TIGHTLINES. To Our Valued Customers: What a year for steelhead!

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1 N O R T H W E S T TIGHTLINES F L Y F I S H I N G O U T F I T T E R S N O R T H W E S T F L Y F I S H I N G O U T F I T T E R S Wow, can you believe it? We have finally gone digital! After promising for way to long to get this done, we ve actually done it. This is obviously a work in progress and look forward to your suggestions. As we near our seventeenth anniversary the hardest part of a newsletter is keeping it fresh, and not regurgitating the same old stories. We welcome any and all ideas about what you d like to see in Tightlines. The more ideas we get the easier it will be to publish it more often. Just drop us a line at nwffo@flyshop nw.com NE Halsey St Portland, OR What a year for steelhead! arlier this winter we were all wondering E why, what, where, and when we might see some decent numbers of fish. Well the when part of that question was answered in late April with the first sign of summer fish. It has escalated to a prolific run of fish in the Columbia river. If you frequented the web, read a newspaper, or watched T.V., this is probably Guide Jason Osborn with a nice Kalama R. Hen not news to you. However, if you ve been stuck in the pokey for the last few months, you missed some fantastic fishing. Obviously the Deschutes got more than it s fair share of attention, just remember there are lots of opportunities in other Columbia tributaries. The Cowlitz, Kalama, Klickitat, John Day, Grande Ronde, and Clearwater all enjoyed large returns of fish as well. We re hoping for a great run this winter as well. Matt guided the Clack on Nov. 13th and his client got two nickel bright winter fish! So keep your fingers crossed, switch back to your Skagit heads, and go fish. For up to date information and reports, please don t hesitate to stop by or give us a call. Heck we don t even mind if you use our toll free number ( ). To Our Valued Customers: riends, it has been way too long since we F last did a newsletter. For that we apologize! We will strive to get back to at least a quarterly publication. We will also be adding a blog (whoa, scary business) to our web site. It is our goal to update it every couple of weeks and will include what s happening in the way of fishing around the Northwest as well as events here in the shop. It has been quite a busy year here at the shop. We have seen many new faces and lots of old friends throughout the year. We can t thank you enough for your support!!! The folks have been traveling and fishing extensively. Dad was going through his fishing licenses yesterday and figured he had licenses in five states, two countries and two provinces. Rough life dad! Matt made his maiden Alaska trip this year to the Kanektok R. Floating and fishing 100 miles in eight days. He and a friend caught Coho, steelhead sized rainbows, dollies and char until their arms fell off. Surely I can t do his stories justice here, so stop by and let Matt spin his own yarn. Pictured here in the newsletter you get the opportunity to meet Jason Osborn. Jason goes Head guide Matt McCrary caught this monster trout right after he robbed a Alaskan connivance store.

