For the fourth time in three years I once again made the trip north to french nymph for Steelhead in Idaho’s Salmon River. Once again my dad came up from Southern Utah, and accompanying us on the river was Bart, Brad, and JD some of my Cache Valley friends. This year proved to be quite difficult at times due to the low number of fish that made it back from the ocean this season. All things considered, it turned out to be one of the funnest trips yet regardless of the slow fishing. My greatest highlight came on the first day when I landed my biggest steelhead to date (pictured above). That fish alone would have made the trip worth while.

Once again the Tungsten Embryo proved to be a successful egg pattern to use while nymphing for steelhead (tying video coming soon). The tungsten bead embeded in this fly makes it heavy enough and ideal for euro nymphing for steelhead. Here’s a video from last year: Euro Nymphing for Steelhead.

The fly of the trip would have definitely been a hotspot rubber leg stonefly. My friend Chris from Living Fly Legacy introduced me to this fly last year, and it proved itself once again this year by dominating the catch. How do you beat fishing a fly that slayes the fish, and is super easy to tie?

 The Tungsten Embryo hard at work.

I wouldn’t trade a day on the water with my dad for anything. It was also fun having Brad and JD for their first time ever steelheading. They each payed their dues and caught some nice Idaho Steel. Bart was stoked to have topped his catch from last year. I think we are all hooked! Another highlight of the trip also included the cheap cabin we found to stay in that is located very close to where we fish. We will definitely be staying there again in the future.

This is probably my smallest steelhead of the trip, but it outfought almost every steelhead I’ve ever caught (with a few exceptions like the hog in the top picture). Also, the coloring of this fish was spectacular!

Despite the slow fishing, my dad ended up hooking more steelhead this trip than the two previous years combined. His technique has really improved which shows that a flawless drift is required to catch steelhead. He’s excited to make the grueling 700 mile trip himself again next year. Wait, that isn’t even as far as these steelhead have travel to reach the upper stretches of the Salmon River. Not that far after all:)

Nothing beats good company on the river. My friends and father are as good a group of friends as a fisherman could ask for. Throw in a mix of hog steelhead, whitefish, bull trout, and cutties and a three day trip doesn’t seem long enough. We will surely be making plans to return to Idaho’s wild Salmon River in the years to come.

One of the year’s best hatches is right around the corner in the form of millions of tiny Baetis mayflies, better known as Blue Winged Olives (BWO). If you’re not familiar with this hatch, it occurs around the change of season each spring and fall. In the spring it is very obvious that trout have been waiting for the massive amount of food that accompanies the first heavy mayfly hatch of each year. Right now, the first day of March, is the perfect time to look at some pre-hatch options to fish while waiting for this hatch to occur. This past year I was introduced to my newest go-to BWO nymph- Camden’s Baetis.

Camden’s Baetis was designed by a fellow Provo River Guide by the name of Ryan Newman. The Lower Provo is a great fishery that sees a lot of angling pressure. His successful attempt at fooling these fish resulted in this great innovative fly pattern. This nymph has been an instant success on all rivers I fish where small mayfly nymphs occur. For example, tailwaters not only have great BWO hatches in the spring and fall, but these tiny mayflies abound in the nymphal stage year round. They live as subsurface nymphs, swimming around the stream bottom, and trout gobble them up most of the year. For this reason, on almost any given day while fishing tailwaters, one can tie on Camden’s Baetis and expect to get some attention from the trout.

How to Fish Camden’s Baetis- Much like a zebra midge, Camden’s Baetis catches fish even in the dead of summer. Suspended under an indicator with splitshot to get it to the stream bottom has produced the best results for me. It has the perfect mayfly profile, and can be bought through Orvis, or tied in black, brown, or olive. Small sizes (18-20) have yielded great success. Another great way to fish this pattern is as a dropper behind a BWO dry fly. This nymph is tied with a glass bead and doesn’t have much weight to it. It will ride just below the surface film, not dragging your dry fly under, and trout are usually more prone to taking a subsurface offering (emergers and nymphs) even when great hatches occur.

