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Seattle Fly Fishing Report – June 18, 2020 – Freestones

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Freestone – A river with no man made impediments. In other words, no dams on it.

As we arch our way towards summer, we are still holding our breath for our favorite freestone streams to come into shape. Well, we can exhale a bit as there are a few in a state of readiness if you will.

The Naches among others is definitely approachable for you to step in and safely get around…for the moment. Keep an eye on flows as warm weather will definitely melt some snow and raise flows again but otherwise.

As water warms and clears the trout will become more active in these rivers as they have to become opportunistic. Reason for this is their world is in a constant state of change through most of the year through rising and falling river flows.

During high water seasons, these watersheds can be dramatically altered scouring much of the insect life from the river bottom. You can see by the graph above of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie that it looks a bit like a roller coaster right now and will for some time still. Flows will rise considerably during the day and drop again at night when temps cool. This up and down will repeat in consistent weather conditions while there is still snow to melt, which there is.

On streams like this you may see the full spectrum of hatches throughout a day beginning with BWO’s in the early AM, leading to PMD’s by late morning and early afternoon ending with caddis and stoneflies.

Even so these hatches can be quite sparse even in the summer forcing trout to make quick decisions on what they will take or not take. Some anglers may call these trout “dumb” but really they are simply acting in their own best interest by trying to eat everything that looks like food because their options are limited.

We like to throw slightly larger dry flies this time of year such as Rubber Leg Stimulators, Chubby Chernobyl’s, Golden Stoneflies and even grasshopper patterns will create an agreeable silhouette for these trout. Early in the AM, maybe use the buoyancy of these bugs to drop a Lightning Bug, Copper John, Bloody Mary or caddis pupa off until you see enough action on top to remove it.

Want more insight on what other freestone streams in our area are ready for you, give us a call or stop in, we would be happy to show you where to go.

Seattle Fly Fishing Report – June 15, 2020 – Summer is Coming, We Promise!

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Father’s Day is going to coincide almost exactly with the official beginning of summer. With everything that took place this past winter and spring, most of us forgot or didn’t have the opportunity to notice we had a decent snow year and are having a cool entry to summer so run off is taking a little longer than normal.

This means creeks and some rivers are a bit higher than we would like to see them for getting on them and not going for a swim or seeing fish come to our surface fly. Now streamers are a different story, even on the small streams, those wily little trout will go after smaller streamers if water is still too cold to prompt any hatch. Trout spey on the Middle Fork is a great idea and also presents a whole new way to look at the rivers you love to fish, including the Yakima and Cle Elum.

Speaking of these two rivers, the Cle Elum has risen to a pretty high state for accessing much walk and wade water so soft hackles and streamers or even riffle hitching a big Stimulator and skating that across likely water can bring some exciting takes. The Yakima is in great shape right now but we will likely see flows begin rising here in the next week or so to summer heights so get on it now. Evenings have been better for caddis especially in the Canyon.

Our preference for trout spey is the 4wt and here is why. Your line of choice, whether it be an S/A integrated, OPST or other head and running line system will be of larger grain weight and therefore be able to handle a wider variety of fly sizes, wind and of course be able to shoot longer distances. It also feels just a tad more substantive in hand which will afford you to feel how the rod is casting, maximizing your stroke efficiency.

Carp in the Columbia and surrounding lakes as well as local lakes like Green Lake. Bass are on fire in Washington and Samammish and steelhead, well, we know how that is so go swing away and enjoy the fresh air and scenery.

Any questions, never hesitate to ask, it is what we are here for.

Seattle Fly Fishing Report – June 13, 2020 – Choices Galore

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Sea run cutthroat from Puget Sound.


As we prepare this Seattle fly fishing report this morning from here at the store, the last 7 people in have been headed to 7 completely different places to chase almost as many different species of fish. We live in a mecca for those curious and adventurous about where and what to fish for.

Here is the rundown for the weekend…

Forks of the Snoqualmie are a bit high yet again. We had a couple of days with warm weather and we still have snow to melt. And so it is doing. That being said, the fish will be looking up more and more, especially in the afternoons and evening as water temps rise during the day hours.

The Yakima River is in maybe perfect shape flow and water color wise for caddis activity, especially in the lower reaches of the river, in the canyon. Upper river still expect to see a bit of a smorgasbord of bugs from PMD’s to March Browns and Drakes with caddis and stoneflies tossed in for good measure.

