast guide contact list to work. It turned out that one of Jason’s old salmon guiding buddies, Josh Temple, has an exclusive world class operation call Prime Time Adventures in Punta…
Sharp’s Black and Blue
This is one of my most effective steelhead patterns. With the upcoming winter steelhead season I thought I would take the time to share this fly with you. Enjoy! Recipe: Spey Blood Quill Marabou, dyed black Spey Blood Quill Marabou, dyed brilliant blue Rhea Spey Plume, dark blue Guinea Fowl Feathers, silver doctor blue Fluorescent Chenille, fluorescent fire orange 6/0 Uni-thread, black or iron grey Soft Wire, medium silver Tiemco 7999, no. 2 Flashabou, dark blue Angel Hair, black pearl Step 1: Place the hook in the vise and attach the tying thread approximately in line with the hook point. Step 2: Select about 8 strands of dark blue Rhea that are just less than two times the overall length of the hook shank….
The British Columbian Egg Hatch!!!
In British Columbia we are not only blessed with an amazing run of salmon in the fall but we are also blessed with an amazing opportunity to catch plumb trout and char behind spawning salmon. These aggressive trout and char are feasting on salmon eggs which are being pushed downstream of the redds. This is a huge food source for these resident fish. As many anglers know, many of our coastal rivers are relatively low in nutrients so these fish have to take advantage of this food source for the winter months and often feed until they are full and bloated with eggs. A beautiful resident rainbow from the island! Many anglers often hang up their gear in Mid-November, waiting for winter steelhead to start…
Tuesday Fishing Report and Snot
Oh, the life of a river fisherman… Too much rain, not enough rain, what to do? Well the “dry” streak continues and most of the rivers are really low and clear with the lower temperatures we now have at night and no rain. It looks like we might get some rain later this week and that will bring some rivers up and some fresh coho and chum in. For now anglers have been doing okay in the Fraser back channels for coho on the fly and spinners and spoons. Check out the blog post last week for info on fly and spinner choices. If the rain comes the rivers and creeks will rise and the staging coho and chum will make a break for it. …
SSBC Pub Night at the Bourbon
Join Pacific Angler at the Bourbon to help raise money for the Steelhead Society of BC. On Wednesday, November 23rd the Steelhead Society of BC will be putting on a pub night at The Bourbon, Vancouver’s country bar, to raise money for a major fish rehabilitation project on Spius Creek. The small creek is a spawning tributary of the mighty “Thompson River”. So far the SSBC has pledged $10,000, the BC Federation of Fly Fishers has pledged $10,000, Kingfishers Rod and Gun Club has pledge $5,000, Totem Fly Fishers pledged $3,000, Kalamalka Fly Fishers pledged $1,000 and $1,000 has been pledged from the Northern Branch of the Steelhead Society. Proceeds raised from the pub night will be put towards the Spius Creek Project. There will…