fishTRACKER

Skykomish River – Sultan, Washington

Happy New Year – Time to start 2012 right by Steelhead fly fishing!!!
Fly fished the Skykomish River for Steelhead on the south side of the river & east of Mann Rd. Bridge. There is a nice trail that leads to a great sand bar area that can easily be fly fished from shore or waders. Location is pretty much directly across the river from downtown Sultan, Washington.
Today was so damn windy it wasn’t even worth it. Fly fished for about 1.5 hours with various pink & orange streamers & articulated steelhead flies. The wind was so strong that you couldn’t even cast more that 5 feet in front of you. And lag between 30-40 MPH gusts was so rare that you would only get 1 1/2 decent cast every 10-20 tries. Totally worthless, but still better that many alternatives. Caught nothing. I saw only 1 drift boat go down river, & one wader on the south side & one wader on the north side of the river. Only saw one fish & it was “a real beaut, Clark”.

Today was supposed to be a test of my new Sharkskin Steelhead Fly Line – well, we will have to wait until next time to get a real verdict. Not much use in 30-40 MPH winds.
You know what they say – “A bad day on the river is still better than a good day at work!”

GPS:47.859912,-121.812783
Time: Sunday, January 1, 2012, 12:45-2:30pm
Weather: 39 F
Water: 40 F, High, swift, & a bit so-so on the clarity scale
Access: Great
Rig: Steelhead flies
Notes: This is a great place to fish, close to Seattle and surrounds

Winter Fly Fishing on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington

Each year the week after Christmas, the family heads to the Olympic Pennisula for a little R&R and fly fishing. In general, this is Steelhead country & some of the finest fishing in the world.
Well, our annual trek on 12/26/11-12/29/11 couldn’t have been more soaked. Rain in the Ho Rain Forest is expected each time we visit. But, generally there is enough decent water in some river to find fish.
This year it was raining hard, really hard. All day. Every day.
Every day we went in search of a river that wasn’t at flood stage or filled with mud. Each day we looked for any sign that there might be fish that could see a fly that didn’t smack it in the eye. We went to the Ho River, we drove to the Clearwater River, we checked out the Bogachiel River, we drove to the Calawah, and we drove to the Sol Duc River.
After hundreds of miles of surveying we finally gave up. We left the rods in the truck and decided that we need to try somewhere new next year.

On the bright side, we did find some new spots that would be great to fly fish if the rivers were’nt flooded. See below.

Condition: FLOODED
Notes: Check water levels before driving the distance

How to Catch and Release Trout Safely

Catch and Release is important in fishing conservation. We all can do our part to maintain healthy fishing habitats and populations. Catch & Release is effective and easy fish conservation. Releasing a fish safely is a great way of helping to preserve the sport of fishing and fly fishing for others. Imagine releasing that 3lb Rainbow trout today, only to see your son or daughter catch it again later that day? How many times have you seen a trout float by upside down as your wading? Not cool. Catch-n-release sounds simple enough, but proper catching and proper releasing methods are important to the survival of the fish, particularily sensitive fish like trout. When you are on the river next time, please consider these steps to ensure a better chance of survival and future enjoyment by other anglers. Take a picture home instead of a dead fish. Put your picture up in the local bar & tell your friends how you caught AND released the fish. There is a certain matter of pride or confidence one feels when they release a fish unharmed knowing that they are just going to catch another one soon. Your friends will listen, appreciate, and respect you all the more for caring for the future of fishing.

How to handle fish and trout using catch and release:

What to do:

1. Do not allow the fish to struggle an unreasonable time in the current. Bring the fish in as soon as safely possible.
2. Use a net to bring in the fish. DO NOT yank it up on shore or drag it in the gravel or accross the top of the water. Attempt to allow it to swim to your net.
3. If possible, keep the fish & your net in or on the surface of the water. Unhook it without touching it with your hands. Use your net and pliers instead.
4. If you must handle the fish, wet your hands first
5. If possible, hold the fish upside down with wet hands and get it back into the water as quickly as possible. Holding the fish upside down essentially dumbs the fish with no harm or struggle, allowing you to remove the fly quickly without damage.
6. Use a hook release tool or pliers to release the fly or hook.
If you want a photo, this is the time
• Hold the fish out with both hands supporting it’s underbelly…NOT the gills. Grabbing it by the gills will likely kill it minutes after released
• After snapping your trophy photo, quickly return the fish to the water as noted below
7. If you’re fly fishing in a river, point the fish into the current while it breathes
8. Support it’s underbelly gently until it wiggles & swims out of your hands

