Spring Trout!

Your Olympic Peninsula fly fishing guide
Catch & Release, Fly fishing only

Spring Trout!

   Tomorrow is the big, statewide trout lake fishing season Opening Day, and I won't be there.

Releasing a springtime wild sea-run Coastal Cutthroat Trout
photo credit Richard Stoll  www.westsoundangler.com

   
    It's not that I don't like lake fishing- I do. I have enjoyed lake fishing from the day that I caught my first trout in an Adirondack Mountain lake when I was two years old. And I have been fishing lakes ever since then. As a boy I fished with worms and minnows, and eventually with spinners and plugs and spoons, in every suburban New York state lake and pond that I could get to on my bike. Some of these lakes were public. Many were not. And most of them were clearly posted. No one can stop a 12 year old with a fishing rod, and there were too many good fishing lakes to ignore, and so many different kinds of fish to catch. There were trout in some places, but there were also crappie, sunfish, bluegills, perch, walleye, pike, and bass. Largemouth bass. Once I discovered Largemouth bass my life began to take a definite course- Always towards water. By the time I was in my second year of the fifth grade I knew most of the best bass fishing lakes withing striking distance of school. So if you twist my arm, we just might go lake fishing for trout out here too.

The Black Bass
Photo: N.Y.S.D.E.C.

    Of all the things that I have wanted to do in fishing, it has always been about the wild fish, wilderness, and solitude for me. That's why I fish these beaches for sea-runs. We just don't see the kinds of crowds here that you might on some other trout waters. Especially Washington's trout lakes on Opening Day. And by now the Cutthroat have had time to get fat already, gorging on plentiful forage, as we have seen huge counts on juvenile chum salmon at some of the smolt counting locations out here. One tiny stream here generated over one million chum fry this spring! And we are seeing big numbers of Pink salmon fry moving out into the saltwater this spring as well. There are some very robust trout around now. And they don't need much convincing to take your fly. As the weather is warming up, and we are getting more sunny days, this is only going to get better. Don't forget that the juvenile Herring and Sandlance are growing every day too. Right now I will be using very small patterns, down to an inch or less in length, very sparse, on #8 and #10 hooks. Over the next month my bait fish patterns will be getting a little longer each week.

    These are pleasant days spent on broad, fairly flat and firm, gravel and sand beaches. We take a few breaks along the way, and we have a nice picnic lunch too. If it's damp and chilly we might make some hot tea or coffee. On the clear days you will see Mt Ranier, Mt Baker and the Olympic Mountain peaks. We are surrounded by beauty. We see many species of sea and shore birds, eagles and osprey, otters and seals, and sometimes even whales. All with simple walk and wade access. We don't wade more than knee deep, and the fish are usually in close in the shallows. Trout fishermen will understand this game. Our unique tidal currents here create river like flows. That's where the trout are, most of the time. We use a broad range of flies, some being well-known trout patterns, and others are regional favorites for saltwater. (There's more about these flies on some of my previous postings here.) Local knowledge of the trout and their prey, and their habitats and behavior, is key to success. That's what I have been doing out here for the last fourteen years- Haunting these beaches, reading the water, learning the signs, chasing these wild trout. And we do catch a few.

A salty sea-run Cutthroat. That's what I'm talking about!

   So if you want to avoid the crowds, and meet up with some of the wildest, brightest sparkling jewels of the Puget Sound waters, come up and fish with me on the Olympic Peninsula beaches. Call or write for details. Beginners to expert- all are welcome. Certified  Fly casting and Fly Fishing Instruction. I am in my 34th year of fly fishing.

Bob Triggs
Little Stone Flyfisher
P.O. Box 261
Port Townsend, Wa
98368

360-385-9618
littlestoneflyfisher@mail.com
www.facebook.com/LittleStoneFlyfisher
www.washingtonflyfishing.com/guides/littlestone
http://olympicpeninsulaflyfishing.blogspot.com

It's Supposed To Be Fun.

It's Supposed To Be Fun

Some people need to cheer up.

   Sometimes I think that our fly fishing community has lost its sense of humor. I'm not sure how it happens that people can find their way into the game, at any age, and find some kind of pleasure or solace in the quiet arts of fly fishing, and yet at some point they become serious about it. Way too serious. Maybe this is just an aspect of human nature, to make things more complicated than they have to be. Perhaps there is some evolutionary advantage to this behavior. Is there an advantage for the more cerebral and complex individuals to out compete the more emotional members of the species? I don't know. I can see this working out just fine in the executive suites and corporate boardrooms, where the smarter you are the bigger the piece of pie you get. Maybe not so much when it comes to the hunters and gatherers though. I suspect that this is more of a "male" or masculine feature among fly fishers. And certainly any time that you mix ego and testosterone into anything, the process has a way of going awry.

