Académique Documents
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In This Issue
Upcoming Schools & Seminars2 June Outlook3 The Secret Sauce-Damsels and Dragons4 Yakima River Forecast5 Western Montana Outlook6 Fly of the Month: X-Caddis.9 Featured Fishery: Cedar River...10 Hosted Travel11
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Headshake Magazine
Orvis Bellevue
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June Outlook
With the arrival of June it is hard to tell if summer has finally come. May brought us plenty of warm days but also many showers. With many rivers opening this month, June is a great time to be out on the water. Anglers headed out to the rivers should be sure to check the flows as some rivers can still be running high and off with snowmelt. June is a long anticipated month for many steelhead anglers. Fabled waters such as the Skykomish are now open where one can go test their skills, and luck, chasing summer steelhead. With higher flows anglers should concentrate on continuing to throw their favorite big winter patterns on Skagit heads and heavier sink tips. As the water begins to recede, anglers will need to adjust accordingly and begin down sizing their fly selection. During high water conditions intruder style flies will still effective. As the water comes down, downsizing to extractors, pick yer pockets, and traditional low-water patterns will be the hot ticket. Trout anglers will find a myriad of fishing opportunities in June. Our local stillwaters will still fish well until the heat of summer kicks fish deeper in the water column. We will see hatches of callibaetis, damselflies, and midges throughout the month. Fish streamers and leech patterns on full sink lines or chironomids under an indicator. If you are in the mood for a little moving water the Yakima and Cedar are great options for the month. The Yakima will remain around 4000cfs throughout the summer which is an optimal flow for anglers fishing from a boat. Wade anglers will still find fishing opportunities as the higher flows push fish to the margins of the river. The Cedar River is a great after work option when you only have a few hours to fish. Streamers are very effective on the Cedar and patterns like Sculpizillas and Kiwi Muddlers will often yield fish. Be sure to check out our great selections of streamers at the shop. Sea run cutthroat fishing will continue to be good throughout June. Concentrate on and south sound beaches for the best opportunities for success. Baitfish patterns on intermediate lines or a Miyawaki Beach Popper on a floating line are both good set ups. When fishing intermediate lines, be sure to have a stripping basket to help with line management and shoot more line. June will be lights out for anglers chasing bass with a fly rod. Warm water temperatures bring fish shallow where they can easily be caught on the fly. Baitfish and crawfish on sinking lines or poppers with a floating line are both great ways to catch fish. Be sure to have a variety of lines with you to fish different levels of the water column. The key to catching bass consistently is developing a pattern and finding out what depth the fish are at, what cover they are associating with, and what they are feeding on. If you are not having a successful day switch tactics until you find what works. Many times once you catch one fish, you will know where they are at and be able to consistently stick fish throughout the day. Headshake Magazine Orvis Bellevue Page 3
Summer is finally here and stillwater fishing is starting to heat up. Rising water temperatures will bring out swarms of damselflies and dragon flies. These two bugs will be heavily fed on by trout and bass throughout the spring and summer. Although the two insects have appreciable differences, they are often misidentified by novice and even experienced anglers. Here are a few simple tips on identifying damsels and dragons that will help you distinguish between the two. Dragonflies make their home in slower moving pools on rivers and in lakes. The nymph is generally short, stocky, and brown or green in color. When determining what color nymph to tie on, take into consideration the color of the insects environment. Insects will closely match the color of their surroundings to help camouflage themselves from would be predators. If the area has a lot of weeds, try an olive nymph, if there is a mud and rock bottom, go with a brown. Once mature, the dragonfly nymph will crawl out of the water, shed its nymphal shuck, and take its adult form. Dragonfly adults are usually very large with thick bodies and are blue or green in color. When the adult lands and is at rest, its wings will be splayed out to its side. Dragonfly adults are great flyers and are rarely taken by trout making the nymph the only viable food source. Damselflies are much smaller than dragonflies but hatch in far greater numbers. Damselflies live in weedy areas of lakes and slower pools in rivers. The damselfly nymph is long, slender, and olive or brown in color. During the summer large migrations of damsels will make their way out of the water where they will shed their nymphal shuck and take on their adult form. Fish will feed heavily on the nymphs and fishing a damsel nymph on an intermediate line around weed beds can be a recipe for success. When choosing your damselfly nymph, try to pick a pattern that is very thin to mimic the natural. The damselfly adult has a very thin body and is blue or green in color. When at rest, the damsel's wings will be swept back over its body. While damselflies are great flyers they are not very strong. If there is any wind, damsels will often be blown into the water where they will get trapped in the surface film. Here, they are easy pickings for trout and a dry fly can be very productive. Like any fly fishing situation, knowing what type of bugs fish are eating will greatly increase your chances of getting one on the line. Hopefully these tips will help you catch more fish this summer.
