Washington's famed Olympic Peninsula and its many well-known rivers have so much to offer the fly-fisherman; challenging fresh- and saltwater fish, and exciting fly-fishing history, solitude, and world-class scenery. Long-time resident and conservationist Doug Rose is just the person to take on this renowned region, not only is he a thoughtful, observant and skilled fisherman, he's also an interesting and talented writer. Whether you fish this area or are just interested in its storied past, this book makes for an informative and fascinating read.
The most all-encompassing compendium of truly valuable information on steelhead ever written. —Jack Hemingway There are exceptional chapters on the fish itself; the tackle and techniques used to pursue it under diverse circumstances in such great steelhead rivers as the Deschutes, the Dean, the North Umpqua, the Bulkley, the Rogue and the Babine, and memorable profiles of the modern masters and the fly patterns they developed.
Mist on the River chronicles a search for wild steelhead salmon in the remaining wilderness of the Pacific Northwest. As he says in the prologue to his book, Michael Checchio likes his fly-fishing on big western rivers where there are lots of mountains to look at, and where the steelhead don't come out of a hatchery but are born as nature intended, in the cold gravel of a clean stream. He finds all this and more up in British Columbia on his search for some of the last great runs of wild steelhead left on earth. Steelhead, the great sea-run rainbow trout of the Pacific Northwest, have long been sought by fly-fishermen. To Checchio, they have become a powerful symbol for the last of the wild in the Pacific Northwest and are to the Northwest what lions are to the Serengeti. And like their cousins, the salmon, they are among the species of fish most threatened by the modern world. A passionate fly-fisherman, Checchio discovered steelhead when he moved to the West Coast a little more than a decade ago. Fishing for ever diminishing returns of these magnificent fish in the rivers of northern California and Oregon, he dreamed of faraway waters in Alaska and Kamchatka, where he might find the last strongholds of wild steelhead remaining on the planet. Finally, he was able to take a dream vacation north to experience for the first time the steelhead Valhalla awaiting the fly-fisherman in British Columbia. Michael Checchio has been praised by the fishing community as a passionate writer on the plight of the great outdoors and the steelhead trout. But this book is not written just for the fly-fishing fraternity, but rather to the general reader who has a love of nature and the outdoors, and a deep interest in the fate of wildlife and the future of the environment. Checchio's personal steelhead journey leads him on a quest toward rivers and landscapes ever more pristine and wild, providing illuminating sights and thoughts along the way.
Whether you're casting from the bank or fishing from a boat,"Washington River Maps & Fishing Guide" tells you where to be and when to be there. Learn the secrets of Washington's best rivers, including the “insider” information you need to experience the very best fishing Washington has to offer. We've even included phone and email information for the essential services and accommodations specific to the needs of fishermen.
Steelhead flies represent the highest echelon of artistic fly-dressing. They enjoy a rich tradition as both a functionally designed lure for tempting the much-revered steelhead, but also as a creative expression of the aesthetic appeal of fly angling. John Shewey, author of the acclaimed Spey Flies & Dee Flies, has produced another well-written and researched book, rich in technique, method and innovation. Through concise text and hundreds of sharp, color photographs--including step-by-step and artistic individual fly plates--Shewey covers: materials for steelhead flies; basic tying techniques; hairwing and featherwing flies; Spey and Dee styles; Practitioners, shrimp and prawn patterns; dry flies and much more. This book is a must-have for all steelhead fly-fishermen.
"John's book faithfully documents the realities of fly-fishing for steelhead, the good days, the bad days, the joys of small personal victories, the sadness of failures, the irritation of rivers in spate, and the joys of being in the places where steelhead fly-fishing takes you. "If you are addicted to steelhead fly-fishing, as am I, then, when you read this book you will feel much like a skid row derelict warming up to the whispered lies of cheap wine or an alcoholic turned loose in a distillery. Such is the charm of this book. "In short this is a book that can be picked-up and put-down at will. However, if you are like me you will have difficulty putting it down."__Alec Jackson
Each year nearly 1,000,000 steelhead are hooked in North America and the great majority of these fish are hooked using drift fishing techniques. This lavishly illustrated, all-color guide is the bible if you want to get in on the action. Written by one of America's greatest drift fishermen, you will learn the techniques that can guarantee your entry into the 10% of the anglers who hook 90% of the steelhead. This is a heavy-duty graduate course!
