Fly fishing on the Santiam

L
lilsalmon
Sooooo, Bigsteel and I spent the day on the Santiam with Dave Carpenter of Oregon Outdoor Excursions. This was my birthday present from Bigsteel...what an awesome guy...Thanks again Dave.

We met at Mehama and floated to Stayton Bridge. Right at the bridge in Lyons a guy (can't remember his name) in a boat anchored at the launch caught a VERY NICE nook. That got us really pumped although we were pretty much targeting trout.

We started out with the first many minutes of the float with no bites and no luck....We anchored on a little island and fished the water behind and Wham...lilsalmon got the first fish....My biggest trout on a fly at 17"....Yeehaw....it was a beaut!!!!!! and fought in and out of the water.... After playing with a few bites we got back in the boat and headed out again....I had "hot hands" kept bringing in the trout on a fly that Dave, the guide, made and hasn't named yet...it was a caddis emerger. Dave had a lot of bites but had a little trouble setting the hook...(a little about that later or he can tell you about that one :))

We stopped for lunch of awesome steak, mac salad and yummy cheesecake. While lunch was being prepared Dave and I wandered a little channel by a huge log jam. I had no luck but enjoyed the beauty and found a $7 lure (which later found its way stuck in my arm)...Dave got 4 in a nice little pool there...yay!!!!

So after lunch we head out again and because I had the "hot hands" I got the big weapon as we were in steelhead waters.....it had a fly on that Dave, the guide, had made that I had never seen before....we zigzagged the water and I felt a bump bump but messed that one up...grrrrr.

I had on a goddard fly (not sure of the name...I am a year older and the memory didn't get any better...hehe) and started slaying them with that. Dave put on the goddard and wham....he got the hot hands while I played with the steel.

All in all by the end of the day we caught well over 20 fish between us....sweet...

Going over the dam was exciting although I missed most of it as I was OFF exploring trees and bushes.....hehe.

The day was perfect.

The above sequence of events may not be in actual order and I hope Bigsteel gets on here and corrects and adds anything I have forgotten.

Dave Carpenter was an excellent guide. He said my trout put me in the top 5 as far as size of trout from his boat....:dance:

pics arent in order of course, I still havent figured that part out.
 
B
bigsteel
thats was an awesome trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Goddard Caddis was the killer fly for the day.....it was great to see that stretch of river as i have never seen it due to not having a boat........sittin at one pool i had around 9 strikes with no takers and i thought wth,,,,,so i reeled in to check the fly and YEA THE HOOK BROKE OFF so i miised all those trout due to no hook:lol::lol: it was great watchin them rise though....its nice to see the healthy trout population in the north santiam,,,we caught several nice cutthroats and a bunch of rainbows. Finally got to try the new chesp pack i won at the OFF event and i love it...
 
L
lilsalmon
hah!!! your a good man....you fessed up to the no hook problem....hehehe...we had a lot of laughs over that one for the rest of the day.
 
J
JeannaJigs
Sounds like an awesome day and an awesome birthday present! The first time I did a float in my boat I was in AWE over how much good water there is that you can't ever fish until you float it in a boat, it really makes for a ton of great fishing oppurtunities! I can't wait to get back on the water this weekend after seeing your pictures! :)
 
B
bigsteel
looks like ill be bringin the pontoon down that stretch after i get use to rowing and manuevering.........there was so much good water its hard to pass it up.....we should do a santiam flotilla
 
J
JeannaJigs
You will LOVE floating it in your pontoon. It's really quite simple...just...don't hook into a fish accidently while you're floating down the river in a pontoon...with nowhere to row to shore...the fish will win, and you might cry. Or well...maybe that crap just happens to me lol.

Rose...do you have a pontoon? I have an 8 footer that I don't really want to sell, 'cause I'm nostalgic lol, and it was my baby forever...but, it's not getting used for now, so if you want to use it, I'd be glad to lend it to ya.
 
S
SantiamDrifter
That drift has produced a lot of big trout over the years. They seem bigger in the section then anywhere else on the river, except the very top.
 
