So our up and down spring continues...

Well, theres not a whole lot to say besides I think were all a little sick and tired of this rain. It's officially spring, but it sure doesn't seem like it. The Yakima has been up and down, clean one day and dirty the next, but had been fishable every day until about 5 or 6 days ago. Some days we've had to work really hard for them, and some days they come a little easier. That's fishing. We've been on literally every stretch from Cle Elum to Roza over the last couple weeks before it blew out, and they were all fishing pretty well. Bobbers continue to rule, with some days bringing some good dry fly fishing. Streamer fishing, especially from the diversion up, proved effective. The typical fair, including Pats Stones, Worms in every size, shape, and color, small lightning bugs and PT's, midges, and various sculpin and zonkers have worked. As for dries, lots of patterns have worked, anything from big foam junk to realistic, low riding patterns, just depends on the day. The river is currently on the drop but still a few days out at least. 2800 cfs at Cle Elum and a little over 7000 cfs at Umtanum, cut those both in half and we'll think about fishing it again. But I imagine as soon as it comes back, BWO's and March Browns will be around. So think about tying up your Soft Hackle PT's, CDC PT's, March Brown Spiders, red and black Copper Johns, Lightning Bugs, and any of your other favorite mayfly nymphs in #12-14 for the browns and #16-18 for the BWO's. For dries, your standard March brown and BWO parachutes will work, along with some quigley style cripples and you're good to go. Just a friendly reminder, always be cautious and safe when floating the river. If you are unfamiliar with a stretch, always ask about blockages or tight spots. Even think about hiring a guide to show you a stretch and places to be careful. There are a couple of pretty tight spots on the upper river around cle elum, particularly just above and below the East Cle Elum boat launch. There are also one or two tight spots down in the farmlands. Don't hesitate to give us a call, or any shop for that matter, and ask about a particular stretch. Especially after the high water event the last week, you can guarantee some stuff has shifted around in the river, new blockages are very likely, and stretches you thought you knew can be totally different. No matter how good you are or think you are on the sticks, its always good to be prepared for what is coming. There are always a few who flip their boats, lose all their gear, and people drown on a regular basis. Don't be that guy(or gal).

Well, I'm getting out of here for the rest of the week. Sometimes the urge to leave and go fishing hits, and there's no satisfying it until you do. The Missouri is one of my all time favorite places to fish, and I try to fish it a few times a year. For those of you that have fished it, you know how good it is. For those that haven't, I highly encourage you to visit. Its just a quick hour and a half over the hill from Missoula, and being a tailwater, you can always count on stable river conditions. By no means is it peak season over there; the water is still cold, weather has been wacky, but reports are that the nymphing and streamer fishing has been avg-great depending on the day, and a little bit of midge action on the surface has made an appearance on the calmer, cloudier days. The bonus of going this time of year is it should be a lonely river, especially mid week. We should have Wi-fi, so for those of you that follow the blog, we'll try to update every night with a short report and photos of some big browns and rainbows(hopefully).

Thanks for reading

-JW

Montana Stream Access Law Preserved

You may or may not know but Huey Lewis (of The News) and other large scale landowners have been leveling attacks on Montana's Stream Access Law that designates all river corridors as public property. The point of most recent contention rests along Mitchell Slough in the Bitterroot Valley. The issue however, applies across the state and now another precedent has been set as HB309 the potential revision of the law that would have restricted angler access to many rivers was defeated in the Senate yesterday. A host of anglers in Montana and elsewhere sounded the alarm and anglers from far and wide wrote, called and showed up to express their opposition. Awesome! -BW

Read more about it here: http://ravallirepublic.com/news/local/article_73c66d67-ba62-5175-9af0-68c8f84771d0.html

Snotel

This graph lists the snow water equivalent in the mountains for this year. This gives you an assessment of the snowpack and Overall looks like we're in pretty good shape for water. I can't post the graph now here on the blog for some reason. HTML error or something? I don't know. Anyway, check it here. -BW

Yakima update: The water has been up and down and mostly brownish the last week. And cold too. Right when the Skwala dryfly fishing kicked off we had a delay of game due to inclimate weather and now the water temps are back down sub 40 degrees. The good news is she's leveled out and now dropping and clearing. So the weekend it should be well worth your attention. The dryfly game will be back next week in force. Look for about 42 degrees. The nymphing will pick back up no matter what. Rubberlegs in black, brown/tan, brown/black and olive. San Juan Worms all across the board for a dropper. Not much mayfly activity yet though the BWO's should be moving soon. Below are a two photos from a couple weeks ago, I don't know why Josh is so happy touching me but they're a couple of nice fish at least. Get to it! -BW

Dry Fly Time!