This man is having more fun than you are.

   There is an observable pattern to this tendency. And while I dislike stereotypes in general, I have had many occasions to witness certain "types" of anglers during our time on the water together. One thing that I see is that the men are entirely too worried about how they "look", all of the time, while fly fishing. Aside from wearing all of the right attire and logos, carrying the latest in gear and accessories, and certainly the latest in rods, and looking picture perfect, there is a kind of man on the water these days who can't seem to relax. And for men it isn't the fashion statement so much as it is the terrible sense of self conscious concern that someone may be watching them, and they have a need to look cool. Often these men are inconsolable. In contrast a woman angler can come out for the day of fishing with her husband, and some of them are dressed to kill as well, and yet they seem unconcerned with their appearance, and they focus on the fishing. If I compliment  a woman on her fly fishing attire at the beginning of the trip, she is appropriately, briefly flattered. Should I share a similar compliment with the man it may actually make him uncomfortable. But the big difference is that the woman will go on to have a great time for the day, and the man will often be kind of uptight. All day. He has a need to perform, to prove himself, and to catch fish. It would help if he could cast. A good caster will look really cool out there no matter what he is wearing. No amount of state of the art fabric outdoors fashion clothing, or high end, technical assault fly rods, can make a bad caster look cool. Trust me. Sometimes it's like watching paint dry.

This man is not concerned with his appearance, and he is an expert fly fisherman.

 
      It always seemed kind of odd to me that a guy would spend a few thousand dollars on fly fishing clothing, tackle, accessories, and take some very expensive fly fishing travel trips as well, and yet not spend any time or money on learning how to fly cast. And so they attempt to teach themselves, often with poor results. And their fishing isn't what it could be as far as satisfaction and fun. I see this as an particularly American male trait- that somehow we men are born with certain pre-programmed skills: handling money, driving a car, shooting guns, sex and fly casting. I suspect that technology plays a role in this as well, or our over dependence on it.  There is an "App" for everything after all. And it's not hard to imagine that there is someone out there right now, with a fly rod in one hand and a Smart Phone in the other, going stroke for stroke with some engineered, robotic fly casting program, undoubtedly chanting "10-2 . . .10-2 . . .10-2". . . And still getting it wrong. Some things can not be learned from staring at a screen. Don't feel bad- You didn't really learn anything about sex from reading your old man's Playboy magazines and practicing on your own with that either.

   It's not too late for you! There is hope! You can change! 

First, let us kill all of the telephones!

   It takes a little commitment and willingness, and you have to want to change. But imagine being free of those nasty little "wind knots" forming in your leader, even when there is no wind. Wouldn't it be nice to not lose so many flies on the back cast? Wouldn't you like to be able to haul and shoot the fly line, and accurately place the fly without struggling to do it? I promise you that this is possible and achievable, often with just a few compassionate lessons. And with a little effort and practice you could be looking very cool indeed. And then your fly fishing life will be what it should be and ought to be- Fun.

   Trust me, I'm a professional! I teach fly casting for all levels of ability, from beginner to expert. I can work with you to help you overcome casting flaws and improve your game. Spring is the time to get your casting skills honed for the season ahead. You probably don't need a new fly line as badly as you need some good coaching and support.

Professional, Certified fly casting instruction for individuals and groups. Call or write for details. 

  Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishing Guide  
  Sea-run Coastal Cutthroat Trout, Trout, Summer Steelhead 
  Catch and Release, Fly Fishing Only
  Over 34 years of fly fishing experience

  Call or write for details:

  Bob Triggs
  Little Stone Flyfisher
  P.O. Box 261
  Port Townsend, Wa
  98368
  360-385-9618
  littlestoneflyfisher@mail.com
  www.washingtonflyfishing.com/guides/littlestone
  http://olympicpeninsulaflyfishing.blogspot.com
  www.facebook.com/LittleStoneFlyfisher

Rites Of Spring

Rites Of Spring

"Hope"

