oregon

31 posts

The Flies for Searun Cutthroats

Sea run cutthroat are the forgotten fish of the Pacific Northwest, to me that’s sad. They are named after William Clark of Lewis and Clark fame (Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii) which is always a fun fact I try to throw out when I’m talking about these fish. They are under researched, […]

Diamond Lake Trip Report 2024

Diamond Lake is the forgotten lake of Oregon stillwater anglers. Oh, I’m sure there are fly anglers that fish it religiously, but not like East lake or Crane Prairie Reservoir. Those lakes are obsessed over and the resources to understand those lakes are plentiful. The die-hards of Diamond are few […]

Fin and Fire Podcast with Jeff Mishler

I was on another podcast again. This will make it seven total guest spots across four different shows. In this one I talk about the industry and where I think it is going and how fly tying is not dying but on the contrary, it’s growing. Jeff and I touch […]

Fly Fishing Insiders Podcast – Searun Cutthroat

I talk with Christian at the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast all about searun cutthroat. We get into what I have been up to over the last couple years and how to target and fish for SRCs here in Oregon and the Pacific coast. The show was recorded back in November […]

Chironomids and Buzzers

In North America, in stillwater fisheries, the small but mighty chironomid is the foundation to a healthy lake and big fish. They range in sizes and colors but are found in nearly all lakes or ponds no matter the latitude. As someone who obsesses over fly tying and fishing I […]

A Deep Dive on Thread – Fly Fishing 97 Podcast

I am a podcasting machine apparently. I was back on the Fly Fishing 97 podcast this time not talking about me and the shows I’m going to but all about fly tying thread and how I think it is the most important tool in your fly tying arsenal. We dive […]

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 […]

The Season of the Sea Run Cutthroat

Sea run cutthroat are one of my favorite fish to go after. Everything about them feels so romantic and quintessential Oregon/ PNW. The time of year, the weather, the waters in which they swim; all make me feel like I am going back in time to an era that all […]

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 […]