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Seattle Fly Fishing Report – November 11, 2020 – Getting Cold Out There!

November 11, 2020 by adminewa Leave a Comment

Time is doing this weird thing where it feels as though it is standing still and yet passing by so fast…don’t know, just hard to explain. Seems like we were just talking about great fall fishing was and while leaves remain on many trees, snow is happening on our lower passes.

Anyway, here we are and while we have said good by to most of our creeks for the season, our main stay fisheries are in great shape and fishing very well.

Puget Sound is in prime shape right now. Resident Coho and Blackmouth lurking around amid SRC’s and not too astonishing, we have been bringing them to hand on a number of patterns from shrimp and baitfish to surface flies so pick your poison.

Lately, our very own Capt. Jeff Crosetto has been fishing these two lines from the boat and doing very well with the Rio Clean Sweep and the SA Sonar Titan Full Intermediate lines. The RIO, specifically a great boat line the SA would do great from the beach as well. If you want to be effective on the Sound you must be versatile so having a second spool/reel with a different tool is ideal.

You read that right, we are now booking Puget Sound trips from a very well equipped Boston Whaler. $400 1/2 day, $500 3/4 day and $600 full day leaving from Des Moines Marina.

The Yakima has been a bit of a roller coaster as we did get some rain recently pushing it up just a bit but it is dropping back into shape for those on foot and a perfect level for those in a boat. Hatches are few and far between but that shouldn’t keep you from heading out. With low water, dry droppers will work well across shallow water from the boat or in the riffles and streamers will absolutely move fish.

Otherwise it is bobber time OR…OR time to pick up a trout spey and begin to look at the Yakima as a fantastic swing river for trout. Should you choose that road, smaller streamers and soft hackles are your new best friends and the luxury of more thoroughly covering less water will be bestowed upon you. Keep in mind, clicking the link under our “Reports” icon on our site provides a direct link to water flows set against the flows we like to see most of our fisheries at to help you gauge when and when not to hit which watershed.

Finally, steelhead season is not just sneaking up on us, it is literally here! We are as excited as ever both for engaging with our favorite fish of the PNW and helping you get on the water and navigate the ways of steelhead in the region.

We swing for our steelhead exclusively as guides and anglers. This is simply because of our passion for the process and what comes with it. Want to learn to spey cast, swing flies and become a far superior fly angler in the process? That is exactly what we do…call, email or stop in!

Filed Under: Emerald Water Anglers, Reports Tagged With: Dave McCoy Photography, Emerald Water Anglers, keepfishwet, Olympic Peninsula, Puget sound fly fishing, Rio Fly Lines, Scientific Angler Fly Lines, Seattle Fly Fishing, Seattle fly fishing guides, Seattle Fly Shop, Skagit River, spey casting, steelhead, steelhead guides, swinging flies, Thomas and Thomas Fly Rods, Yakima River

Seattle Fly Fishing Report – October 4, 2020 – Fall Options

October 4, 2020 by adminewa Leave a Comment

Sorry for the delay in getting a report up lately but we have been slammed busy and staff has been traveling so we fell a bit behind. That being said, here we go latest report coming at you right now!

Cascade Mountain creeks, blue lines or mountain streams, whatever you want to label them as are still fishing well though water temps have certainly dropped and put a pretty good hold on hatches. We don’t usually nymph these waters but you could. Otherwise we recommend a casual start time, allow the sun to peak out and warm the stream just a bit and continue to toss Caddis, BWO’s or October Caddis. Dropping a Lightning Bug off the back wouldn’t hurt at all either but bottom line is, most of them close at the end of the month so get on it here fast.

Yakima and Cle Elum Rivers are in their typical fall fashion with leaves changing, bugs hatching and fish rising. This IS the month to fish the Yakima in our opinion so drop in the store and pick up the essentials for whatever approach you are going to make over there. Trout spey right now is a fantastic idea for swinging soft hackles, small streamers or, our favorite, skating big caddis patterns. Water is low for the season so wade anglers are back to having plenty of access as well. Same as creeks, October Caddis imitations, BWO’s/Blue Winged Olives and maybe some caddis on a warm evening but they are mostly gone now. Streamers are always a good bet too…

Puget Sound is still a bit littered with kelp but they water is cooling and the sun is lower in the sky so we are back to fishing moving water both in coming and out going tides at favorite beaches all up and down the Sound. Shrimp down south baitfish up north and surface flies like the Sound Searcher, Cutty Buddy, Surface Spider or Muddler variation will be welcomed with voracious takes so pick your tool and put it to use. Migratory Coho/Silvers still arriving here and there so keep an eye out for them as well, they should be happy to take a swing at whatever fly you might have on for cutthroat so be prepared. We fish 7-8 foot leaders to 2x most of the time, give or take a foot and an “x” rating. This turns flies over a bit better in the wind and has you ready for hard strikes so as to not leave flies in fish…too often anyway.