L
lilsalmon
JeannaJigs said:
You will LOVE floating it in your pontoon. It's really quite simple...just...don't hook into a fish accidently while you're floating down the river in a pontoon...with nowhere to row to shore...the fish will win, and you might cry. Or well...maybe that crap just happens to me lol.

Rose...do you have a pontoon? I have an 8 footer that I don't really want to sell, 'cause I'm nostalgic lol, and it was my baby forever...but, it's not getting used for now, so if you want to use it, I'd be glad to lend it to ya.

Are you serious? That would be awesome!!!!! Let me know......Sweeeeet!!!!!
 
L
lilsalmon
Got so excited with Jeanna's post I didn't finish mine....:redface:

I seen water on the float that was awesome and that is, due to the fact it is mostly privately owned, almost impossible to get to without a boat. I am determined to get to a certain place where I got the 17 incher tho....hehe...I gotta plan.
 
J
JeannaJigs
lilsalmon said:
Are you serious? That would be awesome!!!!! Let me know......Sweeeeet!!!!!

Yup I be for serious lol. I have no qualms letting people use my gear if I think they're gonna respect it. I mean, I loaned out my BABY (i.e. Driftboat) to Mike(123), while I've been crippled up, mostly 'cause I wanted it out of my sight before I took it out and hurt myself lol, but because eh if i'm not using it, someone should...so the same applies to my pontoon, and I figure you would appreciate the oppurtunity :) I will say, it's got a slow leak in one of the pontoons, I haven't had a chance to repair it...it's super slow though, and I just carried the pump and inflated it a bit periodically and it's been fine. It's got a standing platform that you can use if you want with a scotty rod holder, and a basket thinger on the back for cargo.

l_d7010f07aa744004bc3359076edf13b5.jpg
 
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L
lilsalmon
Thats a sweet looking ride...can I borrow the one in the background too? :D

I, too, have a slow leak but have been dealing with it fine so it would not bother me at all. Maybe in return for use I could get it repaired?

I think we just hijacked the thread....oh well, it is mine anyway...
 
troutdude
troutdude
lilsalmon said:
Thats a sweet looking ride...can I borrow the one in the background too? :D

Ya beat me to the punch LiL...I'd like to take that sweet looking Nova for a spin too!!! LOL
 
J
JeannaJigs
Lol good luck...I'm not allowed to touch the Nova, somedays I think I'm not even allowed to look at it. Which considering my recent driving record is totally understandable...but...it's a sweet ride for sure.
 
L
lilsalmon
JeannaJigs said:
Lol good luck...I'm not allowed to touch the Nova, somedays I think I'm not even allowed to look at it. Which considering my recent driving record is totally understandable...but...it's a sweet ride for sure.

It is very sweet.....

Hey how did Dave get in a pic with my fish?...ahhhh the marvels of technology? its a good pic, wish I had that.
 
T
Thuggin4Life
Sounds like you guys had a blast. Nice fish.
 
L
lilsalmon
It was great...there is some awesome water on the Santiam and its beautiful too..
 
E
eggs
looks like a blast! way to put the hurt on!!

how would the driftboat do down that section of n.santiam?
 
B
bigsteel
eggs said:
looks like a blast! way to put the hurt on!!

how would the driftboat do down that section of n.santiam?

it would go down fine theres 2 places where u might need to get out and push it a little but thats it......its a great stretch,,,,,theres also the dam yo uhave to push your boat over but its easy...
 
O
OnTheFly
I think the fish are becoming more afraid of you two than they are of the Ospreys! lol.
 
L
lilsalmon
Oh wow...I forgot to put that in the thread....I am bad on distances but as I was standing in the river an osprey come down not very far from us....I got the camera out as he was circling and got ready to shoot a pic...damn if my setting on my camera got buggered up and I got just a white screen....He grabbed his fish and flew up and around us about 5 times with this fish hanging....like he was saying nanner nanner.....it was awesome...
 

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