We’re one step closer to seeing 4 problematic dams on the Klamath River removed. Take a read of the full draft EIS!
Ashland, Oregon Fly Fishing Trips
Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s Maybelline
A quick Rogue Update
Rogue River Steelhead Fly Fishing Report
Summer Steelhead - Rogue & Klamath River Report
Rogue River Summer Steelhead
3:45 am starts. Taking advantage of the early mornings. Steaming mugs of good coffee, stringing up with our head lamps, and beginning our casts before we can even see our lines...
Fly-Only on the Rogue River - Mark your Calendar!
We're just weeks away from the most anticipated time on the Rogue River. Fly Only regulations begin September 1st! This is when the river begins to quiet, and the most beautiful time on the upper river. We are set for a couple of great months a head of us! With good fishing beginning in June this year, our summer fishery has kept us after it and I am so excited for how it has set up the fall.
Around the bend - Rogue and Klamath Steelhead
September is one of my favorite times to chase steelhead on the Rogue. It's when many of our fish make their big push. The leaves are just turning, the weather and water conditions are very consistent and so is the fishing!
As October rolls around, fish concentrations increase and fishing remains fantastic. October is the traditional month we mark our calendars to get after it, though I find fishing is often better in the shoulder months of September and November! I'll be making my transition this year to the Wild and Scenic Klamath this year October 15th. I have a few late October Rogue days but its a tough sell to get me to come back to the October-Rogue-bobber show when we can wake dries with six weights all day for all wild steel on the Klamath!
If you would like to join a guided trip during Fly-Only on the Rogue or on the Wild and Scenic Klamath river in November, I have some great dates available in both September and November. Drop me a line HERE
Until then, good fishing and tight lines!
Sage Pulse Fly Rod Review
Guides Perspective
For a short window each year, I put chasing Steelhead on the back burner and search out the best Trout fishing I can find.
Having started out as a trout guide on rivers like the Williamson, Wood, and multiple sections of the Oregon Klamath, my backdrop of rivers required rods from the dainty 3wt to the powerful 8wt. But my work horse is the 9' 5wt, the quintessential trout rod.
For me, a 9' 5wt needs to be able to perform the three major techniques of trout fishing. It must cast tightly and accurately with the dry; It must lift, look and lob the bob; and lastly, it must handle the deep load of a double sculpin rig without you needing to duck (flinching is okay).
I recently picked up a new rod that I hoped would be capable of the tasks. Here's my review. Enter the Sage Pulse 590-4.
Putting the Pulse through the paces
Impressions
This rod looks pretty cool. With interesting olive oil green blanks, it's not too flashy in the sun, but it's still a head turner. It has a simple look which I like, but my favorite feature is the full wells grip. I just love a little extra purchase for my thumb when I'm really cranking into a cast.
I put pressure on this rod right away. The particular river I fished for two days requires diverse tactics. I made this rod do it all. It hucked streamers, gracefully grunted through tandem streamer duty, lobbed the bob and swung soft hackles.
Action and Power
I like fast action rods. But I also have lost too many fish on stiff rods when a big fish bounces on the line and there isn't enough flex in the blank to absorb it. I would definitely put the Pulse in a fast action rod category, but it's more crisp than stiff and has a smooth flex you can feel all the way down to the cork.
It's really smooth with a small fly like a soft hackle or dry. When you start to load it up though, It didn't strike me as a rod with the most reserve power. I have fished other five weights with the same rigs and a few rods come to mind that handled the upper end of what you should do with a 5wt better. (Orvis H2, Sage One) Even though it flagged under a really heavy package, I really appreciated the flex for more normal fishing situations.
Crisp. Responsive. Twangy. Quick. Agile.
Lines for the Sage Pulse
I have fished three different lines on this model; The Scientific Anglers GPX Sharkskin, an Orvis Hydros Textured trout line and the new Rio Single Hand Spey Line. (I love textured fly lines.) The only real difference between the first two lines is that the GPX taper is a half-line size heavy, so it will load a rod a little more.
As I mentioned before, I found this rod to be more crisp than stiff, so I ended up liking the hydros textured line over the GPX. This rods has a nice personality, so I didn't need to bog it down too much with a heavier line. And the Single Hand Spey line? Well, thats just fun. . .
Conclusion
I like it. The rod has grown on me, and if you fish it in it sweet spot with a single dry fly or soft hackle, a moderate nymph rig or a single streamer, it's sweet. Really, thats a pretty diverse set of fishing scenarios, so it passes the test for me. This rod gets it done. And, it's also only $450.
A hefty Redband bent the Pulse to the cork
P.S. Trout fishing in Southern Oregon is a blast. If you're interested the waters this rod was tested, learn more.
Tight Lines
It's An Official Winter Steelhead Season
It's officially Winter. El Nino is official. And it's raining like a sunofabitch. I'm glued to the flows as often as possible. Checking, re checking, comparing forecasts with other forecasts, and hoping it all lines up.
This is the stuff that cuts the fat off the casual Steelhead Fly angler and chisels the die hard. The conditions aren't perfect. In fact, they've been marginal at times. But you still go. Because the fish are there. And they're here, and they will keep coming. Only you would never know if you stayed at home and hoped for the flows to drop into what the conventional wisdom states is "Go" time.
In a winter like this, don't wait for the report. Because by the time you do, it's already over. The water bumped, or the fish moved. I'm finding windows, because there are always windows. Fish like you mean it, and you might just be surprised.
Yeah Buddy! That's a lot of water in the background.
It's more than just the fish we're after
Stuart Swung one up from the milk shake
There was a fish on that inside edge...
D-Loops for days
February is around the corner. It's one of my favorite months to chase Winter Fish. Give me a call or e-mail if you want to join me on the hunt!
760-424-9682
Worthingtonflyfishing@gmail.com