Bull Trout Trip V

Minus four degrees is what the thermometer read in Sisters today at around 7:00 am. We were on the river by 7:30 and I'm guessing that since the river sits up in the hills a ways, it was colder still there. Despite all the tricks for cold weather fishing I have learned over the years, my fingers were numb and the cold chilled right through my layers and straight to the bone. Long story short: we were off the river by about 10:30 am. A spring creek, the Metolius River does not fluctuate more than a couple of degrees Summer to Winter. I assumed that cold water was cold water and the fish were used to it. Well this is not so. Apparently, when air temperatures drop dramatically, like last night and this morning, the water temperature drops too. And, as we all know, fluctuating water temperatures puts the fish off. So our error today was in assuming that the river would not fluctuate despite the cold weather. Oops. Naturally, the fishing was slower than slow. I foul hooked one 15 inch white fish that never even struggled, a result of the cool temps no doubt. So we ended up bringing home the skunk today, having hardly even tried to shake it. It was just too darn cold for us and for the fish. Tighter Lines another day perhaps. In the mean time check out Capt. Blair Wiggins, AKA The Mogan Man, with some serious Tight Lines!

the finer things...

When it comes to fishing, I've never really been the kind to spend a lot of money on top end rods and reels. Big names like Orvis, Sage, St. Croix, or G. Loomis have never been included in my arsenal of fishing gear.... until now. For the longest time I have used Redington rods. The quality of Redington rods varies with each model, with the Cross Water and Red Fly series at the bottom and CPS and SS series at the top. My trusty old Redington Wayfarer, now discontinued, sat just underneath the CPS rod. I own two of the red-fly series rods and the difference in casting, feel, and overall quality when compared to the Wayfarer is noticeable. But they have always done fine, and I have been without complaint ever since I started using Redington. But I have always wondered what it feels like to cast a high-end rod. Are they really worth the seemingly outrageous prices that they list for?
Over the Holidays I visited the Sportsman's Warehouse in Boise, ID. To my certain delight, I found a G. Loomis GL3 9 wt. on sale for better than 50% off the normal price. I was told that the store had ordered too many of this model in anticipation for steelhead season. They ended up not selling several of the rods and were liquidating to make room for 2008 models. Now, this is an entry level rod. Loomis rods average around $500.00, and get much higher for some of the specialty rods. So to find even a basic Loomis rod at this price was quite unusual. I decided that I would need to look at one. I returned to the store 3 or 4 times, and finally paid for the rod on my last visit. I can tell you now that holding even my nice Wayfarer rod does not bring as much satisfaction as gripping that G. Loomis rod does. Why? Craftsmanship I guess, and quality components. There's an enormous difference though, and I am beginning to fear what I have done. It's like anything really - like playing the guitar. Once you play a very fine, hand crafted instrument, going back to the cheap-o knock off is almost depressing.
Well, I put in my time using decent products, and even a couple of years ago I may not have even noticed the difference between them and high quality. But I've come to appreciate even the slightest differences in feel and quality, even though I would still NEVER pay even $300.00 for a fly rod. Luck happened to shine that day I bought the Loomis though, but hopefully it wont spoil me. I'm excited to use this rod. Tight Lines!