Summer steelhead are few and far between but there have been good numbers on the Bogachiel and other OP rivers lately. Puget Sound rivers water is all low and clear but cool so those fish that are around are apt to be very excited to follow whatever you swing across their face. Klickitat has been pumping out some fish lately too so that is an option in the opposite direction and of course the Grande Ronde is one of the most beautiful rivers in our region to chase steelhead on and if you are that place in your steelhead evolution where “how” you take one is more important to you than actually catching one, they by all means, Scandi up and skate away!

Bottom line, fall is absolutely fantastic around here, please let us help you find your Shangri La…we are always here to answer whatever question you may have and with a staff of guides, we aren’t just talking about it, we are doing it!

Shop – 206-708-7250
shop@emeraldwateranglers.com
IG @ewaflyshop_seattle and @emeraldwateranglerswa

Filed Under: Emerald Water Anglers, Reports Tagged With: coho salmon, dry fly fishing, Fly Fishing, Klickitat River, Puget sound fly fishing, Sea Run Cutthroat, Seattle, Seattle fishing reports, Seattle Fly Fishing, Seattle fly fishing guides, Seattle fly fishing reports, Seattle Fly Shop, silver salmon, Skykomish River, Sound Searcher, spey casting, steelhead, summer steelhead, swinging flies, Washington fly fishing reports, Yakima River

Haida Gwaii – by Greg Thomas

August 15, 2020 by adminewa Leave a Comment

From good friend and long time Seattle resident Greg Tomas, you can read more of this work on his blog Anglers Tonic. We see summer beginning its annual sunset into fall so naturally out thoughts immediately go to winter steelhead and though this was a great read to cool everyone off a bit here in August. Enjoy…

I first felt a need to step on the Queen Charlotte Islands back in the 1980s when a friend and I steered a 42-foot long wood troller, called the Cape Cross, from the West Wall in Seattle through the inside passage to Petersburg, Alaska.

The trip took five days and went according to plan, except when we sailed into Queen Charlotte Sound, which is a wicked expanse between the north end of British Columbia’s Vancouver Island and the southern tip of the Charlottes. It’s fully exposed to the Pacific Ocean and has, over the centuries, swallowed its share of marine craft. We tried to cross the sound before weather pushed in, but were caught in a gale and spent hours navigating giant waves while stumbling about the cabin, picking up stray gear and hoping that our haste wouldn’t cost us our lives. By the time we cruised into Hecate Strait, which lies on the lee side of the Charlottes and offers protection from the Pacific, I wanted to be put aground on the nearest terra firma, which at that point was Moresby Island, the Charlottes’ second largest and most southerly landmass. However, there was nowhere to land, the coast of the island being composed of jagged rock, nearly impenetrable forest and wicked cliffs. Studying the shore I remember thinking, Well, that’s about as wild as it gets. So we steered on to Alaska.

The next time I heard about the Charlotte’s, which are now officially called Haida Gwaii, representing the desires of native Haida people, I was couch surfing in Seattle, resting at my parents’ house watching way more fishing shows than I should have. In one, some lucky dude had flown to the islands and was catching oversized native steelhead on a fly rod. By that time Pacific Northwest steelhead runs were failing miserably and I’d gone a season without even hooking one. I sneered at the TV host’s I’m here/your not attitude and thought, Hey, gloat now, I’m coming up there to catch your fish.