Well folks, it appears as though the time has finally come. SKWALA TIME ON THE YAK! Ok, before you get too excited there are a couple of catches. Some of our lousy weather has managed its way over to the eastside over the last few days, causing the river to rise and dirty a little bit, especially below Wilson Creek. Where will our early skwala dry fly fishing likely take place? Yes that's correct, primarily below Wilson Creek and down in the canyon. Water temps are primed, there are some bugs, and the trout are trying to look up, however it seems to us that the last few days of off color water has prevented the dry fly fishing from taking off. Can you still get 'em on a dry in dirty water? You certainly can. Will you crush 'em? Maybe, maybe not. 

So if you have been chomping at the bit for some early season dry fly fishing, well it is the time. Are the conditions as perfect as we would like? Not really for throwing the dry. If you like to nymph, then it's great. If you like to do both, that's even better. Just remember, go out with an open mind, maybe have a nymph rig as well as a dry fly rod. If your really into it, maybe a 3rd rod rigged with a streamer. Maybe nymph your spots and prospect with a dry on the go. Maybe even run a worm under your big foamy homebrew skwala, especially when fishing those skinny banks that your nymph rig always seems to hang up in.  When the conditions are less then ideal, remember to slow it down, fish smart, fish methodically, and if you aren't getting 'em, switch it up. "It" could mean a lot of things: bugs, weight, depth, water type, and the list goes on and on, but the bottom line is that the fish didn't go anywhere. Switch it up. 

Well that's our 2 cents for the day. We had a lot of folks by the shop this week headed out to the Yak this weekend. We hope you got 'em. If you didn't, maybe reading this will have you better prepared for your next outing. We'll keep you posted as conditions change.

Remember, we're running our March Madness Skwala Specials. $300 for a full day of fishing. The same as any other guide trip except you bring your own lunch. This means flies, shuttle, tippet, equipment, and your guides wisdom are included. These trips will run through the end of the month. Call us at the shop for more info.

-JW

OP and Yak Reports

So Brett made it back from the coast just before everything blew out. He bounced around on the Bogey, Hoh, and Clearwater. The weather held in, and the rivers were in great shape. Five solid days of guiding, fish hooked on the swing, fish hooked on the nymph, what more can you ask for?

As for me, I was out on Sunday with Jamie and John on the Yakima. We fished in the farmlands section, and it was perfect day around 50 degrees and barely a breath of wind. No skwala dry action to speak of yet. We didn't throw the dry on the go, though we did throw it at a couple of midge eaters to no avail. The fish are still on the stone and worm program, however they were starting to come off the worms a bit and more towards the stone. Water temps were fluctuating between 38 and 42 degrees, which is prime for the skwala nymph to become more active. There was a decent midge hatch mid-day as well. Any day now the bugs will be hatching and we'll be throwing the dry, it's just a matter of a couple warm nights to get it going. I heard a rumor of some decent dry fly activity yesterday afternoon in the canyon, so who knows, maybe it's started already, ya never know until you get out there and give it a shot. Below is John with a couple of solid yakima trout. Thanks guys for a fun day.

Bugs:

Pats Stone #10, #12

Twenty Incher #8. #10

Mercer's Skwala #10

John's Skwala #10

Worms #10, #14

WD40 Olive, Black #18

Brassie Red #18, #20

-JW

We're in the Middle of It

So as the title indicates, we're in the middle of it. Reports from the Forks area streams have been very good. The Hoh, Bogey, Sol Duc, Calawah, Queets, among others have fish throughout. Brett is over guiding in Forks for the next few days, so hopefully he'll give me up to date reports through the weekend. Our head guide Chris will be there as well. The Grays Harbor area rivers have been producing quite well too. Swinging or nymphing, the fish are there and there is plenty of fun to be had. After all that is the point right? To have fun? For me it is.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of fishing with a good buddy Andrew on a Grays Harbor area river. We've spent many days fishing together over the last few years, but the last 6 months or so have found it difficult to get out. He's a very good angler, and was rewarded on this day by hooking a good number of fish. We had a blast despite the snow, hail, rain, and 30 mph gusts blowing through. It felt like Montana in March, the weather changing every 20 minutes. Here are a couple from the day.

