Boat Building Plans And Kits | Why I fish Hatch Fly Reels

Boat Building Plans And Kits

Hatch Finatic 9+

There are few investments made by steelhead anglers more critical to their success than a good reel. A good reel can make or break your trip and will definitely increase your hook-up to landed ratio.

I read a review or “shoot out” the other day that had 19 criteria points for what a good reel is. Overall a good review, too good if you ask me. I don’t need a dissertation on the merits of a good fishing reel, I just need to know one thing, does it work? Can I stop a big fish with it? Will it hold up under every day use year over year? I’m willing to pay for quality but I expect a little bling to go with it, ie, it’s got to be pretty. I’ve fished a lot of reels over the years and my favorite are made in the USA by Hatch Outdoors.

My first Hatch Fly Reel

I ran into my first Hatch at a fly fishing show, it was love at first sight. As a young angler I couldn’t get past price but I had a different set of priorities as a twenty five year old. Fast forward another five years and I finally get my first Hatch, it’s a 9+ Pulse. This is still my go to reel and easily the most used of the many I have in service.

Today I’m 44 years old and a full time fishing guide. I make it a policy to only provide the best equipment for my clients and you will find Hatch Reels available in my boat every day. Before the guys at Hatch were “Hatch”, they wanted to build a better reel based on drag, durability and design. They nailed it.

Finatic

Let’s start with the drag, after all this is a reel we’re talking about. I could go on and on about the sealed drag, the stacked discs, resistant to heat issues, pound for pound fish stopping power, or the low start up inertia. I don’t care about the technical stuff although it does sound awesome, it’s just words. For me a drag’s about smooth reliable resistance. I recently fought a seal lice infested Spring Chinook in 200,000 cfs of Columbia river, and believe me my old Hatch Pulse put the wood to him! Lots of reels claim smooth fish stopping power and out of the box maybe they’re telling the truth. Over time things wear out, need maintenance, fail. The big fails for me are surging, free spooling/loss of drag, and total lock up.



That leads us to durability. Hatch reels require no maintenance, that’s right, NO MAINTENANCE! I’m not going to lie to you, after fishing reels every single day over a number of years and tough conditions even all reels may need a little warranty work. My favorite thing about Hatch reels is that I have never had one fail. I have sent reels back because they were no longer working as well as I expect them to. The good news is I can send them in for repair at my leisure because they still function.

Oregon Steel

Let’s talk about customer service. For the record, I’ve sent lots of reels back to their respective manufacturers over the years. The service I’ve received has been a deal breaker for several otherwise decent reels. Sending your high dollar stuff back to the manufacturer is never a good time. What I don’t want to hear is something along the lines of “never seen that happen before”, or “we’re pretty backed up right now but we’ll do the best we can”. Here’s what you get from Hatch, “send it in, we’ll fix it and overnight it back to you”. Yeah, that’s it…I’m good with that. No excuses just fix it and be quick about it.

Design. Like I said, I’m not a real technical guy but I have pretty high standards. The current version of the Hatch reel is the Finatic, prior to that it was the Monsoon, and before that the Pulse. It’s the same reel inside but it’s gotten lighter and prettier. The spools and reels are all interchangeable and there are two spool options, large and mid. As a Spey guy I will note one thing that’s pretty relevant regarding design and Hatch; Hatch reels are consistently heavier than most of their competition. While on the surface this may sound like a disadvantage, it’s not. Fishing a Spey Rod requires a heavy reel, it acts like a counterweight in both casting and holding the rod it the swing position. The other silent advantage is the precise machining of the Hatch reels. Thin diameter running lines are en vogue and for good reason and aside from a fully caged reel none of the competition can keep the running line inside the reel; that’s a problem.

For me it’s easy to be Hatch guy. Without lots of words, form, fit and function or as the Hatch guys say “drag, durability and design”. Nailed it!

Sam Sickles | Steelhead Outfitters
www.steelheadoutfitters.com
541.400.0855

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Wooden Boat Plans And Kits | Columbia Gorge Fishing Reports June 8th

Wooden Boat Plans And Kits

June 6, 2015

Fish Boy Gabe has Mastered Carp Angling

Most of the streams in both Oregonand Washingtonare open now for general season trout fishing, so exploring the high mountain streams is an option.  The opportunities for fishing are vast in the gorge right now.  From Shad to Carp to Bass, the Columbiais fishing great.  Local tributaries have kicked out a few early steelhead, and there is still a chance for catching a Chinook Salmon or two, but make sure to check the regulations before you head out the door.

WASHINGTON:

http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/01590/wdfw01590.pdf

OREGON: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/docs/2015/2015%20Oregon%20Sport%20Fishing%20Regs_r12-11-14.pdf

John and I did an opening day float on the Klickitat on Monday.  I managed to get one fish to eat early in the day and I lost him at my feet after a quick battle.  It was the first opening day fish I have hooked in the Klick in three or four years now. 

There are thousands of hungry steelhead smolt in the river right now and keeping them off the line is difficult.  There are certain flies and colors that they like and dislike more than others, but its pretty tough to deal with them if you are in the thick of a smolt school.  There was a run where I just had to sit down and wait for John to stop because the smolt were hitting my fly on every cast from the second it hit the water to the second I recast it. 

American Shad are running thick on the Columbia River right now.  The majority of the action happens below Bonneville Dam, near Beacon Rock, near Cascade Locks and upstream near Rufus.  If you can find them you can catch them.  They are hard fighting fish that readily take flies and are tons of fun on a 5 or 6wt fly rod.

