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The great spectacle that is, The Seattle Sportmen's Expo (www.sportshow.seattle/net),
is happening now! Go meet the legends of our great sport (Lawson,
Dennis, Harder, O'Keefe and others), learn something about tying
and casting, and maybe even find some great deals on gear or materials.
Or if you would prefer fewer crowds, yet still want to learn something
about your favorite escape, then you could actually go fishing.
But that would require up to date information from a reliable source,
and where would you be able to find good scoop on your destination?
Wait I know, the (wicked good) Creekside Angling Company e-mail
fishing report of course.
The Yakima has been fishing pretty well
for those who catch some calm weather. Water flows, while not rock
solid, have been pretty consistent and fishable- hovering right
around the 50-year average flows. As we move further into Spring,
the fishing/hatches will only improve. Impending/already happening
hatches include the Skwala stones, March Browns, midges, and Baetis.
Suggested patterns include stimulators or madam-X's in tan or olive...(dark
body) #10, March Browns #12-16, Blue Winged Olives #18-22, bead
head nymphs- Pheasant Tails, Hare's Ears, Prince nymphs, Lightning
Bugs, Bloody Mary's, and any other attractor nymph you can think
of, as well as the stonefly nymphs in smaller sizes, i.e. #10-12-
Kaufmann's stone, black or brown, the " bead head 20-incher"
has been a great smaller stonefly imitation, and hare's ears in
larger sizes, too, do well to imitate the stone nymphs.
Eastern Washington Lakes got going for
the season a couple of weeks ago, and while the startup sounded
pretty cold, slow, and crowded. We have subsequently received word
from several extremely secretive, trustworthy, tight-lipped, experienced,
hard-core lake anglers that the fishing has become somewhat warmer,
faster and more secluded. Lenice & Nunnally made the list with
buggers & leeches & chironomids getting the most votes from
the academy. Active fishing with the streamer patterns- cast-troll-strip
combo, with a side-order of let-the-line-sink-a-bit, first. Some
patterns you hopefully don't have in your box yet [that we have
here, and you should come buy] include the ever popular and unique
Hale-Bop Leech, the Thin Mint, the Mini-Leech, the Conehead JJ Special,
and, of course, the ever popular Halloween Bugger. We're not saying
that if you don't have any or all of these patterns at your immediate
disposal that you won't catch ANY fish, but....If the shoe fits,
wear it. Variety is the spice of life, I like to carry a wide selection.
What's good for the goose is good for the gander. It ain't bragging
if you 'done it. A bird in hand, etc...
Puget Sound has been showing a kinder,
gentler side here and there, of late. Who do ugly, overcast, drizzly,
cold, dead calm, gray days make very happy? Why, the extremely secretive,
trustworthy, tight-lipped, experienced hard-core Puget Sound anglers
of course. If you think casting and stripping is fun in the comfort
of your own abode, wait 'til you try it in waders and fleece and
gore-tex standing in 40 degree water. Seriously though folks, layering
out there is mandatory. You just won't be able to fish for long
in the wind and rain and cold without the proper gear. Lightweight
layers of polypropelene next to your skin to wick, along with mid-weight
and expedition weight worn over to insulate, will allow you to fish
comfortably all season long in the estuaries of Puget Sound. And
last but not least would be a good foul weather/waterproof jacket
and your waders to keep you dry from the elements.
When you do make it out to the beach I find that it's easiest to
work with the wind even if this conflicts with the current - making
consistent casts is the most important thing. Fighting gusts of
wind to get a few casts off in the direction of the current won't
be as productive as making an easy cast and stripping back down
current. Of course if I had a choice swinging and stripping my fly
with the tidal flow would be an optimal presentation.
You can expect to see some resident coho leaping and some cutthroat
boiling. If you don't see any action on your beach, then wait awhile.
That is to say the gravel bar you've been plying with all sorts
of varying speeds of retrieves for the better part of an hour may
in an instant come alive with a pod of cutts or silvers chasing
the bait right into you. And if you've been patient and observant
through the phases of the tide still with no action don't lose confidence
in that spot. Keep going back, and moreover keep a record of all
of your fishing. When it all falls into place and you catch loads
of fish a carefully kept record from past experiences will help
you know why the conditions allowed for such good fishing.
Rocky Ford is packed with big, finicky
fish, as usual...and is fishing very well when the Fishing Gods
are smiling on you. However, the water is so low the fish are thinking
about calling the EPA to complain. Bring your itsy-bitzy-teeny little
midge, baetis and scud imitations and try them. When/if they don't
work, or you can't make them work, try a big white woolly bugger.
Strip fast and watch the giant wakes form behind your fly. You can
enhance this experience if you imagine that You are the Woolly Bugger
and are about to be broken away from the relative safety of your
6X tippet...at least that's what you were told- but the reality
is that 6X isn't very safe for you at all, and your owner has little
or no respect for your safety or well being. So, apparently out
of nowhere, life as you know it has been forcefully ripped from
you, and you find yourself embedded in the jaws of your foe until
you are able to work your way free, only to lie helpless on the
floor of the creek with only corrosion and decay to look forward
to. Your once flambouyant hackles and tail are now torn and stained.
As if mashing your barb down without so much as a kiss on the cheek
first weren't enough...you've been forgotten like so many before
you. Why couldn't he/she have used some nice 3X Fluorocarbon?
When the wind is down, the hatches are pretty consistent, and the
fish are responding to them. The rest is up to you and your beloved
flies.
Steelhead-
Olympic Peninsula Rivers, while in and out of shape, have been putting
out fish. Reports of multiple steelhead days have been common. If
you can put aside more than a day or two you'll be less likely to
be completely stiffled by rains and blown out rivers. Good reports
specifically have come from the Hoh, Bogey, Sol Duc....among others.
Traditional Winter patterns fished deep on faster sink tips will
get in front of the fish. The fishing is great, just check the flows
and the weather.
Sauk/Skagit too, have been up and down in terms of flows...but is
in shape as of the writing of this report. A few fish to be had
here and there...still relatively slow with an optimistic outlook
for the next few weeks.
Hugh Pastoriza
& Creekside Angling Company Staff
© 2002 Creekside Angling Company All Rights Reserved
Creekside Angling Company
1180 N.W. Gilman Blvd.
Issaquah, WA 98027
p.425.392.3800
f.425.557.8928
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