was more for show than practicality.
Not here, my first was embarrassing but
I figured it out fairly quickly. On this trip
I actually landed 2 fish using the bow
cast.
Lots of different salmon fly patterns
were working, but for me I seemed
to be getting the most actual eats on
the traditional Norm Woods Special,
including an 18” red side. You have to
be a great dry fly fisherman to fish the
Missouri River here in Montana well. But
I now know, you have to be an equally
creative, and motivated fisherman
to catch big fish on the Deschutes in
Oregon.
One thing I found really interesting is
that the double hand trout rod has not
caught on at the Deschutes. I was told
by most of the guides, and resident
fisherman, that it just isn’t a big deal
here. BUT, I have to say that I swung
two fish, one nice red side, and one
small bull trout. AND, Tim from The Fly
Shop also skated a nice bull trout on a
salmon fly skater on the swing. So, if
you go it might be worth exploring the
swing game some more. I feel it’s there,
but there isn’t much information about
it yet.
I really enjoyed the trip, and the
company. I have to thank Nick from
Korkers for making this all happen,
and for giving me the opportunity to
tag along. Nick’s a hard worker, and
over the years I’ve watched him grow
the brand in our stores. Turns out he
is also a good fly fisherman, and what
I like even more is how much he loves
it. We had amazingly good river food,
conversations, and big ideas. I’m not
sure I’ll ever get invited back because I