Fly-Tying 101: Receiving Total Consciousness, #3 The Dali Llama

However you have seen the fly spelled, and there have been a multitude of spellings. The Dali Llama, Dolly Lama, Dalai Llama, etc. It's all the same fly. A simplistic concoction of rabbit fur and flashabou tied to a hook with a jumbo conehead that just catches fish, well, pretty much everywhere. I have used it with success chasing big bows in Alaska, Wyoming, Colorado, Washington, Montana, and Oregon. And every time you tell others what you are using to a fellow fly-fisherman, it almost always requires you to channel a little Spackler.

"The flowing robes, the grace, bald....striking. So, I'm on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one - big hitter, the Lama - long, into a ten-thousand foot crevasse, right at the base of this glacier. Do you know what the Lama says? Gunga galunga... gunga, gunga-lagunga." Carl Spackler- Caddyshack

In the fly-fishing world there are a few flies that are big hitters. The Adams, MOAL Leeach, Wooley Bugger, Ice Cream Cone, and Hare's Ear all come to mind as staples in every fisherman's box. This fly should be added to that collection. It catches trout, bass, steelhead and salmon. So tie one up, tie it on and go angle with it. And remember when you catch a fish, to repeat the following, "In the immortal words of Jean Paul Sartre, 'Au revoir, fish'." Fly-tying victim #3, The Dali Llaaaaaaama.

 Supply List:

Hook: Gamakatsu B10S #2-4 (Both front shank and for trailer hook)

Thread: 140 UTC or 3/0 Uni, match color to base rabbit

Head: Nickel Conehead, Jumbo sized

Body: Crosscut Rabbit, any color

Tail: Rabbit Strip, same color as crosscut

Second Tail: Rabbit Strip, any color

Wing: Saltwater Flashabou, Pearl

Articulated Attachment: Backing #20-40, preferably gel-spun

Step 1: Slide the cone on the hook. Slide the backing between the conehead and hook shank, through the eye of the hook and back through the conehead. Tie down with thread and Zap-A-Gap.  Pinch backing, slide through trailer hook eye, pull loop over the bend of the hook and pull it tight. Set length of trailer by pulling tag end of backing through the eye until you achieve desired length, tie down tag end to front hook, glue.

Step2: Wrap thread around the trailer hook. Tie rabbit strip that matches the crosscut color you have decided to use on the underside of the hook shank of the trailer hook. Wrap near the bend of the hook 5-6 times, pull tight, then avoiding wrapping over the fur, wrap the thread along the shank to the eye, give 4 tight wraps and whip finish.

Step 3: Run the rabbit strip along the backing. (Some guys will thread the backing through the rabbit strip as well, but this way is less time consuming. Either way is effective.) Tie in rabbit strip at the bend of the front hook and glue.  Tie in crosscut, glue the shank and wrap forward to the back of the conehead, tie off.  

Step 4: Tie in a different colored rabbit strip, cut so that it is just slightly shorter then your articulated hook, making sure that it is directly opposite of the trailing hook gap.  Tie in two pieces of flashabou on each side of the fly. Whip finish and viola!

Color Schemes: The most popular colors are Olive/White, Black/White, Purple/Pink, and Pink/White.  But much like the MOAL you can create any type of color combination you would like. I like the Baby Blue/Purple personally but remember there is a reason Olive/White and Black/White are sold in fly-shops.  They are the best color combos.

Where it Fishes: This fly fishes pretty much everywhere.  I have used it in Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Utah, Washington, Oregon, etc. I know they work in BC as well as on the Olympic Penninsula for steelhead and trout on the Yakima.  You can change the sizes around to match where you want to fish and have at it. And remember:

"So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness." So I got that goin' for me, which is nice."

As I stated earlier, all the posts regarding our tying will also be followed up on our tying page via our website. You can go there and see previous flies by clicking, Creekside Tying Page.

Feed Fish Flies, Not Toxins

-RB

Catch Magazine Issue #20

The latest issue of Catch Magazine, one of our favorite online rags (Can you still call it a rag? Whatever, we are.) just released their latest endeavors and as usual is phenomenal. You can check it out here.Catch Magazine.

In other news, the initiative to ban the proposed Pebble Mine passed, however the State of Alaska is now suing to have it invalidated. Read up on that here. Epic Fail.

Dolly season is starting on the Sauk and Skagit. So come in and get some info, flies and gear to prepare for that as it starts to pick up steam.

Feed Fish Flies, Not Toxins.
-RB

How to Survive the Zombieapocalypse

Apparently there is a Zombieapocalypse in our future. It's so close that even the CDC has published a Zombie Survival Guide.  I mean the chances of a Zombieapocalypse actually happening are probably less then nil, but around Febraury here in the Pacific Northwest, a lot of us do start to look like this.

Must. Get. Out. Of. The. House. Rivers...blown...out. Agggghhhhh, Braaaaaiiiiiiinsss.

Also this could happen if the proposed Pebble Mine gets approved. I almost guarantee that will result in some sort of Zombie type apocalypse. What does this have to do with fishing you ask. Well I shall tell you. In the event of a Zombieapocalypse, the fish will most likely turn too. You know, kind of like what the Pinks look like, only worse. So how do you keep safe during this impending doom? We have the answer here at Creekside.

"I. Know. Fly. Fishing. Like...Whoa!"

For the month of November we are offering a deal that will help you be better prepared for those zombie changing months of winter here in the Pacific Northwest. If you come in and buy one the rods you see young master Keanu holding, better known as the new Sage One series. We will throw in a Scientific Anglers GPX or Sharkskin fly line for free. Yes that's right! Free! Nothing will help you survive the Zombieapocalypse better then the One's graphite technology that leads to highly accurate long casts. It is their most accurate rod and one of the smoothest casting rods I have ever used. And with a top notch fly-line the rod will then be complete. So all silliness aside let's recap:

If you buy a new Sage One fly-rod, we will throw in a SA GPX or Sharkskin fly-line for free. That's an $80 value, free!

This deal will last the entire month of November or until supplies last. So come on down, try one out and stock up for the upcoming months of fly-tying, steelheading and rain. Get the boomstick of fly-fishing and use it's accuracy to slay some zombies...err...fish.