-JW

The Mostly Highs

WDFW just released 2011 salmon forecasts and despite the overall state of the Puget Sound being poor there are more highs than lows. It's a Humpy year folks and we're looking at another solid performance. They're calling for 6 million returning to the Sound so there'll be plenty to go around. The Chinook forecast is slightly stronger and the coho forecast is just shy of a million. The fishing can't be much weaker than last year so I'll be looking forward to that. The ever pathetic Sockeye fishery looks so-so but not enough for a fishery.

The Columbia Chinook forecast looks good too and though no numbers have been released that is an indicator of steelhead returns too so pray for another good year in the Columbia/Snake Basin, we've been spoiled lately.

Don't worry friends good weather and SPRING! is almost back and this should just get you more revved up to fish now! Read more below. -BW

WDFW NEWS RELEASE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov/

March 1, 2011

Contact: Pat Pattillo, (360) 902-2705

Strong runs of Columbia River chinook,
Puget Sound coho and pink salmon projected

OLYMPIA - Fishing prospects look bright this year for chinook in Washington’s ocean waters and the Columbia River, according to preseason salmon forecasts released today at a public meeting in Olympia.

Opportunities for anglers also look good in Puget Sound, where coho and pink salmon runs are expected to be strong this year.

Forecasts for chinook, coho, sockeye, pink and chum salmon mark the starting point for developing 2011 salmon-fishing seasons in Puget Sound, the Columbia River and Washington coastal areas. The forecasts were developed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and treaty Indian tribes.

Fishery managers have scheduled a series of public meetings over the next few weeks to discuss potential fishing opportunities before finalizing seasons in mid-April.

A meeting schedule, salmon forecasts and information about the salmon season-setting process are available on WDFW’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/northfalcon/ .

Phil Anderson, WDFW director, said department staff will work closely with tribal co-managers and constituents to develop fisheries that meet conservation objectives and provide fishing opportunities on abundant runs of wild and hatchery fish.

"We will continue to design fishing seasons that not only meet conservation goals for salmon, but also minimize impacts to other species," said Anderson. "It is important that we take into account the entire ecosystem when managing our fisheries."

Anderson noted that state budget reductions are also a factor in designing fisheries that can be managed effectively with a reduced staff. State general-fund support for WDFW was reduced by 30 percent in the current budget and is expected to drop even further over the next two years.

As in past years, salmon-fishing prospects in 2011 vary by area:

• Columbia River: About 760,000 fall chinook are expected to return to the Columbia River this season. That’s about 112,000 more chinook than last year’s return and would constitute the fifth largest run since 1948, said Cindy LeFleur, Columbia River policy coordinator for WDFW.
  More than half of the chinook forecast - about 398,000 salmon - is expected to be "upriver brights" headed to the Hanford Reach area and the Snake River. That would be the second largest run of upriver brights since 1964, when fishery managers began keeping records, said LeFleur.
  "This should be a good year for upriver brights, which provide some of the best in-river fishing opportunities for anglers," LeFleur said.
  While the chinook run is expected to be up, the forecast of 362,500 Columbia River coho is similar to last year’s projection.
  
• Washington’s ocean waters: Anglers can expect an ocean fishery for chinook and coho salmon this summer similar to that in 2010, said Doug Milward, ocean salmon fishery manager for WDFW.

"Last year, fishing was good for chinook and fair for coho," said Milward. "The number of salmon available for this summer’s ocean fishery is expected to be similar to last year, so anglers should see another good year of fishing."

Nearly 250,000 hatchery chinook are expected to return this year to the lower Columbia River. Those salmon, known as "tules," traditionally have been the backbone of the recreational ocean chinook fishery. The 362,500 coho salmon bound for the Columbia River also account for a significant portion of the ocean catch.

• Puget Sound: Coho and pink salmon returns to Puget Sound are expected to be strong this year. About 980,000 coho are forecast to return to Puget Sound streams, about 367,000 more fish than last year’s forecast.

