Alright here is another post on places you can go this weekend. This one will include both secluded and the more frequented haunts of people (no actual hauntings, that noise outside the tent was not a ghost, it was just a bear, nothing to worry about).
Here are some places that could be haunted by spirits and are definately haunted by fish and the anguished echoed screams of a fisherman who lost a lunker because he/she thought it was a submerged log...
Place #1: Cooper Lake. Not exactly secluded, but there may be minimal people fishing as most camp there to hike into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area. Mostly effective from a boat or even a float tube, but fish can/have been caught fishing with flies from the shore. Beware the evil water spirits, they have been known to cause fisherman to fall out of the boat, flip a float tube/canoe, raise anchor and paddle furiously towards shore while screaming at the top of their lungs, and in extreme cases levitate, grabbing their flotation device and water walking to shore. And by evil water spirits I mean the jumbo brown trout that reside in the lake along with the normal rainbows, cutty's and brookies. Fish anywhere around the lake, but focus on shelves near the edges of the lake and where the river comes in and out. Fish white/olive BH Buggers, moal leeches and egg sucking leeches on a sink tip/fullsink line. Or fish an elk hair caddis, green drake, bumble bee, ant or hopper pattern on floating line and cast into shore. Please remember that huge splash leaving a small tidal wave where your fly was, it is not an evil water spirit...it's just a fish...I think.
Place #2: Waptus Lake/River. This is secluded and requires the ability to hike and camp. It is an eleven mile hike but the good news is, it is basically flat and follows the river. Remember to bring a can of Deet or steal your partners bug gear and use them as living mosquito/fly attractant. A flamethrower could work as well, but is highly frowned upon by the forest service. The Waptus River is excellent from it's mouth at the lake to about a mile downstream. The Lake itself is absolutely gorgeous and filled with fish, some being large Bull trout. I recommend camping near where the lake turns into the river and fishing sculpins, buggers or even some steelhead type leeches. Make sure they are white, white/yellow, olive, or flesh colored. Typical high alpine dry flies will work in the evenings and ants/bees as well. That crunch outside the tent at night by the way, most likely not a spirit of any type, but could be a bear, so remember to have your food tied up and high up in a tree away from the sleeping quarters and make sure your partner is sleeping between you and the said crunch.
Place #3: Rocky Ford Creek. Won't be secluded whatsoever, but hey, it's terrestrial time so you may not care. Violence is not the answer when that one dood comes crashing through the brush about 25 feet to your left and begins frantically impersonating a spasmic rendition of whisking eggs for an omelet with his fly-pole as he affectionately calls it. The triploids are feasting on hoppers, ants, beetles, and mice (yes mice, don't believe me? Go out after dark and toss a mouse pattern up against the bank. Go on...I'll wait). Whatever terrestrial you are fishing, beetles and hoppers land with a splash, so make sure you do the same with your fly. This is the best place to get your child addicted to the same thing you are and perhaps actually learn what things those crazy kids do these days. No water spirits here (that I know of), but beware of the rattlers. They do exist out there and one must be careful where they stick their foot.
Place #4: Skykomish River. The Reiter Ponds Hatchery has met it's brood stock needs, so the Reiter Ponds open to all game fish tomorrow morning at 8am. This means, no one will be fishing anywhere else on the river, and could be fair game for you to get out and fish for chromies. Just you and those pesky river spirits. Don't worry about them all they do is put a log on the riverbed where your fly is drifting or a tree that jumps 50 feet downstream to interfere with your backcast. Other than that...the only other thing you should have to worry about is anyone on a rubber floating device drinking and screaming obscenities at you. Floating lines with the traditional Summer wets are the name of the game nowadays. For a more detailed description on what I mean, check out our Fishing Report.
Place #5: Naches/American/Bumping River. The spirits here abound so beware. This lonely stretch of mountain water east of the sleeping hulk of Tahoma is excellent place to escape but not be far away from civilization. The woods are a bit creepy but the fishing is amazing, especially if you have a little 3/4 wt rod and some smaller dry flies and the fishing could be epic. Shifting light, twilight dark recesses of river channel and the whistling of a light breeze through the trees are some of the things that will greet you here along with the splash of a trout hitting the ejection seat after your size 16 red humpy. When camping that moaning you hear at night, followed by the drag-step, drag-step, sound you hear could be one of those prospector's ghosts...But as you hit high gear running for the car, tent dragging behind you, remember that you hung your waders up to dry on a tree branch, blowing in the wind....
As always. Please have a safe weekend and be respectful of others, even if they don't reciprocate.
-RB
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