Steelhead, Suckers, and Smallies....Oh My!

Can anyone say going out with a bang?  Well, for many Steelheaders, this is the time of year when you are making your last trips and for those who have......they are definitely going out with a bang!!!

Today no matter where our guides were, it was hot!!!  This is the time of year when you have your shot at massive mixed bag of fish who will come to the fly.

Today, Greg alone brought 5 different species to the net.  From Steelhead clear down to the rare Quillback, the fish were slamming swung flies in force.

Here is a quick sample from one of our clients today. 

SENYO'S ICE MAN MINNOW TUBE STRIKES AGAIN

JOHN GETS A VERY NICE CHROME HEN

THE BIG BUCK THAT WAS LOOKING FOR THAT HOT HEN

SENYO'S HOT NEW PATTERN - THE EMERALD EGG RAIDER TUBE

Many people have been asking about our tubes.  For those who have inquired, all of the tubes we use are tied by our guides and exclusively on Eumer tubes.  Eumer is a great company based in Finland across the big lake.

We have tied extensively on their tubes and you can see a selection of them in this post alone.  We have used them successfully for many cold water and warm water species.  If you are interested in Eumer materials, go to our home shop to buy online.

A BEAUTIFUL DROP BACK HEN THAT LIKE THE TUBES

 EVEN THE RARE QUILLBACK ENJOYED MUNCHING A TUBE!

ONE OF THE INFAMOUS SUCKERS

We have mentioned in previous posts that the Smallmouth Bass are really turning on and today they were hot....and heavy.  Many bronzebacks were brought to the net giving a sporting fight the entire way.

OH YEAH.....BRONZE IS REALLY GOLD!

JOHN WITH AN AWESOME SMALLMOUTH, I MEAN FOOTBALL!

ANOTHER SHOT OF SENYO'S EMERALD EGG RAIDER TUBE

DOING IT'S DAMAGE!!!

Well, tomorrow we are hoping for more of the same.  We will be back on the water with and without clients.  We will give you an update on what we do when we get off the water.

Until then, tight lines.....

Patrick "Flybum" Robinson

Head Guide

Steelhead Alley Outfitters

The Season Continues

The Steelhead are still around and the season continues.  With higher than usual temps lately, we have been having some tough days!  However, today's change back to what we would expect this time of year brought our season back in line.

The day today was great for those who were out on the water.  With rain all day, many opted to stay at home....which was fine with us :)  We pushed out with clients and scattered ourselves across the Alley with great results.  

Some of the photos are below....

STEVE WITH HIS FIRST STEELHEAD...OBVIOUSLY A HEN

A SPRING TIME BONUS THAT I WILL TAKE ANY DAY!!!

Don't forget that as the Steelhead wind down, the lake run Smallmouth bass are coming in and spawning.  Fish in the 4-6 pound range are very possible and a whole lot of fun!!!  If you are interested in Smallies on the fly, the next month or so is dynamic on the Alley.

Give us a shout if you get the itch to bust some bronzebacks!

Until next time....

Patrick "Flybum" Robinson

Head Guide

Steelhead Alley Outfitters

Outdoors Ohio - Season Four - Episode 1

Recently Greg and I had the opportunity to film a second episode of Outdoors Ohio.  Our guests on the water were hosts D'arcy Egan of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Joe Thomas of the Cleveland Browns.  Along with them for the day was President of the Cleveland Indians organization Paul Dolan and his son.

It was a pleasure to spend the day with such a great group of guys who are so involved in sports...either way you look at it.  One thing was sure....they loved to be outdoors in our great state.  

The conditions were looking good for the day and we had scouted previously to insure our day of recording would work well for the upcoming episode.  The fish were in and the water clarity about perfect, so we went to fishing as soon as we could get the crew down to the river.

THE CAST FOR THE SHOW WORK ON THE INTRO OF EPISODE 4:1

PAUL DOLAN GOT THE DAY STARTED WITH A HARD CHARGING FISH

It wasn't long after Paul and I made a couple of hook ups that Greg and Paul's son were into fish as well.  Then as you can imagine it, the father/son competition started cranking...before long the sarcasm and challenges were as thick as...well, blood :)

GREG ASSISTS WITH THE RELEASE OF ONE OF PAULS FISH

ONCE AGAIN, PAUL STRIKES AS PATRICK AND D'ARCY 

DO A LITTLE COMMENTATING.

Part way through the day, it was big Joe Thomas' turn to get in the swing of things...this time with Paul Dolan's son at his side.  Joe was there to watch this young man hold his own very well alongside some very worthy opponents.

THREE GUYS ADMIRING A BEAUTIFUL FISH!

A WIDE SHOT TO SHOW THE VIDEO CREW BEHIND THE SCENES.

OUR YOUNGEST GUEST STRIKES LATE IN THE DAY AND GREG MAKES A GREAT STAB WHILE D'ARCY CHEERS HIM ON!

THE RELEASE GOES JUST AS IT SHOULD.

