Fly Angler Of The Year(FAOTY) interest?

If you want to get your skagit/sinktip casting down hit me up during shad season, it's the perfect fish and time to learn on.

Absolutely will do, and thanks. When and where is the shad season?

I do have a spey rod, but still learning. Still learning the strelhead on a fly thing in general, reading the water (different tgan hardware/bait), casting big flies, sinking tips, all that goodness. Havent found any fly guides on the coast to ease the learning curve.

Hey Wizz,
Check out Steelheadonthespey.wordpress.com (Jason Hartwick). He's in your area right now and could probably help out.
Nothing helps more that just being on the water. Take it slow, focus on your bottom hand, and practice good technique.

For me, the whole swinging fly thing is just like throwing spoons. Cast straight across or 1/4 down stream(depending on how deep the run is) and keep that line tight as it swings across the river.

Golfish is right tho, swinging for shad is just like swinging for Steel. The only difference is you can catch 10-20 shad a hour.
Enjoy your journey.

Thanks rockroach, just talked to him, hopefully can get a "classroom" trip in april. Looks like everything will be blown out for a bit, but if yall want to float the sf or the duzen let me know.

I went with Jason on the Trinity when I was still new to spey, probably the first trip I went there without a single hander. Great teacher and caster, he's real mellow too which is great for the beginner. He's a fishy dude that will usually gets you on the fish and takes it to heart when he can't.

The shasta-trinity fly fishers usually have a spey clave at Barge Hole around June. Check it out if you get a chance.

Finally, anyone looking for a good entry level delta striper rod for 75 bucks?

http://www.kiene.com/forums/showthread.php?32643-Temple-fork-Professional-series-9-wts

Took a break from chasing delta stripers and caught my first trout on a stream of the year. We decided to fish Lsac below Anderson (new for me) to stay away from the crowds up high. Didn't see another fisherman all day, the fish are smaller but solitude was great. Lots of great spots down there would be perfect for a kayak day or overnight trip.

Landed 14, about half were fat 12-16" fish, probably would have caught more if I didn't leave my fly box on my tying desk. Borrowed some flies and scrounged some off the bottom of my pack and did OK. Waiting for a significant hatch of anything but it never happened, some big caddis and some march browns but not alot hence catching most fish on rubber legs...i wanted to see if they were on sucker spawn yet but that pattern was at home...

Ok, i'm in.  I'll tie up some of my favorite dry flys. By the end of the year at least.

Now, where's the cheapest place for a 5 pr 6wt intermediate line?

Going swinging for shad tonight, will post a report tomorrow.  They are here and have been here, but few and far in between.  Just have to keep moving to find them, more than likely another bad year like last year due to the low flows.

Saw a few schools between J street and Gristmille today. Big females.
The best working fly was an orange shad fly. Worked it like a jig in a DriftBoat. Fish were deep. And the water clarity is pretty bad for May 1. Good luck.