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You have arrived at the Creekside
Angling Company official fishing update. If you noticed that we
skipped a week, bravo. We're just testing to see if you're paying
attention, and since we did not receive any complaints about our
absence from your inbox, you either didn't miss it at all, or figured
you couldn't complain about not having receiving something that
free anyway. Either way, we missed you, schmoopie, and are very
pleased to be back in our little, soon to be 'deleted items' folder.
If you'd like to read anything about our brief adventure in Utah,
it'll be after the regular local stuff.
The Yakima: This time of year is my favorite
time to fish the river. Water levels are low, making wading access
easy all over the place. Fish, too, are less spread out as they
have fewer spots to lie with the skinny water. Their little fishy
brains probably have retained some memory of terrestrials, and there
are stoneflies about as well...some caddis late in the evening,
baetis, too. Dry fly activity, we're told, ain't all too happening
during daylight hours...but if you like to nymph, you're a serious
candidate for a trip east. The lower canyon is quite wadeable, so
you can explore water that you previously didn't have access to
without a water craft. [the next segment should be read to the tune
of "If I Only Had A Brain" from the Wizard of Oz starring
Judy Garland]:
If I'd the time to do some fishin'
you know that I'd be nymphin'
Upon the river trail.
I'd affix indicators
on my line and sooner-later
hook a fish right near the brain....
[Sorry. The following section may be read without the aid of
musical background.]
Arguably the most effective way to fish the river midday will be
larger (#8-10) nymphs under either an indicator or a larger dry
fly. Dead drift. Watch the indicator like a two year old near the
rod rack, and if it stops, darts, moves or bobs, set the hook. Agreed:
this methodology is not at the top of the purists' top 10 ways to
catch trout, but sometime ya gotta do what you gotta do. You will
outfish your dry fly companion by a wide margin, so suck it up.
Swallow your pride....they'll be appropriate, effective times to
fish the dry later in the day. When you do, bring your binoculars
'cause seeing a #22 BWO on the surface in riffle water is about
as easy as calling your computer system "reliable". One
way to overcome the tiny fly blues is to fish two flies: tie on
an attractor pattern, or whatever, in a size or color that you know
you can see and won't frighten off all the wildlife in the vicinity,
and tie the tiny dry as a dropper, using the bigger fly as a reference.
We're all about making your life better, N'est Pas??
Bottom line: the reports from everyone have been favorable, with
some very windy days being the only natural obstacle to countless
hours of angling enjoyment for the whole family.
Anadramousness: The rivers are in great
shape. There are good numbers of steelhead that eat flies and salmon
that probably don't. Sea Run Cutthroat abound in the frog (stagnant)
water, and all the rivers on the westside are nice and low, making
access all around very good- I'd give it a 9.75. Our chances for
the gold medal will be hurt, however, but the nasty case of lockjaw
on the salmon in the rivers. But don't take my word for it...some
folks go out and slay the salmon in the rivers over here. Timing
is everything. Early morning with a nice mist on the water, or just
after dark will undoubtedly bring the shy fish nearer to your gear.
You can fish a floating line for the steelies, but may want to bring
along a sink tip to dredge for the salmon. Steelies: smaller, more
sparsely tied flies. Salmon: Your guess is as good as mine- I'd
bring my winter and summer steelhead box and try everything.
For the Sea runs, light tackle is all you need- 4-5 weight is fine.
Floating line. Little streamers like Knudsen Spiders, brightly colored
woolly buggers, even a stimulator without any dry fly dressing stripped
rapidly or just waked along in slow current will often induce a
strike. The sea runs generally are not too selective---note "generally"
never say always. Sea Run Guru Mike Kinney has recounted times when
the fish got on these little midge hatches and a #24 griffith's
gnat on a 15' 6X leader couldn't entice them. "Better than
work" is the operative phrase to keep in your head should the
fishing be slower than what you're accustomed to. If you've never
pursued the Sea Run cutthroat in our coastal streams, you've been
seriously remiss in your agenda. Don't blow it.
Puget Sound is like that river in Cleveland
right now. Freakin' silly with fish. The bigger silvers are staging
up to come back into the rivers, and the reports from the north
sound salt have been very good. Big fish are cruising the shorelines,
particularly around the mouths of westside rivers. They are eating
while they cruise. They are not really thinking about what they're
eating, which gives the likes of us great cause to get out there
and wrangle a few. You may even want to consider bringing heavier
tackle than usual, I.e. 7-8 wt. rods, as there really are some big
fish to be had. There as many silvers in the sound right now as
there are people who "could build you a kick-ass website"
in their spare time around here. If I had a dime for every person
who kindly offered to build me a website, I'd be down in Florida
cursing the wind, searching the water for tails. Not that we don't
appreciate the offers.....
