Winter Steelhead - Secrets to Success

Winter Steelhead Secrets by Marty Sheppard

 Is the choose to be jack of all rivers and master of none or to truly master a river. 

 I choose to have complete confidence in each day, based on thorough knowledge of my surroundings. Conditions are everything, on the west slope of the Cascades Mountains they change each day. So many rivers within a day drive and I have no desire to explore new haunts.  The goal, for me, is to know every water level, each rock, and the subtle changes to the greatest extent. For the entire winter I am faithful to one river. This bleeds confidence and this assurance hemorrhages success.

These are my secrets to success.

When the river is high and has good clarity you should be there, as the fish will be holding in prime lies.  Often in 2-5 of water right in the middle of your swing! Low, cold, and clear river and the fish like 10-20 feet of water. This is when you need to focus on the deep seams and get down.

Early in the morning, late in the day, and especially in periods of high flows the tactic or temptation of fishing heavy sink tips and weighted flies is completely detrimental to success on my chosen waterway. Fishing a tight line through soft flows in 4 to 5 feet of water with un-weighted fly and light sink-tips compensates for most of the steelhead landed throughout a season. Put on ten feet of t-14 and a weighted fly results in being hung so bad right out in the sweet spot that you almost pull the earth off axis trying to free it up, usually breaking it off, with the whole ordeal spooking any fish in the area.

Take the opportunity during those low flows to learn the river. Often the best fishing is at higher flows and the chance to learn rocks, depressions or drop offs, and subtle channels are right under or behind you as you fish these lows flows. Take note. It’s important for next week when the river doubles in size and you can recall what features exist in that soft run. Low and clear is also the queue to fish deep. Time to get down.

Joe Saracione lands a winter hen.

Some simple points for winter steelhead success:

·         Start short and high in the run. Especially in water you cannot see into. Too many people walk out into the top of a run and strip out the head plus 10 feet of running line and completely miss those chrome creatures tucked into the head of the run and laying 5 feet in front of you.

·         Be consistent and turn over your casts. A predictable fly on the swing gets crushed. I believe the cast that gets the fish to eat is not the cast that created this chance. I believe your last 5 casts are the reason that fish ate! The steelhead saw the pattern of your swings and this primed this critters attitude. When you get that hard grab it is because this fish anticipated the swing. It knew where it would land, how fast the swing would be, and the predictability of it all contributed to the fish knowing it was going to be able to crush your fly! Fish through a run erratically and it is tough to convince the fish to grab let alone hang around. It is much more important to fish at a shorter distance unswervingly than huck out bomber casts that result in Helter Skelter crazy swings.

·         Sharp hooks stick fish. Keep them sticky. Touch a rock? Check your hook. Dull hook? Change or sharpen. It’s a sin to fish so hard all day and finally after all that dedication get grabbed only to come up empty because of a super dull hook that has been ticking bottom on each hang down.

·         Fish hard and fish long. One fish in a day will make it a great day. It only takes one cast to get it done. It could be your first or last cast. Keep positive knowing each one could be the one. If you think your not going to catch a winter steelhead, you likely wont. If you think you are going to catch one you likely will!

Swing the Fly - Going to Print

Marty lands one. photo by Mia

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Come One Come All to the Clearwater Clave

Boy, how they grow up fast! 2009 Clearwater Clave

Don't Miss it! 

RED SHED FLY SHOP ANNOUNCES

THE CLEARWATER RIVER-IDAHO

11TH ANNUAL SPEY GATHERING-BARBEQUE

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DATE: SEPT.26, 2015

JEDI'S START @ 9:00AM

LOCATION: THE LENORE REST STOP/PICNIC AREA

JUST WEST (DOWNSTREAM) OF THE LENORE BRIDGE

AT MILE MARKER 27.75 ON HIGHWAY 12

9:00am

KLAUS FRIMOR

World traveling Atlantic salmon guide, Loop two hand casting jedi, spey casting tackle 

designer, principle in the Clearwater Steelhead Syndicate.

"Scandi Casting"

9:30am

WHITNEY GOULD

Women's distance champion 2014 Spey-O-Rama, two handed casting instructor, Pacific 

coast steelhead/salmon guide, and Anderson Custom Rods prostaff.

"The Single Spey"

10:00am

BRUCE KRUK

Columbia River spey guide, tackle innovator, member of Gaelforce distance casting team.