In addition, nearly 6 million pink salmon are expected to return to Puget Sound this year. That forecast is 3 million salmon below 2009’s record return but still an abundant run, said Steve Thiesfeld, Puget Sound salmon manager for WDFW. Most pink salmon return to Washington’s waters only in odd-numbered years.

"This is shaping up to be a really good year in Puget Sound for both coho and pink salmon," said Thiesfeld, who noted that an additional 17 million pink salmon are forecast to return to Canada’s Fraser River this year. "A portion of those Fraser River fish will make their way through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the San Juan Islands boosting opportunities for Washington anglers."

Summer/fall chinook salmon returns to Puget Sound are expected to total about 243,000 fish, slightly higher than last year’s projection of 226,000. Most chinook fisheries in Puget Sound likely will be similar to last year, said Thiesfeld. However, fishing opportunities in the Green (Duwamish) River and Elliott Bay could be limited by a low forecast of wild chinook, he said.

Thiesfeld said a Lake Washington sockeye fishery is unlikely this year. The sockeye forecast is about 34,600, well below the minimum return of 350,000 sockeye needed to consider opening a recreational fishery in the lake.

State, tribal and federal fishery managers will meet March 5-10 in Vancouver, Wash., with the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) to develop options for this year’s commercial and recreational ocean chinook and coho salmon fisheries. The PFMC establishes fishing seasons in ocean waters three to 200 miles off the Pacific coast.

Additional public meetings have been scheduled in March to discuss regional fishery issues. Input from these regional discussions will be considered as the season-setting process moves into the "North of Falcon" and PFMC meetings, which will determine the final 2011 salmon seasons.

The PFMC is expected to adopt final ocean fishing seasons and harvest levels at its April 9-14 meeting in San Mateo, Calif. The 2011 salmon fisheries package for Washington’s inside waters will be completed by the state and tribal co-managers during the PFMC’s April meeting.

All Kinds of Updates and Yak Report

Just a few updates of some of the events going on here at Creekside.

-Spey Lines with Rio and Sage rep George Cook on Wednesday, February 23rd. George is kind enough to make an appearance every spring to help sort out all of the confusion surrounding spey lines. Skagit, scandi, switch, running lines, tips, and all things spey will be explained. And even if you know it all, come on down for a night that is always entertaining and full of humor.

-Introduction to Fly Fishing Classes with Dan Lemaich. This class is always a huge hit, and Dan does it only twice a year at a private lake on Camano Island. It is a one day class on Sunday, March 20th from 9AM to 3PM. He starts from square one and goes through equipment, knots, flies, casting, and hopefully by the end of the day you will be catching fish. Cost is $125.

-Introduction to Fly Tying with Brett Wedeking. Upcoming dates are March 15, 16, 17 from 6:30PM to 8:30PM. All materials are supplied, and you will leave with a good understanding of all of the basic tools and techniques required to start tying flies. You will tie a wooly bugger, elk hair caddis, parachute adams, pheasant tail, and hares ear. Cost is $80. We have a couple spots left for this class, but will be scheduling some more dates for April.

-Isaak's Ranch Private Lakes. We have our dates for this spring at Isaak's, anad they're starting to fill up quick. April 15th and 16th are full, but the 17th is wide open and May 13th has 3 spots left. If you haven't been before, just ask someone who has. It is one of the best trophy trout destinations in the northwest with trout averaging 20-22" and ranging all the way up to 30". There are two lakes, and both have profound hatches. Early dates will see primarily chironomid hatches but stripping leeches and buggers is productive as well. The May date should see some calibaetis action, mostly subsurface, but the chance of catching them on dries is certainly a possibility. Scuds, damsels, dragonflies, and more round out the action. Below are a couple of photos from last spring, the left being an average 22" lower lake fish and to the right a nice 27". Give us a call if fish like these might interest you.

Yakima Update 2-17: The fishing has remained strong with nymphs and streamers. The recent cold weather has cooled the water off a bit, ranging anywhere from 35-40 degrees on any given day. The fish are still in winter water, and seem to be pretty podded up on soft insides and slower walking speed water. When you find one, there are usually more. Look for a few warm nights to get the skwalas going. The nymphs are definately moving around a bit, but nothing much to speak of yet on the surface. Same bugs as the last report except bring some midges, especially on the upper river. Below is a nice upper river rainbow on a warm sunny day last week. 

