Wednesday, September 23, 2015

A Solstice too soon.


Your Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishing Guide.
Catch & Release, fly fishing only.

A  Solstice too soon.


Under a waxing harvest moon.
photo credit: Ellen O'Shea. www.eaglemountfarms.com

     Under a waxing Harvest Moon my neighbor's pumpkin and squash patch has been getting a light frost on it every morning of late. It's been cooling down for the last month here, the rivers have gotten some good spates of rain, the fish have been moving upriver, and we're catching bigger cutthroat and coho from the beaches now. And right about now we can expect the October Caddis hatch to begin on our rivers. That will make for some fine dry line steelhead and cutthroat fishing for the next month or more. As much as I hate to admit it- fall is really here. It's just that I am not ready for it yet. I just don't want t give up on summer. It's been so good here.  



"If you squeeze it, it squeaks!"


     I shouldn't complain. It's been a great summer of sea-run coastal cutthroat trout and pink salmon and coho salmon fishing on the beaches here. And it's not like we wont have at least another month or two of some really good beach fishing ahead. I just get so wrapped up in the rhythms of living by the tides, and the warmth of summer, the blue skies and cool refreshing waters. Over the last few weeks I have been feeling the deep changes of the seasons. The days are significantly shorter. Wasn't it grand to be rising with the dawn, in the wee hours of the day, and watching the sunsets at night for a while. Fishing into darkness now gets us off of the water much earlier. Light frequent rains have returned, reviving just about everything from the drought. Mowing the grass will cut into my fishing time again. I'm not really ready for that again either. 



The Coho salmon are a bit bigger now.

     The only truly difficult thing about this time of year is that it can be hard to make up your mind about what fishing you want to do, and where. With the beaches so close at hand, and the coho running now, and the sea-run Cutthroat feeding so voraciously, it is hard to walk away from that. Even if there are cutthroat and summer steelhead hitting those October Caddis now on the rivers to the west of us. Sometimes we can split a day, between saltwater and freshwater fishing, and get a taste of both. It just depends upon the tides and river flows. And speaking of tides, with the Harvest Moon waxing, and the strong tidal pull of the moon this time of year, we can expect some strong tides. Aside from some rain forecast for the next day or so, the air is looking dry and mild for the next week or more here. The rivers are on the drop after the last punch of rain. With a little more rain coming tomorrow, it's likely we will have good fishing for the next week or more here on the rivers too. That's a nice problem to have. 



   Your Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishing Guide and Instructor
                

Fly fishing for sea-run Coastal Cutthroat trout
 from a traditional Swampscott beach dory.
Guided trips, Rowboat picnics, Bird watching.
 

     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. And we fish for Pacific salmon on the beaches. This is all strictly catch and release, traditional, barbless single hook, 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 through advanced casters. I would be happy to help you plan your Olympic Peninsula fly fishing adventure, for all levels of ability. 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. 

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
2006 W.S.U.Beach Watcher / Water Watcher graduate
U.S.C.G First Aid/CPR/BLS/AED/BBP/HIV Certified

Phone: 360-385-9618



  

     




Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Summer's Stalwarts



Your Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishing Guide.
Catch & Release, fly fishing only!

Summer's Stalwarts. 


The late summer run salmon are often larger.

   Despite all of the evidence to the contrary, I am holding onto summer here. I am just not ready for autumn yet. University of Washington weather guru Dr Cliff Mass gives us his terrible seasonal forecast here: "Summer is Over".  Our Olympic Peninsula rivers have received several good spates of rain over the past few weeks, with fully over one foot of rain falling in the mountains, and the water temperatures and flows have returned to seasonal norms. This is very good for the fish, and the fishing. There are native summer Chum salmon moving into many of our smaller coastal streams now. (We don't fish for them at all as they are an endangered species under restoration here. See www.nosc.org ). But having them return is a good sign each season.The fish are on the move.The next week to ten days should see more rain on and off. This is just what the fish needed. And the fishermen too. I should be grateful. And to a degree I am. But I am also hoping for another spell of that magically warm and dry Indian Summer weather, before it gets much colder and wetter. Last year we had great beach fishing here through October, and for most of the winter. 



A spread of Clouser Flies for beach fishing.
   
   We have been catching some really nice Coho salmon and sea-run Coastal Cutthroat trout from the beaches lately. And true to form for later summer and autumn, they are often much bigger now. These fish have been feeding heavily all summer. We are still seeing a few Pink salmon on our trips, they are also larger now, though that run has slowed some in our saltwaters.



A robust September sea-run Coastal Cutthroat trout. 
#4 ginger deer hair muddler

   The cooler overcast skies and rainy weather in our forecast will have us fishing between raindrops in the week or two ahead. But we won't be complaining. It's still summer here after all. Late summer. So don't be fooled. The beach fishing has been great so far, it will only get better. And the autumn solstice is still a week away. Then we can talk more about the October Caddis hatch, and the river fishing for Cutthroat and summer steelhead again. But it's not fall yet . . . 



Your Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishing Guide and Instructor
                

Fly fishing for sea-run Coastal Cutthroat trout
 from a traditional Swampscott beach dory.
Guided trips, Rowboat picnics, Bird watching. 

     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. And we fish for Pacific salmon on the beaches. This is all strictly catch and release, traditional, barbless single hook, 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 through advanced casters. I would be happy to help you plan your Olympic Peninsula fly fishing adventure, for all levels of ability. 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. 

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
2006 W.S.U.Beach Watcher / Water Watcher graduate
U.S.C.G First Aid/CPR/BLS/AED/BBP/HIV Certified

Phone: 360-385-9618