It took 15 years to follow through on that promise, but in early March 2009 my Pacific Coastal Airlines flight touched down in Masset and I was greeted by Jin Chong, who at that time was running a self-guided steelhead operation out of a lodge called Masset House. This was the deal: Chong, a Malaysian who used to cook at upscale Vancouver hotels, prepared breakfast, a sack lunch, and killer evening appetizers and meals. Between breakfast and dinner I used a shiny-black F-250 Ford pickup truck to cruise around Graham Island and access the Yakoun River at various points. I’d leave before light, drive for an hour and a half, hike through the forest and throw for steelhead all day. Then I returned to Masset House for a couple ice-cold Canadians, a dip in the hot-tub, and a feast on whatever Chong prepared as our meal, usually local fare, including razor clam chowder, grilled weathervane scallop, even octopus or Dungeness crab salad.

The arrangement was great, but skulking around the coastal forest alone while accessing a river that is only visible from the road in two places, scaling downed trees that match the dimensions of a 747 fuselage, sliding down steep banks and weaving around cliffs, all snow and ice covered, made me nervous. I kept thinking, If I snap a leg out here, who’s going to find me? And I feared an encounter with resident black bears, some of the largest in the world, which don’t necessarily hibernate and might be seen any day of the year.

The northern forests, ranging from western Washington north through southeast Alaska, capture my imagination—so inviting, peaceful and cathedral like on one hand, entirely mysterious and menacing on another. I don’t believe in Yeti, I don’t subscribe to alien-abduction theories, and I probably don’t believe in Kustikaw, a devilish little cantankerous creature that starred in a sweet little book about southeast Alaska called The Strangest Story Ever Told. But, I still entertain hope that somewhere in the temperate rainforest, under 200 foot high spruce, hidden by impenetrable underbrush, and fueled by any magic that is left in this world, Sasquatch may exist. And, if that beast is real, it’s likely stalking around Haida Gwaii, just out of sight of anglers, puzzling over why those those strange humans expend so much energy to catch a fish that they simply release.

I ask the same question when steelhead are scarce, when throwing so many casts without a grab that I wonder if there aren’t other endeavors in this world that make more sense. But challenge and reward, patience and suffering, have a lot to do with what makes steelhead such a worthy pursuit and the capture of one much more memorable than, say, landing a 12-inch hatchery rainbow trout straight out of a stock truck. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long while fishing Haida Gwaii to capture that satisfying feeling.

Steelhead begin their spawning run in early November and continue to push into the Yakoun, and many other smaller streams, through mid-March. Steelhead populations on Haida Gwaii aren’t remarkable. Some have declined for years. Others, however, are stable and offer some of the best fishing in the Northwest for impressive 10-to 20-pound specimens. Even 30-pounders are possible.

The first fish I hooked on the Yakoun, five or six hours into my first day, was a silvery hen that stretched well past 30 inches and probably weighed 15 pounds; I’ll never know for sure, however, because it swam away with an orange and white marabou fly in its mouth. I cursed its early departure—my fault for wanting it too badly and trying to beach it before she was ready. But, my confidence soared, knowing that fresh fish were about and that I had four more days to throw at them.

On the third day, I was fishing a now familiar run where I’d hooked a steelhead on the first day. By this time I knew the current, the drift, the angles of submerged rocks and logs, and I swung my flies within inches of those obstructions, hoping to tempt another steelhead into a take. I’d been there for an hour when I heard a strange noise, a low growl. It was unlike any sound I’d ever heard in the forest, irritated, threatening, dangerous. At first I didn’t believe what I was hearing. But my ears weren’t lying. I yelled, “Get out of here.” And another growl came from the forest, just across the stream on the far bank. I grabbed some pepper spray, peered into the forest, and held my ground. But I never saw the source of that sound. Could it have been Squatch? A black bear? Something else? Who knew. Later, I checked the area for tracks and couldn’t find anything more substantial than squirrel prints. It was as if an animal had dropped from the sky and retreated the same way.

Magic. The locals believe in it and there’s tangible reason for them to do so. For instance, the town of Port Clements, near the mouth of the Yakoun, harbored an incredibly rare resident white raven that entertained locals and passerby’s until 1995 when it winged into a power-line and was electrocuted. Stranger yet was a 165-foot tall Sitka spruce tree that grew brilliant golden needles, instead of the standard issue green. The Haida people wove the tree into their mythology. Biologists described the spruce as built by magic. For the rest of us, standing in front of the golden spruce let us believe that anything is possible.