2 N O R T H W E S T F L Y F I S H I N G O U T F I T T E R S Holiday Hours: M-F 9-6 Sat. 9-5 Sun (12/6, 13, &20th) Christmas Eve 9-3 New Years Eve 9-3 We will be closed Christmas day and New years day. We are always open at nwstore.com. Steve Carr with a Deschutes beauty! way back with NWFFO. He started as a customer when he was 12. Since then he has commercially tied flies for us and other shops, he taught our on-river schools for a couple of years and is now guiding and working in the shop. Jason brings with him an extensive background of SW Washington and the Yakima. But he s no Oregon slouch either, having lived and worked in Corvallis he s our go to guy for the Mackenzie. I can t believe that tomorrow is Thanksgiving, how can the holidays be upon us already? We have a lot to be thankful for around here, predominately you, our valued customer. Thank you! Happy Holidays, John, Shirley, Jack, and all the Crew March found me in Texas, with Lance Wilmarth my friend of 50 years who lives in Houston. Lance had arranged for us to spend two days fishing Red Fish in Laguna Madre, and three days fishing trout in the Guadalupe River. Laguna Madre is a 275-mile long by 4 to 5 mile wide consistently shallow saltwater lagoon located where the south Texas coast meets the Gulf of Mexico. Our guide, Captain Eric Glass, had called Lance the day before we were suppose to fish with him to recommend canceling because of high winds. Lance explained to Eric that I was in the air somewhere over the Rockies and that if he were up for it we would take our chances.. We fished hard for two days and left South Padre with wind burnt faces, sore casting arms and no fish stories. Red Fish are still a must on my to do list, and Lance and I are planning our next assault as I write. From Laguna Madre Lance took me north to the Guadalupe River out of New Braunfels Texas, between San Antonio and Austin. The southern most trout fishery in the US, the Guadalupe is a river with very limited access and big fish. The trout (Rainbow) are not indigenous to the Guadalupe, but put there by the Guadalupe River Chapter of Trout Unlimited with the support and cooperation to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. GRTU funds their stocking program through the selling of parking and fishing access to club members. Access they have negotiated the use of with local landowners. These are not your father s stocked fish Ever heard someone say, Retirement s not all it s cracked up to be? You can give odds that they don t fish, or at least don t really fish. With that thought in mind, 2009 saw me with fishing licenses in seven States or Provinces (annual licenses in three of them) incorporating three different countries. Dad and a little friend on his beloved Rock Creek.

3 N O R T H W E S T F L Y F I S H I N G O U T F I T T E R S Saturdays in the Loft Returns!!! With all new clinics scheduled for Spring Class schedule is now updated on our web site! Please check the schedule at: www. flyshopnw. Com however. The GRTU gets the fish from a southeast US hatchery that raises a White River Arkansas strain of rainbow. These rainbows have a natural tolerance to warm water and grow big and fight hard. We fished the Guadalupe for three days, the first day with Guide Chris Jackson owner of the Action Angler Fly Shop right on the bank of the Guadalupe, Chris is the hardest working guide I ve ever been out with, and in short order, was getting us into fish up to 22. Everyone s heard of the 20/20 club well with-in a ½ mile from where we launched Lance joined the 22/22 club landing a fat and feisty 22-inch rainbow on a size 22 midge. Chris fished us late getting us into fish that even a loyal Montanan would be forced to brag about. Lance, in preparation for the trip, joined GRTU and purchased a river access pass with guess passes for me. With the pass and the knowledge we d gained from Chris we enjoyed two very productive fishing days on our own catching lots of large fish, more then a couple over twenty. April saw Lance and Hope Wilmarth joining Shirley and me for a week of fishing and playing in San Pedro Town Belize. This has become an almost annual trip for Shirley and me since I discovered this beautiful Central American country several years ago. San Pedro is on Ambergris Caye, a short boat ride or even shorter hop in a small aircraft from Belize s International airport on the main land. While Lance and I fished days, Hope and Shirley enjoyed San Pedro s well known tourist Dee Chatani lands a monster for Lance on the Bow R. Jim Morkert with a nice Thompson River Bow. scene and scouting out San Pedro s finest dinner spots. One day Shirley and Hope joined us fishing with Hope landing the largest Bonefish of the trip. Great friends, great fishing great food, and great fun. It doesn t get much better! May means Thompson River time for some really good friends and myself. We rent my brother-in-law s family hunting lodge in Northwest ~~~~~~~ and spend our days fishing one of ~~~~~~~ best kept secrets and our nights enjoying the camaraderie as shared by good friends with a wonderful dinner prepared by a different member of the group each evening. This is one of my favorite trips of the year and I start looking forward to next years trip almost as soon as the current one ends found the Thompson fishing at it s very best. June, July, and August usually find me enjoying the best Oregon and SW Washington has to offer. This August though was special as I got to cross another fishing trip off my list of places to fish before I die. The Bow River Calgary Alberta is one of those places that legends are made of. Considered by many to be North America s finest dry fly fishery, it also has it share of distracters. Those who say yesterday s story, too much pressure, over fished ; to the naysayer I say, If the Bow didn t wow you right out of your socks it s only because you don t know Dee Chatani. When putting this trip together I called my friend and retired guide, Tyler Thomas, for recommendations, Tyler had guided the Bow for several seasons. Tyler suggested I contact Dee saying, He s the best fishing guide I ve ever known powerful words from Tyler Thomas! After two days on the river with Dee, I think

