Steelhead University

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Fishing the "Woolie" for Steelhead An Interview with Skagit River Guide, John Koenig When did you first start fishing "Woolies, Yarnies, and Cheezy Poofs"? First off before we get started here on what has become an integral part of my every day Steelheading arsenal I just want to set the record straight on "Yarnies". I've heard them called "Yarnies" on numerous occasions but think that most of the credit to their development and wide use should be given to our Canadian neighbors. I first stumbled accross them 14 years ago while fishing for Kings on the Vedder River with Dave Vedder and Clint Delargo. It was pretty much a spectator sport day for Dave and I as we watched Clint reel in King after King with his float rod and center-pin reel. When I asked Clint what he was using he simply responded with, "Wool"! I thought, "What the hell was Wool"? Especially with his Canadian pronunciation of the word... kinda' sounded like he said, "Wule"... or somthing to that effect. Upon close inspection of Clint's "Wool" it looked to me just like he was using a very large Glow-Bug that hadn't been trimmed down nice and neatly to more or less just be called a large Glow-Bug. Upon further conversation with Dave and Clint I discovered how widely used "Wool" was in the Canadian Anglers arsenal for all the anadromous species and decided I'd try it out back here at home and add it to my own arsenal. So, giving credit where credit is due, at least for this interview, why don't we call them "Woolies". I'll explain the whole, "Cheezy-Poof" name we've been calling them for years next. After first being introduced to "Woolies" in BC 14 years ago I was all excited about trying them back here at home and tied up a bunch of them almost imediately when I got home from fishing with Dave and Clint... and there they sat for a couple of more years while I was still working on the development of "John's Jigs" and trying to perfect my float fishing with their use. I sold my jig company about the same time Side Drifting just started to take off down in Oregon and shortly after introduced to us here in WA by a few stellar Oregon guides up here slaying the Steelhead over on the Olympic Peninsula. My first introduction to Side Drifting was over on the Olympic Peninsula using cured roe, a single hook, and "Puff Ball" while using a fly-reel with mono and a spinning rod. It soon after progressed to a spinning reel and rod, using cured roe and stinger set-up using two size 4 hooks with a cheater between the two hooks. Side drifitng had definately found its way into my arsenal and to this day remains one of my favorite ways to fish. As deadly as side drifitng was using bait over on the Olympic Peninsula I still had to figure out somthing I could Side Drift with back here at home on the Sauk and Skagit during our Selective Fishery season and I still wasn't all that confident with the use of "Woolies" and instead tried side drifitng with Pink Worms and Gooey Bobs at first. Then one day running low on both I dusted off the many rolls of pre-tied "Woolies" or "Yarn Balls" as I first started calling them and decided to put them to use and started catching fish on them.

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