Feed Fish Flies, Not Toxins.
-RB

Disclaimer: The Sage One is not guaranteed to actually impede zombies, vampies, werewolves, aliens, disgruntled spouses, or any other supernatural creature. Deal runs through November 30th or until fly-line supplies last.

Ice, Ice, Baby. Fly-Tying 101: #2 Ice Nymph

A lot of today's flies are regional. They tend to only exist in certain locations, mainly because people who guide/fish in those regions are told this is what works here by people like, well, me. After spending a summer guiding in Southwest Colorado, on rivers like the Juan, Animas, Gunnison, Florida, etc. I picked up flies that I hadn't seen before that worked really well. This ice nymph is one of them. I use the blue on the Yakima in a size 18 and caught a lot of fish. Surprising because I was told by multiple people that it only works in Colorado/Utah/Wyoming. HAH! Well it works here too. So here we go with our second victim of the week. The Ice Nymph, no not those little white haired chicks you see in fairy tales and bad B movies, but the little nymph that sparkles in the water. You can tie the body in any number of colors, but for this exercise it will be in blue.

 

Supply List:

Hook: Daichi 1150 #16-22

Thread: 8/0 Black

Tail: Black Saddle Hackle Fibers

Body: Holographic Flashabou, Blue

Rib: Silver Ultra Wire, Brassie

Thorax: Black Ice Dub

Head: Black Cyclops Bead, Mini

Step 1: Slide bead on to the hook. Wrap the thread back over the shank to attach it, cut excess tag off. Wrap back evenly to bend so the thread builds an even body base layer. Cut off a clump of hackle fibers, tie in at the bend butt first. You want the tail fibers to be about as long as the hook shank. 

Step 2: Tie in ultra wire under between the hook gap at the bend. Cut 2-3 pieces of flashabou, tie in flashabou right where you tied in the tail fibers. Wrap the flashabou forward to right behind the bead head, tie off. Wrap the ultra wire forward in the same direction you see in the photo above.

Step 3: Tie in a dubbing loop. Place a pinch of the ice dub into the loop and spin. Wrap the dubbing from where you tied in the wire and flashabou, forward to the bead. Tie off the loop, cut the excess, whip finish, and you are finished.

Colors: You can tie this fly in multiple colors. Keep the tail and ice dub black and just swap out which flashabou color you are using. Purple, Olive, Pearl, Blue, Red, Root Beer, Pink, and Lime Green are some of the colors you could try. I prefer the Holographic Flashabou, but the normal stuff works just as well.

Where it Fishes: This fly fishes for trout in multiple applications. It works on rivers in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana, but for those of you looking for it to work closer to home. I have used this fly on the Yakima with extreme success, especially dropped below a stonefly nymph like a Pat's. It will work on the Snoqualmie Forks, Cedar, Greenwater and other rivers where a BWO hatch is fairly prevalent. The smaller sizes would probably also work on the Ford.

As I stated earlier, all the posts regarding our tying will also be followed up on our tying page via our website. You can go there and see previous flies by clicking, Creekside Tying Page.

Until next time.

Feed Fish Flies, Not Toxins.

-RB

Moooooaaaaal. Fly-tying 101: #1 The Moal Leech

For some reason Fly-fishing is along the same lines as today's electronic craze. Everyone rushes out to grab the newest fangled device because somehow it will improve your daily life. "I just got this iPhone 5GSTX. It's amazing! It tells me when I should actually communicate with another human being...in person..." Anyway...fly-fishing is the same way. New flies, lines, rods, waders, jackets, dynamite, err...I mean...nets, yes nets. When they come out someone has to have it. This doesn't happen as much with other items as it does flies. I believe "A River Runs Through It" summarizes it best. He tied on some new fangled fly the size of a chicken and heaved it out there. New flies make appearances throughout the year and when they do people always want them.

Sometimes newer isn't better but we are starting a new blog tradition here at Creeky. Twice a week we will be choosing a fly and giving instructions on how to tie it up, how to fish it and where to use it. So let us proceed with our first victim, the Moal Leech. You will probably need two vices for this fly or if you have an articulated attachment for your vice ignore that.

Materials:
Thread 6/0, 3/0- color matches the front crosscut color
Zap-a-Gap
Backing 20-50lb (Gel Spun works best for the threading)
Crosscut Rabbit Strips (Many color combos, which we will dive into)
Flashabou- Multiple colors, personal favorites are Holographic pearl, blue, purple and red
Gamakatsu Octopus Hooks #2
Gamakatsu B10S #1-4
Large Coneheads- Silver, black, pink, or orange
Optional: Lead wire, Schlappen, Guinea, Beer (preferably Rainier)

Step 1: Place vice on table....Ok I keed, I keed. Seriously though put the vice on the table. Take the Gama B10S hook, slide conehead onto hook, run backing through back of conehead to the eye, feed the backing through the eye and then back through the front of the conehead. Tie down your thread and over the two pieces of backing. Zap-a-Gap the shank and let it dry for a minute.

Step 2: Pinch the backing and thread it through the Gama Octo Hook, pull that loop through and over the hook bend and pull it tight. Set your fly length by taking the tag end of the backing (the one not glued to the shank already). Once you have determined your length, run that tag back to the hook, tie it down with thread and Zap-a-Gap.

Step 3: Choose your crosscut color combo. We generally like pink/purple, blue/black, purple, black, etc. I will get into those later. After you chose your color. Zap-a-Gap the backing, pinch the crosscut onto the backing just in front of the trailing hook eye, and wrap forward, crosscut fibers angling towards the back of the fly, pinching down each wrap to secure the crosscut via the Zap-a-Gap. If you are doing a dual colored fly follow the instructions in 3b. If not, wrap all the way to the conehead gluing the shank periodically.
           Step 3b:  Once you get one wrap on the shank, pinch it down, cut it, and tie back over the crosscut a bit with the thread. Add your next color, making sure you are wrapping it the same way, tie it down, hit it with some glue and wrap forward to the conehead.

Step 4: Cut the excess rabbit off, tie it down with a few wraps of thread. Take your Flashabou, cut 3-5 strands out, tie it on one side of fly, trim so it is the same length as the fly. Repeat this process on the other side.

Step 5: Take some rabbit from your front color, pull the hairs off the strip, and dub it on your thread. Wrap tight to the conehead, whip finish and trim. Cut the front hook at the crosscut wrap with a pair of metal cutters. Your fly is read to fish.

