Join us for Sandy River Secrets

Join us at the Royal Treatment Fly Shop in West Linn, January 12th for an afternoon of Sandy River secrets, winter fly tying, cookies and coffee. We will be talking about fishing methods that work for us on the Sandy. See you there!

January 12th

Sandy River Secrets

10:00 to 11:30

Tyer’s Table

with Marty &Mia 

11:30 to 3:00

Marty's newest creation

Switch'en over to sink tips

Huskey lands a beauty!
photo courteous of Bryan Huskey


Water temperatures are dropping into the low forties, we are switching over to Skagits Compacts and sink tips, a sign that winter Steelhead fishing and skiing is around the corner. Looking forward to it!

Blown out!

Mark Stangeland writes it good. 

Read it here:

http://nuflyguide.blogspot.com/2012/04/blown-out.html

Mia gets some April fools on a classic fly!

40* water temps and a small pretty fly?
Yep!

Catch and Release Photo Contest

Hannah Belford of the flyfishergirl website is having a photo contest. Check it out and submite your photos and written words on catching and releasing wild fish. The winner gets a Redington reel. Here are the details, have fun.
This contest is all about proper care and handling of fish, with an emphasis on releasing the trophy ones UNSCATHED. Face it, we have all seen the grip-n-grin hero shots of our lifetimes. Are those large gamefish still out there? Yes, but certainly not in the numbers of the old days. Why? Well, the majority of people did not have the amount of education available in the past as we do today to be able to properly understand the benefits of catch and release and ramifications of angling as a whole.
Angling kills fish. However, with proper care and attention one can minimize the impact. In fact, if one chooses to fish strictly catch and release barbless hook angling - you are going to give the fish the best possible chance for survival…well next to not using a hook. My vegan dad and stepmom woulda called me on that.
Of course, there are many learned skills and many common sense rules when it comes to care and handling of fish that applies when landing them. Please share yours with us and win a Redington Rise Reel - http://www.redington.com/prod.php?k=46435&p=RDT5-3037R001&, courtesy of Redington Fly Fishing - http://www.redington.com/
Rules are…
The contest will run for one week exactly, and the winner will be chosen by flyfishergirl (Hannah Belford) and Pete McDonald of http://www.redington.com/.
Parts of this contest are going to be based on honesty. Yep, not a rule…but it needs to be said. Hopefully you submit pics of your fish, not someone else’s.
Contest is open to both sexes and all ages.
Emphasis is on fly caught fish, but the contest is open to all methods of angling for those 16 and under.
You must register on http://www.flyfishergirl.com/forum to be able to participate, and your entry needs to be submitted to http://www.flyfishergirl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=336&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a
We want to see a minimum of 3 photos and a maximum of 6 per posting.
We also want to see some written information about how you practice proper releasing techniques.
Images can be a maximum of 450 pixels wide and/or 338 high.
You are limited to ONE posting - so make it count!
Points to know are…
The reel is available in your choice of Dark Charcoal, Burnt Orange or Moss with four models to choose from: 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, 9/10.
Technical help in regard to postings and the forum can be found at http://www.flyfishergirl.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=29
If you are having problems registering or have questions, drop a line to info@flyfishergirl.com
Good luck everyone! I am excited to see what you post. Not only are you going to possibly win a great reel, you are going to help educate others on proper care and handling of fish. Thank you!

Kelts and Caddis

Holding on to the last good days of Steelhead fishing before heading to the John Day River for bass, we enjoyed another day of great company and fishing on the Sandy. October Caddis covered rocks along the banks in the early morning. Caddis belong to the family Dicosmoecus. They range from California to Alaska. The larva of these giant caddis build tube-like cases. During the winter months when the larva are tiny, these cases are made from vegetable matter attached to a foundation of silk. As the larva grows in size through the spring months they abruptly switch to cases made from small gravel. You can observe these larvae crawling around on the streambed dragging their cases with them as the forage for algae and decaying plant and animal matter. During the the summer months of June and July Dicosmoecus larvae are important trout foods. Daily behavioral drift cycles occur in the early afternoon, usually peaking about 4:00 P.M. They are one of the few families of caddis that leave their cases before behavioral drift cycles. This makes them extremely enticing to large trout. In August these larvae seal themselves in their cases and by September they are ready to emerge as adults.
Emergence occurs from late afternoon until dark. The pupae usually swim and crawl to shallow water, but some emerge mid-river. Many actually crawl from the water to hatch on rocks along the shore. Even when adults are not active, you can tell if October Caddis have been hatching by observing their shucks on stream margin rocks. Seeing Caddis along the banks is a sign of a health river.

Mid morning Marty tailed a beautiful kelt for me. When fishing for the income summer fish there is a chance of hooking a strong kelt making its way to the ocean. Handle these fish with care and keep them in the water, this is the future return.