"Long Bellies"

10:30am

AL BUHR

Long time PNW steelhead chaser, rod and line design advisor for Sage and SA, head jedi 

for the FFF THCI program, heavy participation in developing the spey line standards for 

the AFTMA.

"Getting a grip on Your Anchor"

11:00am

GREG BENCIVENGA

Owner of Sagebrush Fly Fishing, CCI, THCI, member of Nextcast distance team, chief 

expediter at Nextcast.

"He didn't tell me, but it will be good"  

11:30am

LEE DAVISON

THCI, world class distance caster, spey line designer, owner of Ballistic spey lines.

"Mastering the Snake Roll"

12:00am

LUNCH

Mrs. RedShed and crew. Burgers, hot dogs, beans, macaroni salad, and cookies

1:00am

ZACK WILLIAMS

Owner PNW Spey Guides, founder/editor of Swing the Fly e-mag, two hand casting 

instructor, spey tackle designer.

"Leave No Stone Unturned"

1:30pm

TOM LARIMER

National sales manager @ Fish G. Loomis, product developement and design @ Airflo 

USA, ambassador @ Simms Fishing Products.

"Understanding the Anchor"

2:00pm

BRIAN STYSKAL & BRITTA FORDICE

Brian is a world class distance caster, steelhead spey fishing guide, CF Burkheimer 

prostaff. Britta manages Avid Angler Fly Shop. She guides on Washington rivers and the 

beaches of Washington's coast.

" Tools to improve your fishing and casting with short heads and long lines"

2:30pm

MARK HUBER

FFF CI and THCI, long tine Alaska spey caster, IFFF casting certification board of 

governors, Winston Rods & Ballistic Spey Lines prostaff.

"The Rhythm and Rhyme of Spey Casting"

3:00pm

MIA & TEGAN SHEPPARD

Mia is a Spey-O-Rama champion, PNW steelhead guide, casting instructor, Simms Guide 

Ambassador, owner of Little Creek Outfitters with husband Marty and Tegan's Mom. 

Tegan is a sweet little gal that's spent a good part of her life around some of the best 

steelhead rivers and steelhead fishermen in the PNW. She loves the outdoors and always 

seems to keep thing interesting where ever she is.

"Fish Handling"

Spey Nations, Catskills and East Coast Flavor

Tight Lines Fly Shop and "Spey"

Amidst a busy summer with Marty running bass trips in 105 heat and low water and me working for TRCP, I dropped Tegan off at my sisters on Whidbey Island, Washington and flew to Newark, New Jersey for a quick tour starting at Tight Lines FlyShop and ending my trip on the Salmon River in Altmar, New York for SpeyNations. My mother was born and raised in New York. Despite still having relatives out East, I haven’t visited since I was a kid.  What I remember was the lights of the big city.  This time I would land in Newark, by pass New York City and head North to where the Catskills meet the Adirondacks.   My uncle told me that this is where my mother fell in love with the outdoors and I see why.

My flight arrives in Newark midnight, E.T. .  Nancy and Andrew Moy from Tight Lines ( a full service shop with a fantastic tying selection, spey rods and “Spey” the shop dog.  Half hour from New York, this is the place to go if you need material and equipment. )  arranged a shuttle to pick me up. I’m greeted by Mike, born and raised in New Jersey; he’s full of questions about the West coast. He speaks with pride about being an East coaster, we compare the cost of living and he tells me his from central New Jersey.  

If you’re from South Jersey, you don’t ever want anyone to ask if you’re from North Jersey, which you think is basically New York. If you’re from North Jersey, you don’t ever want anyone to ask if you live in South Jersey, which you think is basically Philadelphia, or worse, Delaware. If you’re from Central Jersey, doesn’t ever ask if Central Jersey really exist. It does.

Catskills Museum

The next morning I meet the Moy’s, full of energy and fun, this is going to be a great week! Heading north we stop at the Catskill Fly Fishing Museum that is working to protect and promote fly -fishing. Engulfed by a history that dates back to the early mid 1800’s with bamboo rods on display by H.L Leonard to a collection of art by Lee and Joan Wolf and more. I discover this is where fly-fishing in the U.S. really got its start and is the birth of the “Catskills Style.”  

In 1890, sporting magazine columnist Theodore Gordon wrote to the renowned English fly fishing author, Fredrick Halford, complaining of the selective nature of the brown trout's feeding habits, and soliciting suggestions on fly selection for Gordon's Catskill waters. Halford sent back a cache of flies that were productive on the placid English chalk streams of Kent (on display at the Catskill Fly Fishing Museum, in Livingston Manor, NY today). Gordon recognized the flies needed to change to  imitate the local hatches, so he tweaked the design of Halford's flies to created the high-floating Quill Gordon dry fly, the first of the iconic "Catskill style" of dry fly.   

