Articles

Tying the MKCaddis Pupa Fly

by Aileen Lane - Wednesday, Mar 12th, 2014

Caddisflies are one of my favorite insects to imitate. In fact, the first rainbow I landed on a fly I tied myself came on the ubiquitous Elk Hair Caddis. Getting a hit on top is exciting, however if you want to increase your chances for catching fish, consider tying on a caddis pupa instead.

Emerging caddis pupa often spend a great deal of time drifting in the water before they make it to the surface. Dead drift this pattern near the bottom in the riffles or drift it near the surface.

When designing the MKCaddis Pupa, the goal was to create a semi-realistic pattern that was fishable but also simple to tie. The MKCaddis Pupa may be tied with or without weight depending on how you want to fish it.

Victory for Wild Steelhead in Washington

by Ben Kryzinski - Tuesday, Mar 11th, 2014

The East Fork of the Lewis River in Washington (photo: Stephanie Brock).

After several years of effort, wild steelhead advocates are claiming a victory in southwest Washington after the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced that it would cease all steelhead planting in perpetuity on four of the state's rivers. These rivers will be established as wild steelhead gene banks, part of an effort to restore and revitalize native steelhead populations throughout Washington.

Effective immediately, steelhead stocking will cease on the East Fork of the Lewis, the North Fork of the Toutle and the Green rivers. The Wind River, which hasn't been stocked since the late 1990s, will also remain unstocked in perpetuity and serve as part of the wild steelhead gene bank.

Vision, Through Three Different Lenses

by Todd Tanner - Monday, Mar 10th, 2014

Alaskan Rainbow Trout (photo: Chad Shmukler).

In the lexicon of rock ‘n roll, there’s a term called a riff. The dictionary on my laptop describes it as, “a short repeated phrase, frequently played over changing chords or harmonies or used as a background to a solo improvisation.” I don’t have a musical bone in my body, but I’m going to imitate the guitar heroes of my youth and riff on a single word. Vision.

One of the things that sets the best fly fishermen apart from their less successful brethren is vision. Not so much visual acuity (although I’ll touch on that later), but vision with a small “v” - the ability to see and understand what’s happening on, and around, the water.

Vision, at least in this context, is interchangeable with words like “information” and “understanding.” You see something or, more likely, some complex combination of things, and you become acutely aware of what you’re witnessing. Just as importantly, you know what to do next. The rise forms are subtle and the mayflies are lying flat on the surface, so you reach for your 6x tippet and a little rusty spinner. The wind is pushing waves against a rocky point on your favorite bass lake, so you cast your Clouser Minnow right to the edge of the drop-off. The eddy behind the mid-stream boulder is sunny and shallow, while the small cushion in front is deep and shaded. Where’s that big rainbow likely to be holding? In front of the rock, of course ...

Allen Intros Classically Influenced Heritage Fly Rod Series

by Ben Kryzinski - Friday, Mar 7th, 2014

After several years of manufacturers focusing heavily on fast action fly rods, the past year or so has seen more fly rods with more classic action receiving increased attention from rod makers. Several manufacturers have introduced new slow and medium action rod series and the fiberglass renaissance keeps gaining momentum. With the introduction of its new Heritage series, Allen Fly Fishing adds new rod series to the pool of options available to anglers that buck the fast and ultra-fast trends of recent years.

According to Allen, the new Heritage series the result of two years of development aimed at producing a fly rod that features classic action and feel but also "takes advantage of modern refinements. The mid flex action has been fine tuned to suit the modern angler. Cast small dries and nymphs with delicate presentation, protect your selective trout tippets when the riser you were stalking turns out to be the pool boss, and discover its reserve power when more demanding casting situations arise."

RIO Continues Spey Expansion with New Scandi Heads

by Ben Kryzinski - Tuesday, Mar 4th, 2014

RIO has focused on no area more intently recently than the spey arena. Multiple times in recent months, RIO has released new line offerings for Skagit lovers. With its latest released, the Scandi Shooting Head and the Scandi VersiTip lines, Scandi casters have something new to explore as well.

According to RIO, the Scandi Shooting Head lines are all new lines which "an easy casting Scandinavian style shooting head designed for effortless distance and great presentations". The lines are also conjoining and replacing the lines currently offered under RIO's Steelhead Scandi and AFS Shooting Head names. The heads are available in a multitude of weights from 210 grains to 640 grains and in lengths between 27 feet and 40 feet to cover all fly rod options and angling situations. The RIO Scandi is salmon colored and features a bright orange rear section. The lines are available immediately for $54.95.