Guide Life

Trip Report: Oregon Steelhead Winter/Spring

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 18:41:00 GMT

We've received a new Post from our favorite guide Jeff Hickman, don't forget to check out his site for more great fishing and guide related info:

www.fishtheswing.com

I have been on the river a ton this year. Guiding trips during the week days and I have even been able to get a few trips in to new rivers and sneak in some fishing days for myself. It has been a really good year for putting in lots of time on the water.

This Winter season has been the season of all or nothing as far as the water levels. The season started early with a pile of winter steelhead filling up many of the west side rivers after a big Thanksgiving rain that swelled the rivers. After that, low water was the name of the game for a while. Until another big blast in January that flooded many local rivers. That was again followed by many weeks of low water after. This trend can make for tough fishing, unless you are there in the narrow windows when the rivers drop to those prime levels. But despite the challenging water conditions fishing remained pretty consistent. I think this is because it has been a large winter steelhead run this year which turns out is the most important variable in successful fishing.

As we came into spring we have had a record amount of rainfall in March and the mountains now have large snow packs ensuring another good runoff spring and summer. This has been my best winter steelhead season on our local rivers and I think there is still another few weeks left of it. Also, I have already seen a handful of early summer run steelhead starting to show up which makes me hopeful for a good return. With the arrival of summer fish, Spring Chinook should follow right behind. I will keep you posted on encounters as these big ocean beasts arrive into the rivers.

-Jeff
Fish The Swing

Trip Report; Fall and Winter Steelhead fishing on the Deschutes..

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:13:00 GMT

Strange weather lately? That’s sure what we had here in the Pacific Northwest this Fall and WInter. Most years, I am wrapping up Summer-run steelhead fishing on the lower Deschutes by early November. Normally, this time of year, the fish are still fresh and all, but water temps tend to get too cold. And, typically by November we are pounded by some really wet storms that bring the river up to un-fishable levels, forcing me to close up shop and wait for Winter steelhead rivers on the west side to come to life.

This past fall nothing of the sort happened. We had continued moderate temps and no big rain events to speak of. This kept the Deschutes flowing with perfect water temps, at average summer levels, all the way through December. The fish seemed to be enjoying the extended season, grabbing flies with authority when given the chance. Floating lines and even dry flies continued to bring fish up to the surface well past the time when it would normally would be considered sink-tip only fishing.

Best part of all, crowds were non-existent and wildlife was abundant. I love fishing a river full of bright fish with nobody around…nothing beats it! Rested steelhead means grabby steelhead, and this past November and December that is what they were on the lower Deschutes.

This time of the year the days are very short and light in the canyon is low, I like to be on the water this time of the year from sun up to sun down. With the low sun angle and the steep canyon walls, you can be fishing in the shade the majority of the day. These conditions call for a very lightly tinted sunglass lens like Sightfisher. This lens is the best low light conditions!

Looking forward to some fun fishing adventures in the coming months. Stay tuned for more trip reports.

Until then....

Jeff

Guide Life Bios: Jeff Hickman

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:05:00 GMT

Regarded as one of the finest on-the-water guides in the Northwest, Jeff Hickman has packed a lot of water time into his first 30 years.

Raised in the Cascades east of Portland, Oregon, Jeff began probing the Mt. Hood wilderness for trout, salmon and steelhead at a very young age. Lessons learned on the Sandy and Salmon rivers translated to a freakishly good understanding of the habits of anadromous fish.

Arriving in Alaska fresh out of high school, Jeff spent 6 years guiding at the renowned Alaska West tent camp. There he built a strong reputation for himself which led to a stint in the Bahamas with the same company, running Andros South bonefish lodge.

Currently operating his own guide service, Jeff devotes over 240 days per year to actively guiding the waters of the Pacific Northwest in search of Salmon and Steelhead.

What about the remaining 125 days of the year? How about casting lines on Alaska’s Kanektok and Arolik Rivers, British Columbia’s Dean River, offshore fishing Mexico’s Pacific Coast, exploratory flats angling off Australia’s Northeast coast, tarpon and permit pursuits in the Florida Keys, and a swing back through the Bahamas for old times’ sake.

You can’t live this kind of life without the right gear. We welcome Jeff as part of our reinvigorated Pro-Staff. Enjoying relationships with Ross USA, 3M Fishing and Simms Fishing Products, Jeff understands the value of creating products which perform at the highest levels. GuideLine Eyegear is a natural extension of both form and function for Jeff and you on the water.

Jeff has been a significant contributor to our research and development for the last 2 years, providing on-the-water feedback on prototypes and in-line product.

Jeff is part of the team that brings you some of the best-made, technically innovative, polarized eyegear on the planet and all at a great price.

That’s Guideline Eyegear

January 11, 2012