December 28, 1998

Eerie! You just don't know what it is like to be heading for the Skagit (an hour away) - listening to the radio news how every river in the state is in flood watch. My people were coming from the other side of the U.S. so I was putting a lot of faith in the USGS River gauge! It said the upper Skagit was fishable, so off we went.

The fishing for the past week has been more of the same, chums and Dollies with an occasional steelhead. The water is 41degrees now, and definitely a winter scene....until this Pineapple Express came through. It just dumped on us all day.

Mary and Mark were really good sports, but she wasn't exactly ready for winter on the Skagit. Last week she was casting to snook in the Florida Everglades. Gutsy gal though. The river started out in great level and 3 feet of vis. but it slowly deteriorated as the day wore on. They hooked a fair number of chum, including one that went through 150 yards of backing -  but they are older fish and we were hoping to hook a steelhead. She also released a lovely potbellied Dolly. Mark and Mary were adding clothes by the minute. By the time the river went out that afternoon, Mary was dressed like the little brother in "Christmas Story" who fell in the snow and couldn't get up.

As luck would have it, I moved them over to floating lines and strike indicators, and just before we were calling it quits, I hooked a large silvery fish that just rolled in the surface and threw the fly.

Mary turns to me and asks, "Was that a steelhead?"

(It was.) I said, "Well, maybe." We climbed in the boat and headed for home.

Just wrote an article on playing fish. Check it out.

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Skagits Chum salmon fishing is finally slowing down. There are a few fresh fish coming in but we have started to change gears. We are fishing trout rods, egg patterns, and floating lines for some awesome Dolly Varden fishing. These fish are footballs runing 2 to 5 pounds! Want to fish sinktips? Try type 4 ST and eggsucking leeches but dont fish tippets below 8 # . There are winter steelhead around like the 9 pound male we swam today in the head of the Carbody hole below Marblemount. Eagles are showing in numbers, snow level is just above us. Very pretty winter scene. And you thought there was no fishing......

Best of fishing through the holidays ........Dennis

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The Stilly is back to fishable and so is the Sauk below the Suiattle due to the low snow levels. Guide rule # 3 is you donut leave fish to find fish. The Skagit is so pretty right now. The water is fluctuating but the visibility is excellent. Plenty of new fish coming in every day. Willy and Keith each landed chums in the twenty pound class. Fishing pressure is very light. The lower water temperatures are limiting the floating line presentations, but we are doing very well have the light sink tips and you guessed it, the egg sucking leach.

The Skagit took a pulse of steelhead, which are up in the Marblemount area now. Eagles are still not showing as well as I would like but when they get here they are going to find chum everywhere. Couldn't imagine having to leave a fall of Frasier River sockeye and revert to a winter of chum carcasses. Yuck!

Dollies are so fat right now, they look more like those pot bellied lake trout you see pictures of. I hooked one the other day I thought for sure was a winter steelhead, had to put him on the reel and everything.

Oh, if you want to catch dollies, they are so locked in to chum eggs right now, any fly will do but it better have a splash of bright orange on it somewhere.

I am kinda itching to start fishing the Sauk but .....not yet, maybe in a couple weeks.

BTW, If you haven't seen my new Stories and Articles page, check it out - Sandy has done a really nice job.

Best of fishing  - Dennis

For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information"

HEADLINES: "Dogs Take Over The Skagit"

The Skagit continues to roll in the chum. New fish are showing in all the likely haunts and in places I haven't seen them in years. Fishing could very well hold up until Christmas! There are so many spawning fish, its hard to get the fly to the bright ones. I have now gone to the same tactics we found successful on the Stilly. Floating line and weighted flies. The eggsucking leach is hard to beat right now. Fish it dead drift with an occasional twitch. The boys are hooking almost as many fish and the fair hooked ratio has jumped way up along with brighter fish. We have swum some real horses...er ...dogs!

We hooked our first winter steelhead down below Sutter Creek. Pretty good fish.

Dollies are getting fat on eggs. Caught one today that was pushing 4 lbs.

