NEWSLETTER #14 -
JULY 2003
TOPICS IN THIS ISSUE:
-
Fast Action Dry Fly
Trout Fishing in British Columbia – plus Dean River
Steelhead
-
The Chilean Andes and
Fjords – an exciting package
-
More Comments – No.
Platte River
-
Salt Water Tip
This is the fourteenth edition of our
monthly newsletter with updates on great fly fishing
venues and insights for our traveling fly fishers.
We want to help you match the right location with
your fly fishing goals and objectives and properly
prepare you to fully enjoy the experience. We’ve
been to most locations and pride ourselves on our
ability to research new sites. Whatever unbiased
information on timing and locations we can provide
comes at the same cost to you as booking direct –
i.e., no extra cost.
50-100 Fish Days In British Columbia
– Plus, Dean R. steelhead
Having spent the last
five years running around much of our globe with a
fly rod looking for the largest trophy fish of each
species (both fresh and salt) I was surprised at how
much I enjoyed my recent experience catching small,
native rainbow trout on dry flys – lots of
rainbows. We were fishing out of John Blackwell’s
wilderness fly-in lodges at Moose Lake and on the
lower Dean River. This was a special week they
operate once each year when you can split your time
between the
world famous Dean and some spectacular trout fishing
out of Moose Lake.
We did daily fly outs to small
streams/rivers like the Blackwater, Upper Dean, and
others with only local recognition. We waded and
floated. On most stretches of water, every seam or
riffle that you thought would hold a fish, DID hold
a fish. And, equally important, they would rise to
the fly. The fish and the waters were beautiful –
native rainbow trout in natures unspoiled
wilderness. Most fish were on the small side (9-11
inches) with about 15% of the fish 12-13 inches
long, but it wasn’t the size that made this
extraordinary. It was the constant rise and the
feisty nature of these wild fish. We also used the
float plane to get in some fast action for native
cutthroats in the watersheds of the stunning B.C.
coastal mountain range.
What a contrast to the effort
expended on the Dean to hook one of it’s “world
class” summer run steelhead! In fact, it may have
been the contrast that made it so special. The
summer run on the lower Dean River delivers some of
the most spectacular steelheading on the planet, but
it can be fickle. Additionally, many of the primary
pacific salmon use the Dean and this was the period
of the King Salmon run. One of our party, Bob Noyes,
had a spectacular hour when he released two “fresh
from the ocean with sea lice” steelhead of 10 and 15
pounds. For most of us, it was fickle. The river
was low due to less-than-normal June rainfall - the
runs would pick up in the next week.
Timing issues:
The spectacular trout dry fishing period has about a
3-4 week window of opportunity. The lower section
of the Dean River steelhead run is at it’s strongest
for about a 4 week period ending around the 10th
of August. The Dean and many other coastal rivers
have good silver salmon runs in late August and
early September. With Blackwell’s float planes and
his personal expertise and understanding of the
area, there are many rivers and small streams he
accesses for multiple species of salmon at different
times during the summer.
Restrictions:
The Dean is protected by a permitting law. For
instance, Blackwell’s lower Dean Lodge is restricted
to only six fishermen per week. This permitting
law makes getting space a premium and protects this
special fishery.
Space for 2004:
The combination trip week mentioned above will be
July 2 – 9 in 2004. Last year, this limited space
was sold out before the end of August. Regarding
the prime Dean steelhead weeks, we’re holding space
for the last week of July and the first week in
August. If you’re interested in getting on this
list, let me know as soon as possible. Both the
combo week and the Dean River weeks are $4,250 pp
and include all fly outs.
THE CHILEAN ANDES AND FJORDS – A
CONTRAST THAT WORKS TOGETHER
Chile is a wonderful place to visit
during the cold, gray, US winter and some of its’
fly fishing opportunities are among the finest in
South America. During our three years of
exploratory trips in Chile, we found the best of our
experiences to be centered in an area about midway
between Puerto Montt and Coihaique. The fishery
here has two distinct flavors. One is the
traditional Andes rainbow and brown trout fishing.
In rivers, steams, lagoons, and lakes, this area
presents a wide variety of fishing. From casting to
the large cruising rainbows in Lago Yelcho during
the dragon fly hatch to small streams near Lago
Verde on the Argentine border or drifting the Rio
Palena, this is an exciting area. We’re now
representing a first class lodge on the Rio Palena
with a package that can include stays in two or
three different locations during your trip,
providing for a variety of Chilean adventures.
The second dimension that makes this
area special is the fjord fishery. If you look at a
map of Chile, you’ll see a series of many islands
just off the coast. These “mountains in the sea”
create the Chilean fjords and also a very unique
fishery. The fishing is primarily large rainbows
and silver salmon. Most of the fishing centers
around river mouths and rivers flowing into the
fjords. A great way to access the fjords is with a
stay at the Puyuhuapi Hotel and Spa. This is a
spectacular property nestled into the fjords and can
only be accessed by small plane or boat. It’s not a
fishing lodge, but has a fly fishing program that
can cater to a maximum of four fly fishermen per
week.
Combining both these venues in one
trip provides an experience with great contrasts,
wonderful food and ambiance, and productive fishing
opportunities.
More North Platte Lodge Comments
The North Platte in Wyoming may be
the best early season fishery in the Rockies. For
the past three years, we’ve had groups visit the
North Platte in early April reporting wonderful
trips with productive fishing. Recently received
these comments from John Wiedwald on his trip: “The
fishing was superb, in number of fish and especially
in size. Rob got a 23 incher. Our hosts, Brett and
Candy, made us feel welcome and Cecilia’s cooking
was yum, yum. All this is coming from one very
picky guy who found absolutely nothing to fault.
We’ll be going again.”
The average size of the fish is
constantly mentioned in our trip reports – Don
Nelson took a 9 pound rainbow last April for the
largest we’ve heard of.
Availability:
Once again we’re holding space for the first two
weeks in April – timing is right for a father-son
adventure over the Easter holidays. They have a
five night - four day package that is one of the
best bargains available in the Rockies for under
$1,500.
SALT WATER TIP
A key issue in salt water fly fishing
is to have nothing that can restrict the free flow
of the line off the casting deck. Shoe laces can be
one of those restrictions (I learned this the hard
way in my early salt water fly fishing days when I
lost an excellent shot at a 100+ tarpon). One way
to deal with this is to go barefoot (with socks to
protect from sunburn) or get some deck shoes without
laces. However, if your feet need the support that
laced shoes provide, here’s an idea. While in
Belize a few months ago, a fellow salt water angler,
Buck Levy, showed me his approach. He wraps duct
tape around his shoe securing the laces underneath –
no loose ends.
Either phone or drop us an e-mail if
you have questions or would like more information
about any of our destinations.
An enthusiastic traveling fly
fisherman,
Don Muelrath
Leland Fly Fishing Adventures
888-347-4896
flyfish@napanet.net
www.flyfishingoutfitters.com
e-mail Josh Frazier at
Josh@flyfishingoutfitters.com
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