Fishing Reports (1999)
Sept. 98 to Dec. 98 reports here
May 98 to August 98 reports here
January 98 to April 98 reports here
Fishing Reports (1999)
Sept. 98 to Dec. 98 reports here
May 98 to August 98 reports here
January 98 to April 98 reports here
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December 27, 1999 Just for the heck of it..........went back to last year's fishing report. Rivers were blown and still some chum around. Not so now. There is the odd fish around but unless you are heading to rivers of late returners, its all but over. Good news is; some big dollies are coming out. We were fishing off an island, in the Marblemount area, and released a football (you can always tell the ones that have been feeding in the chum redds) about five pounds, and promptly hooked what even I thought, was a chum. Now a dolly can really pull, but few will take line off my drag settings set for steelhead..........this one did! When we finally got it in close, I was thinking chum or maybe a winter steelhead, Nope! big OLE dolly over seven pounds. Will never know for sure, because as Bill was leading the fish past me, the egg sucking cop car, (new twist) went flying by my ear. One more reminder of why I wear sunglasses. Anyway, it was gone but fun to find him. When the fog lifted, the scenery was absolutely spectacular! Eagles, mountains, snow, fish, pools with no one around. Why, life doesn't get better than this. Fish in most pools. Getting requests to write an article on flyfishing dollies. Hmmmm.........thinking about it. Have to kind of chuckle. Up until now, many local flyfishers wouldn't be caught dead fishing FOR dollies. "What are you fishing those things for, Dennis?" They would say. Fish finally gets some interest and now, all of a sudden, these same guys are the resident experts. Go figure. Skagit School. Few slots open in the weekend. Why would you choose this over the $95 shop school? Easy. Rivers are like golf courses, ever pool has its hole to play. You will learn each river pool, ..........not just a casting lesson. Hoping the holidays find you well and happy, Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" December 21, 1999 Slowly but surely, For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" December 13, 1999 A quiet time: December 4, 1999 Winter? Snow levels have fallen, rivers finally back to prime. Many of the salmon are spawning now, but dang if the latest pulse of water didn't bring in fresh fish. Gear fishermen have hit the Stilly which is fine really, You just have to realize that some peoples concept of a "reasonable distance from the next angler" and yours, may be different. You don't like how someone else is fishing?..... Slip on down to the next pool. Don't let it ruin your day. All the same patterns and techniques are still working fine. Check out latest fishing reports for review. As you probably noticed, date for final comment on regulation change on wild coastal steelhead is open until Dec. 10. See hot link in last fishing report. The big alligator dollies are blowing out of the Sauk now. Bill Jam released two at 25" the other day. Egg sucking leeches (Black with peach heads) big red matukas, smolt patterns, egg patterns.....all work. Cop Car? If you float from Government Bridge down to Faber's you are going to see the lower Sauk pools.....including Dugout are gone. Not changed.......GONE! Of course that is couple pools that have come in...... Steelhead Biology 101: The largest (dominant) male steelhead enter the river systems, first. Around here, that is February. For all the slick talk and fanciest slide shows on the pseudo-protection of wild steelhead...........Why are we still setting regulations, to kill the dominant wild steelhead? Keep your club program,........Show me some regulations!!! Why does it appear, that when and if we can finally achieve an adequate escapement, (Coastal Steelhead) the end result is to go back to whacking them back down to critical numbers....again? What? We didn't learn the first time? I remember fishing with Salmo T. , on the Sauk, last spring. Wonderful man and great fisher. We were discussing the woes of our Puget Sound steelhead. I told him that it was the argument of one government official....." for every snooty fisherman that wants to release all the wild steelhead, I will show you five, that don't! Now Salmo, who happens to work in Law Enforcement Says" Yeah, and for every crook who commits a bank robbery, I will show you five, that would like to.....Doesn't make it right." He had a point. Latest I heard was, if the coastal regs go through, maybe we ought to harvest some of our healthy stocks around here......say, the Skykomish, for example. May be just a rumor from Ted's, but....... watch your back, Jack! Skagit Flyfishing School is going very well. Update: Friday - full Saturday - 1/2 Sunday - 1/3 Monday - 1/2 Guides: Jackson will be running weekend trips again this spring, Michael is working in full time in computer Graphics, so we will miss him. Tim Lennox is starting the guide program, this year. Great guy, good fisher, casts a mile, ties disgustingly well, loves people......and loves to fish! Oh my gosh! Not only owns, but fishes a double handler! "But I thought........?" Skagit School people will meet him. Fishes the Sauk, Skagit and Stilly. See the article on Ten Ways to Enhance our Fisheries Best fishes through the holidays, Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" November 28, 1999 "Not that there is anything wrong with that." Fishing continues to click along on the Stilly. Most of the normal run timings of chum and coho, in other river systems are sliding off, but we are still handling some bright strong fish. Hooked a fish the other day that may have been a hatchery winter fish but it LDRed (Long Distance Released) so we couldn't be absolute. There are some bright fish holding in the Fortson hatchery creek, that squirted up in the last high water, so there are a few around. Is it just me or does it seem the hatchery fish are bypassing a lot of good holding water every year? They seem to simply racing to their natal imprinting waters. Every year they seem to congregate faster and faster. We have had our best success with a type 4 sink tip, sparse black/green woolley buggers, on Maxima ultra green leaders. Some days they want action on the fly and other days, just dead drifted, with an occasional twitch. Twenty pound chum are a daily occurrence. Coho and SRC like little bucktails, and the steelhead, eat everything. I spend a fair amount of time with floating line presentations. Do not have the surface presentation dialed in, like I do for Steelhead or Humpies, but have risen a few chum again this winter on bombers. Skagit chum are winding down. Every fish and fisherman have headed for Swift Creek. The big dollies are showing now but not in the numbers of last year. Presentation is everything. Only problem is. Here you are out there with a 4x tippet and your 5 weight.....and some gnarly old chum about 20# decides to eat the egg.....great way to lose everything! Oh well, life should always be so tuff. ********************************************************** Wild steelhead under attack....Again. Please take a minute and read the attached. Don't mean to sound like a broken record but if we don't save the wild fish......... I am not sure who will. At this holiday time I would just like to take a minute and say "Thanks!" and wish you all a wonderful holiday season. Best of fishing, Dennis EXTRA !!! Perhaps you have seen the note that Steve Probasco sent out with the latest copy of Northwest Fly Fishing. The DFW is proposing doing away with the yearly limit of five wild steelhead taken from the Quilayute River system and allowing anglers to retain up to two wild steelhead per day in areas open to wild steelhead harvest. Steve says the Sports fishing Rule Proposal Package may be viewed at www.wa.gov/wdfw/fish/2000prop.htm . Public hearings are scheduled on Dec. 10 &11 at the Inn at the Quay in Vancouver, WA. Written testimony may be sent to: Evan Jacoby, Rules Coordinator, DFW, 600 Capitol Way North, Olympia WA 98501-1091. Testimony may be e-mailed to: commission@dfw.wa.gov Testimony must be received by Dec.10. I know that you have a strong interest in preserving wild fish stocks and thought that you might wish to make your readers aware of this proposal. For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" November 20, 1999 "Now