The Cle Elum River is up pretty high for wading now and it may be that way for the remainder of the season so be careful and choose your access points wisely. Similar bug and fishing expectations as the upper Yakima but with a few more cutthroat trout in there, would hedge our bets on surface flies first…we always do that anyway! Employ the trout spey on both rivers with streamers, this is why you have one and if you don’t yet, let’s talk!

Cedar River is still a bit high was well but if you pull up google earth you will see a ton of public access points to get onto the river. Streamers in the scour holes below log jams are a great way to move some of the bigger trout in here. Definitely a skill not widely needed in WA but a good one to have so come in and we can give you some pointers. We also recommend having a bike and utilizing the path to more quickly and easily get to places on the river some anglers on foot won’t get to as easily. Bring it down to the water and lock it to a tree.

Puget Sound is fishing so so right now. Kelp is working against you to some degree and can definitely be frustrating. Stripping baskets and intermediate lines can make a huge difference but more than anything, know your beaches, fish ones with a relatively fast moving current across it and as often as possible, fish outgoing tides as often as you can. Not because it “takes” the kelp away but because on incoming tides, it lifts the kelp resting on the shore back into the water and then you are surrounded by it! We are entering the time of year where early and late are usually better if possible and there are more and more baitfish of varying sizes out there so have a variety of fly patterns as well. Build your library!

All the lakes and warmwater species are active right now in more lakes that we can begin to mention. Callibaetis in the east side lakes for trout, frogs, mice and baby duck imitations working great for all else on our west side ones. Carp are an increasingly fun species to chase if you enjoy sight casting, stealthy approaches, subtle reaction to your fly and ultimately a visual refusal!

Steelhead rivers are actually in pretty good shape and this is a great time to encounter an early arriving summer run or late arriving winter fish. With water still a bit turbid, we recommend staying for the moment with what you would use in the winter. T-7 should be fine with smaller winter like flies in color of choice would likely work well. We would hit the Skykomish or maybe the Sauk/Skagit but really any would be good right now including the Green, Snoqualmie and Cowlitz.

Mountain creeks are a bit big and unruly but some are approachable now. We usually encourage people to wait until late June at the earliest as water levels can fluctuate during the day on some of these and water will be COLD still so the fish won’t likely be looking up just yet. Give it another week or two and we should be green light go on these little gems.

Seattle Fly Fishing Report – June 12, 2020 – Woohoo, It’s All Open, Including Us!

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Westslope cutthroat from a mountain stream 45 minutes from Seattle.

Wish we could say this has been and easy time, obviously it hasn’t been at all but the world continues to rotate and we continue to evolve while spinning with it.  We understand how much being on the water means to everyone’s psyche and as we always say, we are quite simply here to help you learn, have fun, grow and find success out there.  We as always, greatly appreciate the support everyone provides us, we love being here for you. We would also like to applaud and thank all the demonstrators who showed up in the Junction yesterday, voicing the need for change and doing so meaningfully…in mass and peacefully.  We truly are stronger together. At this moment fishing around the greater Seattle area which we consider 3 hours driving time is pretty darn good, all things considered.  So here is the run down:

Yakima flows are about where they should be considering where we are in the season and with our snow pack.  Caddis are abound and our wonderfully fickle trout are paying more concerted attention them and should from here forward.  Still seeing some Yellow Sally stoneflies and a few March Brown mayflies around the upper river and streamer fishing will definitely get some fish to move.  Trout spey, use that long rod to skitter some caddis down river of yourself, even riffle hitch that little Elk Hair so it stays on top as it comes across.  Don’t know how to do that, drop by and we will show you.

Puget Sound is filled with lettuce so don’t worry about packing a lunch!  Intermediate lines can help with this by getting your fly below what is suspended on the surface and you will absolutely want/need a stripping basket for this time of year and we have 4 to choose from if you don’t have one.  Baitfish are growing in size so have larger profile flies on hand and trim if need be.  Hood Canal has been seeing an increase in resident Coho activity and more cutthroat showing themselves as well.  Try to fish an out going tide as often as possible.  As a tide comes in, it doesn’t necessarily bring the kelp to you but rather lifts is back up into the water column from its resting point on the beach.  So if you have to fish an incoming, scout the beach a bit and if there isn’t a ton of kelp on it, likely have less to contend with as the tide floods.

