Worthington Fly Fishing Bonefishing Trip & Winter Steelhead

Brandon Just got back from a great week Bonefishing in Southern Yucutan with good friend and client Ryan Tuck. Now back state side Worthington Fly fishing is busy guiding the winter steelhead waters of southern Oregon…

Winter Steelhead are coming …

As the days get shorter and the air gets cooler, you can feel an underlying eagerness lingering through our house. Brandon keeps subtly mentioning that he’s going to need a bigger net, and all his fly strategies, colors he wants to use. I open the laptop and the USGS waterdata site is automatically up. I wouldn’t even doubt that he’s started to do rain dances in the backyard. Someone is getting stoked for winter steelhead season! …If you’ve ever caught yourself an elusive, Southern Oregon winter unicorn, you understand.

Our winter program runs January - April. Drop us a line to find your unicorn!

Adventures in Steelheading

South Coast Oregon Steelhead Fly Fishing

After two days of tough fishing and low and clear conditions, when Jamie showed up for his trip I had to be blunt. We had the opportunity to push the envelope and find some un pressured water where the fish MIGHT be grabby. But it was going to be tough. I laid out my thoughts and Jamie agreed...

We got stuck - we hit rocks, we were in and out of the boat and behold, we caught bright fish! Thoroughly spent after our adventurous first day and with the looming weather front finally at our door, we opted for a more standard float, hoping the rising river would bring in some fresh salty fish for day two...

We started the day to rain, wind and a steadily rising flow. By mid-day we were into two small but bright fish, 50 mph gusts and sheets of driving precipitation. We uttered silent thanks to Gore Tex products for keeping us warm and dry and we kept at it. The river became an alluring emerald green, and as we got closer to the salt, we began to see them. First one in a tail out, then a pair on an edge. These were fresh fish, drawn up from the sea with the swelling river. Our excitement peaked with the first big fish, a hen, and an absolute gem.

We continued down, the tribs really pumping now and the green river looked exceptional. On our last run, the take out just a minute down stream, we found a buck to match our earlier hen, thick shouldered and dime bright! After fish like these, there's no need to make another cast, we let the sweet taste of a couple of great and hard earned salty fish linger as long as we could...

It's raining now, and the river is too high and to fast to fish. But thats the Winter Steelhead game. When it drops, I'll be here, ready to go. Let me know if you want to take a shot

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Southern Oregon Steelhead Report

The Holidays are always a great chance for me to sit back, relax and be grateful for all of the amazing people, family and opportunities in life.

In a lot of ways, a day steelheading is like so much of our day to day. We know that at some point, we are going to get an opportunity. We hope it will be how and when we want it, though we understand that much of it is out of our control. We simple do our best to set it all up so that when the opportunity presents itself, we can capitalize on in.

As a guide, I do my very best to decrease the randomness, increase your likelihood, and maximize opportunity. (I think thats why so many of you trust me to take you out time and time again!) I am so grateful for the opportunity! Thank you!

The last few weeks have seen great consistent late fall fishing. Some of these photos illustrate that. Though as the seasons change, so do the fish, the locations and the way I pursue them. It's time to get into winter steelhead mode. Take a look at my winter and spring fishing program to get a better idea of whats just around the next bend at Worthington Fly Fishing. Follow along on my instagram and Facebook. The real adventures are about to begin. This is the season of the highest highs and the lowest lows, the season that cuts the fat from the everyday angler and challenges you to take advantage of opportunities for some of the greatest rewards you can find in the angling world.

Byron & Derek Joined me for two days on the Rogue River. They were not disappointed!

More Rogue Steelhead Stoke

As always, the Upper Klamath Produces!

This one ripped! Nice one Spencer!

Happy Fall, Happy Turkey eating. 760-424-9682 & Worthingtonflyfishing@gmail.com

Chase the Good Water

 Wow, what a different winter it's been! We have water! I think the last couple of seasons have been easy in comparison. Hell in a lot of cases, I didn't have to even check the flows before going out, they were just steady and some color from the tribs just made it perfect.I'm only reminiscing a little though because we have a good snow pack, ample precipitation and full reservoirs. But for us, both Applegate and Lost Creek have enough water that when we get a large weather event, they open up the gates, and it's not the rain and tributaries that pushes us off, but the out flow from the dams...

one of the good ones

Unfortunately the Applegate has been more or less a bust. Few fish-able windows and just a few good fish to show. I suppose it's a nice respite for the fish because they have been fished pretty hard over the last several years in low water. Still had a few chances though

 Lights out bright

probing the pool

Could have done with a few more mornings like this

I'm happy to have the Klamath in my book, and it's been a saver producing some really nice fishing days. Regarding the K but on a different, yet extremely cool note, the Klamath basin had enough water this year for a system flush. This would naturally occur of course if there weren't 5 dams on the mighty K, but as it stands, more than a couple of factors have to align for this cleanse to happen.. With Klamath Lake full, enough snow pack and a precipitation event together, Pacificorp, NOAA and the Bureau of Reclamation set up a cleansing flow of 11,000 cfs from Iron Gate Dam. My hydrologist friend explained to me it takes 8,500 cfs to clean river gravel and 10,000 to really turn it over, scour it and rid the stream bed of the disease "Ick" so have a drink to a healthier Klamath system after this event .

A Klamath Krusher

I'm looking forward to the next several weeks and the tail end of winter steelhead season. It looks like the last few days of the month and most of April will offer up good fishing conditions just in time for a block of trips I managed to reschedule in hopes of more favorable conditions.

For now though, a few days on the North Coast for vacation (yes i'm bringing the boat) and then back at it. 

Searching

Drying off but ready for more 

Snap it

760-424-9682

Chase the good water