that's something you don't see every day." Can't remember the last time the Stilly was fishable and the Skagit was not, but that is what we were dealing with this last week......not that I'm complaining. We have been fishing the soft water edges, in the upper river, for steelhead and et al., after the big high water. Plenty of new fish have moved in, but get this.....we found several pods of SRC. Nickel Bright, ocean bright SRC........in mid November, above Fortson! Not that there is anything wrong with that! The fish behavior has been as volatile as the weather patterns. One day they want a purple egg sucking leach, twitched along the bottom. Next day you are better off with weighted flies and strike indicators...and it better be dead drift, or they won't touch it. Enough to drive you nuts. I have never carried so many different patterns in various sizes, in my life! The good news is the fish are there. Seapost to Whitehorse. Tons of new fish in Fortson, if your into that. Better hurry though, changes over to bait Dec. 1 River levels, are showing: Sky is fishable, Stilly is going out, and Skagit is still out. May be a good day to catch up on some flies, and watch some football. Best of fishing, Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" November 13, 1999 And then the rains came. And we were doing so well.......Early in the week, the Stilly and the Skagit were fishable, Stilly holding the best variety of SRC, salmon, and steelhead. Skagit was the only fishable later on, due to the rains......and then the weather really cut loose! Hopefully, the rivers will drop before they sustain any long term damage......but the poor humpies.....bad timing for them. Egg incubation in critical stage right now....couldn't have come at a worse time. Released a 25" Dolly the other day on a egg sucking Cop Car. Also some monster chums this year. Already had seen several over twenty pounds! Use your nine weight and have plenty of backing on your reel. Buddies are telling me the Sky is getting fish. Wallace flats, 2 bit, and Buck Island are all good pools.....if you don't mind some company. Isn't going to be a lot to report until the weather settles.....Good time to catch up on Honey do's, tying flies, and football. Best to you, Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" November 4, 1999 Just like in the movies: Couldn't have called it any better. Fishing started to slow, took a nice pulse of rain over the weekend, and the chum came a running. Even years, (non humpy years) produce the greatest numbers of chum, more three year olds. Has to do with competition as fry in the saltwater nursery areas.........anyway, odd years don't have the numbers but produces more four year olds, fish in excess of twenty pounds. Unruly, undisciplined, nasty, gnarly, street kids.......tear up lines, break hooks and explode rods...........and I just love them. I use a 9wt. Both sink tips and floating line, weighted fly presentations work. Color combinations vary from river to river. Sky fish like a cerise eggsucking leech with a peach egg. Stilly fish like combinations of black. Top fly on the Skagit last year, was a purple eggsucking leech with an orange egg. Pays to experiment: varies from day to day. Coho are in, released a buck pushing fifteen pounds the other day. Finding a steelhead or two if we fish the upper Stilly. Sauk is seeing a lot of the alligator Dollies coming out now. Give them a couple weeks to fatten up on chum eggs, and we will see those six to eight pounders again by December. Stilly still feeling the ill effects of the Hazel slide but the cold weather will lock it up for a last trip or two for SRC. How come Steelhead get off colored and SRC just get breathtakingly pretty? Not fair. Anyway, fish are in, time to fish, enough said. Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" Everyone Knows Its Windy, Have had some fine fishing this past week. As many of you know, the Hazel slide is acting up, so Stilly fishing is above that. Transitional steelhead are in the upper North Fork, along with a sprinkling of SRC, coho, and chum. Fishing strictly a floating line right now.......but if this winter storm come through, that can change, big time. Skagit silvers are not showing as well as predicted, something about not being able to spawn in a net. Hmmmm......don't forget to vote Yes on the Net Ban. Not a cure-all but definitely a step in the right direction. Chums are still in the lower Skagit. Sky fish are showing. Try cerise egg sucking leeches with a peach egg. Leaves are dumping in the river. Your strike Indicator fishing is more effective if working through the debris, than swinging sink tips. I am fishing small dark hair wings. Best to you......and don't forget to vote! Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" October 16, 1999 Quietly done: Stirs mixed emotions reading early reports of old haunts like Hoodsport and the Grande Ronde. My reflections are of a sea of salmon, six anglers tethered in different directions........and no one around but us. I remember floating six guys, and everyone catching at least a steelhead or two each day, was the rule. If a guy didn't hook up one day, he probably would find four the next. Anything but waking flies was considered trolling. Might fish for two or three days and never see anyone but a rancher. I just don't do well in crowds, always looking for the edges. Have spent some lovely days on the Skagit. Skating surface dries for large green trout, Cop Cars for the Alligator Dollies, back from spawning. Bright strong Coho in the soft water, and SRC in the backwaters. Yesterday, we didn't find a Coho, but Mike was lit up by a steelhead. Been seeing eagles everyday, that have over wintered, and was watched by a curious two year old Black bear in beautiful condition. Autumn colors are out now. It was snowing up in Rainy Pass. Saw one other angler. Life is good, Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" October 9, 1999 "And if summer comes on a Saturday next year......I am going to play golf " We just went from summer low flows to a big rain and cool temperatures......right now! This is what you can expect: As the water drops; head for the upper North Fork to head off the transitional steelhead headed for Forston. Wade your favorite tributary for SRC......some of the finest small stream, big fish, happen now. Intercept those lower river coho with Searun flies.......my favorite is a waking Muddler, and a bead head fall favorite, in that order. If they get lock jaw, I pull out a Cop Car. (Its a fly) Early chums will be showing off the estuary mouths. Trivia: Chum Candy was originally called "Dickson's Chum Candy." I start with the lime green, then orange, then purple. Reports are; the Grande Ronde is hot for a day or two, then down for a day or two. Tips can be found in my Grande Ronde and Mrs. Brown article. Excellent time to be fishing......when the weather settles. River levels can be accessed from my site. Best of fishing, Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" October 2, 1999 Interesting: Skagit just opened for Silvers so I have been splitting my time between there and the Stilly. Fishing is pretty decent for both rivers if you look around a bit. Silvers and steelhead are found around the mouth of the Cascade River. Stillys Fortson area place to look for steelhead on the North Fork. SRC are staging in front of their natal streams in the Stillys main stem as well as North and South Forks. Portage Creek, Pilchuck Creek, Harvey Creek, Jim Creek..... Skagit Searuns are huge but they tend to come in late. Try below Hamiton. The dry weather has made for some fine floating line presentations for all species. Life is good. Best of fishing, Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" September 26, 1999 Fall is here, leaves are falling, salmon are spawning and nature is scurrying around preparing for winter. The SRC population on the Stilly has an empty year class that is concerning me. These are your typical 13 -16 inch first time spawners, that despite the C&R regs., are definetly down in numbers. Anybody have any first hand experience with Tulalips beach seine fishery? Way to many people fishing bait in the lower Stilly keeping everything that comes to shore. It is well known as illegal, but guys are going "Hey, I'll pay the fine." I was afraid our SRC would take a beating with the opening for pinks on the Stilly. Afraid I was right. Silvers staging off the beaches. If you haven't tried this, you really should. Its a kick. October Caddis coming off now. Hoppers are still around but will find less as the temps go down. Deer Creek is all but dried up. Hope those early natives that squirted up, are all right. Looks like I was right about the chinooks being caught in the milling zone before entering the Stilly. My buddy Kip who works for the Stilly Tribe says they didn't get close to the numbers of fish they needed for brood. Happy note: Escapement for pinks on the Stilly and Skagit is "OK". Nothing great but if floods and nets don't get them, maybe we should have some fish, next time. If you were thinking of not voting for the Net Ban before, I hope after the shaft we took on the Skagit pinks debackle, you do now. Perhaps a rep from Trout Unlimited could enlighten me in why TU is against the Net Ban? Anyone have the status on the Stilly North Fork Summer Steelhead Plant? Happy to pass it along to readers. Tight lines and happy fishing, Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information"
