Fishing
Reports
(Jan. 2005 - present)
(Jan. 2005 - present)
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Fishing
Reports
(Jan. 2005 - present) |
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Late Season Skagit & Sauk River Flyfishing Guide Trips November 15-February 1 Stories
& Articles
Gift
Certificates
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Dolly/Bull meets Skagit Skater |
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12/25/05 "Going. going, gone! " Rivers are headed out. No, they are gone..... Weather has gone warm, freezing levels up. Flooding is around the corner. The good news. The rivers were fishing very well until this pineapple express. Winter steelhead are showing in all the North sound rivers. We have been fishing the Skagit below the Sauk the most. Skagit: 14,600 cfs and heading up. Only fishable up to 10,000. Look for good numbers of winter hatchery steelhead to continue as the high waters head back down. Your standard winter steelhead patterns will get it done. Fish the soft edges where the steelhead will migrate to stay out of the heavier flows. Many guys miss the boat. My guides and I will fish our lightest sinktips when the flows are up. Fish in close where the steelhead are. Sauk 12,200 cfs. Not fishable until it drops below 7,500. Sauk has steelhead and Dollies. Find the rocks, fish the edges. Love that river. Haven't heard of any wild steelhead showing yet, but as we get further into the winter, they should be coming. In twenty years as a fisheries Biologist, I would love to tell you I have seen a definitive correlation between the return of winter hatchery steelhead and their wild counterparts, but really haven't seen it. Stilly N.F. 10,000 cfs. Fishable at 3,000. Gone Skykomish: 26,000 cfs. Fishable at 10,000. Really gone. Me? Mike was fishing the Skagit preflood, and I spent most of my time poking around the local waters, and up at Jeff's ponds. Biggest trip was Jeff's Ponds. We never bothered with any of the other eight lakes, on this 90 acre complex. We went directly to 4.5 acre trophy waters. We were both set up with my version of a Denny Rickards Sealbugger with a beadhead. These big rainbows love to cruise edges, so we tied on our leaders to 3x fluorocarbon and fished floating lines. Never even stepped into the lake except to net a fish. Gentlemen fishing. I won't fill you in on all the gory details but it seemed every time I looked up, Bill was being towed around by another monster rainbow. Right now it is mini leeches and young dragonfly nymphs. Fish ran from your eastern Washington bows to nearly eight pounds. Most averaged closer to 4-5. Only thing I felt bad about was the fact, we never got to fish some of my favorite haunts on any of the other lakes. Poor baby.......As this weather front was moving in, I was thinking my rivers are probably going out. With so many protected shorelines, even this isn't a problem at the ponds. Life should always be so difficult. Back at the rivers: I would look for a pulse of winter hatchery steelhead in on this rain, Supposed to clear and drop so we will fish Jeff's Ponds early in the week and hopefully back on the Skagit (maybe even the Sauk) by weeks' end. 2006 Flyfishing
Schools: February 3 or 4 flyfishing schools: Now that isn't fair. I haven't even advertised these schools yet, and already our Saturday school is full. We may add another day for this popular fishery. We will see. I am asked all the time, which river is my all time favorite in the spring. It used to be easy. It was the Sauk. Now I would say it is a toss up between the Sauk and the Olympic Peninsula's "Chosen River" (Yes, it is a pseudonym and Yes, it is an actual river.) Mike and I have a few dates left for the coast
this spring. A few more than that for the North Sound streams. 
I have had a chance to clarify a few points in the How-to article, Cold Water Takes. This new technique in detecting the gentle bite so common in winter steelhead, revolutionized our approach to fishing winter steelhead. Check it out. Winter native steelhead.......something very romantic about that sound. I guess Mike and I will just have to handle big rainbows and Dollies, sprinkled with the occasional hatchery steelhead.......until the rivers come down.
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
The holidays find the north sound rivers down and fishable. Cool weather has kept the snow locked up where it should be......in the mountains. Waters have been running cold and very clear, excellent for winter flyfishing. Skykomish River: 1,200 cfs as of Sunday Morning. Chums and silvers are all but gone, but winter hatchery steelhead are trickling thru. Don't expect to be alone. Hearing rumors of a few wild natives showing? Now that would be cool! The defined gravel bars and easy wading (most places) makes the Sky, a friendly steelhead flywater . Fishing strategies: While fishing around winter gear anglers, I have mentioned I prefer to fish the softer colors such as blues, blacks and purples in marabous and Practitioners. Any of your silhouette colors will work. The forecast calls for rains thru the week, try fishing upstream, from High Bridge to the Sultan River, if the waters dirty below the Sultan River. Here is another tip: Fishing pressure tends to move steelhead to the edges, especially in clear water. Most anglers don't bother fishing the riffley heads and few will fish the broken wake in the tailouts. Fish high and low in the pool when the steelhead are trying to hide. You will be surprised.
Flies & technique: Bobbers work but we prefer swinging flies on sink-tips. Poor Mike has had a back order on his Yancy lines. Take heart. I promise we will have some to demo in our upcoming Skagit Winter Steelhead schools February 3 or 4. This is what Don W. had to say about the Yancy in his recent Dickson Flyfishing adventure. Speaking of Schools: Be sure to check out our new Flyfishing School calendar for 2006. See why we believe the: "2 nights at the shop, 1/2 out casting" is a traditional but ineffective approach to steelhead.
Skagit: 3,500 > 6,000 cfs. The late running Silvers and Chum, this winter, are in their final chapter. It was a very decent run of fish. Winter hatchery steelhead heading to the Cascade River, and Sauk and Skagit are both seeing some really dandy Dolly/Bulls coming out. Anything resembling a flesh fly is the drill. Too cold to take them on top. Wait for this rain water to hit. Sad: A buddy stopped in a local takeout the other day to witness some guys in a big sled being checked with seven dead Dollies, smallest had to be over 23." Imagine if we could make the Skagit a selective fishery? A world class fishery! Maybe then we could say "If we error, we would like to error on the side of our wild fish." Seems like I heard that, somewhere. What a great idea! We always deliver a bunch of
Gift
Certificates for our guide trips and fishing equipment at Christmas
time. This year we seem to be sending out a lot more Gift Certificates
specifically for our 2006 steelhead schools. Welcome! Glad to have you.
Merry Christmas & best of fishing, Dennis, Mike, Darrel & Jonathan "AKA" The Dickson Boys
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
12/11/05 As we were fishing the Skagit the other day, we checked out some water I haven't fished for a while.....but will again in later February. Water was low.....but fishing well. Some of the pools have changed since the high waters, so reading water is paramount. Saw several other fish caught (all but ours were on gear)......looks like a fine year. I wince at the Dollies coming to the boat launch. Sad. I was wondering: Think we should include the Dolly/Bull as a target species during the March-April C&R on the Sauk and Skagit? Sauk is dropping like a rock, but the fish are there. One of Mike's boys released an eleven pound winter hatchery fish the other day.....don't see many of them on the Sauk. Dollies & Coho still doing their thing. Love fishing waters "where you would want to be there.....anyway." Plenty of Eagles......life is good. Water is cold, even for December, so bringing the fly in "Low and Slow" is the rule. Even though steelhead will lay in many types of water......there are only those pools that you can flyfish effectively. Recognize this water and concentrate your efforts there. Good Karma is a nice read, helpful when you are standing up to your wazzoo in ice water. A concept we teach in the past ten years of winter steelhead schools is; presentation is more important than the fly on the end of your line. Also, if you thought that drawing steelhead to your fly was as simple as casting as far as you can, and throwing a really big mend, you would be wrong. Over casting sinktips is probably the number 1 mistake I see on the Skagit, and I guide it year round. The rivers are prime, the water is clear. You have a choice. You can go fishing, or follow your sweetie around the mall. Any questions? Merry Christmas, Man. The Dickson Boys
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
12/04/05 Rivers have settled into their winter scene. It is beautiful, but it is cold. Water temps are hovering around 35 degrees. Air temps on the Skagit, Sky & Stilly vary from day to day, but are about the same as the water. Precipitation is being locked up in the mountains. River water height on the over-all have been moderate this past week, but on the drop. Look for more of the same if it stays cold out.
Chums and nice silver salmon are still around, while the winter steelhead are coming in spurts. The Skagit River is our user friendly flywater of our North Sound waters. With winter anglers on the prowl, I have mentioned I prefer to fish the softer darker colors because it "Shows them something different." Our Blue/Purple marabou is good, so is Black Bart, which nothing more than a black & purple woolleybugger, with an orange face. A size # 2 is about right. Another fly of mention is our *Egg sucking Leech Green Lead Head (see Streamside Flies) It is a great all species Skagit River catcher, particularly on a falling river. Same flies that take Dollies will catch your winter steelhead. Both weighted flies on a floating line or moderate sinktips will get it done. Egg patterns are best fishing with floating lines and indicators. If it's not rolling along the bottom like the natural, it ain't working. Technique: I won't tell what rod to use or where to fish it. I will tell you the same thing we teach any of our first timers, new to our western rivers. A) Gear your outfit to your quarry. You will have more fun. B) The bigger the river, the closer to shore they migrate. Skykomish River: Don't go over there once the winter steelhead enter. Total jam show. Stilly, North Fork: River has gone to "All gear" until it will close the end of next February. Did you know? Up until the year before the Stilly March & April season has been annually shut down due to under escapement of wild steelhead, it was open for killing it's wild steelhead. Hoh River: Wild Steelhead Release works, just have to implement it, BEFORE the stock is in trouble. More Stilly: River was running dead low this week with maximum visibility above Boulder Creek, but the little stream has got some new winter steelhead. Air & water temps around 39 degrees. Flies & technique: Swing your winter flies, "low & slow," adjust your leaders to water conditions, if you want to move a fish who has seen everything. Sauk: This one would have to be my sleeper, but be careful. The Suiattle is kicking silt and fishing below is a mess. The upper run from Darrington down is better. Dollies are coming out in good numbers now. So glad we can actually regard them as a legitimate fishery. Doesn't it seem archaic to you that we have to maintain a kill fishery in this state to target a species? A simple selective fishery such as the regs of the Yakima would be awesome.
Ask about our custom Eagle Float trips. Lots of attention right now for our Gift Certificates which include all our outdoor activities.
"The biggest problem with this job is deciding what to do for vacation." Dennis, Mike, Darrel & Jonathan
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
11/27/05
Sauk: Still kicking color from the Suiattle, but
nice water up above. River in good shape. Find the rocks, find the fish.
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information November 20, 2005 "It's all about the egg." Many of you know that back in the late 70's, I stumbled
onto and developed a saltwater Chum Salmon fishery called Hoodsport. The
popular Chum Candy fly, is practically a saltwater legend. Of course,
this was back in a time, where C&R was laughable concept. Why would
you ever want to catch a fish that wasn't even good to eat? Besides, all
Chums do is tear up your tackle..... as years have passed, I would like
to think we have come a long way in broader angling horizon. A few years ago, I again stuck my head in the lions
mouth. I ventured into writing about wonderful flyfishing for Dolly Varden
on light fly tackle. The Skagit and Sauk rivers are the finest Char fishing
in the North sound region. I remember as I began writing, the so called
"Experts" answered back by expounding how anyone worth his wading
shoes would never lower himself to actually fish for Dollies.......they
are trash fish, of course, which eat salmon eggs...... Please read Dolly
Editorial Current fishing: Why? Because only anglers who can enjoy all our fisheries are the ones who become passionate about saving and protecting our fish and their waters. It truly takes a village. Skykomish River has fallen back into shape: Anglers are out. Stilly North Fork is about to go bait, so you feather flingers might want to hit that.... Sauk is absolutely stunning right now, can't wait
to get over there. Mike & I just finished our annual Skagit River
Dolly/Chum/Winter Steelhead Flyfishing schools, which would be totally
awesome (right now they are just outstanding) if the Chums weren't just
grabbing everything we put into the water. Back at the ranch: Way too much fun. The ghost tip makes the Yancy multi-tip and wonderful saltwater flats line. Seguar Grand max. is the best flouro. leader out there, in my estimation. Use 0x for dogs, and 3x for Dollies. Egg-n-Shuck, and Black Bart are important now, because the Dollies are keyed into eggs, and good luck trying to keep it away from the puppies! Find the flies et al, online at Streamsideflyshop.com If you wanted to know if your flyfishing reels are up to steelhead, fish now. Chums will show you what's what.