Options: There are a multitude of color combinations and optional things you can do with this fly, which is what makes it one of the most versitile flies on the market today. You can fish it for winter steel, summer steel, trout, bass and salmon. You can change the length of the fly by changing the length of your backing. You can swap out the dubbing with guinea or schlappen and give it more contrast. Some guys slide a bead above the trailing hook and wrap crosscut around that. The options are endless.

Popular Colors: Purple/Pink, Red/Orange, Black, Purple, Black/Blue, Olive, White, Flesh/Red, Purple/Baby Blue, Cerise/Pink, Pink.  You can basically decide what colors you want and make them your own.

This fly is super simple to tie and has so many applications it would be a folly to not at least, have some in your box, especially you steelheaders.

We also have a fly-tying page on our site where you will be able to peruse this info at your own leisure, considering we are updating the blog a lot more frequently now and I know scrolling down is taxing... You can go here to find it Fly-Tying Corner

Until next time.
Feed Fish Flies, Not Toxins
-RB

Skip Morris Tying Seminar

On Tuesday December 13, Skip Morris (author of ten fly-fishing and -tying books

including FLY TYING MADE CLEAR AND SIMPLE, WESTERN RIVER HATCHES, and TROUT FLIES FOR RIVERS to name but a few) will return to our shop to conduct a 2 ½-hour tying/fishing
clinic. The title of the clinic is "Tying and Fishing Flies for Mayfly Hatches," and that pretty much says it.



Skip will provide you a handout with dressings and photos of the flies and information on the major mayfly hatches of the West. During the clinic he will switch from a Powerpoint presentation to tying (with a videocamera and a television to really show what he's doing) and back throughout the evening. The
photos show the insects and the imitations as Skip explains how the hatches work and how to fish the flies effectively. During the tying segments you'll see his technique close up projected on a screen from video camera live. Skip's been performing and polishing photo/tying clinics for years and they're very effective learning tools and entertaining.

Ask questions, take notes, enjoy the show.



Clinic starts at 6pm. Cost is $35 per person and space is limited. Please call Issaquah @ 425-392-3800 for more info or to sign up.

The Up, UP and AWAY: Winter Destination Post

The Pacific Northwest is renowned for it's lovely winter weather. If your definition of lovely is wet, cold, dark, foggy and did I mention wet? For most of us (I exclude myself from that generalization due to RSA otherwise known as Rampant Steelhead Addiction) the only things that consider that weather lovely are sasquatch, vampires, werewolves and the common mixture of all three otherwise known as a steelhead addict. For those of you that feel like this cat come January:

 

I know exactly what you are thinking right now. That cat has about as much chance of  landing dry as Paul Wulff has of keeping his job. Anyway I digress. We were talking of places to get away to.  Here at Creekside we do our best to cure the mid-winter blues by offering an ever expanding selection of getaways. Some to warmer inclines, others may just be a short jaunt away from the snarl that becomes Seattle to chase fish, drink some beer and have a general hoot of a time, eh? Here are some places we offer to get you out of the house and away from those chores, watching the Seahawks, tying 40 dozen size 18 elk hairs, etc

North Andros Fly-Fishing: Bonefish, Permit, Tarpon, Snappers, Cudas, etc. It's warm, it's friendly, and it is called the bonefishing capital of the world for a reason. Between the guides and the accommodations, nothing melts away months of a cold Northwest winter then Mai Tai's and sandy beaches.

Andros South: Bonefish, bonefish and more bonefish. This place has it all and if you ever get tired of bonefishing (pfft...yeah right...like that would happen) you can go explore on some hikes to see lakes and cays around the lodge. The guides here can work with anyone and ensure that your experience is one to be remembered.

Turneffe Flats Resort: Looking for a place to get out to in the winter but your significant other won't let you go without taking her? This is the perfect place for both of you. You can go chase permit, bonefish, tarpon while he/she goes diving, swimming, Eco tours, etc. The perfect mid-winter vacation for both of you.

Fly-Fish New Orleans, Redfish Charters: Jumbo Redfish on the fly, guides that have fished the area for 20+ years, New Orleans. Need I say more? Didn't think so.

Flygal Adventures: BC Winter runs. With April Vokey and company. You've seen all her fish pics right? She knows what she is doing and so do her fellow guides. Every steelhead addict wants to fish BC for steelhead, myself included. I know it won't be very warm, but it's BC for steelhead and it gets you the heck out of the house. I think you can deal.

OP Steel with Troy Dettman: So one a little closer to home that won't cost you an arm and a leg to travel to. For true steelhead addicts the Olympic Peninsula is as close to BC steel as you can get. Yes, it will be cold and most likely rainy and if you're not careful you could be some tweeny hearthrobs lunch, it's totally worth it for jumbo chromers. Troy knows his stuff and you might even get to fish with me. Yeah, yeah. I'm not as pretty as April but what I lack in looks I make up for in wit...I think. 

If you are looking for the ejection seat for mid-winter, give us a call or drop on in and we can get your getaway rolling. Whatever your heart desires, even if it's just a trout trip on the Yakima we can do that too. We promise you won't end up like that cat above if you get out to one of these places, but if you stay at home this winter....who knows....

Feed Fish Flies, Not Toxins

-RB

The "Albums that Make Driving to Fish Enjoyable" Post

Between driving all over the state to steelhead and commuting back and forth over the pass 4 days a week, I have been blowing through my iPod's substantial music storage.  It got me thinking (since we have nothing new to report that you haven't already heard) some of the best albums to crank while driving to your favorite locales.  These are generally best used to drown out your buddies incessant mumbling about having to wake up at 3:30am and pay for gas, the ring of your cell phone because your significant other or boss has called 40 times wondering why you aren't home to rake the leaves or at your box finishing those TPS reports, or your attempt to break up the monotony that is driving to fish. 

So here are my top albums to listen to while driving to fish. 

