Jeff’s Blog

Stay Cool my friend, fishing is great this summer.

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The Fly Fisher's Place

IMG_3959On these hot summer days it is nice to stay out of your waders and go “wet”.

Perhaps nothing is more refreshing than hoping in the river in your wading boots while wearing shorts. In fact, it is not only refreshing, it is maybe even safer to keep you from overheating in some places where you might have some hiking involved.
With many days in the forecast up in the 90’s across the west this is a great $40 investment in happiness. No matter where you are fishing, from Central Oregon to Yellowstone, having a pair of Neoprene Guard Socks is a summer necessity.
Why do you need them? For starters without waders, the room your wader feet take up in your boots would make your wading boots sloppy and uncomfortable. So these neoprene socks keep your boots fitting perfectly.
Additionally, both the Simms ($39.95) or the Patagonia ($45) version has a built in gravel guard to keep your boots from filling up with gravel and sand. Which is nice.
The Patagonia is a better fit for people with smaller calves, and the Simms is a better fit with a larger lower leg.
IMG_3957It’s pretty important to keep your face and hands covered from direct mid day sun. I know when I am guiding all day and out in the sun at 6400 feet I like to wear a face mask, at least around my neck if not all the way up over my ears and chin.
We sell all the best masks from Buff, Patagonia and Simms from $25 to $35 bucks.
We also like to keep you from too many visits to the Dermatologist and that’s why we have Patagonia gloves for $29 or Buff Gloves for $28.95.
We know everyone has Sunscreen and there a lot of options out there. I found 2 products I really like. The All Natural SPF 30 Fishpond Sunscreen protects my cheeks and nose on a daily basis and the Simms Lip Protection makes Tina still want to kiss me good night after being in the boat all day. Good stuff for $8.95 and $2.50 respectively.

The fishing is really good on the Lower Deschutes, Crooked. McKenzie, Santiam, Fall River, 3 Creeks Lake and East Lake. We love being out there and you will too if you use these products.

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Tenkara and Native Fish Society Roundup

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Native Fish Society

Tenkara demo and book signing

Tonight July 20th at the Fly Fisher’s Place Daniel W. Galhardo of Tenkara USA will join us from 4–7PM to sign his new book which will be available and give a short presentation on tips and tricks for Tenkara angling. We invite you to join us for this FREE event.

Homewaters Roundup

Then join us on Saturday night July 22nd in Tumalo at the Miracle Barn for a fun night supporting people who support our fish. It’s the Native Fish Society’s Homewaters Roundup event for all of us in Central Oregon. We will see you there!

—Jeff Perin and the staff of The Fly Fisher’s Place

Top Six Guide Trips Summer 2017

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fly fishing mountain whitefish

A person came in to the shop a few days ago looked all around and sincerely asked if “all of this is kind of a waste of money”, and my employee Ron said “it depends on how you look at it — all of this is an investment in happiness”.

I agree.

At the Fly Fisher’s Place we don’t just sell flies. We don’t just take people to catch fish. We are Fun Brokers. We believe the return on your investment in fishing should be a dividend of even more fishing, and having an especially good time doing it.

Everything we sell, every trip we do and every class we teach is meant to be fun. For you and for us.

So, this post is dedicated to fun, and dedicated to your own success as an angler.

Go get ‘em!

Guide Trip preview for summer 2017:

Summer is always our busiest time for running guide trips. With tourist coming to visit, and our many repeat customers (and friends) coming back to the Sisters area each year, the Fly Fisher’s Place has been here for 31 seasons with the best staff of guides and a vast array of waters to choose from for your most fun trip yet.

Here are the top six summer trips to look forward to on your next visit to Sisters:

The Lower Deschutes

Float Trip from Warm Springs to Trout Creek is always a favorite for anyone coming to Central Oregon. In fact it’s our most popular guide trip. After the salmonfly hatch ends in early June, the Caddis and Yellow Mayflies (both PMD and PED species) take over for the rest of the summer and I believe these 3 major hatches give us more consistent fishing opportunities and more fun for the buck throughout Summer.