Dennis & the boys
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
"And there you have it....." Rains have come and our once fall has enveloped into a northwest early winter. Rivers are up and flowing now. Getting on the water is all about the freezing level. Seems like every fish in the river is on it's way to somewhere. Our job is to see if he will slow down enough to take a fly. Oh Yeah. Stilly: More salmon continue to come in with the tides, Dollies are up in the tribs now. Summer steelhead are in the North Fork, but you have to try to get past the salmon to find them. Chum salmon are not what you might call discriminatory spawners, so be careful where you wade, while chasing the steelhead. Good to see the fish, though. SRC is also scooting up in the feeder streams, the fine fishing we had, is over for another season. Winter hatchery steelhead will be sneaking, but the quality fishing won't swing for the few more weeks. Sauk: Quietly getting it done. Big year for Dollies and the drought kept the fish in the mainstem, until these rainy fronts. Now they are up doing their thing, and the big boys will be back in a few. Some really monsters this year. Now that the Chums are spawning, the Eggsucking Cop Car and our egg-shuck, is the ticket. Skagit: Thinking Chumsters. Every year I marvel just how strong these fish are. Chums, like Pinks are good biters, but you need to play with the fly colors and presentation is subtle but slightly different from steelhead. If you think the Chum to be caught is that old boot, snagged in the back.......you just keep on thinking that. Got to read Guides Are Professional Liars - streams are too crowded anyway. Black Bart, Pink Stinker, Chum Sport, and the Micro Eggsucker, all get fish. Fly colors change from day to day, so pays to experiment. We use floating and light sinktips, leader length depends on visibility, and our Seaguar Grand Max is the best (more expensive) clear water tippet material I have ever used. There is a lot more places to find Chum than Swift Creek, or the Grandy Creek. Explore a little. Oh, Mrs. Black will take the Coho, remember boys, It's "Pop, wipe your pants" sounds crude but clients will know what I mean. If you go into your local flyshop, looking for these flies......it isn't going to happen. Mike's Virtual Flyshop www.streamsideflyshop.com has the stuff. Dolly/Chum/Winter Steelhead schools Nov 18 or 19: Last call for this school. Wow! Must be doing something right. Anglers sometimes frustrate themselves for years, trying to catch our great fish of the Northwest. Our schools flat get it done. You don't have to take my word it. Check out References and endorsements.......read from past anglers, themselves. From dead drifting glue eggs for Dollies, to stripping Cop Cars for Coho.......we are looking to have a great day for our early winter flyfishing. Of course we will have our Yancy multitips and the very popular Floating Line Head System. Ready to see and fish the trick flies? I am stoked! Guide days: Schools are actually only a small part (but growing)! of what we do. Mike and the boys are out on the water pretty much every day it's fishable. You don't have to book a trip to get some straight scoop. Drop an e mail. We are always happy to help. Look for quality fishing to continue until Christmas. Humble is: "Getting paid to do, what everybody else does for fun." Best of Fishing, Dennis, Mike, Jonathan & Darrel www.flyfishsteelhead.com 1 888 435 6499
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
11/06/05 "Careful what you wish for" I can always tell when it's this time of year. The only thing that is keeping the rivers inside their banks, with all the storm fronts pushing through, it the lower freezing levels. I get a flood (bad pun) of emails, from guys who know if there is anyone idiot enough to be out fighting the winter elements, it has got to be the Dickson boys. Always happy to answer questions. This is what you will find. The Stilly: Forget about it. The Stilly has been out for the past week, and with a new slide opened up on Boulder Creek, and more storms in the forecast, I wouldn't put the Stilly on your to-do list. Watch for a lower freezing level, or an early dry and cold period. The Stilly is a relatively small drainage, and can drop pretty quickly. Look for Chums & Coho in the mainstem, and a mix of older summer steelhead, with a few early winter hatchery fish in the North Fork, as the water drops. Sinktips and winter marabous like "Pink Stinker" are the drill. Speaking of Pink Stinker: The Skykomish is a pretty stable watershed, and not a bad "Dog Show". Many anglers swear by the chartreuse but it has been I experience, that cerise/purple in our "Pink Stinker" is a great Chum color combination, for the Sky fish. (Also one of my go-to winter steelhead flies, so there you go.) Fish it greaseline, with a twitch for the Dogs. If you are snagging fish, stop casting down & across, as you do for steelhead, they don't like that. Sauk: The Suiattle finally stopped puking the glacial till, but the visibility is still less than two feet, even up to Darrington. Early Dollies will be heading out, but if you are like me, just fishing the Sauk, and thinking about some early wild steelhead, is enough to get me out there. You will have the river to yourself. Skagit: This river is barely "IN" right now. I don't like fishing it above 10,000 CFS. because the pools go away, but fishing is better than not fishing, and Coho, Chum, and some big Dolly/ bulls are the quarry. If you are a Dickson Member, the Cop Car series, is the best dirty water fly I have found, but any of those egg sucking marabous will get it done, too. Black Bart is awesome, as the water drops and we get some visibility back. The fly isn't as important as the presentation in the right zone. Oh Yeah: Looking forward to our annual Fall
Skagit School November 18 or 19. Best of fishing,
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
10/30/05 "Steelhead Junkies" You know you are a steelhead junkie when: You have just spent the past month camped out on the Grande Ronde, get home and find out your old stomping grounds is smoking, so off you go..... Poor wife. Seems like all I have done in 2005 is travel. This fall has been particularly crazy. One of the few good things about returning from the Grande Ronde is, it is supposed to mark the last traveling away from home, for the year. Supposed to........ Typical Fall on the Seattle North Streams. Its been raining. Rivers are a little swollen, but fish are coming. I check out my River Flows every day, that I am home. North Sound Streams: Not a lot of spawning Pink salmon this year, but with a little luck, the eggs will make it beyond the critical egg stage. Pinks are trying to wrap it up, Coho are in, Chum are coming in, SRC will start heading up their natal tribs, Dollies will be coming down from spawning......and they will be hungry. Things are definitely on the go. Stilly North Fork: Air & water temperatures have dropped into the 40's. Steelhead flies: As you would probably imagine, egg patterns are good with both Chinook and Pinks are in post spawn. Mike's Glue Egg-n-shuck We are seeing Coho all the way up into the upper reaches of the North Fork, and some really large Searuns are hanging around the steelhead waters. Remember, only the hatchery steelhead are legal. Leave everything else alone. The lower Stilly was fishing well right up to the weekend. Deer Creek and Boulder Creek both blew out, which forced the Saturday Tidewater school, to revamp into an upper river gig. Kudos' to Rod with his first steelhead on a fly. Pretty cool. Thanks to all for coming! The Skagit River: The upper Skagit between Marblemount and Sauk River confluence is actually back up to normal flows: The most amazing amount of summer/fall Chinook spawning I have witnessed in years is now finished. Always good to see the fish. The Skagit River Humpy run was only "OK," but at least we maintained a viable stock. Now it is time for the Chum & Coho show. We do our best chum fishing in the standard steelhead waters. Techniques differ a bit from the standard wetfly swing but they will bite. I think it is really hard to beat the egg-sucking leech patterns. I personal favorite is "Black Bart", The big Dolly/Bulls will be coming out soon. They will be all over the Chum spawn & carcass. (think Alaska rainbows). Speaking of which: Check out our 2005 Steelhead, Salmon & Dolly school November 18 or 19 I need to forewarn you: Guys have been asking about this particular school since before we even headed to the Grande Ronde, back in September. The guides and I really enjoy this multiple species gig. It's not just about the North Sound Rivers: Good time to be hitting those Hood Canal trib. mouths, as the Chum will be smelling for home. Better prepare for a jam show. That why my guides & I will be splitting time between the Stilly, Skagit and the Sauk, this winter. It's a cold time, but a quiet time........until you hook a Chum headed south. I will write more specifics, as we get further into the home town fishing, again. Many have read some to all of my Stories and articles. My favorite is "Charley". What's yours? Best of fishing,
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
10-23-03
"God didn't build enough Octobers." Still scrubbing the Eastern Washington dirt from under my nails. Mike and I just got back from the Grande Ronde Campouts. Jon was over early, but had to get back to help Darrel run the local trips. Very much appreciated the boys hard work and diligence. Many Kudos' to all the guys and gals who joined us on the GR as well as the early Skagit fall salmon trips this past couple months. We had a good mix of first-timers to the GR as well as the boys who have booked with us since we began the campouts in 1990. Think I have had two days off in the last 60. Now I remember why this is a young man's game. Oh well, I could be working...... Far too many tales to tell. This is a Grande Ronde River synopsis I just received from my good friend and client Dr. Richard Gubner. Of course he didn't happen to mention the fact that he and his son Noah are both accomplished anglers.
Days were warm and water was clear pretty much our entire stay this October. October Caddis were coming off and anglers did very well on our Crystal Caddis. Weather slowly chilled, and temperatures dropped a bit. More steelhead were coming but a little more reluctant about coming to the surface. We resorted to swinging sinktips and nymphing techniques in the morning. Mrs. Black, and the Conehead series were very effective. We fished the surface with Crystal Caddis in the afternoons and evenings.
Even though our guides and I fish steelhead twelve months a year. I never seem to get enough of the Grande Ronde. I spend 6 months reflecting on it, and the next 6 months looking forward to it. Ahh, life is good. Small wonder so many guys book a year in advance. Has it been raining? I should have figured. It seems like every Humpy year we follow up the salmon return, with some high waters. Never thought I would be happy to see it come. Rivers are only back to normal. Coho are in, and early Chum are on their heels. If we can keep this high water down, should be plenty of fish to go around, in the local rivers. Speaking of salmon: My sweet wife has been booking up all our Stilly Tidewater Schools October 28 or 29 The Saturday class is full but Friday has two openings. I have been fishing and guiding the GR since the late eighties, so each year going back, is like visiting an old friend. I have to admit though, it's nice to be home, too. Best of fishing, Dennis, Mike & Jonathan
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
10/16/05
The Skagit River has now settled in nicely after experiencing the effects of run off from up high in the system. The visibility above Rockport has finally improved and the color is dialed in up there. Look for fishing to improve on this river and only get better. As the kings and pinks finish their spawning on the Skagit, the dollies appear to have had their fill of eggs and are moving towards leeches and more traditional streamer patterns. The Stilliguamish has some fish as well but small tides have brought smaller pockets of fish. Look for fishing to improve with better tides later in the month. Darrel has reported some success finding late returning summer steelhead that moved up after the last high water. Mike and Dennis continue to work the Grande Ronde - while Darrel and I probe our streams here for salmon, steelhead, and dollies. Best of fishing, Jonathan & Darrel
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
10/09/05 " So here we go, again" The GR got its shot of rain about the same time we started getting ours. The river rose and the fish responded. Fishing was a bit slow late September early October but has steadily been getting bettter. The weather finally began to stabilize just before I left. Mike and Dennis will be over there while Darrel and I run trips over here. On the Ronde, the boys will fish surface presentations in the evenings, while swinging flies along the bottom during the day. Might as well keep an open mind. Some rivers change little after high waters, some change a lot. Personally, I like some change, (gravel recruitment) but scouring and channel change is bad. I enjoy reading new water, and consider it to my fishing advantage. Anyway, now that the high waters are over for now, I will be out fishing again this week. Fishing should be good. Watch those river flows. The Skagit and Sky along with the upper North Fork above Boulder Creek will come in first, then the Sauk and the Lower Stilly. There are so many species available now. It is good to know each species preferred flies, lines, and holding water. Presentation is the other key. The better you can understand a species, the better to get next to him. Watch for Mike to put up our Fall Season Sampler which is a compilation of our best Dolly, Steelhead, Coho, & Chum Salmon flies by Nov. 1 at www.streamsideflyshop.com (Hmmm..... The other day I was asked an age old question.