How to Tie Camden’s Baetis- Ryan has put together a great instructional video on tying Camden’s Baetis. It is a simple pattern, like most you will find n our site, and it catches fish like crazy. Beginners and experts alike can tie up a dozen in no time. Just remember, with BWO nymphs, often times the smaller the better. Remember, as stated above, if you don’t tie Camden’s Baetis is also available to buy through Orvis here CAMDEN’S BAETIS.

Today we had the opportunity to do a fly tying demo at Roundrocks Fly Shop here in Logan, Utah. We had a decent turn out for how bad the weather ended up being. There were a lot of good questions and interest as we presented our two bits on french nymphing and a few of the most effective nymph patterns for this particular method.

A few of the patterns we demonstrated include: Czech Nymph, Polish Woven Nymph, Kohler’s Peeking Caddis (see photos below), and my latest steelhead killer- Tungsten Embryo. There will be videos coming on all of the following patterns. Those who were at the shop today got a quick preview of what’s to come.

Czech Nymph

Polish Woven Nymph

Kohler’s Peeking Caddis

Thanks to those who came by the shop.

I love to see wild steelhead from Idaho’s Salmon river swim away after a hard fought battle. Knowing of the difficult 800 + mile trip this fish has made, just to be fooled in to eating my colorful deceptive fly, my joy is full knowing that fish has a chance to help replenish this river with the steelhead I will pursue in the years to come. Whether its acknowledging the journey, strength, beauty, or all of the above, I love releasing beautiful fish.

With the exception of the tiger muskie, this video is a highlight reel of some of the large beautiful fish that my friends and I caught and released in 2012. Phil’s tiger muskie was caught the end of 2011 and it got a video of its own. Watch it at http://youtu.be/0xQCiBz2iHM

Catch and RELEASE made the Orvis Friday Night Film Festival last week. If you ever find yourself thinking of fish on a Friday night I suggest you stop by the Orvis News Page and check out that weeks featured videos. Its not a bad way to travel the globe checking out some awesome fish from your computer.

With all that said, this video begs the question of why you either do… or don’t practice catch and release? Feel free to respond!

Its been nearly three weeks since we have seen temps nearing the freezing point. The snow that fell right before Christmas is still lingering in the tops of the trees, and it appears there is no end in sight. There is not a better time to inventory ones fly selection and begin once again to refill the vacant slots in our fly boxes. However, no matter how much I love to tie, every now and then I need to refill my fishing canteen to get me through the rest of the winter. I would prefer to wait for a day that the temps reached into the thirties, but unfortunately I don’t think I can wait that long.

No matter how much layering and preparation for the cold one takes, there are simply some days that are going to freeze you to the bone. This winter I have already experienced a mild case of frostbite in which the top few layers of skin on a few of my finger tips blistered and peeled off after a week of tingling numbing sensations. The good news is they are getting back to normal and despite the ban from fishing when temps are below freezing that my wife tried to implement on me, I will be back out again very soon. I can only go so long without sharing a few moments with the beautiful trout of winter.

There is something very appealing about catching a beautiful trout whose colors are overly enhanced due to the white covered, colorless terrestrial environment we fish in. There are few times when the red stripe of a rainbow, or the blue halo of a brown look so pretty.

Fishing this time of year will surely make bystandards look on a call you the same name as the fly above (one frozen bugger), and think of you as being rightfully out of your mind. I still find much value in warming the fishing spirit when everything else is frozen. Tight lines, and try to stay warm out there!

The First fly I ever tied was a black Wooly Bugger. Is there a better fly out there to demonstrate the basics of fly tying? Its large size facilitates tying, it follows the basic steps used in most of todays flies, and lets be honest it catches fish like crazy. It is for these reasons that I choose to start my new friends, the riverside scouts, off tying with the Wooly Bugger. I have to be honest, they did a great job and I’m sure their creations will one day catch fish if they venture out to try. For tying instructions click Wooly Bugger Tutorial

(My timing is off a little since striper boils occur in the summer and fall months, but by reading this you can be prepared for next year)

Here in Utah we have a gem of a striper fishery in Lake Powell. It is a huge lake that is part of the Colorado River system. The stripers thrive there dependent on the health of the threadfin shad. Harvest is highly encouraged and stripers are delicious!