Steelheading Trips: Whether I am driving to the Grand Ronde, OP, Klickitat or "insert steelhead destination here", I tend to listen to music that is more melancholic most likely preparing me for the myth that is Steelhead and what I am more likely to catch. Rain, fish that hang just to the left/right/up/down of where I cast and fellow fisherman babbling incoherently about the way it used to be and/or the one that got away that was absolutely huge (it was actually a whitefish or minnow but their current state of mind refuses to allow them to compute that fact), more rain, vampires, werewolves, a rainier stealing Sasquatch, etc. Anyone who steelheads knows the pain of it all too well. Also, Metallica at 3:30am just isn't my cup of tea even it does drown out the babbling of my fishing partner who claims he has caught fish on dead drifted dry flies in January and that it is the only "true way" to fish for steelhead. Whatever, maybe I will turn on Metallica.

1. Arcade Fire "The Suburbs" and "Neon Bible"
2. Sister Hazel "Fortress"
3. Kings of Leon "Come Around Sundown"
4. Pink Floyd "Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd"
5. Brad Paisley "American Saturday Night" (Play this to scare away the vampires, trust me they are hippy vampires and country music makes them burst into flames, just sayin.)

Trout Fishing: Since I live in Cle Elum driving to trout fishing doesn't normally take an extensive amount of my day before I am on the river but when I travel back to Jackson Hole, Durango or Montana I have certain music that keeps me awake the entire 12-20 hours it takes to arrive at my destination. I honestly have no rhyme or reason to my musical choices on these trips, in fact I generally just put the iPod on shuffle and let it roam free, but eventually I do decide to find an album and go with it. I have rules associated with music played driving to trout fish.
Rule #1. Lady Googa or whatever her name is, is not allowed on the radio or in any conversation Exception: The Lonely Island song with Justin Timberlake from SNL.
Rule #2. A Prince or Michael song can only be played once a trip. If you attempt to break this rule you risk being left in the middle of nowhere without a cell phone or sleeping bag.
Rule #3. Whining about the music will only cause it to get louder until your babbling can no longer be heard.

1. The National "Terrible Love"
2. Gorillaz "Plastic Beach"
3. Led Zeppelin "BBC Sessions"
4. Metallica "Black Album"
5. The Mountain Goats "Tallahassee"

Ok. So you have some of the music that I listen to while travelling to fishing locales. I could have thrown in Iron and Wine, Mumford and Sons, Various Country Artists, LCD Soundsystem, etc. But those are the most listened to albums on my iPod. Oh, and if you are ever in Alaska, and on a Beaver, I recommend something loud like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs or Megadeth. It helps cut out the drone of the airplane.

I would be interested in seeing what y'all's choices are for this. Comment below with your choices or on the Facebook page when this shows up. Also you can tell me my musical choices suck or belong to a crazy person or whatever. It's completely fine, I won't hold it against you...much.

Until next time.
Feed Fish Flies, Not Toxins
-RB

Yakima River Report: Carpet Bomb Edition

Young Frank and I joined the flotilla army on the Yakima River Canyon yesterday for some guiding. We were two of about 40 boats, carpet bombing the entire region with a mixture of dry flies, streamers and trapped air technology. I'm assuming with the amount of watercraft searching the area for signs of both aquatic and non-aquatic species (there are hunters using boats on the river to find animals) to harass is why the fishing was a bit slow. Don't get me wrong, we still caught fish, but only a couple of consequential size.

We found that the smaller nymphs were working better and if it's something they haven't seen the better chance you have at fooling them. Streamers were working as well.  We got two fish over 18 inches and a bunch ranging in the 10-12 inch area and a ton of fingerlings.  For now I would recommend staying away from the lower canyon until the carpet bombing has eased up and focus on the upper stretches near Thorp or Cle Elum or the Ensign Ranch Boat Launch.

For flies I would use the following:

Nymphs
Pat's Stone Orange or Black #6, 8
WMD October Caddis #6
WMD Black #6, 8
Lightning Bugs #18-20 in blue, pearl, green or purple
BH Sparkle Pupa Olive #18-20
Glo Bugs in pink, orange or red/yellow

Dries
Orange Stimulator  #6, 8
BWO Cripple Olive #18-20
RH Crystal Stimulator #6, 8
M's October Caddis #6, 8
BWO Sparkle Dun Olive #18-20
Q's Marabou Cripple Olive #18-20

Streamers
Sculpzilla Olive, Tan or White #4, 6
Dali Llama Olive/White #6
Weirs Sculpin Olive #6

That's all I have for now. Have fun fighting the masses in Lower Canyon or the cold crisp autumn air in the upper reaches. Fall is a perfect time on the Yakima to stalk fish and get away from that significant other who is hounding you to clean the gutters, rake leaves, fix that porch rail...

Feed Fish Flies, Not Toxins
-RB

Chrome Report: Klickitat Edition

So I have been chasing chrome all over the state since I wandered back in from Alaska in September. The Ronde, the Snoqualmie (just because it is where our casting lessons take place and I can fish for an hour before I head home) and the Klickitat.  The Ronde was slow due to low water and semi-high water temps, but with the recent rains, the reports have gotten better. More fish have moved up from the mouth and are holding in the usual places, you know, just left of where you placed your cast.

I headed down the past two days to hang out with Johnny Steeltrout and few of the other boys over at the Steelhead Ranch on the Klickitat. Johnny and I put in two hard days of fishing on the river with good results.

Granted we were doing some super long floats and mostly fishing under trapped air technology but we did swing and get a few tugs. Earlier this week a young lady landed about an 18 pounder on the swing and there have been other reports along the same nature. The water clouded up a bit with the rains which made the fish less skittish and more willing to eat. We were fishing the usual suspects. ESL's in purple or black, stoneflies, and beads on the nymph rigs. For the swinging use the Hobo Spey black/orange or black/chart, blue/black Loop leeches, black/purple or black moal leeches with an orange conehead, intruders in black/chart black/blue black/purple black/orange black/red.  I would use a deep sinking line either some t-8 or t-14 a type 6 is about as light as I would go.

The fishing has been good and if you want someone to guide you we recommend the guys over there at The Evening Hatch and their Steelhead Ranch because not only will you catch some fish you'll also enjoy the conversation shared with them and have yourself a good time in general.

So if you would like to begin your quest to catch that elusive steelhead, head on into the shop and we'll set you up with what you need to get after it, either on your own or with a guide.

I think there may be a Yak report in store for Sunday so keep reading....if you dare.

