Friday, May 9th
1-1:20 PM: Rigging For Success with Jason Osborn of Portland Fly Shop
Jason Osborn was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, and has been fishing local rivers since he was 14. Jason began guiding in 2007, focusing on Steelhead rivers in Oregon and Southwest Washington. In 2017, he opened The Portland Fly Shop, where he now divides his time between running the shop and guiding. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to work in a field I’m passionate about and to be part of such a strong fishing community.”
1:45-2:10 PM: Common Spey Casting Hiccups and How To Fix Them with Amy Hazel of Deschutes Angler
Amy Hazel tried Spey casting for the first time back in 1995, but it wasn’t until she moved to Maupin in 1998 after a solo fly fishing trip around the world that the Spey bug really took hold. John Hazel hired Amy to work for his company as the first woman guide on the Deschutes River, and they opened Deschutes Angler Fly Shop three years later in 2002 – the year before they were married.
Her first steelhead trip was to the Skagit River in the spring of 1999, long before the short, easy-casting Skagit lines were developed. Using a 15-foot 10-weight Burkheimer rod and a hand-built fly line with an 80-foot head and a 15-foot sink tip, Amy had the best in the business teaching her how to use the two-handed rod. Dec Hogan was on one shoulder, Ed Ward on another, and John Hazel was supervising as Amy slowly got a grasp on this very difficult set up.
As she worked daily on the Deschutes with the very people who pioneered Spey casting, Spey rods, and Spey lines (John Hazel, Dec Hogan, and Brian Silvey) – Amy had a front row seat to the early developments in the world of Spey. She and John did a weekly television program in the early 2000s on Fly Fish TV teaching different Spey casts, explaining Spey lines, and showing viewers how to fish with Spey rods. Over the decades, Amy has taught hundreds of people how to Spey cast, has been involved in Spey line and Spey rod development, and has guided anglers from around the world for steelhead using Spey techniques only.
Amy loves to find new places to travel where she can Spey cast and swing flies. She has swung up anadromous fish in Ireland, Scotland, Argentina, India, Canada, and on many rivers in the US. She lives with John on the Deschutes just outside of Maupin and can be found daily in the fly shop.
1:45-2:10 PM: Skagit Casting From A-Z With James Millard
From an early age it was clear that James would send his life in and around the water. Once he learned to swim and to fish, you couldn’t keep him away from it. As he got older, his obsession with fishing grew. Once he moved to Eugene, Oregon on the banks of the Willamette River, he quickly discovered spey casting and never looked back. A chance discovery of the DVD “Skagitmaster” DVD with Ed Ward sent James down a rabbit hole with Skagit casting, one he has yet to emerge from. A chance phone call with James Iwase, OPST owner, sent James
down a path that led to his joining the OPST team. Since then, James has been involved in all aspects of the fly fishing industry, including presenting at events. James brings with him a depth
of knowledge on the subject of Skagit casting and spey fishing in general.
2:30-2:50 PM: Habits to Become A Better Spey Caster With Alex Gonsiewski
Originally hailing from the suburbs of Portland, Alex Gonsiewski first learned to swing flies for Anadromous fish on the rivers of the North Oregon Coast. He has been instructing spey casters and guiding steelhead anglers in Oregon for 16 years, including 10 years working for the Hazel’s in Maupin. He guides steelhead Winter, Summer and Fall and still finds immense joy and awe in both the fish and the rivers that they call home.
2:50-3:10 PM: Micro Spey Casting For Trout with Gil Muhleman
Gil Muhleman began fishing Oregon’s rivers when he was very young, catching his first steelhead on his own, on Christmas morning at the age of six. Fishing and archery hunting have been a lifelong passion, which he enjoys sharing with others. He started guiding the Deschutes river in 2000 and eventually started his own business, Away Outfitters, because his goal is to get away from the crowds and norms of regular life and enjoy nature in its natural state. When he isn’t guiding, he loves spends his free time with his incredible family in Wamic, Oregon, close to the Deschutes River.
3:10-3:30 PM: 5 Steps To Swing Success with Rob Crandell – Water Time Outfitters
Starting years ago, teaching classes and schools with some of Oregon’s finest instructors, his ongoing love of fly fishing was evident. Rob has been a licensed Oregon fishing guide since 1992, who grew up on the banks of the Clackamas River. You may have seen him on a number of different shows with Flyfish TV or Columbia Country TV. Rob is also the past editor of Flyfishing & Tying Journal magazine. Guiding, teaching or tying flies Rob loves to share his knowledge with others passionate about the sport.
