Winter Fishing the Crooked River December 29, 2013

Finally I get a chance to make an actual fishing report since the blog's creation, and what a trip. I hit Oregon's Crooked River, a river I have not fished in a while! It's an interesting little river, with it's spring creek-ish layout and its murky water that the trout are still able to see through to eat a size 20 insect. As for insects, Blue Winged Olives and Midges are the prime food sources during winter, in addition to the prominent population of scuds. The Crooked River is great for winter fishing due to it being a tailwater that has a steady temperature throughout the cold spells that plague Central Oregon. Of course, all of Oregon knows this as well, and the river was peppered with fly fishermen. I even saw one catch a fish in the brief time we drove by him. Fortunately, I found a beautiful stretch all for myself and began casting a Size 18 Purple Haze along the glassy surface.

I could see the parachute fly fairly well on the surface, and I fished quietly for several minutes. Of course, fishing in the open with bare hands soon turned my hands into stiff mannequin appendages. Holding my rod and fly line was tricky enough, and untangling my tippet from the tules on the shore that I would frequently snag on was even worse. At one point my hook got embedded in my finger past the barb. Yes, I know it's barbless hooks only, but I filed it down after I ripped it out. The point was, it was so cold I couldn't feel the pain of a hook being ripped out of my finger, even with blood drawing. Sucking on my finger, I continued to work my way across the river. I cast my line across a likely stretch and was rewarded with a small, ten inch native Redside. Of course, I left my camera phone in the car as I always do after catching any beautiful fish (I did not forget it on the Depoe Bay Ling Cod Tournament or the Squawfish Ransom Fundraiser However!) I gently released it and immediately went back to the car to get a pair of mittens. Of course, once I put the mittens on came the five minutes of excruciating pain that one always feels when heating your hands after being out in the cold, but it eventually subsided.

As the day continued without any more strikes, I began noticing things about fly fishing. Like how cars always drive by when you're untangling your line from the tules or making a sh*tty cast, and how they disappear when you double haul fifty feet with a drag free drift. I fished the same stretch of river some more, and was watching my fly drift by a rock when a trout slurped my fly in. Bumbling to grab the line with my mittens, I miraculously was able to grab it and strip the trout in. It turned out to be sixteen inches, a nice fish for the river, and I gently released it back into its home. Soon, my parents called my and told me it was time to leave. I would have gladly stayed longer, but in a way that beautiful trout was a perfect way to end things.

The Makings of a Classic Fly

As many readers of my blog know, I am an avid fan of the classic Royal Coachman pattern. In my opinion it is one of the most consistent fish-taking flies and has one of the most ingenious designs. It is also highly visible to the angler, and more importantly, the trout. The fast flowing currents often make flies hard to see, but the distinctive shiny red and green Royal Coachman easily catches a trout's eye. Although the original Coachman was a wet fly, my favorite rendition of the pattern is in dry fly form. Below I have given step-by step instructions concerning the tying of the Royal Coachman.

Royal Coachman:



Hook: 10-18
Tail: Brown Hackle Fibers or Golden Pheasant tips
Body: Peacock herl, red floss, and peacock herl in that order
Wing: Lemon Wood duck or Mallard flanks.
Hackle: Brown

1.


Select an appropriately sized hook. In this example a size 14 Mustad hook is being used.

2.


Crimp the barb either with your vise or with a pair of pliers. Always do this before the fly in case of hook breakage.

3.


Lock on your thread towards the rear of the hook.

4.


Select either several golden pheasant tip fibers or several brown hackle fibers. Generally, I prefer the hackle as it is less expensive and more durable.

5.


Tie them in, taking care not to make the wraps too bulky.

6.


Select a wood duck or mallard flank feather. Although some aficionados claim the wood duck is more effective, mallard usually works just as well and happens to be far less expensive.

7.


Tie in the feather and make a divided post wing. it's a hard process to explain*, so either look it up on the internet or get someone to show you how to do it.

*I was too lazy to take pictures of me doing it.

8.


Select a single peacock herl strand and tie it in.

9.


Next, select a spool of red floss and tie in a suitable piece. It helps to have a floss bobbin, but one is not necessary.

10.


Wrap the peacock herl forward a third of the shank (up to the wing, that is), and tie it off. Wrap the floss over the next third, and tie it off as well.

11.


Wrap the peacock herl for the final third, and tie it off. Be sure to leave some room for the impending hackle.

12.


Select one or two brown or grizzly hackles, although I prefer brown. Two hackles give better flotation, but one is more natural (mayflies only have six legs)

13.


Prepare it by stripping the fuzzy fibers from the base of the hackle, and then tie it in.

14.


Use a pair of hackle pliers to wrap the hackle twice behind and twice in front of the wing.

15.

Tie off the hackle, whip finish, and add head cement.