Stilly has finally fallen into shape. Yea, just as the regs change. Oh well.

I normally spend my winter on the Sauk when it’s in shape, and the Skagit when it’s not. A relaxing winter scene with Dollies and occasional steelhead for the taking. This, of course, is all preview for the native steelhead this spring.

Seems like I am answering a lot of email questions on steelhead and searun cutthroat these days. That’s perfectly fine with me. When I am not fishing, I enjoy talking about it. My way of giving something back.

Best of fishing through the holidays Dennis

For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information"

Water, water everywhere...... The transition from fall to winter in the Cascade foothills went in a New York second. I was a little concerned that when we left the dry season the monsoons would be right behind. Boy, sometimes I really hate being right!

I have left the North Fork, which was awesome and retreated to the upper Skagit. We have been fishing from Marblemount down to Rockport. The Coho are pretty much finished, the chum fishing is good if you can get to the new fish and there are so many dollies. John and Peter have since called " Cop Car" Dollielama because it is so effective. Not many places to fish in the high water, but I avoid the Swift Creek rodeo when I can.

Black and Lime green has been effective for the chum. Anything resembling an orange egg will get the dollies attention. Try an orange Shrimp pattern in the really dirty water for chum, and fish with light sinktips, because that is where the fish are in close.

Haven't seen any winter steelhead yet but its early.

BTW: A lot more anglers are booking early for the Sauk steelhead this coming spring. Tell your sweetie you want a Gift Certificate from Dennis this Christmas.

Best of fishing Dennis

For information on booking a trip see "Rates and Booking Information"

As I review the last few days, I must tell you, it is raining now, and even the Skagit has gone out of shape. When it rains, this is the general sequence from the most likely to become un-fishable to the least.

N.F. Stilly below Deer Creek, due to sensitive soils from past poor logging practices N.F. below the Hazel slide Sauk below the confluence of the Suiattle, more slide problems. Upper Sauk from Darrington down to Suiattle, watershed beginning to repair with vegetation.

N.F. Stilly above Hazel slide. Primary tributary Squire Creek originates in a forested /Scrub wetland and very stubborn to go out.

Skagit above the Sauk, Dam controlled, last to go unless they decide to let some water go. Not likely unless warm chinook slips a bunch of snow.

Anyway, two days ago we were fishing with floating lines and bead head marabous and yesterday, we had to fish the upper Skagit. We rose a few fish but watched the river rise six vertical feet!

Other than the fact it might mess up our fishing for the next few days, this will sure bring in the fish!

Got the chance to chase Dollies the other day. Such an underrated fish. We found them off the tributary mouths and below the spawning Chum salmon. Still a few bright coho around too. Bunny leeches and marabous on light sinktips are the ticket.

Don’t get locked into green for the dogs. They can be very color conscience. Good colors are: Charise pink for Sky fish and Pink/Purple for the lower Stilly and the Skagit. Sparse purple with and hint of pink on a floating line for the upper Stilly

Coho are hitting combinations of black. Steelhead will hit about anything but good luck finding him amongst a gazillion salmon.

Best of fishing Dennis

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Fishing continues, water has dropped in nicely in the Stilly, Chums from Headwaters down to saltwater. I fish as low down as can to find the brightest fish. Purple combinations are working well. Steelhead are still a daily occurrence, Hatchery fish above Deer Creek, Natives below.

Gotta run Dennis

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Holy Shnikeys!

The fishing is Hot! Sounds like guide talk, but it’s really good.

Chum - Arlington Down, fish any color as long as its purple.

Coho – Can’t keep them so I am not supposed to talk about them, But if you ran into a bunch from Cisero to Lime Quarry....Well, it happens, especially on black flies with silver beadheads. Hey, You never heard it from me!

Searuns - Everywhere, particularly off the tributaries. Large orange bucktails are almost criminal.

Steelhead - How can you have a pool with several hundred salmon and still find the Steelhead? The other day with Paul and William we found two in the same pool. Next day several miles upstream, we lost a hatchery male that must have gone 15 lbs.!

