kings
I fish only for kings fresh in from the salt [first 0-6miles from salt] .So,some of this may not apply if they have been holding for a while and the lice are off and they are dark.I too fished the Elwa back when you could as mention in another post way back in this thread.Experience was very different.Swung fly in faster than average steelhead type of run.Used a 10ft sink tip,i.e.100 gr type 6.mostly used a cerise colored intruder that Ed Ward gave me for an example to use to figure out how to tie them.Went there on a number of july aug evenings and almost always hooked at least one 15 to 35 # king .so it was not a one time fluke.Since then have fished lower Dean many times below the canyon and have fished the kenektok for Kings.Result are:For a dark fly I use purple .Presently use an intruder string leech patern with chartreuse body.I put in flasabou mirage on all my flies close to the salt.When I am fishing the Dean that is mixed steelhead and king ,purple is great for both.When I am a time when it is mostly kings I want a bright change ,I always go with chartreuse, flasabou,kingfisher blue combo.Lately that has a been an intruder string leech patern.Sink tip is 10 ft type 8 to 15 ft of T 14. Always swung.black and blue is very good and I have caught a ton of steelhead with it also,especially on dark, raining, low pressure days!!!I just have not had any of those days in the last 3 yrs!When kings have been in the river for a while ,they will end up holding in deeper slower spots .Those spots are just of little interest to me and the fish are not aggressive and fresh and they alos dont interest me then.Would rather go take pictures of birds or flowers or whatever!Hope this is of some help.Beau
I fish only for kings fresh in from the salt [first 0-6miles from salt] .So,some of this may not apply if they have been holding for a while and the lice are off and they are dark.I too fished the Elwa back when you could as mention in another post way back in this thread.Experience was very different.Swung fly in faster than average steelhead type of run.Used a 10ft sink tip,i.e.100 gr type 6.mostly used a cerise colored intruder that Ed Ward gave me for an example to use to figure out how to tie them.Went there on a number of july aug evenings and almost always hooked at least one 15 to 35 # king .so it was not a one time fluke.Since then have fished lower Dean many times below the canyon and have fished the kenektok for Kings.Result are:For a dark fly I use purple .Presently use an intruder string leech patern with chartreuse body.I put in flasabou mirage on all my flies close to the salt.When I am fishing the Dean that is mixed steelhead and king ,purple is great for both.When I am a time when it is mostly kings I want a bright change ,I always go with chartreuse, flasabou,kingfisher blue combo.Lately that has a been an intruder string leech patern.Sink tip is 10 ft type 8 to 15 ft of T 14. Always swung.black and blue is very good and I have caught a ton of steelhead with it also,especially on dark, raining, low pressure days!!!I just have not had any of those days in the last 3 yrs!When kings have been in the river for a while ,they will end up holding in deeper slower spots .Those spots are just of little interest to me and the fish are not aggressive and fresh and they alos dont interest me then.Would rather go take pictures of birds or flowers or whatever!Hope this is of some help.Beau
