With winter steelheading season in full swing on the West Coast, and with the heart of the season coming the next 5-6 weeks, Rio’s latest spey line comes along at just the right time. The new PowerSpey is designed primarily for longer casts and precise presentation. And for  trout fishermen who like spey casting even on smaller rivers, the line is available in a 5/6 weight. Add one of Rio’s VersiLeaders and you’ll have yourself an instant sink tip. Available from all Rio Dealers.  

The 2008 Fly Fishing Film Tour kicks off this Wednesday night, January 30th at Patagonia World Headquarters in Ventura, California.

If you missed the tour last year, here’s what to expect: a collection of several short flyfishing videos that highlights the lifestyle and spirit of the sport, instead of just the instructional aspect.

Tour attendees this year can expect to see films highlighting the threat to Bristol Bay, Alaska, as well as AEG’s own latest film on their recent trip to Mongolia

Be sure and check www.flyfishingfilmtour.com to see when the tour will be coming to your town.

BY MIKE STAHLBERG

The Eugene Register Guard

Steelhead appear to be returning to Oregon coastal streams early and in above-average numbers this winter, which is good news for anglers — and something of a “relief” for fishery biologists.

The latter entered the winter season with trepidation, given that chinook salmon returns last fall were “the lowest we’ve seen in two decades,” as biologist Bob Buckman of Newport put it.

“So far it seems like a pretty good year for winter steelhead, which is certainly a welcome relief after the poor salmon return,” said Buckman, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife district fish biologist on the mid-coast.

Buckman said there are encouraging reports and/or data from all the major watersheds in his …

Cold Weather Snook Kill From the Maverick Boat Company forum: Thousands of Snook were affected by the extreme cold weather these past weeks; some areas were hit harder than others. Many dead snook have been observed and the worst might be yet to come. Larger Snook are hardier but may still succumb to cold. For the first time in a while, we were reminded that the Snook are limited in their range by water temperature. Snook are rarely found in great …

One of the unforeseen benefits of the North American dam-building era is all the great winter flyfishing it created in the mountain states for those of us unable or unwilling to wait until spring. These stretches of water that flow beneath dams are known as tailwaters in fishing terminology—as opposed to “freestone” which are undammed rivers.

Some of the more famous tailwaters in the country are the South Holston and Watauga Rivers in East Tennessee, the White River and Little Red in Arkansas, and the Truckee and East Walker in California and Nevada. But for winter and early spring flyfishers, nothing matches the 900-mile stretch of road between Page, Arizona, and Missoula, Montana, where dozens of legendary …

The official start to the winter flyfishing consumer show circuit began in Denver over the weekend, as two competing consumer shows—The Fly Fishing Expo and The Fly Fishing Show—both drew anxious anglers to the Denver Convention Center and The Denver Merchandise Mart, respectively.

Despite some grumblings among attendees and exhibitors regarding the shows being on the same day in the same city, both shows were relatively well-attended, especially considering that it was the first warm day in weeks, when many of the attendees could have chosen to go fishing instead. “It figures that we get our first great day of the year to go fishing, and we …

WASHINGTON–Following widespread condemnation from citizens, officials and sportsmen, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM))has withdrawn 13 parcels totaling approximately 28,500 acres from its Dec. 4 energy lease sale. The 13 parcels, located in southeastern Wyoming’s North Platte Valley, were deferred to allow the agency to update its resource management plan for the region and to address concerns raised by the state of Wyoming.

The area is home to two popular tailwater fisheries: the “Miracle Mile” section of the North Platte below Seminoe Reservoir and the Grey Reef section below Alcova Reservoir.

The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, a conservation coalition that earlier protested the inclusion of these parcels in the lease sale, applauded the BLM action. “The BLM made the right decision regarding …

When casting a fly line, slickness is often the name of the game, with dirt, grime, sand and sunscreen all conspiring to slow down your line. Rio Products is hoping their new Extreme Slickness (XS) Technology will help offset these factors and keep your line flying through the guides when necessary.

The big difference with Rio’s new XT material is that the PVC coating is applied prior to curing, not after, so the “slickness factor” goes right down to the core and isn’t just a coating that can wear off or be rubbed off.

The new technology will be used in Rio’s full line of premier freshwater and saltwater lines.

For more info, visit rioproducts.com