Your Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishing Guide Catch & Release, Fly Fishing Only |
Wind
Some spring days are better than others. Have a cup of coffee. Force 5 |
We got down to the beach a little after sunrise. The water was flat and calm. But I knew that the marine forecast was predicting building winds, and wind waves, all day, with small craft warnings expected by late afternoon or evening. That is not unusual from autumn through spring here on the Olympic Peninsula, though we can usually see it in the forecasts ahead of time. By the time we got rigged up and headed down the beach you could feel the cold wind puffing up, metallic grey low clouds schooning along, and in the distant horizon on the water you could see the surface turning black. My fishing guest that day was oblivious to my quiet sense of foreboding. I had previously warned him that we might get too much wind at some point, that at best we had a 50:50 chance of a decent full day on the water. He decided to come out anyway. Fine with me. I would always be willing to reschedule the day if it went bad for us. It only happens a few times each year.
Low tide and wind scalloped sand on a lee shore. |
At first it was fine, really. There was just a light breeze out of the south, maybe 5 to 10 knots, but with hints of more to come. And the tide was running with the wind, the water still flat. As we got to work fishing we positioned ourselves downwind of a high sand bar and some trees, where there was a seam of current eddying along the edge of quieter water behind the bar. As my guest began to make his first casts of the day I noticed right away that he was going to need a little coaching. And the wind was pushing in from his casting hand side. So we worked on that a little, an impromptu casting lesson.
Just the facts:
Keep the rod tip tilted slightly away from you, into the wind.
Use enough hand speed and a sufficient enough stroke to overcome the wind blowing on the line.
Use a crisp enough stop, straight toward your target, to direct all of the casting energy to the target.
Immediately follow through after the stop, to follow the line down to the water with the rod tip, and to help keep the line out of the wind.
And if it gets too windy, cast on your downwind side."
Some people handle this better than others, and this guy was a gem- eminently teachable, athletic, and he learned quickly. If you can't cast in the wind you are going to miss a lot of fishing days. And even though the wind was building, and the waves were picking up out there, with white caps forming, he had a decent cast going and we were covering the water out to forty feet in front of us with very little difficulty. And then the wind really came on. By lunch time we were feeling gusts strong enough to make us stagger. Easily Force 4 on the Beaufort Scale. But under the darkening sky there were ominous gusts to well over Force 6. my guest did not mind a bit. No one had told him that he couldn't cast in the wind. So he just kept a positive attitude, ignoring the wind, and went right on casting. And from where we were, we had several hundred yards of "protected water" that was still fairly quiet, clean, and fishable.
Force 4 on the Beaufort Wind Scale. |
It got windy. |
And for our efforts, we were rewarded with one bright sea-run Cutthroat trout. And then the day blew out with spume strewn waves, silt and marl colored water along the shore, and casting was not realistic. And though it was not impossible to cast, it was no fun. We had to lean into it as we walked back up the beach. They say that if the wind were to stop blowing in Tierra del Fuego, all of the fishing guides would fall down. We were barely able to eat lunch as the wind increased. Hunkered in between some big beach logs, finishing our sandwiches and coffee, we called it a day. Well, a half day anyway. We went out to the cafe for some hot coffee. And I invited my guest to come back again someday, for a full "make-up day." We have over seven to ten months of good fishing ahead of us on these beaches, so I expect to see this man again this season. The promise of one bright, wild trout can do that to you.
Our reward. |
You should come fly fishing with me here this spring. I will keep an eye on the weather for you!
Celebrating 35 years of fly fishing adventures!
In celebration of my over 35 years of fly fishing experience, I am going to be extending a $35.00 discount to every returning angler date this season. From April through October, if you come fishing with me, and you or a partner have been a fishing guest in the past, you will receive the $35 discount. Must be booked in advance.
Your Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishing Guide and Instructor
I am guiding fly fishers on the Olympic Peninsula beaches, rivers and streams. We walk and wade, fly fishing for sea-run Coastal Cutthroat trout in freshwater and saltwater, and in the rivers for Cutthroat trout and summer steelhead. This is strictly catch and release, traditional fly fishing only. Lunch, snacks, soft beverages, and use of some equipment is included. I also offer personalized and private fly fishing and fly casting instruction for beginners. I would be happy to help you plan your Olympic Peninsula fly fishing adventure, for beginners through expert anglers. Public presentations, Naturalist Guide, rowboat picnics, tide pool and river trail day trips. Please call, write or email for booking details. Now booking for April through October and beyond. Please call or write for details.
Bob Triggs
Little Stone Flyfisher
P.O. Box 261
Port Townsend, WA
98368
Licensed Washington State Guide
Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Trout Unlimited Aquatic Educator Award
W.S.U.Beach Watcher
U.S.C.G First Aid/CPR/BLS/AED/BBP/HIV Certified
Phone: 360-385-9618
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LittleStoneFlyfisher