Best of fishing, Jonathan, Darrel, Mike & Dennis www.flyfishsteelhead.com
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information 10/02/05 " Just another day on the pond" As another Humpy season comes to a close, we say good-bye to the Pinks for another couple years. As we have been chasing them since the second week of August, you would think I would be tired of the Humpies by now. I just never tire of fishing the Skagit. It is that cool. Humpy days are in transition now. In another week or two, and the Skagit River will be taken over with spawning Pinks. I swear there are as many King Salmon in the river as Pinks. All those fish crowding our pools will ripen, and fill the riffles with spawning fish. These are all wild salmon. Didn't cost us a thing. Just had to let them spawn. What a great concept. If the early hatchery Coho are any indication, looks like the Silvers are going to have a good year. The Stilly has a bunch as does the Skagit and Snohomish in the lower rivers. Better take your heart medicine. The hatchery Coho are so-so biters at best, and they can drive you nuts. Fish jumping and playing all around you. Almost makes you want to fish with a net. Heck, I probably have more guide notes on lower river Coho than I do any other species. One day you will nail them, the next day with the same conditions, you don't get squat. The keys to the game seem to be: avoid the crowds (fishing pressure knocks them off the bite) fish an incoming tide in the lower rivers, and concentrate on wild fish. Wild Coho, as in most salmonid species, are much better biters than the hatchery pukes. If this rain happens, look for SRC to squirt up into the tributaries. These little waters that are open will have some of the finest small river fishing of the year, because generally only the spawning sized SRC will make the final run. Fall colors, big SRC in small streams, pretty cool. Mike, Dennis, & Jonathan will be fishing the Ronde for the next few weeks. Mike has been selling the GR flies like crazy. Flies: He still has a few Grande Ronde Samplers, left.(www.streamsideflyshop.com). These are our own pet fly patterns for the Grande Ronde, Deshutes, and Methow River steelhead. Yancy & Brent Carlson are headed back from the Dean and soon to arrive in BC to fish the K. and the Bulkley. Crystal Caddis, GR, and Mrs. Black are just a few of the flies they will be packing up. Mike and I hope to fish the Dean & Bulkley with the boys next year. Just have to work it around our guiding schedules! If you get a chance, check out Surface Flies For Steelhead. I know it may sound uppity, but once you get your confidence up for raising steelhead, I swear it will make sink-tipping feel like trolling. Try it, you will love it. Don't forget our Tidewater Chum & coho school Oct. 28 or 29. Classes are filling already. Have a lovely fall. Best of fishing, Dennis, Mike, and Jonathan For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
9/25/05 For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
9/18-05
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
9/11/05 "Zig & Zag" All over the place, really. Lower Stilly has good numbers of salmon.......even the Coho are showing. North Fork is quite good for Searun Cutthroat. Maybe not the numbers as the tidewater, but good nonetheless. Flies: All types of baitfish patterns are working. Less is more. Keep them small. The Humpies are moving in. Glue Egg patterns will turn on here for the Cutthroat, as the little salmon starts spawning. Try fishing the riffley heads that drop into significant pools. Fish will start to congregate around the mouth of their tributaries soon. Lower Snoqualmie will take some SRC after this rain. Lower Cowlitz is smoking. Not all hatchery programs are bad. Lower Skagit has some color but the salmon are in. If you were thinking the fishing was going to be like two years ago, you are going to be disappointed. If you have to catch Pinks, head over to the Skykomish. That is what everybody else is does. Upper Skagit can be a real sleeper for the Marblemount bound steelhead, fishing the surface will avoid most of the salmon. I riffle hitch the fly and keep it small. Some days you will find them, some days you won't that's why it is called "fishing." Next few weeks will pretty much be the same......always bouncing around, looking for the best of the best. Anglers should have their itinerary, including directions. Watch for a change of location, but if you haven't heard from me.......everything is as planned. No need to reconfirm. Fall is always a busy time............even the October Grande Ronde Campouts are just around the corner. Single anglers are welcome if you are flexible with your timing. Really jacked about our most popular fishery coming up. Speaking of which: Jonathan & I will head for the GR, the end of September. Mike & Darrel will wrestle the steelhead, salmon and SRC on the north sound waters. Jon heads home in mid month, & Mike comes over to the GR when the Humpies are finished on the westside. Got it? Stilly Tidewater School (Part 2) October 28 or 29 This end of October outing(s) coincides with the wild hooknose silvers, and chum salmon. Low water years will find these really hot fish playing in the tides of the lower Stilly. Some of our biggest SRC enter late, and these three amigos make for a really great gig. Best office in the world, D & boys www.flyfishsteehead.com
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9/4/03 "Life turns on a dime" It is not easy to be thinking about my little life
of flyfishing, with so many people are simply struggling to survive. As you know; Mike, Darrel, Jonathan and I spend most our river days, guiding. No mystery there. We ran our Tidewater schools a little different this year. On behalf of Jon & Mike, we want to thank the boys for joining us on this year's very successful outings. The Stilly regs are a bit a quandary this year. The WDFW Regulation pamphlet says one thing, the website doesn't appear to be different, the local tackle shop has "heard" another idea, and the game warden states his case.
Rule
Changes > Freshwater
Fishing > in
a particular river or river system > Emergency rules currently
in effect for Stillaguamish River (includes all forks) (Snohomish County)
Here is an email I recieved on the subject.
Tidewater Silver
I tell my guides every day when I am out on the water, I try to accomplish one of two things: 1) Learn something new or 2) Reinforce something I have known. Personally I think we anglers have a hard time getting better, because we don't attempt to think outside the box. Case-in-point: It used to be Mike & I would flyfish Skagit & Skykomish River Pink Salmon with sinktip lines. Still do on occasion, but fishing the floating lines will not only find the more aggressive fish, it is just a lot more fun, and you just don't snag one. We moved to bobber fishing (excuse me, indicator fishing), and then to greaselining them in the surface. Finally, we began skating flies for Pinks, and still do when conditions are right. (it is my favorite method, because it is my preferred for steelhead). 2003 September, I stumbled into a new wrinkle on accident. I put my guy over a quiet pool, and before I could explain how to skate his fly to the fish, he did what he always does back home in Montana. He dead drifted the dry over the fish. I was about to open my big mouth, when this pretty little hen Humpy lifts up and eats the fly, before I could say anything. Don was happy, I was stunned. Fortunately, I was smart enough, not to say anything. He rose three fish in that pool. All on dead drifted dries. Hmmm..... You can believe or not, that's up to you. I have already built some new experimentals to fish in the next coming weeks. I don't divulge patterns, but I am just pioneering here, too. My advice? Experiment. I try not to pu-pu any man's sport but Buzz Bombs in freshwater. Grrrr.....! Don't even get me started about the jet ski! Skykomish & Snohomish River: Haven't been over there, but I hear there are a bunch of fish. Same flies and techniques should work. Just find some quiet fish. Skagit River, top to bottom: Lower river has poor visibility. Upper river opens
for Humpy kill on the 16th, so I expect more pressure up there. Not sure
why someone would want to eat one up there. Some Silvers are showing,
and few steelhead are around. SRC is hanging around now in the lower river.
Chinook are upriver spawning now and that is pretty cool. Jon, Mike and I will fish locally until the end of September, and then off to the Grande Ronde. Darrel will handle the local gigs until Jon returns. Mike & I will continue the Grande Ronde campouts until later October. Happy to talk about that. Life can be tuff sometimes, fishing keeps me in perspective. Best of fishing my friend, Dennis, Mike, Darrel & Jonathan
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8/28/05 Can it be fall already? As the fall of September approaches, the summer slowly slips away. Daylight is shorter now, nights are cooling nicely. Forecast calls for rain, but we have heard that before. I have lived in these parts long enough to know, we only get X amount of nice days, a year. My fear is that when the weather really turns, we won't see the sun again, ever..... Only in western Washington, do we feel bad when it rains, feel bad when it doesn't. Go figure. Fishing: Some fish just can't wait, and others don't mind a bit. We have spotted SRC all the way up to Fortson Hole on the Stilly North Fork. Most self respecting fish are still holding down in the saltchuck. Dollies can't wait, they have a job to do. So up the muddy Sauk they come. Amazing. Summer steelhead are around, but numbers are down. Other than poking around the outside watersheds, I will just play the salt, until it's Grande Ronde time. Dam counts look promising. Humpies are staging. Some are paying the salt, while I have heard of others sneaking well up into the river systems. Where there are Pinks, the SRC are close behind. I love what I call "cross-overs." A crossover is when you can fish particular fly and technique and catch two or more different species. A great example is skating surface flies the N.F. Stilly SRC. The Deer Creek wild summer steelhead really jump our Crystal Caddis, so it makes a great two for one deal. Same drill for the Southwest Washington streams. Pretty cool. Actually, this is a good time to read Surface Flies For Steelhead. If you are planning on joining us on the Grande Ronde Campouts, I think it's a must read. We are supposed to be set to present our Stilly Tidewater schools, coming this next weekend. I have already contacted the guys and told them we are on hold until it rains. It could be gangbusters if it rains..... Schools are aborted if it doesn't. I refuse to take clients on "boat-rides." We are adding another dozen different fly patterns to Streamsideflyshop.com. They may not be up there, by this writing, but they are coming! Fishing Forecast: Darrel: Upper Stilly for skating steelhead, lower estuaries for SRC, and soon the Pinks. Fishing is "OK." Waiting for the rain. Jonathan: Stilly, Skagit, Whidbey beaches: Just about everything that swims. Ditto Mike: Has been over on the Eastside for the last bit. Hope to get a report from him, soon. Confirms the rivers are low but excellent surface fishing. Me: A bit like Jonathan. All over the place. I am blessed with variety, and lucky to have lots of guys who enjoy the same. I look for the Skykomish/Snohomish to become a mad house with Humpy fishers. The Stilly will get their Skating show. The Skagit is a "wait & see" for the Pinks but we have a couple weeks. So there you have it. A Labor Day rain would be a beautiful thing. Happiness is fishing when everyone thinks you are not, Dennis & the boys www.flyfishsteelhead.com For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
8/21/05 You can take your pick. Now we have flyfishing along our beaches. Whidbey Island is my first choice. Hood Canal, and Central Sound beaches, are getting attention, too. The key to Humpy fishing is to keep it small and keep it pink. Tidewater fisheries should continue for the next several weeks. Dollies, Pinks, and SRC are all about the show. I think the fish have given up on the illusion of a rain, they are coming anyway. Snohomish. Stilly and Skagit systems are all starting to see fish. Tidal changes are the best action. The rivers are moving a good number of Dollies. This wild Char is a fall spawner, and a real shining light, in the local fisheries. Dollies spawn in the upper watersheds, and a good indicator the old logging scars are healing. Summer hatchery steelhead is as about as bad this
year as last year, but there are some wild summers sneaking in. Go figure.
