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A rookies log.

65K views 930 replies 65 participants last post by  Mumbles 
#1 ·
So I think I have finally figured out that the reason I have not caught a Steelhead yet in the past 3 years I have been trying is due to my lack of commitment.
I am now going to log and document everything I learn here on this thread and maybe perhaps someone who needs help one day can look here. So here we go.

I live in Monroe. Therefore, my home water is the Sky. Today I decided to spend the day driving up and down between Monroe and Reiter to look for good access points and good runs to fish. When I finally got to the river here in Monroe I found that the river was REALLY high. So looking around for details in the water was right out the window. I still managed to look hard for obvious pull outs and stuff where I can park my car. Perhaps studying GPS would help in finding hidden access points too? I brought my 11 year old daughter along with me also because if I can not be a successful angler I may as well give this new generation a chance. Her and I went all the way up to Reiter and found some steelhead in the ladders. Her and I got so excited and pumped.
I have also started reading some steelhead books. The current book I am reading is called " A steelheader's way", by Lani Waller. This book is really amazing and is very well written, and am looking forward to my next book purchase.
Well there you go fellas. I am sorry if this is a boring thread but I think this would be a fun experience and I would also like to make some friends here. Putting myself out there I guess you could say.
 
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#2 ·
Commitment to catching steelhead can be frustrating. If you can keep your daughter "interested" in coming along (fishing) you'll earn huge family points and your experiences will be exponentially more gratifying than if you'd been alone.

You do need access but "covering water" is the key. Fish a run quickly and move on to the next. Steelhead aren't everywhere, you have to find them. Where you find one you'll likely find another, same day, next day or next year.
Welcome to the addiction! Gonna need rods for the wife and daughter though...
 
#3 ·
Commitment to catching steelhead can be frustrating. If you can keep your daughter "interested" in coming along (fishing) you'll earn huge family points and your experiences will be exponentially more gratifying than if you'd been alone.

You do need access but "covering water" is the key. Fish a run quickly and move on to the next. Steelhead aren't everywhere, you have to find them. Where you find one you'll likely find another, same day, next day or next year.
Welcome to the addiction! Gonna need rods for the wife and daughter though...
Hey thanks man. Both my wife and daughter are planning on gear fishing. I have been gear fishing since I was a kid but I only switched to the fly in the last few years. They are both very excited to get out there this year.
 
#4 ·
So now I am wondering really how many flies an angler like me should take along. The book I am reading emphasizes traveling light. However, I do not know what fly works and how many of each I should bring along. The picture below is my current box that I have. Perhaps I should head over to pacific fly fishers and let them help me.
Paint Rectangle Purple Art Insect
 
#15 ·
So now I am wondering really how many flies an angler like me should take along. The book I am reading emphasizes traveling light. However, I do not know what fly works and how many of each I should bring along. The picture below is my current box that I have. Perhaps I should head over to pacific fly fishers and let them help me. View attachment 27752
Choose 2 patterns; 1 bright and 1 dark. Carry a couple different sizes of each, both weighted and un-weighted. As you become more familiar with your home river, you can even further limit the number of flies that you bring. More or less, you will already be familiar with the river conditions if you fish often enough.
 
#6 ·
Well then, I suppose I will just run with these then. But perhaps I will let the staff at Pacific Flyfishers talk me into buying a few more flies. I have always wanted to hire a guide to show me around but as I just got laid off from Boeing, that is not happening anytime soon.
 
#9 ·
That box looks good. When I fish (were talking winter fish here) I carry an even mix of bright and dark, large and small patterns. Most of my larger patterns are lightly weighted Tandem Tubes or just simple Marabou/Artic Fox tubes. I carry some Intruder stuff for really dirty water because the profile they cast is unmatched in those situations. The other box I have is full of traditional summer flies and some GP type stuff that are smaller and darker/ more natural tones for when the water is clear and low (or if your fishing summer runs). I've fished the Sky for a long time and its a tough river, but you'll find fish.
 