We are fishing floating lines long leaders and sparsely tied flies- Less is more unless this rain brings some color in the river! This guide is loving life!

Best of fishing Dennis

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The Grande Ronde has taken a lot of press lately. Here is the rundown.

Early Season: Due to a late indian summer the GR. temps were too high to really move the fish in. The Sanke was running high and warm so most of the tributary fish were cooling off in the lower 3 miles of the Clearwater.

Mid Season: Mid October found the GR. swimming with steelhead and the lower river swimming with fishermen. Visa Cards. They were everywhere you want to be. The pressure was almost as bad in the canyon at Shoemakers. The best way to get away is to do the 3 day float through the roadless area. Best do this with an outfitter unless you know how to negotiate the class 5 narrows.

Late Season: Crowds in the lower river finally thinning out. Water is getting cold and the dry line flyfishers have moved down to the Snake. Fish numbers as a whole are about half of last year.

Local Scene: Stilly has a lot of cutthroat in it, Silvers are in the mid NF and Chums are in great numbers from Arlington down. Skagit silvers are in good numbers, Dollies are still coming in and the dogs are in the lower river. November is always one of our "Sleeper months so if you want to seriously bend a rod before winter sets in, bet be heading to the river.

Best of fishing Dennis

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Just when you think you are finished with the wild native steelhead.....The fishing has been quite good since the rain(s). The cutthroat are really keyed in on the October Caddis. Skating these flies as brought some really exciting action in the lower North Fork. The other day I was fishing with Mike and Bill, and we found a fine school of SRC happy to take my little orange bomber when a really nice Deer Creek steelhead came half way out the water and crashes down on Mikes waker! Mike was only on 4# Maxima Ultragreen. To put it lightly, this fish was hot! What makes this story funny was Mike had e-mailed me twice to ask I was SURE his little Battenkill was going to be enough. Fortunately for me, he landed the fish.

Best of fishing Dennis

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I love the fall. Fall brings the hustle and bustle of nature trying to get her house in order before winter sets in. The salmonids are active participants scurrying up their natal streams trying to remember which room is theirs.

Best of fishing,

Dennis

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Been under the weather lately, but did manage to fish the last couple days. The shot of rain did what I expected. Shot the Deer Creek fish up the trib, and brought in the first pulse of Coho. Lots of them up to 15 lbs. milling in the prominent pools in the lower river. Fished in the Silvana area. Lots of SRC in the river now. Fish the spider series in the morning shadows and grasshoppers and Cranes in the afternoon. Some October caddis coming off now.

Silvers can be very fun and more than a little exasperating at times. They have definite bite periods, and a hot fly one day will be dead the next. My favorite flies and techniques:

1) Greased #6 muddler skiddered quickly across the pool

2) #8 eggsucking leach on a shooting head stripped erratically along the bottom

3) # 8 Fall Favorite grease lined with a twitch on a floating line

Falling tide is best, particularly in the evening.

Dennis

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Weird: Normally this time of year we are into the cutthroat pretty well and raise a steelhead every third trip or so. The last week has found the SRC turning to the # 32 lime green chironomid in the morning, but grasshoppers and craneflys in the afternoon. The days continue to be bright but the nighttime temperatures have fallen as low as 40 degrees. Water temp. in the lower North Fork at 10 am was 56. This has moved the SRC back into more traditional water and perked up the steelhead. The chinook salmon spawning is in full swing in the upper water shed and the smell is definitely interesting the fish. Yesterday Bill and I hooked not one but 5 steelhead! All Deer Creek native fish, as far as we could tell because we lost three to break offs and pull outs on our 4 pound tippets! Short chunky bright fish, all 4.5 to 7 pounds. Awesome!

Best of fishing, Dennis

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12 pound summer steelhead on a 4-lb. tippet! Not proned to write more than my weekly update but we had an experience I would like to share. Mark and Ray had originally planned this as a steelhead trip, several months ago. Mark flyfished the Skagit with me last fall and did well on the salmon, but still hadn’t swam a steelhead.

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