FARM STORE FLY FISHING EXCLUSIVE: From WA Field Correspondent Leaf Seaburg
OCTOBER 2013
Preparing for Grand Ronde
Steelhead Camp Hidden by Lakes
Bass in Northern Minnesota
Missouri River
Walk/Wade Guide Continued
Deal of the Month
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CONTENTS
OCTOBER 2013 • VOL 6, ISSUE 10 bigrflyshop.com
FEATURES
7 Hidden by Lakes by Sam Wike
Sam and Paul visit Central Minnesota to shake that bass
15 Hank the Tank by L. Seaburg
Field Correspondent Leaf Seaburg speaks about one of his finned friends
19 Mo’ River Walk/Wade Guide - Part 2 by D. Rathbun We go from Wolf Creek Bridge to the town of Craig, MT
DEPARTMENTS
5 Creature Feature by D. Rathbun Purple Guinea Steelhead Fly
6 Creature Classic by D. Rathbun Goddard Caddis
The Goddard Caddis and Purple Guinea Steelhead Fly p. 5-6
This month’s deal p.3
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GREAT FALLS,
MT
By Rob Guevarra
A
s our daily highs ease into the low 50’s, and night time temperatures drop into the high 30’s, my excitement begins to crescendo. It means that autumn is rapidly approaching. As we move into what is--without a doubt--my favorite time of year to fish, we here at the Big R Fly Shop are ready for action! Denver in Great Falls prepares for what he knows will be an epic Steelhead season. Okanogan Valley field correspondent Leaf Seaburg tells a tale of an old finned friend named Hank. Sam and Paul report back from the Land of 10,000 Lakes. And to wrap up the October issue, Denver and I continue on with the Missouri River walk/wade guide. For some, the coming of fall prompts the putting away of rod, reel, and flies. We aren’t that type. So get your jacket on and let’s go fish!
Rob Guevarra
ON THE COVER: Great Falls Fly Shop’s Denver Rathbun lands a gorgeous Missouri River Rainbow on the second swing during the contuniation of our Missouri Walk/Wade Guide. This page: Our man in Oregon Matt Gutzmann shows off his new piercing. Photos by Rob Guevarra
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CREATURE FEATURE
Purple Guinea Steelhead Fly Play
For October's Creature Feature, Denver Rathbun from the Big R Fly Shop in Great Falls ties a Purple Guinea Steelhead fly that has been quite productive on the Ronde, Clearwater and Snake Rivers. MATERIALS: • Gamakatsu T10-3H Steelhead Hook - Size 8 • Fluorescent Purple Guinea Hackle • Purple 140 Ultra Thread • Purple UV Ice Dub Purple • Pearl Tinsel
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CREATURE CLASSIC
Goddard Caddis Fall Coloration
Denver stays on the vise for this month’s Creature Classis to tie the Goddard Caddis. For this version, he uses a darker orange coloration for autumn. This very productive dry fly pattern incorporates deer hair and saddle hackle which allows it to ride high on the water surface. MATERIALS: • Size 14 Tiemco TMC100 • Size 14 Whiting 100's Saddle Hackle • Schlappen Feather Stem • Black 70 Ultra Thread • Orange Deer Dody • Peacock Hurl
Play
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Hidden BY Lakes By Sam Wike • Photos by Sam Wike and Paul Considine
O
nly on a few rare instances in my fly fishing experiences have I set out without a plan and had things work out undeservedly well. However, it does happen and recently did happen to Paul and I a few weeks ago during a work trip. We travel for business to Minneapolis twice a year to buy, look, research, gamble, learn, guess, etc on products for the stores, and it is one of the less desirable places to go--or was, at least. There are no real mountains or blue ribbon trout streams. It is generally very humid, and we aren’t city slickers. Paul’s parents recently moved just north of the Twin Cities, so after the show we decided to visit for a few days. On the drive north, we met up with Paul’s brother Rory, who had recently caught some nice Bass on the fly with poppers on the lake where their parents live. Paul’s dad also mentioned some great Smallmouth fishing that his friends in the area had showed him photos of. Some from the Pine, a relatively small river known as a scenic float, and some from a larger river you may have heard of called the Mississippi. When I think of the Mississippi, I think of a mile wide, muddy, Catfish producing, slow moving version of a lake that empties into the ocean at the bottom of the country. However, up north of the cities, the Pine and Mississippi resemble more of a Rocky Mountain/Missouri River and tributary scenario.