Headshake Magazine
Orvis Bellevue
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Headshake Magazine
Orvis Bellevue
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Headshake Magazine
Orvis Bellevue
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Lower Clark Fork-below Alberton Gorge Like the Kootenai the Clark Fork will be a bit high on the front end of June but should shape up nicely by mid-month. It appears runoff might have peaked already and flows are now headed in a steady downward trend. The river fished extremely well this spring and hatches were strong and the fish were thick and in great shape. Average snowpack means conditions will be better earlier compared to the last several years. Fishability on the Clark Fork is mostly about water clarity so stay tuned to that end. Present Flow: approximately 17,000cfs Fishable Flow: >15,000cfs Hatches: salmon flies, golden stoneflies, caddis, pale morning duns Patterns: Pats stonefly, bh pheasant tail, bh sj worm, bh prince, stimulator, Kootenai Hellboy, green goblin, fuzzy face caddis, caddis emerger, parachute Adams, parachute pmd, cdc pmd
Bitterroot River It looks like Bitterroot flows topped out last week and since then its been dropping nicely and clearing up fast. Its presently fishable but water temps are still a bit chilly. June is all about stoneflies on the Bitterroot and salmon flies and golden stones headline hatches. A few more warm days will help move the hatch along. This could be one of those great Junes where conditions are ripe for great fishing with big bugs. Present Flow near Missoula: approximately 5500cfs Water Clarity: stained Hatches: salmon flies, golden stoneflies, yellow sallies, caddis, pmds Patterns: Pats stonefly, bh golden stonefly, bh prince nymph, bh pheasant tail, pink bh sj worm, bh head hares ear, stimulator, bullet head stonefly, Hellboy golden stone, freddy, parachute adams, x-caddis, headlight caddis, parachute pmd, pmd sparkle dun
Headshake Magazine
Orvis Bellevue
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Clark Fork Near Missoula-above Alberton Gorge The Clark Fork near Missoula will shape up more quickly than in years past. Runoff from the Blackfoot and Bitterroot has peaked so conditions on the mainstem will be accelerated this season. The Clark Fork should be good to go soon. Depending on daytime temperatures caddis and pmds could start to pop by midmonth. Present Flows Below Missoula: approximately 13,000cfs Water Clarity: stained Hatches: salmon flies, golden stoneflies, yellow sally stoneflies, caddis, pmds Patterns: Pats stonefly, bh head stonefly, bh pheasant tail, bh head prince, bh hares ear, pink bh SJ worm, bh green goblin, xcaddis, elk hair caddis, stimulator, bullet head stonefly, Freddy, Hellboy, fuzzy face caddis, parachute Adams, pmds
Blackfoot River The Blackfoot is also shaping up quickly and like other rivers it appears that peak runoff is over. Stoneflies headline hatches on the Blackfoot as well and salmon flies and golden stones are the B-52s of June. At the very least conditions should be good by the middle of the month and big bug dry fly action can be counted on. Present Flows: approximately 5000cfs Water Clarity: stained Hatches: salmon flies, golden stoneflies, little yellow sally stoneflies, caddis Patterns: Pats stonefly, bh stonefly, bh prince, bh pheasant tail, pink bh SJ worm, salmon flies, stimulators, bullet head stoneflies, Freddy, Hellboy, x-caddis, headlight caddis, fuzzy face caddis, parachute Adams, royal wulff
Headshake Magazine
Orvis Bellevue
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X-Caddis
June can yield epic hatches of caddis on many western rivers. The bugs will hatch throughout the day and then lay their eggs on the waters surface as the sun sets. This gives anglers multiple opportunities to fish dries as the fish are looking up. The X-Caddis is a killer pattern and a very simple fly to tie. I keep a selection of X-Caddis in my box in sizes ranging from 12-18 and in a variety of colors. Tan, olive, brown, and even black are all great color options. When fishing a caddis hatch be sure to match the size and color of the naturals as best you can. However, remember that presentation is the key when fishing any dry fly. Tying Steps 1. Start your tying thread behind the hook eye and give yourself a nice thread base ending just before the bend and above the barb. 2. Tie in a shuck of z-lon or antron and cut to the proper length (Usually length of the hook shank) 3. Dub body up to the eye of the fly and then bring your thread back 1/5 of the hook shank to tie in the wing. Try to taper the body so it is thin towards the back of the hook and gradually tapers up. 4. Stack a clump of elk hair with a hair stacker to make all of the tips even. Getting the proper amount of elk hair for the wing can be tricky and it may take a few tries before you get it right. I always start with more than I think I need as you can always take fibers out of the bunch. 5. Tie in the wing so the tips extend past the bend of the hook. When tying in the wing make 2-3 loose wraps to set the wing on top of the hook shank and then several tighter wraps to secure. 6. Finish the fly using a whip finish or several half hitches and trim the excess elk hair. 7. Put a small drop of super glue or head cement where the wing attaches to the hook to help secure the wing further and increase the flies durability.
