The Fly Shop®

Atlantic Salmon

Atlantic salmon have a following as reverent as steelhead do, and for good reason. These fish are made for swinging. They move very aggressively to flies and will rise right to the surface for floating line presentations. They can also get on an entirely different scale of big with fish over 60 lbs taken on flies. Just like steelhead though, not all salmon rivers produce huge fish. Their native range is the North Atlantic with their surviving strongholds being Eastern Canada, up and around through Iceland and the Russian Kola Peninsula and down into Norway and the UK. The main season throughout the range starts in early spring. The fish keep running right through the summer and into the fall. Just like steelhead fishing, adapt to conditions. High cold water in the spring may require sink tips and larger flies but as soon as the water drops and warms by early summer get ready to skate them up or run wet flies on floating lines. Atlantic salmon can be very aggressive and when hooked will go ballistic. Named Salmo Salar, the leaping salmon, they are notorious jumpers and can have blistering, hot runs...   Learn More

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Steelhead

The speycasters go to choice in the Pacific Northwest (and Pacific Far East). Unbelievably adaptable, we chase these guys virtually every month of the year. From the redwoods of CA to the rain forests of Canada to the tundra of eastern Russia, to the high deserts of Idaho. Frozen rivers in January and near boiling in July, we can find steelhead around the Pacific rim whenever we get the chance to wander. Steelhead are fantastic. Sea run rainbows are super curious to the swung fly and super unique in every drainage. They can avg 3 lbs in one river and thirty miles up the coast avg 15 pounds. Steelhead smoke skated dries in the summer and fall in gin clear water and crush huge intruders on deep sink tips in water with virtually no visibility in the winter. They can hit it like a freight train, or just barely pluck at the fly. They can run as fast as any fish in freshwater and burn up reels, or dog down and play tug-o-war in the current. They are notorious jumpers, but not all the time... Every river, every time of year and every fish has its secrets to unlock making them the ultimate year 'round swing fish of the Pacific...   Learn More

Sea Trout

Unfortunately these have been severely depleted in their native range. They once were very prolific in the North Atlantic, occupying the same rivers and range of the Atlantic salmon. Sea Run Browns were introduced to Argentina in the 30's though and now the island of Tierra Del Fuego is known as the finest Sea Trout fishing on the planet. The Rio Grande river is home to a population of fish numbering over 60,000 returning adults annually and the largest specimens are knocking on the door of forty pounds. They enter the rivers of Argentina in about November and fishing is predictably excellent by January and throughout the South American summer, until mid April. Just like the others adapt to conditions. Sink tips in higher water, and you can actually fish floating lines with great success when conditions are right. Sea trout actually act like they are feeding and get furious for big flies as the light goes away. Big browns can fight hard too. I am always surprised at how much they jump compared to their residents counterparts, must be something in the saltwater. They can also take long hard runs, but are notorious for bulldogging and staying down deep and pulling hard and heavy...   Learn More

 Click HERE to view the Photo Gallery for Sea Trout