Feed Fish Flies, Not Toxins
-RB

Snoqualmie Brewerys' Save Bristol Bay Night

Our buddies over at the Snoqualmie Brewery are putting together a little shindig for Bristol Bay on Thursday October 13th @ 7pm. Here is the flyer with more detailed info.  Head on over have a brew and help stop the Pebble Mine.

 

A Grand Ronde report is forthcoming.Soon, very soon.

Feed Fish Flies, Not Toxins
-RB

Here...We....Go....AHHHHHHH!

So there is a vote tomorrow on the Pebble Mine. Something we should all be paying attention to. Here is the article about it in the Alaska Dispatch.

Pebble Gold Mine: A Vote For Southwest Alaska's Future?

We here at Creekside are against this and after working in Bristol Bay this summer as a guide has only strengthened my opposition to this epic bad idea. Largest open pit mine in the world on the largest remaining wild salmon run in the world? Did we mention it is also located on one of the most active faultlines in Alaska too? What about this sounds like a good idea? None of it.

It's amazing how the movement to stop Pebble is finally picking up steam and garnering some attention.  If you are new to this and haven't heard about it, here's some information on some conservation groups that are working to stop the mine from happening and even a letter from Maria Cantwell. And some information on Salmon Conservation groups in our neck of the woods.

Save Bristol Bay

KEEP WATER CLEAN: Renewable Resources Coalition

Maria Cantwell's Letter


Washington Conservation Groups

Save Our Wild Salmon

Coastal Conservation Association
 

We have free stickers here at the shop that look like this
 

So stop on in and gear up for fishing. The Steelheading on the dryside is startiing to get hot, hot, hot! I am heading out to the Grand Ronde and the Methow this weekend. So I'll make sure to keep y'all updated on how it's fishing.


Feed Fish Flies, Not Toxins
-RB

Hot Fall Fishing and How to Capitalize

This fall in Washington is shaping up to be a stellar year to chase whatever your heart desires. From the dry fly destroying bows and cutthroat on the Yakima to the heart attack inducing, light fire to your reel runs of the steelhead on the (insert name of dryside steelhead river here) to the stalking jumbo chrome while peering through the fog wondering if that shape is a Sasquatch (hide the Rainier!) or one of those sparkly vampire type things that now apparently have infested Forks to well you get the idea.  This state has some of the most diverse fishing you will find anywhere.

And to complement that diversified portfolio of fishing opportunity, we here at Creekside Angling have a full stable of guides that can complement any type of experience you are looking to have. Wait?! Creekside has guides you say? Why yes, yes we do.

And unlike many places that give you the "OMG the river is ON FIRE RIGHT NOW! COME DO A TRIP!" spiel even though the rain is coming down in buckets and you have to dodge farm houses, trees and the occasional ark while on the river casting into water the consistency and color of melted chocolate. We will tell you whether a trip is worth your time and hard earned money.

So stop by or drop us a line (that means phone call not actually dropping line on us at the shop) and we can get you pointed in the right direction on your dream trip or just plain trip to experience the fly fishing diversity of Washington.  Oh, I mean you can email us too or go to the website here to peruse our guides and trips.

http://www.fishcreekside.com/guides.htm

Btw. The Yakima is actually on fire right now, as of yesterday. Eggs, flesh and sculpins up high above Cle Elum and Crane Fly dries down in the Farmlands and Lower Canyon. And I have heard that the Methow, Klickitat and Ronde are all fishing well. So get out and angle.

Feed Fish Flies
-RB

Methow and Wenatchee open, right....MEOW!

Not much to say other then what I did in the blog title. The two best swing rivers on the dryside of the state within reasonable travel time of you crazy yahoos in Seattle have officially opened as of right meow. Here is the posting from WDFW so you can read the actual regulations.

https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/erule.jsp?id=1111

We have all you need to go satisfy your self inflicted pain that is known as steelheading. Hobo speys, moal leeches, traditional wet flies and skaters. If you feel like nymphing we have stones, egg sucking stones, ESL's and even...erg...beads. You want we've got it, but hurry I expect this news may cause a mad rush.

So come in right meow and get your steelhead fix on the dryside rolling.

Am I saying meow? Of course not! Do I look like a cat to you....

Feed Fish Flies
-RB

The "Sorry-but-we've-been-too-busy-fishing-to-post"...umm...post.

So since the last post we've lost two mainstays here at Creeky to geographical relocations. Brett and Johnny Steelhead have both moved further south and we wish them luck on their travels. All is not lost however, if you wish to see them one last time, both are out fishing their butts off on dryside steelhead rivers for a few more weeks.

Speaking of fishing, we have been doing a lot of it. I just returned from a summer of guiding in Alaska and throwing beads at trout to a whole different ballgame on the Yakima of, well, throwing beads. Yes, I said it, beads. The King spawn is on above the Teanaway on the upper Yakima. You can fish glo-bugs, ESL's, 6-8mm beads of the Natrual Roe or Dark Roe variety and get that Alaska fishing experience right here in your own backyard without the Get-Yourself-Divorced pricetag. There are some large rainbows and cutty's sitting on the beds pounding eggs. If this isn't your cup of tea, Orange Stimulators, Yellow Humpy's, Elk hair caddis, Crane Fly's and BWO's will work for dry fly fishing and sparkle caddis, Pat's stone in brown or black, and Baetis nymphs in 18-20's. You could try twitching hoppers in the Lower sections and get fish as well. With the water levels be aware that floating the upper sections are treacherous and a raft is recommended or else you get to play pin ball with your driftboat, especially the Ensign to Bullfrog section.

Reports from the Ronde and Klickitat have been good. The Ronde is better down low at the moment but there are fish around, you just have to angle and find them. The Klickitat went dirty but dropped back into shape and turned that wonderful "Steelhead Green". Beads, ESL's, and black stones for the nymph show and if you prefer swinging (I know I do) HoBo Speys, moal leeches, Pick yer Pockets, Smaller Intruders, and some Silvinator Tube Fly's are your best bet.

There you have it my first blog post in over a year. I will try and not fish so much so I can update this more frequently, actually, that's a lie, it's steelhead season, I will update it whenever I get a chance but no promises. Come meet the new guy, Charlie Robinton and pick his brain for info and/or harass me. We love to talk, almost as much as we love to fish.

Get out and angle.

