Don’t ever think you have the fish at Fall River figured out. The fly that hooked 8 fish last time you were out gets totally ignored. My basic rule of thumb is move the indicator up or down, add weight or take off weight. Try to get the fly right in front of the fish. Nothing working? Well, it’s time to change flies. Once I get into the fly changing mode, it’s usually ten to twelve casts and I change again. Sometimes I will find a fly they will eat, sometimes not. If I see someone catching fish I will usually ask, “what are they eating?”  Most of the time the fisherman I see will show me the fly that’s working. I usually have something close, but if not, then I head home and sit down at the vise and re-create the fly. That’s what I love about fly fishing; it’s never the same. It’s a new mystery every day. 

I have expanded my fly tying business to include wooden fly boxes. With the help of You Tube videos and a lot of trial and error, I have come up with a box the right size, weight and capacity. I use a variety woods, black walnut, mahogany, alder and pine. They hinges have six screws and the magnets I use are quite strong. The insert for the flies is of the highest quality from REC Componets in Connecticut. After sizing the wood, I plane it down to five eights inch and rout each side one half inch deep. Then I assemble and sand until smooth. They are then sent off to Danny, my laser guy. (Click the top photo to see a video)

Upon their return they are then stained and given 3 coats of oil-based high quality urethane. The result in my opinion is a very high quality, durable fly box. I am selling these boxes for $50.

One of the great things about the Fall River in Central Oregon is that it stays open to fly fishing all year long. There are a lot of fish in the river throughout the winter. You will not run into the crowds you might see in the summer, too. Everyday there will be a Blue Wing Olive hatch, around noon. You will notice little black Stone Flies on the snow and they are a good dry fly to use as well. Dry fly fishing can be very productive during the hatches, while nymphing is productive all day long.

I am constantly finding new flies that produce fish, but I always keep a few confidence flies on me. My Eggstacy Egg, Swimming Nymph and Big Orange Fly are constant producers.

Be prepared for wind, snow, rain and ice. Dress warmly and wear good cleats on your shoes - as ice is treacherous. Just get out there and enjoy great winter fishing and land some nice trout!

These are my most productive winter flies on Fall River. Some are from fellow fishermen, some from guides. The PEACH EGG is magic. The last time above the fish ladder, 10 out of 10 fish were caught on this egg.

I am holding a Garage Sale April 15th, 9 - 5! I have well over 1000 quality flies I’ve tied. I am selling them at much less than the fly shops. They will be selling at half price (or more) off. The prices range from $.75 to $1.50. I have chironomids, nymphs, dries, streamers, leeches, tungsten beaded balanced leaches and tungsten beaded Eggstacy Eggs. I also have my 5 favorite flies for East Lake, Crane Prairie and Fall River. You cannot beat this deal!

Winter fishing at Fall River in the Cascade Lakes has caused me to need to use smaller and smaller flies, emergers and dries. These all used to be clumped up in my magnetic boxes and I couldn’t tell what I had. So, I put them on foam and fit them into the box. Much easier to handle and know what I have on the water.