New Ohio State Record Steelhead

Congratulations to Jason Brooks who just a few days ago landed what is soon to be the new official state record Steelhead. Taping out at 38" and weighing in at 21.3lbs, it is quite the slab of chrome! The previous state record that is about to take a second place taped out at 36.5" and weighed 20.97lbs according to info gathered from Cleveland Metro Parks biologist Mike Durkalec (you can check out his fishing report blog here).

This trophy fish was taken in Lake Erie off of Avon Point. We would love to see a record come on the fly, but this fish was taken on a spoon in 40 feet of water. Regardless of how it was taken, it is a great achievement for any angler!

Here is a look at the beast!

JASON BROOKS POSES WITH HIS MASSIVE

FISH CAUGHT OFF AVON POINT IN LAKE ERIE.

CLEVELAND METROPARKS BIOLOGIST MIKE DURKALEC

POSES WITH JASON AND HIS 21+ LB TROPHY STEELHEAD

Again, congrats to Jason and hopefully some day we will have the chance to see such a fish with our own eyes....and perhaps on a fly. We can only dream....

Patrick "Flybum" Robinson

Head Guide

Steelhead Alley Outfitters

Huron River Carpin', Cleveland Orvis Offers Free Fly Fishing Lessons!

The most western Lake Erie tributary the Huron River has been steadily heating up for carp and smallmouth bass. SAO Fly fishing Guide Mike Schultz has been consistently bringing good sized carp to the net this summer, and the Mulberry hatch is on, and the fishing is absolutely fantastic.

If you would like to fish the Huron and try your luck on a few brown bombers, Mike Schultz can be contacted at http://www.coltonbay.com/ were he also serves as shop manager and head of guide operations. Below are a few pictures from recent outings...

Huron River Fly Caught Carp.

Tommy Vaughan with a big Huron River carp caught on Schultz's purple Shag Berry. The Fly pattern is constructed with Senyo's New Shaggy Dub from Hareline Dubbin Inc.

Tommy with another good carp on a recent trip with Guide Mike Schultz.

Allison with a monster Huron River "Brown Bomber"

Allison shows off this hefty brute that took the Shag Berry!

HOT OFF THE PRESS!

Just in from good friend and fly fishing manager Jim Lampros at the Orvis Company Store in Cleveland! The Store will be offering FREE fly fishing lessons every Saturday during the month of July from 9am to noon.

If you ever wanted to learn to fly fish this is a great no strings and no pressure way to get introduced to the sport of fly fishing. Everything from Casting, Rigging, Fly Selection, Equipment, and were to fly fish around Cleveland will be extensively covered.

Take advantage of the free service that is being offered, plus you will receive a free membership to Trout Unlimited and a $15.00 Orvis Savings Card just for attending the classes. If you have any questions and want to RSVP a spot please contact Orvis Cleveland Fly Fishing Manager Jim Lampros at 216-591-1681. The Orvis Company Store is located at 28839 Chagrin Blvd. in Woodmere.

Tight Lines!

Greg Senyo

Steelhead Alley Outfitters

Heading West...Very Soon!

In a few short weeks alot of the gang will be casting for trout in Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana! I am really looking forward to the vacation and having a chance to hang out on some of the western guide haunts that both Brett and Scott enjoy each summer.

Both Pat and Ben will be backpacking in along a few out of the way streams in Idaho, and John Clouser is already out west and we are just waiting to get a few teaser photos from him. We have updated the contact info on the blog, so if you need assistance quickly please don't hesitate to email or call as we will all be on the move in July.

Guide Brett McCrae displays a beautiful Brown trout for his client!

Brett with another nice Brown Trout. If you are interested in fishing with Brett and you are out west this summer, he can be found at http://www.rockcreekanglers.com and reached through the shop at 888-945-3876.

Just a sneak speak at a very cool custom made leather wallet carved and painted by good friend, artist, and fly addict Marc Crapo. This is probably one of the best pieces of art and fly gear I owe! I love it!!! You can check out Marc's leather work and wallets at http://www.flywallets.com or he can be contacted at marc@flywallets.com

We'll have more for you later...

Greg Senyo

Steelhead Alley Outfitters

A Day Off...

Yesterday I had the pleasure of taking an afternoon off from all responsibilities to meet up with good friend, guide, and rep Jerry Darkes for an evening of trout fishing at the Rockwell Springs Trout Club. This was the first time I had ever fished here and I am really grateful for the invite and the experience.