We are offering our "March Madness" trips on the Yakima. Like the name suggests, these trips will run through the end of March. Included is a full day float for 1 or 2 anglers, flies, equipment, your guide, and all of his wisdom. You will bring your own lunch. Cost is $300. Split that between you and a buddy and you're talkin' $150 bucks a piece for a full day guided trip. Take advantage of great early spring fishing on the Yakima, it truly is the best time of the year to catch the larger fish of the river, and not to mention the Skwala dry fishing is right around the corner. Give us a call at the shop to book your trip!

Yakima 2-8

The Yak is fishing quite well at the moment. Water temps are ranging from 38-42 degrees at the moment, and the nymph and streamer bite has been very good. We saw our first two skwala adults of the year in the Farmlands section, and had a couple of trout eat our thingamabobbers, and oddly enough they were the hot pink ones. We threw a dry for a short while, but failed to rise any trout.

Above, a nice healthy bow that fell to a Sculpin that may or may not have been dead drifted... Fish like these are very typical of spring fishing on the Yakima. Remember, water temps are still cold, so adjust your style of fishing and the type of water you fish accordingly. 

We're just a short while away from what should be a great spring Skwala season. As soon as the water temps bump another couple degrees and flows drop, trout on dry flies should be going on. In the meantime, nymphing should continue to produce, especially with the higher than normal flows for this time of year.

We'll be back on the water tomorrow with another report to follow.

Best Bugs:

Pats Stone (variety of colors) #8-12

San Juan Worms (Red, Pink, Wine) #10, #16

Sculpzilla (Olive, Natural, White) #2, #6

Weir's Sculpin #4

FB Pheasant Tail #18, #20

WD-40 #18, 20

-JW

Winter Steelhead

So hopefully this will be the first post of many in 2011 that gives you, the reader, a look into the fishing expeditions of the staff and guides here at Creekside. We are always out fishing, whether it be for Steelhead, the Yakima for Trout, or a Puget Sound Beach for Sea-Run Cutts. We'll try to update this weekly, giving the most up to date conditions, flies, and techniques used. So here goes the first of '11.

Since all of our local Puget Sound rivers are now closed to Steelhead fishing, our options are limited to either the Olympic Peninsula's coastal rivers or the Columbia tributaries east of the mountains. All complaining aside, we are fortunate to be just a few hours drive away from Forks, where numerous rivers within a 50 mile radius harbor some of the best runs of native Winter Steelhead in the lower 48.

A buddy and I had a couple days off during this last week, so we packed the truck and boat and headed west. We had a few good days of weather, so all of the rivers were in great shape, and reports from a variety of sources told us that there were plenty of native fish throughout all of the systems.

We floated a couple of rivers over 3 days, and found plenty of fish. The water temperatures ranged from 37-39 degrees, and the weather varied from bright, sunny, and 50 degrees to an outright downpour, which is to be expected in this part of the state. Here are a few pictures of some fish we were able to put our hands on.

Pardon the cheesy grip and grin shots, we'll try for some more well-rounded photos in the next entry, but after all we've never claimed to be professional photographers.

This is the time of year all steelheaders look forward to. Battling high, cold water and ever changing weather conditions in search of these fish can be tough, but sometimes it all comes together and the results are well worth it. If your new to the game, get in touch with us. Our head guide Chris Senyohl has guided these rivers for 15+ years, and knows them as well as anyone in the northwest. He guides strictly on the Forks area rivers from February through mid April. We also have a few other trusted guides we can put you in touch with.

Until the next report, thanks for reading

-JW

More Evidence Farmed Fish Harm Wild Fish

Check out this Wild fish Conservancy video produced up on Vancouver Island. The evidence all over the globe, including here in Puget Sound, is mounting that net pens and farmed fish are a major culprit in the decline of anadromous fish populations. Boooo net pens. B

Winston

We have a limited amount of new Winstons, the Passport, GVX, BIIX Spey, BIIIX. They are cranking them out of the factory as fast as they can so if you want one get it soon because no one knows when more will be available as they are very popular. Come down and cast one and fall in love. B

