Wild Steelhead in Seattle Restaurant? Damn Ballsy

Well someone smacked their balls soundly enough to get it pulled from the menu. Dumb. Permanently boycott the bastards at Ray’s Boathouse I say….. Shooting Head (for more)

Now my story won’t get any recognition, but I thought it timely. I was exiting a SE Portland Safeway when I looked up and there on the backside of a non-trendy restaurant (there are actually a few in Portland) was a marquee highlighting Steelhead & Steak, nightly for $10.95.

Country Bill's and Aqua Steelhead (SwittersB)

I called and nicely enquired about the freshness of the Steelhead and the source. The bubbly waitress (now you know it was a non-trendy restaurant…the waitress was not a pinched, pretentious twit) told me the Steelhead was delivered by Pacific Seafood.

A quick on line review of Pacific Seafood, a Portland based company, revealed the source of their Steelhead: ” The steelhead used for both products is sourced from parent company Pacific Seafood’s aquaculture farm located in Nespelem, Wash., situated in the Okanagan Highlands on the Columbia River.”  (Not as alarming as Wild Steelhead for sure, but there is that Aquaculture thing again on the Columbia River?!)  Pacific Seafood

Oh, sorry to all the very nice, non-pinched, non-pretentious waitstaff at those trendy Portland restaurants.

Ballsy: ‘Vulgar Slang. Very tough and courageous, often recklessly or presumptuously so. ballsy.’

Fly Fishing: April’s New Site

Just in case you have been tucked away in a bat cave sans Wi Fi? I think in some parts (many parts) of the fly fishing arena you could say April and have the same knowing awareness as Oprah (tsk tsk)

April & Flygal Up

Fly Tying: Definitive Dubbing

 

Dubbing Tools (SwittersB)

 

Over the last few years, dubbing nymphs (abdomen/thorax) has given way to more segmented, leaner abdomens with the thorax having some dubbing behind the ubiquitous bead head. That said, a bristly, impressionistic nymph/emerger pattern still holds my imagination. True, segmentation does suggest a realistic, recognizable image for the fish. But, that movement of fibers and hairs encased in bubbles speaks to a succulent morsel as well.

Whether one twists dubbing onto a single strand of tying thread, splits the thread and inserts dubbing, creates a dubbing loop (with the above tools) or builds your own dubbing brushes, the dubbed nymph body is suggestive of life.

It is easy to build, in some instances, too thick of a body. It is necessary to study the four types of mayfly nymphs (swimmer, crawler, clinger, burrower) and see how they relate to the nymphs you will try to copy. Match the thickness of the abdomen and thorax as appropriate to the type of mayfly nymphs.

Study the Caddis pupa’s, the Stonefly Nymphs, the Dragon Fly Nymphs, Scuds and Sculpins. How could dubbing provide the suggestion of life beneath the surface, in the surface or on the surface (Ultra Fine dubbing for dry flies too).

I have highlighted this UK Fly Dressing Dubbing piece before. I reviewed it again and it is a lot of effort put forth and is still relevent. There are a few other sites that discuss dubbing, but none that I have found so far as comprehensively as ScotFly’s Effort (here too).

Dubbed Caddis Pupa (SwittersB)