The really good news is, the Columbia Tributary steelhead are moving thru
the dams in numbers, and that will spell well for the Grande Ronde. Tidewater School for Sept: 2 or 3. Looks like our schools are locked and loaded. I will give availability next week. Nights are cooling, leaves are turning in the foothills, and the fish are swimming. Just doesn't get much better than that. Looks like another busy fall. Let your fishing do the talking, Dennis, Mike, Jonathan & Darrel For
information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking
Information 8/14/05 "Saltwater Beaches And Beyond" I got so excited the other night. It actually clouded up for a couple hours. Got up the next morning and we were so far out of saturation, there wasn't even a mud puddle. It is sunny now. I think fishermen naturally complain, anyway, but the Pacific northwest lives on precip. Heres hoping the rain comes gently. Mike and I continued to play from the salt chuck beaches to the lower rivers this week. More Pinks showing all the time in the South Sound. Dollies continue to migrate to their fall spawning grounds, Searuns are staging, and summer steelhead are still poking along. Also, excellent time to be fishing the mountain lakes and creeks. I like the ocean fishing at out in the Straits.
(Watch for the hook-nose at Sekiu in Septemberif they open that.) Try
casting Baitfish poppers in the kelp holes for Rockfish. It's a hoot!
I love the Whidbey Island and Hood Canal Beaches, estuaries of the Snohomish.
Stilly & Skagit Rivers (incoming tide fishing best). We will continue
upstream if rivers get that rain, (I hope) and on we go. Humpy patterns. Humpy Cherise is found onsite. Humpy Chaser is located on the Members only page. Our Humpy Skater pattern is a dry fly for Pink Salmon. This fly is like beyond Cop Car. We don't give them up. Almost every other fly is on site, but not this one! I won't tell you clients have to snip it off at the end of the trip, but we don't sell them. You have pet patterns too, right? Flyfishsteelhead.com
Searun Cutthroat Tactics is a timely article you might find interesting. For
information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking
Information 8/7/05 "One man's floor, is another man's ceiling" Ok, I could tell you about the day at Neah Bay last weekend reported to have a bunch of Coho that passed through the Straits. That was one day. The ocean went "grave yard" by the time I came back from Vancouver Island, and coastal guys started wandering half way to Japan, out of Neah Bay, looking for the mystery Silvers. I didn't really start fishing Neah Bay until the late 70's, after I finished my Fisheries degree at U of W, So I suppose there are some who have been at the saltwater flyfishing out on the coast longer than I. But I have to tell you. I have never seen a coho drought like this at Neah Bay. We tried everything this side of bait or spoons. After a few days of pounding away, I came to the resolve the coho simply were not there. We marked some humpies but between the up coming beach fishing, estuary, and skating flies through September. Well, let's just say, it's not like we aren't going to doing a ton of that. For you ocean humpy chasers: Most anglers do not realize Pinks generally travel in the top thirty feet of the water column. Daylight and dark days sometimes find them, right in the surface. (Like a coho.) Many anglers make the mistake of actually fishing below the schools. They slap on their weights or down rigger, and right through the salmon. In flyfishing the ocean rips at daylight, a floating or intermediate line is all you want. Find the school and you are golden. As with any schooling fish, if you realize you are in them, try to stay to the outside of the seam, and fish the edge of the school. You will catch a lot more fish and you won't put them down. You can play the colors as long as it is pink. I fish smaller rather than bigger, I fish sparser, rather than bulky patterns. Pink/white or straight pink, flies are golden, especially in the fog. We have one that imitates and pink krill, that works well. Just remember most humpies like to hit the fly on the drop, so strip, strip, pause, is the presentation. When the sun goes bright, then switch to your heavy sinker lines. The Neah Bay digger is the best I have found, but I am sure there are others.
Seal and Sail Rock overlooking Snow
Creek Resort. I am glad that the kelp fishing is finally getting a little respect. The ocean cliffs and islands around Skagway, Mushroom Rock, and even Sail and Seal Rock hold everything from Ling Cod to Kelp greenling, but it is the pelagic Black Rockfish (Seabass) that hold the show. I am sure there are times you could toss in your kitchen knife and they would probably take a whack at it, but my three favorite flies are; poppers (make sure they have eyeballs, predator fish always attack the eyes), Clousers in the familiar flor. green/white and also the angelhair peacock hurl/white (awesome candlefish pattern)! and our Cop Car. Yup, killer saltwater pattern. I tie my saltwater flies with strands of holographic flashabou. These bad boys really light up the water. River Fishing is all about finding cool, quiet waters. If you thought all the rivers are running too warm, you are wrong, many (OK, most are), but there are some notable exceptions. Only problem is, many of the cool rivers are glacial fed, so the visibility is shot. Pays to poke around. The Dolly/Bulls are on the move, but the Suiattle
River is kicking some major silt so you might want to fish in the Darrington
area, or Rockport upstream, on the Skagit.
Stilly Tidewater Schools: September 2 or 3. Pinks & SRC are already moving in. Looks like another fine gig. Right now there is room in both schools. Grande Ronde 3 day Cabins & Campouts. $550. (not double occ). October. Many of these very popular expeditions are full. Please inquire for specific availability. Because sometimes you just gotta go fishing, Dennis, Mike, Jonathan, & Darrel.
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
7/31/05 The good on the good: It would be enough, just to have the Pink Salmon, coming in the rivers, (didn't say they are always easy to catch!) but the Searun Cutthroat are sneaking in, too. The key is to down size your flies - a little. All your traditional SRC patterns will work. Until the waters cool (this rain?) look for them in the snaggy areas along side a good riffle. They need the oxygen. No, I think the real bonus may be the Tidewater Coho coming in. Many of these are hatchery Silvers, and can drive you crazy as a poor biter, but enough of them do, and they will kick your but# when it happens! Everyone is going to tell you something different, but I really like our SRC & Humpy & Coho, beach flies. You can find out more on these patterns at www.streamsideflyshop.com
Now I am going to ask you three things in your fishing.
Enough said. Mike and I will be busy for the next month chasing these salmons, SRC, and even the odd steelhead kicking around. October Steelhead: Thanks to all who are lined out for our Grande Ronde steelhead camp-outs and daily guide trips. Looks like another special season. Life is tuff, but I guess somebody has to do it. After twenty years as a full time steelhead flyfishing guide, I still can't imagine doing anything else. Release them gently, Dennis & Mike, Jonathan & Darrrel www.flysteelhead.com For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
7/24/05 "Steady as she goes" For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
"Life, as we know it." Well, life has settled in since my western state road trip. (Back again from Idaho.) Mike & Jonathan have been fishing the Skykomish and Stilly waters while I have been away. All three of us have been back to guiding this week. I would like to say the North Stilly has taken top honors this week. The river took a pulse of both wild Deer Creek native steelhead and Fortson bound hatchery fish in the last few days. River is back to low again. Look for the best action from Deer Creek confluence downstream, Hazel, (above the slide), and the skinny water fishing in the Fortson-French Creek area. You are going to need to change up your tactics, depending on which section you choose. The lower river fish will hit about anything from surface flies (Crystal Caddis) to Woolly Worms. The water visibility is only moderate, but the fish don't care, in fact it kinda helps with the bright and sunny days we have been having. The Hazel fish are also seeing fishing pressure, but the water is low and gin clear so fishing early and late are good, longer lighter tippets are better, and time to move to smaller flies. Dead drifting nymphs are excellent if you are good at it. Keep your colors somber, fish have seen all the fancy stuff. Fortson Fish are Fortson fish. I don't spend much
time here, but it has some fish. Think spring creek, It is the guy who
can show him something different, who will get the bite.
Mike has done surprisingly well on the Skykomish, but I think they have accounted for as many Chinook as they have steelhead. He is back on the Sky, today. The water has warmed and floating lines are working, especially for the wild fish headed for the forks. Contact WDFW about their trucking steelhead above the falls. Had a lovely day on the Skagit the other day? Hatchery Chinook are headed for the Cascade River. Pink & white marabous are the drill, but you can't keep them. Dollies are kind of in between migrations right now, but we did handle some to 23." Bull Trout? The Sauk gets a wonderful run of Dolly/Bulls (heck, I don't even know what to call them anymore) but both the Sauk and the Suiattle are in full snow melt, and as the Suiattle is a glacial stream, it is running the color of a puke brown. Clear Creek area and above is good later this summer. Fine trout fishery. Boys are telling me it is time to be heading back over to the Olympic Peninsula. I am all over that. As the Coho of Neah Bay apparently have already made their onslaught, looks like the coast will be hopping. Come on rain! Stilly Steelhead School July 22 or 23 Had a couple cancellations in the Saturday class. Everything is locked and loaded. Yell if you haven't received your Stilly School itinerary. Humpies Are coming? As the fall salmon start their homeward journey, good time to brush up on your river tactics for salmon. Check out Flyfishing Pacific Salmon on Flies Grande Ronde Campouts: October 15-17 or 17-19. Due to angler demand. We have now added one more expedition to this year's fall calendar. That's about it for now. Rod tip up, and release them, gently.
Best of fishing,
Dennis & the boys www.flysteelhead.com Mike, Jonathan, &
Dennis
Best of fishing,
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information 7/10/05 "And there you have it" I am never going to complain about a rainy June, again. I figured I have seen pretty much all the local scene has to offer, but this low water/high water, deal is really something. The good news is, it has forced me to fish in places, I have meant to, for years. "And the hits just keep on coming!" July is just a continuation of June. Sunny one day, rainy for the next two. So there you go. This is what I know: All the rivers took some rain, Yeah! Summer steelhead have been trickling, this so hold do it. Happy for our schools. (See below) Check our river levels page. Falling waters is what you are looking for. Good time the take a look at Searun Cutthroat Tactics. Guiding: August 15-30 Southwest Washington waters will heat up with combo Steelhead/SRC guided trips. Ask about it! Stilly NF Steelhead School: July 22 or 23 Everything looks like a go, Getting excited
Grande Ronde Steelhead Oct 15-17 is golden. Happy to answer any questions
Best of fishing, For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
7/3/05 "Sometimes you want more" I would have to confess, of all the fishing I do
from Alaska to Mexico, jumping big rainbows has got to be right up there.
I was hoping to hit the sockeye smolt outmigration, so legendary in waters
like the Naknik's Rapids Camp, for big rainbow trout. No such luck. Mike,
Jonathan & I arrived in Southeast a little later than we anticipated.
Work got in the way. Not only this, but the river we planned to fish was
in full runoff, and though we spent the full first day at it, fishing
was simply, "OK." A few rainbows to 5lbs., and couple bright
sockeye on egg patterns. We wanted more. We ended up fishing some tributaries
we hadn't seen before.
