Gear
About The Rods...
Burkheimer 8139-3
The C.F. Burkheimer 8139-3 (13'9 for a #8) is rod I reach for on our winter rivers.
It's powerful butt section aids in lifting and casting heavy sink tips and weighted
flies. This thing is a cannon! I'll also use it for summer fishing were longer casts
are nessesary, or when I'm fishing big flies and Skagit heads.
The 8139 is a great choice if you only wanted one rod for all seasons.
Burkheimer 8134-4
When Kerry Burkheimer built the 8134 (13'4 for a #8), he built it with love. The
8134 is slowly becoming one of my favorites in the Burkheimer family of rods.
The tip is a little more forgiving than than 8139 giving the caster a little more feel
for what the rod is doing. With that said, this rod does not lack in power. It may be
the best rod for Skagit style casting on the market. More so, it's a dream with a
Delta Spey.
Burkheimer 7133-3
The C.F. Burkheimer 7133-3 (13'3 for a #7) could possibly be the best
"do everything" stick for summer fishing. Rigged with a Scandanavian shooting
head it marches through the wind. If I need to go subsurface, I'll loop off the
Scandi head, and replace it with a Skagit head. The rod will comfortably handle
large weighted fly. Consequently, it also doubles for a great winter rod for large &
mid sized rivers.
Burkheimer 7125-3
The C.F. Burkheimer 7125-3 (12'5 for a #7) is a wonderful summer steelhead rod.
It's light, snappy, and extremely responsive. If you're a floating line junkie, this rod
is for you!
Burkheimer 7115-4
The 7115 surprised me when I cast it. It 's an extremely quick, responsive stick.
Thus far, i've only found it fun with a Compact Skagit. I think it will rip with a little
Scandi head, though I haven't found the right line yet. I wouldn't put a Delta on
this rod.... Too fast, too short.
Spey Rods
For all of the steelhead rivers we fish here in the Columbia Gorge, I recommend
using a Spey rod. If you're not familiar with Spey rods, check out the
Spey Casting page. On this page you will find my general recommendations as
well as the specific outfits I use on a daily basis.
For summer steelhead fishing on the Deschutes and Klickitat, I prefer #6 to #8
weight rods in the 12'5 to 14' lengths. For winter and spring fishing on the
Sandy and Clackamas, a 13' to 14'5 for a #8 or #9 weight rod gets the job done
nicely.
I'm a huge fan of Burkheimer Spey rods. The company is based out of
Washougal, Washington. Simply put, they are the Farrari of the rod world. Every
rod is hand built from start to finish in their small shop. I have compiled a
complete list of the rods I fish as well as line recommendations for Burkheimer
rods.
Steelhead
What I fish...
Dressing For Success
Weather in the Columbia Gorge area can be extremely variable. In the heat of
the summer, the Deschutes canyon can get over 100 degrees. Conversely,
winter fishing on the Sandy can be down right chilly. Dressing properly can
make or break your day. Please come prepared for the weather!
Your clothing should be earth tones, something that will blend into the
environment. Keep in mind, these fish make a living out of survival!
Layering is the key to staying comfortable in cold weather conditions. I'll vary my
layering system depending on the weather and the time of the year. Whatever I
wear under my waders, it's always a synthetic, moisture wicking material like
fleece or Simms Wader Wick. A Gore-Tex wading jacket will protect you from
the elements. For all steelhead trips, please bring a complete change of
clothing just in case you decide it's your day to be baptised in the river.
For waders, I prefer Simms breathables with felt soled wading boots.
(Cleated boots are fine in my boat.)
Miscellaneous Gear
-Waterproof gear bag
-Waterproof fanny pack
-Wading staff
-Forceps
-Nippers
-Line cleaner
-Brimmed hat
-Polarized sunglasses
-Camera
-Sun screen
*A complete packing list will be sent to you with your guide trip
confirmation.
Flies
Check out the Flies page.
