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Picture Of The Month



SD2OR with a trophy fall walleye

Topic: Fly Fishing for Rockfish  (Read 3215 times)

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Nobaddays

  • Lingcod
  • *****
  • Location: Central Oregon
  • Date Registered: Jul 2014
  • Posts: 409
After being inspired by Surf12foot, I started to take my fly rod when I went out in the ocean.  I mostly used it to try for rockfish, but also anything else that wants to bite.  I had a lot of trial and error for a couple years, but now I have many days that my flies are out performing the gear for rockfish.

I often use an 8wt rod, but also use a 10wt in case I hook into a ling.  I like a fast sink line and my flies are all weighted.  My most successful flies have been a baitfish pattern similar to either a clouser or a zonker.  Blue and white always seems to produce fish.

The last couple times I was out at PC, the bite was a bit slow on gear, but my flies were steady action.

Give it a try sometime.  You might just get as addicted to it as I am.
Being retired, they pay me when I go fishing, therefore I am kind of a professional fisherman.


Drifter2007

  • Salmon
  • ******
  • Location: Lebanon
  • Date Registered: Mar 2017
  • Posts: 748
That is pretty cool indeed!
1991 Desert Storm (USMC)
2004-2005 OIF (US ARMY)
2006-2007 OEF (US ARMY)
2009-2010 OIF II (US Army)
2016 Retired!


Tinker

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Kevin
  • Location: 42.74°N 124.5°W
  • Date Registered: May 2013
  • Posts: 3304
It's about time you started using that fly rod for more than freshwater guppies.  Nice fish!

Kingfisher blue over white Clouser-style flies have always been my go-to for rockfish.  Nice to see they work up there at Pacific City, too.
I expected the worst, but it was worse than I expected...


surf12foot

  • Lingcod
  • *****
  • Location: North Bend Oregon
  • Date Registered: Nov 2011
  • Posts: 480
Way to go James, looks like a fat little piggy!
Scott


Helium Head

  • Lingcod
  • *****
  • Location: Outer NW Portland
  • Date Registered: Mar 2016
  • Posts: 366
After being inspired by you, I now will flyfish for rockfish mostly using flys, the flys you gave me:).  Just so much more fun.  I have had less success at the jetty.
Hobie Revolution 13 olive
Hobie Revolution 13 yellow


Tinker

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Kevin
  • Location: 42.74°N 124.5°W
  • Date Registered: May 2013
  • Posts: 3304
After being inspired by you, I now will flyfish for rockfish mostly using flys, the flys you gave me:).  Just so much more fun.  I have had less success at the jetty.

Less success?  Could you maybe start a thread about it where folks can offer suggestions without filling-up Nobaddays thread?  I'm curious, for sure.
I expected the worst, but it was worse than I expected...


eiboh

  • Herring
  • **
  • Location: Northern California
  • Date Registered: Jul 2019
  • Posts: 22
Is it hard to work a fly rod sitting so close to the water in a kayak when I lived in Santa Cruz had a friend named John that lived down the hill from me on paget avenue and his father was a salmon and steelhead fanatic.
My father and his father were both diving buddies in a club called Cencal. His name popped up when I was investigating Dory fishing out of Pacific City and the father-son team specializes in fly fishing Dory style. I can see where you'd be successful catching fish in the upper water column working a fly. But when you're fishing for lingcod and bottom dwelling fish do you just let the flies sink and jig? :)


Nobaddays

  • Lingcod
  • *****
  • Location: Central Oregon
  • Date Registered: Jul 2014
  • Posts: 409
I can see where you'd be successful catching fish in the upper water column working a fly. But when you're fishing for lingcod and bottom dwelling fish do you just let the flies sink and jig? :)

It takes a little practice to cast from near water level.  The nice thing is it doesn’t require a very long cast for rockfish.  I get most of them in the top 5-15 feet of water.  If I’m fishing deeper water or trying for lingcod, I let it sink near the bottom and do a really slow jig.  My fly line changes color at 40 feet.  After that I make a mark with a felt marker every 10 feet, so I can have a better guess how much line is out.
Being retired, they pay me when I go fishing, therefore I am kind of a professional fisherman.