Large Alaskan Bow # 6 Chernobyl Ant
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
6/19/05
Mike & Jonathan are fishing the Skagit today in a two boat, gig. My good wife has had the week off so this was my "Honey Do" week. Do you think some women lay awake at night dreaming of projects to do? We live out in the country woods on a couple acres. Amazing. Anyway. Boys have been out fishing. Rivers are down for this time of year, but there are steelhead and Chinook if you can look in the right places. The 4th of July is the unofficial start of the hatchery 2 salt steelhead as well as the Deer Creek native steelhead, for the Stilly basin. These Stilly wild summer steelhead will show soon, and simply improve through out the summer. Searun Cutthroat are a fall fish. Watch for them in August. Focus your fishing from Deer Creek downstream. These wild summer fish take surface flies very well so if you have never taken a steelhead on top.......well, you're just letting the best part of life, pass you by. Right now there is enough color in the water below the Slide that anything below C-post, I would still be fishing winter flies and technique while the water clears. Two many non-thinkers on the court: I happened to ask the opinion of a longtime angler what he thought of the "don't lift the released steelhead from the water," law. He offered a simple solution that would have made a lot more sense, that most anglers do, anyway. The rule should have read." Any potentially released steelhead must remain out over the water until released." This, of course would prevent steelhead from flopping in the bottom of the boat or being dragged up on shore. Perfect. Anyone who actually fishes, knows that even a few inches of water will cushion a fall, should the fish slip out of hand. Oh well. I wish that was our biggest fisheries problem. Here is a satirical look at Washington's Flyfishing Politics of today. I wrote this story back in 1998. How prophetic. It's called, So what is Flyfishing Back to Fishing: The Skagit system is pretty quiet. The low snow pack will allow for upper tributary exploration, shortly. The Skagit below Rockport is fishable as we speak. Our guides say the fishing is so-so. Skykomish system: Water is down, few kings around, steelhead is spotty. Good time to fish the salt. Speaking of which. Neah Bay continues to get it done. Very weather dependent. Rockfish are the drill, but Ling cod and Kelp Greenling are fun, if you don't mind going down for them. If you haven't skated surface patterns for the Black Rockfish, it is really fun. Look for current edges that push the bait right up into the kelp. We have had fish come completely out of the water after our flies. Too cool. Had the WDFW had been on the ball a few years ago, they would have realized the world class recreational fishery potential, and saved this slow growing fish, in the process. When somebody turned the commercials loose to harvest this fragile ground fish resource in the metric tons, for pennies a fish, somebody should have went to jail. Enough said. Southwest Washington Waters: Seems like every year we spend a little more time down fishing the southland waters in the summer. Fishing pressure can be intense in places and times, but generally predictable. Think Zig & Zag. It works. Flyfishing Schools: Hey, seems like the new wave is our Custom Steelhead Schools. Smaller class size, flexible schedules, and more personal attention. Cool. Fishing Forecast: Mike, Jonathan, and I will be heading up to chase Alaskan rainbows in a few days. Darrel & Dawn will handle the home front for the week we are gone. I may be a day or two late with the fishing report next week, but it is coming! Look for the best summer steelheading in July to come from the Southwest Washington streams. If it is anything like last year, it should be pretty good. The OP summer streams are over rated, in my opinion. Odd year fall means Humpies and they can be really fun in salt and fresh. Humpies on surface dries? Leave it to Dickson.Too many scenarios to count. Mike has the trick flies at www.streamsideflyshop.com Ah, life is good. Best of fishing, Dennis B.S. Fisheries
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
6/12/05 The guides have been guiding the past week on the Skykomish, Skagit and Stilly Rivers for summer steelhead. There are some lovely Kings around. I just got back form Canada. Visiting old haunts are lots of fun. I am not supposed to name specific lakes but if you head for Merritt, and take the Kelowna connector, there is some really awesome water up there. Weather was good, and it was bad. So there you go. A funny read about one of my BC adventures is "The Fishing Dog."
I never know if its a good thing or not: When the fishing conditions become more challenging, anglers leave the river. There are not as many steelhead, but we get to fish all the pools we want. Typical gig. Always seems like there are one or two pools that consistently hold fish. Happiness is when they are not a popular fly pool. More fish, more angling pressure, fewer fish, fewer fishers. There ya go. I would have to label the fishing success this week as "OK." The wild winter steelhead are pretty much past. The 2 salt hatchery steelhead are just heading in. I heard a great quote from one of our guys the other day. John said, "If I have to choose between fishing and having
fun......I choose fishing." Stream Flows: Skagit River: 3,520 CFS. @ Marblemount: Spring runoffs are past already. Summer flows and few fish. Dollies are holding near the soft current edges. Warm and rainy continues. Lots of gear guys up around Big Eddy and Little Eddy chasing the hatchery bound summer Chinook. Fishing apparently, was really hot for about two days on gear. Dumb fish were caught, everything else went lock-jaw. Fly-boys just float on by. Water is gin clear. Sauk River: 3,000 CFS @ Sauk. Water has dropped but Suiattle kicking silt. Poor fishing. Skykomish 2,180 CFS @ Gold Bar. Nice pools from High Bridge down to Monroe, but only a few consistently hold fish. Watch for 2 salts to come in on the next high water after the July 4th. Stilly: 1,340 CFS @ Deer Creek. Summer time lows. Snow pack has come off real fast. Like the Sky, the Stilly has steelhead spread throughout the system, but the better pools are few and far between. Watch for a pulse of both Deer Creek wilds and hatchery summer steelhead to come in if this rain bumps the river. Rose our first summer run to a surface fly the other day. The pool is nothing more than a boulder patch depression, but for some reason the fish like it there. Roger had hooked a nice fish in the pool above, so we were feeling pretty good. Mike fished down first with a Rusty Bomber, but no go. Roger follows up with a Crystal Caddis and as his fly skitters over the holding lie, there is a silver flash just under the surface. I figure the fish has rejected the fly, when a little hen with a head about the size of my fist pokes her head completely out at the end of the swing (I love it when they do this) and turns on the fly. Roger is starring out over the reflected surface, hears me yell "Hold it!" Only he thinks I said "Get it out!" Pulls the fly right away from the steelhead. Geezzz...... Mike B. ends up hooking an awesome 28" pot bellied Dolly downstream on a Cop Car. Pretty cool. Flies and such: Water temps are good for surface fishing and as the wild Sky and Stilly fish move in, I would look to do that. Riffle hitched wakers and skaters are fun as are the Butt Skunk series. Your Floating lines and long leaders are good. We are pretty high on our FLHS, for surface fishing. Subsurface is a safer bet because hatchery steelhead are more reluctant to come up for surface flies but whack streamers and nymphs along the stream bottom. Yancy Lines are the best multi-tip flylines for subsurface fishing, but of course I am going to say that, I helped build it. Blacks, blues, purples, and reds are good summer steelhead colors. Stillaguamish Steelhead Flyfishing schools: July 22 or 23 8-10 hour clinics cover sinktip fishing in the morning and surface presentations in the afternoon. FLHS and Yancy line demonstrations, lecture notes, trick flies including Cop Car, and much more. Who knows, maybe you will even meet your new steelhead buddy? Very popular class. Anglers should read. Surface Flies for Steelhead. Best of fishing, Dennis, Fisheries Biologist, Flyfishing Guide For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
6/505
The rivers are running at prime right now. The Stilly North Fork in the upper river, is fishing well.....and it has fish. Fish your winter sink tips and your type 4 heads to get down. Blue/purple marabou works well with the light off the water. Skagit River upper river is getting it done. Flows are down and the river is fishing well. Not really known as a summer run river, Bacon Creek clear down to Rockport is worth the shot. All marabous including Cop Car are working. Fish above the Sauk. The Skykomish is moderate in height but consistent: Landed a gorgeous 18 # summer male the other day. These 3 salt fish aren't the best biters......but they definitely are one of the hottest fish that swim the river, taken right out of saltwater. Highbridge down to Lewis Street is getting it done. A few Chinook showing. Jeff's Ponds is happening.
Skykomish Steelhead Schools: Schools finished up
well. Dave emailed me, the day after his class and told me of his success
the very next day on the Stilly.......couldn't have happened to a nicer
guy. Anyway, thanks to all who participated.......guides & I enjoyed
having you. Alaska (again) Jonathan, Mike & I will be heading up to Alaska for a week again, later this month. This time for trophy rainbows. Dying to see if our Skagit Skater that worked so well this spring for Dollies and steelhead will trigger these Alaskan Bad Boys. And you said we weren't going to have any fun...... Grande Ronde Cabins & Campouts:
Most of our GR expeditions are full for 2005. We do have a couple openings
in the Oct. 4-6 trip if that works for you. A full scoop on Washington's
best For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information 5-29-05 "Yakima Time" Rob is good at about everything, that has to do with sports. Flyfishing is no different. I would row, and the boys would cast. Dad was a little uncomfortable at first, standing up in the front of the moving boat. He would hang on to the knee braces as we passed from rock to rock, but finally conceded I probably knew what I was doing. He finally went back to fishing. I told him it was a long time since I put a guy in the water. Not sure if this made him feel good or not. We spent the first afternoon/evening fishing from Umtanium down to Slab. It is not a long float, and with the water down, a great area to wade. I guided this section for many years. But that was a long time ago.