Temple Dog

No, not the band. That's Temple of the Dog, with Eddie Vedder and Chris Cornell. I'm talking about the weird, furry critter from Tibet that has great properties for trout and steelhead streamer patterns. Well, anyway we now have a reliable supplier of the stuff and hence are stocking it in a variety of tasty colors. Stop by and check it out. -BW

Fish Skulls

Since we're beginning 6 months of straight rain you'll be tying lots of flies. So you should come in and check out Fish Skulls. It's basically a metal helmet for your fly and the added bonus of cool, prismatic eyes. We have them in different colors and sizes. They will make your flies look cool, especially if your thread heads don't look so pretty. -BW

Gande Ronde

Just got off the river for 5 days. Fishing well over all. Only one day with no fish. Skaters, Small wets, bigger stinger flies or tubes. It's all working pretty well right now. No one was roping 10 a day but hitting 1-5 was common. Busy with anglers but not crazy crowded. Water temp was steady about 57 in the daytime. Little bit of rain in the forecast this week should be good for moving fish around as long as it doesn't pour. Air temps look stable too so get to getting. -BW

Steelhead Scandi

Hot off the presses, we just received some of the new Rio Steelhead Scandi lines. This is billed as the be all end all summer, floating line. It's based on the specs of John Hazel's ACE Vision line that everyone loves so much but no cutting and splicing. Instead just add water. Come and get it. -BW

Wenatchee

As of Monday the 13th the Wenatchee is still slow. Johnny and I floated Cashmere to the mouth, swinging floating lines and tips and a little nymphing and neglected to hook any fish. Well, that's not true, Johnny roped a squaw and I landed a couple small rainbows but... It's still early though in the scheme of things and traditionally the Wenatchee doesn't pick up until the end of the month. But you know what I'll take 80 degrees and sunny, floating down a river any day! -BW

Steel-trout

The Methow and Wenatchee opened yesterday. Yes, for steelhead fishing. This is not a guaranteed season every year so take advantage of it while you can. Go angle. We have the flies, leaders and the rest of it to give you the excuse to go. Do it! - BW

A free flowing Elwha? Finally? Maybe?

The Elwha may finally be a free flowing river again... I mean sure they've been saying that since I was wee lad, just learning to fly-fish with pops on the Greenwater. But they actually gave the contract to a Montana Firm to remove the two dams that have wrecked the salmon runs on the Elwha. They say maybe in 30 years the run could recover....

Fantastic. Here's the link to the article in the Seattle Times.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012733909_elwha27m.html

Feed Fish Flies, Not Plastic

-RB

Flatlined on Flat Creek.

So I know I promised you a Juan report in my last blog post but unfortunately I did not make it down to the Juan before I left Durango two days ago for Jackson Hole.

Why didn't I fish the Juan? The weekend we were going to head down there we caught wind that the entire state of Texas had just descended upon the river and began their convulsive rowing of circles through Texas Hole because some guy told them of a 10lb Brown he had seen brush past his fly two years previous. We decided to skip the show of 10-gallon black hats, never before used Cabelas waders, and hearing "Golly!" and "Y'all see that one?!" once every 25 seconds, to fish the Animas. And slay fish we did. Hopper + caddis nymph dropper = mega fish. Keep that in mind if you decide to sneak out of Washington and fish Colorado during steelhead season.

I, once again, digress. My first day back I went right for the throat of fishing in Jackson. That's right I went right after Flat Creek. Good 'Ole Flat Creek. Dirty, rotten no good son of a....ahem. Sorry about that.

The fishing was slow (as it usually is. If you don't have patience or like to work for your fish. Go fish the Buffalo Fork.) but I got into 6 fish. Unfortunately none of them were monstrous. The biggest was 20 and it took a size 22 grey RS2 that was trailing along behind a Red Turk's Tarantula. Most of the other fish were taken on an assortment of smaller, green bodied hoppers as well as one on a black marabou leech with red and green flashabou tied back from the head the length of the body.

From what I could gather talking to some other fly-fisherpeople (I say people because a few were women...no need to discriminate by saying fisherman.) Hoppers, Quigley Cripples, red and green bodied Turk's Tarantulas, leeches and midge patterns were catching fish sporadically throughout the day.

With Flat Creek you know it always depends on what the fish is feeling like at the moment your fly goes by. Flat Creek trout are definite drama queens. You got to cater to their needs. And no...you cannot use explosives.