September 2, 1999 Must be guide talk: Had a cancellation. Water is low and clear with thunderheads threatening. Have to go Sea Run fishing. Managed to arrange a shuttle and floated the lower river. Struggled until I finally went with a Black reversed spider, greased and dead drifted with an occasional twitch. Some days you can't strip it fast enough and others.......... Saw a few pods working the chironomid hatches. A # 20 parachute Adams works well. Fish are really stacked up. Really had to work to find the schools but once you are in them, and have what they are looking for, Oh Baby! Stood in one spot, casting to sunken butt end of a log, and LANDED 17 without moving my feet! Cast, twitch, slurp. I haven't seen anything like this since years ago, on an evening at Blue Stilly Park (better known now as your local drug store.........let's not go there). Anyway, every time a thunderhead would roll in, it was dinner time. Guide note: SRC are the only river fish in our region with yellow fins. Even if I am just floating through, if I catch a dink (pre-spawner) I always check to see if its a SRC. If it is, cast in there again. The next one could be Mobey Cut. Most of the fish I released were 10" to 13". A few from 14" - 16" and two monster fish 19" and 20.5" respectively. Life just doesn't get better than this. Guide note 2: Instead of leaving a pod after your fly goes stale, try resting them for a few minutes and try something totally different, like a dry > wet or vise versa. You can really fool them sometimes. Stilly pinks haven't shown like I have hoped, but tons of fish holding off the beaches! Skagit: Managers seem to think there are plenty of Humpies for the Indian and Non Indian Commercials.........but not enough for a Sport Harvest in the river. Sound familiar? Personally, I don't care because I just C&R them anyway, but it is still a raw deal. Best of fishing, Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" August 23, 1999 They say variety is the spice of life. Just got back from splatting grass hoppers in Eastern Washington. I used to guide on the Yak. and surrounding streams. Went back for a week with my pontoon boats and a bunch of the boys. Really had a good time. SRC and Humpies are in the rivers now. Stilly will open its Humpy season Sept. 1 I am a little concerned with the mortality rate on the SRC when the Zoo hits the river. River is summer low at 500 cfs. at Deer Creek. Reverse spiders in Yellow and Black are working. Few Oct. Caddis starting to come off as well as Craneflys and Hoppers. Fish & Wildlife can't decide what to do about the Skagit. Bunch of fish showing the lower river.......Silly people. Let me clarify a point in the 10 ways to enhance Fisheries. I stated that I refuse to call anglers "sportsmen" if they whack everything that comes to the beach. This is not about a gear type, its an attitude. Sadly, I know some long time flyfishers on the lower Stilly who are convinced that if a steelhead comes to shore, you might as well kill it. It will die anyway. Wrong. Reams of information from studies performed , all over the world, discredit this notion....but it does seem convenient. So I say "Save the Wild fish, whack the hatchery fish." Know this, if you kill it, Mortality rate is 100%. Top 5 titles for book: Dickson
Chronicles The dumb fish are on the far bank Best of fishing, Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" August 14, 1999 Its why its called Fishing: Interesting week; Fishing has been puttering along as we get ready for fall. Fished a couple really good rods (gentlemen) the other day, good casting, good line control......and we couldn’t buy a fish. Pretty day, nobody out in the North Fork canyon, but the steelhead weren’t to be found. Up side was, we did see a few Sea Runs playing in the current seams. I figured tomorrow we would go after them. Chris is a super guy, and other than the fact that he works too hard, and keeps a night owl schedule, he was great company. I could tell he was tired when we met. I told him if the fishing was slow, he could have an afternoon nap. His partner for the day had cancelled, which was OK by me. I figured once I got him fishing, I could do a little experimenting for SRC. I started him off on my little October Caddis which is good for SRC, and Deer Creek steelhead love it. It wasn’t long before he was covering his water very nicely. I let him work his way down the run a ways and dropped in behind with a Bead Head Spider (see last fall fish reports). A quarter of the way through the run, my line tightens and I lift into a good fish. Rod buckles, Hardy screams, and line melts. Oops.... I am only on a 5 pound tippet. Twice the fish is into my backing. When I get finally get the fish to settle down a little, I ask Chris if he wants to play the fish. He does and we finally land a nickel bright male...........Humpy. Yup, taking a # 10 Spider in the surface. So we go back to our fishing, and other than a few smaller cutts and a gazillion wild steelhead smolts tapping away (well conditioned fish), we fished along. We come up on a pretty run off a creek mouth, which holds SRC very well, and Chris swims his Orange Caddis through. It wasn’t even a particularly good cast and this really nice steelhead rips the surface and just shreds him. Chris couldn’t figure how the get his hand off the line, and the steelhead parts the 8 pound ultra green like it was thread. We both moan. We saw a large salmon roll in the tailout the day before (another great place for SRC) and we fished through. Chris rose a nice trout on the outside seam, but the fish didn’t stick, and it wouldn’t come back. (I could tell he was still thinking of the Steelhead.) I followed up with the bead head, and again the line tightens. Steelhead? Sea Run? salmon? Awe,.... who knows, that's what's fun about fishing the fall. Anyway, it finds the submerged log, and it was over before it started. I am really starting to get jazzed about the day, because two of the very best pools, are still downstream below us. We get to the first one when I notice the K Mart raft and couple guys with kids leaving the tailout. How did they get everyone in that little raft? Anyway, not only did we do nothing in the pool, we didn’t even see a fish rise. As we floated on down to the next great pool, these guys were chucking spoons and spinners in the heart of the run. You could tell they were really working it over. Great, here we go again. “You boys know what river your on?” I asked. “Yea” (as in yea,...so what.) One answered. “Did you know, Its Flyfishing Only!?” I questioned. I guess my voice was up an octave. It was obvious they did. Poachers. I am along side them now. “Ah....no,” the other guy says. I am getting a little hot.....they don’t even stop casting. “Where you from?” I asked. They both spoke at once, “ Mount Vernon, er ... Seattle”. “Yea right” I thought. Well, at least they weren’t throwing night crawlers like some Game Department guy I know. We did boil another large fish in the lowest pool, but he wouldn’t come again, (hatchery fish). Other than the poachers, we saw no other fisherman. I kept thinking about the anglers from the day before. They would have killed for the action we found today. Guess that's why we call it fishing. News note: SRC and salmon are staging along the beaches at the river mouth. If this rain does what I think will. The fishing is about to get good.........real good. Best of fishing Dennis BTW: Some of you are interested in the article I wrote about enhancing our fisheries, here it is. Thanks for the proposed title for my would be book. Some are really funny. For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" August 7, 1999 Kudos to everyone! You guys are so awesome. Of the 50 E mails I received, only one was negative. Thanks to all for pitching in the save our North Fork flyfishery. Word is, Wildlife Department has "found" some summers to plant in the Stilly. Keep those cards and letters coming! Got to thinking about the Keith C. letter. Curt brought up a very good point. We are quick to criticize when something is wrong, and nobody says anything when something is right. We had wonderful fishing for Sea Run Cutthroat do to the "No Kill" last fall. We should applaud the good works for it. If management keeps this reg. in place the return off this brood cycle will be awesome! We need to let them know we (and the fish) really appreciate it. As for the fishing......