Feed Fish Flies
-RB

The Lost Report

Well, I spent a couple hours writing an unusually long and informative fishing report the other night, only to have my computer disconnect from my Wi-Fi and lose it all. Nevertheless, the show must go on so here is my brief synopsis of what I wrote before.

The Cedar and SF Snoqualmie have been fishing well. The MF and NF Sno are dropping in nicely too, and a few folks have had some decent fishing in both. For the Cedar, Stonefly nymphs and a variety of droppers such as King Prince, Anato May Hares Ear, and Lightning bugs have been good under a bobber. For dries, Caddis, PED's, Sallies, and Golden Stones are worthy. Throw the big dry such as Chubby Chernobyl in the evening if fish aren't rising, you will be suprised what you might find. For the Forks, all varieties of dry flies including but not limited to Elk Hair Caddis, Stimulators in all flavors, anything with Wulff in the name, anything with Adams in the name, and any other buggy/attractor type pattern will catch fish. If they aren't eating dries, fish nymphs. Smaller Stoneflies with any dropper in your box will get it done.

The Yak is fishing very solidly from top to bottom. Nymphing all day has been excellent, nymphing in the evening has been rockin'. Dry fly fishing has been mediocre to great depending on the day. We've caught fish on all kinds of big bugs, though nothing worth writing home about. PMD's and Goldens are cooling, Summer Stones and Hoppers and warming. However, if you are a die hard dry fly guy, you can fish either of the above and catch some fish, though nymphing you will rack up numbers and bigger fish.

The most exciting news I've heard in the last few days is that the humpies are well on their way. A few early ones should be nosing their way down into Puget Sound in the near future. The guys at Neah Bay and Sekiu have been catching quite a few, not to mention the King fishing has been pretty stellar. I talked to a gentleman this morning that said it's been so hot that he doesn't even have time for a cup of coffee between fish. They're throwing Kings back left and right to find the right keepers. So, for us that means the humpies will be here soon. Time to start prospecting the beaches and finding your good spots, because by the time the fish get here you won't want to be wasting your time figuring out where to go.

Thanks for reading, the next post will be all fish porn, a photo essay of sorts, stay tuned.
-JW

Happy 4th of July Update

Here's a happy early 4th of July to you and all of you and your families. The sun is finally shining on a regular basis and it appears that summer is beginning to roll along. As for the fishing, the rivers have started to mellow out and fishing has become a little more consistent then it had been the last month or so.

Locally, the Cedar and South Fork Snoqualmie have been the front runners. Both are clear and flowing at a reasonable clip and dropping steadily. Folks have been doing well nymphing for the most part, but some dry fly action is to be had. As for the Cedar, main hatches include but are not limited to Golden Stones, Yellow Sallies, Caddis, and PED's. On the South Fork, there are a few mayflies, yellow sallies, but caddis is the predominant hatch through the summer.

The Yakima had a minor push of water a few days ago, but has since dropped very hard and is in great shape. Hatches are Goldens, PMD's, Yellow Mays, Caddis, and look for Summer Stones to be starting up very soon. Dry fly activity has been pretty consistent as of late. Big and bushy such as the Chubby Chernobyl in gold, pink, red, and purple color schemes have been a great dry to throw in the heavy flow. They also hold a dropper very nicely. Glommers, Larimers Golden, Amy's Ant, Tantrum, among others have been worthy as well. Droppers should include Silvey's Pupa, Lightning bugs(pearl, gold), Princes(Holo, King, Formerly known as), Crackback PMD's, CDC Pheasant Tails, Petrified Pupa, among others. Nymphing has been good as well, Pat's Stones in various color schemes in #8-10 followed by any of the above nymphs have been productive. Bring along some caddis and PMD dries and emergers in case you find some rising fish. PMD activity will come mid-day and look for caddis activity near dusk(by dusk we mean the last hour before dark).

Steelhead-wise, the Sky and Snoqualmie are worth a shot. There are fish, it is up to you to find them. Put in the necessary time with your fly in the water and you will find them. Winter-style tactics still apply; sink tips and larger profile flies such as Loop Leeches, Hoh-Bo Spey, and Fish Tacos. Keep taking your water temps though, we will start to creep up on the magic floating line temperature pretty quick as runoff subsides and hot weather continues. We just got a huge shipment of awesome Idylwild summer patterns, they are the best commercial tied summer-run patterns we have seen. Come check 'em out.

For all you Alaska-goers, come swing by as we have a good selection of King flies such as Jumbo Critters, Guide Intruders, and Foxee Prawns. The Jumbo Critter in Chartreuse and Blue is a must have, as is the Guide Intruder in Chartreuse/Black. We're fully stocked with tons of awesome Simms t-shirts as well, they have really put out some cool designs and artwork on their shirts this year and let's face it, you can always use another t-shirt. The trout bins are stocked with the latest and greatest dry flies and nymphs, come stock up for what is shaping up to be a great summer and fall.

That's all for today, all of us at the shop wish you and your families a Happy and Safe Independence Day. We'll be back open for business on the 5th.
-JW

Long-Winded Update 6-18

Wow, I've been slacking big time on writing this, I apologize. Hopefully this entry will be filled with all kinds of good info to make up for it. The last entry I left you with saying I'd have a summer steelhead report, and fortunately I have 2. One a little better than the other.

We ran down to the Klickitat for a couple days, the water was really high but fishable when we got there, but the first night a little rainstorm rolled through and got all the feeder creeks dumping mud, leaving us with maybe a foot of visability. We gave it a shot anyways and all we had to show for it was one fish hooked for all of a couple headshakes and gone. It wasn't all a waste, it was good to be back on this awesome river and we checked out the different channels, the trees that have been washed out or relocated, and it's a fun river to row at 3500 cfs. We woke day 2 to find the river in the same shape as the day previous, so we packed up and headed back to Eburg. The Yakima was beyond gone, and the only fishable water around was a Yak tributary around Cle Elum(take a stab at that one), so we dumped our boat in and floated the bottom end and out into the Yak, and found plenty of willing cutties and bows, including a couple really nice ones around the 17-18" mark(pictured below). It was a fun float, and was nice to make a decent day of fishing out of nothing.

