surface lure?

[fordfly]

Just wanted 2 ask if any1 has got any tips for using a surface lure? Ive ost a couple of good fish this week on a mouse! Laust 1 snapped my rod and still got off! thanx

[fredaevans]

Ouch!

"Last 1 snapped my rod and still got off! Thanks."

What 'fish' were you casting to, save for what I read on UK based fly Fora know little of what/where/when runs in your rivers/streams. What line weight rod were you using? Any idea how large the fish may have been?

Fred

[fordfly]

Id seen a couple of good sea trout enter the pool (jumped clear of the water) and was casting to where i guessed they would be~# i was using a 8# rod and line that was 4 months old the fish woulda have been my biggest on a fly!

[fredaevans]

Bummer FF, bummer!

If you were using a 8wt, that would take one hell of a fish to break a rod like that. Sounds like you already had a 'blank failure' in progress ::before the fish jumped on your fly.

Fred

[fordfly]

Thats what i thought it snapped very early into the fight! Going 2 send it back 2 the factory 2 get it repaired nxt week! Going to give it another go tonight with my trusty Daiwa just hope that holds:> how has youre season been? FF

[fredaevans]

The Winter run Steelhead season on the upper Rogue was one for the record books with almost 15,000 fish through the counter. The Spring run of King Salmon appears to be lining up the same way. Lots of rain this past two days so the river has (actually!) more than doubled in 'size/flow.'

Way too much water to consider using a fly rod for the next few days. The spring kings will average 12-20'ish pounds so it's time to pull out my 10 wt 2-handers. For these guys you need a (heavy) full sinking line so you get quite a workout over the day.
fae

[fordfly]

Now thats what i call fishing!:> im still 2 try a 2 hander maybe later in the season when we get our main run of salmon + the rivers got more water! Have u fished any of the welsh rivers? Ff

[fredaevans]

Actually never been to the UK.

Well, one minor visit .... I changed planes at Heathrow many years back.

[fordfly]

Haha cant say i blame you with all those salmon and steelhead! You must have some of the besg fishinh in the world!

[fredaevans]

By in large we do.

Very small population here in Southern Oregon (well less than a million in the southern half of the State), lots of rivers/lakes/and damned few folks who actually fish.

Other than in a couple of places, it's rare to see one or two other people with a rod in their hand.

fae

[fordfly]

That sounds like heaven fae thats one of the reasons i like fishin for sea trout less people on the bank.:> untill we get the right conditons them u gota que to go through a pool,::/

[fredaevans]

It will be a bit before anyone's ...

successfully fishing on the upper Rogue:::

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?14359000

The little triangles are the 30 average water flows.

[fordfly]

Thats very detailed! How long untill its fishable again? Out of curriosity what othet species of fish are in the river? Ff

[fredaevans]

Best time to fish (fly rod) is when the water flow (in cfs) is at/below 2,000. With 'regular gear (drift rods and lead weights) up to 3,000 cfs. Above that you'd need three or four oz. of lead to even find the river bottom.

As for other fish, a bit dependent upon where you're at on the river. At the mouth you've got cutthroat, in the 3/4's of the river you can add what we call 'half pounders (1 or 2 year old Steelhead that just wanted to come home, but there can be upwards of 200,000 of them in a good year), good runs of Coho Salmon, two runs of Kings (Spring and Fall) and two runs of Steelhead.

(shhhhh, we actually have three, but 95% of the folks don't know there's a seperate run "B" Steelhead. These guys come in the river in late September and get to my area late that month/early October. These guys will be twice the size of the average summer run; you hook one you know it!

Obviously there are trout from one end of the river to the other. But the above are the main players.

Fred

[fordfly]

Haha i can see why you want to keep the third run quiet!:> i kno u cant see me but im green with envy!~# thats a lot of prime fishing fae! Im guessing youre prefferd species is steelhead? Arnt they rainbows that run 2 sea? Very much like our brown trout that run to sea. Ff