Andrew and Collin on the Beaverkill

After an hour in the museum and becoming members, Andrew and I continue our journey to the Beaverkill River, a tributary to the East Branch Delaware.  At the Moy cabin we wader up for an evening fish.  Swinging isonychia nymphs  and drifting isonychia dries, trout smack our flies under a gray sky against the lush green “tropical” forest.  As dusk approaches, the sky lights up with Fireflies.  I’m as giddy as a child remembering catching fireflies as a kid in Tennessee. Nancy and I chase the flies trying to catch one, she manages to seize one and I let it crawl on me, watching it illuminate green, it flies away.    

Patrick shares his secret flies 

The next day we meet our sports to hone in their spey casting skills and fish the evening hatch. PJ and I miss the evening fish and head to Altmar.  She’s from Canada and new to the sport, is on a sole mission to  submerge herself in the Spey culture and what a better way than a full day lesson and off to Spey Nations for the weekend.

Malinda - Malinda's Fly Shop

Hand Crafted Fly Box by Adelcio Chavez

Get your Dunkin Donuts at the Simms Booth

We arrive at  Tailwater Lodge on the Salmon River.  Greeted with laughter’s and hugs by Patrick Ross and his friends as well as West coast locals Travis Johnston and James Shaughnessy, we’re happy to be there and eat  crab fitters and best burgers I've had hands down!  Patrick’s , a  long time angler who owns the Anglers Lodge where the first Spey Nations took place,  he has been hosting West Coasters since.  It's great to have local knowledge and a down to earth host.  Saturday morning arrives and PJ and I head to the Spey Nations location on the Salmon River. 

Spey Nations started as a format to share the passion for Atlantic Salmon, raise awareness for a fishery that people love and the two handed culture.  With coffee in hand we are greeted with hand shacks and hospitality.  The lot is lined with industry booths and people hustling to say hi to old friends and make new ones. The vibe is about having a good time and sharing the fervor we all have for preserving the fish we love and promoting the sport we are nuts about.   The evening ends with beers, BBQ and laughs and preparing for a class the next day with a group of awesome women that are avid anglers and the token guy (just kidding Ron).

Sunday’s class is a blast teaching single speys and snake rolls and working on casting with the non dominant hand up. We laugh, talk about fishing and flies.  I’ve made new friends and this is what our sport is about! 

Spey Army

After the class Patrick, Travis , Captin Jamie and I  head out for  a Northern Pike mission near Lake Ontario. This is my first time seeing Lake Ontario and I feel like I’m standing in the Kodiak harbor. Seagulls fly over head and sport boats line the docks.  What feels like a sea breeze chills the air. We launch “Team Water Spyder” and shoot up an estuary. Rods are rigged and 30 pound mono is tied on. We cast towards grassy banks and strip.  Patrick’s fly lands, a head turns and the speed of the Pike leaves a boil the size of Old Faithful.   We fish till we can’t see any more missing some great takes and landing a couple juveniles.  What a great way to end an East Coast trip.

Caption Jamie leads the way! 

Little but strong !

Lily's on the water

Rushing back to the West coast to pick up Tegan and hightail it back to Maupin for work and preparing for a session with Ron Wyden on the Oregon Economy and Recreation. I’m thrown back to the hustle of our life and grateful to have the opportunity to visit the East Coast and make new friends!  Thanks to all the good folks that made my trip possible and all the new friends I made, too many to list. Thank you Geoff and the Spey Nations Crew, Patrick Ross, Andrew and Nanacy Moy, Tailwater Lodge, Melinda’s Fly and Tackle Shop, Jamie Perry, Travis Johnston, Joe and Delores Saracione, Simms Fishing, Rajeffs Sports and  Costa Del Mar.  . An extra big thanks to my sister and brother in law for watching Tegan!!

Swing the Fly - Summer 2015

Swing the Fly - Click Here


Everything Spey - Altantic Salmon, lab's and pointers,  steelhead, trout from Quebec to the where the rivers meet the ocean on the west coast.  

Spey Nations - East Coast Spey Gathering

 Spey Nation is a celebration of the 2-handed rod culture in the Great Lakes Fishery offering the unique opportunity for enthusiasts and manufacturers to gather in a streamside setting in Altmar, New York on the Salmon River.

