CALIFORNIA MEETS SKAMANIA!

My client for the next few days is Chris Apt, a bio tech scientist from Santa Cruz, CA. Chris has fished for steelhead from the Clearwater in Idaho, all the major California steelhead rivers , to the Skeena in B.C.- he was yet to hook a summer run.

We started at zero dawn hundred with air temps at 51 F-chilly. The Patagucci fleece was on and good fog on water.We fished near Niles and saw tons of dead Ephron Luekon(white fly spinners) all over the river. One gent told me last night at dusk the smallies were going crazy for the mayflies.Sounds like a blast!

We rigged up with floating lines and the Purple Haze, swung down -and across in 5-6 feet of water. His 6 th cast-WHAM!- a summer run crushed it as it straightened out and 5 serious leaps later - chrome in the net. A dozen casts later- BHAM- same thing. Sun came above trees- it all shut down.It was classic HAMMER-TIME with inside right mouth hook ups, swinging left- to right.

Chris was impressed to say the least and couldn't believe the fighting and taking power of these magnificent Washougl Wash. steelhead.

p.s. yo fly fisher..... pesto rub, sea salt, cracked black pepper, cedar plank......mmm..mmm!(lol)

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SORRY...GOT CUT OFF FROM BELOW POST

Anyways............Dan was casting to a pod of moving in shallow water with the dry version. After dozens of casts, a fish boiled under the fly.......... a player. Many more casts latter, His Dad Jim, Dave and I watched the dry engulfed by a chrome fresh buck.Three leaps , a quick land and photo(5 seconds) and the quick ordeal was over .Was it cool.....ABSOLUTELY! Could it happen every day- NO WAY!. Probably less then 1% of these fish look up with authority. But when it happens, it's way too cool!

Dan and the three of us will remember this fish, there were two other anglers that saw the battle.

Cheers........Dan!

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DRY FLY SUMMER STEELHEAD?

I'm sure my skeptical followers will skoff at this report..........go for it guys....... but it is true!. Today I had Dan Gutchewsky, his Dad Jim and Dave Skillman from St.Loius,MO for some summer steelheading.

Dan hooked and landed his first summer run chrome buck.........BUT..........it's how he did it!

Since fishing for summer skams since 1989, I've always noticed that fresh fish had a tendency to look up -especially in skinny water.Over the years, we've had summer runs hit strike indicators to the point that I started using a deer hair spun Chartruese and Orange Bomber strike indicator to imitate the Thill ice-and float indys we used to use(now using floatman's).

Anyways, we've hit maybe less than a dozen fish over the last ten years on top........still formidibale.

Over the years, good freind and master steelheader, Bob Bemmer came up with a lethal bivisible hackled scud, waterboatman dry/wet pattern that produced summer skams when none could.I recently experemented with adding orangs foam with a bushy, wakeable profile.

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SONNY AND CHER!- oh yeah- early salmon

Maybe it wasn't Sonny and Cher(music trivia help), I saw them sing it, ....but I don't think they wrote it or originally sang it. Talked to Capt. Bruce and had clients that went up to the Little Man..........kings flying upstream on the new full moon and low night temps.Big MAN has them in also with summer runs. Gonna be an early king run.......I'm fishing skein under bobs for the real deal................or T.REX THUNDER STIX streamers.....fast retrieve strip near surface or three feet below in a 15 foot pool, ....OMG .IT WORKS........but sorry , no 20 -50 hook-ups, just a couple good rod thrashings...go get em guys!

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MICHIGAN SUMMER FLY FISHING UPDATE

We have been gifted by Mother Nature with a "cold" global warming summer in Michigan and the trout and steelhead fishing has never been better!. I can't recall in decades when having this kind of summer weather.There are tons of fishing opportunities out there for the beginning of August. SO.......don't wait for the "stimulus package" to provide for your summertime stimulation, get on board with the fly fishing sensation! (lol)

Reports - south to north

ST.JOSEPH RIVER- summer Skamania steelhead and small and large mouth bass.

DOWAGIAC CREEK AND RIVER- brown trout-hatches mornings-tricos, olives-afternoons-terrestrials, evening-streamers, mous'in and large stone flies-(note:white flies soon to start on Dow river- ephron leukon.

S.W Mich trout streams- too many to mention-Paw Paw,Rabbit, Coldwater, Rogue etc.-all fishing very well with the cool summer and ample rainfall.Terrestrials and large sculpins in the evening.

GRAND RIVER- some summer steelhead at 6th st., also bass,

carp

MUSKEGON- fishing very well with the cool waters. Morning- lots of BWO spinners(24), tricos near Pine st. Afternoons- take a nap, work in the yard, go to the beach-Evenings, white steno cahills, cinnamon and green caddis, micro caddis ,midges galor also olive stones- large stones after dark- fish giant stimulator stoneflies near shore for those elusive hogs Sputnik and his clients only seem to catch!...the ones that don't exsist(lol)..also smallies in lower river.Tribs- Tamrak, Little MO- big browns after dark- mous'in, giant stones-lots of property posted so be wise and respectful

WHITE RIVER(upper). lots of fat plump browns, bows and brookies-mornings-tricos, olives-afternoons-terrestrials- evenings- olives,caddis some large stones- fish big and bushy after dark- hold -on!-there are some big dawgs in the White if you know where to find them.

PERE MARQUETTE- trico's and olives before aluminum hatch- afternoons- terrestrials,evenings- olive spinners- mous'in for big browns- it's "tommy time"

LITTLE MANISTEE-same program as P.M.-some early King salmon in the lower river.

BIG MANISTTEE- summer steelhead, browns and smallies below TIPPY- Hodenpyle- browns at dark- mous'in ,streamers, stimulator stones- bubbler working.

TRAVERSE AREA TROUT STREAMS-Boardman, Betsie, Platte, Rapid, Boyne, Sturgeon-All fishing very well with cold summer- same program as P.M.-ask , call "CHUCK"(not Schwab, but Hawkins for the "skinny"- he lives there.

MANISTEE-Au SABLE- a.m. trico's, olives- afternoons-terrestrial city!- Evenings- olive spinners(24)-large stone stimulators, mous'in after dark.

U.P.-ST.MARY'S- fresh Atlantics in- swing rainbow smelt, caddis pupae. U.P TROUT STREAMS-all fishing very well with the cold temps- bring lots of bug spray or big guns for the mosquitoes as big as elephants!

THERE YOU HAVE IT! Pick a river or stream, do your homework(read Linsenman's books), get the right fly patterns, hire a good guide if you can afford to, and enjoy the wonderful bounty this state has to offer! As the Sonny and Cher song goes( "even though we ain't got money"( or jobs)...........we have great and immense Natural Resources that our Governess has finally realized. and has started to promote.

For more info , go to the- resources/links page at http://www.graydrake.com-also visit the new fishing reports page (very thourough!) at http://www.orvis.com/.

Cheers! and tight Lines!

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