At the end of the day, Patrick was with Joe Thomas and the magical moment happened twice...back to back no less.  We went live with the recording when I said, "Alright Joe, you're all retied, go get a fish!"  Well, he did just that....almost on command!  TWICE IN A ROW!!!!

We couldn't even get the commentary right for all the interruptions....ha, ha!  I guess those are the kind you want though :)

JOE CELEBRATES AS PATRICK COMES UP WITH THE FISH 

IN THE MIDST OF A VERY MAGICAL MOMENT.  

At the days end, we all agreed it had been a good one.  There were plenty of fish to go around and some of them came at the best of times!  That always help to make good television.

Keep your eye on Sports Time Ohio to see the programming schedule for the episode.  Currently it is slated to run starting May 5th in the late evening.  If all stays on schedule, this will be the first episode of the new season.  It is slated for 6 showings in May, with more throughout the year.  We will post updates with dates and times as soon as we know they are locked and ready. 

If you need to know what channel it will play on, go to the Sports Time Ohio website to see what channel your local cable company shows STO on.

Until next time, 

Patrick "Flybum" Robinson

Head Guide

Steelhead Alley Outfitters

Trophy Trout Are Rising!!!

As Steelhead season approaches its end, the trout are firing up!  It's this time of year that our guides minds start to wander especially when we see hatches starting to fire off on our steelhead streams.

One of our guides, John Miller, didn't just let his mind wander, he flat out got out of Dodge.  John has been on the Delaware the past couple weeks waiting for the bugs to awake from their slumber and word is as of a couple days ago they were waking up.

For those who aren't knowledgeable on the Delaware River system in New York, it is nothing short of world class trout.....not just world class trout, but trout in excess of 20" on dries.

Below are a few shots John sent over to us to make us salivate.........drip, drip......:)

ONE HECK OF A BROWN.....CAN I HAVE ONE TOO JOHN?

A BEAUTIFUL RAINBOW THAT ROSE

A BEAUTIFUL BUTTER BELLY THAT ROSE ON DAY ONE BACK ON THE RIVER

20" + SLAB OF DRY FLY SLAMMIN' TROUT

A DELAWARE BROWN UP CLOSE

A MONSTER BROWN WITH A MATCHING SMILE

As we wind down on our Steelhead season in the coming weeks, remember that our neighbors to the east (PA & NY) have prime trout water and our guides know the waters well.  If you need the tug on your fly rod after your Spring Steelhead fling, let us know.  We would love to hook you up on world class trout in Pa or NY......you pick.

Until next time, may the trout always rise to your fly.

Patrick "Flybum" Robinson

Head Guide

Steelhead Alley Outfitters

Coming Up For Air!!!

There is a good side to being busy on the water, but the unfortunate side is the inability to stay on top of blogging.  Greg and I have been going every direction but straight and unfortunately it has kept us from our habit of daily (or thereabouts) blogging.

We wish we could have better recorded the past couple of weeks, but time would not allow!  From multiple clients and guides on the water to the filming of the next TV show (more details later), we have been unbelievably busy.  We have enjoyed all of our clients  from Ohio and abroad the past couple of weeks, and look forward to seeing you again in the future.

JOHN WITH HIS FIRST STEELHEAD

MIKE GETS THE DAY STARTED WITH CHROME

MIKE WITH A MID DAY BUCK

MITCH FINALLY SCORES ON ONE TOUGH DAY

LEONARD WITH HIS FIRST NICE FISH

LEONARD WITH HIS FIRST FLY ROD CATCH

TIM WITH ONE BAD FISH!!!

A SERIOUSLY NICE SUCKER.....THE FISH THAT IS :)

FRIENDS AND MEMORIES

MATT AND TIM BUST A DOUBLE ON THE ELK

MATT POSES WITH GUIDE JOHN CLOUSER

A MUG EVEN A MOTHER COULDN'T LOVE

JOHN WITH AN AGGRESSIVE BUCK

KELLY SCORES A NICE COLORED UP BUCK

THE HEN THAT STARTED THE MORNING

WILL TUREK WAITS FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO NET THE FISH

WILL CAPTURES THE MEMORY

WILL POSES WITH HIS CLIENT AND A NICE FRESH HEN

MARK WITH A VERY NICE CHROME HEN

As we speak, the rivers are on the rise and most likely will all be blown tomorrow.  As soon as things start to shape up, we will be back on the water.

A big thanks to everyone who has come out recently.  We have very limited availability the remainder of the season, but if you just can't wait until Fall, let us know.  We just might be able to sneak you in before the Smallmouth really fire up.

Speaking of Smallmouth....if you love this warmwater species, and you like to fish rivers, then don't miss out on the Smallmouth run as the big "lakers" spawn up our Steelhead tribs in the next month or so.  We have limited guides who are able to guide you for this awesome game fish.  Call to inquire.

Until next time....

