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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