FINISHED FLY



In addition, there are several other renditions of the Royal Coachman. One is using turkey flat segments as wings, a design more similar to the original duck quill Royal Coachman.




In addition, I used orange foam to tie a post-wing version of the fly which I intend to try next season.

I also made a few soft hackle versions of this fly, time tested favorites in my mind.



Of course, I meant the kind pictured above is a time-tested favorite. The one below I tied for amusement and I doubt will catch a cold. Nonetheless, it's still worth a try and could be effective.

Somehow Even More Selected Fly Patterns of the Mt. Hood Area

With Christmas only two days away, it is clear that fishing for trout is pretty much over. Although there are some ice fishing and tailwater opportunities, most trout fishermen have to resignedly hang their fishing caps and stow their waders for next year. Now, with winter in full swing, you might think that I'd be skiing like crazy, living in Government Camp. Well, this is not entirely true. While I am an avid skier, the conditions have been so poor lately that very few runs are open, and the ones that are have bad snow and unbearable crowds. So, to pass the time, I've been busy at the vise, churning out patterns for next year. Here are some time-tested favorites, as well as new flies.

Picket Pin:



Hook: 10-18
Body: Peacock Herl
Hackle: Brown, clipped short
Wing: Calf or squirrel tail
Thorax: Peacock herl
Weight: Tungsten bead head (opt)

Note: A classic Eastern wet fly that works very well here in the West.

Pheasant Tail Soft Hackle:



Hook: 10-18
Tail: Pheasant tail fibers
Body: Pheasant tail fibers
Rib: Copper wire
Thorax: Peacock Herl
Wing case: Pheasant tail fibers
Hackle: Hungarian Partridge
Weight: Tungsten Bead head (opt)

Notes: My attempt at combining the Pheasant tail nymph with a soft hackle. Works very well during a hatch unweighted as an emerging nymph.

Crazy-Ass Rockworm:



Hook: 10-14
Body: Green dubbing
Rib: Flashabou
Thorax: Green bead

Notes: Not recommended. You are welcome to give it a try, but this one was purely for entertainment purposes.

Light Blue Dun:



Hook: 10-18
Tail: Blue dun hackle fibers
Body: Muskrat Dubbing
Wing: Divided Wood Duck or Blue dun hackle tips
Hackle: Light blue dun

Notes: Standard dry fly, one that works pretty well in areas with Blue dun hatches.

Nondescript Brown Mayfly:



Hook: 10-14
Tail: Brown Hackle fibers
Body: Muskrat Dubbing
Wing: Divided Wood Duck Flank
Hackle: Brown

Notes: Most boring fly in existence, but a good one to try when nondescript mayflies are hatching.

Nondescript Brown Mayfly Wulff Style:





Hook: 10-18
Tail: Elk hairs
Body: Muskrat Dubbing
Wing: Dark elk hair
Hackle: Brown

Notes: The same as the previous fly, but with better flotation at the hands of the hair wing.

Hare's Ear Spider:



Hook: 10-14
Body: Hare's ear dubbing
Rib: Copper Wire
Thorax: Hair's ear with guard hairs left in
Hackle: Hungarian Partridge

Notes: Another effective soft hackle fly that works as well as the Pheasant Tail Soft Hackle.

Alternate Kam's Tail:

Hook: 10-18
Tail: Hare's ear guard hairs
Body: Hare's ear dubbing
Rib: Copper wire
Thorax:  Hare's ear dubbing with guard hairs left in
Wing case: Pheasant Tail fibers
Legs: Pheasant Tail fibers pulled back.

Notes: This pattern differs from the original Kam's Tail in that it's more styled after a Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear than the actual Pheasant Tail. Both are effective patterns and should work well in the Mt. Hood area.

Crappy Caddis:



Hook: 10-12
Body: Brown or black dubbing
Hackle: Brown, clipped short
Rib: Copper Wire
Weight: Tungsten bead head and/or lead wire

Notes: Looks disastrous, but is great for the Salmon River, where caddis flies predominate. Also works well at the Deschutes in the late summer and early fall especially.

Kam's Caddis with that Reflective Fish Stuff:



Hook: 10-14
Body: Spun and clipped deer hair
Wing: Translucent reflective fish skin stuff
Hackle: Brown

Notes: I need to know what that stuff is called. If anyone knows send me an email or comment.

Crudely tied Madame X-ish Fly:



Hook: 10-14
Body: Orange or tan dubbing
Wing: Elk Hair
Hackle: Brown
Legs: Rubber legs tied in an "X" shape.

Notes: My fly naming skills need work. Nonetheless, this fly works well as a caddis, cricket, or grasshopper. It is also a good Deschutes Salmonfly imitation in larger sizes.

CDC Wing Caddis:



Hook: 10-14
Body: Orange or tan dubbing
Hackle: Brown
Wing: Tan or Cream CDC.