Then, in 1997 an eco-terrorist named Grant Hadwin decided that the best way to draw attention to British Columbia’s consumptive forestry practice was to saw down the miracle tree. He travelled to Haida Gwaii in the middle of winter, crawled into a wetsuit, strapped a chainsaw to his back, and swam down the Yakoun. He placed other gear—wedges, gas, files, etc—in inflated plastic bags and floated those to the golden spruce. During the night he sawed irreparable, lethal cuts into the tree, then wedged those slashes so that the golden spruce would fall across the river, instead of into the forest, where it would be easily seen and his protest announced. During the next windstorm the tree fell and all hell broke loose. By that time Hadwin had contacted the authorities and media and was validating his act. He was arrested and a court date was set. Threats to his life were common. Despite those threats, he promised attendance in court. To reach Masset from the mainland, however, he set sail in a sea kayak from Prince Rupert and tried to paddle across Hecate Strait. He hasn’t been seen again. Wreckage of what is believed to be his kayak was found farther north in southeast Alaska. Many believe he survived and is now living in Russia. Others say someone killed him on the way to Masset. Either scenario seems plausible.

Hadwin isn’t the only interesting criminal to have set up camp on the islands. Another, Stephen Reid, was part of the Stopwatch Gang, a group of men who robbed 100 North American banks in the 1970s and 1980s, including a score of six gold bars, worth $700,000, from the Ottawa airport in 1974. He and his partners achieved folklore status for their considerate treatment of civilians, but the authorities weren’t amused and sentenced him to 14 years in prison, where he penned the fascinating book, Jackrabbit Parole. That caught the eye of the rebellious Canadian poet Susan Musgrave and the two later married in a penitentiary, surrounded by razor wire. After Reid was paroled, he and Musgrave spent much of their time on Haida Gwaii, just a few miles east of Masset, or in Victoria, on Vancouver Island, living in a tree house. Reid was crime-free and family oriented for years, but in 1999, drug-fueled and dressed as a police officer, he strapped a sawed-off shotgun to himself and robbed a branch of Victoria’s Royal Bank. He fled with $92,000, but was taken into custody shortly after and sentenced to 18 years in prison. He was paroled in 2008 and again spends time with Musgrave on Haida Gwaii.

While walking around Masset one day, shooting photos and taking a break from the redundancy of swinging flies for steelhead, I ran into an artist who showed me a necklace. It was a rendition of a traditional Haida fishing hook, with a V-shaped wood structure tipped with a narrow, pointed, sharp piece of bone. One portion of the V was carved out of traditional Sitka spruce. The other piece was carved, he said, from the golden spruce. I continued my trek and saw traditional native coastal art wherever I looked, some in the form of totems, some in jewelry, some in painted murals on the sides of cedar houses, some in traditional canoes, some just carved out of tree stumps. I even saw a custom cut, stainless-steel radiator guard, embellished with a traditional eagle design, on a supped-up Dodge Ram pickup truck. Later, when traveling from Masset to Sandspit to catch an Air Canada flight back to Vancouver, I stopped at the 53,000 square foot Haida Heritage Center, which opened in August 2008. The center consists of five cedar longhouses and a carving shed where local artists craft traditional canoes, totems, canoe paddles, and even bentwood boxes, which are four sided containers crafted from a single piece of cedar that is steamed and bent. Those boxes were used to house treasured gifts and given away at potlatches. Today, those boxes are purchased by collectors and fetch between a couple hundred and a few thousand dollars. I grew up in southeast Alaska and have seen a lot of coastal art, but never the quantity or quality found on Haida Gwaii.

As the week progressed the Yakoun continued to drop and the fish became almost nocturnal, leaving their secure lies only late in the day, as light faded. Each afternoon brought two or three steelhead to the bank and the bonus of a couple sea-run cutthroat trout. Some were chrome bright, others painted reddish/orange by their spawning run and time in freshwater. Each, I considered a treasure, fish of merit based on their beauty and fighting ability, coupled with an element of challenge and reward. You know, it’s not easy casting all day to a fish you can’t see, while standing in nearly freezing water, blowing on your hands to make them function. I fished in solitude, far from any town, by myself, in a wild forest, with the risk of injury riding on each step. At times I fished hard, other times I sat on the bank of the Yakoun and counted my good fortune. I even visited the site of the golden spruce, contemplating Haida Gwaii history, culture, outlaws, and that compelling art. And I thought specifically about Hadwin’s act. The tree was gone, for sure. But the myths survive, along with a strange sensation—hidden by that forest, where you could willingly wander off and disappear, anything still seemed possible.

