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Fishing Report 6-29-09 "A Day Off" My Dad, brother Rob and I try to do something in fishing every year, which to me is always a good thing. This year we decided to spend a couple days on the east side of the mountains. After traveling over to pick Rob up at his home in Winthrop, we headed even farther east for Lake Chopaka. The only real downside of such a trip, was passing not only the Chewuch but the Methow River as well. To head off fishing somewhere else? There is something wrong about this plan on several levels. I took solace in knowing my favorite summer time water is still a bit high right now, but it is coming down! I’ll be back. Chopaka Lake After fighting weeds and warm water (Dad jumped a bunch of fish mooching a “Halloween Bugger” in the deep part of the lake, but I must confess, this is so not my kind of fishing…… We got up early the next day, broke camp and headed down the hill, again. After traveling north again, we ended up at a private gig for nonstop flyfishing action. What? I left the lake wishing we had found something in between. Maybe I am just too picky. Oh well. Family time is always time well spent. I promised the Dickson Boys we would do our Methow River preview week after next, on the eve of my Methow River guide trips. Back on the Westside: The waters on both the north sound streams and the Olympic Peninsula are down and fishable as we speak. King salmon, summer steelhead, Searun Cutthroat and Dolly are happening. Mike has spent of his guide time last week again on the Skykomish River. He mentioned he is doing well on sinktip patterns such as marabous & egg-sucking leeches. The surface fishing of the Upper Skagit I would rate as only “OK“. It’s pretty weird that the west slope got all the snow this year. The east side sure doesn’t have it. Anyway, we are also getting good reports of multiple fishes moving into some O.P. waters. Mike is too happy with his steelhead, to leave the Sky, and I will probably just hang around the Skagit & the Stilly until I head over to the “Met“. Skagit River: River is going back into snow melt but the Water visibility is still around 8 feet above the Sauk, and 5 feet, below. Summer steelheading is only spotty here. Most guys are flyfishing big marabous in pink/white, blacks, blue, & purple in the upper river for the hatchery Chinook. (Watch your regs.) Sauk River: Not a lot of fishing until the water drops to summer-low. When it does, I recommend fishing the big pocket water above the Whitechuck River confluence. Skykomish River: Mike's guiding has been primarily on the Sky for both steelhead and Chinook, with the occasional Dolly. He still rates the upper Sky (below High bridge to Sultan) as fair to good for steelhead, and Sultan down the Monroe fairfor steelhead but good for Chinook. Sinktips and winter flies are the drill until the summer flows drop and warm. N.F. Stilly: The North Fork water is down. The water visibility below Deer Creek is now starting to be conducive to surface fishing. Both hatchery & wild summers are beginning to show. River access below Deer Creek is the trick. I generally look for the good steelhead fishing to begin after July 4. Next week I hope to finish up a new article entitled Ocean Pinks: The love -hate relationship. Should be fun. Best of fishing, Mike & Dennis " http://www.flyfishsteelhead.com"
6-22-09 "Father‘s Day" It is easy to commemorate Father’s Day. Mine has always been a hero in my life. One of the most asked questions I ever receive is, “So did your father get you into flyfishing?” My response, “Kinda”. Life on Canyon Creek was early episodes of my flyfishing days. I have had so many fishing adventures with my Pop over time, it would be difficult to sort them all out. I remember a summer day when his oldest brother Henry, Dad and I hiked down into the upper headwaters of Meadow Creek after work. (Dad worked in logging road construction (and I became a Fisheries Biologist, go figure.) Anyway, we broke brush that afternoon, with fly rods in one hand and wicker fisher baskets in the other. Our threesome bushwhacked our way down into this northwest Washington stream. Little wild rainbows were the quarry. My Dad has always been a pretty good fisher, but if a trout came to hand, it died. Uncle Hank was none the less. We didn’t do waders back in those days. Heck, we didn’t own hip boots. Work boots and greasy levis were the drill. As a rule, the brothers used to trade fishing pools along the way, somehow I would fill in around the edges. On a good day I could even manage to find my share of fish. It seems like it also was a custom, that the guys would meet up midstream somewhere, and Dad would slip a few trout in Uncle Hank’s creel. He was a good younger brother. On this particular adventure, we were wading the creek along shallow riffle flat. Couldn’t been more than 6” deep, as Meadow Creek was running summer time low. Uncle Henry trips on a streamside rock, and falls flat on his face in the water. He didn’t look hurt so my father and I just waited for him to get up. Getting wet was just part of the trip, but I’ll have to admit that “falling in” a tiny stream was a bit of a surprise. The trick was to give your buddy the