Basic Insect Life of the Mt. Hood Streams:

ENTYMOLOGY/FLIES

For many years, I fished the Mt. Hood streams with little more than a greased–up Royal Coachman. Don’t get me wrong, I caught plenty of fish, but all were small, in the four to six inch range. Then, one day I decided to try a small Pheasant tail nymph. I was pleasantly surprised by a twelve inch fish. Wondering what I did differently, I investigated by turning over numerous rocks in the river. I found that in the particular river I was fishing (The Oak Grove Fork) there was an abundance of small mayfly nymphs, belonging to Blue Winged Olives. Since then, I have always brought size 14 mayfly nymphs, as well as actual BWO’s during the late summer hatches, and have caught many fish over 14 inches.

Keep in mind, these rivers are still easy to fish. If you want to throw out Royal Coachmans and Humpies on 3x tippets, and catch six inch trout, that is fine. But if you want to precisely cast 7x tippets with size 18 Cascade Flying Ants, you will be rewarded with 14+ inch fish. It’s your call.

Also, I am no etymologist. You should by no means use this as a reference for all forms of insect life on the Mt. Hood streams. These are just a few prominent hatches. Next spring and summer, I will make it my goal to find more groups and species of insects and include them to my blog on how to fish the Mt. Hood area.

Blue Winged Olives:

 

On the Oak Grove Fork, Blue Winged Olives are the main mayfly that can be found hatching during the summer and fall months. These Blue Winged Olives are greener than most, and have unusually short bodies. When they hatch, the waters won’t be exploding like with other mayflies, but the trout will clearly be going nuts, busting the surface all around you. Good flies are obviously the BWO, in size 12’s. Remember that even though it might look strange at first, always tie the wing as big as you can so as to match the naturals more. The nymphs are size 14’s, and are dark brown, so they are best imitated by Pheasant Tails in that size. Some good patterns are below:

Blue Winged Olive, Dry: #12

Blue Winged Olive Emerger, #12

Bead Head Pheasant Tail, #14

Olive Comparadun, #12

Cased Caddis Fly:

As aforesaid, I am not an entomologist. I don’t know or care what particular species the caddis flies that that I catch fish on are, and neither should you. All that is important is that in many of the Mt. Hood streams, especially the Zigzag and Salmon, small cased caddis flies are a staple of the trout found there. They are small, ranging in a size 12 or so, and when they hatch, the normally tricky fishing on those alpine creeks becomes much easier.

Nymphing can also be good, for reasons I will never understand. Of all the crazy and disgusting crawly things trout eat, I can at least understand the motivation with some of the mayflies and stoneflies. However, the attraction trout have to cased caddis nymphs is strange to say the least. These insects are usually, if not always, covered with a shell of gravel, dirt, silt, mud, or plant life. Why a trout would want that in its stomach is beyond me.

Despite this, caddis flies become the main food source for the trout in these creeks. Even during the spring time, these patterns make great attractor flies, and are very productive. Some good ones are below:

Elk Hair Caddis, Gray, Orange, Brown, #10-14

X-wing Caddis, Gray, Orange, Brown, #10-14

Goddard Caddis with spun deer hair body, Gray, Orange, Brown, #10-14

Cased Caddis with pebbles from river glued to body, #10-12

Spun Rubber Cased Caddis, #12

Black Stonefly:

 

Yes, there are giant stoneflies here! Once again, I’m pretty lost on the species in particular, although the Tiny Winter Black might be an option. Regardless, although the sheer number that hatch come nowhere near to rivaling that of the Deschutes River forty minutes away, they still can provide great fishing for some of the bigger trout that don’t fall for as much as the smaller, uneducated fish. The nymphs are also very effective, as long as they are fished deep. No stonefly is going to be caught dead in the middle of the water column.

Black Stimulator, #4

Black Bullethead Stonefly, #4

Kaufmann’s Stonefly Nymph, #4

Terrestrials:

Extremely effective on the creeks during the late spring and summer months, terrestrials imitate beetles, grasshoppers, and a host of other land-dwelling insects that have been blown into the water due to wind.  All are best fished dead drift.  Some caddis patterns can be used to mimic terrestrials because of their resemblance to grasshoppers. Still, in my opinion, the all-around best terrestrial to use on these creeks is a size 14 black foam beetle.

Before tying a terrestrial to your tippet, always take time to observe the local insect populations.  Trout primarily subsist on aquatic insects and only feed on the occasional terrestrial that drifts by.  Tying on a terrestrial pattern is not likely to be productive in the midst of a busy BWO hatch where fish will be focused on emerging aquatic insects.  I used to think of terrestrials as "last resort" patterns, but now I consider them a good addition to your arsenal when going after the big trout when there are no hatches.

Cascade Flying Ant, # 14-18

Black Beetle, #12-14

Deer Hair Hopper, #8-14

Inchworm, #18