Oregon Fly Fishing Report – Small Stream Outfitters & Guides

Long before the invention of high modulus carbon fiber, titanium and other space age materials there was bamboo. The world’s fastest growing grass has been used as a durable construction material for centuries. Its round shape and long tough fibers add to bamboo’s strength and flexibility. These characteristics have attracted anglers to bamboo for use in the construction of fishing rods since before the time of Isaac Walton.

Most anglers choose to fish graphite these days for obvious reasons, it is lighter, stronger and considerably cheaper than bamboo for a quality fly rod. Still, like the desire for classic cars and aged wine, a small passionate marketplace still exists for high-end, handcrafted bamboo rods. The reasons are simple; bamboo rods are beautiful, unique, functional pieces of art.

Last week we had the opportunity to spend a day with bamboo rod maker J. Douglas Blair fishing native cutthroats on the Oregon Coast. It was a pleasure to watch Doug toss fluffy dries with a 6 foot, 3 weight cane rod and swing streamers with a 7 foot, 5/6 weight. The slower rhythm of cane suggests a leisurely pace to a fishing day. A chance to step back, breath deeply and take in the tall trees, sunny sky, gurgling stream, the slurping sound of brilliantly colored cutts and remember what fly fishing is really about.

To view J. Douglas Blair’s bamboo art or inquire about a custom made bamboo fly rod please visit his website Old Trout Rodworks

To book a guided fly fishing trip this Summer or Fall contact Small Stream Outfitters at 503.515.3533 or Email Us.

Doug with a beautiful coastal cutthroat he took on his custom 6′ 3wt. cane rod.

Cane rod, constantly bent by native cutthroats under warm sunny skies, not a bad way to spend a day!

Each Summer, when the days are long, the grasses are tall and the creeks gurgle low and clear I am tugged by the childhood memory of fly fishing Coastal Cutthroats. These wiry, stunningly beautiful native trout were the object of my budding passion for fly fishing nearly 30 years ago. Since then, my desire to catch fish on a fly has taken me all over world to chase dozens of finned species. Yet, each Summer fishing season is not complete without of few days of chasing colorful, acrobatic cutts on small creeks and streams deep within the Oregon Coast Range.

Although the traditional coastal trout opener was memorial day weekend we delayed our pursuit of cutthroats until late June, due to the high river levels throughout Western Oregon. It was worth the wait. In our first few Cutthroat trips we’ve found overly eager (borderline kamikaze) fish that are a full 1″-2″ bigger on average than past seasons. Water temperatures are still cool for July (in the low 50’s) + good flows = great conditions. We’ve fished dries almost exclusively and have tempted even the biggest fish to rocket off the bottom of pools, runs and riffles to attack our flies.

Cutthroats are currently averaging 8″-15″ and anglers can expect to hook 20-40 fish in a day. With properly matched light gear (3-4 wt.) these fish are pure fun that will leave you smiling and wanting more. To book a guided fly fishing trip this Summer or Fall contact Small Stream Outfitters at 503.515.3533 or Email Us.

PS. Don’t forget, Less than 2 months before the first Sea-Run Cutts return! Book early for this outstanding fishery!

This nice 13″ Coastal Cuttroat trout fell to a #8 Royal Stimulator.

A true cutthroat classic, this solid cutthroat took a #10 Royal Wulff.

Small Stream Outfitters is proud to introduce our newest custom clothing and outdoor gear. We now offer great softshell fishing jackets and micro-fleece shirts at a tremendous value.

The Softshell fishing jacket is a custom embroidered windproof, water-resistant jacket, made of storm-bloc material and is the perfect jacket for a windy drizzly Fall fishing day. Available in sage or black.

The Mirco-fleece is a quarter-zip custom embroidered, soft, fast drying, durable shirt. It makes a great mid-weight layer for Fall or Winter fishing and is embroidered with our custom purple peril logo. Available in black or driftwood.

For more details on this great new clothing and to see available sizes and colors, please see the fishing jackets and shirts page on our website.

Some of my favorite things about fly fishing are seeing new places, going on adventures and meeting new people. So when I started packing for our family vacation to Michigan, I threw a few fly rods in the bottom of the bag. Rarely do I travel without one, and the fact that our lodging for the next week was to be on the banks of a 450 acre lake, just a stones throw from Lake Michigan, I packed three. Why take just one when you can take three? I condensed 20 fly boxes to 6, you never know what you’re going to need… especially considering I have never fished for bass before, tossed in some reels, tippet and other goodies and away we went.

My son is not yet a year old and feels that a life jacket is just too constricting when you’re learning to walk, so I had to find another angling partner. I had hoped that the Mickey Mouse pole would be a hit, but not so much. Next time…. Lucky for me, my father in law is an avid angler from Indiana and an expert on capturing and frying bluegills. I hadn’t caught one of those either, why not try.

We fished for a couple hours each morning, sipping our cups of coffee and casting dry flies from a pontoon style party barge, coaxing sunfish of all varieties out from around grass beds to sip dries. There were a few Hexagenia limbata (Hex) around at random times and plenty of mosquitos, which seemed to be a favorite of the little guys. I fished hopper dropper style with a 3wt for the sunfish and had those little buggers dialed in no time. I fished a large mayfly imitation on top and a small red serendipity below, they loved it. The bluegill and other sunfish varieties would only come up to feed when the lake was dead still, early morning and late evening, so once a breeze rippled the water each day, I switched to bass.

I experimented with different streamers and poppers throughout the week and had the most success on deep water clousers. I caught a few bass each morning session, from really small up to a pound or so, but nothing big. It was fun and they pulled well on a 4wt, but still no big ones. I know they live there, I’ve seen the shows, Jimmy and Joe-Bob can do it, why can’t I? Not that I felt any pressure, I wasn’t guiding, I was on vacation, fishing a lake in shorts and tee-shirt, casting a fly rod. Still it would be nice to get a good one.

On the very last morning of fishing we drifted over a weed bed not fished by use before. It was about 8-10 feet deep and I could just make out the tops of the weed piles under the broken surface of the water. I fan casted a #4 chartreuse and white clouser as we drifted slowly with the wind. I stripped once and felt the weight. I lifted and the fish immediately jumped, ahhh, a good one! Now I see why millions of people fish for these buggers. They pull on a 4wt. Still not a steelhead or salmon, but great fun just the same. I took me a minute or so to get him boat side, as he attempted to bury himself in the weeds a few times and jumped once more before coming to hand.

That did it, my trip was made. A change of pace, change of scenery and change of species was the perfect break in my Summer guiding schedule. As I boarded the plane to come home, I kept thinking, only two weeks to sea-run cutthroats. I’m refreshed and ready!

This short poem was written by a long time angling friend and captures the essence of Fall of the Oregon Coast. Enjoy.

in Fall
a poem by R. Christopher Anderson

After a summer waiting for rain
it came and left us in the night
and with all but the coldest fog burned away
By October sun’s faded light
Our thoughts balance on summer’s rays,
and approaching winter nights
a rising tide and fall freshet brings them through
fish running toward their journey’s end
A season of dust is washed from cedar boughs
That shade autumn’s fading frost
Blowing leaves stir memories not yet lost
A single curve of river or changing sky can bring them back
Of all the gravel paths that my soul knows
Amongst wood stove smoke and golden tamarack,
rusty machines, and the Coast Ranges ghostly posts,
Drift Creek road still haunts me most