By Dennis Dickson I would venture to guess, one of my most asked questions, the most misunderstood answers in steelhead flyfishing is; “So what is the hot fly?” Steelhead has an allure as an illegitimate son. His noble cousin Salmo Salar, the Atlantic Salmon has a rich and traditional past, fished by kings and nobleman. […]
I have been a big fan of Beau Mac Floats for years. For me, I’m sold on the quality and the variety of floats now offered by Beau Mac. I look for several things when I am looking for a quality float. First and foremost is durability. I don’t like fishing floats that can’t take a little […]
There’s a dirty, little secret in the boating industry that no one is willing to admit or even talk about. The fact of the matter is that the Florida and southern California boating markets are so large that they tremendously influence domestic boat designs. If you want to appeal to warm weather markets…you build a […]
Well, you’ve spent all summer and a good part of the fall chasing -and hopefully catching- salmon and now it’s time to reap the benefits! There are as many ways to barbeque salmon as there are barbeques… and I think I’ve seen ’em all: Foil & fruit, butter and BBQ sauce, but my favorite is […]
You just went ahead and put that third downrigger on your boat and now you’re scratching your head wondering how to effectively use it without turning your trolling spread into a seagull’s nest. Trust me…I’ve been there and I’d much rather be catching fish than untangling a mess of cables and fishing line. So, here’s […]
In this, our twentieth (yes, that’s 20 years) annual trip to Sitka we experienced some of the best salmon and halibut action and did so in some places we had never been before! Every once in a while, you dodge a bullet. In our case we dodged gale-force winds which can churn the waters of southeast […]
For the second year in a row, I've had the opportunity to fish the Marine Area 8 & 9 opener to "scout" or pre-fish the opening event of the Northwest Salmon Derby Series, the Bayside Marine Derby. Usually, there are a few "easy" fish available on opening day and you get a good read on […]
Throughout all this talk of budget cuts, ocean survival and La Nina the fact remains that the hatchery steelhead are on their way! Here's why I'm looking at this year's hatchery runs more positively that the last couple years: Look at the "bumper crop" of pinks & coho we've seen this year! There couldn't be […]
I seriously considered issuing a warning before posting this blog, something like: "Warning! Fish guts ahead" for example. So, consider yourself cautioned. The best way to learn how to consistently catch actively feeding fish is to find out what they are eating and mimic the "menu" by tailoring your presentation to represent the feed of […]
It's been a while since we've seen a coho season around here with "legs" like this one. What am I talking about? Well, when a spawning run of salmon in these parts provides action and opportunity for three solid months… it has "legs" or the ability to run a long distance. I guess after 2010's "coho […]