impression, this was serious sport. I remember my cousin Lynn falling over a waterfall in the upper Sauk chasing Dollies. He was practically a legend. Anyway, after the trip and fall, Henry did get up but not before doing the strangest thing. For some reason, he decided that instead up simply lifting himself up to his knees, then to his feet, he started rolling down this little creek, commando style. It was like he was taking enemy fire, or something. My father and I just stared as his sibling goes rolling down the stream in a half a foot of water. Dad finally exclaimed, “Henry, for crying out loud, Stand Up!” As if on cue, Uncle Hank stops rolling in the creek and jumps to his feet. I swear there wasn’t a square inch of him that wasn’t soaked with water. All in a stream section no more than six inches deep. I think the real funny part was actually listening to this late Uncle tell his version of the story. The tale would vary somewhat depending on the audience, but it seemed like there was always raging currents and a narrow miss with a log jam in there, somewhere. Mark Twain once said, “I never let the truth get in the way of a really good story”. But of course my adventures are always true. At least the way I remember them. And now you know the rest of the story. Fishing Report: A busy guide week for sure. Waters on both the north sound streams and the Olympic Peninsula are down and fishable. King salmon, summer steelhead, Searun Cutthroat and Dolly are the players. Mike was out on the Skykomish River again yesterday, guiding steelhead & hatchery Chinook. He said his angler hooked a nice steelhead on his third cast. Cool. They have been doing well on sinktips and winter patterns such as marabous & egg-sucking leeches. He has new version of the blue/purple in a string leech that he really likes. Both Highbridge to Sultan and Sultan to Monroe sections of the Sky, seem to be holding fish. I have been on the Skagit and the Stilly North Fork. Fishing is what I would classify as “OK”. Spent a lovely morning conducting an into to flyfishing with Diane and Von below the confluence of Boulder Creek. Even swam a couple fish. Very nice couple. Skagit River : 6,900 > 10,000 cfs. River is in snow melt. Water visibility is around 6 feet above the Sauk, but zilch below. Summer Steelheading is spotty at best. Nice upstream Dollies on the move as are the hatchery Chinooks. Most of the fly-guys are throwing sinktips. Big marabous in pink/white, blacks, blue, & red\orange are the most popular. Mike & I generally fish both surface and subsurface, as my gig has been on top for Dollies, when I can. Sauk River 6,900 cfs. The river is coming off the big snow pack from last winter. It has good visibility above the Suiattle River, decent below. Summer low flows in late July thru September is the drill. Fish the big pocket water above the Whitechuck when it does. Falling in is optional. Skykomish River : 4,000 cfs @ Sultan. Mike's guiding has been primarily on the Sky. His trips have produced both steelhead and Chinook, with the occasional Dolly/Bull. He still rates the upper Sky (below High bridge to Sultan) as fair to good for steelhead, and Sultan down the Monroe fair for steelhead but good for Chinook. Sinktips and winter flies are the drill until the summer wild fish move in. Water levels are flyfishing well. N.F. Stilly : 1,270 cfs. The water is down unless this rain kicks in. The water vis. below Deer Creek is now starting to be conducive to surface fishing. Both hatchery & wild summers are beginning to show. Getting river access below Deer Creek is the tuff. I always look for the real steelheading to begin after July 4. Color me Pink: It’s no mystery, as the odd years generally finds everybody is impatiently waiting the arrival of the Humpy Salmon. In the following weeks I will discuss some flyfishing strategies & flies for the ocean > beaches > river estuaries > rivers. As a wise man once said. “It’s all good.” Happy Fathers Day Dad. Have a great week!
Best of fishing, Mike & Dennis flyfishsteelhead.com
6-15-09 King for a day One of the cool things about fishing the Sultan to Monroe stretch of the Skykomish is occasionally a guy can bump into a nice Chinook while swinging for steelhead. As neither species are actively feeding I really don't think it really matters what you fish. What does matter in my experience is where and how. Here is article I wrote back in my early years. Check out Steelhead Flies: Fact and Fiction As mentioned in the article, while the rivers are still high and cold, my strategy is to treat early summer steelhead (and kings) just as I would winter/spring fish, "low and slow" with something wiggly. Salmonfly.net featured the Cop car series, so if you haven't seen it, you might want to check that out. As the rivers drop and warm, my summer time tactics change up quite a bit. Fishing Report Skykomish River: 6,220 cfs. Morning temperatures, 50 degrees Dennis & Mike Dickson www.flyfishsteelhead.com 425 238 3537
