Guided Waters Flyfishing

Rogue River Steelie 11/30/06

Craig Schuhmann moved to Oregon with his family in 1980. This move was partly to accommodate his father's passion for steelhead fishing on the rivers of Oregon and Washington. When Craig was 10 he was initiated into his own passion for fly fishing with his father on the Owens River in California and again on the steelhead rivers in the Columbia Basin. He has managed to keep his fly rod working ever since. Taking particular interest in trout, he has spent numerous seasons living and fishing in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Craig brings to play his interest in the totality of the sport through fly tying, entomology, guiding, education and conservation. Under his business "Guided Waters Fly Fishing" Craig spends most of his time guiding on the Williamson and Wood rivers in Southern Oregon.

Craig began a career in writing this year by accepting a contract to write a book for Moon Outdoors about Fishing in Oregon. Craig holds a Masters of Arts in Theology from the University of Portland, obtained in 1996.

Moon Outdoors: Oregon Fishing published in December 2006, is available at your local book retailer or online at Amazon.com. A review of the book can be found at Dave Archer's website, Bass and Trout Fishing Digest, or read the review below. Dave operates two very informative fishing websites: Bass and Trout Fishing Digest and FishingTips101. Be sure to check out these two sites for valuable and entertaining fishing information.

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Book Review by Dave Archer from his website: www.bassandtroutfishingdigest.com.

After spending almost twenty-five years exploring and fishing Montana, my retirement in Oregon poses a singular challenge. I don’t have the time or energy to fish all the waters of my new adopted state. I initially purchased a couple of Oregon fishing guide books and found them helpful. Craig Schuhman’s book, Moon Outdoors – Oregon Fishing, however, is my go-to-bible on Oregon fishing.

Having written a Montana fly fishing and camping guide a number of years ago, I am in awe of the expansive coverage Craig has included in his 470 page book. The content is rich in details, and he does not generalize or gloss over hard to reach watersheds. Having already explored a number of creeks and streams in southeast Oregon, I immediately went to the pages covering the upper Sprague River, the Sycan River, Thompson Reservoir, Dogg Lake and a number of other smaller fishing waters I had already covered. Two of the books I had previously purchased gave fishing information that were inflated and generalized. I tested Schuhman’s information with my experience, and his credibility soared. Oregon Fishing is indeed a Complete Guide to Fishing Lakes, Rivers, Streams, and the Ocean.

Although I missed not seeing photographs in the guide book, once I began using the book, I was appreciative of the well thought out organization and keyed maps. Each featured body of water covers the species of fish, facilities, directions and contact information for tackle shops and other related businesses in the area. As a new resident in Oregon, I especially liked that I never got lost while I perused through the book. Organized by geographical sections, each body of water is given a site name and number, along with a general location of the site in relation to the nearest town or landmark. Under this information is a reference to the map with the page number. If you are serious about fishing Oregon, this book is a must have guide book! - Dave Archer

Other Writing Projects:

My article on fly tier Dick Winters, "Kings of the Klamath", appeared in the winter 2006 issue of Fly Tyer Magazine. You will also find a few photo's of Dick and his flies scattered throughout this website. Two more articles will appear in forthcoming issues of Fly Tyer. One article concerns the use of grizzly marabou for tying leeches, with a special focus on Hal Janssen's Leech and instruction on how to tie it. The second will profile "Denny Rickards" and his amazing skills as both a fly tier and stillwater angler. Please look for these coming articles.

Two of my trout flies, Trout Fly #1 & Trout Fly #2, were profiled in the "Guide Flies" Column of the March / April 2007 issues of Northwest Fly Fishing and Southwest Flyfishing. Special thanks to Steve Probosco for publishing these flies and for all the grateful responses I've received from readers. Thanks!

I am currently at work on a new book to be published by spring of 2008, by Frank Amato Publications. This book will be an introduction to fly fishing.

You can contact Craig Schuhmann at:

541/778-1194 or by e-mail at: crsscs@hotmail.com