(sigh) Well, it doesn't look like it will be much of a run. Up side, we are finding a few Deer Creek fish along with the hatchery steelhead. "Still fishing surface presentations" - hope you enjoy the article. Seeing a few early SRC, which is a really good sign. They will follow the Humpies in, which should be on the next good rain. Early fish respond well to Orange Bucktails and Yellow Spiders. Hazel slide is kicking a little color but the North Fork is dropping slowly...everyday. Sorry, no fishing dates available until mid Sept. BTW, I have been approached to write a book. A compilation of stories and articles I have written on my site but.......having trouble coming up with a Title? Any suggestions? Best of fishing to all of you, Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" August 1, 1999 Stilly continues to limp along. Few fish showing at Fortson, Hazel and other imprinting pools but not so much. Been intercepting the new fish in the lower Canyon. Wakers and grease lining finds the occasional fish. Lovely water, good height, 5 feet of visibility.....with a chance for a steelhead. Question: Do we fish the water so we can catch the steelhead, or do we fish for steelhead so we can fish the water? I hope I haven't given anyone the wrong impression, I am not hung up on a few hatchery steelhead. I am hung up on losing the opportunity to fish my home waters. Like many of you, I enjoy the solitude, an opportunity, a chance to share the river with anglers, who appreciate the same things I do. I was fishing a couple gentlemen the other day and we happened upon a shrimp container, somebody had left from the night before (it wasn't there yesterday). On the lid it read, "Do not litter." Ironic. Before I could say anything John had picked it up and was about to put it in his boat. Although I couldn't let him do that, I was impressed I fish with so many great people who share the same values I do. I wrote that if you were concerned about losing the opportunity to fish the oldest fly only waters in America, write your Wildlife Dept. I received mail from anglers angry that I could even question the decision making of our local government, to those happy to think, they were not the only ones, who think the North Fork flyfishers were getting a raw deal. If you are happy with the idea of closing the North Fork, or frankly, you don't fish it, so it really doesn't concern you, please don't read a letter sent to me about the conversation that long time Stilly flyfisher Keith had with Curt K. from the regional office. These are Keith's writings and interpretation of the conversation, I will let you draw your own conclusions. If Mr. Kraemer wants to respond, I will write that too. Best of fishing, Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" July 24, 1999 "Hard but interesting" is a good description of the fishing this week. We have been averaging about a fish to the fly a day. I have now floated pretty much the entire North Fork from White Horse down to Arlington. Steelhead numbers are down but fish are still trickling in. I am very concerned about the Kings. I knew these fish have been milling out in the salt waiting for the river to lower and warm before entering. According to Darrel at the Hook Line And Sinker, a massive commercial "test fishery" was conducted, and a ton Kings were caught. I hope he is mistaken, but I am afraid he's not. We will find out in the next couple weeks. Interesting has been, a full 50% of the steelhead we have taken in the last two weeks have been on surface presentations. A highlight had to be fishing with Keith who rose and pulled away from a nice fish, and ten steps downstream, rose a guide fish (defined as a steelhead on missile lock that is so obsessed with the fly, you couldn't take it away if you tried)!. After a real tussle on his 5 wt., he released a wild summer run at ten pounds. This matches the largest Deer Creek fish I have personally witnessed! He was just awesome, the fish I mean. I'll try to get a picture up. A lot of guys don't think the hatchery fish will rise, and they are missing out on a real treat. Here is some keys: Fish long stiff leaders to turn over the bulky flies, 12 feet is about right. I love fishing bombers and muddlers but keep them on the small side now that the water has cleared. I switch to grease line patterns with a riffle hitch when the afternoon winds come up. Sun is not bad as long as it is not in their face, shade is better, and dark drizzly days after days of sun is best. Fish heads and tailouts with good substrate. Summer fish need the oxygen and they don't have to come far for the fly. Don't take it away! Number one curse. Mr. Steelhead doesn't know this bug is on the end of a tether and he figures it should come into the suction of the rise. Stay calm and do nothing until your reel cranks off! Fish your lighter rod that will not only be a joy to fish, but really show off the steelhead fight. Remember to give them the butt and land them quickly (see article) Fish with confidence. Fishing the surface is so much fun, and once you hook up, it will make your sink tip feel like trolling! Best of fishing, Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" July 14, 1999 North Fork is high and fishable. Visibility is 8 to ten feet above the Hazel slide, 4 - 6 feet from there down to Deer Creek and 3- 4 feet down to the confluence. Still pushing a lot of water, but the temps are good. Fishing is so-so. Good one day and not the next. Fish are scattered thru the entire system. Cover ground if you want to find them. Randy had one follow out on a rusty bomber, but didn't go, then later that afternoon rose a really pretty fish to my Skittering Caddis, but set early and took it away. Bummer. Stilly hatchery fish seldom give you multiple chances like Deer Creek natives do. SRC are playing along the beaches, going to wait for the water to fall and warm up before entering, Skagit is full of Kings. Sky wont come down this year. (just kidding, but it will be a while) Flyshop.com reader mentioned the Stilly lost its summer run program from " Lack of input" regional biologist said. You could say budget costs possibly, but lack of input? The grandfather of all Flyfishing only waters in the United States which has its own panel of experts to set regulations for this water and the best we can come up with is "lack of imput?" I smell a rat, and I will bet you do to. What kind of behind the doors, B.S. is this? Just who's "imput" was gathered before they killed our fishery? If any of you have information on the actual decision making on the Death of the North Fork and who was involved, please drop me a line. I floated from Deer Creek down to Cicero the other day. So many memories....so many years. Hard to imagine next summer is the last year for summer steelhead above Deer Creek. Maybe they will leave open the lower north fork for SRC......Maybe. Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" June 28, 1999 Had an opportunity to fish the Naknek River out of King Salmon. Hal said he wanted to fish the leading edge of the King run, but as the Chinook enter first which were about two weeks behind schedule, when you miss the edge you fall off the table. We did hook two small fish on the last day but........ We did spend a good deal of time chasing smolt eating rainbows. This of course while we had engine failure way the heck and gone up the river on Day one, followed by running out of gas way way and gone on day two. At least on day two we brought two paddles for the 18 foot shed. This was getting pretty old. Anyway, we found the rainbows (so did everyone else, being as there was no salmon around) but they were locked in a "match the Hatch" gig that was frustrating me along with everybody else. Guys were throwing the kitchen sink at them. And the fly that would turn the occasional bruiser?...........Cop Car, I kid you not. We did catch a few on leeches dead drifted along the bottom. These trout were so big and well conditioned, I didn't really mind handling four and five fish a day. (Lots of guys were going blank) They looked and swam like summer steelhead, only stocky. On the last day, fishing sculpins on strike indicators, between hatches, I finally broke it open. I swear I had died and gone to heaven. 20, 30, rainbows to 10 pounds on a floating line. Snooty fish that had been kicking my butt all week. I nailed it. Felt good. Next time I will travel up after the forth of July to find the salmon. I will bring up my fly tying stuff to match the Hatch, and I will definitely be running the boat. Best of fishing Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" June 19, 1999 Snow water continues to fill our local streams, Sky is still out and probably will be for the next week or so. Stilly is fishable above Deer Creek but the Hazel to Fortson is better. Few summer fish starting to show. Nothing to beat feet to the river, though. July 4 is a good rule of thumb in the lower river, mid July best from Hazel up. Check out my article on North Fork Strategies for helpful hints on seeking Stilly summer runs. Sea runs and Dollies cruising the beaches from the ferry dock to the light house at Mukilteo and Priest Point at Marysville. Fish candelfish patterns on the high tide in late evenings and early mornings, Don't get your feet wet! Watch for birds and fish busting bait. Off to Alaska........see ya in a few, Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" June 9, 1999 Spent some very fine days fishing with some great people on the not so friendly Skykomish River on my, Steelhead Flyfishing Class, last weekend. It was kinda funny. I was hoping the river to be up a little so I could teach the high water lies, something very typical of our late winter wild steelhead season. Careful for what you wish for. Fridays class saw high but very fishable water. In fact it was kind of funny. We had parked our little flotilla of rafts and were discussing migrational paths of steelhead, for various water and lighting conditions, and one of the anglers asks where the fish would be holding today. I pointed to a current seam about ten feet from shore and as if on queue, this large fish rolls right where I was pointing. Some students accused me of having him tethered, others wanted me to point again. Anyway, Saturday was not so kind and the river blew about half way through the day. Sundays trip was aborted. I have to tell you, the Sky is as good as any river I have fished for holding shape in very high waters. The anglers were delightful. Off to Alaska on the 20th for a bit so if I don't get your E mails answered in that week please know I will. I'll tell of my adventures on my return. I have to smile when I read other authors expounding how steelhead are never leader shy. I love it when you talk that way! For those that came out for the class, I assure you, the pleasure was all mine. And remember, the Copcar is our secret, Right? Best of fishing, Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" May 31, 1999 - (a lakes report) My father just celebrated his 78th birthday. We spent the last week traveling through the North Cascades, through the Okanogan and on up into Canada. I had to retrieve a new boat I bought while visiting my in-laws a year ago, who live 100 miles east of Kamloops, B.C. Big Twin: Didn't land any of the big horses, certainly swam a few. I developed the dropsies and the lunkers came unbuttoned. Strong chironomid hatch in the morning but they have switched from the # 12 black to the straw colored # 18. Most fish were hooked in 20 feet of water. Need your Buddy 2 depth finder. At dusk the fish locked into a # 14 dark olive chor. emerger. Fun fishing, once I got it figured out. Leeches started swimming after O dark hundred. Lost a couple dandies! Too many days chasing steelhead I guess, I looked like a rookie! Chopaka: One of my all time favorite lakes due to multiple hatches and lake character. Early morning; lime green chironomids off the weed beds. Blizzard hatch. Noon until 3:00pm Mayflies but forget your parachute Adams. Tons of fishing pressure and the fish were locked into a dark olive emerger or a crippled dun. A #12 dark olive hares ear worked well as a pre-emerger until they started working the surface. Damsels were all but non existent but did have some fun casting to bankies with a parachute damsel adult. Plan on breaking a few, because the show is in the reeds! A ghost gray pregnant scud dredged up a fish or two between hatches. The marabou leech and Denny Rickards seal bugger worked very well from dusk to total blackness. Weather was a little unsettled, and the trout are getting far too much angling pressure. I caught one old buck about 4 pounds that must have had 6 fresh hook scars around his mouth. I all but apologized to him as I put him back in the water. Hurt my shoulder so we called it quits on Friday and headed up to retrieve my Lund. Would have liked to spent another week fishing some of my Kamloops- Merrit haunts.......but maybe next time. Dad and I had a great visit. Sad note: I killed a small-mouth bass that was pushing 4 pounds! Now I love chasing Smallies in the lower Umpqua and the August Grande Ronde...but not Chopaka! Steelhead School this weekend, looking forward to it. Best of fishing, Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" May 21, 1999 Sports Illustrated: Ever notice that every time SI writes about something the opposite happens. Check this out: Hal was slotted to fish with me this past week. He comes out and immediately I start making excuses about how the river has been slow, there isn't as many fish and yada, yada. We decided to walk into a couple upper river pools before doing our afternoon float. There was a guy fishing our pool so we slipped on down to a lower. Half way down Hal takes a really good pull on a purple marabou. I suggest we rest the fish and try again with a Cop Car. Pluck...Bang! The 10# buck just crushed it. Hal lands and releases him and no more for that pool. We head back up and I am relieved at least we hit a fish today. We are fishing a high bank side, and after a cast Hal goes into a Commando stance. I walk up. "What's the matter?" I asked. "I just swung my fly past that rock and a steelhead came up and took a swipe at it. It came at it again while I was stripping it in!" "We got to get over to the other side." I said peering into the pool. I was staring down on five steelhead and one was just huge! We managed to wade the tailout, and on his first cast, Hals rod goes down. He plays the steelhead, and it comes unbuttoned. Hook is still sharp. He continues down and I am thinking this is where Leroy was holding and Hal sets again. The fish didn't even flinch. Then it shook its head. The last time I saw a steelhead do this was a 24.5 # fish on the Sky. The fish began swimming around the pool, just shaking his head. After a couple minutes the hook just comes unpinned. "Get That hook off of there!" I stated. Once in a while you will run into a hook that just isn't getting it done. Minutes later Hal raises another fish and this one isn't so lucky. By the time he finished the run, he has hooked five steelhead that morning! Every fish just body slammed the purple streamer. Largest landed was a fourteen pound buck. Piker compared to Leroy. Should have known. The Rains came that afternoon. River went out for the next couple of days. We fished hard yesterday and .......nothing. River is finally back to shape today. Hmmm.......we will see. Off to go trout fishing next week with my dad. We will start in Eastern Washington and wander on up into Canada. Nice Change. Getting things arranged for the Skykomish Steelhead Schools.....should be fun. Haven't had a chance to advertise the Skagit Humpies yet. Some dates left in the first and last week of September. Always a great time. Got a complementary issue of the NW Fly Fishing Magazine. I have only got to browse it, but I love its format. Good job, Steve. Getting a little heat from a couple guides. Say I give away too much information on my site. Do you think so? Got to head off to the river.......Keep you posted. Best of fishing, Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" May 16, 1999 I am not going to lie to you. There still are a few bright fish coming into the Stilly, but nothing to write home about. Water is running high and cold. Lot of fish spawning now so careful where you wade. Leave these fish for what they are. The future of the next generation. Dark Marabous and G.P.'s are still the best. Haven't seen any of the 3 salt hatchery fish yet, but the upper river is still has fresh snow in the hills. Can't remember when I have seen winter hang around this long. I will be chasing steelhead with Hal this next whole week. If anybody can catch them, he can. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I am seeing some shop flies coming out with their idea of what a Cop Car must look like. Some are pretty creative. I will be heading off to Eastern Washington and on up into B.C. in the last week of May. Chasing trout, nice change. Thanks for the great response to our upcoming summer steelhead trips. I watch the Southwest Washington streams, who get their fish in first, and they appear to be doing well. We should too. Don't forget to check details in my Steelhead classes if you are signed up. Should be fun. Heading for Alaska in Mid June to chase tidewater Kings, Sockeye, and Rainbows. Will report on the fishing when I return. State can't seem to figure out what they want to do with the Skagit Pink Salmon Fishing regs. this year. This is undoubtedly the funnest trip I run. Little rods, great floating line fishing, wonderful food. I will keep you posted . Think September. Just wrote a story about a Doctors wife who refused to fish. Check it out and tell me what you think. Best of fishing Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" May 8, 1999 The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly Good: Fished with Bill and Michael a few days ago. We were fishing a prominent pool in the mid river, when both anglers hooked up almost at the same time! Bad: Both fish came unpinned during the fight. (Nice fish too) Ugly: The next day fishing with Kenton at Hazel, he landed a beautiful hen.......with fresh net marks. Scary stuff. Slow Train Wreck: You know..... you can see it coming but powerless to do anything about it. I have now floated from Whitehorse down to Cicero. There is about half the number of steelhead in the system, there was last year. We have got to be the only state in the union, still killing our wild fish. I don't get it. Weather: I know, I know. I start bragging about this lovely spring weather and the next day the snow level drops to 1000 feet. Its the middle of May for crying out loud! The Stilly is running full, the fish are around, but you have to search for them....unless you are Jim, he landed two dandies, just hours apart. Fish any color you want right now, as long as its purple. Water is high and cold. Careful in your wading. Sorry if my answers are little short or I can't respond ASAP. My next scheduled day off is June 7th. I answer as much as two hours of E mail a night. To my new friends I have fished with, thanks for sharing a day. It has been a pleasure. They say the best way to get back at the critics is to live well. Gentlemen......You have always inspired me to live well. Perhaps if we actually spent a day fishing, you would feel differently. Bright waters, wild fish, and good companionship, these are all good things. I just happen to write about them. Arthur Wood in Jock Scott's book Grease Line Fishing makes the observation that the Atlantic Salmon are only interested in taking the fly in two zones. In the surface, and near the stones. After watching steelhead behavior over the last 30 years I have pretty much come to the same conclusion.....but let me clarify. Tink but don't clank: When steelhead are lying around small rocks. They tend to hunker in, so they can take advantage of the current break. To move these fish in cold water requires you to just about bring the fly in at face level. Not easy. When they are holding around rocks from the size of beach balls to arm chairs, then the tops of those rocks are the bottom, and they have no problem swinging up and protecting their territory. We call this "Trouty Water." One of the best reasons to fish boulder patches common to tailouts, is the taking zones of just over the stones and the surface, are so close. Very little dead mid water between the two taking zones. I try to achieve a depth, fishing cold water, where my fly will tink the tops of the prominent rocks occasionally, without dredging my way through them, dulling hooks and losing flies. Tink but not Clank. Watch for new pictures in the Photo Gallery, coming soon! Best of fishing Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" May 1, 1999 Reflections of a season: I never really got settled into a river and spent the day after day, fishing it, as in years past. Then again, I have never seen the fluctuation of water conditions change so radically from day to day, river to river. Coupled with a fishing pressure that could be insufferable one day, and absolutely vacant the next and it made for a very challenging scenario. For those who told you there was more fish this year than last, I simply can't agree. If you remember, the wildlife department got scared last year, when the hatchery steelhead component didn't materialize, so they shut off all kill fisheries around the 10th of Feb. These lower river sports kill fisheries wipe out 3,000 wild steelhead each year. The Skagit System Co-op. followed suit and pulled their nets early. That is an additional 5,000 - 7,000 additional steelhead, between sport and tribal contribution. Do the math. This why when I saw the department come roaring back to place a kill fishery in the 1999 season, I started howling. It not only cost you and I recreation, it costs us our wild steelhead spawning recruitment. They didn't kill them all: I have spent some very pleasant days the last couple weeks, on the Skagit. Sure, we did better some days than others, but over all quite enjoyable. Hals big hen out of the upper Mixer, is a fish of a lifetime. This is one of the reasons it is so exciting to fish this time of year. There are some huge fish out there! I just got back a roll of pictures of fishing this spring. Sandy (my web designer) will be putting them up as time permits. I know many of you will put your rods away, and head off to your trout waters, until the summer runs come in. I will fish the lower Stilly when the flows allow, and the upper runs when I can't. All the same flies that were working on the other rivers, will work here. Be careful, the snow water makes the Stilly run faster, and it is easy to under estimate it velocity, in wading. My rule of thumb in leader length is, one foot of leader for every foot of visibility. It feels so good to finally have spring. I feel like I am drying out! Careful when you walk into xyz shop and start spouting "Well, Dennis says..." You have to remember, these guys fish too, and to do so, is like walking into a Ford dealership, and start telling them why Chevys are better. I have never said I have the only way to fish. What I do say is, the presentations and techniques that I use, work. Ask anyone who has actually fished with my assistants, Jackson, Michael, or myself. The information on this site has no hidden agenda, its for you, If you enjoy it, great, that's what its there for. If you don't agree with it, that's cool. Its America. Glad so many of you enjoyed the story "Charlie." Don't think that you have to book a trip, to ask a question. When I am not out on the river, I enjoy writing about it. Best of fishing to you all, Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" April 25, 1999 Spring has sprung....I think: With winter finally behind us and nature in full bloom, my fishing seems to be changing as quickly as our river conditions. The good news is; all the rivers have fish in them! I had the opportunity to fish with a couple of gentlemen from Japan last week. We had a few days so it gave me a chance to show off a few of our waters. Now I will have to tell you, I was more than a little nervous. They spoke very little English and I speak zero Japanese.......Hmmm could be