A baseball player in a slump changes his bat, his swing, or even his lucky hat.
To break my slump, I had to change my river.
The Rogue’s Gallery
After a string of skunky days on the Upper Sacramento River, I headed north to fish the Rogue with Dave Roberts and Chris Wheaton – my brother-in-law, Registered Maine Guide, and builder of the lovely Grand Lake wooden canoe.
The Rogue was running low (815cfs), and with a full boat, Dave Roberts had some fancy rowing ahead of him trying to avoid all the rocks.
The Rogue was so low that running the narrower slots was like threading a needle.
I don’t know if anybody gets down that river better than Dave does, but I’m sure no one does it as well while an annoying blogger sits in the back seat and picks on him unmercifully.
Here’s the short version of the trip. No steelhead ate our nymphs (nothing even touched the nymphs, despite being in the water the better part of the day).
Despite tons of expert mends, our nymphs went untouched the whole trip.
Around 12:45 the BWOs started coming off, and while the hatch was light and the risers were few, we managed to get a few to eat, and to get a few less to the boat.
I finally got to experience my new Jimmy Reams 8.5′ 5wt bamboo fly rod with a fish on it, and the amount of feedback is astounding (a review and pictures coming soon).
I landed two and lost a third at my feet. Chris and Dave each did about as well, and yes, it was nice to catch a fish on a dry.
Roberts on the river he knows (and fishes) so well.
Running the Rogue with Dave Roberts is always a treat; even if the fishing isn’t great, the jokes, surly comments and outright threats always are.
Looking Forward
With that trip in the books, I’m looking forward to a week of rougher weather (finally). With rain and clouds forecast for the Upper Sacramento, I may be back out on the river looking for a decent BWO hatch and rising fish.
Also coming soon is the long awaited Jimmy Reams rod review, a chance to test-cast unusual bamboo fly rods from a pair of other rod builders – even a review of a modern <gasp> graphite fly rod, and a handful of other thoughts and ideas.
It’s going to be a busy (and interesting couple of weeks at the Underground’s World Headquarters. Be here to enjoy ‘em!
See you on the river, Tom Chandler.
[tags]fly fishing, rogue river, steelhead, trout, bwo, dave roberts, grand lake canoe[/tags]
Hey Tom,
As someone who has never handled a bamboo fly rod–the closest I’ve come to old-school technology is my dad’s old fiberglass fly rod from the 60s–I’d love to hear from a bamboo devotee what is the appeal. Is it a traditionalist bent, a performance issue, an aesthetic thing? Is it, as Newman would say about Kenny Roger’s Roasters, “the wood that makes it good?” Please indoctrinate the uninitiated.
Pete(Quote)
It’s a little like answering the question about “why do you fly fish?”
There would be as many different reasons as there are bamboo users.
As for myself, I believe they’re wonderful fishing tools for the kind of fishing I do. I played with some high-end graphite, but the first time I cast a cane rod I realized it cast like I thought a fly rod should feel.
Where they really shine is after you’ve hooked a fish. Review after review focuses on the casting quality of rods but wholly neglects their fish-playing qualities.
My sense is that most graphite rods were too unyielding for my kind of fishing (I haven’t played with the latest generation, and interestingly enough, it sounds like the major rod manufacturers are discovering the virtues of progressive rod tapers).
For me, bamboo fly rods don’t occupy a quasi-religious space in the sport; I also fish a handful of fiberglass rods that offer similar feel and the same exceptional fish-fighting characteristics, but at a fraction of the cost.
I like them just fine too.
Tom Chandler(Quote)
Oh, the truth comes out! What’s all this talk about the “dark side”. On another note, I’ll be interested to read the review of the Reams, as well as the graphite (try the Winston BIIx 4wt). Glad to hear you got into some fish, on dry flies at this time of year, no less. What is the secret, oh master?
Went to the Kern yesterday, and acquired that famous smell, not so much as a strike. Water was 42 degrees, so they were not very active. Did I see one or two BWOs coming off? One thing is certain, I did not see any rises.
Jim Webb(Quote)