—$550 for one or two anglers.
Be sure to ask about the Magic Hour opportunity when you call or contact us to book a trip.

The Crooked River

Our second most popular trip. With high fish populations the catching is always pretty good here. Lately we’ve been doing more “tightline” or Euro style nymph fishing than ever, and the results are really positive. Of course there are good dry fly opportunities here too, especially when the shade hits the water each afternoon.
—$425 for one or two anglers. $450 for three.

East Lake

Our most consistent lake each summer by a long shot. A typical day can bring dry fly action at the surface using small terrestrials and callibaetis mayflies. When the fish are not looking up we’ll find them on nymphs either stripping, wind drifting or anchored under an indicator.
—$500 for one or two anglers.

The McKenzie

Has been great this season and our guides have been catching bigger rainbows on both dries and nymphs. The McKenzie is our only float we can offer our clients the ability to fish from the boat, as the regulations on the Lower Deschutes float trips don’t allow fishing from the boat. This makes the McKenzie a great option for our guests also concerned about their own steadiness when wading bigger rivers. Fishing from the boat is really nice!
—$550 for one or two anglers.

The North Santiam

A short drive from the fly shop here in Sisters, and is really a great fly fishing stream. This river is cold, clean and full of trout (and feisty mountain whitefish) and it is one of our guides favorite places to go in July and August.
—$425 for one or two anglers. $450 for three.
—$375 for a half day option for one or two.

Cascade Lakes / 3 Creeks and Clear Lake

These lakes offer our guests a really good option for a quick and simple fishing trip. We realize a lot of vacations are jam-packed with more adventures and activities than just going fishing so a half day trip to the local lakes works for many families coming to visit.

With these trips we spend about four hours on the water. We can do an afternoon or evening session or go out in the morning for the early bite!
—$375 for one or two anglers for a half day.

Book a Trip

Let’s go fishing! Fill out the form and we’ll get right back to you.

Fly Floatant Part Two — Jeff’s Secret Weapons

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Dry Fly Flotants

If you are a dry fly enthusiast you know how challenging it can be to get your fly floating, or especially to keep floating.

We have your floatant solution!

If you missed part one of this series — Ben Kittrel’s rundown on floatants earlier this summer; you should give that a read too!

Here is what I do from start to finish:

    1. Right out of the box your fly is dry but not yet treated to necessarily float super well. I occasionally use Fly-Agra but really prefer the far less smelly Shimazaki Dry Shake Liquid. It is by far the best liquid floatant you can apply to your flies.
    2. Once the fly has been on the water, or if you’ve caught a fish and the fly is “slimed” up and sinks faster than your bead head you need to squeeze the water and slime from the fly using an Amadou patch ($15.95). You can blow on the fly, false cast 26 times but nothing will get the fly dried out like the Amadou. Simply place the fly between the 2 pieces of leather like material that is actually made from a European mushroom and voila, it is dry enough to go to step three.
    3. We’ve been using Shimazaki Dry Shake Powder for years. We called it Trout Crack, Magic Dust, and the Dope. It is incredible. You can use it on your flies straight out of the box and eliminate step 1 but don’t do that. Trust me, the liquid is worth the extra investment for the initial processing.

  1. All you do after drying the fly back out is put it in the powder jar and gently close the lid, being careful not to snap it shut (which damages the tippet) and shake the fly up which gets all the left over moisture off the fly and retreats it to float better than ever.

    There are a fair number of anglers who visit us who like to apply Powdered Floatant with an applicator brush. New for 2017 is a Dry Shake Brush Applicator ($14.95) for those who want pin point accuracy on where the powder is applied to the fly. 

    When I am dry fly fishing on the Metolius (my favorite thing to do!) I have a ritual of this process that totally works for me and I believe it will work great for you too. Give us a call if we can help you out. 