interesting. The bottom line is, not only are Taku and Kumi two of the kindest, most gracious people I have ever met, these boys can flat fish! When they hooked their first fish on the Skagit in the morning of day one, I was relieved. When they handled two more to 13 pounds that day, I decided I was really going to enjoy this adventure. We fished the Skagit the first two days, and a Sauk/Stilly combo the next. They swam fish in all of them! By the end of the trip, they only wanted to fish one fly.......Cop Car. My strategy in fishing is pretty straight forward. I watch river flows and lighting conditions. Bright sunny days in gin clear water conditions are pretty.....but unless you can fish when the light is off the water, that's about all it is. Dirty water is another matter. Look for reasons that steelhead feel safe in close to shore. That is where you will fish your fly the most effectively. Don't confuse distance with coverage. You need to think of fishing a river in three parameters. Distance, angle, and depth. Case in point. I did a head count and I accounted for 14 first caught steelhead this spring by new comers. Not one single fish was taken on a cast greater than 35 feet. Most anglers simply couldn't cast farther than this. Fish where the fish are......in the soft current seams. Water conditions are changing daily. Even when I make an evening before adjustment as to where we will fish....I can get beat. The Stilly jumped a 1000 cfs. virtually over night! As we wind down another spring season on the Sauk and Skagit, I just want to say thank you for letting me share it with you. Good friends and wonderful fish......life simply doesn't get better than that. I will write about: When I get a minute.....I promise Neah Bay Flyfishing school Read about "Charlie" - a new Story. Best of fishing Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" April 17, 1999 Up we go! Well, the rivers finally got the hint, with the warm weather and all, and definitely on the rise. I really can't complain though. Everybody and their neighbor have been climbing all over each other on the Skagit and Sauk. I found the very best fishing with very little fly pressure, in the lower north fork. Not the really big fish of the Sauk, but I will take 9 out of eleven days as successful trips, with steelhead from eight to eighteen pounds, every time. Many days we would maybe see one or two anglers all day! All changed now. Lower North Fork: Out Sky: on the rise Sauk: Ditto Skagit: Ditto Not sure how kind this snow pack is going to be to us........and if this rain develops. Oh Dear!..... All Right. Who prayed for rain? Dirty water flies: I will be fishing Big black GP's and bunny leaches when the light is off the water, and bright colored GP's, Popsicle, and bunny leaches when its on. Now is the time to remember where those high water lies you have been scouting, when the water was down. Most asked questions: How do you like the pontoon boats? Love them. Those little anchors really hold? Yup, at shore in slack water. What in the world is a Cop Car and you going to tell me how to tie it? Guide Fly, Nope....clients info. How come you are not mentioned in Trey Combs book on Flyfishing Steelhead? Mr. Combs doesn't realize I am truly a legend in my own mind. Seriously, someday I will write the story of "Charlie". Then you will understand. Best of fishing to you all, Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" April 10, 1999 How low can you go? We have a 200% snow pack in the mountains and (and still dumping) and we can't squeeze a drop of it into our streams. Sky: Dead low and so is the fishing Sauk, upper run, few fish stacking now, but they are way up under the knarliest log jams. Speaking of which, in the low water there isn't any room to avoid some bad boat damaging stuff, better take care. No fly water at this flow. Sauk middle run: hide and go seek. Fish found the bottom of the couple plug pools. Waste of time. Sauk: Lower run: Ready set go! Fish are stacking in the bottom two pools before the Skagit. Everybody knows it so the drift boats race each other by flashlight to meet John and Bill and the other sleds who came up from Skagit. First boat wins. Pretty brutal. I haven't reduced myself to running my power boat up the Sauk. Is nothing sacred? Stilly: Gin clear above the slide, mud down below. Me? I have been playing in the mud. First time since I can remember I could flyfish the lower canyon pools just above Arlington. Oh, and the bait chuckers aren't getting them all either. Come on April 16! (N.F. goes Flyfishing only) Pray for rain and warm temps. Dennis Coming Attractions: Sky steelhead Flyschools are booked. Guide trips through May are Booked Few North Fork summer steelhead slots left (July and Aug) Neah Bay Flyfishing Schools....coming (Aug 2-7) For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" April 3, 1999 Busy Time: Sauk River fishing remains as variable as the weather, the water went to gin clear and even though we took a lovely 15 # hen the day before, the next day, we went blank. I decided I had enough, and floated the Stilly. The Hazel Slide is still kicking in but we had a solid two feet of visibility. Water temp stayed in the lower 40's. We swam three nice fish. Blue/ purple has been the best fly for the Sauk fish. Cop Car, G.P.s and popsicles good for the Stilly. Can't wait for April 16 to get the bait slingers off the river. As far I am concerned we have two issues to take up with our regional office that could have a dramatic effect on local fisheries and stocks. Stilly North Fork and the Sky above Sultan to go to baitless and barbless after Feb. 28th. Release mortality statistics for barbless and baitless, in every study I have ever read, is under 10%. Mortality rate for bait and barbs is 25-30%, I don't care what someone's personal experience is. You and I both know that the bait boys are NOT genetically engineered to release a fish alive.........a few are but it's rare. We have GOT to get these catch and run boys off the river when 99% of the steelhead in the river are wild. Even they know that with literally Zero enforcement out there.....you might as well be handing the burglar the keys to the store. What we are putting up with is just piss poor management. Jackson has been fishing the Sky with good success. Fish Black with the light off the water and popsicles when its on. Fish are holding in traditional pools. My rule of thumb in leader length, is one foot for every foot of visibility when the light is on the water. Michael is swimming fish on the Skagit. Many of the Sauk fish are shooting on up, but they are getting some early morning fish, with a bonus of big Dollies. Copcar and Purple G.P.s are the ticket. Wrote an article on how to out smart those reluctant cold water steelhead. Its called "Cold Water Takes" check it out, tell me what you think. Just want to take a minute and thank all who visit my site. I hope you enjoy reading it as much I enjoy writing about it. Best of fishing Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" March 28, 1999 Volatile, Boy, Up and down is not the word. I had two very accomplished rods out one day and a short pull was it. A couple complete novices out the next day and we are into three fish, go figure. Everybody is out one day and nobody out the next, I saw the river go from gin clear to almost zero vis. back to clear again in one day. I have been floating the Sauk mostly, with an occasional day on the Stilly. Black is working when the light is off the water, and combinations of orange when its on. Blue is always a good bet as well as the Cop Car. One of the new guys mistakenly called it the Cop Killer. I accused him of being from Baltimore. Morning temps are around 40 degrees and warms to 45 by late afternoon. The key is to really slow the fly down. The big fish are still happening but we are finally seeing a few of the two salt steelhead too. Weather has been all over the board. I have never seen a thunder storm in the middle of a snow storm before. I have been traveling by pontoon boats, Michael is doing well on the Skagit and Jackson has been running the Sauk/Skagit. Nobody has broke twenty yet. Keep those hooks sharp, Dennis PS: There was a late cancellation for Wed. 3/31 Please phone me if this date works for you. 360-435-6499 Also, my PC is down hard...So I will not be as timely answering emails. I am working out alternative methods... Please phone in any reservation requests.