Now for the better report, we went down a few days ago to our favorite Grays Harbor area river in search of some early summer fish. A few guys have been fishing it, but certainly not even close to the pressure this river gets in the winter. Reports were a fish being caught here and there. The cool thing about this river is it is damn controlled, so it was clear(really clear for that matter) and nice and low. They dump about a quarter to half of the average flow of the winter time in the summer and fall, the lowest I've fished it in winter was 1300 cfs with the average being about 2000, and on this day the river would be at 500. It was pretty neat to see the little winter slots and traveling water that were completely out of water, and with the water being so clear we were able to spot all kinds of cool structure within the deeper pools and runs that will definately come in handy in the winter seasons to come.

As we had predicted on the way down, the fish were either holed up in the bigger tanks, nosed up in riffles and broken water, or tucked up in hard traveling water that provided some cover, though we did roll over one in a glass tailout of pea gravel with no structure or cover in 2 feet of water in the middle of a bright sunny day(wtf was he/she thinking?). Also, longer casts out front and away from the boat with the bobber rigs is also important in these conditions. We found some fish though, got a few to the net and a few got away prematurely. They were all chrome as can be and fought really well, most jumping a few times and peeling off some great runs that their wild bretheren would be proud of, though we did land one wild one. Due to the nature of this river at these flows and the length of float required, we bobber fish mostly. There are a few nice pieces of swing water in the float, but hucking bobbers is a great way to cover all the little slots and buckets under the trees that these fish hold in. Couple shots below.

If something like above interests you, come down and talk to me or give me a call at the shop. I'd be happy to share some info with you or take you fishing down there, it's a really fun way to spend a nice summer day and will only improve as the summer moves along. On a good note, the Yakima is now back in shape and rockin' and rollin' at typical summertime flows. The catching has been pretty good the last few days, think Golden Stones, lots o' caddis, and PMD's and Drakes on the right days. Get after it, the fish haven't seen much in the way of flies the last month or so so you can get to pounding on 'em pretty good.

I'll be holed up in the shop for the next several days, so there won't be any reports from me. It's up to you guys to go make a report and then come tell me so I can fish vicariously through you! Anyways, until next time and thanks for reading as always.

-JW

Opening Day!

Well, it is finally here. The first official day for fishing the local moving water. However, many know that it isn't always easy, as generally we find ourselves fighting high water and snow runoff. This year is no exception. For the most part, the rivers are fairly high and off color, but that is not to say they aren't fishable. Especially if you are after some early summer steelhead, get out there and swing a fly in the high, milky, muddy water. You would be really suprised to find how well their eye sight adjusts and how much more grabby they can be. Step in up to your knees, and if you can see your feet, start fishing. As for tactics, you will be fishing winter style with sink tips and bigger flies like Fish Tacos, MOAL Leeches, Pick Yer Pockets, etc.

The Sky definately has some fish spread throughout, the Skagit is always fun as you can put a spankin' on the dollies and also fish for steelhead, and I certainly would consider giving the Snoqualmie a shot. Yes, I know, they stopped planting smolt 2 years ago, therefore there will be no Snoqualmie hatchery origin fish, but who says that fish always go up the correct river? There have been a few Skykomish fish known to poke their heads up in the Sno, particularly in the early season....

As for the Cedar, our little urban trout stream, it is running a little high at the moment but I am guessing it is pretty clean. Wading can be tricky, but the early bird usually gets the worm, the worm being large trout in this instance. Pack some sculpins, stoneflies, worms, some lead and a bobber and get to work. Just be careful wading.

As for lakes, they are fishing about par for the course. Mostly good reports from all local lakes as well as Eastside desert lakes. The saltwater is certainly worth your time, a nice misty morning with the sun coming up over the horizon and not many people around is good for the soul.

That's all I got, the summer season has officially begun. No restrictions on where you can fish and where you can't (unless you are the two guys who got ticketed for poaching at Reiter Pond yesterday with 4 dead fish on the bank). So we'll say hardly any restrictions just to be fair to those two dudes. Have at it, be safe, and as always we'll be around to help with gear, flies, and point you in the right direction. I will have the first official summer steelhead report of the season next week, stay tuned.
-JW

Memorial Day Update

Overall, the Yak is coming back into shape throughout. The upper river around Cle Elum is in good shape, but runnning a little high. The Farmlands is still a little murky and pretty high, but definately fishable. The canyon is still a little too dirty and high. So, my recomendation would be to stick to the Cle Elum area for now. We did the Farmlands yesterday, and overall we worked really hard but had a decent day, hooking around 12-15 fish and getting a few less than that in the boat. Again, we urge you to be very cautious floating the river. At these flows, it is a lot of work and there are some very dangerous spots. The East Cle Elum launch is tricky with a lot of water, you have to be on your toes to get over into the creek mouth. A few folks have misjudged it and been taken downstream past the takeout, and theres no getting back up. In the Farmlands, there is a major bloackage at the weir a mile above Irene Rinehart. You can portage to the right over the rocks or through the bushes, but its a pain in the ass. There is also a very tight spot 4-5 miles belove Irene that you have to row, no portage option. Please be careful, with these flows it is very dangerous and unless you are really good on the oars, hold off until the water drops some more and settles. Overall though, the river is coming back and we should be into full summertime fishing mode in the next week or two.
-JW

Bass Attack

Sorry about the lack of posting lately. Brett had been down in Belize for a week or so and I've been really tied up watching NBA and Stanley Cup playoffs amongst many other fine television programs. I will tell you one thing, it has definately not been because I've been fishing. I did manage to make it over to Lenice with a few buddies for a couple of days last week, and we found some pretty decent success. Nothing over the top, but pretty consistent fishing and nice sunny weather. The method of operandi was chironomids anywhere from 1-20 feet under a bobber. Leeches, damsels, and calibaetis nymphs trolled and stripped slowly caught fish as well. The highlight of the two days was a 3 or 4 hour period back in the islands where we were able to pick off a number of fish on either hatching midge patterns or calibaetis emergers/adults/floating nymphs. I will say that it appeared to me that chironomids are still the name of the game. If you are heading over, go prepared with a load of chironomids including a variety of smaller #16-#22 in black, rust, and most certainly olive. Our best bug day 1 was black #20 and day 2 was #16, 18 olive. Word on the street was a few guys did pretty well on bloodworms as well.

