6mm Fly Tying FoamHareline 6mm Fly Foam Fly Tying Foam 6mm from Hareline -- In recent years, the use of thicker forms of foam have become much more prevalent in the world of fly tying. Saltwater poppers like the Tequilla Popper, the popular Morrish Mouse (pictured), numerous bass poppers, and even steelhead skaters are utilizing thicker foam to keep flies riding high and creating more surface disturbance. Pacific Fly Fishers is now offering Hareline's Fly Foam in 6mm thickness. It is perfect for these p...
Bulkley River, B.C.Every year I try to take some kind of big steelhead trip in the fall. Usually that means the rivers of the Skeena system in northern British Columbia. This year I went up there with buddies Christian and Nic and we had planned on fishing for a total of six days straight. We headed out of town on Monday night with a plan to arrive in the town of Smithers around 11:00 a.m. and be fishing by noon or 1:00. In normal conditions, Smithers is about a 15 hour drive from Mill Creek. Unfortunately, on ...
A week on the RondeSo fall is here and with every fall my mind turns to the Eastern Washington rivers and their summer run steelhead. I fish the Wenatchee, avoid the Methow and the crowds, hit the Snake or the Clearwater, but the one thing that I never miss is the Ronde. Some weeks are busy. Some weeks are slow with people. Some weeks have been blessed with a bounty of fish and some have been the “should have been here last week” trips. All in all, no matter what week we have, its still a special trip. Fish or...
Pass Lake Callibaetis. (Say Whaaaaaat?)Once or twice a year a friend or customer tells me they encountered a big hatch of Callibaetis mayflies on Pass Lake. I’ve fished Pass Lake a quite frequently for about 15 years now and I’ve often seen Callibaetis, but I’ve never seen numbers of them big enough to stir much interest from me or the fish. I always told them they were almost certainly seeing the big chironomids bombers and that Pass Lake doesn’t get anything beyond a sporadic Callibaetis hatch. Yesterday, I proved myself wrong....
Hawaii BonefishingMy wife, Liz, has wanted to take a vacation to Hawaii the last few years. In the recent past we’ve been pretty good about finding vacation locations that appease her desires of relaxing, kicking back in some sunny weather and eating good food, yet offer some of what vacation means to me as well… Fishing. To me, a vacation without some kind of exciting fishing adventure is like going into an ice cream parlor and walking out with a bunch of celery. Earlier this year when the topic of Hawaii cam...
June SkyWith Joe continuing to have great reports for him and his clients on the Sky, I dropped everything on Tuesday and headed out to get in on the action. The river jumped to 15,000 cfs on Monday so I was hesitant to go that day… but Joe and clients hooked FIVE that day! Sure as shit, I was out there the next day with the river still running at 12,000 cfs in the morning. Despite fishing in the trees on some of my favorite holes, the water clarity was good. I put the boat in at Monroe and headed al...
Off The SnideSo its Fathers day. Couldn’t hit the river with pops this morning which is too bad. But for the middle of June the river has been pretty non-forgiving as of late. June is the time of year on the Sky where usually a skunk doesn’t happen let alone three in a row. But today I finally got out of the foul odor of the skunk. It wasn’t a banner day on the river didn’t see anybody else with a fish. Hopefully this warm weather stretch will bump the river up to big and get those fish that have been han...
Easter Sunday BassThose of you that frequent Pacific Fly Fishers know that there are few days when Ben and I both have the day off. Well, that’s the beauty of major holidays when the shop is closed, and we took advantage of Easter Sunday to try and repeat our success at a local bass lake. Sawyer Lake is located near the town of Covington and is the perfect size for a couple of fly-chucking bass chasers. We launched the boat around 8:00 a.m. and quickly found the one other boat on the lake right where Ben la...
Another Blow OutAnd an update on the lower river. Its a much different river than last year, to those that are familiar with the Hoh this is not news to you but for those that don’t know how this little river works. Rapids have disappeared, boat launches have moved back to gravel bars and take outs are no longer in main channels. For those that are looking at taking out at Barlows bring a trailer with a wench and a truck with good tires and 4WD. Here is a pic of my dads truck pulling the boat out at Barlow’s...