Fishboy Gabe has been catching carp on the fly with some consistency lately.  They are in shallow on the Columbiaand the impoundments near the highway 84 and feeding late into the evening.  Carp often stop tailing in the shallows in the mid afternoon, making evening fishing hard, but they have been feeding heavily lately all day from sunrise to sunset.

Rainbow Trout on the Deschutes Riverare still a great option for anglers.  The fishing has not been red hot, but there have been some great days and some bad days out there.  Small dark caddis have been hatching later in the day, while nymphing with a #20 flashback pheasant tail has been the most consistent during the day.  If you get out super early, a spent caddis will work before the sun comes up.  Swinging a soft hackle on a micro spey has been good and streamer fishing has been good in the mornings. 

Remember that there is NO FISHING FROM A BOAT ON THE DESCHUTES and also, fishing on the Warm Springs Reservation is highly regulated, so check the regulations before you start fishing on the wrong side… Some sections require a permit and others are prohibited all together. 

Spring Chinook have really shut down in a lot of places.  The Klickitat River has been a bright spot in the area for Chinook.  Anglers have been able to catch a fish or two a day with plugs or drifting bait through the deep holes.  The river below Bonneville Dam has been opened the past few days and rumors of the big “June Hogs” have been circulating though the area. 

The Cowlitz Riverhas been kicking out some summer steelhead already, and is probably the most consistent producer of fish in the Northwest for steelhead through the summer. 

The Klickitat River opened for summer steelhead and Chinook salmon on Monday, June 1.  The action has been good for June.  Typically, the water is high and dirty this time of year and it makes steelhead fishing tough.  With low water conditions, it feels more like fall out there.  There are steelhead in the river, but we are a few months away from consistent fishing. 

Smallmouth Bass have been hitting topwater late in the day on the Columbia River and John Day River. Look for structure near deeper water, but the fish may be in shallow late and early in the day.  There are big fish around, it just takes some searching.

Rainbow, Cutthroat, Brown and Brook Trout have been eating flying ants in the high elevation lakes.  They tend to gorge on them later in the day when the bugs start flying heavily.  Damselfly nymphs and callibaetis are also working well, along with smaller chironomids.  Timothy, Clear, Trillium, Laurence and Lost Lakes are all great OregonLakes, while Merrill and Goose Lakes are great choices for Washington anglers.

As always, we are happy to talk fishing any time.  Give us a call if you have any specific questions on local rivers, gear, and tactics, or if you just want some encouragement to get out of the office.  

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Kayak Boat Plans | Weekly Fishing Report December 8th

Kayak Boat Plans

Check out the Gorge Fly Shops Weekly Fishing Reports Page for local and surrounding lakes and rivers including the Deschutes, Klickitat the Hood, Lost Lake and surrounding bodies of water.

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Boat Plans Butler | Redington Form Game time in muscle memory

Boat Plans Butler

Redington Form: Game Rod - Game time

Im still very new to fly fishing and love getting on the water every chance I get, but it seems lately its been very difficult to get fly time. At times Ive dreamt where I could be camping, or in elk camp plinking beer cans off stumps with this very rod. Places where I was unable to get to water. The ideas (lets call them games) are almost endless. So recently I pulled the trigger and acquired my first Redington Form "Game Rod". I didnt want this rod in place of, but more to fill a void. For example, during a most recent exciting (que sarcasm) family Thanksgiving I found myself outside with my oldest and a brand new Wave Blue form game rod. Before my first cast my son asked what I was doing. I sarcastically replied daddys working (but showed him the rod anyways). Ok. Step back. I started feeding line getting into the motion of things, thats right I thought... there it is... muscle memory beginning to kick in, less wrist, more line. With the cool fresh air and the fallen leaves in the grass mimicking drag in water (sort of) with a yarn fly I was smiling. I began to enjoy this short two piece rod with no reel. I began picking targets in the yard. Kicking a soccer ball further and further out to the ends of my reach. I was getting into the groove, no. I was in the groove. All I needed was a cold beer...

10 Month first cast, kidding

Pause: Game Two! Set up the beer cans. 
As cans began to line up things got serious. These where no longer cheap beer cans laid out amongst the grass they where targets, fallen soldiers in the Thanksgiving wake. A trout here, big fat bass over there. Had to put my half empty can down, its go time! Hunched down, cast after cast, a hit, miss, miss, hit!!! "Mike!" - Shoot, time to head in.

Game Three - Live Bait!
Needless to say I revisited this game a few more times throughout the rest of my day. Later as my 4 year old got anxious and wanted to play I decided to change things up. As he swung on the swing set I began swinging the hookless fly at his feet, he began to laugh, I laughed. Hey this is fun and safe I thought. We continued, laughing and moving around the swing set and once we where done we began to run around the yard. I must have been chasing a Permit. Elusive bugger he was, casting the rod at his backside 20-30ft at a time, all the while running circles and weaving in and around trees, laughing and smiling. Something I havent done in quite a while, at least so much! When 30ft was no longer enough I was forced to feed more line, 30-40ft... Oops, too much, reel back in. These games and others continued throughout the day.


I sometimes ask my wife and kids what they are thankful for or what their favorite part of their day was. On this day, I was thankful for happy kids and my new game rod because this was the most memorable (favorite) part of my Thanksgiving Holiday (yes, even more than the Thanksgiving dinner).   



Article by: Mike Prine - The Newbie
Gorge Fly Shop - Webmaster

Redington Game Rods: When in stock, available in wave blue or lava red.

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