The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

Those Owner hooks are the only way to go. I've kept stats and Gamakatsu jigs lost 42% of fish hooked while Owners lost 22%. There are some great commercial patterns out there that are only tied on Gamakatsus. That's a shame. I won't use them any longer.

Mark,

That is an amazing idea and process. I wondered why some of the beads were shiney and others were duller. I have never fished a jig setup, do you fish in under an indicator?

I was thinking it was an egg sucking leech which seems to be working this year, at least for other people. I would have never thought of a crawdad.

Mitch it is an Egg Sucking Leach pattern tied on the jig hook and it
is a great match for the crawdads....so do they hit it cuz its a leach
or cuz it looks like a crawdad ? I dont know and dont care as long as it
keeps working . On the fly rod you need a very big indicator, i used three
of those foam floaties one day...these jigs are 3/16 oz. and 1/8 oz.

My exaggerated bead-head flies are 1/16 oz. I use darker colors when it's dark and lighter colors when it's light, just like the old saying tells us. I'm not sure it looks like anything special to the fish. I think they're mind works something like this, "Duh, it's not a stick, duh, it's not a leaf, duh, must be food"...chomp! Kind of like my ex-wife's cooking.

Interesting Bruce, is that 42% due to hook straightening ?
I use Gammie hooks here and there, for Salmon mostly and I really
like them,,,...we all have a different oppinion some times but
the Owner jig hooks are strong, we just have to be carefull not to get
the metal too hot when pouring the mold or they will get brittle and break
under heavy stress.

No Mark, no hooks were never straightened. The Owner hooks have a larger gap and I think a faceted hook rather than just a round hook that comes to a point. Also, the hook tip points back toward the shank. At my old rock, I was able to watch what the fish did when hooked, diving for the bottom and then spinning like a top. The Gamakatsu hooks were leveraged out of their mouths much easier than the Owner hooks. I caught a lot of steelies back in '06 and '07, so the stats used in my data represent a large number of subjects which makes for a more accurate experiment. I fought all the fish about the same, kept constant pressure on them and got the line onto the reel as quickly as possible. Used the same rod, reel and tackle, not counting the jigs.

Mark,

As you say regardless of what it appears to be if the fish like it then it is good to go. I have seen three fish hooked this Fall on an egg sucking leech but those were in black which is what I tied. I am heading over today to see if I can break my bad streak with those leeches.

Mitch

PS Those are some heavy flies at 3/16oz.

Mitch,
When I was up at the T the past couple of weeks, guys were still hooking up on red copper johns, but were using size 14 and 16, which is smaller than I used to use. Just an idea if your bobicating it. Also, I psycho prince nymphs often worked when nothing else would, in size 12 or 14. Just my 2 cents. Good luck!

Bruce,

I lost one earlier this Fall on a red copper john,hook was straightened, that fly just continues to work on the Trinity. The first steelhead I caught on the Trinity was on a pyscho prince. I have also done very well with the TDF fly, usually bigger fish. I am trying to concentrate more on swinging flies this year, the one I had on three weeks ago the tip of the hook was broke off so I only had him on for about two head shakes.

Yesterday I fished very low in the system and didn't see any fish or fishermen, there may be a hidden correlation there. I talked with the Game Warden, first time I have ever been checked on the Trinity, and he said no one was catching in the lower river. Back to the upper river later this week.

Got it! My buddy Jay ONLY swings for steel. He doesn't catch much, but when he does he claims it's worth it. I prefer to catch fish. I'll swing when I can, but the conditions must be right. I really like to wake flies, but rarely am I in a situation where there's a chance I'll hook up using that technique. As the T cools, you might do better traveling to the coastals.

Bruce,

As I move back up river I will probably go back to an indicator as the river is not as good for swinging as the lower river. With that said my favorite upper river run has changed so much I may use my spey rod. I also enjoy the "tug" so I am not total swing purist but since I am thinking of expanding my steelhead horizons to where a spey rod is a better tool I want to get as much experience as possible.

Sounds good. Yep, lots of changes on the T. As I mentioned, my favorite rock is gone so I've had to explore a bit which, as it turns out, I really enjoy. I enjoy it more when there aren't so many fishermen and I can actually try out the spots I find. I also have been playing with a spey recently...actually an 11' switch rod. It's just another arrow in the quiver, like jigs, indicators, shooting heads, sink tips, etc., etc., etc.