6/8/09 Cool Steelheading The summer weather we took last week, released a bunch of snow in the north county watersheds. Good news for many areas, as our local rivers are open for fishing, again. Steelhead are swimming. The Skykomish River (@ Goldbar 8,800 cfs) is always one of my early best bets, particularly if the flows are between 6,000 and 10,000 CFS. This is a perfect scenario as the Sky has just fallen back into shape. Try a float from Sultan to Monroe. New summer steelhead love heads and tailouts. The winter is full of snow right now and that spells cold, so the sinktip is in order if you are swinging flies. A type 4 sinktip will cover most waters. You can fish about anything in the fly order but I find marabous in #1-4 to be about right and my favorite color for these fish is the blue over purple. N.F. Stilly (@ Deer Creek 2,100 cfs) is about perfect. The river is pretty dirty below Deer Creek right now, but the Fortson area is where the early fish head off to anyway, so I would fish from there down to Boulder Creek. The river doesn't add much color until it confluences with Boulder, so you might want to fish accordingly. Smaller more subtle flies are in order. The good old Muddler Minnow in a #4 is hard to beat. The Sauk (@ Sauk 11,900 cfs) is blown but continues to drop. I usually don't head up there until late summer when flows have gone to summer low, and then I am fishing above Darrington for native trout. The Skagit (@Marblemount 6,000>9,000 cfs) is well fishable but I usually try to steer clear of the hatchery Chinook kill fishery. I head downstream and fish below the Sauk confluence. Your flyfishing tactics as described in the Skykomish section are good here. As you will have both steelhead and Dollies on the move, any of the Cop Car series is a good bet. Skykomish Summer Steelhead school July 10 or 11 That's my report and I am sticking to it. Best of fishing, Dennis & Mike Dickson www.flyfishsteelhead.com
The sun got high and we both got hungry. Our day
tradition generally finished back at a local hamburger stand. I buy, as
Dad paid for gas and truck. Feels like a fair exchange. Sometimes we catch
some fish, sometimes we don't. It's all good. It is another memorial Day. For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information 5-17-09 Pink Salmon UT-oh Oh I just talked to the WDFW Regional Biologist and the good news is; Looks like the Snohomish Stilly & Skagit river systems are projected well above escapement levels for the Pink Salmon returns this fall. That's a good thing, right? Well......Yes and no. The Yes: The fact that it appears this fall's Humpy salmon returns are projected in healthy numbers is always a good thing. The fact that we may be fishing is not only great for the fishers but the local economy as well. Perfect, sort of. Our local WDFW biologists work so hard to get it right, and then their fisheries managers go to work. Maximum Sustained Yield (MSY) is a fancy way of saying, lets harvest off (kill) all the excess fish we think are coming back, and see what happens. It is a little like sitting down with your teenager and saying, "Look, by my projection, if you work every day you can this summer, you should make this amount of money." Your happy kid smiles and says, "Great Dad, could I have your car keys and credit card?" I might as well go out and spend the money I may make, right now." The way the crazy system works, is the kill fisheries are turned lose, before the actual numbers of fish are accounted for. The fact that pinks salmon prices are up this year, in a dismal economy? I don't think I would want to be a Humpy Salmon. My philosophy is simple. "If it has an adipose fin, it must be wild. If it is wild it belongs back in the water." Even for the lowly Humpy salmon. And you thought all of our fish problems were environmental. OK, I would like to declare that spring in the Pacific Northwest has officially arrived. May time is trout time, by my standards. At least in the lowland waters, anyway. So many great options to get you on the water. Here is a great resource. WashingtonLakes.com I am hoping the snow comes off early enough for my Dad and I to make our annual B.C. Lakes pilgrimage again this spring. Here is an B.C. episode I enjoy sharing called The Fishing Dog. I mentioned last week that many of the B.C. waters are nearly a month behind, so you might want to do your homework before heading out. Still good advice. Carp Fishing: I am so glad Washington's ugly half sister, the Carp is getting a little more respect & recognition. It was only a matter of time. These prehistoric "freshwater bonefish", can grow to gargantuan proportions, but don't be fooled into thinking the carp are dumber than a post. It is my humble opinion these not so silly fish are as wise as any that swim in fresh water. I like flyfishing in; Banks Lake, Moses Lake, Potholes reservoir, and the Crab Creek drainage for my Carp hunt. If you are more adventurous yet, try the shallow warm bays of the Columbia above Rocky Reach dam. Did I mention the lower Yakima while searching the Smallmouth Bass? I don't really care to fish the trout streams during spring run-off. Too much water. A couple major exceptions to that is the Salmon-fly hatch in Swan Valley Idaho, along South Fork of the Snake. The other is an Anchorage Alaskan stream for poundage rainbows. Our own local steelhead streams open June 1. The Cowlitz River on the South as well as the Skykomish on the north are worth adventures for the June summer steelhead.
