 |
 |
|||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
March 23, 2000 |
||||||||||||||||
| Welcome to
this edition of the Creekside Angling Company Fishing Report. If you're
new to the list, thanks for signing up and we hope this helps inspire
you to either go fishing or at the very least, seriously contemplate
an outing of some sort in the somewhat near future. If you've been
on the list for a while, congratulations, and thanks for putting up
with our nonsensical whimsy. Steelhead: Bloody awful slow right now...which is pretty typical for winter fishing with a fly, but fish are being caught in all Puget sound rivers. We've had reliable, believable reports of fish landed in the Sky this week, and there was a flotilla of drift boats on the Snoqualmie Tues & Wed, which usually indicates that the word is out that there was a fish or two to be had. Up north, the 'big name' guides have been having a rough go, we hear, so the long drive and arduous walk in to the river may not be warranted when we have the sno & sky right here. Slow and Low still applies. Big flies, deep, down and across. High, dirty water pushes the fish up against the banks, so if no one has fished in front of you, be sure to let your fly swing all the way through to the bank...Don't wade out to your shoulders and try to cast to the opposite bank. The fish are tight to the shore. Fish the Snoqualmie in Fall City or down in Carnation, though these recent rains have raised levels considerably, they'll come down a bit soon, and a tint to the water is arguably better than crystal clear. If you can't beat 'em, join em, whatever that means. The Lakes are slowly getting going, after a chilly opener. Westside lakes have, obviously, been enjoying some milder temperatures of late, and the insect and trout activity has increased in kind. Pass Lake is about 47 degrees, and Lone Lake is around 49, so we're getting there. Chironamid hatches have been good, popping off with effective imitations in the #16-18 range. Minnow activity in the shallows is another result of the warmer temps, and where the bait are, the big browns will follow (Pass Lk). Off beyond the mountains, things have been pretty cool, with few, if any, rave reviews coming through the shop. The rehabilitation of Lenice is pending, so in the interim, the only fish to be had will be the bigger hold-overs. Fish chironamid larva (San Juan Worms or blood worms), and red chironamids. Streamers & Buggers will be next on the list, with Damsels a little ways off, yet. If I had to go fishing and I had to go east of the Columbia, I'd probably go to Rocky Ford on a weekday, and wait out the lakes until temps move up a bit. That's the abusive part....reverse psychology. Don't go fishing. Stay home and go shopping. Panfish are starting to stage in the shallows in preparation for spawning, which usually occurs in early April to early May, depending on the weather....lakes like Sammamish and Washington are the best around for panfish...weedbeds and stick-ups are the stomping grounds for these little scrappers. Perch, for example, school by size..so if you get into some 4" perch, go away and find the school of bigger fish. Bass, too, will be staging up for the spawn, but over the gravel/silt/sandy places...and get very aggressive in this mode. Big attractor patterns...giant cone head bunny flies..black, yellow, chartreuse, etc...If you have interest in more panfish info, please give us a call!! Dan Lemaich and Mike Kinney are big time panfish enthusiasts, and love spinning yarn on the topic. Pungent Sound: Candlefish are starting to reproduce, cutthroat are showing up on the beaches, and the Coho continue to hold our attention effectively as well. As usual, the folks who are out fishing are doing much better than you lazy, workaholics who'd rather push paper and kiss ass than try to get in a good day of fishing. (for those of you who are not deserving of such abuse, please accept our heartfelt apologies...) OK...here's a spot to go to: Golden Gardens, aka meadow point aka Ballard on the water....good beach access, fish north of the pilings at the north end of the beach where the bottom becomes covered in cobble-sized stones...any tide is good as the beach is deep enough to allow for back casts at high tide. On the low tide, you can follow the railroad tracks up to Carkeek Park. The water is strewn with big boulders and eelgrass beds....great candlefish spawning habitat. Be the Ball. The Yakima River, though approaching runoff time, has been pretty much on fire, from what we can gather here in our little Flyshop-Boy cubicles (self abuse to keep the playing field level). March Browns are hatching in the upper river, as well as Skwalas and little brown stones, and somebody random mentioned golden stones, so the stimulators will be among the more happening patterns to fish over there, as water temps rise and adult insects become more of a factor for the fish. I hear the dry fly fishing has been really good. BWO's, March Browns, Stoneflies....and don't be afraid to break out the big uglies...Chernobyl ants, big Rainy's Stones, Turck's Tarantula, tan Madam X's, etc... Be aware that this time of year water levels will be volatile, we'll do our best to keep track of the water on a day to day basis, so give us a call for a clue at short notice. Rocky Ford....Hammer Time. More of the same...chironamids, scuds, big streamers. Long leaders. Realize that these aren't 'wild' fish....they may sit right next to you in plain view and be completely spooked but not swim off....they're educated in the school of hard knocks and sharp hooks and harassment, so if you can look into their beady little eyes, they can see you and will be overcome in all likelihood, with a bad case of lockjaw. The fishing is excellent at Rocky Ford. Go there. Fish there. Bring a camera. There, now that wasn't too abusive, was it?? Watching TV is far more abusive. Cleaning house is twice as abusive at least. One great way to escape the abuse and the mindset it instills is to go fish. Thanks for reading. We look forward to seeing your smiling faces and hearing your tales of triumph here in the shop soon!! Hugh Pastoriza Creekside Angling Company 1180 N.W. Gilman Blvd. Issaquah, WA 98027 www.creeksideangling.com email- info@creeksideangling.com ph. 425.392.3800 fax. 425.557.8928 Copyright©2000 Creekside Angling Company All Rights Reserved |
|||||||||||||||||
|
Creekside
Angling Company |
|||||||||||||||||