That’s it…pretty easy & you likely just saved a fish for many anglers to enjoy in the future. And let’s be honest…if it ain’t a trophy…it ain’t worth keeping until it is. I can buy all the 1lb trout I can eat at the grocery store or local fish market.

Some important notes about what NOT to do:

• Do not squeeze a fish
• Do not put fingers in the gills
• Do not hold the fish out of water longer than necessary. Get the hook out, get the photo, & return it to the water.
• Do not throw a fish back into the water like a rock
• DO not put your fingers into the gills to hold it
• Do not let the fish flop around on the ground
• Do not let your dog smack it around. At that piont, you might as well just let the dog eat it

We hope these tips help all of us to continue to enjoy the sport of catch and release fishing & catch-n-release fly fishing.

- gone fly fishing,
EARTHangler

Madison River 2011 – Ennis, Montana

August 6th-13th, 2011
Again, the annual Montana Fly Fishing trip.
We set up a float trip on the Madison River with Joe Dilschneider of Montana Trout Stalkers & guides Jim Morrison & Chris Knott. They are the best guides & always make it a very productive day on the water even when other boats are having a rough go of it. Try to set up your Madison float with Joe and his folks early in your trip to pick up on any tips that can be useful on your own.

Day 1: Saturday – Drove non-stop to Ennis, Montana and checked in to our favorite place – the El Western, again.
Day 2: Sunday – After changing a flat tire on the truck, we fished The Madison River at Valley Garden. Great water this year with nice pools in the channels and inlets. Caught & released unharmed several small rainbow trout & a couple medium browns. Best bet was the Caddis. Also trailed an ant & lightning bugs behind stoneflys, girddle bugs & whooly buggers with some success.
Day 3: Monday – Floated a full day on the Madison with Montana Trout Stalkers & Joe. Dropped in 3 boats at Storey Ditch and pulled out near Burnt Tree. It wasn’t the greatest day for big fish, but still quite productive right up to the last cast. A couple guys in the group caught a few 22-24″ fatties. Spent most of the day trailing nymphs and lightning bugs behind stoneflys. We even tried double bunnies, zonkers & streamers without much luck.
Day 4: Tuesday – Day started a bit slow, so we just fished Ennis Lake & Bear Trap Canyon.
Day 5: Wednesday – Fished the Upper Ruby River. Read more about fly fishing the Ruby River here.
Day 6: Thursday – Midday we hiked & fished a small alpine lake off North Meadow Creek Road. Beautiful area, but don’t waste your time if your looking for fish. I think the whole place was nothing but a feeder and watering hole for cattle. After dinner at the Taqueria Las Palmitas we headed to the the trout farm, Bear Trap Canyon. Nice evening with plenty of action. Caught 2 rainbow & 1 brown on Elk Hair Caddis & a Prince Nymph trailing a brown Stonefly bug.
Day 7: Friday – Checked out of El Western & headed to Yellowstone Park. We stopped on the way to let the kids play in Quake Lake. The 83deg weather and breeze would have been great if it weren’t for the massive infestation of horse flies. We toughed it out for a hour or so before driving to West Yellowstone for some supplies to fish the Yellowstone River. First stop was my favorite place to buy fishing stuff in West Yellowstone, Madison River Outfitters. Second stop was the famous Bud Lilly’s Fly Shop. I buy flies at Bud Lilly’s because they are always helpful & the fly fishing report whiteboard always seems to be accurate and up to date. After getting the required Yellowstone National Park Fishing Permit ($15 for 3-day) and flies we headed to Old Faithful.

Day 8: Saturday – Yellowstone Park, Firehole River, & the Madison River. Read more about fly fishing the Firelhole River, the Madison & Yellowstone..
Day 9: Sunday – Head west…home.