Best of fishing, Dennis & Mike Dickson www.flyfishsteelhead.com 425 238 3537
5/10/09 Happy Mother's Day With night time temps reaching into the 30's on the home front, I think someone forgot to tell Mother Nature, this is supposed to be spring. For me, early May can mean: A Mothers Day hatch on the Yakima. Everything is coming off a little late. May- June Basin Lakes: A good time for sure but keep your eyes peeled for the latest weather. One day it's early summer, next day practically back to snow. Picking the right weather day to fish is a little like a crap shoot this year. How weird is that? May- June Watch those Columbia River Dam counts for shad. Way too much fun. Olympic Peninsula steelhead streams are closed now. Had some awesome fishing this spring if you looked in the right places. Very cool. June: Looks like I will be spending some June time chasing Carp in some of the basin lake bays. Extremely challenging fishing but can you stand to touch them? I am watching for a string of warm days to get these brutes a going. June-July Chill: BC Lakes are getting the same weather we are. Most waters up there are nearly a month behind, so you might want to do your homework before heading out. June-September: Local steelhead Streams will be back in the action come June 1. I like the Cowlitz River for early summer steelhead on the south end and the Lowly Skykomish on the north for the June Summers. More June: Smallmouth Bass: This one of those fisheries that tend to grow on you. The lower Yakima is a stellar Smalley fishery. If the upper river isn't being kind, check it out down below the town of Prosser. Post runoff is my favorite time. Speaking of favorites: My favorite Washington Lakes June trout fishery is Omak Lake. Caution: Need the tribal permit to fish there. July-September For the Washington trout rivers, I would have to say it's the Methow, but the river levels won't be back to post runoff until after July 15. September: Pink Salmon Fishing: North Sound streams are us. Waking surface flies and tiny trout rods. Way cool. October: "We are all over the Grande Ronde!" Happy fishing, and don't forget the Ladies in your life!. Dennis & Mike Dickson www.flyfishsteelhead.com 425 238 3537
5/03/09 Aftermath: I have said so many times. Spring is my second to the most favorite time of the year. Nature is finally in bloom in the Pacific Northwest, as we say finally say good bye to another winter steelhead season, . We also bid Adieu to a lovely steelhead fishery in the Olympic National Park on April 15. Here is a steelhead article and fly description I recently wrote for Salmonfly.net. It is called the Mono Loop Queets River G.P. (Sounds like a mouth-full to me.) I have another fly pattern I developed just this year for really dirty water steelheading. I call it the "Bunny Intruder". I will talk to Steve @ Salmonfly.Net about doing a piece on it next winter. Queets fish really hammered this one! Check out our latest video from this spring - http://flyfishsteelhead.com/video.htm The Skagit system officially closed to fishing April 30. The April weather never did warm enough for a really good top water fry fishing for Dolly/Bulls this year but the action was definitely there. We were fishing and fish were rising. That is never a bad thing. Trouting is gearing up. I certainly enjoy "matching up" as we head for the region lakes next weekend. We do have openings on our Eastern Wa lakes school on May 9th, if interested get back to us. We might even head for Alaska to chase some early chunky Rainbows of June. Large surface attractors were really awesome again last year. Stay tuned on that one. The past few years I have been spending more of my mid-summer days on the lesser traveled trout rivers, but that won't happen until the rivers fall after the early July run-off. For now, I will just have satisfy myself with tying some big sloppy cutthroat dries. June is always an interesting time, and this year as we primer for next winter's Caribbean Tarpon flyfishing, I find no better pre-adventure, than to flyfish the Carp flats of Banks Lake. Very cool. I used to do this a lot. Will let you know how that goes. The North Snohomish County CCA banquet is May 14th for ticket info contact Brett 425-359-0107 Happy fishing, Dennis & Mike Dickson
4/27/09 May is almost here, and that means trout in my book. We took some pretty good rains last week that should have brought the steelhead into our local rivers. That's the thinking. Mike spent his time over on the OP fishing the Sol Duc and Bogi. I will let him give you the skinny on that. He is suppose to be back later today: Mike here, got back late after a 2 hour ferry wait last night. Fishing was decent, we had one day that was slower with one hook up from a Jack steelie, but all the other days had some good hook ups, with a few landed fish. Of course the big one got away, Matt I am trying to get my hands to tie some lakes trout flies. Jeezzz...... And to think: Not long ago, it was all about 3/0 Gami hooks and 60# shock tippets for Caribbean Tarpon. Then from early March to until April 15, it was 15# tippets and #2 hooks for OP steelhead. Last week I found myself tying 4x fluorocarbon leaders, and #10 hooks for big Skagit Dollies, and now I am tying tiny 18's in Choronomids fro Seep Lake trout! Thank goodness, my next gig will be big sloppy dries for my summer time trout rivers. Current Fishing Report: The Skagit & Sauk rivers took their rains this week, and the Dollies went with it. The Skagit above the Sauk is again back to fishing, but unfortunately it is still so cold. Better fishing is still scratching the bottom for them, but I am going to do that, I just as soon do steelhead. There you go. Remember the Skagit System closes to fishing, April 30. Mystery Lake Flyfishing Schools May 1 or 2 and possibly the 9th. I always get excited about this one. Weeds will be still down, water is cold but the weather should be improving as we get to the weekend. Happy to report next weekend. The North Sound CCA banquet is May 9th. They really need your support. We are donating a couple trips for them to raffle off. It will be held at the Cottontree Inn in Mount Vernon Also another good group of guys is the wild steelhead coalition, they are also very active. Check them out to see what's the latest scoop - wildsteelheadcoalition.org If you find yourself looking for another fishing web site try IFish.com I think you will find their fishing conversation refreshing and informative. Best of fishing, Dennis & Mike Dickson www.flyfishsteelhead.com Coastal Conservation Association IFish.com
4 /19/09 About the time, we were ready to throw up our hands and declare 2009 is the year that winter never left, the weather turns [today] and, all is good.
