CHASING DESCHUTES STEELHEAD

TACTICS FOR CHASING LATE DESCHUTES STEELHEAD

Written By Deschutes Angler Guide Steve Light

Are There Still Steelhead In The Deschutes River?

No need to hang up the cleats just yet. The Summer Steelhead season has a little life left in her. Now’s the time to dig deep. The river is up, cold, colored and void of anglers. But the hope of chrome is still alive and kicking. For those die-hard Deschutes Steelheaders this is the time for a late Summer-Run beast. And I mean a real BEAST! No need to be at the 'Moss Hole' at 4:15 am to reserve your rock. There hasn’t been anyone around since the end of October.

What Do You Want To Bring To The Deschutes?

Don’t bring your Floating Lines and Small Wet Flies to this show. Think “dump truck”. AIRFLO’s Intermediate Compact Skagit Heads, RIO's Skagit Intermediate Head, RIO’s Heavy MOW Tips, Black and Gold Cold Medicine, 12lb Maxima Ultragreen, and a flask of Single Malt Scotch.  Alright now, let’s find a juicy tank to run this through.

Deschutes Angler Fly Shop Late Steelhead Essentials

Where To Look For The Late Deschutes Steelhead?

Forget about the water that you fished in August. Well, not entirely anyway. Right about where you got out of the run is where you now get in. Sure it’s up to your arm pits, and 40 degrees but these are the honey spots. On top of that, you’re also going to be fishing greasy, super-soft, gushy, slow water that oooozes its way towards the Columbia River. I think I could empty my flask whilst the fly slowly finds its way.  Keep in mind that these fish lay up in this water as temperatures plummet from a spunky 56 degrees to a frosty 40. Slow and low is the theme for these late Deschutes Summer runs. The integrity of the water will also require a slower pace as you creep your way through the run. So pay close attention to how your fly reaches the bank below you.

Critical Points And Presentation

Line management is critical to the presentation for these late Deschutes Summer run Steelhead.  Lots and lots of mending and straightening.  The Deschutes Angler Guides have found that the key to sniffing out these Steelhead is to keep a direct connection to the fly so you can feel the most subtle of grabs. The typical summer take feels like a Burlington Northern hit a cow on the tracks and the late fall bruisers can sometimes feel like a kitten playing with a ball of yarn. Be patient! Wait for it ... wait ... OK, NOW!

How We Stay Warm While Catching These Late Run Steelhead

Nope, it's not August anymore so outside of different tackle, you'll need some dry, toasty warm, bad-ass winter gear from top to bottom. I don't think you can top a Merino Wool Beanie to keep your cranium lucid. Cover your torso up with Simms' new Bulkley Jacket. This GORE-TEX and Primaloft Insulation can tackle the burliest of what Mother Nature tosses your way. Throw your old crusty leaky Neoprene Waders away, you'll need to fit yourself with Simms' New redesigned G4 Pro Wader to keep the cold flowing Deschutes out. Layer up with Patagonias' Insulated Pant atop of Patagonia's Marino Wool bottoms. You can keep your tootsies warm with a pair of Simms Super Toasty Wader Socks. Since falling in the river is not in the program, keep yourself upright with Simms Felt Guide Boots and a Collapsible Wading Staff as an added insurance policy.

Stay Toasty My Friends.

SKAGIT INTERMEDIATE HEADS: A PRIMER

SKAGIT INTERMEDIATE HEADS: SPEY CASTING AND FISHING

Written by Deschutes Angler Guide Evan Unti

RIO's NEW Skagit iFlight Intermediate and AIRFLO's Skagit Compact Intermediate Heads

Airflo Skagit Intermediate & Rio iFlight Intermediate

We have been getting many phone calls about the the Skagit Intermediate Lines pertaining to both Spey Fishing and Spey Casting.  These new lines have been getting a lot of hype lately, and for good reason. We all know that Winter Steelhead present many challenges not offered up in the summer. The rivers are constantly changing - flow, turbidity or temperature are forcing anglers to adapt tactics to the current conditions. in our experience, the most important aspect of catching Winter Steelhead is making sure the fly swings as slow as possible - which is harder then it seems.  This is where the Skagit Intermediate Lines come in.  

What Are Skagit Intermediate Head For?

The Skagit Intermediate is designed to help slow the fly down without over mending the line. In fact, its critical to mend less and think casting angle when using the Skagit Intermediate Head. Remember, as soon as the line hits the water you will have over 30 ft. of material sinking which leaves little room to make adjustments. Thus it's of paramount importance to cast the line at just about the angle you want the fly to fish at.  One mend will suffice to help get the fly down and make sure the fly, sink tip and line are all straight. Here is the beautiful thing about the Skagit Intermediate Heads - surface currents are always faster then sub-surface currents. When the intermediate line sinks below the surface currents it will find the slower sub-surface currents. This means without having to mend the line it will come across the current slower. With the right casting angle you will be crawling your fly across the current as slowly as possible.  The slower the line speed, the greater the chance a Steelhead will strike.  

How To Select A Skagit Intermediate For Your Rod

When selecting a Skagit Intermediate Head for your rod, choose the same grain weight as your Standard Skagit Line.  One would do this because the Skagit Intermediate and the Standard Skagit are identical in terms of taper and length. The only adjustment you will have to make is setting the line up for the cast.  Because there is additional sinking material it will be much harder to lift all the line out of the water whether for a Snap-T, Double Spey or Perry Poke. The real key to getting all the sinking material out of the water will be to lift as slowly as possible to ensure the Skagit Head and sink tip come to the surface.  If you move to quickly the rod will bend against the resistance of the head and the tip and will not bring the material to the surface.  If going slow is out of the question, just give the line a roll cast downstream and immediately move into the set up.  Always remember not to camp on it after you roll cast because the head and tip will start to sink again.

A Winter Steelheading Advantage

If you want to up the ante in Winter Steelhead fishing, we at Deschutes Angler believe this line will significantly aid in slowing the swing regardless of water or weather conditions. With Winter Steelhead, we need every advantage possible because even in the best conditions, the Steelhead are often allusive and very hard to come by. Give one of these Skagit Intermediate Heads a try and see what happens.  We think you will love them!

Choosing The Right Shooting Head Can Be Difficult.  Contact Us For Recommendations.