Gotta Love Autumn

Fall is officially here in the Columbia Gorge and with it comes my favorite time of the season to be on the water.  Although our schedule is booked almost solid until the end of the month, we do have a few openings on the Deschutes and Klickitat in late October and November.  If you enjoy fishing without the crowds, the “late season” offers some great fishing opportunities.  –Some of the largest steelhead start showing up in our rivers in November.  Give me a ring if you want to get out this fall.

-TL

Late Fall Steelhead on the Deschutes

Jim Trainer found this wild beauty on a recent Deschutes trip with Larimer Outfitters guide Mike Duffy.  Nice going Trainer!  The late season is our favorite time to be on the Deschutes... The big fish show up and there's no one around.

-TL

Winter Is Coming, So Is Andros South

Andros South Bonefish.  Cam Miller Photo

I’m looking forward to my hosted trips in 2012.  At this point, I’m booked solid for my week on the Dean River in British Columbia and my week in Alaska.  However, I do have some availability for my February trip to Andros South Lodge in the Bahamas.  We’ll be chasing huge bonefish, barracuda and the occasional permit.  Andros South is one of the finest saltwater destinations in the world.  Outside of world-class fishing, the lodge offers a comfortable atmosphere, incredible cuisine, and all the beer you can drink.  –It’s a great escape from the winter!  Let me know if I can answer any questions or help you plan your trip.   

-Tom Larimer

More Info About My Trip

Steelhead Camp

Larimer Outfitters client Steve Turner sent me some great images from a recent Steelhead Camp on the Deschutes.  Thanks for the shots Steve!

Finding Walter

Dan Gordon from The Gorge Fly Shop recently found this beautiful 39" wild buck while on a Deschutes Steelhead Camp.  Nice going Dan!  I don't care what the other guys in the group say, you're alright in my book.

-TL

Mono Shooting Lines

Pete Laskier getting throttled in AK.

I’ve never gravitated towards mono shooting lines for Spey casting, mostly because mono is hard to hold on to.  However, mono has some huge advantages over other running lines.  First, because of its fine diameter, it shoots faster than extruded or braided lines.  Consequently, it tangles less and shoots farther.  Second, you can hold larger loops of line, which also aids in reducing tangles.  More so, it pulls less water into the guides than other running lines, which is a huge benefit in the colder months of the season. -Less water in the rod guides means less guide freezing and warmer fingers.  Last but not least, it’s cheap! 

However, it’s still hard to hold on to.  That said, my good friend Andrew Bennett from Deneki Outdoors recently showed me an easy trick to help with the grip issue.  (Andrew later informed me that Alaska West head guide Ed Ward showed him this trick) Simply wrap the top six inches of the upper grip of your Spey rod with plumbers tape.  The tape will give you sufficient grip on the mono during the cast.  Although many anglers will still prefer an extruded running line like Airflo’s Ridge Running Line, those looking to add a few feet of distance with less tangles will love mono.

-TL

The Klickitat River Needs Your Help

The Klickitat River in southern Washington is among the crowned jewels of the Pacific Northwest. Long revered for its large native steelhead and spring Chinook, the river has some of the most intact habitat for fish and wildlife in the Middle Columbia Region.

Unfortunately, decades of hatchery released non-native Coho, Skamania steelhead and fall Chinook threaten the survival of Klickitat native salmon and steelhead. Since 1999, native Klickitat winter and summer steelhead have been listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Similarly, the native run of wild spring Chinook which once numbered in the thousands has a thirty year average of 300 fish. 

Potential expansion of hatchery operations in the Klickitat basin, detailed in the July of 2011 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) released by Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and the Yakama Klickitat Fisheries Project (YKFP) will further imperil the river’s wild native salmon and steelhead. 

The actions within the DEIS do not rely upon the best available science to recover wild native fish, jeopardizing wild runs by continuing most releases of non-native hatchery fish at or above their current numbers. 

BPA and YKFP are required to solicit and respond to public comments during the DEIS process. This means that before anything is changed on the Klickitat BPA and YKFP must respond to the concerns raised during the public comment process. 

This is where you come in. Please take 2 minutes to visit the NFS website,  read over the comments, personalize the letter and send your message to BPA. 

Thanks for your time,

-Tom Larimer

Fishing With Legends

I recently spend a day floating the Klickitat Canyon with my good friends Randy Stetzer and Tim Rajeff from Rajeff Sports.  Together, these two have forgotten more about fly fishing than I could ever know.  It was a true honor to row them down the river.  After pawing through Randy's beautifully crafted flies and hearing his insightful thoughts on steelhead behavior, I remembered why I got into this crazy sport in the first place...  It's all about rolling the soul. Thanks for a great day guys.

-TL