25-55 mph winds with more rain leaves us with fantastic weather conditions today. Wind speeds up to 45 mph have been scientifically proven to tighten your loops while casting. So with gusts up to 55, you should be able to toss a 200 footer with no problem. We don’t always get perfect fly fishing conditions, but when we do, I usually don’t fish.
Steelhead should be crushing flies throughout the state today. The 40 degree temperature drop that will happen later today will jumpstart them into feed mode like you’ve never seen. Days like today they’ve been know to eat small children aimlessly wandering the riverbanks. That being said, flies in the 2-5 foot range are idea for these conditions. Ive thrown flies as large as 7 feet long. No big deal.
If you are going to throw beads make sure to go large as well. When I say large I mean like 40mm-65mm beads. I’ve also had success drilling a hole through a 16 lb bowling ball just slightly bigger than the diameter of my tippet. Run the bowling ball through your tippet, as you would with your bead. Peg the bowling ball, and tie on a size 12 gamagatzu bead hook. Size 12 is recommended for a more stealthy presentation. I’ve notice anything larger than a size 12 will spook fish and they will ignore the bowling ball. Also, make sure to paint your bowing ball with a bunch of different nail polishes to match the hatch. Steelhead really like chartreuse eggs with copper glitter and a hint of pink or even yellow.
That’s about all the information I feel comfortable giving out today. I can understand that most of my tips and pointers are probably wayyyy over your head as a novice. Me being a pro guide, I like to just give you bits and pieces of my genius. Till next time…..