Mountain creeks are mostly going to remain pretty high for a bit longer but following cooler days and evenings, you may be able to find some slightly lower water.  We don’t typically do anything but dry fly in these watersheds so larger stimulators are one of our favorites.  If you want to drop a little Copper John or Hare’s Ear off the back, by all means do so but these trout have a short feeding season so they will be pretty opportunistic.  Caddis, attractor patterns and if you want, small streamers will do great, especially in another couple weeks.

Cedar River remains a bit high and BUSY but that is because it is a great little urban river to explore with quite a lot of public access.  We really like fishing streamers against the log jams.  Some evening dry fly activity for those able to stay out late, use some caddis and finally Chubby Chernobyl with a dropper through shallower riffle water will likely move a few fish as well.  In other words, enact your favorite tactic and get after it!

Lakes are fishing well for trout and bass.  Some high alpine ones will remain mostly frozen so stay lower for now and for the warmwater species, surface poppers, frogs and baby duck patterns are the ticket!  These are so under appreciated in our area, we are going to spend considerable time getting people up to speed on how to and where to fish here locally for them so stay tuned.

Steelhead rivers here in Puget Sound are open again and at the moment are at a fantastic flow for swinging some flies.  This can be a very good time to be on these rivers.  Water will still be sort of cold and have some color so don’t completely abandon your winter tactics but maybe go not as heavy on your tip, T7 or Intermediate would be great and go/stay smaller on your fly.  This is just our recommendation, as everyone knows this is maybe the most subjective space in fly fishing so take our 40 years of swinging flies with however many grains of salt you like. Have fun out there, stay healthy and respect one another on the water, its for all of us to enjoy.

Upcoming Seattle Fly Fishing Events – June

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Well, obviously the events list is going to be short but, we do have some exciting things to share with everyone and we hope you are all staying healthy in both body and mind.

First and hopefully most obvious is we established National Women’s Fly Fishing Day on June 27th! As we see what we are able to do in group settings, please stay tuned for some events, possibly virtual ones to celebrate and help encourage women of all ages to get on the water.

In conjunction with this, our good friend Laura Klaren has designed our new women’s logo which we will begin to incorporate into the store, our products and our media.

Secondly and also exciting is we will be returning to our normal business hours on June 1st. M – F is 10-7, Sat is 10-6 and Sun is 11-5. We miss all of you and look forward to seeing everyone soon.

Third, we are able to guide again. Obviously under restriction but as we are coming into summer time, walk and wade guiding allows for easy social distancing and many of our favorite watersheds will be in shape to do so here soon. We will have a smaller staff this year so please call and book trips soon. We are also doing plenty of private and semi private casting instruction and are trying to accommodate as needed so call to set a time.

Fourth, we know the West Seattle bridge is going to be an issue and is obviously inconvenient for many of you to come see us. We are working on a bi-weekly meeting place in SODO where we can bring you product ordered on the phone and answer some questions if need be so stay tuned on that front. We are also happy to ship to you anywhere in the city, just call, order and we will get it out. Lastly on this front, we are also hoping to have a delivery service available outside of USPS or UPS and we will flaunt that when we have it solidified.

Fifth, we became an official Orvis dealer. For those who want to put side by side, those rods the industry reveres from coast to coast, we are the place to do so. H3, Recon and other models will begin to arrive here shortly so stop by and check them out.

October 3, 2020 – We are hoping to have our usual spring event this fall with a dry fly, trout and steelhead spey focus with those reps available on hand and with the ability to try out all the rods we are confident in presenting to you.

Lastly, fishing has been really good out there lately on the Yak and Cedar. Water remains high on everything so check flows before heading out or call us for latest details. Believe it or not, this is the tip of the iceberg, more great news to share shortly so bring on summer, see you all soon!

Upcoming Seattle Fly Fishing Events – May

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EWA Coffee – Buy it NOW!

Okay then, the list of upcoming Seattle fly fishing events for the coming month can pretty much be summed up in a few words…we can fish again!

While we are all excited at the prospect of getting on the water again for being shut out for the past month or more, we need to be very thoughtful in how we collectively engage. More people out of work, kids out of school, cabin fever and limited options to get out for the next month mean a possibility of congestion at many of our favorite places. Congestion at a level that could easily shut us back down again.