The Skagit & Sauk rivers had been running low and very clear. The Dawn Patrol fishing team was beating feet to the water, knowing it wasn't even a case of who fished best. It's a matter of who could get to the undisturbed steelhead first.
Fishing forecast: Look for spring to finally get her way as the Skagit River system closes April 30. Most guys have given up and are thinking about resident trout, so you have a lot better chance of finding a little water to yourself. Virtually nobody is touching the Dolly scene so that one goes for begging. Mike and I will fight them off in our steelhead/Dolly combo trips next week, but there you go. Here is a preview of a favorite fly of mine described in an up coming Salmonfly.net. It is called the Mono-loop Queets River G.P. Even though the Queets has recently closed, it's a really fishy steelhead fly that Sauk fish will jump on. Try it. Our Mystery Lake trout school May 1 or 2 is coming right up. Perfect gig for the do-it-yourselfer. Always a popular gig. Looks good. Politically Active: Over the course of years I have witnessed so many organizations that have come and gone. Those who have attempted an impact in our fisheries management is commendable but sadly lacking. We finally have the Coastal Conservancy Association. The CCA may be new to our area but don't let that fool you, these guys are for real. The Washington State machine has pretty much chewed up anything in their way over the past 40 years. We & our dwindling fisheries may finally have a voice. Before you give up completely, check them out. I speak as an outfitter as well as a biologist, the CCA may be exactly what we have been looking for. Both chapters, snohomish county area and skagit county have fundraising banquets on May 9th for the skagit area and May 12th for the snohomish chapter. More info to come. Do yourself a favor and check them out. Best of fishing, Dennis & Mike Dickson
4/12/09 “It’s not like that”. Just came back from a couple weeks of guiding on the Olympic National Park’s Queets River. (Permit # 164) Thanks to all who joined me or Mike this year. Kudos goes to a the long time angling client Jackie, who travels from Hawaii, to fish with me a few times each year. Next stop, Methow River Cutthroat this summer. Perfect. Local fishing: I must apologize I have not been around to give the scoop on the Skagit and Sauk Rivers. Mike said that there are a few fish around but more anglers than fish, one of the best times to fish can be the last couple weeks as the rod pressure slows and more fish have time to work their way up river. No magic potion: I remember listening to long time angling Guru Gary Borger a few years ago. He was expounding the virtues of a world class waters at a Trade Show. He interrupted his seminar to caution the wise. “Listen, let me tell you something about flyfishing trout in New Zealand. If you are not catching fish at home, don’t think you are going to go down there, and start reeling them in.” So true. The Queets River steelhead flyfishing is the class 101 in dirty water steelhead flyfishing. I over heard two long rodders mention in conversation they hadn't touched a steelhead for several days. Yes, The Queets system does have more returning steelhead than most of our local streams, but if you don’t know where to look for them, or how to present the fly in off colored water conditions, I am pretty sure your outcome will be pretty much the same as back home. Wasted trip. Anyway, Mike & I saw high and low waters this season. I really commend the Quinault Tribe in their wild steelhead fisheries management, as well as the ONP fishing regulations. Kudos’s to both for a fine job. Half the 40 stories & articles I have written have been about steelhead so I won’t belabor personal philosophies in dirty water steelhead strategies, but suffice it to say, the Queets River steelhead are a special fish in a special place. When I think of the hundred guys crawling all over each other, chasing what seems like the last Skagit steelhead. All that come to mind in reflecting the Queets experience is, "It's not like that". More like the Skagit in the 80's. Perfect. Salmonfly.net will be coming out in the April 15 issue. with a favorite fly of mine developed for the Queets steelhead. Be sure to check it out. Fishing Forecast: Switching gears. Mike and I will be back on the Skagit until April 30. Surface Dolly fishing is a by-product of the C&R fishery until April 30 and a real favorite of ours. Mike has come up with a killer fry pattern. Our winter has been very stubborn about loosening her grip this spring, but as the Skagit River finally begins to warm, the salmonid juveniles are out-migrating. Large Dolly/Bulls are there to meet them. Small rods and floating lines are the rule. Very cool. Only weeks away from our annual migration to Mystery Lake Trout School. Can’t believe it is that time again. Where do the seasons go? Best of fishing, Dennis & Mike Dickson www.flyfishsteelhead.com 425 238 3537 425 330 9506
