Redington I/O Fleece PantsRedington I/O Fleece Pants are super thick fleece and keep you warm on the coldest days. I always wear them on those super cold winter steelhead days. I also always have a thin, tight-fitting, wicking layer under them which wicks better and holds heat closer to your body. The Redington I/O Fleece Pants come with stirrups built-in to keep them from riding up when you pull your waders on. This seemed like a great idea, but I quickly cut my stirrups off. The pants are tight enough around the ank...
Bennett’s ExasperatorYes, another one of my patterns but how could I not mention a fly that I fish 90% of the time in winter? This fly doesn’t have that much “fly bin appeal” but wait until you get it in the river and watch it swim in the current. Designed to promote as much movement as possible, the Exasperator creates a vortex behind the head and pectoral fins. This vortex creates turbulence and therefore movement in the tail. It also causes the rabbit strip tail to flare in the water to produce a larger si...
Tying the Pass Lake MinnowPass Lake in is one of the great fly fishing lakes available to anglers in the Northwest Washington area. A small minnow was introduced into the lake, called a Fathead Minnow, which is big source of food for the lake's rainbow and brown trout. Fishing small minnow patterns has become a very successful method for hooking these trout, especially in the summer and fall months. The most common method to fish these flies is to fish them on an intermediate to medium sinking line. Since the ...
Float Tube vs. Pontoon BoatIntroduction Few things can impact the success and enjoyment of fly fishing more than having a way to get out on the water. Whether you are fishing rivers or lakes, having a way to float the river or get out on that lake will usually make your day more productive and fun. Often, anglers start with a float tube or pontoon boat since they are both fairly inexpensive and don’t require a lot of storage space like a drift boat does. The purpose of this article is to help anglers decide whether a...
Where to Go Fly Fishing in Washington in MarchUPDATED: Feb. 28, 2020 With February ending with some welcome sun and warmer temperatures, it just feels like it is time to do some fly fishing! March certainly has some exciting possibilities for the Washington fly fishing enthusiast. Here is a breakdown of the more popular options for anglers headquartered in the Seattle and NW Washington area. Trout Rivers – As March begins, it's time for the Yakima to get very exciting. The Skwala stoneflies are the big news. Skwala activity be...
Tarpon Tour Mexico 2014Pacific Fly Fishers hosts trips all over the world. Our most recent one just concluded, by Ben Zander, was on the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. The trip was a success and is recommended to any angler wanting to pursue baby tarpon on a fly rod. The trip started with a flight to Cancun, easy enough, followed by a 5 hour van ride to Tarpon Cay Lodge in San Felipe. We were greeted by our lodge host Bato with a tray of Margaritas that I think must taste exactly like holy water. Tarpon Cay Lodge is a ...
Good Timing on the Grande RondeIn late November Joe and I made a last minute decision to head to the Snake and Grande Ronde rivers for two days of fishing. We had originally intended to head into BC and fish the mighty Thompson River, but an outstanding Snake River fishing report from Garry Sandstrom, fly fishing manufacturer’s representative and former owner of the Morning Hatch Fly Shop, stirred our interest in heading east instead of north. It was a warm week for late November in the very southeast corner of Washington....
Video: Fly Fishing for Smallmouth BassI recently had the opportunity to help with the filming of a short video on fly fishing for smallmouth bass on Banks Lake. The video is part of a series of videos the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is producing to promote the amazing variety of fisheries found in Washington. Bruce Bolding (WDFW Warmwater Fish Program Manager, Olympia, WA) and Danny Garrett (Biologist and video producer extraordinaire, Mill Creek, WA) were the representatives of WDFW and the ones producing the vide...
Umpqua Power Taper LeadersUmpqua Power Taper leaders are quickly becoming my favorite leader to fish. Whether you are fishing skinny water in Puget Sound or hopper fishing a big River, a little extra help goes along way. We as anglers tend to think of fly line tapers for assistance when casting large or heavy flies. This is true, there are tapers for every fishing situation out there, but the leader is often overlooked.We need some backend help to turn over large, wind resistant or heavy flies. The Umpqua Power taper ...
Sorting Out Spey Lines in the Modern Era with George CookJoin Pacific Fly Fishers for a seminar presented by Northwest fly fishing legend, George Cook. George is the manufacturer’s representative for RIO , Sage , Tibor , Redington , Solitude Fly Company and other brands and has a lifetime of experience plying northwest waters for anadromous species. George’s presentation will help lift the veil of mystery around modern Spey lines, shooting lines, sink-tips and other favorite tools of the steelhead Spey fishing enthusiast. This will be a great se...