Burkheimer
Rod
|
Ross
Reel
|
Airflo
Skagit
|
Airflo
Scandi
|
Running
Line
|
Airflo
Delta
|
8139-3
|
Momentum
6
|
600 Skagit
Compact
|
Coming
Soon
|
Miracle
Braid
|
9/10
Delta
|
8134-4
|
Momentum
6
|
600 Skagit
Compact
|
Coming
Soon
|
Miracle
Braid
|
9/10
Delta
|
7133-4
|
Momentum
6
|
540 Skagit
Compact
|
Coming Soon
|
30lb.
Ridgeline
|
7/8
Delta
|
7125-3
|
Momentum
5
|
480 Skagit
Compact
|
Coming
Soon
|
30lb.
Ridgeline
|
6/7
Delta
|
7115-4
|
Momentum
5
|
450 Skagit
Compact
|
Coming
Soon
|
20lb.
Ridgeline
|
N/A
|
Fly lines
Over the past few years, I have gravitated towards shooting taper style Spey lines.
It makes sense to me to have a looped running line which you can attach
different working lines depending on the conditions. For summer fishing, I
utilize both Scandinavian style floating heads with poly leaders, and Skagit
heads with sink-tips. I do still use traditional 55' belly spey lines especially with
beginners. During the winter and spring, a Skagit head is all you will need.
A fly rod is only as good as it's line. I use Airflo products because they build
products that work well on the rods I prefer to cast. Their new technology is at
the cutting edge of line design.
Airflo Skagit Compact
If you fished in my boat last year, chances are you cast one of the prototypes for
Airflo's new Skagit Compact lines. I would like to say thanks for all of your input.
All of you helped in the conception of this line. My observations of how this line
worked in your hands ultimately led to my influence in it's design.
The Skagit Compact was built for steelhead fishing, not casting a piece of yarn
on a casting pond. The line's short rear taper and dense belly combined with a
huge front wedge make casting big flies and heavy sink-tips a dream.
Shorter than what most folks are used too, this line bucks the rules. This
necessitates a very compact, closed stroke. Keep your elbows in tight to your
body, use at least two to three feet of overhang, slow down your back cast, and
use your bottom hand to drive the rod. Simply put, you don't need to work hard
with this line. If you're ripping your anchor out of the water, you're working way
to hard. Take your time, and let the line do the work. I truly believe this spey line
will not only improve your two-handed casting, but it will help you catch more
steelhead. I hope you enjoy it.
Reels
A large arbor, disk drag reel is my first choice for steelhead fishing. The reel
should balance your rod and provide enough room for 150 yards of backing
plus your line. If you want to role a little soul and use an old click and pawl, by
all means do so!
I have used Ross reels for the past fourteen years. In fact, I still use the first
Ross reel I ever owned for guiding. Ross has consistently been at the forefront
of reel design since 1973.
Leaders
For Scani heads, I build a loop on the front of the head which I attach a 10' poly
leader. Poly leaders come in a variety of densities ranging from floating to
super fast sinking. Typically, I'll fish a floating or intermediate leader with 3' to 4'
of 8lb. to 10lb. Maxima Ultra Green tippet.
For 55' belly lines(Delta Spey), I'm a big fan of hand built leaders. A number of
folks wanted to know how I build my leaders... Well here's my formula.
For floating lines, I typically fish 10' leaders. I build the leader out of Chameleon
Maxima, and use Ultra Green for the tippet.
35" 40lb. - 25" 30lb - 18" 20lb. - 12" 15lb. - 12" 12lb. - 24" 10lb.
For sink-tips, I strip the coating off the end of the sink-tip and tie a perfection
loop right into the core material. For tippet, I typically fish 3' to 5' of 12lb. or 10lb.
Maxima Ultra Green for clear water, 15lb. for dirty water. To attach the tippet,
I use a triple surgeon's knot and go loop to loop with the perfection loop on the
butt section.
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