The funnest way to fish for stripers on the fly is during a boil (see video above). When stripers are jumping and flailing all around you it can get so exciting that technique goes out the window. The first few boils of every trip get me so excited I can’t hardly make a decent cast.

A bubble head popper is the most exciting fly as the fish will chase, swipe, and inhale it all right at the surface. Any color of Clouser minnow is super effective as well. Below are my favorite flies for fishing striper boils.

 Clouser Minnow

Bubble Head Popper

Colors on these flies can vary and still do very well. Stripers in a boil are so voracious that fly selection and color aren’t as important as presentation. The most effective method of presentation is to cast into , or slightly on the edge, of the boil and strip as fast as you can. If you slow down your retrieve the fish will follow your fly back to you, but they get too good of a look and realize somethings not right which results in a refusal. Shad in a boils are zipping as fast as they can and so must your fly.

Lake Powell is a great place for a family vacation. Striper fishing from a boat is very family friendly, and if your kids are anything like mine its a memory they won’t soon forget.

The Black Jack has been such a dominant fly for me the past three years that I had to share it with my friends. If you tie, which I’m guessing most of you do, then here is a quick fly tying video that shows the few basic steps to tying the Black Jack. If you don’t tie then keep an eye out for these to appear in fly shops around the country. This is one of my patterns that is now being commercially tied and distributed by Rainy’s Flies. I’m not sure whether its the tungsten bead, the slim profile, or the contrasting colors that make this fly irresistible  But what I do know is that it works!

My two favorite color variations are the black and fl. pink, and the black and chartreuse. I’d be lying if I didn’t say the pink variation out fishes the chartreuse most days, but on occasion the results are flip flopped so I keep my box loaded with both.

Brownilicious Daydream from Chris Cutler on Vimeo.

Ever had a dream like this?

I have a handful of favorite flies that are worth mentioning in a post about winter fly fishing.

Dry Flies: I’ll be honest, I have little use for dries during the colder months. There are midges and an occasional tiny black winter stonefly that hatch this time of year, and for that reason I reserve a small spot in my box for the Hi-Vis Grifith’s Gnat. This fly tied in small sizes (18-22) can double as just about any adult insect you may find in the winter. On days that reach even slightly into the 30′s this fly may come in very handy.

Tailwater Nymphs: Lets be honest Zebra Midges work on tailwaters all year long. Winter time is no exception. If there do happen to be noses dimpling the water’s surface I prefer to fish a Hi-Vis Griffith’s with a Zebra Midge trailing 12-18 inches behind. This is a deadly combination and has produced some of my best results .

Everything Else: There has been one fly that has consistently out fished all my other flies during the colder months. The Black Jack which is a prince nymph variation (pictured below) arouses even the most lethargic trout on most rivers. It is one of my finer creations and you should start seeing in fly shops soon. This is one of my patterns that is being commercially tied and distributed by Rainy’s.

(Video instructions coming soon…)

Another great all-purpose winter nymph is the Frenchie. Pink will produce fish regularly, but lavender fishes very well when there’s snow on the ground. This and the Black Jack are the two flies I most commonly find on my line during the winter.

Last but not least, don’t be afraid to fish medium to large flies. Large stonefly nymphs are often my key to success in the winter. The Rowley Stone is a great year round fly pattern, and I will confidently fish it and larger flies during the winter. A size 12 Surveyor for deeper water is also a go-to fly pattern this time of year.

What it all comes down to is just getting out. I’m always being asked how I can stand to fish a freezing river with two feet of snow all around me. My response is if you can stand to sled, ski, or even build a snowman outside you can fish in the cold. Layer up, wear a decent pair of gloves and try not to fall in. Just don’t everyone get at the same time, I really like having the rivers all to myself this time of year.