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Paul Considine shakin’ that bass!
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Sam Wike hoisting up some big Minnesota mouths
We arrived at Paul’s parent’s place in the dark, but woke up to hot coffee on a porch overlooking one of Minnesota’s lakes. If there is one thing about Minnesota that everyone knows, it’s that it has 10,000 lakes. People always feel the need to share this tidbit. That morning, Paul’s dad was nice enough to drive us around while Paul literally took me to school on Largemouth Bass on the lake. We caught
“
one of the two rivers with Smallmouth. Without really knowing where to put in or take out, we drove down to the place we saw on Google maps that looked like it came close enough to the road to get a canoe out. That turned out to be a dead end. Since we couldn’t find a decent place to take out, we decided to just call Paul’s Dad to fetch us wherever we ended up. We found a put in on the Pine, which worked
the Pine and Mississippi resemble more of a Rocky Mountain Missouri River and tributary scenario
them mostly on top water as well as a few Crappie, Blue Gill, and Perch. It was a great day on the water. Paul was nice enough to let me know how great the blue gill I caught was, but we both knew that consolation prize was barely even Facebookable. Beaten down verbally by Paul all day, embarrassed, tired, and full from Paul’s Mothers amazing kitchen skills, I retired early to be rested for the next day of fishing. The next morning, after doing a little research on Google maps, we trailered a canoe from the backyard with the intention of floating a portion of
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out well since only half a mile down stream, the Pine entered the Mississippi, allowing us to get a taste of both rivers. Neither Paul nor I are really all that familiar with canoes and we didn’t have an anchor. We were both wondering how this was going to work after Paul’s dad left. Only 100 feet down the Pine, we began spotting huge Smallmouth Bass laid up in 12 to 36 inches of perfectly clear water. Ferns and overgrowth lined the banks, and the river there is amazing. It took a while to figure things out as Paul kept trying to make one last cast before maneuvering
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Left: Gorillas in the mist. I mean...Paul in the ferns. Right: Pop it like it’s hot
the boat, which wasn’t working. We found that the front guy needs to steer. His line wrapped around the canoe twice and my line found itself in knots. Attempting to avoid further complications, Paul asked “should we pull over” and I calmly replied, “yes”. We got our gear situated and put a better plan into
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that if one person controlled the boat, our productivity went way up. By the time we hit the mouth of the Pine River, we had landed four nice Bass and one Pike without seeing another angler. One Bass Paul landed right at the mouth was possibly the biggest Bass either of us had ever landed on a fly.
I hooked and landed our first bass, not huge, but as big as any Smallmouth I’d caught in Montana so far
place. While stopped, I cast across the river, hooked, and landed our first Bass. Not a huge specimen, but it was as big as any Smallmouth I’d caught in Montana so far. As we travelled down the Pine, we started catching some nice Smallmouth on poppers. We found
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Once we got onto the Mississippi, I spotted what I thought was a foam line. It turned out to be the biggest Epheron Mayfly hatch I’d ever seen. There was a full 3 inch layer of big white mayflies floating like a flotilla around our canoe. It took about 100 yards of casting to the
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bank and popping our frog flies back at us to hook the first Smallmouth that was huge to our standards. After that, we hooked huge smallmouth every five minutes for at least a five mile stretch of water. Anywhere that had a hint of current, back eddy, or piece of structure, produced fish. Already several bass deep, we spot two kids in a john boat jigging for Walleye. When we saw them, we had hooked a double of big Smallies and were being fairly hysterical about it. They barely 13
seemed to notice. I mean come on! We are sitting in a freakin’ canoe hooking slabbie Smallies on the fly on the biggest river in the USA! Let’s get some excitement going! Nope, they just asked us how we were doing and let us know they were trying to hook some Walleye. They did let us know that there was a small boat take out about 3 miles down river. Good to know since we hadn’t really planned that part out yet. Due to some thunderstorms in the area and clouds looking like they were
Paul being successful
going to get worse before they got better, we headed for the takeout. Paul’s Dad picked us up and even brought refreshments for the ride home. We excitedly told him how great the day was and questioned why there weren’t more anglers out there fly fishing for Smallies. His answer made sense and was simple, “Minnesota has 10,000 lakes”.