Tinker

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Kevin
  • Location: 42.74°N 124.5°W
  • Date Registered: May 2013
  • Posts: 3304
Is it hard to work a fly rod sitting so close to the water in a kayak

No, but the differences between fishing with fly gear and conventional gear can be significant depending on how you approach it.  You can jig with a fly/fly rod but (and this applies to me in particular) the fastest sink rate I can achieve with a saltwater 8wt rod, heavy tips, and a heavy fly is theoretically 11-inches per second (theoretical because it doesn't account for currents and changes in water density at the thermocline), so fishing deeper than 60 feet means I sit and wait for a x-seconds - more than a minute - to let the fly sink.

Unlike James, I don't jig the fly.  Retrieving line by stripping it back without using the reel, the fly jumps as I bring line back in.  That's a tantalizing action.  There's a business in Pacific City - Pacific City Fly Fishers - who run a dory guide service.  Their technique is usually to get close to the rock, drop a fly - or make a short cast - then back the dory away while the fly drops and the client releases line to keep the fly near the bottom.  There are almost as many different techniques for groundfish on the fly as there are folks fishing saltwater, and I'll admit that I've only hooked and lost lingcod, whereas Mr. Nobaddays has landed a whopper - and I intend to try jigging the fly the next chance I get.

Down here, we rarely get a topwater bite on rockfish, so most of mine have been hooked at around 30-feet so I cast further because I'm too impatient to sit and wait for 30 seconds per cast.  I give the fly ten or so seconds to sink, then start stripping line back slowly enough.  The fly reaches the target depth well before it gets close to the kayak and it's not hard to keep it near that depth while keeping slack out of the line.

The real differences happen when you hook a fish.  It only took one fish to get me to retire all my other gear.
I expected the worst, but it was worse than I expected...


Helium Head

  • Lingcod
  • *****
  • Location: Outer NW Portland
  • Date Registered: Mar 2016
  • Posts: 366
“Less success?”

I usually troll with my fly.  Just cause it’s easier that casing.  Fish can’t tell.  When trolling (or even casting) along the Barview Jetty, fishing has been less successful because there always seems to be a lot of cabbage floating in or out of the bay.
Hobie Revolution 13 olive
Hobie Revolution 13 yellow


eiboh

  • Herring
  • **
  • Location: Northern California
  • Date Registered: Jul 2019
  • Posts: 22
Any pictures of a fly that you might use when you're targeting near bottom species. I'm sure that Oregon and California waters are very similar as to size of presentation. You've got to get through those schoolies to reach bottom and that being said probably takes a large fly yes?
On a side note I've never heard the term cabbage as a reference to Moss , seagrass etc entering and leaving with the tide I guess it's Oregon slang. Here in California we would probably refer to it as alfalfa sprouts Mr helium head. :)


Nobaddays

  • Lingcod
  • *****
  • Location: Central Oregon
  • Date Registered: Jul 2014
  • Posts: 409
Not sure if you are familiar with Lancer jigs.  I created this fly to be similar to their copper water dog jig.  It has worked well on both lingcod and rockfish.  It is just weighted with the dumbbell eyes.  The fly is about 4-5” long
Being retired, they pay me when I go fishing, therefore I am kind of a professional fisherman.


Tinker

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Kevin
  • Location: 42.74°N 124.5°W
  • Date Registered: May 2013
  • Posts: 3304
It's not hard to get through the schoolies if you use barbless hooks.  If one takes the fly, it can usually quickly shake it out, and your fly gets back to dropping...

3-1/2 to 4-1/2 inch flies work great for rockfish and greenling.  4-1/2 to 6 inches for cabezon.  Six inches and up for lingcod.  1-3/4 - 2-1/2 for flatfish - can't forget about those little devils.

There's a large group of folk who fly-fish the ocean on the NCKA forum.  If you haven't joined that forum, consider doing so.  There are quite a few differences in tactics and techniques between Oregon and Northern California.
I expected the worst, but it was worse than I expected...


Wilyakfish

  • Perch
  • ***
  • Location: Corvallis
  • Date Registered: Jul 2021
  • Posts: 90
I'm wondering if a fast sinking shooting head with a heavy mono running line would get it down quick. Or even a length of lead core with a mono or level shooting line.  Used to use shooting  heads for blue fish back east years ago. You all have me excited about fly-fishing in the ocean again!!!


Wilyakfish

  • Perch
  • ***
  • Location: Corvallis
  • Date Registered: Jul 2021
  • Posts: 90
Ah, just read some stuff from the bug wand forum. I see this has all been hashed out in depth.


 

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