Fall is the time to be out on the water around here without question.  Spring gets so much attention because we are coming out of the gray, cold of winter but for those who really know...fall is it!

Whether you are fishing small dries on the Yakima and Snoqualmie (or big ones for that matter), pulsing flies on the salty waters of Puget Sound or skating for steelhead, this month is KING!

Yakima River - Fly fishing on the Yakima River right now is terrific, our favorite time of year to guide over there.  Water is low because the dams have quit releasing water for agricultural use so shorter floats are ideal and for those on foot, the river is now yours to explore.  Caddis remain present as do a few hoppers but soon we will be looking at October Caddis, some PMD's and Blue Winged Olives (Baetis or BWO) to round out the season, sometime in November.  Dropping a small nymph off the back is a great way to start the day out.  Lightnight Bug, Copper John, Hare's Ear or Pheasant Tail are all good options.  Do not by shy about breaking into spey mode this time of year.  With the sun lower in the sky, light is not as intense and the natural action of caddis is to bounce along the top of the water, moving towards the shoreline.  Riffle hitch a small Stimulator and swing away, see what happens...

Puget Sound - Pinks have mostly moved into the rivers so if you are still feverish for those, that will be the place to find them.  Coho have begun to show themselves from the beaches and they will absolutely take a surface fly, don't let anyone tell you they won't.  Pinks gone and cooler water means our SRC's (sea run cutthroat) will also be feeling comfortable again on the beaches where pinks have been present for the past month or two.  Our favorite fly, the Sound Searcher is hands down our favorite way to find cutt's on the beach when they are not showing themselves otherwise.  A gentle wake of this fly broadcasts a visible presence against the sky that calls to fish from afar to your fly.  Color doesn't seem to matter as it is backlit most of the time as silhouette is most important here.

Steelhead - Not a ton of great options within a short striking distance of Seattle but, we do have some good ones. 

Skagit is an option, a few fish may be there...
Grande Ronde is "Skate Only" in our opinion...
Deschutes is fire right now...
Cowlitz has some surface curious chrome...
Klickitat is ready for fall and early winter...
John Day will be ready for some swinging anglers soon...

We just stacked the store with rods, heads, tippet, leaders, flies for all of this so come grab some, ask some questions and get out there.  Scandi heads would be ideal for the next month or two but a Skagit with a floating tip will work as well if trying to keep the budget in mind.

Jessup Spey Swivel
Tune up you gear and casting with a Private Spey Lesson.

Creeks - Most of the small streams in the Cascades and Olympics will close a the end of October until next June.  Water is really low on all the small streams and we are nearing the end of creek season, including the Forks of the Snoqualmie.  Dry flies are still king up here, Stimulators and bigger Caddis are perfect.  While the Middle Fork and South Fork Snoqualmie remain open all year, once the water gets cold, we turn attention elsewhere.  We just don't feel as though these fish need year around pressure considering how hard they get hit in the summer.  Once they quit eating dry flies we sign them off.  Doesn't mean you can't go nymph or dry drop and find some success into November, you can.  

That is it, more than enough to fish right now so don't hang everything up yet...or ever in our opinion.  Humans aren't fragile, it is just a state of mind so let us help you figure out how to keep fly fishing as a part of your outdoor regiment throughout the year.

As always, we are here for you.  Questions, ask!  Stories, tell!  Pictures, show!  Happy fall from all of us, see you soon,

EWA Staff 
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