Flies for the Klamath

[sculpin]

All very nice looking flies guys. I'm just wondering why ya don't mix up the bead colors on your bead heads. I have found copper beads work very well at times and the hot orange bead head flies are very good. The hot orange bead head flies work the best for me in the I-5 region of the Klamath in Nov. and Dec.

Hey Digger
It takes catching more than 20 steelhead a day on the Rogue to get tired. They only average around 5lbs.

[Rick J]

Mark,
Acutally I use different colored beads - generally copper on moss backs, gold on brindle bugs and light colored flies and silver on Hiltons. Use black on occasion on all of them. Have not used orange and have not seen them much but like the concept - will look next time I am in the shop

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I met some cool older dudes on the Klamath last week.

They had a nice medium size outboard jet boat and were fly fishing with single handed 6 weight rods and floating lines swinging small flies.

I asked one of them how many years he had fished the Klamath. He said for many years but he has been staying in an RV park on the lower river for 2.5 months a year now sense he retired 9 years ago. Wow....I hate that guy.

He said he has seen some nice fishing. Well I guess so.

I looked at his flies after asking him what he was using.

Both (tandem rigged) about the size of a #8/10 nymph with a bigger than normal bead head. One was red and the other was green.

I think that lots of flies work there. Maybe just BH #8 or 10 nymphs like a olive Bird's Nest or Prince nymph?

Small olive or black woolly worms or woolly buggers should work fine?

I think when they are fresh and running up the river happy they will eat lots of different flies.

I like a Renegade and Silver Hilton but was fishing the BH Moss Back because I feel Rick J knows best.

I think a large bead head fly on a long leader with a floating line can sink fairly deep too.

[sculpin]

Bill I think your right about all the flies you mentioned working well for steelhead. At times I have very good luck on a Green Prince with a copper bead and also a Guinea Prince and all sorts of others. For the last two years the hot orange beads on some flies have been the hot set up for me. Jbird has always used them, but for quite a while I was doing better with the copper beads. I always fish tandem flies and for the last two years 75% of the fish I've hooked hit the fly with the orange bead. I think it has to do with contrast. It doesn't hurt to over size them either but if your clanking bottom a lot the finish does chip over time.

Mark

[M Duper]

Hi Adam, when it comes to tailing the mossback and brindle bug what is your theory? I see that you like the dual feather. Is that for aesthetics? I do like the look. Or do you think it changes the action one way or another? Maybe something else I'm missing?

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Hi Adam

Mike at the Eureka Fly Shop said his top fly this fall on the Klamath River was the old Silver Hilton in size 6, 8 and 10.

[SFMike]

Wow, this is a great thread! Thanks to everyone who posted pictures and listed flies (even way back in 2007). I'm heading up to the Klamath for the first time in two weeks and will try to tie up a few of these patterns for the trip. Let's hope there are some fish around. If anyone has some recent info, I'd sure appreciate hearing it too.

Cheers,
Mike

[bmcclintic]

I am going to be headed up to the Klamath over the Thanksgiving week. This thread popped up at the right time for sure. I'll be at the vice over the next couple weeks and looking forward to getting out there.

SFMike, please report back after your time on the water.

[itsbenlong]

Bill I think your right about all the flies you mentioned working well for steelhead. At times I have very good luck on a Green Prince with a copper bead and also a Guinea Prince and all sorts of others. For the last two years the hot orange beads on some flies have been the hot set up for me. Jbird has always used them, but for quite a while I was doing better with the copper beads. I always fish tandem flies and for the last two years 75% of the fish I've hooked hit the fly with the orange bead. I think it has to do with contrast. It doesn't hurt to over size them either but if your clanking bottom a lot the finish does chip over time.

Mark

This was my go to orange beaded fly last week......it was really picking up some fish where some other common flies were not. I think part of it was the sink rate and depth it ran and it worked best in the evenings as soon as the sun left the water......

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