Filed Under: Emerald Water Anglers, Events Tagged With: Anglers Tonic, ewareports, Greg Thomas, Haida Gwaii, PNW, Seattle Fly Fishing, Seattle Fly Shop, spey casting, steelhead fly fishing, swinging flies

Upcoming Fly Fishing Events – February 2020

February 1, 2020 by adminewa Leave a Comment

Sauk Magic steelhead fly by Nathan Keen.

Bienvenidos, willkomen, benvenuta, ようこそ and welcome…to winter steelhead season! We are writing this as nearly every river on the coastal side of the mountains is at or near flood stage, a momentary refuge for our andadromous friends making their way into the local rivers!

We just finished up our 4th annual EWA Spey Day and the buzz coming out of that was incredible. Maybe one of the biggest highlights was the time spent throwing the new long belly lines from Bridge Fly Fishing and having Tim Arsenault on hand to help take away some of the anxiety. Seems like another life when we were using rods longer than 13 feet and heads were longer than 25ft. With some Canadian encouragement, we watched as many got after the 60+ foot heads, we all felt like little kids again. Fabulous to see that level of enthusiasm on the water. Thank you to everyone who came out, sales reps, FFI instructors, friends and new spey casters, it was a blast.

Some great events still to come with us here at EWA and our surrounding area and we hope to see you at one or all of them, scroll on down and have a terrific February!

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

Tie One On – Coed Fly Tying
February 6 – Nathan Keen and Bill Marts – Steelhead and Salt
February 20 – Saltwater
March 3 – Tying Party!

The Fly Fishing Show – Lynnwood
February 15 – 16
EWA will not be in attendance with a booth this year but two of our Women’s Program leaders Jenn Fluke and Bethany will be at the Women’s Meet and Greet. But if you find something you really NEED, come on in and let us know and we will get it in your hands.

TreFin Seafood’s Tuna Pick Up – 3pm – 7pm
March 1
Come by the store and get the skinny on fishing for Albacore off the Washington and Oregon coast and pick up fresh tuna from the guys who line caught it and processed it in Ilwaco. Pre Order and Pick Up HERE

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.

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.

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.

Filed Under: Emerald Water Anglers, Events Tagged With: 5050 on the water, AFFTA, casting instruction, Emerald Water Anglers, FFI, fly fishing events, Fly Fishing Seattle, fly tying, Meet and Greet, Olympic Peninsula, Pacific Albacore, spey casting, steelhead, swinging flies, Trefin Tuna, washington fly fishing, Wild Steelhead, women's fly fishing

G.Loomis IMX PRO Short-Spey Rod Review

January 3, 2018 by Caldwell Rohrbach 1 Comment

From the moment you pick up the IMX Pro 7 11’11” you know this rod is different. It redefines lightweight while also maintaining a strong enough rod to turn big fish in heavy water. Where I used to think a 13′ 7wt and a 9′ 8wt with a single hand skagit line were the perfect quiver on a number of Washington rivers, I now think the compact modern “Short Spey” will take the place of both.

This is the first short spey of it’s kind and I do differentiate this from other switch rods. THIS IS NOT A SWITCH ROD! This is the next generation of Spey rods that marry’s the feel of a 13′ rod with the fast action necessary of modern short skagit heads.

The first time I cast this rod was with a 480 grain Skagit Scout line (18.5′) and 44lb Impact mono running line and there wasn’t a situation this rod struggled with. We fished the Deschutes for two day’s in high water and cast a number of tips effortlessly including: 10′ Flo Tips in the t-10 and t-14 ranges as well as straight sections up to 12’ in t-10 and t-14. We battled high winds as well as cold temperatures and were able to feel a few nice tugs on the end of our line. (Since that trip, I have enjoyed fishing the 480 grain Skagit Switch line, just a foot longer than the Scout at 19.5’.

When you cast this rod, you seem to forget how compact it is until you find yourself tucked under overhanging trees and wading deep, tight against the bank.

