Fly Fish Steelhead Seminar - Portland Sportsman Show

Want to improve your game chasing steelhead with the spey rod?

The annual Portland Sportsman's Show is being held Feb 5-9 come see Rob Crandall; editor of Flyfishing & Tying Journal and owner of Water Time Outfitters present "The Missing Pieces"- The Cold Water Quest for Swung fly Steelhead.  Rob will be presenting in the Fly Fishing Theater and on the "Steelhead River" most days of the show.

Stop by the booth and say hello, Water Time Outfitters booth will be along the fly casting pond.

www.watertimeoutfitters.com

Oregon River Report January 2014

Oregon rivers are getting a much needed shot in the arm as far as water levels go.  Over the weekend a strong storm front moved into the N. Oregon coast and dumped a load of rain.  Rivers on the north coast shot up and blew out from the heavy rains and are now on the drop.  As they clear and drop into shape fishing should be excellent.

Before the rain a long dry spell made fishing tough.  Low and clear water put fish on high alert and fooling fish required a stealthy approach and excellent presentations.

Here is an early January 2014 steelhead caught by Ken.

Water Time Outfitter guides fish Oregon's North Coast- working waters like the Trask, Wilson, Nehalem, North Fork Nehalem and Nestucca Rivers.  Come join us!  www.watertimeoutfitters.com 

Water Time Outfitters 2013 Highlights of the Year

It has been a great year with fantastic clients like you!  We just wanted to thank you for your participation in our 2013 season with Water Time Outfitters.  It has been busy with some amazing highlights.  We are glad that you could be a part of it.  We look forward to spending time on the water with you in 2014.  Here are a few of the many highlights from the year.

The first one of the day.

The BIG ONE!

Clive Furrows of San Diego with several amazing wild fish from one exceptional day on the N. Oregon coast.  After many years fishing BC and around the world Clive landed his biggest steelhead ever on a #7 weight spey rod.  By the measurements this fish         easily went 23.3lbs. Congrats Clive!

Congrats to Adam Straw who landed his first steelhead on the fly rod this year on the Clackamas River.  He was swinging a marabou spey pattern with a sink tip and hooked two in one morning.  Adam had that smile on his face for at least a week!

Jim Drew (photo to right) snuck this dandy chromer out of the run right behind a fly fishing legend.  He did it so non-chalantly that I had to give him mega credit.  His friend and fly fishing guru wanted Jim’s fly after the dust settled from the camera shutters. 

New guide in training- my son Tanner at the tiller on the jet sled.  Oh yeah, he landed a steelhead that day too!

Happy New Year!

 Fly fishing for shad in June was a definite highlight- what a blast!  We did ½ day trips morning and evening for shad and averaged 40 hook ups each 4 hours.  We had many doubles, saw huge sturgeon jump right in front of us and even caught some dandy smallmouth bass. 

 Tanner Crandall got in on the action and hauled in this whopper shad. (Left)




Jon Hill worked over the shad pretty good but was surprised when he brought in this red eyed devil- a      hard fighting Smallmouth Bass.

Deschutes River Trout fishing was good this year.  We had so much fun!  A favorite trip was hanging out in one camp for three days.  There were so many caddis in July- the word blizzard comes close to describing it!

Don Lewis and Henry M. had a productive trip on the lower D. this year in early September.  Don commented: “What is wrong, I can’t get this one in”… that’s because it’s a big strong steelie in it’s prime Don!

Jeff Evershed hit it just right this fall on the lower Deschutes; one of those rare days when it is overcast and a bit rainy.  We stopped counting after he had 10 hookups on steelhead.  Fish were rolling everywhere! 

  

An epic morning on the Deschutes(right), we watched 30 bighorn sheep across the river, had deer 15 yards away and landed this dandy steelhead and lost one the first stop of the day!

Thanks again for all the wonderful days on the water this year.  There are so many, many more stories and pics that are also highlights.  

All the very best to you and yours for 2014!

From the Crew at Water Time Outfitters: Rob Crandall, Gil Muhleman, Marty Smith and Kenny Kiley  

Christmas Gifts for the Fly Angler

It's that time of year and if you need a gift for a fly fisherman look no further than Water Time Outfitters for the outdoor getaway your loved one NEEDS!  Give the gift of water time, that precious resource that there never seems to be enough of.  Today's life has so many stresses, why not put it aside for a day or so and enjoy the bliss of nature, a fish throbbing at the end of the line and no cell phones.

Water Time Gifts to consider:

Guided Fishing trips:  Ranging from half day to multi-day camping trips these range from $125-175 and up.

Fly Fishing Classes: Trout and steelhead fly fishing beginners have a lifetime passion ahead- get started right in a great sport!  Price ranges from $65 and up.

