Are tube flies legal in British Columbia steelhead"fly only" waters? Never hear much about them in NW area steelhead circles or writings . Is that because they are illegal or becasue they are secretly the hot thing, or becasue nobody uses them generally? or what?
tube flies in British Columbia
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Hmm??!!
Now 'tip - just 'cause YOU can't catch a steelhead with one . . . :devil:
Not like I can cast many stones - my tubes have been as useless as the Mariner's bats so far this summer.
A few of us still use them tho- in BC and south of the border.
You might want to do a search in the Archives - i'm sure there are some informative Tube Fly threads as well as pics of bizarre creations crafted by our innovative Forum regulars.
Dana? Tyler??
Now 'tip - just 'cause YOU can't catch a steelhead with one . . . :devil:
Not like I can cast many stones - my tubes have been as useless as the Mariner's bats so far this summer.
A few of us still use them tho- in BC and south of the border.
You might want to do a search in the Archives - i'm sure there are some informative Tube Fly threads as well as pics of bizarre creations crafted by our innovative Forum regulars.
Dana? Tyler??
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Interesting comments on 'giving up on them.'
Ditto for me the bulk of last season on the Rogue. Zip, nada, etc., using tube flys "down here." No clue why, just zero results.
Waddington Shanks! Another story.
fae
Ditto for me the bulk of last season on the Rogue. Zip, nada, etc., using tube flys "down here." No clue why, just zero results.
Waddington Shanks! Another story.
fae
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203 Posts
I feel better now . . .
that Sinktip's fessed up.
I'll add that when I'm fortunate to hook a steelhead it's much more likely to stay on the hook now that I fish tubeflies exclusively.
There are many advantages. The short, straight-shank light wire hooks are much better at penetrating and holding in a steelhead's jaw. If the hook point is damaged, i just swap it for a new one (as opposed to retiring the fly). Plus you can build larger flies that are much lighter. There are similar advantages using waddington shanks.
When some of the other tube fly afficianatos get back online I'm sure we'll hear even more.
that Sinktip's fessed up.
I'll add that when I'm fortunate to hook a steelhead it's much more likely to stay on the hook now that I fish tubeflies exclusively.There are many advantages. The short, straight-shank light wire hooks are much better at penetrating and holding in a steelhead's jaw. If the hook point is damaged, i just swap it for a new one (as opposed to retiring the fly). Plus you can build larger flies that are much lighter. There are similar advantages using waddington shanks.
When some of the other tube fly afficianatos get back online I'm sure we'll hear even more.
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201 Posts
forget tubes use intruders!
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34 Posts
We have had very good results with tube flies during the cold water months fishing tributaries to the lower Columbia River. Flies in the 2 1/2" range have proved to be very successful when fished on the swing with fast sinking tips. In the past I tied my Marabou Spiders on 2/0 to 4/0 irons and they were productive. However the trama that resulted from these large hooks on wild fish that were to be released was distasteful. Tube flies of the same size, but incorporating size 4 hooks actually seem to hold fish better and result in less damage to the fish. Interestingly it seems as though we catch more fish with lightweight soft plastic tubes than with heavier metal ones. It appears that steelhead will bite down harder and hang on longer on the strike. Every soft plastic tube that has been in a steelhead's mouth that I have examined (many) shows teeth marks even though in many cases it detached itself from the hook after the strike so that the fish couldn't chew on it during the battle.
Here is some more information on local tube flies that you might find of interest: http://www.flyfishusa.com/flies/stl-wet-tube.html
Fish long & prosper,
Mark
Here is some more information on local tube flies that you might find of interest: http://www.flyfishusa.com/flies/stl-wet-tube.html
Fish long & prosper,
Mark
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34 Posts
Sorry to butt in.
No, as stated I am not able to fish the finest steelhead rivers in the world. The fishery in my home river (The Sandy) where I have done most of my tube fly research has been decimated by the onslot of civilization and the banks are often infested by legions of bait fishers. Here the fishing can be tough as hell. It's a great proving ground none the less and I wouldn't trade it for anything. The Deschutes where I spend about 45 steelhead fishing days per year is a great floating line steelhead river when the shade is on the water. I have caught many steelhead with a floating line there, but only a few with tube flies. Those were caught with tube fly wakers.
Fish long & well on your British Columbia Rivers and when you strike silver with your tube fly, recount your deeds so that we may learn from your experience.
Mark
No, as stated I am not able to fish the finest steelhead rivers in the world. The fishery in my home river (The Sandy) where I have done most of my tube fly research has been decimated by the onslot of civilization and the banks are often infested by legions of bait fishers. Here the fishing can be tough as hell. It's a great proving ground none the less and I wouldn't trade it for anything. The Deschutes where I spend about 45 steelhead fishing days per year is a great floating line steelhead river when the shade is on the water. I have caught many steelhead with a floating line there, but only a few with tube flies. Those were caught with tube fly wakers.
Fish long & well on your British Columbia Rivers and when you strike silver with your tube fly, recount your deeds so that we may learn from your experience.
Mark
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