Unfortunately we have had to reschedule all of our wonderful events from casting demos to celebrity engagements and book readings due to the current state of affairs but keep an eye on us as we have some exciting news coming soon. We have been busy behind the scenes and are excited to share some new things from EWA with everyone as well as provide a reschedule for all of our upcoming Seattle fly fishing events.

As of now, we do not see guiding being able to happen for some time yet. That being said, we have already seen a spike in interest so if hoping to get on the calendar with us this summer, please consider getting dates scheduled here soon. We are hoping by early June at the latest we will be able to resume guiding.

We want to wish everyone well, sincerely hope everyone is healthy in body and mind and also profess an enormous THANK YOU to all who have kept us alive these past weeks. To say we appreciate it is an understatement!

Look forward to seeing and talking with you all here very soon!

Women’s Intro to Fly Casting – 5 students per teacher
June 7
June 21
July 12
July 26
August 9
August 23

Women Intro to Fly Fishing Schools – 3 students per teacher
June 6
June 20

EWA Youth Fly Fishing Camp – 8 Youth Max – 8am – 5pm – $650
August 10 – 14
Finally, we are putting together a camp experience for mid teen youth to experience how we view the sport through the lens of education, stewardship and conservation while exploring and enjoying our outdoor world.

EWA Coffee

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Besides water, few things are more a part of the sport of fly fishing than a good ole cup of Joe in the AM. Which is why we are so excited to launch our own private label medium dark roast coffee beans.

Choose whole bean or ground to your liking upon order. We also have whole bean coffee in the store in 12oz bags. Otherwise click the link below to have it delivered straight to your door.

Be sure to send us pics of you, our coffee and your favorite location so we can share.

Buy EWA Coffee Here!

Three Essential Shooting Heads For Winter Steelhead

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A tool for every job makes a good steelheader into a better one. Just think about this: you wouldn’t use a hand saw to cut through a fallen tree. It would take way too long and require much too much effort. So what do you do? Grab a chain saw and have at it. The right tool for the right job makes it easy and efficient. The more efficient you are, the quicker you can get to your goal. An anglers best tool while on the water is their shooting head and we have narrowed it down to three essentials heads that get the job done in nearly all situations you encounter while on the water.

Short Head – Airflo Skagit Short

This head is our go-to for most situations that you run into while fishing for winter steelhead. It handles nearly every situation well, but is especially useful in tight casting quarters. Through the use of a micro D-loop, you can propel a 60-90 foot cast with little effort, while shooting line underneath an overhanging tree or up against a high bank. In addition, you can get a little more creative with tip lengths as shorter heads make it a bit easier to cast a longer tip.

Long Head – Airflo Rage Compact

For those situations where you just don’t need to get deep or cast big flies, we like the length of a Rage head. For one, they are just plain fun to cast. Who doesn’t like throwing light flies on longer heads? The great thing about Rage heads is that they can throw sink tips too. We run tips between T-7 (or T-8) and T-10 (or T-11) and can throw unweighted or lightly weighted flies. For shallow riffles or tailouts, or fishing close to the ocean, you don’t need to get deep so why not cover more water, strip your line less, and have more fun fishing.

Tricky Water – Rio Skagit Gamechanger

For those complex pieces of water or for when you want to get deep and slow way down. Sometimes the water is fast, or sometimes you have mixed currents that will pull a standard shooting head out of the zone. We have been playing with the Float/Hover/Int./Type 3 sink heads which have proven extremely useful on the OP in a multitude of situations. Pair this with a 10ft standard sink tip and you have a deadly effective tool on your more complex rivers like the Sol Duc and upper Hoh.

*Staff Favorite – Bridge Tributary

Coming in at around 42-44 feet in length for your standard winter steelhead rods, these lines are a ton of fun on the water. This line is much more like a Rage Compact but 10 feet longer. It can still throw light tips and light flies but may be a bit more difficult to cast for new spey casters. However, if you can huck, this is a line you need to try.

Upcoming Fly Fishing Events – March 2020

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Wow, spring is coming at us so fast, not even funny. Soon these snouts will be more prevalent on the Yakima as BWO’s/Baetis/Blue Winged Olives and other spring hatches begin to emerge. Steelhead season is in full swing on the OP until the end of the month and Chum Fry are beginning to show their tiny little silhouettes along the beaches of Puget Sound. All in all, it is a fine time to be picking up a fly rod in our beautiful corner of the world.