For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" March 17, 1999 Big boys, rain or shine: One day it is spring and the next its back to winter again. We are still working for a fish or two each day but OOHHH they are dandies! The last few days have seen both bucks and hens in the mid teens. Guiding assistants, Michael and Jack had good days on the Skagit as well. Water conditions fluctuate but the dark flies seem to be doing the best. Match your sink tips to the pool your fishing. Fish are still not overly aggressive so get in their face! Hearing a good number fish by the plunkers in the lower river just before they shut it off. What is that. Plunker C&R? Yea, right. Be sure to read the article on Neah Bay if you are a saltwater chaser. Hope you like it. See you on the river, Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" March 12, 1999 It's in the wee hours of the morning and I haven't had a chance to write, being up on the Sauk River, so I thought I would drop a note. Early in the week the visibility was great at about 3.5 feet H20 temp is running about 43 degrees. Temp has remained, but vis. has gone to 10 feet, and the big Sauk fish play hide and go seek. We are getting a lot more short takes and fewer solid hook ups until the light is off the water. Black and purple is good at low light and our best sunshine flies are combinations of purple, but dress them down. I have gone to floro carbon leaders and longer tippets. Not a lot of fish in yet but they are definitely big ones. Dick swam one that had to go 18 # ! Congrats. Saul got a big Dolly on the Cop Car pushing 5 # on the Skagit. Cool. Fly schools for Friday and Saturday are all booked, in fact over booked, so if you have been slow about getting your deposit in remember.........First come first served applies when the deposit is in. Two slots left on Sunday. See ya in the spring, Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" March 4, 1999 "Spotty", that's what Dave at the store calls it. Actually, the dolly fishing has been fairly consistent, when we aren't pushing a big weather front in. The black leach, black bart, and cop car work well. Steelhead are pulling on the Black leach and red marabous on the Skagit, GPs in black and traditional orange get the Sauk fish. Haven't landed a really big fish yet, but seen a few hot ones. Ron released one of those 12 pound Sauk hens that was an absolute mirror bright. Breaks my heart to hear of this fish being whacked. Yeah! We are finally into native release. Now if we can get the down river boys to actually release them........... See that article in the Tacoma paper where Bruce Crawford all but says Wild Fish Release doesn't work because we are killing half the fish, putting them back in the water? Lets see.........who is on whose side? Hmmmmmm. Thank you for the tremendous response to my Steelhead Flyfishing School. I am looking forward to showing, what we have been talking about in the stories and articles. Heading up to King Salmon, Alaska in mid June to play with Rainbows and Tidewater Kings. You know a guide is nuts when he finally gets some time off......and he goes fishing. Well, at least I don't drink. My son Michael and long time guiding buddy Jackson will be helping out with the guiding again this year. BTW. Michael is working for an awesome Alaskan Camp this summer chasing tidewater coho. My good friend Chris Olson wrote about this trip in Fishing Holes. Maybe next year I will put some guys together and head up and visit. Enough rambling, All the rivers are fishing as we speak, nets are out, and fish are swimming, so lets go fishing! Best of fishing Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Trip Information" February 25, 1999 "And the big one got away!" Fishing this time of year, can be big stakes stuff. In the last five years, I have landed four steelhead (in Washington waters) over twenty pounds. Three of the four have been February fish. The other day we were fishing a pool below Fabers on the Skagit. This run has dished out and although it fished well. it took a 400 grain head to reach the stones. Bill gets thumped by a fish that moved around like a big chinook. Even "Down and Dirty" couldn't move this steelhead out of the main flows. Attrition finally went the way of the fish, and the hook pulled. It was one of those steelhead that your mind just goes, "Gees, how big do you think That was!" Such is the life of the February Flyfisher. Somehow, the nice Dollies to 23" just didn't seem to be the same. Been spending time on both the Sauk and the Skagit. The Sauk is my favorite, but it is more technical. Like golfing a difficult course. The Skagit is easy, and straight forward. Both have their place. The temperatures finally lifted enough that the sleet that has been dumping on us all week turned to rain. And the rivers came up! I have trips all next week but it wouldn't hurt my feeling to have the rivers out, until after the March 1 native release starts. The upper Skagit has been running cold. 39 degrees at 10 am. Sauk has been a little kinder at 43 degrees at 3 PM. Still have to get the fly down and fish it "Low and Slow". The Sauk is out as we speak, and so is the Skagit below the confluence. Upper Skagit will be fishable by tomorrow, but mostly a Dolly show. I had no idea: I thought it would
be fun to do a Steelhead Flyfishing School on the Sky.
Yeah.....the Friday class was almost filled within four hours of posting! I guess even
Dennis comes up with a good idea once in a while. Anyway, if you can't get in one of these
classes, maybe I will add another. Should be fun. Best of fishing Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information"
February 18, 1999 Early natives are here. A buddy
told of a 17 pound male caught and killed up at Hazel. Skykomish fish are showing too.
Monroe area is good. I don't have to tell you about my views on killing wild steelhead. February 11, 1999
February 4, 1999 Stilly North Fork: Swam a nice hatchery fish just below Hazel, the other day. Black G.P.'s are good winter flies because it's a color gear guys won't use. Many of the pools have changed since last fall.......not unusual for the Stilly.
For information on booking a trip see "Trip Information" January 28 Everything is fishing now: For information on booking a trip see "Trip Information" January 21, 1999 Rivers are still too high to wade
so it was a good time to check out how the browns are doing at Pass Lake. For information on booking a trip see "Trip Information" January 14, 1999 Rivers Are Out!!!!! For information on booking a trip see "Trip Information" January 7, 1999 Guide Rule # 3: Never leave fish to
find fish. I guess I have mixed feelings about the winter fishing. The Stilly is at winter
flow, visibility about 4 feet at Hazel. I know they are catching fish there, because I am
seeing the same rigs day after day in the parking lot. I should get over there. Dennis For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information" For
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