Overall, reports have been quite good from all of the desert lakes. Local lakes have been solid as well. Aside from trout, many of our lakes have began fishing quite well for bass. Head Guide Chris Senyohl has been putting his time in on a bunch of local lakes and doing quite well. Below is evidence of just that.If your interested in switching things up a bit and perhaps learning a bit about how to catch largemouth and smallmouth bass on the fly, give us a shout and book a trip with Chris. You will have a great time, learn a ton, and catch some fish. With not much else going on right now, it's the perfect time to learn about some of our other fisheries. Now is primetime so jump on it before it's too late.

Oh, and as for the Yak, the lower is still a mess but the upper is fishable but moving pretty fast. Wading is pretty much out, floating is really the only good option at the moment. So if you must, go fish the upper. Otherwise, stick to the lakes and such for another little while.

-JW

Going, Going, Gone....

The Yak is gone for the time being. It hung on until Saturday when this rainstorm worked its way over the hill and dumped from Cle Elum to E-burg. The last week or so the fishing had been solid. For the most part we were restricted to the upper river, mainly above the Teanaway, which has been the main proponent of keeping the lower river a little out of wack. The Cle Elum area has been a busy place for guide traffic over the last week, but the fishing was pretty solid. Even the upper canyon below the Teanaway had fished OK. Expect the upper river to come back considerably faster than the lower. This morning the graph peaked and has began to drop at Cle Elum to just under 4K, we'll see if that is temporary or not. We may sneak in a day or two before full summer runoff.

For me, it's a great time to get everything organized and get the summer stuff ready to go. When the river comes back, we will likely be well into a couple different kinds of caddis, pmd's, goldens, early summer stones, the tail end of salmon flies, drakes on the upper, and probably some others I'm forgetting. For now, we'll be stuck on the lakes but fortunately they are fishing quite well. Lenice or similar is the destination for Thursday-Friday, we'll let you know how it goes. Couple from the other day below.

-JW

Another Day in Paradise

Spent the day on the upper river with CJ. One of those wierd days, had a front moving through, which may or may not have affected the bite, but the bite was definately off. Snow you ask? Yes, it sprinkled a little snow for a few minutes. There were a few bugs around, some March Browns, some BWO's, Midges, and a few Skwalas. We looked down in the raft to find a big female skwala that was a true #8 and bordering on a #6, odd for this time of year. Usually they're tapering off and the ones you see are #10 and #12. Sometimes when the bite's off, you just gotta keep fishing the water. Fish it, then fish it some more. Though the bite wasn't stellar we wound up finding around a dozen solid 14-18" fish that wanted to eat. Best bugs were Pats Bl/Br #6, Purple Holo Prince #16, and Flashback PT #12. From the sounds of it, the fishing throughout the river has been a little off the last few days. The water conditions are perfect and the weather has been fine, it's just been a little funky. You just have to keep plugging away, fish the water hard, and stick to your guns. It'll pay off in the end. You could just accept the fact that the bite is off, fish half-assed, and go home unsatisfied. Or you can work hard, fish hard, and wind up turning a bad day into a decent or even good day, the choice is always yours. That's my 2 cents for the day. 

Brett just touched down in Belize at some point in the last 24 hours for a week of fun in the sun. I'm expecting a report with a some photos of giant Tarpon and Permit in the next couple days, we'll see.  

Thanks for reading, till the next one

-JW

Yakima 5-2

Well just as it seemed the weather was about to turn, we got hit with another day of mostly cold, windy, and rainy weather. Got to sneak out for a day of goofing off with buddies Josh and Lex. We fished Bristol to Green Bridge, known also as the "Thorp Wind Tunnel". Lucky for us, the wind wasn't much more than a constant 5 mph with some rain mixed in, though it got a little gusty at times. Nymphing was pretty good, though a little sluggish in the AM. We saw a few BWO's and Midges, but nothing worth writing home about. Had it not been for the constant light wind, it would have been a great day for BWO's or March Browns: dark, cloudy, and rainy. Most productive flies for us were Pat's #4-8 black and black/brown. We got a few on some different smaller nymphs as well, such as the Anato-May #14, Flashback PT #16, King Prince #14, and Red Brassie #18, but 90% of the fish were on the Pat's. The water was 39 degrees at Bristol and warmed to around 42 mid-day near the homestead, still cold stuff dumping in at the Teanaway. Reports were good from the weekend, the river fished pretty decent throughout. Saturday was a little tough for some, as the bite was a little lean paired with some strong winds, but most folks did some good on Friday and Sunday. Here's a few from the day, we'll be back at it Thursday and Friday with a report to follow.
Thanks for reading,

-JW

Is it Spring?

It finally feels like spring. It's May 1st, and this is the first day where its warm(relatively speaking), the sun is shining, and there's even a little bit of pollen in the air. The lowland lake opener was a big success. We had a number of customers in this morning who fished our local put and take lakes, and excellent fishing was had by all. The method of operandi was trolling buggers and leeches near the surface. After stocking, the fish generally stay in the first few feet of the water column for a few days if not a week or two(yes, it's sad to say, but they still think they're in a fish tank at a hatchery that bottoms out at 3 feet). Therefore, an intermediate or floating line is generally all you need.

Haven't heard much from the folks that were headed to the Yakima this weekend, but there were plenty of them. If I had to guess, the fishing was probably pretty darn good. They finally stopped releasing water out of the resevoirs last week, and the river is down to a nice, comfortable level with good clarity. Get it while it's good because who knows how long it will last. Skwalas, BWO's, March Browns, and a few caddis are buzzing around right now. Even though we have been fooled by mother nature to think its mid-March, it is May 1st and the Mother's Day Caddis hatch is not far away. We just got some killer new caddis pupa in stock. Hogan's Petrified Pupa and Silveys Beadhead Pupa to name a couple, along with quite a few members of the Prince nymph family. Psycho Prince, CDC Prince, King Prince(my favorite for grannoms), Beadhead Prince, and the standard unbeaded are all weapons that should be in your arsenal from now throughout the entire summer.

Below is a nice one from a few days ago. As George Cook would say, "she's a fat pig". 22 inches with some serious girth, it's the biggest fish I've laid eyes on in person this year on the Yak. I'll be on the water tomorrow and will try to give a report on Tuesday.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts. -Johnny