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METHOW VALLEY,
WA
By Leaf Seaburg
HANK TANK
THE
Leaf Seaburg shares encounter finned friends
Field Correspondent an with one of his
I
knew Hank was back the moment my skater bug got crushed. But with a quick shake of his head, he was gone again. “That’s alright, though” I said to myself, almost shaking with reassurance as Hank’s predictability sunk in. Robert Benkhe writes that a west slope cutthroat trout can spend its whole life in just one to two miles of stream, going upstream to spawn in the spring, only to drop right back to the same spot each summer. After crossing paths with Hank--or Hank the
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Tank as he’s come to be known since last year in the early summer--I’ve started to learn his haunts. Both of my initial contacts with Hank happened down-stream of his summer home, in a small, well aerated pocket. But as the water in the main stem drops, the same sort of O2 building drop occurs up-stream at the mouth of a small tributary. That’s where Hank spends his summers; in the temperature stable, well oxygenated, food rich spot he loves so much.
Six days later, the river level had dropped and I could see the perfectly formed seam. I was barely deeper than Hank is tall. If the spot wasn’t so perfect, you would never see a fish so big in a pocket so small. Even though I knew right where Hank would be, I started at the bottom of the small pocket and worked my casts inside to out with instant success. After just four casts, I had landed three nice 12” to 13” cutthroat...but not the one I was looking for. I couldn’t wait any longer. I
moved my next cast up, still staying about four feet down from where I thought Hank would be, not wanting to line the smart old fish. I don’t know if he heard the splat of my grey Chernobyl Ant or if he just saw a flash of movement down-stream to his left, but without hesitation he turned and bolted from his shelter and slammed the bug with one hardy gulp. The fight was on. He ran across and down to the spot where he bashed his face on a shallow ledge, just
This page: Hank in the Spring of 2013. Following page: The Tank one year younger.
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Photo by Rob Guevarra
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down-stream from the spot I was standing. This was his sam M.O. as last year, but this time, I was ready! I turned Hank back out mid-stream where he proceeded to burn across river for at least five nerve racking times. Finally I was lucky enough to bring Hank to hand, the same great fish two years in a row. As a kid growing up on the Methow River, I knew certain holes always had great cutthroat. I’ve come to realize that the same cutthroat I fish now are very likely the progeny of the fish I had caught as a child. Or at the very least, old friends like Hank the Tank.
Leaf Seaburg works for Globetrouters guide service in the Methow Valley in Washington. You can contact Globetrouters @ (509) 429-2974 or online at methowflyfishing.com
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Wolf Bridge .........Creek to the Town of Craig Welcome to part two of the Missouri River wading guide. In this section we’ll cover river access from Wolf Creek Bridge to the town of Craig, Montana. This section is chalk full of fish and provides plenty of access to catch them. Be sure to tune in next month where we’ll continue downstream with access from Craig to Stickney ramp. Cheers! Big R Fly Shop
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The
Missouri River
From Wolf Creek Bridge to Craig, MT
15 lena
to He
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ri Riv
u Misso
er
lls
t
at Fa o Gre
, MT
Craig
Sterling Walk-In
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D
ver R
Ri Craig
Lone Tree
ge RD
a ront F g i a r
C
2nd Bend
1st Bend Interstate Two Lane PAved Road Dirt Road
Wolf Creek Bridge 22
1st BEND BELOW WOLF CREEK This particular access is provided through the generosity of a courteous land-owner. Through this area an angler can reach a number of spots around the braids and side-channels. This is a great winter fishing location with plenty of room for multiple anglers. Downstream from the gate an angler can find a series of nice buckets ideal for winter nymphing, while upstream provides a great looking dry fly slick. • Easy Access to river, braids and side-channels • Water characteristics to please any fisherman assortment of buckets and seams • Nice dry fly slick upstream from access • This particular access has been provided through the generosity of a land-owner • Easy to access a large portion of the river from this one spot
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2nd BEND BELOW WOLF CREEK The second bend below Wolf Creek Bridge provides easy access both up and down river. The river in this section contains water ideal for all fishing techniques. Wading is generally pretty easy and a fisherman will have no trouble finding fish. In our experience this access is better to fish with two or less cars in the parking area. • Easy access to great fishing both up and down stream • Great nymphing water downstream from access • Great winter fishing location