4/7/09 Mike Here, Dennis is still on the O.P. I just got back last night so we are a little late getting our report up. This time of the year is one of my favorite times, the weather has been great, the fishing has been great and the most of the fish have been chrome bright. I know the word on the street has been that the O.P. fishing has been slow.... some rivers have, some haven't. Most of the O.P. rivers will close till June so if your going to get out you better do it soon. The sol duc will remain open cause of the springer's. They are just starting to come in too. On the local scene, the steelheading has been tough. The surface dolly fish is underway and we have caught some up to 24 inches. In May we will be fishing some local lakes and heading over to the east side to fish our favorite seeps lake. Get ahold of us if your interested in checking out a new lake or just learning how to fish it. Happy fishing, Mike D
3/29/09 Spring is here? Mike just returned from another week on the Queets. His big day was a 3 fish outing, landing 2 native steelhead. He shared that day with two other boats, no walk-ins. Perfect. I am heading out tomorrow for the O.P.'s Queets/Clearwater drainage for the next two weeks. All geared up and pretty excited. As on the local scene, the rivers over there are really low right now, but the Queets runs with color, anyway, so we are all good. Big flies on stringer hooks are working best. Both Mike and I have come to the conclusion, if the Queets steelhead can see the fly, they will probably whack it. Bubble gum pink articulated bunny leeches is all you really need right now, but black is right up there. Cop Car is always a constant. Skagit Fishing: The juvenile fry & smolt are getting up and about. The slow hold of winter has delayed the migration a bit, which has retarded the surface fishing but as the trees begin to leaf out, watch that top water stuff to take off. Here is the good news. The low & clear waters of the upper Skagit, is custom built for the Dolly action to heat up. I like 12’ leaders to 3x fluro. on floating lines to get it done. Fishing forecast: The Queets fishing usually only gets better as we approach the April 15 deadline. The last two weeks of April is a lovely time to chase the Skagit Dolly action. (One of my favorites) Steelhead should improve on the Sauk and Skagit if we can get rain in the hills. (Never thought I would say that!) I have always found better steelhead fishing if the steelhead out-number the anglers. I get questions all the time on a myriad of topics but maybe none more than choosing boats. Here is question/answer I received from Paul S.
Hi, Dennis! Respectfully, Paul S. Hi Paul, We have 2 Pac 1300's for the Grande Ronde Wilderness and really like those, so the 14 would certainly get my nod. All the boats you described are trailer boats, but yes, technically you could break it down and store it in the garage. All great boats. So glad you enjoy the writes. Good luck my Man. Hell, there are no rules here – we’re trying to accomplish something. - Thomas Edison Best of fishing, Dennis & Mike Dickson www.flyfishsteelhead.com. 425 238 3537
3-15-09 Fishing is where you find it. More prophetic words were never spoken. The north sound stream levels are coming off a seasonal low. Local rivers, namely the Sauk and Skagit, barely felt the recent rain, as they only got a touch of color. Our recent precipitation appears to have been locked up in snow pack (which is never a bad thing). Fishing on the Sauk and Skagit is marginal, but a few of the best weeks are still ahead. Mike talked to a client today that had a couple hook ups on the lower Sauk. The coastal scene is another matter. The weather around the Olympic Peninsula is just warm enough to produce the rains. The biggest shot of water went to our Queets River. This Olympic Parks water went out yesterday with the rains, but falling back nicely, today. Flies that have been working this week were basically anything big, ugly, and wiggly. I personally like bunny leeches, marabous, and our Queets G.P. Look for our article and description of this pattern in the April 15 issue of Salmonfly.net. Mike and I hold a standard for leader length of “a foot of leader for each foot of water visibility”. As a broad gentle flowing stream, the Queets River isn't much of a dink bobber show, but if swinging flies is you gig, this lower O.P. river, is a winter steelheading fly fisher’s dream. I think the fishing only gets better as we approach April, so Mike and I are pretty stoked about the guiding on that one. This is why: In my opinion, the Quinault Tribal fisheries Queets River steelhead program is light-years ahead of most rivers in steelhead restoration. Their wild steelhead brood program has not only stabilized the wild native steelhead population, but has quietly and consistently produced possibly Washington's finest steelhead fishery along with it. In comparison of sheer numbers, the Queets produces nearly twice the annual wild winter steelhead return of the entire Skagit/Sauk river system. I have always maintained, if it is good for the resource, it is good for the fishery. Such is the Quinault tribal fisheries program. It is little wonder, Mike and I will spend most of our guide time on the lower OP until the Queets closure, April 15. After April 16, things change up quite a bit. Hopefully, spring has sprung and winter has lost it’s grip. As the Skagit River warms a bit, the juvenile salmon annual out-migration is in full swing. Big Dolly/Bulls know this and are there to greet them, This phenomena makes for a most lovely small rod, floating line fishery. Having steelhead in these same rivers pools during this out migration, just makes this Skagit fishery even better. Mike has now developed a killer juvenile smolt pattern for these Skagit fish. But that is a story for another day. Best of fishing, Dennis & Mike Dickson www.flyfishsteelhead.com 425 238 3537