It was a stunning day and a lovely evening in the canyon. As mentioned, Dad spent most of his time perched up in the crows nest of the Pac 1300. He is so nimble I sometimes forget he is 84 years old. My guides fish this boat a lot, but it was my first time. It reminded me back in my Lavro drift boat days guiding on the Yak. I really liked how forgiving the raft was for anglers who tend to wander out of the knee braces. (Hard bottom boat guides really hate when clients do this because the boats are tippy and the guide can hardly row.) Anyway, the rowing frame needs some work. If I ran the boat every day, I would tinker with that, but it is a nice boat. Tracts well, and cut low enough not to be blown around in the wind. We spent the night. Rob and I sat around the campfire, catching up. Dad went off to bed. Rob & Beth (his sweet wife) love to ride their Harley's. He told a story of how riding through the Midwest, they got caught in a nasty storm. They had no choice but to hole up in a real dive. After checking in, Rob noticed the sink was dripping profusely. He calls the main desk. The guys answers, "Yeah......" Rob says" I gotta leak in my sink!" After a pause the Man drawls, "Yeah, OK, I guess." The next morning we ran up to the canyon put-in, below Ringer, and fished our way back down to Umtanium. Mornings on the Yakima is pretty much held to a nymphing show, but fishing is fishing. As we boulder hopped our way downstream, Dad made another cast to another rock. This time when the rod went down, it went from fish, to rock, back to fish again. Really big Yakima trout don't go down and out, especially if you are floating by. This fish decided to run upstream, and managed to pull free just before I could eddy out. Dad moaned and groaned all the way to the boat launch, how the big one got away. I was a little disappointed in the number of trout we caught with multiple hook scars in their mouth. We just don't have the numbers of quality trout streams, that we have in Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and beyond. Oh well, "you gotta dance with the girl you came with." All in all, it was lovely time with special guys. I have just enough time to head to B.C. before the rivers, open. Here is a funny story about a BC Lakes adventure. Read Mouth to Mouth Combat. Have a great memorial week,
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
5-22-05 "If you don't like the weather, just wait five minutes." We used to joke about this saying all the time up in Alaska. In our last week of Washington fishing, it felt like the story of our life. Jonathan just got back from Texas. Although he was down on family business, he still couldn't stay away from the fishing. He grew up on those coastal flats and bays. Sea Trout to Red Fish. Way cool. Back at Home: Pretty mellow week, really. We flyfished the estuaries and beaches. Poked around the trout lakes, both public and private. I guess one of the few good reasons of closing down the rivers in May, (excuse me, why exactly, do we close the rivers in May)? Anyway, as I was saying, not fishing the steelhead rivers in May, forces us to explore new flyfishing options, or a chance to visit the old ones. My return to the lakes reminds me of a Pass Lake adventure of years ago. Check out, a A Fishing Story. Dodging storm cells along the salt beaches, especially when you are running by boat, can be a dicey proposition,at best. As Jonathan and I were checking out a couple Camamo Island beaches, we wondered into the fry and found the big boys along with them. We have developed our own style of beach poppers. I am not going to explain the fly in detail, but I will tell you, we have gone to an articulated hook which has really cut down on short takes. Try it. I explained a couple weeks ago what I look for in hunting beaches and estuaries. Funny the word "hunting" comes to mind, because even though we are fishing, it really is more like hunting. If I don't find activity almost immediately in an area, I am gone. Sometimes a bay or point may be quiet as a church mouse, the next gig, down the way, may be rocking. My advice? Keep moving. It all has to do with bait and tides. Knowing where & when is as huge as knowing how, in the saltwater game. Weather is just another element. And about when you think you have it all figured out, the next time kicks your butt. And that is why we call it "fishing." Up and coming: Our next week is our last one before the rivers open, again. This my annual B.C. lakes drill. Let's hope the weather Gods are kind. As we approach river openings, I am remined of an article I wrote that was explained in Greg Thomas' book Flyfish Washington, titled, North Fork Strategies, The writing is a helpful read into summer steelhead flyfishing. Enjoy. Hard to believe it is almost summer. Have a great week. Best of fishing, Dennis & the boys www.flyfishsteelhead.com
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
5/15/05 "Sometimes you eat the bear.....other times the bear eats you" Just returned from fishing Alaskan steelhead. Way cool. Funniest episode: We were fishing a smallish stream in Southeast. Ran into a guy hiking down a lonely river. He asked if we had seen a seven weight Sage, attached to a steelhead. All I could muster was, "What?" It seems this guy's buddy had been playing practical jokes on him all through the week, out here in the Alaskan bush. He lost tract of this friend while they hip hopped their fishing, up this fairly brushy steelhead stream. They traded pools as they went. Reports of bear sightings abound but as of yet, neither guy had a fury encounter. Following a game trail, this dude tells how he comes up behind his joker buddy while the guy is fishing. His buddy is now fighting a steelhead, and backing a real nice fish towards shore. This guy sees his compadre~ backing towards him. Instantly, he takes a flying leap off the bank and lands in the water with a huge splash and a bigger growl. His friend wheels around in midstream, loses his rod, while fumbling for his bear pistol! Fake bear realizes his mistake, and puts his hands up, "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" Yup, Mr. Steelhead simply swims back out into the river, towing the errant flyrod and string along with him. When we left them: The two poor dudes were still wandering downstream looking for the lost flyrod. (Don't think they much worried about the steelhead.) Just try to explain that one to your insurance agent. Next week maybe I will tell how Scott raises a river otter to the fly. Now that's a story. Mike has been playing up on the private lakes. Apparently, good beach action is still happening along Whidbey Island with our mini skaters, and chum fry imitations. Jonathan just returned from Texas. He was there taking care of family business. So there you have it. Our ever popular Skykomish Steelhead Flyfishing Schools June 3 or 4, are coming up. This is our "Top to Bottom" class, which covers floating line presentations as well as sinktipping steelhead. I will give class availability, next week. Looks like a summer full of activity chasing steelhead and salmon around. Yeah it's a tuff gig but someone has to do it. Our Grande Ronde Steelhead campouts are filling up. If you have never taken a steelhead on the surface, this is what Willie had to say about his experience with the Dickson boys, last fall. Dare to be different. Fortunately, wild steelhead don't much care about our popularity contests, they just want to live. Release them alive. Dennis, Mike, Jonathan & Darrel For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
5/8/05
Life is a kick back for a few more. Kind of the calm before the storm. Guiding is up on the Lakes, rivers & saltwater beaches. Mayflies and Caddis are coming off in the freshwater. Trout are taking both adults and nymphs, and life is good. Next week we hope to spend a few more days over on the Yakima. Saltwater fishing news notes: 1) The saltwater beaches around Camano Island are holding SRC (and Dolly Varden, can't fish for those). Candlefish and Chum fry are the ticket, but a great "big fish" sleeper that both species just love is the lowly sculpin. Mike has a super bullhead pattern, which you can find on our "Pro Shop" site. I like to fish it on our type 2 mono-core line. Our new love is our own Candlefish beechpopper series. We fish this on a floating line - Way too much fun. 2) Find combinations of current, eel grass, and rocky shorelines and you have a gig. Areas vary but I like the incoming tides as a rules, and the hour before to thru high tide. Dark days are best. 3) Fish with tennis shoes and don't get them wet. I fish quickly thru an area, and if I don't see baitfish and swirls, I am off to new waters. Alaska & Washington: Mike and I will be fishing the local rivers until later June. Looks like I will be headed for Alaska to chase Kings and topwater chum. Full report for sure. Cop Cars in Alaska? CC originated as a tidewater King salmon fly. Little did we know. Here is what Andrew of Aspen Colorado has to say about his steelhead trip to SE Alaska. Mike, We caught many steelies, Dollies, and even rainbows
on the Cop Car. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you again for you excellent
service and excellent product.
As the hometown river to many Seattlites, it is no small wonder so many anglers are interested in this fly-friendly river. Pontoon rafts, trick flies, Biologists' lecture notes on reading water & line presentation, casting demo's comparing Yancy lines with Rio & Airoflow and so much more! (space limited) Best of fishing, Dennis, Mike, Jonathan & Darrel www.flyfishsteelhead.com For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
5/1/05 "Spring Run-off" Finished up the Sauk / Skagit Catch & Release. More fish are coming now. The Sauk has been blown for the last few days, and of course that put everybody on the Skagit. I do want to thank you Mr. WDFW for allowing us an opportunity to fish. Sure, we had our tuff days, and there were times it seemed we were All out there.....but hey, sometimes it is the bad days that make us appreciate the good ones. We were fishing, and we did find some big fish, memories. Maybe next year, we can open up more native release waters.......it took all of us out there to demonstrate, we are not just an after-thought fishery. Kudo's to all that worked so hard to make it happen. Remember, 90% of what happens in steelhead management is politics.....glad to see those who view us, "as helping". We are the future. Speaking of back......I floated the North Fork Stilly from Fortson down to Whitman Bridge, the other day. Winter floods were not kind. You are going to see a lot of changes in the stream corridor. It is going to take a while before this snow water, allows the flows to recede to summer levels. Last year it came a month early......this year should be the same. Pray the snow pack comes off slowly. I was emailed the other day, where would I look to find early summer steelhead in 2005. This is what I wrote: I would fish the hatchery waters around Fortson, first.....seems like every year, the hatchery steelhead shoot on up to their imprinting waters, faster than the year before. With the volume of water the fish will get, to help travel.......they will jet. The summer wilds will coming later, when the water drops and warms.....this is a good time to fish below Deer Creek.....of course, any time the water is clear enough to fish, its a good time to fish below Deer Creek. My favorite water in early June is the Skykomish. I get asked all the time, if the spawning escapement is so poor......why are we catching so many dark wild winter steelhead in the Sky and Stilly, when it opens in June? When management has killed off the early portion the runs, year after year........nature responds by producing later fish. The other explanation of course is perhaps, the steelhead population wasn't as small as hoped......I mean "projected." Anyway, I look for good summer steelhead returns in both hatchery and wild, for both the Stilly and the Skykomish Rivers. For you North Fork floaters......be careful! As I mentioned, there has been many river channel changes, and with the flows up.....you better be good on your sticks. Skykomish Steelhead School: June 3 or 4 We have been conducting these Summer/Winter steelhead schools, for quite a few years, now. We can only slot in a couple days in 2005, with our busy summer schedule, so you might want to jump in, if you are interested in learning steelhead flyfishing. Look for more info, in next few weeks.........right now we are enjoying chasing the trout around.......very cool. Best of fishing, D For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information 4/24/05 Picture Perfect Just returned from another Lakes School this year. I can't believe our timing. We have been shut down by our "late winter," since Mike & I have returned from Mexico in March. We fished the Sauk early in the week, and then the Skagit until Thursday when we beat feet for the Eastside Mystery Lake's class. The weather has actually turned nice for the past few days, and I have to tell you, Friday was one of the loveliest I have spent in the desert in years. I love the smell of sage in the spring. The fishing started a little slow and just got better right up into the full moon. Choronomids was the drill with the light on the water, leeching was the gig, after the sun went down. Guys handled some lovely fish. Saturday came with the clouds and as the rainbows kept the guides busy, it was not so much for the class, but class time is for learning and Mystery Lake is good as any. Mike & I headed for home as a monster storm cell came through. Timing was perfect. Many kudos for all those who joined us. The desert waters are a special place, for sure.
Back on the Skagit/Sauk Rivers: The clear water and rod pressure has the steelhead doing their disappearing act right now. Anglers who don't adapt to clear water fishing, are probably not going to find any steelhead. Fishing was "OK," but you had to work for them. Fortunately, I had Hal. We had planted stones in the early season. Steelhead found them, but we really had to adapt our fishing. Hal has no problem telling other anglers, we don't catch jack. Works for me. A few things to consider in this clear water fishing: 1) Fish where the fish are: The steelhead have been running big this year with plenty of the fish in the mid teens and above. Anglers need to focus their attention in big fish pools. Those shallow soft current lies are just not going to hold clear water steelhead. Not the big guys. Look for deeper pools with large rocks near shore. These are places where large steelhead feel secure. Casting out in the middle of the river is a waste of time. You can't get your fly down, and slowing it down, is just about impossible. 2) You are not going to get away with the same rigging you were catching steelhead when the water was dirty. Learn to adapt your flies, leaders, and sinking tips, especially when the light hits the water. 3) If you are seeing the same guys in the same pools, morning after morning, you can bet they are finding fish. They wouldn't bother to be there if they didn't.
An angling technique:
Fishing Forecast: Summer Steelhead: June-August If you felt like you got beat around the lips this winter/spring on steelhead, take heart. The last two summers on the Skykomish and the Stilly North Fork has been decent if you look in the right places, and the Kalama was just awesome! Ask me about the details. I will give you a straight scoop. Best of fishing, Dennis www.flyfishsteelhead.com 425 238 3537
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
4-17-05 If you don't like the weather, just wait five minutes" Sometimes life isn't fair. Mike & I traveled to southern Mexico for nearly a month, to find out the weather was all warm and sunny back in Washington. We finally come home and it has been winter ever since. The Skagit was a bustling 44 degrees, yesterday. Many years by mid April we have seen water temps to 50 degrees. The good news: Nature below the snow line is in full bloom and the fish are swimming! Mike gets the big fish again this week. Fishing with Lew C. they released a lovely 18 # buck Mike says really kicked-butt.Here is what Lew had to say about this adventure. We took some real rains yesterday, but it remains cool, so life in the north sound rivers are klicking. Both the Skagit and the Sauk will fish well this week. Skagit waters above the Sauk are Carribean clear, so you might want to fish below, but the Sauk is going to get the bulk of the run and a little color in the water can be a good thing for sinktipping. Flies are flies: Natives aren't very fussy. Fish your favorite offering low and slow. Mr. Steelhead will do the rest. Our Mystery Lakes Schools April 22 or 23 are looking good. Friday is full but Saturday still has a couple openings. My eastside source says that leeches and choronomids are back as the drill. Trout lakes are a welcome diversion from chasing steelhead every day. I know. If it's a ruff gig. I look forward to this class, every year. When I am thinking about the lakes, I seem to reflect on early trips to BC. Here is a funny episode. Check out Mouth to Mouth Combat. Anyway, us Dickson boys are out prowling around. The steelhead are here, fishing is good, and if you are really lucky, a favorite pool all to yourself. Ah, life is good. Enjoy your spring, D-son and the guides flyfishsteelhead.com 425 238 3537
Not too early to book your lodging for the Grande Ronde campouts and guide trips......check your sent itineraries. Best to you & your fishing, D For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information 4-10-05 For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
4/3/05
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
3/27/05 "Now there is something you don't see every day. " I was curious to see how the rivers responded after the big rain last night. The cold front pushed a bunch of snow in the mountains (lets hope it can stay there). The Sauk @ Sauk is flowing at 3,890 cfs, and the Skagit above the confluence is only running at 3,810 cfs. Weird. Not often you will find the tributary larger than the mother stream.