4 N O R T H W E S T F L Y F I S H I N G O U T F I T T E R S Become Active! We often hear people voicing their opinions here in the store and that s great. We certainly have ours! But the best way to be heard is getting involved with one the many organizations locally that work very hard everyday to protect and maintain our fisheries. Lance Wilmarth and Guide Chris Jackson with a big bow on the Guadalupe River. that Tyler might have under stated Dees qualifications. Fishing right through the heart of the Calgary city limits, a city of over 2 million with more guide boats and fishermen then the Deschutes in September. Dee not only got us into lots of fish, big fish, his river strategies never allowed the other fishermen to be an issue. Dee put us on one piece of water that by itself would have made for a successful trip. Lance and I spent the rest of our time exploring the other lesser-known smaller streams of SW Alberta, where the cutthroat is king and the water looks like a picture off a fly fishing calendar. Research is already in the works for the return engagement. Contact Dee at Alberta is due north of the state where the Thompson River flows. Be the first person to come into the shop and tell us what state my brother-nlaw s hunting lodge is in and win a $25.00 gift certificate. Employees, family members, or members of the annual May Thompson River trip excluded. Rock Creek Montana in September is what you would have if you asked any fly fisher to describe the perfect trout stream. With its head waters in the Safire Mountains, not far from the Idaho Montana border Rock Creek flows in a mostly northerly path through landscape as varied as the wildlife that inhabits it. Rock Creek is right up there with the Thompson as one of my favorite fishing trips of year, which, is probably why they have both become annual trips. Like with the Thompson, some friends and I rent a cabin, this one a little more rustic but right on the creek. In most years dry fly fishing can be quite good with hatches of Blue Winged Olives, Mahogany Duns, Hoppers, and October Caddis this year, however, most of us, with the notable exception of Charlie Leeson, couldn t buy a fish on a dry. Enter the Lighting Bug, it had fished well the year before, but this year it stole the show. If you haven t discovered this fly yet then you re really missing the boat. I believe so strongly in this pattern, if you come into the shop your first Lighting Bug is on me just tell who ever is behind the counter that you read it in the newsletter. If I told you how many fish we caught on this fly you d swear I was on wacky weed. Fraser River Valley BC not an annual trip

5 N O R T H W E S T F L Y F I S H I N G O U T F I T T E R S but one I repeat often enough to make it special. September and October see every Pacific salmon specie enter the Fraser bound for one of its many tributaries to complete their lives mission, spawn and die. South of Alaska there is not better a spot to chase salmon with a fly. This year late October was when I headed north with Pat Toad Miller one of my oldest and closest fishing partners. It was Toad in 1987 who got me into my first fly caught salmon, a Chum salmon on Oregon s Miami River. We were once again in pursuit of Chum and were not disappointed catching fish out of two of the three rivers we fished, with only the Harrison shutting us out and the Stave and the Chehalis living up to our expectations. Of the three the Chehalis is the best over all fishing experience. The Chehalis also yielded my first ever Humpie. A short 6-hour drive north of Portland will Lance has company while fishing Rock Creek put you in the Abbotsford, Chilliwack area, your base area where the people are great, and accommodations and restaurants readily available. Abbotsford is also home to Reaction Fly and Tackle, a nice shop with the latest fishing reports, licenses, and a good supply of a fly called the Rolled Muddler, my best producer. Not a bad year for my first full sort of retired year. Plans for 2010 are under way with the Thompson and Rock Creek already locked in. Another Belize visit is likely as is me scratching one more off my places to fish before I die list, the South Fork of the Snake below Paradise Reservoir is currently penciled in for October. Jack tells me along with our ENewsletter we ll also be going on line with a blog that being the case, I ll let you know what else develops in 2010.