North 40 Fly Shop eMagazine September 2018 | Page 9

There’s not much more that I look forward
to than when steelhead are running up the
Columbia in late summer. This is the time
of year when fishing the traditional “greased
line” method can be super effective. Water
temperatures, depending on the rivers fished,
sit in a range that give the angler a great
opportunity to connect with a fish in the very top
of the water and more namely, the surface. On the very top, skaters give the opportunity
for the most visual and heart-stopping takes.
Additionally, they are great teachers themselves.
You can watch what is happening with the arc
of your bug as you swing it across the current.
Oftentimes, you will have to guess what your fly
is doing subsurface but watching the v-wake of a
skater will give you confirmation to the behavior
of your fly.
With great water conditions, this is the time of
year to throw Scandinavian setups with floating
leaders and flies like skaters, muddlers, and
traditional Atlantic salmon offerings as well as
the ever-effective hair wings. Also, on the top, muddlers are a time-tested,
super-effective series of flies. They ride on the
surface film and will give you some rip-the-
rod-out-of-your-hand takes. The emergence
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