Darrel DeLeon

The Next Big Thing

The next big thing in the fly fishing world? Really? Seems like most of the advances are relatively small; new products are okay but nothing really rocks the boat.  However… I just may have found the game changer in the trout world.

I had my first taste of “swinging” flies to wild steelhead in Alaska just last year.  I was nothing short of astonished and amazed by the relative ease and productivity of Spey casting a 13-foot rod and throwing line 80 feet across the river.  Instantly fascinated, I was determined to increase my skill at this increasingly popular discipline.  So with some advanced planning, my Texas-based fishing partner made a swing up through Montana last week.  After two days of epic trout fishing on the Missouri River, we took off for the Sandy River Spey Clave (SRSC) at Oxbow Park near Sandy Oregon. I knew I’d be completely out of my element, but was intrigued and excited to try my hand at this technique, under the expert tutelage of many Spey casting maestros.  Living up to its reputation, the SRSC was crawling with the best in the business.  Humble and friendly, every one of these professionals were eager to impart their wisdom upon anyone willing to ask for help. Bruce Berry, Steve and Tim Rajeff, Simon Gawsworth, Klaus Frimor, Jerry French, Mia and Marty Sheppard, Mike McCune and the extremely funny George Cook were just a few of those on hand at the SRSC.

Beulah representative Bruce Berry was on hand for personalized casting lessons and wowed with three fly tying demonstrations.  There are no reps more impressive than Bruce—he is a masterful tactician.  I watched as time and again, anglers approached him with seemingly unsolvable technical questions or issues.   He’d diagnose the problem in a millisecond, then follow it up with a fitting solution.  I also caught Mike McCune’s presentation on “Trout Spey” rods.  Mike has fished this new style of rods extensively on numerous western rivers including the Missouri River, my home water.  Using 11ft 2 or 3wt rods to delicately present a dry fly down steam is an excellent way to fish spooky trout. Using the same rod, but this time swinging soft hackle flies on a tight line is a sure fire way to get lots of tugs! “Tug is the Drug” as streamer junkies always say! Can’t wait to open my mailbox and see my new trout spey rod waiting there for me…

If you missed the SRSC this year, don’t worry, they have been going strong for 15 years. Its is a totally free event and even most of the meals are donated.  But you must get with it early because the casting classes fill up rapidly.  Get it on your calendar for next year, its well worth your time!

Making Due…

The rain…oh my gosh, the rain…did I mention the rain?  In a mere 24 hours over 2 inches of the “R” stuff bled from the skies and it was not done yet.  Thirty-six hours after I’d enjoyed an epic fishing adventure in gin-clear water at a manageable 1,170cfs, the river now resembled chocolate milk raging at 14,700cfs.  This, however, is a common occurrence in the spring on freestone rivers.

Three days earlier… Rugby, my 100lb yellow lab and I, jumped in the Tundra and headed 5 hours west in pursuit of Idaho’s wild, native West Slope Cutthroat Trout.  I learned from friends that Pat and Mike, owners of Northwest Outfitters in Coeur d’ Alene (CDA) are friendly, knowledgeable and “fishy” dudes.  Once there, I quickly briefed them on my intent and they directed me to the CDA River 30 minutes east of CDA. We also planned a trip to the St Joe for the following week.

An hour later I was reeling in my first CDA River West Slope cutthroat as Rugby swam circles around me, as eager as I was to see this beautiful specimen.  In Idaho, West Slope trout are in a protected class and are catch and release only.  These wild, naturally reproducing fish must be returned to the water immediately. The fish were incredibly beautiful, had broad shoulders and put up a great fight. (Mike and Pat lived up to their reputation)

The morning after the rains stopped, Pat called to cancel our adventure on the St Joe, as it was raging 10,000cfs beyond what is safe to float and fish.  Not wanting to waste a trip, I had to think outside the box.  A couple of days later, a 24-hour reprieve from the rain allowed us to go fishing. Pat took me out to a lake that had once been hayfields.  Now called Haydon Lake, it is surrounded by houses and hosts a variety of species.  I was not looking forward to rowing my drift boat a mile into the wind to drift back to the dock.  Pat surprised me by pulling out a small electric motor and we zipped out across the lake.  Maybe zipped is a bit of an exaggeration, but compared to my rowing speed we moved quickly.

Moments later I felt a small tug on my new Beulah 5wt, and I found myself face-to-face with an 11-inch Crappie. The next cast yielded a large mouth bass. After 30 or so of the small, warm water species we worked the banks in hopes of enticing a large pike out of the weeds, but they were not cooperating. Without fear of snagging the bank behind me I got the chance to really stretch the Guide Series II Rod.  Seventy foot casts were a breeze, making this a great rod for the long and short game. All in all, it was a great day of Idaho fishing and I added a few more species to my list of fish I’ve caught on a fly rod.  I’m only about 300 fish species behind the great Jeff Currier…

I was so impressed with Beulah’s new rods I swapped out all of my client rods with the new 2015 Guide Series II line-up.  As a guide, it is vital to have an arsenal of rods that perform under every condition Mother Nature will throw at you, including those miserable +40 mph winds that make you question your profession. They must be able to handle the surprise 8-pound brown lurking in a deep run and quickly transition to 17-inch rainbows slurping midges in dead calm slack water around the next bend. These rods shoot line like a laser, and at the last millisecond, lay down a feather soft presentation.

This past January, I was fortunate enough to spend 3 days at the annual Fly-Fishing Show in Denver, CO. If you have not attended, it’s an enormous gathering of the fly-fishing industry’s top professionals, business owners, a handful of celebrities and thousands of fly-fishing enthusiasts.  It’s a fabulous opportunity for all to demo new gear, catch a seminar from the best in the business and socialize with those fortunate enough to make a living in this industry.

I am a bit of a gear junkie and always eager to thoroughly test the next best product. Like other industries, the fly-fishing landscape is dominated by a few large companies and dotted by dozens of smaller ones trying to make their mark.  While the top companies may never be dethroned, the smaller ones do force the industry leaders to keep pace with the rapid changes and demands to maintain their place on the podium.

Beulah Fly Rod Company is tucked away in small, but beautiful Medford, Oregon.  The Rogue River wanders just a stone throw away from this southwestern Oregon town, making it the perfect fly rod testing ground. This gem of a company is shaking up the industry with a full series of rods that consistently outperform those commanding twice the price. Owner James Shaughnessy himself manned his company’s booth at the Denver show, accompanied by 15-foot rod division distance caster world record holder Travis Johnson and professional product representative Bruce Berry.

One thing the fishing enthusiast may inadvertently overlook is turn-around time and customer service when something inevitably breaks.  Beulah has a stockpile of replacement rods and parts and will typically have your repair or replacement headed back to you within just a few days.  As a guide, this is something that cannot be overlooked.  There are companies in the industry that can take “months” to repair your rod.  In my line of work, that is simply intolerable.  I know I can rely on the folks at Beulah Fly Rods to keep my clients’ lines in the water.  So, fresh off the production bench, I strung up my new rods and took them on a 4000-mile journey across three states, five rivers and even a still water.  Stay tuned…