3/8/09 Hello Boys & Girls, As I look outside, I see my home's landscape is back to winter white.....as in snow. Hmmm. Not sure what I think about that. Mike just got back from a big stint out on the Olympic Peninsula. He found The Olympic National Parks waters, particularly the Queets River, to be productive for steelhead, while the state waters such as the Sol Duc and the Hoh, not so much. Openings - Need a partner for March 18th on the Sauk, 26th on the Queets and Skagit school on the 20th-21st. Our River Levels page @ flyfishsteelhead.com pretty much says it all. Everything around Seattle is low and cold. The coastal waters are coming in. Local scene: Skykomish River: Closed N.F. Stilly: Closed Sauk River: low, and cold. Skagit River: low, and clear. Olympic Peninsula: Sol Duc: Moderate height, fishing so-so. Better bobber show than a fly swing Hoh: Just came back into shape. Fishing not as good as hoped. Queets: Water is dirty but in. Fishing is excellent after they pulled the nets. (Don't forget you are fishing within the Park!) Clearwater: Clear and cold. Fishing "OK" Fishing Strategies: I like fishing early and late when the rivers are running clear. Soft colors such as blues & reds are good. I prefer big flies and loud colors such as pink, white and black (which is good anytime) when waters are dirty. When the river is off colored, expect fish anytime there is light, as steelhead can move comfortably all day. As much as I would like to tell you differently, there really isn't a magic fly. What is important doesn't change much: If you can eliminate 90% of the river and concentrate your fishing in places where steelhead travel and hold, that is what I call, "Reading the water." It is impossible to catch steelhead in water in water, he isn't. Steelhead lie in all types of water. The trick is recognize the "Fly Water", and concentrate your efforts in the lie water where you can present the fly, effectively. Knowing where and how to swing a fly to the steelhead is what I call, "Presentation". I have been in pools on Alaska rivers, where 100 steelhead were holding, watch an angler fish it for hours without touching a fish, while the next guy hooked up, immediately. Presentation doesn't just pertain to wary trout and Bonefish. Reading water and presentation are two of the critical keys to catching steelhead consistently. The third factor is one we don't like to discuss: Steelhead Population size. As a general rules I think reasonable fish fishing starts when the steelhead out-number the anglers. I believe much of the animosity generated across the boards simply comes from anglers competing for what they feel is "the last fish". Tends to produce a great deal of unproductive finger-pointing. I am as guilty of this as the next. Having said that, anyone who actually believes this is simply a "habitat" problem, is out in friggin La La land. Consumer groups are critical to the equation, and until we recognize this, we have exactly no chance to fix it. Coastal Conservation Association CCA Pacific Northwest Lest you think this fishing report was all a big set-up. My apologies. Our multiple fishing groups are so tied at the hip, it will take all of us to make a difference. Epilogue: Get out there and fish. When I am out on the river, it seems like the world rights itself, if only for a little while. Why should we get involved in influencing fishery management? Because we can. Best of fishing, Dennis & Mike Dickson www.flyfishsteelhead.com & www.Streamsideflyshop.com 425 238 3537 425 330 9506
3/1/09
For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information 2-22-09 Mike here. Well we had another week of beautiful weather. The rivers are crazy low but there is a few fish around if you search for them. When the water is like it is I look for the deeper holes. I fished the H.B. to Sultan float with the drift boat earlier in the week. I should have used our raft, I was hitting some rocks pretty good and had to get out and pull the boat through about 5-6 tailouts. We did happen to find some fish though. The first fish was kind of a funny story with a sad ending. Bob (name changed) a very experienced steel header hooks into this fish, I hear “fish on” and I look over and see his rod bent over nice and then it’s pointed down right at the fish. I yell, bend your rod back… he doesn’t. Instead he starts running down steam in knee deep water over big rocks and goes down into the river for a decent dunking. I’m thinking what the hell is going on. I see the line with lots of slack and thinking he lost the fish. Bob gathers himself, reels up the slack and the fish is still there. Lucky, apparently the line was wrapped around the reel and the fish couldn’t run. Bob knew he would break off unless he ran with the fish. Although running turned to swimming. In the mean time I have pulled the video camera out and have started filming. As he is reeling into the fish it starts coming right in and we think maybe it’s not very big, then about 10 ft. from shore it rolls and we both go whoa, nice buck in the teens. He runs back into the river, rolls and back to normal fight. About 3 minutes into filming the fish rolled again and spit the hook. Damn. The next fish was on long enough to say fish on ….fish off. Arggg. All in all it was a very nice day on the river with the float to ourselves. I just got back from a couple days on the peninsula. The Sol duc is gin clear and tough, the bogi is just a trickle, the hoh was running about 4-5 ft. of vis with a bit of weekend traffic. There is a couple spots with log jams to keep an eye out for. I drove down to the mouth which was real cool, you could really hear the ocean roaring. I saw 2 fish roll with in a hour of fishing. No pulls down there though. I also drove by the Queets and it looked like it had 3-4 ft. of vis. I heard they put in the back road to the upper campground on the Queets. The old road along the river above streator crossing isn’t going to be fixed cause it keeps blowing out. Sounds like we will get some rain soon I can’t wait. We have one opening for our O.P. school on Saturday and a guy that needs a partner on the O.P. for the 26th. Happy fishing, Mike D