#10 ·
Daniel,

Since you found this website and forum, that means you have internet access. Use that before you fish. You went out driving yesterday and saw that the river was high. If you had checked the river gages on the internet before you left home, you would have known what to expect even before you started your car. Google USGS real time water data, and you can pull up a table of all USGS gages in WA, including the Sky. Bookmark it, and use it. Lots. Never leave home to fish without first checking on water levels.

Good looking fly box. You can buy more flies, lots more. It won't improve your likelihood of catching a steelhead one iota. You can take that comment to the bank. Most any fly will do provided you present in properly in the right place. You can read a lot in books and online here about proper presentations that can help you. The right place is where a steelhead is, when a steelhead is there. If you already know what steelhead holding water looks like and how to find it, you're set. If you don't, then that's what you need to focus on, not on what rod, what fly, and all the other all but irrelevant shit that most newbs obsess about. Notice I didn't include "line" in that short list. Using a line that is suited to the proper presentation I mentioned can make the difference between hooking up and not. Until you have a damn good reason to use something else, I recommend a WF line with a 15' sink tip in type VI sinking rate. A multi-tip line might be a good investment, and then you could have a floating, type III, and type VI tip to cover the vast majority of fishing conditions.

Put this in your fishing log, and good luck.

Sg
 
#11 ·
Daniel,

Since you found this website and forum, that means you have internet access. Use that before you fish. You went out driving yesterday and saw that the river was high. If you had checked the river gages on the internet before you left home, you would have known what to expect even before you started your car. Google USGS real time water data, and you can pull up a table of all USGS gages in WA, including the Sky. Bookmark it, and use it. Lots. Never leave home to fish without first checking on water levels.

Good looking fly box. You can buy more flies, lots more. It won't improve your likelihood of catching a steelhead one iota. You can take that comment to the bank. Most any fly will do provided you present in properly in the right place. You can read a lot in books and online here about proper presentations that can help you. The right place is where a steelhead is, when a steelhead is there. If you already know what steelhead holding water looks like and how to find it, you're set. If you don't, then that's what you need to focus on, not on what rod, what fly, and all the other all but irrelevant shit that most newbs obsess about. Notice I didn't include "line" in that short list. Using a line that is suited to the proper presentation I mentioned can make the difference between hooking up and not. Until you have a damn good reason to use something else, I recommend a WF line with a 15' sink tip in type VI sinking rate. A multi-tip line might be a good investment, and then you could have a floating, type III, and type VI tip to cover the vast majority of fishing conditions.

Put this in your fishing log, and good luck.

Sg
Awesome reply, and thank you so much. I would say I am pretty squared away with all my gear to the point I am not thinking about it anymore. I have the whole line of Airflo polyleader sink tip leaders in my box, and my line is an 8wt wf gpx line. I just need to get a good pair of wading boots but that is not a major issue.
 
#14 ·
If you can afford it, there's no quicker way to advance the learning curve than to hire a guide. Try to find one who'll do a wlk/wade as you'll most likely be fishing that way. I hired a guide for a 1/2 day on the North U and told him I understand it's not about numbers, I just wnated to pick his brain in regard to good water and any specific techniques for the given water conditions. Salmo nailed it above. Water Conditions are of utmost importance.
On the other hand, I took a friend's son (22 yrs. old) down the Sandy last March. He's only been flyfishing for trout a couple years, not huge hours on the water. He'd picked up the 2H thing six months previous to our trip and was pretty good. He proceeded to ask me what he was doing wrong, as he'd only caught one steelhead, back in December.
I told him to relax, he was way ahead of the curve.
 
#22 ·
1. Find steelhead

2. Keep fly in water fishing

3. Don't chit chat too much with other anglers as it hampers 1 & 2.
 
#27 ·
So as you guys may know I just recently bought a TFO 8wt for 60 bucks, but am looking at spending more money on something like the SAGE approach for 300. What do you guys think of this move. I am thinking of taking the TFO back and put that 60 towards the SAGE. Mind you this is 100% impulse fueling this. Is this model SAGE worth the money? I have heard some mixed reviews that it is not worth the money. I want to know what the locals think, and yes I know that the rod does not catch fish or make me a better one.
 