Fishing pressure has been moderate on the overall, for both the Skagit and the Sauk, although I did see a bunch of campers and power boats pull into the Howard Miller Steelhead Park, on Saturday. The Dawn Patrol has been sneaking around the Sauk. The water above the Sauk is Gin clear and the fishing, tuff. Water below is good but lots of power boats out. Love to tell you things have changed in flies and gear. It has not. Yancy lines flat get it done. Water temps. still in the lower 40's. Reading water and presentation is key. Look for water with rocks and soft current seams. Steelhead naturally look for protection as water drops and clears. Our guides are doing well on the traditional flies as well as the articulated leeches. Find these bad boys at Streamsideflyshop.com. The Olympic Peninsula streams should take a shot of fish with this rain. Mike has a client looking to share his trip ($175 ea.) on April 11 or 12, if that works for you.
While Mike and Jonathan will be chasing steelhead around the O.P., Darrel and I continue on the Sauk, and Skagit, until the closing April 30. Number two son Josh is holding down the fort at Jeff's Ponds. He says the fishing is good with midges, leeches, and even some early Mayflies coming off. Our half day gigs are still the most popular. I miss it, but that is what May is for, right? Hard for me to think about the lakes without reflecting on a BC bear adventure I encountered some 15 years ago. I titled the story The Fishing Dog.
If you are looking to venture over to the Grande Ronde this fall, check out our Grande Ronde Cabins & Campout page. Pretty cool gig. If you are worrying about the water levels on the GR this fall, here is a sobering thought: This desert stream region gets about 10" of precip. each year. You really think these fish aren't used to dry weather? Happy Easter,
For
information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking
Information 3/20/05 "And there you have it" Never thought I would be happy about the rain and cold. I have come to the conclusion over the years, flyfishers are never happy. The rivers are too high (Queets) too low, (Sauk), too clear, (Skagit) too dirty, (see Queets). So when is it the best time to go fishing? Whenever you can! Mike & Jonathan just finished our Queets/Clearwater schools. J. says the wet weather came a day too late. Even though one of the boys hit a nice steelhead in the lower Queets on the proposed Clearwater day. Just too low and clear so they did the Queets, again. Word back was everyone had a great time and learned a lot. Thank you for the nice emails. Darrel and I have been beating up the local waters. Some really big Sauk fish showing, but of course they are pretty camera shy, so there you go. Bugs are hatching but we seem to be running thru a series of cold fronts. The upside of this is at least we will get some snow in the mountains. Private lakes are fishing well, as are the reports from the eastside. Looking for some quality Lakes without the hoards? Our Mystery Lake gig April 22 or 23 is lots of fun without the hike. I always look forward to this one. Classes are filling. Speaking of trout: One of my favorite times to fish steelhead is in April because so many anglers have left the westside rivers to chase trout. Cool. I marvel at the seasonal changes this time of year. Everything is so alive. Many of our streams close as the best numbers of steelhead are just coming home. Probably the most controversial article I have written about Washington's steelhead management is found in Kill & Close, a bad idea. Looks like the storm that knocked the heck out of the coastal streams didn't hardly cause a blip in our north sounds waters. I forcast more and more steelhead sneaking in. Too many angling options throughout the spring months. Our spring fishing this year, is a bit like years ago, when visitors would complain about all the rain in Seattle. It used to be, we would defend the clime, now we say something like: "Yeah, you are probably right, it's really bad." So goes the fishing. It's pretty bad.....(unless you happen to look in the right places.) Year round, D For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information 3-13-05 "One man's floor, is another man's ceiling" Hola~ from Mexico, It's good to be back. (I think.) 3 weeks in the southern Caribbean is a tuff gig. We had a wonderful time. I won't spend a great deal of time on this, but if you are thinking about going down, check out our Mexico page, especially the Fishing & Itinerary sections. A brief question & answer: Were you down there to work for just to vacation? In my business, you are either making money or you are spending it. After 20 years of guiding, I have learned to avoid the latter, whenever possible. Mike & I took out clients on a series of our two-day flyfishing excursions during our 3 week stay. My family did come down to vacation. Sometimes with us, sometimes on their own. Worked great. "I know you are not there now, but I am heading down in (x) weeks, is there a someone or place you can recommend for fishing during our stay? Sorry, not really, no. After visiting the region for some time now, I found that the wade fishing we do is almost nonexistent down there. Every outfitter I found there, use and primarily fish from boats. We eventually came up with our kayaks & wading gig. I have always heard that the fishing really starts in April. Was the fishing really that good? Oh yeah. Sure, in April the wind stops but we are fishing the lagoons so it was pretty protected, most of the time. We had no lost fishing days. We also have no bugs in the winter, fish are rested, and we are still wading in 80 degree water on a 80 degree day. Now that is my idea of spending winter. Isn't Mexico dirty, dangerous but cheap? The answer is; No, no and really no. Southern Mexico is a lovely clime with a lovely people. Everyone has a job so the homeless and crime is really low. We know the nice places, but they are Hawaii prices. Why not pictures & writings: I am putting together a flyfishing article as we speak so I have been asked to hold back on pictures & text. You understand. Back in Washington: First of all, let me express my gratitude for Jonathan for handling the bookings while I have been gone. Mucho gracious! J. says the 1st week was a snap, the 2nd week was "OK" but by the 3rd week he was definitely losing it. Man, it was a cakewalk on my end. I would simply drop into an Internet cafe every few days, answer a few questions, and that was it. Loved it. What happened to the snow!? So all I have been getting since I have been back is, "Dennis, what are we going to do with no water next fall?" Honestly, I don't have a pipeline into the weather Gods. All I can tell you is; "We will get what we get." Seriously, trying to predict what the weather will be like next fall is like knowing what a stock market or a gasoline price will be. We will get what we get. My guides & I are really booked this spring so I expect pretty much, business as usual. Here is the scoop. Darrel has been flirting back and forth from the Middle section of the Skagit and the various pool sections on the Sauk. Success has varied from day to day, but over all has been good. Mike has been fishing the Chosen, Clearwater, & the Queets over on the OP. Same drill, fishing is pulsey, but some big fish. Jonathan has been our run around guy. Spending equal time all over the OP, as well as the Skagit & Sauk at home. Same report. Up & down. Saw a really nice steelhead the other day. Me? I probably have the best gig of all. My time has split between the upper Skagit and the tidewater. The private lakes have also been good. Fishing forecast: I love the spring. It is my 2nd to the most favorite time of the year. Trees are just budding out. Rivers are low but fishing. The steelhead are there, just have to vary your approach. I can't hardly talk about fishing the home rivers such as the Sauk or Skagit without reflecting on my old mentor Charlie. Everyone has a hero, he was mine. Our Queets/Clearwaters schools are locked and loaded. If you haven't received an itinerary please email me ASAP. Fish everything early: Eastern Washington Lakes are fishing well, already. Our Mystery Lakes Schools April 22 or 23 are always fun. Looking forward to that one. High Mountain Lakes & tribs. will take off early this year. If we get a no-rain summer, watch out for an early fire season. Less fresh more salt. Anadromous fish will simply stay in the ocean longer, the resident beach fisheries are working, now. While the Dickson guides will work the summer steelhead streams, I will spend even more time doing promo trips in places like Barkley Sound later this summer, when Mike & I get back from Alaska. Some Like It Hot: Everyone has their prejudices. I really don't enjoy flyfishing Largemouth bass. I LOVE fishing Smallmouth. Fishing rivers for warm water species can really tweak your flyfishing image. In the words of someone great; "Try it you will like it!" Our Skagit Skater is a real killer for the "Smallies," during the salmon fry out-migration on the lower Yakima. Really cool takes. So the morale of the story is: Enjoy every sunny day we get this spring. It may start raining next week and never stop until fall. Instead of leaving your waters because someone said the fishing may get poor, simply adapt your approach. Try something different or in a different way. We may never see this opportunity, again. "The Toyota may not be the most popular SUV on the market, but then the best seldom is." Be the Toyota, Dennis Fisheries Biologist, Flyfishing Guide for www.flyfishsteelhead.com
3/6/05 Rain at last, Well the rains came and we will take it. The OP probably benefited the most but it is fair to say that spring steelheading on the Skagit is now in full swing and will only get better. Fish are being caught on the Sauk as well. The Queets river saw a significant spike in flow and is now comming into shape nicely. Look for this one to start cooking as the Hoh should as well. Sadly, once again we here in the North Sound have lost the Sky and Stilly for the spring catch and release season...just imagine how good our catch and release seasons could be. As we speak: Go to flyfishsteelhead.com > River flows. Skagit has great visibility all the way below Concrete with small dam releases right hovering at about 4,200 cfs at Newhalem. 4,860 cfs at Marblemount. Sauk saw a small rise in flow that added a little color to the water. Stilly NF: closed Skykomish: closed There are still availabilities for our schools on the OP and we are now booking for the Grande Ronde. See our Queets/Clearwater Flyfishing Schools Mar 18 or 19 and Grande Ronde Cabins & Campouts. The new page is finished now. Check it out. Olympic Peninsula - Water conditions have improved on the Queets quite nicely and fish have responded. Mike and I are headed over this weekened. Darrel and I have enjoyed our days here on our
home waters. Mike hase returned and is ready to head out with me on the
OP. Dennis is close behind as we get ready for our spring season. Good Fishing, Mike, Darrel, Dennis, and Jonathan www.flyfishsteelhead.com For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information 2-27/05 Feels like Spring,
As daytime temperatures are creeping up so to has the water temperatures and the fish have responded. The Skagit has been producing some nice wild steelhead while the Sauk has seen some fresh fish move in as well. Fortunately for the Skagit the long rain drought suffered in other drainages has impacted it the least. Fish continue to move in. The OP is suffering from water shortages also with no significant relief in sight.
We have been busting out the sun block and stripping off the jackets by late morning. We are even seeing small hatches coming off in the late afternoons. Looks like this summer may be a dry one. Cannot believe that one would hope for rain when the weather is so nice but the truth is we need rain desperately in order to improve fishing across the board here in Western Washington.
As we speak: and it is not raining. Go to flyfishsteelhead.com
> River flows. Stilly NF: Water has dropped to August lows and is running at 793 cfs @ Deer Creek. Stilly is a real sleeper in the last two weeks of February. at 2,435 cfs. Skykomish: Sky is bone dry and running at 1,330 cfs at Gold Bar. Visibility is excellent above and below the Sultan but drops to 6 feet below the confluence. This one really needs a shot of rain. Watch for more wild fish to move in. There are still availabilities for our schools on the OP and we are now booking for the Grande Ronde. See our Queets/Clearwater Flyfishing Schools Mar 18 or 19 and Grande Ronde Cabins & Campouts. The new page is finished now. Check it out. Olympic Peninsula - As water conditions improve both Mike and I look forward to a great Spring steelheading out on the OP. Dennis and Mike are still pretending to be fishing bums in paradise. Dennis says he will have updates on the fishing soon. Darrel and I continue to guide our home waters. Darrel and his guys swam a nice steelhead on the Skagit while I had a rare opportunity, as of lately, to go fishing myself and swam a nice chromer on the Sauk. Life is good, Darrel and Jonathan
www.flyfishsteelhead.com
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
2/20/05 Cold to the bone, Stilly NF: Water is in good fishing height at 1,700 cfs @ Deer Creek. Stilly is a real sleeper in the last two weeks of February. You know, with all the wild steelhead the game department says are not there. Visibility is a real culprit: Below the slide is less than optimal, best to fish from C-post, upstream. Best fishing late, is from Deer Creek, down. The Sauk is low and has cleared substantially running at 2,435 cfs. Skykomish: Sky is at 2,370 at Gold Bar. Visibility is excellent above and below the Sultan but drops to 4 feet below the confluence. This one really needs a shot of rain. Watch for more wild fish to move in. Things seem to be shaping up nicely for our spring fishing. We do need some water though and a little warm weather will really get things rolling. In the meantime we just keep fishing. We are very excited about our activities on the OP as well as our home waters here . See our Queets/Clearwater Flyfishing Schools Mar 18 or 19. Very popular. I can fill you in.
