Orleans Barber

[MThompson]

Simple tie but I thought the story was really cool. Could only imagine how good the Klamath was back then.

https://youtu.be/2k3oRCkedxA

[David Lee]

.... Could only imagine how good the Klamath was back then.
https://youtu.be/2k3oRCkedxA

My dad fished the Klamath a lot as a young Man in the early/middle 1950's at Weitchpec .

He didn't fly fish , but used single Eggs , 2+ feet of leader , pencil weight , etc. . He told me he's scramble his way out on to rafts of Logs (lots of logging back then) , make a cast , swing down , reel in , and bait up again - hours and hours without a hit . This process would go on for hours . He related that , at a certain point.... his gaze would wander far downriver and he would see ..... something different . The water would be a different color . As he'd watch , he could see the different colored section moving upstream .

The different colored section would be a school of Steelhead , darker than the river was . As it would reach him (he related that this happened often) , it would be a Fish-a-cast , for a long as he had bait . He switched to lures after a few years after this , his favorite being an F-7 Flatfish in Orange w/ Black spots . None of the Steelhead were larger than 6 or so Lbs. , and he would catch them until he was tired of it . He released just about all of them , claiming they had a 'muddy' taste .

He also mentioned that the Trinity River , through the 1960's and into the early 70's .... was full of big Brown Trout , topping the 14 Lb. range .

D.~

[Tony Buzolich]

Great old stories to reminisce about. Hang on to them David. Good memories are all that matter when we get toward our time here.
Tony

[David Lee]

Great old stories to reminisce about. Hang on to them David. Good memories are all that matter when we get toward our time here.
Tony

Hi Tony !!

No doubt you have heard your fair share of stories about 'the good old days" . I spent my childhood thru my 20's dreaming about the good old days , then spent my 20's thru my 40's angry about the good old days , then found a place better than anything I EVER dreamed about .... and now spend as much time there as I can .... because the good old days are NOW - ! I hope you are well , my Friend !

(Not to drift off of the Orleans Barber pattern , it's featured in Trey Combs book 'Steelhead fly fishing and flies' . I thought it kind of an odd pattern ....)

D.~

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

One day I counted all the different body colors of Steelhead flies in one of the big books with many Steelhead patterns.


There were more black flies than anything else.

Some purple.

There were lots of red and orange.

Some in silver and gold tinsel too.

Some yellow.

Some natural colors too like tan, gray and green/olive.

Many of nice peacock herl.

[Mark Kranhold]

My dad fished the Klamath a lot as a young Man in the early/middle 1950's at Weitchpec .

He didn't fly fish , but used single Eggs , 2+ feet of leader , pencil weight , etc. . He told me he's scramble his way out on to rafts of Logs (lots of logging back then) , make a cast , swing down , reel in , and bait up again - hours and hours without a hit . This process would go on for hours . He related that , at a certain point.... his gaze would wander far downriver and he would see ..... something different . The water would be a different color . As he'd watch , he could see the different colored section moving upstream .

The different colored section would be a school of Steelhead , darker than the river was . As it would reach him (he related that this happened often) , it would be a Fish-a-cast , for a long as he had bait . He switched to lures after a few years after this , his favorite being an F-7 Flatfish in Orange w/ Black spots . None of the Steelhead were larger than 6 or so Lbs. , and he would catch them until he was tired of it . He released just about all of them , claiming they had a 'muddy' taste .

He also mentioned that the Trinity River , through the 1960's and into the early 70's .... was full of big Brown Trout , topping the 14 Lb. range .

D.~
I enjoyed the read David. Speaking of the Trinity, I was fishing steelhead one year and ran into a local walking his dog. We were shooting the shit and the topic of brown trout and sea run browns came up. This guy snorkels the river in the summer months and still sees the pig browns in there. He said he has seen some the size of Chinooks tucked up under rootball cut banks.

[TahoeJoe]

Good stories. Both the Orleans Barber and David's.

I'll tie a couple for this year. Sounds like the Barber will fish and it's old school Klamath like a Silver Hilton. I've got a bag of wood duck feathers that have been waiting for an opportunity to dress a fly. This looks like a good one.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

When the fish are in your riffle and the sun is off the water, almost any wet fly or nymph in size 8/10 will work.

Nobody indicator fishes the Klamath River except maybe above Interstate 5 ?

Most use a floating line, leader as long as your rod to size ~1x tippet and any size #8/10 fly you believe in.

A size 10 prince nymph or olive woolly bugger?

When it is real good, switch flies on ever fish?

I am not an expert but have fly fished it for 50 years.......and sold tackle for it for 50 years.

It can be your favorite river too........Sept 15 to Nov 15......remember October.

It is not just a Half-pounder river......fresh run 4 to 6 pound adults on a trout rod can tear you up.


*Klamath river veterans and experts Noe Fierros and Bruce Porter use 9' #3 weights with screaming 'ratchet reels'.

[hwchubb]

I’ve got a couple of Orleans Barbers in my steelhead box, just because I liked the story in Shewey’s book and tied them. Haven’t fished them yet, just because the dry line muddler fishes so well there. And Bill, I’ve done really well from I-5 to below Happy Camp the last 3 seasons right before Thanksgiving, so Nov fishes well too…

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Al Perryman, who lives on the rogue river, and friends have been fishing the Seiad Valley above Happy Camp in November lately too.

[TahoeJoe]

I got around to tying a few. I hope that there's enough water to use it this year.
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