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LONE TREE Lone Tree access is a popular wading spot throughout the year. A slow outside bend just below the upper parking lot is suitable for all techniques. A small side channel above the access allows for great dry fly fishing on either side of the island. Just below the parking lot where the bend of the river meets a big cliff wall you’ll often notice a lot of fish feeding in the giant backwater eddy. This fish can be tough to get from shore however. The back-current and accumulated moss and debris makes for difficult fishing. Do keep in mind that the trail down to the river from the upper parking lot is very steep and rough. • Slow outside bend right below parking lot suitable for all types of techniques • Eddies out just below parking lot, making for difficult fishing conditions • This are tends to accumulate moss and other debris • Upstream side channel good for dry fly fishing on both sides of island
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CRAIG, MT Fishing directly from the Craig boat ramp can be challenging due a typical high density of boat and vehicle traffic. However, the Sterling walk-in access just across the river provides a much better wading experience. The Sterling Ranch has long been kind enough to allow access to the river through their property. The Sterling Ranch is also responsible for public access at Lone Tree and Bull Pasture. Fishing can be very good both up and down-stream from the Sterling walk-in. A long side-channel up stream is often a great place to find rising fish while downstream holds a mixed bag of water conditions. In order to keep the Sterling walk-in open they do ask that fisherman not block the gate or entrance of the access with their vehicles. • Typically very busy with boats and vehicles • Does have fishable water both up and down stream but wading can be difficult • Typically better off using another access
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T
he anticipation of an approaching steelhead trip is enough to drive a fisherman mad. The weeks before a planned outing often consist of a routine check of forecasted weather, fish counts, water conditions, and hours of monitoring the webcams at Bonneville Dam. Every year it’s the same process and it’s something I look forward to, following the doldrums of summer. For those of us who don’t live in steelhead country, and for most that do, we hold the few trips we get to make each year in high regard. I imagine most readers who haven’t yet chased steel-
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Photography provided by Ian Majszek
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head have heard time and time again how mystical these fish are and how unique fishing for steelhead is. Well, it’s hard to argue otherwise when you’re standing in your favorite steelhead water on a brisk fall morning searching for a grab. There is something about the changing weather and challenging fishing that adds to the whole mystique of the thing.
and locations and gather necessary supplies. The tying room is typically never in more disarray and the house is scattered with gear. However, the very thought of being reunited with those who share your passion and effort on a river soon to be graced by a fish who must pass unbelievable obstacle on its voyage from the sea is enough to get you through any work day.
there is always a mad dash to fill fly boxes, “ Before a tripcoordinate time and locations and gather necessary supplies Personally, I was fortunate enough to be introduced to this atmosphere by a unique group of fishermen and friends from all over the Northwest and beyond. Since my initial introduction to the sport, every fall triggers an automatic response to dust off the two-handed rods and head to the nearest swingable water to shake the rust off. Before a trip there is always a mad dash to fill fly boxes, coordinate time 33
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For myself, there is generally no trip in a year’s time that can compete with the annual gathering on the Grand Ronde River known simply as “Steelhead Camp”. This annual event brings a handful of prominent steelheaders from all over the Northwest to one camp for a week’s worth of fishing. Whether fish counts or conditions are ideal or not often makes little difference.
Clockwise from top left: Testing one’s mettle with steel. Typical bunk configuration at camp. Sharing stories by the fire.
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Seeing familiar faces and meeting new ones is worth the journey each time. The vast amount of knowledge and experience that shows up every year is amazing to witness and the guaranteed shenanigans that ensue every night at camp are borderline legendary. Whether its three days or a week, these trips always seem to end too soon. Fortunately for all of us, fall steelhead season is just beginning and hopefully we’ve all got a few trips to look forward to this season.
Ian Majszak and Detonation Studios www.vimeo.com/detonationstudios ianmajszak@gmail.com
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{ 37
Fall fishing is in full swing on the Missouri River
With Denver Rathbun. Photo by Rob Guevarra
}
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Matt Gutzmann shines on a Missouri River night. Photo by Rob Guevarra