Subtle to the Opposite of Subtle.

The first rise was so, so very subtle.

Through the pocket water of one of my favorite steelhead runs,  I felt as if the fish had nosed the fly up a bit without committing...like a seal in one of those old cartoons that balanced and spun a ball on it's nose.  It's the only way I can describe that fish and fly interaction.

Hmm, could it be?

3 steps back up and a 2 minute pause.

Skater destruction.  I don't think I've had a more savage, fully committed head to tail rise on a skater than with this fish.   It wanted nothing but death for the fly as it swung across it's zone.  Too bad the fly bit back.

This is just another reason in the myriad of reasons why I love steelhead.

One rise as timid as a church mouse.  The next, it's warfare.

From Fluff To Fly...

Clearly, my mind is on steelhead.  Sitting down at the vice, I realized the almost comical transformation some flies have from their initial stages to the final one that hits the water and hunts for fish.

Stacking deer hair upon deer hair, along with some other items like rubber legs and in this case, mallard flank ends up looking like a fluff pile with a few accents of color.  Not very fishy right?

The real work comes in with the scissors and imagination.  This is my variation of Scott Howell's Ska-Opper and I am sure there's a more precise and correct way to tie it, but it's what my mind has come up with on the vice

Non the less, the fly works and as dam counts are beginning to pop on the Columbia, get on the vice and get ready because we're on the cusp of the best time of the fishing year

Twitch. Slurp. Skop....

There was a time in my steelhead fishing career that I just didn't have the faith

This bug changed it for me

The Ska-Opper turned everything so visual.  Steelhead don't try and eat the bug, utter destruction of the interloper seems to be the only thing on their mind.

Try one....the results can be heartstopping