Upcoming Intro to Fly Fishing Schools – Coed – 3 students per teacher. We cover essential knots, fly selection based on entomology, casting skills, reading water, approach and line management. Equipment happily provided.
April 18
May 23
June 20

Women Intro to Fly Fishing Schools – 3 students per teacher
March 21
April 11
April 25
May 9
May 16
June 6
June 20

Women’s Intro to Fly Casting – 5 students per teacher
March 6
March 7
April 5
April 19
May 3
May 17
May 31
June 7
June 21
July 12
July 26
August 9
August 23

Montana Fly Fishing Film Festival – Admiral Theater – 7pm
March 20
Come see some regionally focused fly fishing films to help kick off the spring season. Always a fun evening.

Art on the Water – Mercer Island Community Center – 7pm – 9pm – $25
March 27
A spectacular event joining all th elements we love…fly fishing, water and art. Join our very good friends and fellow Patagonia Ambassadors Dylan Tomine and Riverhorse Nakadate and former editor of The Flyfish Journal Steve Duda for a reading and fundraiser for The Red Badge Project supporting veterans.

POSTPONED – Movie Night @ EWA – Tomorrow’s Fish – Hosted by AFFTA 7pm – 9pm
April 1
Come join us for a private screening of Tomorrow’s Fish, a great new film on fly fishing off the coast of New York City.

POSTPONED – FFI Casting and Education Fair – 9am – 5pm – Mercer Island
May 2
Dave McCoy will be teaching an introduction to fly casting class at this event and there will be plenty of other instructors working on everything from beginning to advanced techniques.

EWA Fly Fest – 9am – 3pm @ Seattle Community College
May 9
Our annual event to try all the latest fly rods and lines, get personal instruction, attend seminars, ask questions and meet other local anglers. Patagonia, Thomas and Thomas, Scott, Sage, Redington, Echo, Winston, Gloomis, Hardy, Scientific Anglers, Airflo, Rio and Bridge Fly Fishing will all be on hand.

EWA Youth Fly Fishing Camp – 8 Youth Max – 8am – 5pm – $650
August 10 – 14
Finally, we are putting together a camp experience for mid teen youth to experience how we view the sport through the lens of education, stewardship and conservation while exploring and enjoying our outdoor world.

5 Tips for High Water Steelhead

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An early winter steelhead found in very high water. Photo: Cole Leishman

1. Fish light and inside

In high water, the steelhead are going to be on the move and they are trying to find the path of least resistance, which is often right by your feet. I like to fish light and short tips, casting to the near water first and fishing it well. Using 10 feet of T-7 or T-10 will get that fly to swing into the bank. Hang down grabs are very common in high water so make sure you get that fly swinging all the way below you.

2. Go big or go home

When the water is high, it is typically dirty too. We have been fishing in 1-2 feet of visibility often recently and your smaller steelhead flies won’t do. The fish need to be able to see the fly in these conditions and they are much more likely to see a big intruder rather than a small marabou. In addition, dark flies with a lot of flash will be easier to see in poor visibility.

3. Use appropriate tackle

Put the small rods and 12 pound test away. High water means more resistance and that 20 pound fish is going to be much harder to land. Step up to an eight weight rod with a 20 pound leader. Our favorite is Maxima Ultragreen but you can use a variety of leader materials from any reputable manufacturer. Land the fish quickly and put them back on their way to the spawning grounds.

4. Fish the moving water

Focus more on the tailouts and the heads of your pools. In high water, steelhead are moving and these areas are going to facilitate more encounters with aggressive fish. Still remember to fish to your hang down!

5. SLOW DOWN

Fly speed and the way you cover water will increase your chances of connecting with a steelhead. In dirty water, I will fish a one-step approach in the likely zones. Slow your fly way down to stay in the zone as long as you can. You can do this through a proper mend in the beginning of your presentation. Let your shooting head straighten out and engage once your line has become tight. Your fly should be crawling through the insides, but not getting hung up.

Emerald Water Anglers

4502 42nd Ave. SW
Seattle, WA 98116
10-7 Mon-Fri, 10-6 Sat, 11-5 Sun
206-708-7250

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