Steelhead 101: Course Intro and Meet Your Professor of Fly Fishing Paul Pagano

Paul Pagano, fly fishing guide for Winding Waters River Expeditions and owner of Fly Side Angling, offers his take on fly fishing for Steelhead on the Grande Ronde River and the Wallowa River.

In this series, Paul will explain the Steelhead journey and where you can find them in the river. Pagano will break down both single hand and spey casting setups, discuss fly patterns and offer advice on fly presentation so you can approach fly fishing for steelhead with confidence.

What Paul is presenting is a basic understanding of how to approach fly fishing for Steelhead. We can’t, of course, explore more complex and technical information without understanding where to start.

Whether you’re a newcomer or could use a refresher, come along as Paul explains what you need to know to be a successful Steelhead fly angler.

Paul Pagano lives to be on the river, in any capacity. Whether guiding clients, fishing with friends, or letting his wife enjoy the oars for a while as he fishes, Paul enjoys every second of river time. Aside from guiding steelhead and trout trips for Winding Waters, Pagano owns and operates Fly Side Angling, also located in beautiful Wallowa County.

Paul enjoys using both single hand and spey casting techniques. Paul is also a Pro Staff member with The Spey Company and spends most of his time in the fall on the famous Grande Ronde River guiding clients, or just enjoying the river.

Let’s get started.

Lesson Number One is: Understanding Steelhead and Where They Hold. Click here for a quick life history of these amazing fish and watch for updates in this series as Pagano walks you through the steps of understanding Wallowa County Steelhead so you can translate knowing into feeling these fish as they rip line off your reel.