oregon

21 posts

Fly Fishing 97 Podcast

I had a great conversation with Mark Hopley on the Fly Fishing 97 podcast. We talked about a ton of stuff including thread, hooks, my least favorite phrase in fly tying, mentors, fly tying influences, and so much more. It was a blast talking with Mark and we even talked […]

Stillwater Flies and How to Fish Them

I’ve been going around Oregon speaking at fly fishing clubs. Where I have been covering topics like searun cutthroat, euro nymphing, fly fishing off the jetty, and much more. Recently while speaking at the Santiam Flycasters in Salem, Oregon they recorded my talk about stillwater flies. I don’t have much […]

Flies You Need for Pulling

Pulling flies is verbiage from across the pond. They use that term whenever they are fishing stillwaters and presenting the flies in a cast and retrieve style. I like the term pulling better than cast and retrieve or stripping for the reasons that it describes the action and presentation accurately. […]

Diamond Lake Trip Report 2023

The blog doesn’t have a lot of trip reports but I thought the fly fishing community should have a modern report on Diamond Lake.   I was recently out at Diamond Lake to do some fishing with a buddy of mine. It was a great trip that you’re here to […]

How to Prepare for a Fly Fishing Competition

This year I’m going full bore into the fly fishing competitions scene. Last year (2022) I dipped my toes into it and participated in a couple of comps in Central Oregon on two stillwater venues, Crane Prairie Reservoir and Paulina Lake. This year’s season will have competitions in Oregon, California, […]

Safety on the Jetty

Safety on the jetties, that dot the West Coast, is paramount. Every year you see news reports of accidents on the jetties and the beaches here in the PNW. Most anglers that decide to venture out on the coast know the risk the water, rocks, and sand provide and go […]

Control the Boat or Fish the Front?

Most anglers interested in competitive fly fishing only think of rivers when they think of a venue for a competition. This isn’t the case at all. Rivers play a massive role in the competitive scene and are integral to the success of an individual or the team, but there is […]

Why Hook Choice is Important – Part 2 (Final)

The other other factor that goes into hook choice is the shape. This can be inconsequential or it can matter a lot. To me when the stakes are the lowest is when you are tying nymphs and you are tying to get the shape correct for just aesthetic purposes. It […]

Salmon Trip Report 2022

I was fortunate enough to be able to go after salmon this year on the fly. I had a friend that has talked to me about and wanted me to come with him after chum salmon. This year was the year that it worked out for the both of us […]

Why Hook Choice is Important – Part 1

As a fly tyer who geeks out hard about tying, materials, and flies it would be totally justified to think hooks would be top of mind for me when deciding how to tie a fly. Hooks are the foundation to every fly tyed, but criminally overlooked, especially when it comes […]

Euro Nymph: Tying an anchor fly

As a competent euro nympher you need to adapt to different waters. This means when you encounter deep runs, fast water, and steep rivers, like the West Coast and Rocky Mountain states offer, you need to have the right flies for the situation. For me it is having a diverse […]

Fly Fishing Insider Podcast Guest Spot

I was on the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast. On the show I talked with Christian, the host, about the the backstage experience I’ve had over the years in the fly tying industry. I also get into tying with deer hair and how that applies to so mush more in fly tying […]

Why the Clouser Works!

 The Clouser Minnow was a gateway fly for me. When I was just starting my fly fishing and tying journey way back in the day of 2009, this was one of the first flies that I tied to terrorize the local smallmouth. The fly was simple and quick to tie […]

Beginner’s Guide to PNW Jetties

One of my favorite things about the Pacific Northwest is the diversity of fish you can go after. Every day of the year you can go after some kind of fish on the fly rod no matter the condition, and you can have success going after them. This brings me […]

Tools and Materials for Stacking Deer Hair Flies

Materials Necessary: Deer Belly Hair (High Quality) Tailing material Saltwater Neck Hackle Variant Hackle Marabou Rabbit Strip Round Rubber Legs Eyes Deer Creek Eyes Fish Skull Eyes Dome Eyes  Large Hook Ahrex TP650 Sizes: 4/0-2 Ahrex PR330 Sizes: 4/0-1/0 Gamakatsu B10s Sizes 2/0-2 GSP Thread (200 Denier) White Black 210 […]

Middle Fork of the Willamette Trip Report 2/23/20

I need a wading jacket The Middle Fork of the Willamette is one of the most under fished trout fisheries in the Willamette Valley if you asked me. There are others, but this is up there. I never make any sense to me. It’s not far from population centers like […]

Five Fly Tying Instagram Accounts to Follow

I love seeing other peoples fly tying work.  It offers inspiration and motivation.  Instagram an excellent source of fly tying inspiration. Be sure to follow Garrett and Garren on Instagram and here are some other accounts that are recommended to follow. avkrokar – Mathias Aberg Mathias has some amazing trout […]

Fly Design for Pacific Rockfish

Recently I went out to go after pacific rockfish on the fly off a jetty here in Oregon. It was a blast. From the process I learned some good information about fly construction and design. By no means am I an expert on catching these fish, but I have tied […]