North Umpqua

[jayclarkflyfishing]

I am heading up to the North Umpqua near the end of August for summer run steelhead.I have hired a guide for my first day and I am looking for suggestions as far as flies and tippet size.I'll be fishing a single handed rod with both floating and sink tip lines.Any help will ge apreciated!
Thanks in advance-Jay

[matt johnson]

Hi LittleTruckee,

You are wise to hire a guide for your first day on the North Umpqua. On that first day, I would use whatever flies your guide recommends! Most of the guides up there provide their own "pet" patterns.

Here are some general suggestions for what to throw on your own:

The North Umpqua has some of the best steelhead dry-fly water in the lower 48. I would spend some time skating flies, because it is neat. Pattern is irrelevant, you just want something that will skate reliably under all water conditions. I like size #6-#2 flies. Waller Wakers, hitched muddlers, or something with foam incorporated like a Gurgler are all good bets. Some people like to twitch/pop their skaters as they swing across the holding water, others just maintaine a slow and steady 'wake".

It is fun to fish traditional hairwings on the North Umpqua. I like a standard Skunk or a Black Gordan. Silver Hiltons are good, as are flies with purple in them such as Tranquilizers or Purple Perils. It seems like dark wets are preferred by North Umpqua summer-runs. There are a million patterns that have caught fish there. What may be unique to this fishery is size of flies. Because much of the holding water is deep and/or fast, larger than normal flies are effective. I fish a lot of #2's and #1/0's.

The Muddler Minnow is probably the most versitle fly to fish on the Umpqua. They fish well in any type of water. Tied bushy and big, they are easy to track swinging across the run, so you can keep an eye on youir fly and analyze how effectively it is being fished. Throw a couple of half-hitches around the head and you have a great skater!

You cannot use weight at the end of August, but that does not rule out fishing nymphs. An un-weighted Ugly Bug, either dead-drifted or swung, is deadly. When I get really desperate for a fish, I like to swing an un-weighted dark leech on a sink-tip. Probably not as sexy as grease-lining or skating, but the grab is typically intoxicating, and it is a long drive back to California with a big stripe on your back.

As far as tippet goes, I build my own leaders out of Maxima Ultragreen, and almost always use #8 tippet. If you go with Rio/Umpqua etc., I would use nothing smaller than 0x.

I always stop to fill any holes in my fly-box at the Blue Heron Flyshop. Joe Howell stocks a great selection of "trick" North Umpqua flies and the North Umpqua experience is incomplete without a visit to the Blue Heron.

Hope this helps, and good luck! Matt.

[jayclarkflyfishing]

Matt-
Thanks for the info.Last year I spent 5 days on the N Umpqua with only a sea run cutthroat for my time.Still it was a spectacular time in an amazing place.Jay