OPST just came out with some new Swing Hooks! With a slightly upturned eye and shorter shank, they make a great trailing hook. Some people prefer upturned eyes for their tube fly hooks, and this would be a great hook to use because of the shorter shank. Size 3 is a great, fish friendly steelhead hook. It comes in a small, minimalistic, hard plastic case that is great for throwing in your hip pack or backpack so you can easily switch out your trailing hooks when they get too worn.
OPST also has an awesome Dubbing Spinner that won the Fish Alaska Magazine’s 2015 Editors’ Choice Award. It just makes sense. It’s heavy enough to spin dense composite loops and whatever else, easy to insert and extract from a loop, and won’t roll off the table. It also comes with two interchangeable hooks to suit your preference, both of which are easy to insert in and extract from the dubbing spinner. No flimsy wire, no irritating double loop setups- just a perfectly balanced, properly heavy dubbing spinner that will make your tying more fun.
By now everyone probably knows about how amazing their Pure Skagit Lazar Running Line is, and if not, it is. Virtually no memory, extremely hydrophobic, durable, consistent, all the good things you want to hear about a running line. It’s won awards and been voted the best, and we tend to agree. It’s what we recommend most of the time for those not looking for a fly line based running line. They’ve got a neat video too.
They also have great Ostrich Plumes that can be overlooked. What’s unique about OPST’s Ostrich is that they sell what they call a “drab” feather. “Drab”sounds bad, but is anything but. It’s perfect for tying intruders because the fibers are long, more stout at the base, and thin out to a nice pointy tip so you end up with a full profile and a slimmer base. The Speckled Ostrich is unique in that it’s thought to mimic certain molting patterns. Videos featuring these feathers can be found by clicking one of the hyperlinks above.
Their Intruder Shanks are perfect if you prefer a simple, single shank (as opposed to something like Waddington or MFC’s double shank) for tying. You don’t have to destroy a hook to get a good shank anymore.
OPST has top-quality products, but they’re not just in it for the sake of business. They take responsibility in protecting our wild fish and make a contribution of $1 from every item sold to the Wild Fish Conservancy.
We have just taken on a bunch of new flies from Aqua! If you haven’t heard us rave about them before, we think they are awesome. They have high quality flies (we’ve even heard from a few customers that they rival some custom flies) at a reasonable price. Some new ones from them that we’re pretty excited to get out and field test are the Steelie Piglets, the Hartwick Hoser’s and the Super Spey Rhea Prawn. Check out the rest of the Aqua Flies by clicking here.
Aqua Flies has also just partnered with Einarsson Fly Fishing. Einarsson makes great reels that have tight tolerances and smooth drag systems. The Invictus is their two-handed reel and has their patented SAB drag system. The Plus is their basic lightweight reel. It’s sturdy and lightweight.
There are still a few spots left! Waters West is hosting a fly tying clinic for beginners! This class will go over hooks, threads, materials, tying techniques, answering any questions you may have, and finish with having you tie two flies. The class size is limited to 6 people, but anyone should feel free to come and watch.
If you would like to sign up for the class send us an email at info@waterswest.com with the subject title “Intro Class”
Specifics:
Where: Waters West
When: January 17th, 2015 at 1pm-3pm
What to bring: If you dont have anything, dont let that stop you. Just email or call us and we will make sure you get setup with what you’ll need for the day. Otherwise, you’ll need: Vise, bobbin, scissors, hackle pliers, 6/0 black thread, size 6 and 8 streamer hooks( 1 of each), small copper wire, pheasant rump hackle, peacock herl, medium olive chenille, black marabou, black saddle hackle, 0.20 lead wire (optional).
Cost: FREE!
There are only 6 spots available for those who will actually be tying and getting feedback, but anyone can come and watch and ask questions.
The Kitsap-Olympic Chapter of Trout Unlimited is showing the film Wild Reverence on Saturday January 31st at 7:00pm at the Poulsbo Marine Science Center. They are going to have food, drinks, raffles, and a live band to make the most out of your 25$ ticket. The proceeds will benefit the Wild Steelheaders United, local stream restoration, and youth outdoor education. The director Shane Anderson and Trout Unlimited’s Rob Masonis and John McMillan will all be there to talk about the film and the new chapter of Wild Steelhead United. We do have a limited number of tickets here at Waters West for this important film.
Jerry French will be in the store on Saturday, March 1st at 1:00 pm doing a tying demonstration. This is a great opportunity to learn how to create amazing Intruder patterns for winter steelhead. Check out the video below to see Jerry in action at the vise.
We just received our new demo Spey heads from RIO. We have the RIO Max and Max Shorts in all sizes available in the shop for you to try out. It can be difficult to figure out which size head to use, and the manufacturer’s guidelines are only a baseline. Swing by the shop and grab a few lines to try out on the water and get your spey rod dialed in with the right size shooting head.
Here are a couple videos explaining Spey lines and running lines.
The Coho Slider is based off of Bob Popovics’ Banger fly. A stinger hook was added to deal with short striking salmon and also used 1/2 of a XL Foam Boobie Round Eye for the foam for a more slender pattern that creates a nice v-wake on the surface. The front hook is removed because a two hook rig often results in more damage to the fish, many of which we are required to release.
This fly was designed for coho and pink salmon in the tide rips and offshore banks in the Pacific Ocean near Neah Bay as well as all along the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the points and beaches inside Puget Sound. When fishing the points and the current is running you can fish this pattern much like a waking fly for steelhead. Offshore in a boat it works best with a steady retrieve.
The Coho Slider can also be downsized for sea-run cutthroat along the beaches of Hood Canal and Puget Sound.
As someone who has experienced losing an expensive fly rod and reel overboard I wish I had The Rod Leash when it happened.
We just got this product in stock. The Rod Leash is perfect for float tubes, kayaks, and even larger boats. Fly rods are an expensive investment and The Rod Leash is inexpensive insurance. CLICK HERE to purchase online.
