Short Winter Steelheading Video

Here is a quick short video from a fish I tied into this past Tuesday January 27th. Enjoy!

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Tying a Marabou Wet Fly Streamer (Winter Steelhead Version)

Here is a simple fly tying video demonstrating how to tie a productive winter steelhead fly pattern for doing wet fly swing presentations. You can change the colors, change from a shanked hook to a tube fly, or an articulated stinger hook. You can make it sparser (with less turns of marabou) or bulkier (with more turns of marabou) depending on what you want to do with it, and you can use two or three colors to make it really interesting. Just leave enough room for more than one feather if you are seeking that "Popsicle" look, or try the famous "Winter Hope" colors to really have some fun with it.


Happy Tying!!

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Materials List

Hook:  Orvis 1645 #2 (or size you prefer)

Thread: Black 3/0 (or color preferred) 

Weight: (optional): Dumbell Eyes

Tail: (optional): Blue Ostrich (or color you prefer)

Body Material: Several Strands of New Age Holo Flash

Ribbing: Medium Red Copper Wire (or color you prefer)

Hackle: Black Strung Marabou

Flash: New Age Holo Flash and Blue Flashabou (or color you prefer)

Collar Hackle: Blue Guinea Hackle (or color you prefer)

Winter Steelhead Update

Well this season we have good runs of winter steelhead in many of the coastal and inland PDX area rivers, and I have also heard that runs are looking good on rivers like the Siuslaw and Umpqua systems as well. The challenge I have had this season is lining up the river levels on my days off. So far I have only fished swollen high water and skinny clear low water, but I have not been out on a day where the conditions were "spot on" to my liking. Yet when you have a day to fish, you should go fishing because you can't catch steelhead sitting on the couch speculating when you should go.

Below is a little photo essay on some recent winter steelhead outings:

Brian Morris tight to a high water winter steelhead

Brian Morris with a colored up buck that fought rather well before yielding to his hand for a quick pic. 

Swinging a run fading into a tailout

Nikki running an egg pattern through a slot between the bedrock boulders

Swollen water and fading into steelhead green; just the conditions I like!

Stereotypical Oregon scenery

This tailout didn't produce a fish on this day, but it has pumped out winter steelhead in the past.

Admiring the rod on the moss while having a sandwich break.

One of the fish that I caught on my last outing. Luckily a guy passing asked me if I wanted a pic while I was landing it.