Steve Kyle and I returned to the Rogue River last week to fish for steelhead with Jim Andras, the world’s greatest fly-fishing guide, re-establishing an annual tradition that began a decade ago.
Jim and his wife, Rachel, operate the Andras Outfitters fly-fishing and travel business out of their home in Talent, Oregon, just a few miles north of Ashland and a 20-minute drive to some of the best steelhead water in the Pacific Northwest.
They also both lived and worked in Sonoma Valley for a couple of summers when Leland Fly-Fishing Ranch was operating in Schellville.
The Rogue River on Southern Oregon is their home water, and nobody knows it better. Jim guides fly-fishers on it a good part of the year.
Steve and I, and Sonoma friends Jim Powers and Les Vadasz, started regular annual fishing adventures on the Rogue with Jim 10 years ago. Time and other interests reduced our Sonoma quartet by half. Then, two terrible fires, one in 2019 near Mt. Shasta, and a devastating inferno in September of 2020, interrupted our travel. The second blaze destroyed half the homes in Talent and nearby towns. The Andras family was forced to evacuate their home, but were one of the fortunate ones who did not lose it to the flames. It was a devastating blow to them, their many friends and neighbors and their town’s economy. The COVID-19 pandemic compounded the damage. A year ago things were looking pretty grim.
But they and their community have made a remarkable comeback since then.
Jim and Rachel are two of the nicest people you’ll ever meet and it made us happy to see that they and their two children, James and Brechin, not only survived the fire and the pandemic, but are prospering.
Jim is guiding almost every day. Rachel’s health and wellness business is going strong and the Rogue River appears to be in great shape. James, now 12, is an avid fisherman like his dad, and already tying flies that are used by his dad and his clients on the Rogue.
To receive this good news even before we took our first step into the water made our reunion a real celebration.
Our first day fishing began on a lovely fall morning. Jim prepared his drift boat with mist coming off the water and swirling around him while the red and gold leaves in the trees above him glowed brilliantly in the first light of dawn. Fall in all its glorious colors was on full display.
Even if there had been no fish, a drift with two good friends down this lovely stream would have been worth the drive from Sonoma.
But, there were fish. By midday, Steve and I agreed that in numbers and quality it matched or exceeded our best memories of previous years with Jim.
Each of us hooked, fought and released surprisingly big, beautiful and strong fish, some approaching 30 inches in length and weighing close to 10 pounds. By any measure, it was an unusually superior day, followed by a second day of equally remarkable fishing, especially when most fall/winter steelhead anglers consider one or two fish a good day.
Thanks to Jim, who seems to know exactly where these brightly-colored seagoing trout hang out, we were busy most of the day, with just enough slow periods in the action to let us relax, rest our arms, and admire the scenery. Jim did all the hard work, especially the rowing, while Steve and I laughed and cheered each of our fish.
Jim’s knowledge of the river is evident not only in how often the fish were exactly where he said they’d be, but also in the praise he receives from his many clients and the fact that you must reserve a day’s fishing with him months in advance.
Active in conserving the resource, he has also created and released a video on Bear Creek, an important spawning tributary of the Rogue.
There are many reasons to book a day with Jim on the Rogue, including the excellent fishing, but the best part is being there with a good guy who is also a dedicated guardian of the river. You can get all the contact information and watch Jim’s videos by going to his website, andrasoutfitters.com. Also, check out his excellent video, “The Unicorn and the Bear,” on the venturingangler.com.
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