Joe Howell
Fly Fisher, Fly Tier, Guide, Author
The North Umpqua River has been Joe’s passion since he first fished it when he was eight years old. He had the privilege of living on this river with his wife for 45 years. He enjoyed sharing his love of fly fishing through 30 years of guiding and by owning The Blue Heron Fly Shop. During that time he created many new steelhead fly patterns. Though now retired, he is still active in the fly fishing community and enjoys coming up with creative patterns, sharing them with other fly fishermen.
He is a contract tyer for Umpqua Feather Merchants, where his Starlite Leech, Joe's Prawn, Coon Muddler, and Tiger Paw are produced and sold commercially. The Starlite Leech can still be found in many of the fly shops and is one of the most copied and productive patterns for steelhead and salmon. He received the Oregon Council of the Federation of Fly Fishermen's Fly Tyer of the Year award in 1992.
Joe will be tying at the annual Fly Tying and Fly Casting Festival hosted by the Fly Fishing Veterans and Umpqua Valley Flyfishers at the Douglas County, Oregon Fairgrounds on Saturday, October 24, 2026.
Listen to Joe Howell's Show...
Fly Fishing the Legendary North Umpqua for Steelhead
The North Umpqua is legendary among steelhead fly fishers—but success on this demanding river takes more than simply showing up with a fly rod. Former guide and author Joe W. Howell shares what you need to know to fish the North Umpqua with confidence. Discover how to read its distinctive water, choose productive flies and techniques, approach steelhead effectively, and adapt to changing river conditions. Along the way, Joe draws on years of experience to help you better understand—and appreciate—one of America’s most storied steelhead rivers.
Just a few of the questions asked and answered during the interview:
- Your relationship with the North Umpqua began during family trout-fishing trips. What do you remember about those first encounters with the river?
- When did you begin your fascination with steelhead?
- How did you learn more about steelhead, the river and fly fishing for them?
- Why did the North Umpqua become one of America’s most historically important steelhead fly-fishing rivers?
- What were some of the pioneers that fished the river and what influence did those early anglers have on the traditions that continue today?
- Many pools were named during the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s, but the origins of some names have been lost. Why was preserving these names—and the stories connected to them—one of your primary reasons for writing the book?
- What area became the center of the river’s early fishing camps. What made this particular section so attractive to pioneering steelhead anglers?
- The North Umpqua has a reputation for being a difficult steelhead river. What are the three biggest challenges a first-time angler must learn to overcome?
- Because this is primarily a volcanic bedrock river rather than a gravel-bottom river, where should anglers look for holding steelhead?
- For someone making a first trip, what time of year offers the best combination of fish, manageable conditions, and opportunities to learn the river?
- How does your approach change from the early summer fishing of June and July to the lower, warmer water of August and early fall?
- During late summer, why are first light, the arrival of shade, and the final light of evening often more important than the particular fly being used?
- If you were assembling separate North Umpqua fly boxes for summer and winter, which patterns, colors, and sizes would you consider essential?
- The Camp Water includes legendary names such as Glory, the Mott Water, Kitchen, Boat Pool, Station, Hayden’s Run, Sawtooth, Millionaire, and Surveyor. If an angler had only one day to explore this historic section, how would you help them prioritize those pools?