Chum should be right around the corner, but Silvers are the favorites
to win your favour right now.
Local Lakes are doing great, for those interested. Water temps have
settled down nicely, good chironamid hatches are happening...the
chain of Nunnally, Lenice and the other one are fishing well, having
been rehabilitated this past spring. Rattlesnake, Pass, Alice, Langlois,
Beaver, etc. are all back to bearable temperatures which has re-opened
the stillwaters window for us all, if none of the other more exclusive
and exotic possibilities listed above are of interest.
Rocky Ford. Yessss. it's still there.
No chemical spills or twisters have removed the large, wily trout
from these waters [yet]. You could do a nice little eastern Washington
tour this weekend. Suggested itinerary: Sat. 7am: fish the upper
Yakima. Two runs and a pool, then out. 11am. Shoot over to Lenice,
lock your car and install the Club, run down to the water, taking
care to inflate your float tube first. Fish until just before dark.
7:45pm- Back to Ephrata for motel or camp in George. Hope there
isn't a Dead Seattle rockstar Wannabee's reunion concert.
Sun. sleep in till 8 then over to Rocky ford to be frustrated by
giant sippers just out of reach and 60 mph winds, or stagnant weather
and willing fish: both are equally likely. 2pm make your way back
over to Ellensburg and fish the KOA Run until dark, when, as you're
reeling in to leave, you realize that fish are sipping #24 Baetis
all around you, but it's too dark to even consider tying one one,
much less even finding them in your box.
So there you go.
But whatever you do, GO. Fish. Soon
we'll all be overwhelmed by gloom and rain and drivers who are as
certain of their skills as Maggie the Dog is of her fear of vacuum
cleaners. (Clarification: she thinks they're evil, but will attack
when provoked)
This is a Superb Time to fish around here. Many of the people who
would normally be instilling disappointment in you by being in the
exact spot you wanted to be in are in school now. The possibilities
are broad, to say the least.
We did have a nice time over in Utah. We were there for the annual
Fly Fishing Retailer Trade Embargo Show. Saw some very exciting,
interesting new products, trinkets and whatnot that we'll have here
in the shop SOON. More on that another time. We decided that going
all the way out there, having never fished the famed Green river,
not fishing the river would potentially subject us to more ridicule
than usual. We convinced one of our friends who lives in Bozeman
and guides (but not this year much cause everyone thought the entire
state and all the rivers were in flames) to come over with his boat.
He reluctantly agreed, and in hindsight, probably made a bad decision.
Not because the river wasn't absolutely gorgeous, and not because
there weren't something like 14,000 fish per river mile, but because
we (Peter & I) gave him overwhelming amounts of grief for no
particular reason. Had to get in tune to meet all the manufacturers,
you see....The fishing was pretty mediocre. Yes, there were fish
everywhere. Not all too many bugs hatching, though, so after slapping
dries around for a few hours we gave in to the nymph under the indicator
rig and did o.k.. That river is unbelievable. All the videos and
books and stories are pretty much true: Tons of Fish. There were
some brief periods during the day when we saw some sipping activity,
but for the most part, the fish were surprisingly unwilling. No
regrets, though....really, truly beautiful area. Just the drive
through the canyons and such almost made the trip worthwhile. Go
if you can, but choose your time more carefully than we did. For
example, we just missed the Cicada hatch by a week or two, and that
is evidently a very crazy scene. Makes June in Montana seem less
awesome. Anyway, we also fished a couple of smaller creeks nearby
and had some nice little fish eat our flies and some really nice
larger ones nudge them refusingly. Evidently in Utah, about 70%
of the fish will refuse the fly 10% of the time.
We have a lot to tell you, the consuming public, about new products
this upcoming year, as well as some special secret sale items here
in the shop, but that'll be for another note.
In the meantime, thanks for reading. If you bring this or any report
into the shop, we'll gladly autograph it, but please...no flash
photography.
Hugh Pastoriza
Copyright ©2000 Creekside Angling Company All
Rights Reserved
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
Creekside Angling Company
1180 NW Gilman Blvd. Suite C5
Issaquah, WA 98027
425-392-3800 (voice)
425-557-8928 (fax)
info@creeksideangling.com
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