Steelhead Workshops:  A great primer to the season, the new angler or someone new to town.  We show you where to go and how to do it. $100

Guided Shad Fishing Trips:  Excellent for the new angler or for the works too much guy who can squeeze in 4 hours of action packed fishing!  $125-$175 per person.

Drift boat workshops:  How to row a drift boat safely.  4 hour session takes you down the river in your boat covering rowing and safety.  $175 for one or two.

Gift Certificates:  This one covers it all- let your loved one choose from the options above and more to customize the outdoor experience they are craving!

WTO T-shirts - The Tug is the Drug!  See our T -shirts on our website:  Fishing T-Shirt

See more on our website:  www.watertimeoutfitters.com

Swung Fly Steelhead Mysteries- Free Seminars

Ever feel like winter steelhead are a mythical creature?  Come join us for a FREE seminar exploring the mysteries of swung fly steelhead.  We'll discuss fly pattern selection, the right gear, your approach and hopefully discern the missing pieces in your approach.

Come join us at the Royal Treatment Fly Shop finding the "missing pieces" of swung fly steelhead fishing!

Dec 14, 2014    10:00 - 11:30 Am

See the video trailer for this info packet seminar:  http://vimeo.com/81014079

2014 Seminar Dates:
Jan 11
Feb 15
Mar 15

The Perfect Christmas Gift for the New Angler

            This Steelhead Fly Fishing Workshop is a sure hit for the angler on your list!

If you are new to Steelhead fly fishing or new to Oregon, Water Time Outfitters offers the perfect Christmas gift that is so superbly unique it will definitely be a Christmas highlight - we call it our Winter Steelhead Workshops.  We offer our workshops through the prime fishing season on several of our favorite Oregon rivers.  Most locations are close to Portland or with-in a two hour drive.  These classes offer something for anglers of all levels but most of all it's the where-to-go info on the hot spots that everybody loves!  Get something memorable for the fisher person in your life this season with this one-of-a-kind workshop.

How it works:  We meet on a weekend at a convenient location near the water with coffee and donuts. We’ll review maps that will give you at least a dozen productive steelhead runs that you can drive and walk to often these are spots we personally fish. With coffee in hand we’ll discuss the maps in detail as well as run timing, river topography, ideal water levels, fish behavior and favorite fly patterns.

Then when we’ve reached proper caffeine level we’ll grab a bunch of gear and head out to the water.   We will tour the river from the bank-bound-angler point of view showing you the sweet spots with public access.  On the water we will cover: fishing techniques, fishing strategy, reading water and more. This is also time to talk about lines, rods and rigging. We’ll have plenty of spey rods and nearly 20 fly lines for you to try out and get a feel for different systems. We will have plenty of spey rods and switch rods for you to try out.

If we actually catch a fish it will be by accident. The purpose of this workshop is to give you the tools you need to find, read, and properly fish good steelhead water the actual fishing will be secondary.

Around 1pm we’ll break for a hungry man’s lunch and and then head on to some more spots with steelhead water you’ll want to drool on!

Classes are offered on our favorite rivers with great fishing not far from Portland:  

Steelhead Workshop Classes offered in 2014:

January 18th  -Clackamas & Eagle Creek meets at Royal Treatment Fly shop -instructor Rob   Crandall 

January 18th - North Coast Class- Trask, Wilson, Kilches meets in Tillamook, OR - instructor Gil Muhleman

February 22nd - Clackamas & Eagle Creek meets at Royal Treatment Fly shop- instructor Rob Crandall

March 22 - Clackamas & Eagle Creek meets at Royal Treatment Fly shop - instructor Rob Crandall

Workshop cost is only $100 including a hot lunch and is limited to 8 anglers. Spots fill fast, pre-payment required to hold your spot.

Call Rob Crandall 503-704-6449 to reserve your spot.

See more about our company at www.watertimeoutfitters.com 

Other great gift ideas from Water Time Outfitters:  WTO T-shirts, Wall Calendars and Gifts

Clackamas River 2013 Update - Wild Run Steelhead Struggle

The run of wild winter/spring Steelhead returning to the upper Clackamas basin is struggling to recover despite the sanctuary of the entire upper Clackamas River basin above NF dam.  The total fish returning above NF dam as counted by PGE (Portland General Electric) who manages the fish trap facility at NF dam was only 868 steelhead for the 2013 run.  A poor return by most comparisons.  Last year, 2012 the run was a meager 1,249 fish. 

Wild steelhead have many different life histories and spawn in different sections of the Clackamas basin.  Perhaps more fish spawned lower in the river drainage this year and were not counted.  The upper Clackamas basin continues to struggle with meager fish returns as management and conservation groups squabble about studies and what they mean.  Meanwhile, wild fish numbers stagger along with 2,000 or less fish most years in the upper basin.