   I took a row in the dory along the beaches on Monday afternoon. I was scouting for feeding Cutthroat. It was a sunny afternoon, but cool and breezy at about 10 to 15 knots. And as luck sometimes works out, the wind was against me most of the way out, for about two miles. There was a soft one foot chop to the water. Many days these winds blow out by sundown. And for a short trip along the shore I wasn't too worried about it anyway. Most of the time I could walk and wade in the same places that I am rowing. There was enough of a wind riffle on the water to  make it difficult to see any surface action from the small fry schools. I did however see plenty of juveniles making their way down the sheltered, tea colored creek, most at under two inches, in densely grouped "schools." Of course the Kingfishers and Herons are already getting in on this annual bonanza of food. These Summer Chum will come back in a few years, many of them well over ten pounds by then. The habitat restoration work of the North Olympic Salmon Coalition has been steadily improving this watershed for over 20 years. For many years this salmon run was extirpated. For the first time in over 15,000 years of human interactions there were no salmon in some of these places. Now they are coming home to spawn every fall. And any time that you improve salmon habitat, the Cutthroat trout will be close by. The next time you are sea run fishing on the north Olympic Peninsula, anywhere from the Hood Canal Bridge to the Sooes River in Neah Bay, remember that many dedicated volunteers and professionals have been working very hard for decades to improve these coastal watersheds. Maybe you'll support them too.

It's all about the habitat!

    It is generally not too soon for sea run Coastal Cutthroat trout fly fishing on Puget Sound regional waters right now. And I know plenty of people who fish for them all winter long. But we do know that many of these fish are spawning during the spring, and March seems to be the big month for this. So by the end of March these post spawn fish might be underweight, and lacking the kind of power and zeal that make them such a good game fish for fly fishermen. It can not be good for these fish to be hooked and played and handled in this condition. It won't hurt to give them a few weeks to recover, bulk up feeding on the fry, and regain their former status as scrappy, hard hitting, Welterweight trout. This March has been unusually wet, and the extra rainfall has given most of our streams and rivers a big boost in flows. And there has also been lower temperatures earlier in the month. So the streams have run cold and high for weeks. And it is believed that this can slow down spawning in the Cutthroat, and perhaps also briefly delay the Chum fry in their emergence from their gravel redds in the rivers.

Yearling sea run Cutthroat take the Chum Baby fly!

 
    Mid to late April is the beginning of the better spring fishing for sea runs around here on the north Olympic Peninsula. And down in the South Sound area it seems to get going a few weeks earlier. We are at the cusp of some of the best fishing of the year. Right now I am tying my spring flies, chiefly my Little Stone's Chum Baby and Little Stone's Beach Baby, and since it is a Pink Salmon fry year here again, I am tying my Little Stone's Pinkie Baby fly too. These patterns will work throughout the spring. I tie them small and sparse in the early weeks. But by mid to later May they are well over two inches long. It is not that this is the only fly that will work right now. But imitating the available forage is going to be the best strategy. And right now there a a gazillion Pink salmon and Chum salmon fry out there, all making their way into the salt waters and migrating north with the spring. There are many other marine and terrestrial forage species of significance to our sea run Coastal Cutthroat trout fishing here. And I will be detailing some of those in future blogs this spring and early summer.

Fly Fishing Author and Guide Richard Stoll met up with this hefty sea run Cutthroat,
using my Chum Baby fly on an early season scouting trip.
( www.westsoundangler.com )

Fly Casting Tune-Up!
    Spring is a good time for a tune-up of your fly casting skills. Fly casting is the very heart and soul of this game. If you can't cast well enough, your fishing is not going to go all that well either. This is one sport that you can improve at throughout your lifetime. By the time that you get back into fishing this season you won't have much time for practice. I teach all levels of fly casting, from beginner to expert. So if you want to learn from the basics on up, or you just need a little help with getting that extra bit of distance or accuracy, let me help you. I have many years of teaching experience and I hold several Casting Instructor Certifications.

Fly Fishing Instruction and Guided Trips
   By the end of April I will be back on the Olympic Peninsula waters, teaching the arts of fly fishing and fly casting, and guiding fly fishers for catch & release only, freshwater and saltwater. Trout, Sea Run Coastal Cutthroat Trout & Summer Steelhead. Please write or call for details.

Bob Triggs
Little Stone Flyfisher
P.O. Box 261
Port Townsend, Wa
98368

360-385-9618

email: littlestoneflyfisher@mail.com
blog:  http://olympicpeninsulaflyfishing.blogspot.com
web:  www.facebook.com/LittleStoneFlyfisher