As fall draws near and the days shorten, beach fishing at Omak becomes an inner personal experience. The crisp clear mornings, as the sun breaks over the mountains to the east while I have a cup of coffee and my Winston Biiix in hand, puts me at ease. More often than not, I am the sole inhabitant during these mornings, except for the local wildlife. I escape the hustle and head to the water that I have grown so familiar with for steelheading.
The approach to the water at Omak is methodical. It allows the soul to drink in the azure shades of the water, coupled with the desert hues of sage and pine. Cowpie beach is my favorite this time of year. Sunlight cascades down and warms the spirit as it breaks the crest of ridges in the distance. This type of solace is always good. It heals a fly fisher’ s spirit from the fierce demands of modern society. For me, this type of fishing is best done as a way to avoid additional complications that I am already trying to shake.
More often than not, I choose to use an Airflo 40 + intermediate line, a long leader, and some type of streamer that makes me hungry. Lately, the Dirty Water Flies“ Smoke’ n Mirrors” flies have been my favorite. They are a game changer when it comes to productivity and big fish! The best producers are the C. R. E. A. M. and the“ Blood Money.” In fact, these patterns have taken up some highly coveted space in my box, which has moved some of the alltime greats to the bullpen.
On the occasion the intermediate line and steamer game isn’ t working, the go to rig is an Airflo 40 + type 6 sink tip line with the Pyramid Lake Tadpole or a Booby Fly; when fished with an erratic hand twist retrieve, this approach can be deadly. The reason the 40 + line excels at this is because of how quickly it casts long distances. In the case of the booby fly presentation, the low stretch core allows strike detection before the fish inhales the fly.
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