#31 ·
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Well I did it. I am now a proud owner of my first SAGE rod. I have been wanting one of these for 3 years now and finally decided to do it. It is an approach model 890-4. I know its not one of the expensive SAGE'S but this makes me have the biggest smile on my face. I am ready to hit the water.
 
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#34 ·
Word bird on the turd. I hated two hand before some people showed me the ropes. U will learn quickly that distNce vs backcast/climate/where fish are actually holding is key. After all there is a style of spey casting named after oneour hallowed streams.

It rhymes with fadge it

Congratz on the purchase
 
#35 ·
Word bird on the turd. I hated two hand before some people showed me the ropes. U will learn quickly that distNce vs backcast/climate/where fish are actually holding is key. After all there is a style of spey casting named after oneour hallowed streams.

It rhymes with fadge it

Congratz on the purchase
I will take your word for it. I can certainly see definite advantages to those spey rods. First time I saw someone spey casting on the sky last year I was really wowed. Perhaps I will take the plunge one day but until then this is the path I am on. Plus I can not afford to buy an entire new spey outfit now, and I would not want to go the cheap route to get into it.
 
#38 ·
Daniel,

Congrats on your new rod acquisition. Had I seen your earlier post I would have advised you to keep and fish the TFO. There's nothing wrong with the Sage rod, but at what appears to be your stage of the game, I'll just tell you that you're wearing a $240 smile on your face and have done nothing to up your steelheading game.

Let me share that I have quite a few rods. They range in price from $59 Cabela's Three Forks models to a $2,200 Bob Clay bamboo that I was fortunate to obtain for slightly less. The expensive rods, the bamboo ones anyway, do put a smile on my face, and I love casting and fishing with them. However they do not make me a better angler, even in the slightest.

I suggest that you add this post to your fishing log. As long as money is an issue, I recommend that you invest in products and services that will up your game. When the money doesn't matter, that is the best time to invest in putting a smile on your face that doesn't improve your fishing.

Sg
 
#39 ·
Daniel,

Congrats on your new rod acquisition. Had I seen your earlier post I would have advised you to keep and fish the TFO. There's nothing wrong with the Sage rod, but at what appears to be your stage of the game, I'll just tell you that you're wearing a $240 smile on your face and have done nothing to up your steelheading game.

Let me share that I have quite a few rods. They range in price from $59 Cabela's Three Forks models to a $2,200 Bob Clay bamboo that I was fortunate to obtain for slightly less. The expensive rods, the bamboo ones anyway, do put a smile on my face, and I love casting and fishing with them. However they do not make me a better angler, even in the slightest.

I suggest that you add this post to your fishing log. As long as money is an issue, I recommend that you invest in products and services that will up your game. When the money doesn't matter, that is the best time to invest in putting a smile on your face that doesn't improve your fishing.

Sg
Well actually I am pretty embarrased. This morning I had a stroke of concience and decided that it just was not the right time to aquire a high end rod yet. Soooo, I took the Sage back and came home with just a simple Cabelas L-Tech rod. I do not know anything about these rods but it was on sale for only 99 bucks. So I got my 320.00 bucks back for the sage and left only spending 100. Telling yourself no to things like that is hard but it was something that I felt was right. Perhaps one day I will have a nice Sage rod.
 
#40 ·
what was wrong with your tfo ? was it not the 4pc pro ? thats the only good one imo. if your looking for the rod that will make you a better caster, you will be looking for a long,long time. sure, the marketing geniuses will have you beleive they have just the rod for you :rolleyes: and if you are looking for knowledgable advice, cabelas is the last place you want to look. just because the guy in there knows more than you, doesnt mean he knows jack shit.
 
#41 ·
Okay clearly i am new to this. I appreciate everyone looking out for my best interest. Are you guys suggesting that i exchange this cabelas rod for the tfo pro II? If you strongly suggest it i will do it tomorrow. They have an eight weight and i liked it but i was swayed by the cheaper price the tfo is 159.00. Please let me know. I will gladly listen to you guys more than cabelas.
 
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