Saturday, May 10th
9:10-9:30 AM: Scandi Casting Techniques For Summer Fishing With Josh Linn
9:30-9:50 AM: How to teach Spey Casting with Marty Sheppard – Little Creek Outfitters
Born and raised in Oregon, Marty grew up on the banks of the Sandy River; with his dad as tutor, Marty landed his first steelhead when he was five. His dad continued to hone and shape [perhaps unknowingly] Marty’s future by taking him fishing, every day, and instilling in him the instincts and techniques for pursuing steelhead. In the early 1990s, Steve Kruse took Marty under his wing and taught him the art of spey casting. All these elements now manifest themselves as Marty’s unbounded enthusiasm for all aspects of the sport including guiding, which led him and his wife Mia to purchase Little Creek Outfitters in 2003. With over 2 decades of professional experience in the “field” he continues to guide trout, smallmouth bass and steelhead with a missionary zeal for teaching others and sharing in the pure joy of rivers.
9:50-10:10 AM: Setting Up Your Fly To Swing Deeper With Eric Leininger
Eric Leininger likes to fish. A well rounded angler who’s as comfortable with a two hander as with a bait caster, he enjoys targeting smallmouth, surf perch, tiger musky, carp, and of course steelhead. As seasons change as do the species, and he has spent the past 15 years working as a professional guide doing so. In addition, his nine seasons chasing anadromous fish in Alaska has helped him gain critical feedback of fish behavior, and a good understanding of what gets eaten and what does not. In his presentation he will detail how length of cast, angle, proper mending, and feeding line can help you obtain strikes in the first part of your swing.
10:30-11 AM: Awareness With Scott O’Donnell
Scott O’Donnell has deep roots in fly-fishing stemming back to the 1980’s when he served in the Navy in Washington State; there he met another like-minded soul, Dec Hogan, and together they learned to steelhead fish and spey cast. Scott guided winter steelhead on the Sauk and Skagit for many years before relocating to the northern Oregon coast to do more of the same. In the meantime, he spent more than 25 seasons guiding in Alaska, designed the very first Rio Skagit lines, and enjoyed the pleasure and recognition of being a Sage-sponsored casting instructor.
It’s now been more than 35 years since Scott first laid eyes on the river that he would eventually call home. Over time, Scott expanded his business to the Grande Ronde and in 2014 purchased the Speywater Lodge and now call’s the Grande Ronde home. Photo: Chas White.
11-11:30 AM: Northwest Spey Casting With George Cook
George ‘Geo’ Cook is a 35 Year Fly Fishing Rep in the PNW. He has been with SAGE since 1987 making him the longest tenured SAGE rod representative In North America. As a representative for a host of brands, including SAGE/RIO/Redington and Fishpond, George has had the good fortune of being at the forefront of most significant spey innovations that have graced the PNW, going back to the 1990’s.
With a spey fishing resume spanning from Alaska to Argentina, Geo is the one to come see for your next rod or for getting the right line truly sorted out on your existing rod or rods !
12:45-1:15 PM: Spey Words Of Affirmation with Jon Hazlett
A Sage and RIO Ambassador, Jon has been guiding steelhead Spey anglers for over 20 years in Southern Oregon, with the Rogue as his home water. He enjoys the instructional aspects of Spey, which has led to many opportunities to teach via YouTube, Far Bank Schools, private lessons, classes, guiding, and public presentations. Archery hunting for big game is an equal passion, a discipline that parallels the challenge of Spey fishing for steelhead.
1:15-2:15 PM: Let’s Go Fishing: How To Swing That Thing with Dec Hogan
Dec was a full-time steelhead guide from 1989 to 2003 guiding fly anglers on the beautiful waters of the Skagit, Sauk, Skykomish, Grande Ronde, and Deschutes Rivers. He is a pioneer of two-handed casting in North America and continues to be a highly sought after spey casting instructor. Dec is also an author of the bible on steelhead fishing “A Passion for Steelhead” and a book on tying flies with Marty Howard, “Steelhead Flies Tying Classics.”