Materials Hook: Orvis 4864 Size 12-18 Thread: 3/0 in appropriate color Shuck: Z-Lon or Antron Body: Spectrablend Dry Fly Dubbing Wing: Elk Hair Legs: (optional) Small Round Rubber Legs
Headshake Magazine
Orvis Bellevue
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Flowing through the town of Renton the Cedar River is truly an urban fishery. The river hosts a good population of cutthroat and rainbows that can reach trophy size. 16-20 fish are not uncommon and there is always the possibility of a 24+ fish. The Cedar has numerous access points to park as well as a trail that follows the river from Renton to Landsburg. This is a fantastic fishery to hit when you only have a few hours before or after work. Streamer fishing is the most effective way to fish for the rivers trophy fish. Try using a sink tip set up with a decent size streamer and vary your retrieve to see what the fish are keying in on any particular day. Fishing streamers will be most productive during overcast days or low light conditions in the morning or evening. On sunny days try a double nymph rig with a pats stone or caddis pupa up top, and trail it with a small pheasant tail. Fish can also be caught on dry flies when there is a hatch coming off and even on terrestrials in the heat of the summer. Being an urban fishery the Cedar is well known for break-ins on vehicles. Be sure to park in public areas and dont leave anything visible in your car. Put any valuables in the trunk and out of sight of would be thieves. Overall the Cedar is a great river just minutes from our door. If you have any questions on access points, fly selection or tactics dont hesitate to call us at the shop and we can point you in the right direction. (425)452-9138.
Headshake Magazine Orvis Bellevue
Recommend Gear Rod: 9 4-6wt Reel: To Match Rod Line: Floating & Sink Tip Leaders: 7.5-9 3X-5X (Nymphs and Dries) 7.5 2X (Streamers) Flies Streamers Sculpizillas Double Bunnys Marabou Muddlers Nymphs Pats Stone Pheasant Tails Caddis Pupa Copper Johns Dries Elk Hair Caddis Stimulators Parachute Adams Para PMD Terrestrials (Hoppers, ants, beetles)
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Hosted Travel
Embark on your next fly fishing adventure with our experienced staff. Hosted trips offer anglers the comfort of knowing their trip will run as smoothly as possible under the watchful eye of one of our professional staff members. These trips also give individuals the opportunity to fish destinations near and far for less than when booking on their own. Please feel free to call us at any time with any questions and to book your next adventure today.
February 16-22nd 2014 Includes: 6 nights lodging, 5 days guided fishing, Free H2 rod!!!, 15% Discount Card, All Meals, Local Alcohol This part of Belize is one of the best places to get a saltwater Grand Slam: bonefish; permit; and tarpon in one day. The flats are extensive and the lodge is well located so you dont have to travel far to be on the fish, although they go on endlessly north to the border with Mexico. El Pescador caters to fly-fishers, but there are some great non-angling activities available as well. Theres excellent snorkeling, an extensive barrier reef, a dive shop and the option to take excursions to Maya ruins on the mainland. Its a good place for your first saltwater trip and theres an onsite coach to help you master sight casting on the flats. The large numbers of bonefish mean youre chances of success are excellent, and light tackle gear is available. September 12th-16th 2013 Includes: 4 Nights Lodging, 3 days guided fishing, 15% VIP Discount Card, $500 Orvis Gift Card!!! Fly Fish and explore one of Americas iconic landscapes with a small group from Orvis on our Montana fly fishing trip. The lodge has been hosting anglers for years and has twice been recognized as the Orvis Endorsed Lodge of the Year. Their expert fly fishing guides are delighted to share some of the best trout streams in the Rockies with our group, and September is a perfect time to visit the area for some Montana fly fishing. Theres also horseback riding and other activities for those who dont fly fish, so it can be a well-rounded western ranch experience at this Montana fly fishing lodge. Reggie Harris from Orvis of Bellevue leads this trip. Hell work with the friendly lodge staff and expert local guides to make sure everyone has a great experience.
Headshake Magazine Orvis Bellevue Page 11