It may only be late May but the heat is on its way. We have already lost a ton of the snow pack in the Cascades is already down to 34% of our average snow pack which is really not good at all.
It will mean we are able to get into the small streams sooner but it also means they will be very warm by mid summer and it really means we are likely headed for a long fire season so buckle up, welcome to the new age!
Yakima River - After a bit of a roller coaster of a spring, the Yak is in good shape, actually normal shape for this time of year. Caddis, some caddis and more caddis with some PMD tossed in for good measure. Lighter tippet, slightly longer leaders if water is clear and bring your nice dry fly specific rod, this is what it was built for. We guide the Yakima so give us a call and book here soon, only a few dates left between now and when flows bump in mid to late June.
Lakes - Lakes bring a myriad of ideas to peoples minds. Some dream of hiking to high alpine ones with trout. Those are probably still in snow to iced over mode, many of them anyway but likely freeing up soon. Other want big trout and their float tube. Those are en fuego right now Nunnaly and Lenice to Pass and Rattlesnake they are ready for you so get out there. For most of us here at EWA, we are thinking warmwater species such as bass, crappie and carp and they too are just sitting idly by waiting for someone to toss a frog pattern their way. If you haven't done this, we can't encourage you enough. Plenty of lakes like Angle, Green and Alice with aggressive, fiesty, rod bending fish within an hour of Seattle or much less. We have some custom fly patterns for warmwater species some come pick a few up, get some beta on places to go and grab your SUP or kayak and get out there!
Puget Sound - The Sound is sound. Fish are around without question, baitfish are getting larger so increase your fly size a bit to better imitate and starting thinking about shadows on the water for morning and evening sessions, finding gentle wind when there isn't much around on sunny days and it's kelp season. Stripping baskets are going to be helpful for this time of year, floating line or otherwise.
Snoqualmie Forks & Creeks - Forks are open though the MF is a bit large still at around 1500cfs, if you know where to go, fish should be looking up. SF is the same at around 450cfs so keep an eye on this. Early AM will see a lower cfs than the afternoon or evening so get out there early. We like mid sized, 8-10 Rubber Leg Stimulators for this time of year. Slightly bigger makes it worth their effort to come investigate, the rest is up to you. Good 3wt rod water, just saying...
Steelhead - Cowlitz season for summer fish is on its way, though there have been plenty of late winter fish in the system as well. For those who want an easy row and are looking for a great river to swing flies, not many compare during the summer. These are all hatchery fish so they would be good on the grill as well. We guide this for both cutthroat trout on the trout spey and steelhead so give us a shout, we would love to show you this river.
Cedar River - Cedar opens here this Saturday but flows remain pretty high but quickly getting better so tread carefully. This stream is slippery and swift in places so be careful. Mostly the same as the creeks, would be dropping a small nymph behind something big and foamy. Get your licenses renewed, pick up some trash and have a great time, summer must really be here if we are talking about the Cedar.
As always, our entire staff, all10 of us are here to assist you in your fly angling endeavors. There are always questions to ask so ask, it is the fastest way to get answers you need to move on and become more confident out there so ask us.
Here for you,
EWA Staff
206-708-7250
@ewaflyshop_seattle