Ahhhhh...It's good to be back in Jackson.

Feed Fish Flies, Not Plastic

-RB

SPEY DAZE VOL. V

Yes, this Saturday, August 14th on the Snoqualmie River at the bridge in Fall City. Festivities kick off at 9am and go most of the day. Mostly we will be just hanging out casting rods and lines but there will be a few choice presentations through the day you'll want to check out. Loosely it looks like this

Charles St. Pierre-Spey Casting Fundamentals and the new cast the "T-Poke" 10am

George Cook-Switch Rods and Northwest Style Casting 1130am

Aaron Reimer-Myths of Spey Casting 1pm

We will have coffee and donuts in the morning until it's gone. Lots of gear to check out from Sage, Echo, Redington, Winston, Scientific Anglers, Airflo, Rio and even Simms, the stuff that keeps you dry and comfy while your fishing your spey rod.

See you there. BW

Want to buy normal flows...

So you know that issue you Washingtonians were having earlier this summer with rivers being blown out and the fishing being near impossible? Yeah...welcome to monsoon season in Durango. Wicked violent thunderstorms in the morning, afternoon, night...yeah they come out of nowhere, drop like 3 inches of rain in 25 minutes and turn the Animas into the color of a red Crayola Crayon. So yeah...but at least we have the Juan. Oh? Was that a low blow? So sorry.

Anyway, Brett informs me that I should continue to write on this here fancy internet, blog doohickey because he is too lazy...err...I mean busy, right busy, to do so. So you will get a steady stream of me from now on. This is your fair warning to go read something else. No? Well you can't say I didn't warn you.

Since I won't be fishing the Juan until this weekend (oh ho! The hits just keep coming!) I will just pleasure you with some more places to fish this summer.

1. Elk Creek, Colorado: This is on my "to do" list, in the numero uno position (for those of you that don't speak Spanish, that means the number uno). This was featured in Fly-Fisherman a couple months back. You know, it's Rocky Ford on steroids. The creek is literally 15 feet wide in places and holds browns up to 8lbs in it. You hike into the meadow sections and fish terrestrials, midges and I was told...*gasp*...that a San Juan worm in purple would work. Once I get the time off I will definitely be heading to this place and so should you...I mean it only took me 22 hours to get here from Cle Elum and that was with a sidetrip to Jackson Hole on the way down...

2. Flat Creek, Jackson Hole: Hey guess what?! Flat Creek opened up on the first of August! Want to fish for jumbo cutty's with giant elk breathing down your neck just north of scenic Jackson Hole? Yes...yes you do. I would wait...oh about 7.65 more days though. Why wait you ask? Because that is when the 512 people that slept in their cars on July 30th to get out on the creek at midnight will actually decide it is time to take a shower, shave and stop slapping the water with every fly on God's green earth. My tips...use a red wire San Juan worm, midges, spinner cripples and yes...even a black wooley bugger or leech pattern has had success in tricking these giant fish of legend.

3. Green River, Flaming Gorge, Utah: I mentioned in the earlier post right down there that I stopped here on the way up to Jackson and just hammered fish, well...apparently you can tie on some big new fangled foam fly the size of a chicken (ok maybe a small rodent, sue me for exaggerating) and catch fish. I have only that one experience to go on, but I may go back. Alright, alright! I will go back...sheesh...you people are so touchy. Hey! Put that down! I said I was going back. Terrestrials, chernobyls, stones, assorted nymphs, including a SJ worm...should do the trick. Fish near the dam or if you have a boat do the float...there are assorted access points all downriver from the dam as well for you poor folks like me who have to rely on wading to fish.

And on that note. I am going to end this now with the promise of a Juan update after this weekend. I don't know when...I don't know how...but it will happen. This is more assured than steelhead actually not being mythical. Until that happens.

Feed Fish Flies, Not Plastic

RB

A report from Jackson Hole...

So...I went up to Jackson Hole this past weekend to visit a friend and do some fishing/look for work (which coincidentally involved fishing...for the most part.) The fishing was unbelievable and so too was the job market. It appears I will be going back to freezing my bum off in the winter, keeping warm by tying flies and drinking Snake River Brewing's finest, and most likely counting down the days until the ice on the river thins enough to sink a nymph through.