    —Jeff Perin and the staff of Fly Fisher’s Place

  2. Shop Phone: (541) 549-3474

Above and Beyond

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command team for excellence medal

Over my 26 years at the Fly Fisher’s Place the opportunity to help people has come up from time to time. I’ve learned you never know how a simple gesture might really make an impact on someone’s life.

The other day I came back to the shop to a medal called a Combat Challenge Coin. The more I look at this medal, and the more I think about it, the more touched I am over this because this was given to a soldier who went above and beyond in duty over there.

Several years ago I simply gave a FFP hat to a soldier on his way to Iraq. I can’t imagine the sacrifices he made, or what he went through while in combat? Unless you were there, I’m not sure anyone can.

16th Calvary Brigade Combat Medal

16th Calvary Brigade Combat Medal

I frequently donate to fishing/conservation non-profits, and to cancer research and kids programs. It’s a part of giving back to the community that I feel needs to be done when you operate a successful business. To give a hat to a guy deploying for a war was about as simple of a gesture I could make for someone I wasn’t sure I’d ever meet again but I know wanted to bring something from “home” with him.

I can’t be sure how many years have passed since this, but I am honored this man still thought of me, our fly shop hat, and getting home.

There is part of this story that is disappointing. I don’t know who left it. It came with a simple note of thanks. So, Scott, if you are reading this brother, Thank you! This is a continuation of going above and beyond in everything you do. I am honored to put this on my tying desk and I will think of you and all the soldiers who went above and beyond when I am tying flies.

—Jeff Perin

Rivers Feed our Souls

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Our Central Oregon rivers are a welcome cool off spot on these hot days of summer.

If you’re from the West Coast you know late June and July have been pretty hot so far. Most of the state has been sizzling in the high 80’s to mid 90’s with some 100’s in the likely hot spots of our fine state.

The local rivers give us everything that will feed our soul, and feed our addictions to fly fishing throughout the year. At times like this, the rivers give us a gift of a temporary cool down and a place to feel good on so many levels.

We are lucky in Central Oregon with water. We have plenty of it and it’s what anglers would call great quality. Best of all even during hot weather periods our waters remain cold and clear and healthy for our beloved fish.

It’s a good time to be here. Come soak your legs in some cold water for a day or two with us.

The Crooked, Lower Deschutes at Warm Springs, the McKenzie, North Santiam, Spring Creeks (Metolius and Fall River) are cold, clear, and clean and fishing is great.

Float Tubes are your Friend

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a fly fisher on hosmer lake in Oregon at sunset

Need a float tube?  How about the Fish Cat 4-LCS.  The number one selling float tube in the United States, the Fish Cat 4 is ideal for anglers who spend 25 days or less on the water per year.  It features a load capacity of 250 lbs., can be outfitted with an optional anchor system, and weighs in at only 15 lbs. 

If you’ve been looking for a great float tube, this may be exactly what you are looking for.  Call the shop, and our friendly professionals will be happy to talk you through whatever made-up anxiety is holding you back.  Not only do you want this, you actually need it.

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Fish Cat 4-LCS

The Fish Cat 4-LCS, is the number one selling float tube in America, and perfect for most anglers.

ANOTHER OPTION:

But….and there is always a but…our bigger and taller anglers have often bemoaned the trouble they have with typical float tubes.  They can be difficult for big people to maneuver, uncomfortable, and more of a foe than a friend on the water. 

If that sounds familiar, we might have the answer for you:  the Fish Cat 5 MAX. 

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Fish Cat 5 MAX

Designed for our bigger and taller clients, the 5 MAX is 20% larger than the Fish Cat 4, with 2” more interior seat space.  Overall, the 5 MAX is 3” wider, 10” longer, and comes with a foam seat and backrest.  With an overall load capacity of 300 lbs., we feel confident that if your current tube isn’t working out very well, or you just know you need a bigger tube, the Fish Cat 5 MAX is probably the upgrade you are looking for. 