Iheard the fly show in Bellevue was money well spent. I couldn't make it but It's good to see the growth and support for our community. For the fishing, well on the bright side the weather has been great. I have had some nice zen moments getting some pretty swings on the lower skagit with the sun shining through scattered clouds. I broke my favorite spey though so I had to use my 7wt. I made a scandi line for it that works ok, needs a little more grain wt. The down side is the local rivers are low and fishing is a little slow. There is a couple O.P. rivers that are producing fish. I'm headed over this next week to get in on the action. There is a few fish around but look for the local rivers to turn on after the next rain. A client Dennis fished with called me up once he got home and let me know how good the tarpon was in the tropics. They caught lots of fish and didn't want to catch the big tarpon because they "take to long to land" That's a good problem to have. Dennis should be home this next week, I'm sure he will give a colorful report of the trip next week. We have one opening on our O.P. school for Feb. 28th and I have a guy that needs a partner for March 26th. Please take a moment to follow the link below to CCA’s action center, which will allow you to easily send an email to the Governor and your state Senator and Representatives with a few clicks of your mouse. We urge you to click on the following link, which will allow you to send a pre-drafted email to your legislators and the Governor opposing SB 5127 and any effort to weaken the Commission. The Commission was created by a vote of the people and is under attack for the recent positive decisions it has made. WE MUST STAND UP FOR THE COMMISSION AND THE FISH. Please forward this email to your contacts, friends and family and ask them to take 2 minutes to contact their elected officials! The link will also provide more details on the issue. Sincerely, CCA Washington Click the link below to log in and send your message: http://www.votervoice.net/link/target/ccapnw29103029.aspx Tight lines, Mike D
2-8-09 Winter steelheading is underway, now is the time to try and find those big boys. I don't know what to say, the rivers look great. W e have found a few fish lately and some friends of mine have sent me some pics of their latest catch, one being in the high teens. I have been floating around in our drift boat lately, I know we are known for our rafts but I was tired of the cold so I put a heater setup in our drift boat. I figured a mr. heater and a raft don't go well together. Dennis sent me a email saying that the tarpon fishing has been great and they are now headed to Puerto Rico. I'm only a little Jealouse. I don't know what is better at this point sun and beach's or a tarpon at the end of the line. I now have more Guys that need partners; 1 for 22nd or 23rd of Feb on local rivers 1st or 2nd of March on The O.P. I have a guy that needs a partner for March 26th and 27th on the O.P. We also have some openings for our sauk school on Feb. 21st and Feb. 28th on the peninsula schools. Get out and get a line wet. Mike D Years of experience has tought us that it take years of experience to steelhead fish.
Dennis is off chasing tarpon for a few weeks. He
just left yesterday. He was pretty excited spending the last 2 days tieing
flies and messing with equiptment. He is also checking out some Puerto
Rico fishing on the last week of his trip. I did the research on that,
looks pretty good. I'm busy at home so I didn't make it. Not that I didn't
want to go. Go Cardinals, Mike D www.flyfishsteelhead.com. For information on booking a trip see Rates and Booking Information
1-25-09 Mike here Dennis is out of town.
Tight lines, Mike Dickson www.flyfishsteelhead.com.
1-18-09
1-12-09 Click Here to Read on...
Something along these lines...
1-4-09
The sled boys are finding a fish or
two, on the Skagit but many of the river pools are still a snow-shoe trek
adventure. The drill is; if you can catch the river after snow melt but
before the water rise, you may actually have a chance. Archived
Fishing Reports - lots of good infomation January
2008 - December 2008 |
| E-mail Dennis at DDDicksons@aol.com ,or phone at (425) 238-3537 E-mail Mike at Streamsideflyshop@yahoo.com,or phone at (425) 330-9506 |
3/1
says that will haunt him for a while. A few fish were real bright, a gear guy told us he got one with sea lice on it last friday. Remember to watch out for wading on the reds, they are the spots that are lighter with the dirt and moss rubbed off the rocks. 
Our North Sound rivers finally got the shot of rain that didn't all go into snow (not that this is a bad thing) and 
