I spent a day with Mark Bachmann on the Sandy River looking for winter steelhead. Within 10 minutes of putting the boat in the water we find ourselves stuck on a mid channel boulder in the first rapid. Mark tells the story in his classic way!
We look at the best setup for winter steelhead, talk about how to find fish and hear the story of how Mark made a business in fly fishing at Fly Fish USA. Mark brings a hard exterior but after spending a day on the river with him I find out that he’s a really good guy.
Click below to listen to the Mark Bachmann Interview:
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Show Notes with Mark Bachmann
05:30 – We talk about Carl Perry who was a big influence on Mark and a guy who learned partially from my dad. Here’s a little chat about Carl Perry (Perry Poke) on Spey Pages.
09:50 – Steelhead Fly Fishing by Trey Comb’s was the first big influence on spey and steelhead.
11:20 – The Airflo Flo Tip and the Rio Mow Tip are similar tips. We talk about the 7.5′ T14 with 2.5′ intermediate tip.
We’ve talked about RIO Products a number of times on the podcast including episode 009 with Simon who broke down some tips on choosing a speyin line.
13:35 – The Harding Rod/Reel case is no longer made but Sage Rod/Reel Case a good one that’s similar.
16:50 – We use a Sage reel and a Sage X 13′ 7 wt
17:20 – We use the 525 grain Rio Max Skagit Short line today while on the water.
35:20 – The Sandy River Spey Clave is one of the largest Claves in the country. What is the next biggest?
47:05 – We talk about Jason at the Portland Fly shop who I worked with on a show sponsor. Jason worked for Northwest Fly Fishing Outfitters before starting his own shop.
57:45 – The Blue Prom Dress was Mark’s goto fly pattern and the one we used on the river. Here’s a video on the Prom Dress.
1:02:00 – A passion for steelhead by Dec Hogan and Todd Moen Videos are Marks recommendations for goto resources.
You can reach Mark at FlyFishUSA.com for gear or a steelhead trip.
Videos Noted in the Show
Watch the full video with Mark here:
Resources Noted in the Show
Steelhead Fly Fishing by Trey Combs
Conclusion with Mark Bachmann
That was a lot of fun. I was able to get on the water with Mark for a day and here some of the stories behind one of the big influencers in winter steelhead fly fishing. We also get into a bunch of great tips plus the big story at the start.
And if you’re interested in the right spey rod for steelhead, Click here to see the Echo Spey Rod that has helped me drastically improve my spey cast and find more steelhead at a super reasonable cost. By the way, this link above is an affiliate link, which means I earn a commission if you do end up purchasing through that link. It’s at no extra cost to you, and please if you have any questions related to this product, please let me know and I’d be happy to answer them for you.
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