After a quick tour and some lunch we hit the stream to try our luck. The lay out of the stream is absolutely beautiful and the fish were more than willing to take a dry. We caught several nice rainbow, brook, and brown trout on a variety of flies, but small dry and dropper rigs, midges, and terrestrials made the fishing extremely fun.

One of the nice brown trout caught on a beetle imitation.

One of the nicely colored brook trout caught at Rockwell.

I'm sorry we didn't get more pictures, but we pretty much were just enjoying a slow paced, relaxing, and peaceful day of fishing. JD thanks for the day off, I needed it more than you could possibly imagine.

*On a side note alot of the SAO gang will be out west in July looking for trout in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. The rest of the gang will be back in Alaska and the Adirondacks this August, so you can count on alot of great photos and stories when the guys return. One thing is for sure, we will be in prime shape and ready for the steelhead runs returning to our Lake Erie tributaries this fall.

Until next time have a great summer!

Sincerely,

Greg Senyo

Owner/Operator

Steelhead Alley Outfitters

New Colors of Senyo's Ice Dub and New Senyo's Shaggy Dub From HareLine Dubbin Inc. At A Fly Shop Near You!

Senyo's Shaggy Dub is a spandex micro hair material with similar properties to rubber. The major difference is Shaggy Dub is UV resistant and will not break down, crack, deteriorate, rot, and become unusable like straight rubber after being exposed to the elements and sun light.

Shaggy Dub is also cut long so that it can be utilized by tyers for everything from small nymphs to extremely large streamers. The movement of this material brings your flies to life, and the faintest motion or water current creates an "Alive" motion to the fly pattern.

Offered in 12 colors it can be effectively introduced/blended to your favorite dubbings/furs or used straight to build increased motion to your fly patterns. Here are few pictures of Steelhead fly patterns that use Shaggy Dubbing and currently are used for Great Lakes Steelhead, Salmon, and Trout.

Senyo's Olive Shaggy Sculpin

Senyo's Purple Shaggy Sculpin

Lake Erie Shaggit Minnow

Senyo's Shag head leech

Hare Line Dubbin Inc. also released 12 hot new colors of Senyo's Laser Dub. New tying tutorials will be up shortly incorporating these new materials and colors on our steelhead alley fly tying blog. (http://www.steelheadalleyflytying.blogspot.com/) If you like to tie flies you will definitely find these new products and colors useful.

New colors of laser dubbing and hot new colors of Hare Line

rabbit zonker strips are available at a shop near you.

On a fishing note the spring small mouth bite on Lake Erie and its Tributaries have been decent so far. Currently most if not all Tributaries in Ohio are still high and are rising due to rain. Elk Creek and Presque Isle Bay on the Pennsylvania section of the alley have been fishing extremely well and have been your best bet for great small mouth action on the fly. Here are a few pics from fly fishing Mgr. Jim Lampros over at our Orvis Cleveland Store from an outing on Presque Isle Bay.

If you would like to spend the day fishing on Presque Isle; Steve Brugger Captain/guide/owner of the Lake Erie Ultimate Angler is a master of the Lake Erie small mouth game and knows the Bay like very few others. Check out his availability and trip info at http://www.shopultimateangler.com/ the fishing is really heating up!

Orvis Cleveland Fly Fishing Mgr. Jim Lampros breaks in the new Orvis Hydros Rod and Mirage Reel on a few Lake Erie Presque Isle Bay Small Mouth Bass.

Lake Erie Rock Bass were also feeding in force.

A pair of nice smallies to end the day...

Alot of great summer deals going on right now through the Orvis Company and affiliated shops! Here's a funny video sent to me from good friend,fishing pal, and fly guru Shawn Brillon that was shot by the Orvis gang recently...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF0HbB7qSbI

We'll have more for you later!

Greg Senyo

Owner/Operator

Steelhead Alley Outfitters

Red Rock Canyon Browns

As for most of us "Steelhead junkies", the warm months can seem to drag on forever, allowing that tingling sensation in our arms to deaden until we get back out in the fall. In order to keep our minds right, we have to fill that void with some sort of fix. Whether it is pounding early season Smallies or working on our finesse casting on a private trout stream somewhere, we all need something to get us through. During my last business trip to the "potato state," (that's Idaho for all you non-potato people), I was able to get such a fix. I took the weekend off and hopped over the border into eastern Oregon's best kept secret, which will remain anonymous to protect the innocent. It's an amazing tailwater encased by an extraordinary red rock canyon, that just happens to be full of mature brown trout. This trip was even better than the last time I was here, because I was able to spend it with my great friend Don Lane (an Idaho native) and long time friend and co-worker Jeremiah White.