Olympic Peninsula - Mike & I have been guiding over on the OP. We both have run into fish but these rivers need rain to really jump start things. We have booking availabilities for March as well as April. Darrel and I continue to hold the fort while Dennis and Mike play in Mexico. As always good reports from the land of sun, shorts, and t-shirts.
Good fishing, Darrel and Jonathan
www.flyfishsteelhead.com
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information 2/13/05 "Here today, gone to Maui.....er Mexico."
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
2/06/05 "Can anyone say Snow?" We were at warm and dry. Big storm front moved in, showered, rivers jumped and then the freezing levels dropped and rain in the mountain turned to snow. Yeah! This is how the rivers responded: As we speak: and it is not raining. Go to flyfishsteelhead.com
> River flows. Stilly NF: Water is in good fishing height at 1,500 cfs @ Deer Creek. Stilly is a real sleeper in the last two weeks of February. You know, with all the wild steelhead the game department says are not there. Visibility is a real culprit: Below the slide is less than optimal, best to fish from C-post, upstream. Best fishing late, is from Deer Creek, down. Skykomish: Sky is at 3,600. Visibility is excellent above the Sultan but drops to 4 feet below the confluence. Watch for more wild fish to move in. Flies for various water conditions: Guys are forever asking about our guide flies. That's cool. As steelhead are not maintaining body-weight biologically, we call this "non-feeding." As trout bums, I think it is a natural course of selection to try and find that Holy Grail, that one fly steelhead just simply strike with reckless abandon. I wish it was true. Trout & char are feeding. Steelhead in freshwater - don't. It is a sobering thought, that you could put your 6 year old at the vise with feathers and thread, and she could come up with a fly that would catch just as many steelhead as you or I. Steelhead simply don't care about the offering. He cares if it wanders into his territory and lingers a little too long. Do I have Confidence Flies? Of course. But then - Mike has his, Jonathan has his, and Darrel has his. My point? Of all the things to worry about in flyfishing steelhead, the fly you choose to put on your line, is way down the list. Having said that, here are some that I use. My fly selection is determined by: water clarity, outdoor lighting, and stream flow. The flies selected below can be found at Streamsideflyshop.com
Traditional Cop car anytime water visibility is
under 4 feet. Little bruise Soft water lies, especially at daylight
and dusk. Dark days/ clear water: Blue/Purple marabou Traditional 4-10 ft. vis. soft
to moderate flows. Dark days. Bright day/ Dirty water: Hal Smith Special under 4 ft. vis. Great in brownish
water Bright day/ clear water: Pink Stinker 4 ft. vis. or above Temporarily out
of stock Black Bart:Anytime! The fishing week: I spent the better part down with the flu. I did drag my sorry butt out to conduct the Skagit Schools. This is what Mike wrote about fishing the private lakes: Bankers hours, lovely Bow's but no monsters. Choronmids are coming off, but these guys like a real meal. Black & green leeches are the ticket. Water is cold. April & May are excellent months. Jonathan & Darrel fished many of the local waters. Their reports: Hatchery fish are on the wane, wild steelhead are trickling in. The OP looks good. Skagit Schools: Want to thank all those joined us this year. The weather was sideways but everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. The Skagit is one of my most favorites. Skykomish Schools: Our January make-up day is February 12. Time & place is all the same. Give a shout if you need another itinerary. Guide Trips: Olympic Peninsula Mike & Jon are headed out this week. Rumors of wild fish are coming in. Way cool. Seattle North Rivers: Still a bit early for the wilds but starting to show a few. Darrel jumped a nice fish, but it LDRed before I.D. but there is always that romantic idea, right? Trade Shows I am asked all the time how come we don't do trade shows anymore. There are only three reasons not to do a Trade Show. a) can't afford it. b) the show is not a good value for the patron (in my opinion) c) don't need to rattle the bushes for more business Because you asked: We are filling our 2005 Grande Ronde Cabin/campouts and we haven't got the word out, yet! Protect our wild fish, handle them gently. Dennis, Mike Jonathan & Darrel www.flyfishsteelhead.com Best of fishing,
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
"All over the board" Rivers headed out.....again, now they are back. I have seen plenty of winters that were warm and rainy. I have seen a lot that became clear and cold. Can't say that I remember a winter that was warm and dry. Weird. We certainly never seem to have the same winters twice in a row. By my feeble calculations, we are about due for a warm and rainy one. I just hope we get some snow pack with it. The rivers are back to fishing well. Sauk had steelhead and Dollies. Darrel & company are swimming some fish. So is John. Cool. Skagit is much the same. Stilly was quietly getting it done, and even the Sky got a squirt. Me? I took off for a ski trip for a few days, and Mike spent most of his time poking around the local waters. Jeff's ponds is happening. Maybe the biggest trip of the week was a Lakes day with my 82 year old friend & client, Bill. We never bothered with any of the other lakes, on this 90 acre complex. We went directly to the trophy waters. I set him up with a Denny Rickards Sealbugger with a beadhead. These big rainbows love to cruise edges, so we tied on our 3x fluorocarbon leader and fished floating lines. Never even stepped into the lake except to net a fish. Gentlemen fishing. I won't fill you in on all the gory details but
it seemed every time I looked up, Bill was being towed around by another
lovely rainbow. Right now it is mini leeches and young dragonfly nymphs.
Fish ran from your eastern Washington bows to fish we measure in pounds.
Only thing I felt bad about was we never got to fish some of my favorite
waters on the other lakes. Flyfishing Schools: Skagit Flyfishing Schools
Feb 4 or 5 Skykomish Steelhead Make-up day Feb 12: From our January school freeze-out. Olympic Peninsula
Schools: Queets & Clearwater Rivers March 18 or 19 Cold Water Takes
Has revolutionized our winter steelhead sinktipping. Check it out. Best of Fishing in this warm and crazy winter. www.flyfishsteelhead.com D, D, J & M
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
1/23/05 From "Arctic Blasts to Monsoon Mary" As the aftermath of recent flooding begins to subside, it is sobering to realize, our weather swings are not even a blip on the page compared to events around the world. We only had a tiny window of fishing as rivers went from bone chilling cold to flooding over their banks. I have no idea what we are supposed to do for a snow pack this year, Weatherman says we are supposed to slide back into the dreary Pacific northwest weather patterns this week. Whatever the heck that means. Rivers should settle in. As the hatchery winter steelhead finish their venue, the large winter native steelhead are coming around the corner. I will be the first to admit - I just don't hardly get excited about winter hatchery steelhead, but I live for the kick-butt wild fish. What would fishing be, if we didn't have something to look forward to? Anyway, we are scheduled for a busy time - with both private & our bigger schools on the horizon. It used to be, all we did was guide trips, with a monthly flyfishing school. Now, it seems everybody wants to become a better flyfisher, and our schools are "the thing." Cool, we love to teach. Speaking of schools: For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
1/16/05 "Fishermen are never happy" Winter native steelhead.......something very romantic about that sound. I guess the guides and I will just have to handle the big Dollies, sprinkled with the occasional hatchery steelhead....... until they show up. There is good reason why the flyfishing world
is always watching to see what the Dickson boys will do next. We are simply
a legend in our own minds..... For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
1/9/05 "Cold and clear, baby" Our rivers seem to have two modes. They are either
going up and out.......or dropping and clearing. Right now it is low,
clear, and cold. The guides & I got a chance to fish both the Skagit
and the Stilly, this past week. I know some guys are really down on hatchery
steelhead, but I am not particularly one of them. Reasons? Does the hatchery program have problems? Absolutely. Is it enough to abort the entire program? No, but I believe it needs to be analyzed, on a river by river basis. Anyway, the fishing. Longer lighter leaders, lightly dressed flies in somber colors, (this is a great time for your spey ties) are the ticket. Even gear guys, go longer lighter, and smaller.....you should do the same. The good news is.....there are some fish around! Hard to say if the fishing will hold, but the early component looks promising. The Stilly, Skagit and Sky all seem to have a few. Cool. Bad news: When the rivers go to low and cold......the steelhead tend to mill in the tidal waters.......the commercial netting can drill them. Pray for rain? Never thought I would say that! Right now we would probably end up in snow. As this is the unofficial "Off Season" for many trout anglers, I thought you might get a chuckle out of "Guides Are Professional Liars". Fishing Strategies: Fish the inside seam water on the bigger rivers such as the Sky or the Skagit. Sled boys tend not to fish here. Think summer low, and put it in their face. Think nymphing, if you are not losing a fly on occasion, you are not fishing. "Tink but don't klank" Brush the rocks....but don't dredge them. Ever Popular Flyfishing Schools: the Skykomish River schools are all full (If you are in a class but haven't received an itinerary, just drop a line.) Skagit Steelhead Flyschools: Feb 4 & 5 We do have some room in the Skagit gigs. Come see why it has become my favorite North Sound river over the past ten years. Also, the Custom Schools have become a huge hit. a great way to learn either the Skagit or the Skykomish River steelhead. Guide Trips: All our spring time trips are doing well. Mike & Jonathan will begin guiding the Olympic Peninsula Chosen River & and region soon. Word has it, even the wild steelhead are showing. The Sauk/Skagit C&R fishery is scheduled for March-April. Darrel will spend most of his time on the Sauk, while me and mine will poke around on the Skagit. Hope you all have recovered from the holidays! Best of fishing, D For
information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking
Information 1/2/05 Got a chuckle out of this photo. It was taken of
Jasmine and her first chum salmon, during one of our November fall salmon
schools. She was so much fun. I have to be honest, with holiday and
friends around, the boys & I have spent but little time on the water,
this week.
Rivers haven't responded with winter hatchery steelhead,
as I would have hoped but, as the Olympic Peninsula streams are starting
to get a few fish, that can change, pretty quick. A vital piece of steelhead presentation that as revolutionized our winter sinktip fishing can be found in the article: Cold Water Takes. Skykomish Steelhead Schools are full but many have
taken advantage of our Custom Steelhead
Schools. We even have an evaluation survey to help decide which clinic
is best for you. For
information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking
Information
Archived
Fishing Reports - lots of good infomation January
2005 - December 2005 |
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E-mail
Dennis at DDDicksons@aol.com ,or
phone at (360)435-6499 -
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We
caught the tail end of the March Brown hatch, but it became the Caddis
show as the evening wore on. I guess the standard drill is, when the water
is down, fish out. When the water is up, fish in. We found most of our
bigger fish in the boulder patches, in the heavier water. A dink bobber
and double nymph rig was effective, but not nearly as fun as the dry/nymph
dropper, technique. I was pleasantly surprised in how well conditioned
the rainbows were. Of course Rob catches two real fatties on his BH pheasant
tail, that turned out to both be White fish. Over on the Big Hole in Montana,
the locals call them "Hoovers and Goobers".We had to give Rob
a hard time about catching second class citizens. The funny part was,
both fish broke his favorite nymph rig, at the boat! 