Christmas Island PresentationChristmas Island Fly Fishing Presentation Free. No registration necessary. Presented by Jon Covich, representing Fly Water Travel Wednesday, November 7th, 2012. 7:00 p.m. Takes place at the Pacific Fly Fishers store Please join us on Wednesday, November 7th at 7:00 p.m. for a presentation by Jon Covich on fly fishing Christmas Island for bonefish and giant trevally. Anyone is welcome to attend. Pacific Fly Fishers will be hosting a trip to Christmas Island May 14-21, 2013. Learn more about ...
Where to Go Fly Fishing in Washington in SeptemberSeptember 2020 Fly Fishing Report & Forecast September is here and the signs of fall are in the air. September is another great month for fly fishing opportunities for anglers from the greater Seattle and Everett area. It seems like just about everything fishes well in September and October. Keep those waders wet and your hooks sharp for the next couple months whether you prefer trout, steelhead or just about any other fish species. Westside Trout Rivers It has been a really good year...
Skykomish June 28, 2010Fished the Skykomish on 6/28/2010 with my buddy from S.Cal, Steve. Steve and I worked together at Sport Chalet in the Fishing Department when we were in college down in the L.A. area. Steve was raised down there and is proof that just because you’re from S. Cal, you can still be a great fly fisherman. During our day on the water, I was reminded of how spectacular it is just to watch him cast. We took the boat out and jetted up from Lewis Street all the way up near Gold Bar. We had his wife, L...
Saltwater and SeaplanesI think maybe it’s time to get some saltwater reports up here. Here is a little peek inside a guide trip with Sound Fly Fishing and Kenmore Air. We took off from Kenmore Air Harbor after a slight fog delay. We almost had to shoot the Narrows Bridge due to fog but Larry the pilot is fantastic at finding holes in the clouds. Hit the first beach and found a few smaller cutts about 50 feet off the shore. All fish taken were on a Imitator - Oil Slick pattern. Off to the next beech keeping our head...
Skykomish June 2ndFished the upper sky with Mason Denger of PFF, John Farrar of NW Flyfishing, and myself. It was cold, and very wet. And, by wet I mean the river was on the way up way up, at the end of all of it all the river had come up over a foot on us. The nice thing about fishing water like that is that you end up with the river all to yourself. Fishing tends to be tough with the river moving up the way that it was but we were able to dig up one player towards the end of the day. Had a few more rolling a...
Dubbing Loop Material ClipMore and more modern flies are being tied with rabbit hair that is removed from the hide and put into a dubbing loop. This tying method is used for the head area on many Intruder-style flies and I have used it for years on my pattern, the Exasperator. After years of using my hands, the Dubbing Loop Material Clip makes it so much faster and allows you to put more hair in the loop much easier. It is also very effective for ostrich, rhea, and even other things like various flash materials. This ...
Airflo Rage Compact FloatThe Rage line from Airflo is my number one choice of spey lines for all of my applications in the swing world. Better casters will soon realize that sink tips can be an option on this fly line if they choose or need to fish them. Other casters can still use Airflo poly leaders if they need a little more sink on the river. The Rage line handles the floating lines in the wind much better than any Scandi line that I have ever fished. Unlike a Scandi or Midspey it can handle big or small flies. S...
Lite-BriteLite-Brite has become one of go to materials for all of my steelhead and salmon flies. It is so versatile in the way that it can be used I can’t go wrong with it, in whatever way I need to add some flash and sparkle into my flies. For a brighter body I will use it as a straight dubbing and leave it wound tight, for that buggy/swimmy look on the body I will leave it loose and pick it out. The long fibers allow me to make it as long or as short as I want the flash to be. The last way that I use...
Where to Go Fly Fishing in Washington in OctoberOctober 2020 Fly Fishing Report & Forecast October’s cool mornings and shorter days are certainly upon us. Great fly fishing in Washington continues in the month of October. For us anglers in the Seattle/Everett area of Washington, fly fishing opportunities peak for many different species. Here is a look at some of the popular October fly fishing options and some ideas for places to go wet a line. Coho Salmon October is coho time in western Washington. Puget Sound rivers, Forks area...