Patrick "Flybum" Robinson

Head Guide

Steelhead Alley Outfitters

Tube flies & Small Stream Trout

This weekend I had the opportunity to Escape to the Mountains to enjoy one of my personal favorite fly fishing trips, taking Long walks into the Allegheny Nation Forest is search of Brook Trout and fishing the Trout streams of Warren County. This time would be different though, I would be leaving all my typical bugs at home and carrying nothing but an assortment of my Ice Man Minnow tubes. Yes that's right tubes flies on a 3wt! The challenge for me was that on our everyday steelhead trips we catch fish on an array of tube designs of varied sizes, so why can't I use similar patterns ties in micro designs and catch trout around the region. The results were much more than I could have ever ask for, and for me very rewarding.

In the picture above you can see the two patterns I used mostly during my trip. The first pattern is tied on Eumer's Micro silver tear drop body with pink and blue Laser dubbing and pearl Ice dubbing. The weighted body allowed this pattern to sink rapidly in plunge pools and swift under cuts were the current was too fast for the unweighted version. My second choice was the unweighted piece of Eumer's medium plastic tubing. Tan and grey Laser dubbing and pearl Ice dubbing make up the wing. 3D prismatic eyes are epoxied to the tubing with a large bubble of epoxy left under the tube. This extra epoxy along with the Diiachi X510 hook makes the pattern ride perfectly up right in the current and also allows the pattern to swim and dart through the many boulders in the stream. In most circumstances this was the pattern I found most useful on the small mountain streams I was fishing.

The first fish of the day darted out from a cluster of fallen trees and submerged root balls to take this Tan and Grey Ice Man Minnow tube fly. I almost forgot how much fun it was to fish 7'6 rods and 6x tippet. This fine brook trout gave me the fight I was craving and put a severe whooping on my light tackle, but it sure was worth it. Some people have asked why I still trout fish, when the steelhead run is going on? Its a skill just like anything else if you don't use it you lose it! Besides light fly tackle trout fishing is just exciting to me on a personal level as landing a 15 pound steelhead on the switch rod, and as long as I am able to do both I will.....

Here is a section of a warren County mountain stream I was fishing, as you can see there were lots of places a trout could ambush it prey.

The second fish I caught was absolutely a rocket! From a distance I was perched on the mountain above the stream just watching for any type of activity, when this trout would flash and dart around his small pool obviously chasing other small trout , chubs, or small minnows. I was able to sneak around behind the pool and get in position to make a cast. As you can see by the photos there is very little casting room and a very low canopy, so your cast had to be accurate the first go round or see ya tomorrow, because you just spooked the pool! I will say I did spook enough fish this week but this particular cast it was perfect... you can see the results above.

The small pool the brook trout above was caught from, if you look to your right you will see the tree root ball I was casting from, being a south paw this offered me good cover and the most casting space for this particular pool. The trout took the fly at the base of the boulders were the current flows through.

This particular pool I have always enjoyed fishing, and as you can see there are old bridge structures along the stream. To put this in perspective you are about 3/4 mile back in the middle of the forest and no roads are in sight for a long ways. These structures were old bridges and roads created by Catholic Monks who had come to the region teaching Christianity to the Indian tribes in the early 1900's. Its pretty amazing to catch trout among some pretty historic relics of the old country.

This brook trout was coaxed out from under the bridge embankment seen above, and absolutely hammered this minnow tube. The tube fly box I chose for this trip. Doesn't look like your typical trout box does it? That was the point of the trip it wasn't supposed to!

Here is one of several nice trout fooled by an Ice Man Minnow. It came from one of my favorite pools near my cabin in Warren. The pool is about 5 ft deep and by mountain stream standards in this area its about as good as it gets! I managed several decent Brown trout and Brook Trout from this hole alone. Later on Friday evening Jason Gregory met up with me after he was done guiding for steelhead. From what he was telling me all our groups had done pretty well on the rivers, and he was pretty eager to get into a couple of decent trout for himself after hearing how much fun I was having.

Saturday morning we hit several area streams from Tionesta Creek, The Broken straw, and Caldwell Creek. Here Jason drifts a secluded run on Tionesta Creek.

Here is another nice book trout that smacked an Ice Man Minnow Tube I dubbed the "Native".

The pattern is supposed to represent a juvenile brook trout and is tied with natural grizzly marabou over Pearl ice dubbing and Hot pink Laser Dubbing.

Wild Tulips in the middle of no mans land.

It was great to get out and throw a light rod and use tactics that don't match the hatch or match anything for that matter. The challenge was to be different and to have fun with a tactic or style you enjoy, and use these methods for what ever species you decide to stalk. I know Pat will have a steelhead update for you tonight as well, and I will be putting my trout fishing on hold for a few more weeks to finish out our guide season for steelhead.

At this time we have been really hard at it on the water with clients for steelhead, and are going to be getting into the trout right after. If you are interested in the tactics or area you just read about give me a shout, we host several retreats for trout through out the summer. Call us at 888-453-5899 or email us at team@steelheadalleyoutfitters.com for more info.

We still have limited days available for the last of the steelhead runs, so if you want that last minute steelhead experience on the fly we are the guys for you...

Take Care and good Fishing!!

Greg Senyo

SAO