The other thing you can’t seem to believe is the price of this rod. Compared to other rods in excess of $1000, this rod excels. For $575, this rod is a home run and one that I can’t wait to get out and fish. A component I typically overlook on other spey rods is the reel seat. However, on this one you are drawn in by its modern looks, sleek design, and smoothness.

For those gearing up for our winter run fish, the 7wt is the perfect addition to your existing lineup or a single rod quiver for the new spey angler.

As for trout spey, I think you can stop searching once you land on the IMX Pro 4wt 11’11”. This rod has all the power you could want but still has some major play when fighting a fish. For those searching for the lightest rod, that can still throw big streamers and heavy sink tips, the 3wt can be another great option. Karlie Roland prefers the 3wt.

As for the con’s associated with this rod, it is hard to come by. We literally cant keep these on the shelf. If there was one thing that I had to change, it would be the bottom grip, I prefer a slightly larger knob but that is one that you quickly forget once fishing! GLoomis knocked this one out of the park.

Other lines we enjoy on the IMX Pro 7 11’11”: Skagit Switch G2 510, Rage Compact 450, Scandi Compact 450

Karlie: 3wt 270 Scout, 225 OPST Commando

Give us a call with any more questions or feel free to stop by the shop to see for yourself 206.708.7250.

Photo’s and text: Caldwell Rohrbach

Filed Under: Emerald Water Anglers Tagged With: Emerald Water Anglers, fly shop, Gloomis, IMX Pro, Olympic Peninsula, PNW, Puget Sound, rod review, Sauk River, Seattle, Short Spey, Skagit River, steelhead, swinging flies, Washington, wild fish

Flinging Frozen Flies

March 17, 2014 by adminewa Leave a Comment

fly_es_winterstlhdflies1

 

Well its that time of year again when all of our favorite streams are getting pretty frigid. Normally we have an over abundance of rain giving us small windows of productive days on the water. This year however the Puget Sound is cold and dry. It’s keeping many anglers off the water due to the bitter cold. I have heard it for a couple weeks now, “the water is too low and too cold to fish”. It’s true that steelhead begin to hit cold water dormancy around 40 degrees and water being its heaviest at around 36 degrees. But, it by no means precludes steelhead from striking your fly. Sudden cold snaps will put fish off, but given a little time to acclimate or a couple degrees of warming on a sunny day and it is game on.

So the rains have stopped for a while now, your river is getting cold and is below what is considered the average flow for any given year. It is by no means low and clear but it is getting there. The river is still slightly green and has visibility somewhere around 6ft. It is around this point where the fish begin to anticipate that the river is going to get low and clear. The steelhead start moving from the slow, lazy water on the edges of the faster water toward deeper and slower water. During this transition is where large flies have produced well for me. You will be chucking the proverbial frozen chickens and your spey casting abilities will be tested. But hey, so long as you get it out there, it does not have to be pretty. Most of these large flies are 6 inches or so in blacks, blues or purples with some form of flash and or colored butt. I tie a lot of my own flies now but some commercial patterns that have a home in my box for these conditions would be the Skagit Minnow with a worm weight or lead eyes, Silvie’s tube snake, Scott Howells Squidro’s and Travis Johnson’s Lady Gaga.

Now we separate the men from the boys. It has been really cold and dry and your river has hit the low, clear and frigid phase. As your fingers are going numb and you wonder what you are doing out in this cold you remember that Mr. Steelhead has had time to acclimate to his new conditions and is willing to strike. He is by no means as active and full of vigor, as he is above that 40 degree mark. But he is looking ahead, with unlimited visibility, for any predators coming his way. He will now park his fins on the slowest, deepest, darkest water he can find, this way he can expend less energy and find water that is degree or two warmer. Mr. Steelhead may also be found at the beginning of pools where the riffle flattens and smoothes out if he needs more oxygen with temperatures being in the 30’s. This is where we break the mold by putting away those big, bright, gaudy intruders you were told winter steelhead just love. Steelhead can count each feather and strand of flashabou under these conditions, so its time to scale the flies down. Leave the super bright flies in the box in exchange for whites, greens, browns and tan flies in the 2 inch or so range. I like to tie various temple dog and arctic fox flies for these conditions. As far as commercial flies look online for similar flies as listed, many flies meet the criteria. I have even been known to tie some summer steelhead flies on size two hooks for uber spooky steelhead.

