Modus Operandi?
M-O can stand for modus operandi, meaning the way you work or operate. My M-O is May-October. Those are the months I look forward to. Those are the months that all over the Pacific Northwest the water temperatures enter dry fly range. Those are the months that I get to operate the way I like. Whether you're in Cali, The Oregon Coast, Washington State or coastal British Columbia the summer steelies should be looking up.
Mayday, Mayday
As May is the beginning of this dry fly period, I anticipate its arrival for quite some time. It's time to tie up extra copies of the tried and true, tie up a fresh leader with no kinks, clean the dry heads and reels and start planning days out with the boys.
Line Choices
Last year I switched from another manufacturer's skagit head to RIO's Skagit Line. As the great philosopher, RM, often says, I'm luvin' it. Although it seems RIO's Skagit Flight Head is all the rage, I prefer to avoid the extra connection between the head and shooting line travelling in and out of my guides. I've just been sent a Flight Head without asking for one so I think maybe RIO wants me to give it a go. Maybe they know something I don't. I've certainly read things on RIO's facebook page that suggest people are very fond of the Skagit Flight Heads. Maybe in situations that demand longer casting it would be the right ticket but I don't often need to make long casts. Who knows, maybe there are other reasons as well. Fill me in if you know some.
Tips
Being crazy about dry fly fishing for steelhead, it's not a big surprise that my absolute favourite tip is the 15 foot Skagit Floating Tip. I usually start each pool with this tip and have been doing so for about 5 years. If I draw a blank with the dry, I may switch to a wet fly. If I want to go deeper still, I'll loop off the dry head and loop on a sink tip. I've just received a few RIO Skagit MOW Tips. Like the Skagit Flight Heads mentioned earlier, these tips seem to be very well received. It seems a great idea to make all the tips the same length by combining differing lengths of floating line with T-8/11/14. In the past, I've been using differing lengths of lead core. I've had problems with knots or braided loops slipping off this very hard lead core material. RIO's new Skagit MOW Tips with their welded loops will eliminate this problem. The different lengths of lead core I used to use also required adjusting your casting stroke, another problem that should be solved by these sink tips that are all 10 feet long.
May I
With these new tips tucked away in my vest, all I need to do is wait for the water temperatures to warm enough. For the dry line crazy, temperatures from mid 40's to mid 60's Fahrenheit is the zone you're looking for. If you're even crazier or don't feel like carrying a thermometer, make it your M-O to start fishing the dry any time between May and October. Remember...skate first, ask questions later.
M-O can stand for modus operandi, meaning the way you work or operate. My M-O is May-October. Those are the months I look forward to. Those are the months that all over the Pacific Northwest the water temperatures enter dry fly range. Those are the months that I get to operate the way I like. Whether you're in Cali, The Oregon Coast, Washington State or coastal British Columbia the summer steelies should be looking up.
Mayday, Mayday
As May is the beginning of this dry fly period, I anticipate its arrival for quite some time. It's time to tie up extra copies of the tried and true, tie up a fresh leader with no kinks, clean the dry heads and reels and start planning days out with the boys.
Line Choices
Last year I switched from another manufacturer's skagit head to RIO's Skagit Line. As the great philosopher, RM, often says, I'm luvin' it. Although it seems RIO's Skagit Flight Head is all the rage, I prefer to avoid the extra connection between the head and shooting line travelling in and out of my guides. I've just been sent a Flight Head without asking for one so I think maybe RIO wants me to give it a go. Maybe they know something I don't. I've certainly read things on RIO's facebook page that suggest people are very fond of the Skagit Flight Heads. Maybe in situations that demand longer casting it would be the right ticket but I don't often need to make long casts. Who knows, maybe there are other reasons as well. Fill me in if you know some.
Tips
Being crazy about dry fly fishing for steelhead, it's not a big surprise that my absolute favourite tip is the 15 foot Skagit Floating Tip. I usually start each pool with this tip and have been doing so for about 5 years. If I draw a blank with the dry, I may switch to a wet fly. If I want to go deeper still, I'll loop off the dry head and loop on a sink tip. I've just received a few RIO Skagit MOW Tips. Like the Skagit Flight Heads mentioned earlier, these tips seem to be very well received. It seems a great idea to make all the tips the same length by combining differing lengths of floating line with T-8/11/14. In the past, I've been using differing lengths of lead core. I've had problems with knots or braided loops slipping off this very hard lead core material. RIO's new Skagit MOW Tips with their welded loops will eliminate this problem. The different lengths of lead core I used to use also required adjusting your casting stroke, another problem that should be solved by these sink tips that are all 10 feet long.
May I
With these new tips tucked away in my vest, all I need to do is wait for the water temperatures to warm enough. For the dry line crazy, temperatures from mid 40's to mid 60's Fahrenheit is the zone you're looking for. If you're even crazier or don't feel like carrying a thermometer, make it your M-O to start fishing the dry any time between May and October. Remember...skate first, ask questions later.
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