For me, nothing speaks more of steelhead fishing than a brightly colored, finely ribbed, steelhead Spey fly topped with a graceful set of hackle tip wings—a perfect example of form and function. These captivating patterns take us back to the days of Syd Glasso, whose tying would inspire untold scores of anglers to strive for perfection at the vise in an attempt to present the magnificent steelhead with something worthy.
Articles
Anchor-Centric Spey Casting
Is there a unifying component that makes all of the great spey casters successful in their respective styles? Getting to the root of a successful spey cast is the key to learning and becoming proficient in the trade.
Episode 35 – Bob Clay
I’m joined by Bob Clay of River Watch Rod’s this week. We had a great time discussing his introduction to steelhead, building a house, building rods, fishing and family, and the fun of bamboo.
Winter Spey Stays with Confluence Outfitters
A few great opportunities to get out this winter from STF sponsor Confluence Outfitters!
NEW Book! Essential Flies for the Great Lakes Region
Working with professional photographer Jimmy Chang, Darkes goes beyond that to compile in this book the first ever collection of GL patterns (steelhead, salmon, brown trout, musky) by contemporary tiers of the region. Over 600 patterns and recipes cover the historically important patterns from well-known tiers such as Schweibert and George Griffith and Swisher and Richards as well as flies that are on the cutting edge from tiers such as Kevin Feenstra, Walt Grau, Jon Kluesing, Rick Kustich, Jeff Liskay, Dave Pinczkowski, Ray Schmidt, Greg Senyo, and Matt Supinski.
NEW Rule Changes for the Olympic Peninsula
The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife just announced rule changes for 2021 for the rivers of the Olympic Peninsula. Most notably, the major rivers will close earlier (April 1) than previously, and there will be no fishing from a boat. The truth is these rule changes likely affect swung fly anglers the least. (We […]
Episode 34 – James Millard
This week I’m joined by James Millard to about OPST, how he started fishing, knee replacements, the difficulties of fishing and filming, and the powerful potential of fly fishing on TikTok.
Swinging Through COVID-19
The run slipped through last March without too much resistance. And the prospect of us being waist deep, swinging this year in a sideways OP rain or maybe a deep coastal Oregon mist: Well, it is the stuff of both dreams and longing and frustration.
Speying the Hatch
The need to “match the hatch” was a facet of trout fishing with flies that intrigued me the most as a young angler and still abides as a source of entertaining and satisfying challenges. It’s an aspect of our game that separates steelhead and salmon fishing from trouting. Trout are actively feeding (more or less), a habit that adds quite a bit of nuance to our angle of pursuit, including presentations outside the classic step and swing salmon/steelhead approach.
Winter on the Coast: Upcoming Options for Winter Steelhead on Washington’s Coastal Rivers
In an online meeting on Tuesday evening, Washington anglers heard updates from state fishery managers on projected wild winter steelhead run numbers and potential regulatory options for the upcoming winter angling season on Washington’s coastal rivers. Broadly speaking, the news continues to be grim. Years of population declines, exacerbated by recent downturns in ocean productivity […]
Episode 33 – Dave Stewart
I got a chance to speak with Dave Stewart, of the Wet Fly Swing podcast. We discussed the popularity of nymphing, 2020, dories and drift boats, and the sacred art of podcasting.
Sponsor Product Highlight: Thomas & Thomas Trout Spey
If you haven’t been hiding under a rock for the past few years you probably have seen that Trout Spey has been all the rage lately. And why not? For the swung fly enthusiast its a great way to expand our season and broaden our horizons. With all that rage has come a host of […]