Oh by the way. The Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam was on fire. I stopped for about an hour on the way up from Durango and hammered some very large fish on a very large black Chernobyl pattern.

Anyway, I digress, as I was saying the fishing in Jackson was ridiculous. I fished the Buffalo Fork and the Snake near Wilson. 20+ fish all on dries. Yellow Sallies (yes, there is that fly again. I tell you it works, use it) size 18-20 Mahogany Cripples, beetles, ants and hoppers were the name of the game. I fished mainly the Yellow Sally with the Cripple trailing behind going "too-lah-roo-la-roo-la" Then. WHAM! A fish would slam it with the force of one of those hurricane-type thingy's they have down south.

The Snake is somewhat wade-able, it definitely would be way easier from a boat, but still doable with your own legs. It was at around 4000 CFS but it braids all through the Park and around Jackson, which means just pick a tasty looking side channel and have at it. The Buffalo Fork is easily waded at the moment but the reason I left the isolation of that river was due to a Grizzly deciding to join me for some early morning dry fly action. I hadn't realized up to that point that I could walk on water. Had I known that I wouldn't have bothered with wading boots....

Anyway. I would say it's time to travel. The fishing has been as hot as the weather here in the landlocked, anadromous-free, trout filled states of Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico. Stop in at the Creekside shop on the way out here, load up on some flies, leaders and maybe some bear spray (it doesn't really work, especially if you spray yourself but still, you just never know) brag to Brett about where you're going and don't forget the Rainier.

WhyRainier you ask? Why to pay me for this top-notch information...

Feed Fish Flies, Not Plastic

RB

I have officially hijacked this blog

So. Since Brett has failed at updating the blog since June. I take this over with a list of things to do with the rest of your summer. Oh yes...I am back.

First things first. Fishing should be your top priority. Your significant other be damned...that 500 mile backpacking trip you should complete in three days according to her...forget about it. I have much better plans.

1. The Juan. Aka the San Juan. As always should be tops on the list. I mean comon'...where else can you hook 20+ fish that are 18+ inches in 4 hours on 5x tippet and a size 20 zebra midge? No where! That's right...no where. Just do it. (yes I stole that from Nike, get over it.) Use either a zebra midge or a Skintilla....Skintilla equals a size 20 chocolate colored bubbleback midge...it's like 5 wraps of brown thread with a silver wire rib and a small glass bead. You will slay fish all day. Promise.

2. The Yak. Yes if you wish to stay closer to home well....fish a hopper. Should be amazing right now as it usually is. I have heard that in the summer if you fish a Yellow Sally you can slay fish, but that is just a rumor that has been disputed by many. (However with my 20+ years experience fishing the upper portion...it works...just sayin'.)

3. The South Fork of the Flathead. Sure you have to drive 50 miles up a dirt road. Sure it is in Montana. Pretty sure you will hammer fish and quite possibly a really large bull trout if you get lucky. But I mean...it is sooooooo far. Just say...Hey! It's wilderness...there will be no one around to see you get ignored by me completely. Well maybe don't say that, but you catch my drift.

4. Yellowstone National Park. Ok so you can drop her/him off at civilization and book it for the Lamar, Slough, Yellowstone, Blechler and if you feel real frisky, you can just hike/horseback ride the 50 miles (I recommend the use of a horse) into the Thoroughfare area of the park. It is the largest road less area in the continental US, but trust me the fishing is totally worth it. Big fish...spawning....you will cry from pure joy fishing there. Also...go to Tower Falls...hike the steep trail to the river...fish there...you will not be disappointed. Trust me. That was my spot...you share it with the bears and elk....And that is it. Oh and the fishing is awesome too.

5. Harass Brett. He may pretend he hates it and sure he is a bit uppity, but I mean...can you get better fishing info from anyone but Brett, Dan, Johnny or Pete...I mean Keith is a longshot but still. Harass and garner info from a nice comfy shop in Izzy. Can't get any better than that right? Well on second thought...

My hijack of the thread is over. Enjoy the summer and hopefully Brett decides to update the blog more than once a month after this.

Feed Fish Flies, Not Plastic.

RB

PS: I have been slaying fish on the Animas here in Durango on the Wier Sculpin...so Brett may actually know what he is doing...