Emerald Water Anglers

Fly Fishing Seattle and Worldwide

Seattle Fly Shop - Guide Service - Global Travel Outfitter

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

Seattle Fly Fishing Report – August 6, 2020 – Warm to Hot!

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Amazing over the past decade or so how different our entry into summer has been in the area. Read more deeply into it or not but when summer hits it has been landing with water temps reaching higher levels, what seems to be sooner than before.

Many of our smaller streams have seen flows drop quickly with high water temps so the importance of fishing early, landing fish fast and using appropriate gear to do so has never been more vital to the livelihood of the fish we love to chase so much.

Cedar River, Snoqualmie Forks and the rest of the Cascade small streams are low and clear. Fish are opportunistic and will likely chase anything that looks like calories for them so identify their holding water and put your Stimulator, Wulff, Humpy, Adams, Caddis or Trude’s in there and have fun.

Puget Sound is beginning to welcome migratory coho and certainly the residents have been out in numbers so not really a better time to get on the water. Light is still early, around 5am or so so get up and get out for a couple hours before the mad rush to work from homers hit the road…so to speak. Baitfish are bigger so go with larger profile flies and absolutely do not be afraid to fish on top…coho and cutts are more than ready to investigate surface flies, always!

Summer steelhead of the hatchery variety are in the Cowlitz in good numbers currently as well and if you are a swinger, this is a great river to hit with the spey rod. TONS of good swing water and the opportunity to fish smaller intruder patterns, true summer hair-wing flies or go traditional.

They Yakima is high for another few weeks and it is hot over there too, not surprisingly so fish caddis and hoppers through the day, fish early if possible and if fishing the evening, caddis should be your game right up to dark.

Because it is hot, warm water species are as hot as it can get. Sunny days and little wind will help with spotting carp and your choice of small to large surface flies will bring smallies to hand as will subsurface streamers.

All in all, fishing is good all over right now so enjoy it because fall will be here soon and then the fishing will be really good!

Have fun and as always, ask us questions, we are here to help you find your success, grow your skills and deepen your passion…we are here.

Seattle Fly Fishing Report – July 23, 2020 – Ready, Set, Fish!

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Well anglers, summer has officially arrived…feels like we have been saying that for sometime now but with all fisheries finally at a place where we are comfortable with anglers of all age and skill level exploring the waters around here, it finally feels real.

Creeks are low and fish are looking up. Parachute Adams, caddis, Stimulators and other attractors like Humpy’s, Wulff’s and Trude’s are all working well so there really shouldn’t be too much need to drop anything off the back any longer.

Yak is high for the next 7-9 weeks so look else where for walk and wade options like the Cedar, Puget Sound and the Snoqualmie Forks. If you are headed to the Yak, late evening caddis will be good all summer long along the banks so pick a spot and hunt them down, otherwise streamers and subsurface during the day will also produce fish but please be careful wading/float the river if you are unfamiliar with it.

Puget Sound is fishing OK. Nothing exceptional to write about here. If you are in a boat and can get out in the channels then there are some blackmouth to be had but SRC’s have been a bit slow, water is super warm in many areas so please be careful of over playing/handling these fish. Bait is getting larger as they prepare to collide with early arriving migratory Coho/Silver salmon. Flies should be a bit larger in profile but do be careful here. SRC’s/Sea Run Cutthroat will try to inhale anything they think they can and fatally wound themselves on too large of hooks. You can hook, fight and land big Coho on size 10 hooks, have done it many times, size 2 or larger not necessary, especially from the beach.

Skykomish and other Puget Sound rivers as well as the Cowlitz are as good as they will get for mid summer steelhead. Have been having a lot of fun dusting off the old longer belly lines like original Skagit and Delta lines as well as some other closet extra long lines in the 60+ foot range. Good reminder of the importance of knowing how to cast well before allowing technology to take over.

Warm water species are on their game right now. Bass, carp, pike and muskie are all in season. If you are unfamiliar with where, when, how, why and what to do in this arena, please come by and let’s chat. We are here for you and opening new doors in the sport will make you a better angler on those familiar ones…period! Unfortunately, our 4th annual carp tournament has had to be cancelled though Bill will be at Banks Lake, fishing and otherwise unofficially hosting those who would like to join. Any questions, let us know, happy to get you in touch with Bill.

Have a safe and wonderful rest of summer everyone, call, email, text, stop in with questions and remember, we sell what we as guides on the water use and believe in.

Seattle Fly Fishing Report – June 29, 2020 – Cool Weather/Low Water

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Well we finally coincided summer with some cool weather resulting in some nice low water flows on local rivers and streams which means…time to fish!

Mountain Creeks – We always suggest using high water time to do some due diligence on new places to get on the water and now that time spent should begin to pay off. Looking at the flows today, the Forks of the Snoqualmie are in great shape especially the South Fork. Water will still be cold but fish should be looking up more and more so mid sized stimulator (stimi) with a dropper of your choice should do the trick. If you start getting strikes on top, take the dropper off and just play on top and don’t be afraid to get yourself close to some of the pocket water you are trying to fish either. These fish live in a volatile world so someone standing in the water 10-15 feet away is not likely to spook them…yet! Later in the summer when water is lower, slower, clearer and warmer it will be not so much now.

Puget Sound – Sand Lance have arrived and they are close to shore so make first casts near the bank before stepping into the water. As we move into the summer, many of the bait the SRC’s (Sea Run Cutthroat) will be predating upon are becoming larger in profile so slightly longer flies will be beneficial. With all the kelp in the water, intermediate lines MAY get you below it to some degree but not a guarantee as it is drifting throughout the water column. Stripping baskets are definitely more relevant these days so look into one of those, we have 4 versions beginning at $45 and our rules for engagement are as follows.

1. Cover water methodically when you can.
2. When fly is around fish but not getting any takes, change retrieve first and then fly if this persists.
3. Tip in the water pointed at fly line while retrieving.
4. Outgoing tide, early in the AM if possible, otherwise fish when you can fish.

Yakima and Cle Elum Rivers – These are heading towards their summer flows which will remain high for the summer until mid September most likely. This means caddis in the evenings will be a good bet, nymphing through the middle of the day is always solid and if you have access to a boat, use it! Access will be severely diminished for the walk and wade angler until fall. Trout spey will give you a bit more advantage in these high water times too, just saying!

Bass and Carp – This is the time of year for both. Big surface flies near any and all structure such as docks, rocks and lily pads are going to be sure things and during the heat of the day, get down with any of your trout like streamers in those same locations. Carp Tournament is coming up fast, let us know if interested in signing up for it.

Steelhead – Now is a fabulous time to switch out those heads from winter Skagit to summer Rage or Scandi heads and if you have a long rod from the days of old, let’s chat long belly lines from Bridge. Nice delicate, long tapered heads are a joy to cast and handle smaller summer type flies with finesse. Get out and swing away everyone, great time of the early summer to possibly come into contact with our state fish.

As always, questions in this complicated Seattle area world of fly fishing, don’t wait, just call – 206-708-7250

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 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.

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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