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| Fishing on the Fly |
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| Although it can be a habit-forming sport, fly fishing is worth trying out |
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 | | SCOTT STAATS/CENTRAL OREGONIAN | | A fly fisherman tries the waters of the Metolius River. |
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By Scott Staats
My introduction to fly fishing began at around age 12. Dad got me a beginner's outfit for my birthday and I immediately headed for the creek behind our house in the hopes of catching a rainbow trout.
While trying to cast to a nice trout hole behind a big flat rock, my fly landed on the rock's surface short of its target and was immediately taken up by a frog apparently sunning itself. The innocent bystander (or bysitter, in this case) got the surprise of its life as it found itself on the end of my line.
The frog soon spit the fly. This was also (unknowingly at the time) my first introduction to catch and release. Over the many years to follow, I would release many more fish, intentionally or otherwise. I haven't hooked a frog since.
Most of my fly fishing since those younger years has been done with borrowed gear - from friends or fishing guides. However, I recently got a new fly fishing outfit from Cabela's and have found a new hobby.
Now that I have my new fly-fishing rod, I figure it's time to learn how to tie my own flies. So, I also got a great beginner's fly tying kit from Cabela's and now I have even another hobby - or is it all considered just one hobby?
Besides the Crooked River, there are a few other rivers in the area to fly fish, including the Metolius River, Fall River and the Deschutes River from Lake Billy Chinook upriver to Benham Falls.
One of the most knowledgeable people I know on the subject of fly fishing and fly tying is Jeff Perin, owner of The Fly Fisher's Place in Sisters.
"I've been fly fishing since I was 11 years old," said Perin. "One of the things I like most about fly fishing is that trout live in the most beautiful places in the world."
He recalls his first outing being in June of 1980, the first day his family moved to Central Oregon. "My Dad's cousin came and picked me up at our new house and took me to the upper Deschutes River. As I watched him swinging that fly rod like a real pro and with his hip waders, nice fishing vest and neat fishing hat, I thought this was about the coolest thing I've ever seen. I knew then that this was exactly what I wanted to do with my life."
A week later Perin had his own fly rod, reel and line and began practicing his casts in the backyard. Then it was on to fly tying classes. He even had a little walk-in closet in his bedroom where he set up a fly tying operation and spent hours tying flies, reading fly fishing books and dreaming of someday owning his own fly shop. His dream materialized in November of 1991 when he bought The Fly Fisher's Place in Sisters.
Perin estimates he hits the water around 100 days a year. His favorite places to fish are the Metolius River, Fall River, the middle Deschutes River or some of the high lakes in the summer. He said that snow depths are now keeping many anglers away from Fall River.
Perin teaches many classes at his shop - everything from fly tying to fly fishing. Contact The Fly Fisher's Place at 541-549-3474 or go to www.theflyfishersplace.com.
For beginning fly anglers Perin offers the following suggestions: "Try to learn about the different hatches and life cycles of the aquatic insects at the basic level. Knowing how to recognize stoneflies, mayflies and caddisflies is essential knowledge in determining what fly to use and when. One of the things that really help that process for many people is learning how to tie flies. It helps broaden your knowledge about what fish eat and when."
If Perin had to name the 10 best flies to use in Central Oregon they would be: Parachute Adams, Sparkle Dun, X Caddis, Beadhead Prince Nymph, Beadhead Flashback Pheasant Tail, Copper John, Sparkle Pupa, Stimulator, Woolly Bugger and Hare's Ear.
Perin is a member of the Central Oregon Flyfishers, a group made up of anglers, fly tyers, and conservationists. Go to www.coflyfishers.org to join or get more information about fly fishing.
"I would encourage people who are just starting fly fishing to join the club," he said. |
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