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LIVE from the Epicenter
of Flyfishing, this is the official Creekside Angling Company Fishing
Report. Eclipsing recent tremors (in angling importance) have been
the meteorologically uplifting mild temperatures, which have eased
some of our angst over steelhead closures by giving our early season
trout fishing a potential jump start. The first few paragraphs are
worth reading, then we droll on for a while, then it gets good again
at the end.
The Yakima has been picking up, what
with a string of warm daze, the occasional stonefly adult has been
reported fluttering about, and the little March Browns ought to
be happening now or soon. Water is low and clear so wading is easy.
Nymphing has continued to prevail as the method of choice for most,
but if you keep your fingers crossed, the dry fly fishing will pick
up. The (lower) canyon has been more popular and productive, as
it gets warmer faster than the comparatively shady upper river.
Stonefly nymphs of various colors and configurations (I.e. beadhead,
rubberlegged, over-easy) bounced along the bottom have been effective
to the point of outright euphoria for some, while others have boasted
the merits of Larry's Lightning bug, prince nymphs, pheasant tails
and other, smaller attractors presented in the same manner. All
in all, one and three-quarter thumbs up for this time of year.
Early Opener Lake reports have all been
pretty favorable....from those fishing from 12:01am on March 1 to
the slightly more conservative folk who fish only during or immediately
around daylight hours...two thumbs up. Lenice and Nunnally were
both terrific late last week. The weekend brought a front through
which turned down the volume a bit, but all in all, the fishing
was excellent. Those playing the chironomid game were winning, and
the midnight anglers did just as well on streamers and leech imitations.
The water is still very cold...mid 40's, but those I spoke to who
caught the nice days were enthusiastic about their results. Rehab
does work, for some.
Other possibilities include Pass, Lone Lake, Rocky Ford, Lake Alice,
Beaver...
If dribbling a midge larva imitation off a long leader and with
an indicator gives you acid reflux, just fish the sinking line deep
with a super slow retrieve or keep the circulation going with a
slow troll. (in another context that may seem somewhat sick, but
if you can keep your mind out of the gutter for a minute- It'll
make sense.)
While we haven't heard much about westside lakes specifically in
the last week or so, they generally fish well this time of year.
Pass lake in particular has a tremendous population of little minnows,
on which the big browns and rainbows like to feed, so I'd select
any number of available imitations of baitfish from your box. Some
popular favorites include woolly buggers, sculpins, muddler minnows,
marabou leeches, and any variations on these patterns. Chironomids,
too, are an important food source for trout this time of year, as
many of the other aquatic insects which populate our local waters
haven't really gotten going yet. Any old chironomid larval or pupal
imitation will suffice. I've always done well with patterns in red
this time of year, and you may even go so far as to fish a blood
worm (san juan worm). You may even catch some fish feeding on the
emerging adults, depending on what the sun and wind are doing. Generally
speaking, the warmer the day, the more active the insects and the
fish will be. Given that we've had quite a few nice mild days recently,
bring the dry fly box and a floating line just in case.
Shallower water will tend to be warmer in lakes, so perhaps concentrating
your efforts in the shallows initially will yield better results
than just heading out to the middle of the lake and dropping your
fly down to the bottom. -which also works but is somewhat less appetizing
Blah blah blah.
So, the Puget Sound has been fishing
well in general of late too, and not just the south sound anymore.
We have it on good authority that the fish in the sound are waiting
to kick your baitfish imitation's ass at the soonest opportunity,
so don't delay. Candlefish patterns work, in case I haven't mentioned
that in the last 257 reports.
What else? No news really from the upper forks of the Snoqualmie,
although fish live there, and they have to eat, and going up there
for an hour or two with the flyrod far surpasses driving your in-laws
to the airport, or thatching, or attending a funeral with your ex-wife.
So What's Stopping you now, eh? eh?
At the very least, stop by Creekside Angling Company and breath
the scent of angling enthusiasm and dog hair. It's the cure for
Cabelapathic behavioral disorder, and you can touch things, too.
Hugh Pastoriza
Copyright ©2000 Creekside Angling Company All
Rights Reserved
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