So grab a couple friends, some warm drinks and go have a good time. If you have any questions just let us know.

Tight lines,

Eric Sadlon

Filed Under: Emerald Water Anglers Tagged With: catch and release, Emerald Water Anglers, Eric Sadlon, flyfishing, native steelhead, Seattle, Seattle Fly Shop, spey casting, swinging flies, Two Handed Rods, winter steelhead

Steelhead Fishing is Hard…Simply Put!

January 10, 2013 by adminewa

cowlitz_witwerflybox1a
What you do at work when you are bored depends on a myriad of criteria: where you head is, what your passion is, what did or didn’t happen last night, what is coming up in the next week or two and so on…the list is long! Well when you pretend everything revolves around a two handed fly rod, your favorite dance is the swing and your partner is always a native fish named Mykiss, this is one possible tangent your mind might travel down on a lack-luster day at work, from Ted McDermott:

Hey guys,

From this data:

Seattle Times Article

I did some math. Check out the attached spreadsheet for details and river specific data, but here is the overall analysis: This was fun.

Based on Data from 12/1/12 to 1/6/13 on the Major OP Rivers for all fishing styles:

Steelhead caught per hour: .0805
Native steeelhead Caught per hour: .0167
Hours spent on each steelhead: 12.42
Hours per Native steelhead: 59.95
Steelhead per fisherman: .3917
Native steelhead per fisherman: .0812

Would love to compare this to other watersheds during the same time (Puget Sound!!??) and also different times of year on the OP and see what we come up with. The analysis doesn’t take into account weather, so take the data with a grain of salt.

Either way you can use this to casually tell clients that steelhead fishing is hard. Now you have the numbers to prove it.”

Doubt most the catch were from swinging steelheaders so if that is your zen…these numbers might look really good to you. Either way, steelhead fishing is hard, and we love it!

Filed Under: Emerald Water Anglers Tagged With: Emerald Water Anglers, mykiss, native steelhead, Olympic Peninsula, spey casting, swinging flies, Washington

Todd Scharf Spey Video

June 29, 2011 by adminewa

This is my best effort, but Scharf puts me to shame. The video below is awesome.

Check this video out.  It is a few years old but I came back across it the other day and remembered how cool it was:

Todd Scharf Talks Spey

This BC guide says it perfectly when he describes why we fish for steelhead the way we do, listen to him talk.  Love the philosophy, could not have said it better myself.  Some killer casting in here and some of Beattie Outdoor Productions best work.  Love the shot at the end!

Filed Under: Emerald Water Anglers Tagged With: British Columbia, R.A. Beattie, spey, swinging flies, todd Scharf

See the Pink Spots

February 9, 2011 by adminewa

See the short flick here!

Ted’s Dolly Movie

A Emerald Water Anglers photo shoot.

Filed Under: Emerald Water Anglers Tagged With: Dolly Varden, Emerald Water Anglers, Skagit, spey casting, steelhead, swinging flies

Getting wet on the O.P.

January 24, 2011 by adminewa

I picked my brother in law up at the airport at 9:50 pm. He was on a flight in from LA where he spent the day with his son at the beach. It was 82 degrees when he left. Now, in Seattle, it is raining, 44 degrees and we are heading for the Hoh River.

We drove most of the night and reached the Hoh at 2:30 in the morning. It was pouring rain by now and the campground that we found was more lake then ground. We opted for sleeping in the back of the truck and waiting to see what the light of day would bring.

More rain. Steady, cold, hard, rain. The river was chocolate milk and raging. It had been on the drop all week and I was having pretty high hopes till that moment. We decided to move up and see if we can find a river with some visibility. The Sol Duc seemed to offer us some good chances so we drop the boat and fish. That day was fantastic. A couple hard tugs and a nice dolly kept us pretty happy and even warmed us up a bit.

We finally set up respectable camp. We ate well and crashed early. One more chance to float the Sol Duc in the am kept us feeling pretty optimistic.

Although the river has very little swinging water where we were it is super fun to row. There are some nice rapids and enough waves to keep you on your toes.

No fish that last day but we did see bigfoot drinking beer and played a ton of guitar.

Filed Under: Emerald Water Anglers Tagged With: Bigfoot, Emerald Water Anglers, Hoh River, Sol Duc, spey casting, swinging flies

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