This was Jeremiah's first time to this river and it would prove to be a true learning experience but not without some fantastic rewards. Don is a veteran of this fishery and admits that this is the toughest local water that he fishes. The browns in this river are truly amazing in every respect, from their brilliant markings to the way they fight...and of course we can't forget their sheer size. The average brown trout caught in this river averages 18" to 19", with fish being caught in the 22" to 24" range almost daily. However, catching these "bruisers" does not come without persistance and the ability to match the hatches exactly. These fish primarily feed just below the surface during most hatches, taking your midge or emerger pattern. Although if you are able to make it here during mid to late June you may take advantage of the giant stonefly hatch. These size 4 flies turn these beauties in to absolute beasts. Here are a few of the trophies we were able to land during this trip.

The markings on these fish are nothing shy of amazing.

Varying from "spotted leopards" like this one,

to red spots with iridescent blue cheeks.

SAO Guide, John Bowling was able to get this "toad"

during an incredible mid-day BWO hatch.

Jeremiah lands his first Oregon Brown Trout

at the end of a very long day of learning.

These fish are as wise as they are beautiful and they will certainly test even the most experienced angler at times. But hang in there and rewards will be yours in time. Looking back, I'm certain that you will find the investment of time to be well worth it!

Don draws first blood of the day, he did not

waste any time either. He hooked up on this

hen with his first cast of the morning.

Another shot of this "football" specimen.

Jeremiah with another beautiful leopard spotted Brown!

As mentioned before, this river can truly test your skills. If you are unable to match the hatches perfectly, you will spend the day perfecting your casting motion. These plus size fish are fickle and most often found feeding on the smallest hatches that are coming off at the time. I have learned that it's almost impossible to fish a fly that is too small! Size 20 to 24 midges are the most dominant fly in this arena, which proves that size truly does matter.

After another successful trip I am counting down the days to when I can make it back to this picturesque canyon and feed my need for monster Browns once again!

John Bowling
Fly Fishing Specialist

Steelhead Alley Outfitters

A Few Good Trout, A Couple of Bass, And Yes More Rain!

Well it looks like another week of rain is going to roll through the region, holding true to the trendy wet spring that we really could have used 2 months ago... Even with the wet spring alot of area streams will quickly recede to low water levels and fish able conditions. The Elk has quite a few Small Mouth right now, and this added flow and color will actually help the fishing. Large bright colored fly patterns such as the yellow Swimmy Jimmy stripped through the pools on the end of a sinking tip line can make for some exciting strikes. Large sculpins with rattles tied in are also extremely effective.

SAO/WBA Guides John Miller and Scott McClintock have been doing very well over on the Delaware River. The flows had been extremely low this spring, but as of today the the river got a small release of cold water. It's nice to see NYC place a "one flush policy" on all its big city residents to afford alittle water for the businesses and people along the West Branch who really need it. Hey NYC river master both reservoirs are full? What in the heck are you waiting for? Once again city government and shady politics are threatening a gem of a natural resource... Sound familiar? We live in a nation that has the ability to put people on the moon, but we can't find anyone responsible enough to cap a broken oil line in the gulf or open a spill way on the finest resource in the east...Go Figure? Despite river conditions our friends over at the West Branch Angler(http://www.westbranchresort.com) have been able to do well in the mornings and evenings when river temps were favorable to fishing... Here are a few pics...

Guide Scott McClintock on the Main Stem of the "D".

A sweet looking Delaware River Brown Trout.

Another good brown trout.

Guide John Miller holds a fine Delaware River specimen caught by one of his clients.

Between traveling, seminars, lessons, trips, work, and family I have had very little personal fishing time over the past month. I did have a chance to tie up a few new flies and hit a few of my favorite Large Mouth Bass ponds and lakes between responsibilities. Things are looking great and I will be heading to Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho over the next couple of months.

Galloup's famous Swimmy Jimmy tied with Senyo's Laser Dubbing in a rainbow trout version for Small Mouth Bass, and a Sunfish Version for large mouth bass.

Large Mouth Bass on the sun fish version Swimmy Jimmy.

It was nice to get a few hours away.

Another fat Large Mouth on the Swimmy Jimmy

We'll have more for you later!

Sincerely,

Greg Senyo

Steelhead Alley Outfitters