Spey Nation features a full BBQ, raffles, “On the water” demonstrations, and interaction with professionals from the East and West Coasts. Mixing styles, knowledge, and backgrounds, Great Lakes anglers finally have the opportunity to learn Traditional Spey, Scandinavian, and Skagit techniques from the experts, try specialized equipment on the water and talk with other fishermen in an atmosphere dedicated exclusively to 2-handed casting while enjoying a burger and a brew. 

Admission is free. The BBQ is free; Spey Nation is funded completely by generous donations to our raffles. All “Profit” is donated to grass roots Atlantic Salmon and Steelhead conservation projects in our watershed.

I'll thrilled to be attending and presenting along with Will Turek, Michael Mauri, Andrew Moy, Jay Peck, Lee Davison, Walt Geryk and Travis Johnson

Additional Spey Casting class with Andrew Moy at Tight Lines North and me , June 26th. A great opportunity for beginners or experienced casters if your looking to take spey casting to the next level! Call me for more details or check out Tight Lines Fly Shop . 

Swing the Fly 2.2

Don't miss this issue some great reading on  the history of spey casting, finding a mentor and swinging for trout.

Swing the Fly 2.1

Swing the Fly

What Spey-O-Rama is All About

Speyorama from Keith Brauneis on Vimeo.

Persistence Pays Off

Bad timing, I doubt it, just persistent.

Chatters of slow fishing are being heard at every river mile, so I’ll fish hard and take what the river hands out.  Just means, work harder, because every cast is an opportunity and every break taken is a missed chance.  I want to be standing in the river when the fishing turns on.  

My body is feeling the effects of casting from morning to night. Aching back and fingers cracking from the hours of striping in line but I don’t give up and whiskey is a great pain reducer. I’ve been fishing a Skagit with a sink tip and decide to change it up and fish something lighter, I put on a Scandi line and tie on a classic fly.

Ahhh… the joy of casting a floating line.  

I fish through a run and feel nothing. I change the fly to a Dee pattern. The fly is dressed in white, fresh out of the box, the hook is sharp, and this is the fly.  I strip out 15 more feet of line to fish the faster outside water.  Ten cast in, a hard grab vibrates the rod and the reel starts spinning and screaming. I tighten down the drag and the pissed off anadromous fish keeps going, cartwheeling out of the water, across the river and 150 feet down from me. I have no control. 

I yell..“what do I do!” A friend yells back “nothing.” 

I feel vulnerable, helpless like a child learning to ride a bike that has just tipped over and can’t get up.

The warrior charges for the log jam downstream; stops… I recover some ground and the battle continues.  

One inch at a time, line is reeled in.

The beauty is connecting with the journey, this brute has traveled the globe to settle down in its home water and hooking one leaves me feeling like a child.

Highlight Reel...

In this photo I'm fighting a fish. The best fish I have EVER hooked...by far.

Before this shot was taken I was standing on dry land rolling out short casts to those small branches sticking out of the water to my left, running a skater into the stumps. In a split moment the single most impressive boil I have ever seen happened! It was insane. At least 25lbs of dime bright thickness rolling in the most violent rushing maneuver only a few feet from me. The fish missed the fly. It was like a crocodile trying to bring down a wild beast. "Mia did you see that." She was just to my side watching. "NO." she says...as I give the fly one more twitch before it swings into the stump, it triggers a second charge from the predator! We both watched the mouth open, suck in the fly and do a complete flip with the only part of the fish to not leave the water the head of the king sized brute! Mia says to me, "I sure as hell saw that!" My reel is screaming with joy. I am in total awe.

10 minutes later after multiple cartwheels, ripping runs across the river, and mega head shaking the most fascinating steelhead I have ever encountered decided to go back to the ocean. I had 20 lb test and cranked my drag to full tilt. I cant even pull it off the reel at this setting! I had Joe tune the drags of our reels before we left for maximum impact. It still went! Pretty soon it was around the corner and my line in the logs. No following from this station. The whole run was lined with a huge log pile. When I quit feeling the throbbing, I just cranked in the line until the fly came home. This is the Dean I had heard stories of. This was the moment that defined my experience. This was my high!

This story, as epic as they all were for us, only tell a smidgen of the tale. The people we met, old friends we shared time with, and local characters made the whole gig complete. We have more stories to tell and hope to share them all.

In time, we will.