Call us, or come into the shop, and let us help you get into a new 5 MAX, so that you can spend more time fishing, and less time fighting your float. 

You’re gonna need a bigger float….

Staying High — The Best Fly Flotants

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Presentation matters, and one of the challenges while fishing dry flies to rising trout is keeping the fly on surface.

Too many times to count I have been casting to picky fish who refuse my surface fly. The leader is the right size and length, I have confidence in my fly choice and the drifts looks good. Fish continue to rise to naturals and refuse my fly. So I grab my fly and treat it with floatant and on the next cast hook up.

It amazes me how often I hook a fish on the cast after I treat my fly. For that reason I make sure I always have a few styles of floatant with me. Each floatant has its time and place in dry fly fishing. There are many options out there, these are the ones that I make sure always have a place in my pack:

Fly-Agra
Lochsa
Shimazaki
Frogs Fanny

Fly-agra

I have just recently started using liquid floatants to pre treat my flies, and I’m hooked. The liquid allows the floatant to soak into the all the part of the fly. The liquid quickly evaporates leaving your fly packed with water repelling goodness. This is best used as a pre treatment. I will tie on a new fly and give it a dip on the side of the stream.

Lochsa

In the past few years I have gone away from gel floatants mostly because you can not use them on CDC flies, and anyone who know me knows that I am a BIG fan of CDC. Enter Loon’s Lochsa gel floatant. This is the only gel that I have every used that can treat CDC flies, and I love it. This product works especially well for cripple patters. I can work in a small dab to the post that I want to float high and leave it off the back end that I want to sink. This gives my fly the best presentation of a cripple stuck in the film. Again, this is mostly a pre treatment.

Shimazaki Dry Shake

By far my most used floatant. This stuff is magic. Once the fly starts to sink, just bring it to hand, shake off the water and pop it into the dry shake bottle. Give it a shake and the fly comes out covered in trout crack and your off and fishing. As I said earlier, it is surprising how many fishing will come up to a freshly dusted fly. Make sure you have a dry shake caddy to keep your dust easily accessible (fishpond is my favorite).

Frogs Fanny

Another must have for cripple patterns. Similar to Lochsa, I use Frogs Fanny on flies that I want hang in the surface film. The brush applicator allows for pin point accuracy of floatant. While I do not use it as frequently as the Shimasaki Dry Shake, it is extremely useful for certain patterns. 

By incorporating a variety of floatants you can significantly improve your presentation while dry fly fishing. 

—Ben Kitell, Guide Trip Operations Manager, The Fly Fisher’s Place

The Deschutes Salmonfly Hatch is Calling Your Name

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Deschutes Salmonflies

It’s been a long winter, but the sun is out, and so there is really only one question: Are you ready to fish the biggest dry flies of the season?

Of course you are, and here at the Fly Fisher’s Place, we are too. Known to anglers worldwide as Central Oregon’s headquarters for outstanding service, great guides, and quality gear, we want to help you get out on the water this spring, and enjoy the explosive takes of the Deschutes River Salmonfly hatch.

As an angler, there may be nothing finer than experiencing the detonation of hungry trout on a big spring bug. Whether you are casting a chubby, our very own and very secret Purple Chubby, or a Rogue Stone, this is an opportunity you don’t want to miss.

A float down the Deschutes with us is an easy day-trip from our shop in Sisters. We’d love to have you, and whether you are a novice angler wanting to learn the sport, or an experienced veteran of big waters, we have a team of highly experienced, and friendly guiding professionals to help with whatever your needs may be. 

So why not join us for a ten mile float down the incomparable Deschutes? The warm days of May and early June make for the kind of fishing you really don’t want to miss. 

Call us at (541) 549-3474 to a book a trip, or stop by the shop in Sisters–where we will happily answer any questions you may have–and let The Fly Fisher’s Place help make your 2017 Salmonfly hatch the most memorable one yet.